A DRY evening with a wintry feel in the air greeted drivers, teams and fans as they gathered at HRP Lochgelly Raceway for the latest slice of stock car action presented by Hardie Race Promotions, writes our Raceway scribe Les Waller.

With the close-season fast approaching, this event represented one of the final chances for spectators to enjoy a great night of entertainment at HRP Lochgelly Raceway before the end of the 2016 season.

For many, the main event would be the Ramp Rollover Event which would conclude the night’s entertainment but HRP had a full racing programme scheduled prior to this featuring four great formulas.

The night began with the final meeting for the Ninja Karts in 2016. The formula was started in Scotland in 2013 and has become hugely popular as young drivers take their first steps on the oval racing ladder and it was a poignant evening as another two of the original “gang of six” were taking part in their final races as Ninja Kart drivers in the form of Declan Honeyman and Jay Paterson.

However, before these youngsters would take to the track; it was the turn of the white and yellow graded drivers to contest their traditional heat which was won by the returning Lucy Millar – Lucy had taken a whack at the last event so it was great to see her back on track and claiming victory ahead of Rachel Kidd and Jase Walle.

The first heat proper saw the blue, red and superstar graded drivers join the fray in an all-in format for the Jus-Bounce Trophy. The trophy would go to the highest points scorer over the three heats.

Scottish and British Champion Charlie Hardie secured victory in the first heat ahead of Bailey Millar and Rachel Kidd. Hardie’s win and closest-rival Robbie Armit’s 8th place combined to also secure Hardie the National Points title after a fantastic season-long battle between two top young stars. Hardie double up in heat two as he once again headed Bailey Millar across the line with European Champion Declan Honeyman claiming the third-place trophy in his penultimate race. The last race of the night saw Hardie cross the line first but he was removed from the results after contact with Bailey Millar’s kart which handed victory to Robbie Armit ahead of the retiring Jay Paterson and Lennon Grant.

The points were tallied up and it was Bailey Millar who claimed the Jus-Bounce Trophy ahead of Lennon Grant and Scott Allardyce. A thrilling conclusion to a fantastic season in the UK’s premier junior racing formula at HRP Lochgelly Raceway.

The CC Rods were back in action for their second meeting in seven days and another good field of cars were on hand to do battle. Leslie’s Ian Hotchkies maintained his recent good form in heat one as he took the spoils in his unique MK2 Astra ahead of Colin Wotherspoon in his Fiesta and Gary Paul’s Citroen Saxo. Gary Paul has looked quick in his sporadic appearances this year and underlined that with victory in heat two ahead of on-form duo Bob Martin and Hotchkies.

With two podium finishes in the heats, Gary Paul looked a good bet to claim the feature final from his advantageous white grade starting position and he duly did so as he took the chequered flag ahead of Wotherspoon and Bob Cairns.

The 2.0 Hot Rods were also back in action and it was great to see Kelty’s Kinzie Law back on track after missing several meetings.

No one had an answer to the rapid Billy Bonnar in heat one as the Lochore driver claimed an excellent win with only Scottish Champion Gordon Alexander getting on terms with Bonnar in the closing stages. Heat Two saw Bonnar surge into the lead in short order once again and he was able to maintain his lead to claim his second win and a return to red grade ahead of Alex Wilson and Gill Anderson.

The feature final was another excellent race with the drivers putting on a demonstration of car control as they sliced their way around the HRP Lochgelly Raceway tarmac. Bonnar’s promotion to red did not deter him as he looked fast once again but Anderson had managed to get ahead of Bonnar and held on to that lead until the chequered flag to claim his second final win in as many meetings ahead of Bonnar and Gordon Alexander.

The final formula on show were the Superstox who were in action at HRP Lochgelly Raceway for the final time in 2016. This past Saturday night saw the welcome return of Allan Greig to the formula.

The first race went the way of David Frame but the first half of the race was all about the impressive driving of 2016 rookie Jordan Black who drove steadily to remain in the lead before being overhauled by some of the more experienced pilots - Frame claimed the win ahead of Chris Millar and Scottish Champion Bryan Forrest.

The second heat saw Black make the running in the early stages before being overhauled by Lewis Willacy who drove with great maturity to keep his car ahead of heat one winner Frame to claim an excellent win. The feature final was another excellent race with the drivers putting on a masterclass of bumper action.

Frame had surged through the field once again but had no answer for Chris Miller who had made his way into the lead and built up a sufficient gap to claim the win ahead of Frame and Lattka.

The final event was the one that had brought so many people to HRP Lochgelly Raceway as the annual Ramp Rollover Event saw eight brave test pilots take to the skies to battle for the win. Lochgelly’s own Billy Wilson was the first over the new ramp and it appeared at one point that Billy was going to land on the A92 as he flew high into the air before crashing to earth and rolling no less than two and half times!!!

This certainly did not deter most of the drivers as each of them thrilled the crowd with some incredible jumps with Lee Clarke producing a huge and spectacular leap to claim the big win while Dougie Kidd’s jump saw him come to a halt against the turn three fence!!! One of the major highlights for many was Northern Irishman Darren Bevan who may not have attacked the ramp at quite the same pace as the likes of Wilson, Clarke, Kidd, Michelle Murdoch, Steven Van Putten or Douglas and Sean McConnachie who all produced huge jumps but he managed to roll his car, keep it running and perform multiple jumps with the crowd lapping it up as Bevan’s battered Nissan Micra refused to quit.

There are just two meetings remaining at HRP Lochgelly Raceway this year and the first of these is this Friday October 28 where the 1300 Stock Cars will contest the prestigious Mr Gunn Trophy. Racing starts at 7pm.