THE stock car drivers had to combat wet and miserable conditions at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night but almost as soon as the meeting was over the rain stopped, writes Jim Turner!

Most of the senior formulae were down south at championship meetings at either Taunton or Hednesford, so it was a completely different set up.

There were new prostox cars for Duncan Tetstall, James Letford, Tam Melrose and Richard Cairns, whilst Ricky White was back after missing a few meetings.

The banger drivers were mainly from the north of England and they dominated the racing although the destruction derby lasted a quarter of a lap and the three runners were left in a heap on the turnstile bend.

There was a good turnout of prostox drivers with the local drivers being Ricky White (Thornton), Steve Gold (Cowdenbeath), Raymond Brown (Kelty), Andru Adams (Lochgelly), Ian Christie (Kirkcaldy) and Ian Walle Jnr (Glenrothes).

Conditions were wet and greasy but during the final, which was the last race of the night, the rain was torrential!

Heat one saw Tetstall go through into the lead but he soon lost out to Ally McDonald who charged through to win from Ian Taylor and Scott Ramsay with White in sixth and brown in eighth. Heat two saw McDonald being chased by Taylor with the latter sending McDonald wide on the pit bend before nipping through to win with Ramsay again third ahead of Gold with Brown seventh ahead of Christie, Walle Jnr and White.

The third heat developed into a close dice between Ramsay and the British Champion Tam Melrose, who up till now had retired from both heats.

McDonald had to retire after being clipped by a spinning car but after trying to correct his wayward car, clipped the wall and had to leave the track. With one lap running down Melrose finally got ahead of Ramsay before going on to win with Richard Cairns in third and White sixth ahead of Walle Jnr and Christie.

When the final started it was Jordan Cassie who initially led but Tetstall soon closed and moved into the lead. However, Cairns came charging though to take the lead with Ramsay and Melrose running nose to tail. Melrose was to retire but Ramsay continued with a puncture. With the laps dwindling McDonald caught up with Cairns and pushed and harried him over the remaining laps but Cairns held on to win from McDonald and Cassie with White in sixth and Walle Jnr in seventh place..

There were only a couple of the junior bangers at the track but boy were they entertaining! In the opening heat James Dillon spun at the turnstile bend and then at the pit bend allowing Lewis McLean through to win. Both were out for heat two with Dillon almost spinning McLean on the turnstile bend but finally doing so on the pit bend. McLean restarted, hit the back of Dillon’s car and after a two wheel run dropped back down onto all four wheels. Next time around Dillon drove into McLean’s car and then he spun on the pit bend stopping the race. McLean failed to reappear for the final handing the win to Dillon.

Most of the banger drivers came from the north of England with Jordan Ellwood and Johnny Younger the heat winners. Brian Whitehead then went on to win the final with James Prowse coming out on top in the destruction derby.

This Saturday the gates will not open until 5.00pm due to a home football match. The formula II drivers are racing for the George MacMillan Memorial Trophy and there will be a few visiting drivers up for the occasion. Also racing will be the saloons, stock rods, ministox and microF2s. It is hoped to start the meeting at 6.00pm or as close to as possible.

*The formula II drivers were down at Taunton for their race weekend with their main race on Saturday night being the FII Challenge trophy.

Gordon Moodie (Windygates) continued his excellent form winning heat three and then in a high speed action packed final went on to lift the trophy leading home Chris Bradbury and Richard Beere.

On Sunday at Taunton Moodie won his heat but wasn’t classified during the final which was won by Chris Bradbury.

Steve Webster won the Saloon National Championship with Stuart Shevill Jnr in fifth place whilst in the final Aaryn Triggs was fifth, Shevill Jnr sixth and Graeme Shevill tenth.