THE 2015 season at Lochgelly Raceway was one which saw some impressive initiatives introduced, writes our Raceway correspondent Les Waller.

The first Speed Weekend of 2015 saw the National Hot Rods contesting their European Championship for the third year in a row – given that this meeting came about following a very brief conversation it has really become a hopefully permanent fixture on the HRP calendar.

While the Speed Weekends have featured some great action, many of our domestic events have seen some great moments throughout the year.

Adding “novelty” events such as Caravan Carnage and the Ramp Rollover event have attracted new spectators to the sport and hopefully some of them will return regularly in 2016 and beyond.

Looking at the formulas individually there can be no doubt that the 1300 Stock Cars have once again been THE success story in Scotland in 2015 – fantastic action with huge turnouts and stealing the show on a regular basis – proper old school stock car racing!!! The Superstox have seen an upsurge in numbers and the action has been better for it while we have seen Barry Stephen and David Frame rise to the top of the formula on a domestic and international stage to join Stuart Gilchrist as genuine title contenders. The Ministox have seen some great action but there can be no doubt that Euan Millar and Steven Burgoyne have been the class of the pack in 2015 but the likes of Michael Mitchell, John Crawford, Gary Paterson and Danny Whyte have risen to the fore. The ProStocks have had an up and down season with turnouts fluctuating and some “over the top” incidents for what is a limited contact formula – Tam Melrose has been truly dominant domestically and can look back on his season with pride.

As far as the non-contact formulas are concerned, it has been a case of “as you were” in National hot Rods with turnouts remaining stagnant but several drivers have recently purchased cars so hopefully we will see an upturn in 2016.

The 2.0 Hot Rods saw some good racing in 2015 with more and more drivers joining the formula – the future looks bright for the tin tops! The Stock Rods (as previously mentioned) have certainly not enjoyed a classic season but the rise of Siobhan Martin to the top echelon of the sport has been a joy to watch. One formula that doesn’t seem to get the credit it deserves is the CC Rods – the low budget non-contact class have enjoyed a breakout year with international recognition and some great battles between the likes of Ian Taylor, Johnny Bell and Ian Donaldson. That just leaves the Ninja Karts – the way the 6-11 year olds race and carry themselves off track is a shining example of all that is good in our sport and I salute them all!!!

So………what’s to come in 2016? If only I had a crystal ball to know then I would be a rich man but I can tell you that fixture planning for 2016 is well underway and (SPOILER ALERT) some of the highlights of the HRP 2016 calendar include:

The Ninja Karts European Championship!!!

The National Hot Rod European Championship which will co-headline our April Speed Weekend on April 9th and 10th along with the competitive debut of the Classic Hot Rods in Scotland!!!

The Rebel Racers will make their Scottish debut on the weekend of June 11th and 12th as they form part of a great weekend.

THE THUNDER IS BACK as the mighty BriSCA F1 Stock Cars roll back into town on the last weekend of June.

Three-wheeled mayhem returns to Scotland as the RELIANT ROBIN SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP rolls (quite possibly literally) into town in August!!!

Our August Speed Weekend is usually a big one and this year will certainly be no exception as SEVERAL championships are decided over August 27th and 28th!!!

The fourth and final Speed Weekend of the year features the National Micro Banger World Cup as well as, for the first time ever, the Stock Rod Best in Britain – this event should see the great and the good from Stock Rods descending on HRP Lochgelly Raceway for the right to wear the Union Jack on their roof!!!

Add to that list even more international events that will be revealed in due course plus Caravan Carnage, the Ramp Rollover, Banger Ramp Races and the usual plethora of domestic formulas and championships and it is bubbling away nicely to be the biggest and best season at HRP Lochgelly Raceway to date and you can ALL be a part of that.

Whether on track or simply standing on the terracing, the one constant aspect of OUR sport is the passion of the people involved. We all have our opinions on how things should be done and what changes may make the sport better but we are definitely united in hoping for the best for stock car racing and short oval motorsport. It is fine to disagree with another person’s opinion but PLEASE show each and every person the same RESPECT you would expect. At the end of the day, the sport is reliant on drivers, fans and promoter pulling in the same direction and we can truly achieve something special if we do this.

I cannot let this 2015 review without mentioning a couple of things. Firstly, I would like to thank our dedicated team of track day staff who work, in all weather conditions, to ensure that we are able to host stock car meetings for those on both sides of the fence – thank you so much. 2016 will be very strange as Johnny “Half lap” McArthur (our pit marshal) intimated his intention to move – Johnny has been a part of the furniture here since the very beginning and will be missed by all in the pits and all of us at HRP.

The second person who is thoroughly deserving of a mention is the man, the myth, the legend that is Eddie Paterson. Eddie has recorded videos and then DVDs of stock car events across the country for over twenty years now and, following a health scare a few months ago, has decided to hang up his camera after tonight’s event – Eddie, we salute you and thank you for all you have done for the sport!!!