AN incredibly busy August at the Cowdenbeath Racewall closed with another five formula fixture, on Saturday, that had a lot for the drivers to race for, writes our Racewall scribe Jack Watson.
The BriSCA F2 Stock Cars were competing for their Mac100 and Chapman Trophies, the ORCi Ministox had their racing for the Ramsay Shield, while the Heritage F2 drivers made their annual trip to the Racewall for their Scottish Championship.
The Micro F2 drivers also had some silverware on the line, as they contested their Stars of the Future Cup, sponsored by Griefy Race Prep, and the Saloon Stock Cars completed the line up.
It was all yellow as far as the BriSCA F2 and Saloon Stock Car winners were concerned - Dennis Middler regained the Mac100 Trophy he first won in 2013, while the Chapman Trophy went to Kieran Howie.
Tam Rutherford won both Saloon heats before Grady Ross won the Final comfortably.
Oakley Grief scooped the Ministox racing for the Ramsay Shield before there were two wins for Cody Wilson - his first at the Racewall.
Will Yarrow picked up the Heritage F2 Scottish Championship for the second time in an impressive drive.
There were plenty of incidents in the Micro F2 class, with a roll over for Jake Ramage and a big crash in the last race for Jaxson Watters.
Cooper Brown won two races, including the Stars of the Future Cup.
The Mac100 and Chapman Trophies for the BriSCA F2s brought a few different faces to the track, including the first appearance in nearly a year for George MacMillan Jnr.
Dennis Middler was back, having last raced at the Scottish Championship meeting and Reece McIntosh (Glenrothes) debuted the ex-Charlie Knight RCE car; while both Peter Watt and Graeme Leckie were back up to the star grade having won the Finals at Crimond and Cowdenbeath respectively last weekend.
Middler pretty much led the first heat from start to finish, although he was shadowed throughout by Kieran Howie (Dunfermline).
Paul Moffat was a spinner on the back straight, while a lap or so later Leckie was very lucky not to collect more damage having clipped a marker tyre on the entry to the pit bend.
Third placed behind Middler and Howie was MacMillan Jnr,
Heat two was almost a carbon copy of the first heat, although the roles were reversed and it was Howie who led home Middler.
The red graders battled throughout, although that hindered their progress rather than helping. Brian Hogg completed an all yellow grade top three.
The Mac100 Trophy Final was a drawn grid within grades and was led initially by Moffat, although Middler and Howie were quickly passed.
The gap between the pair stayed much the same throughout the race, with Howie never really able to move to within striking distance to make a bid for the lead.
McIntosh was an early retiree leaving MacMillan Jnr as the lone blue grader, and although he ran in third for most of the race he was caught and passed by Craig Wallace in the closing stages.
Middler went on to take the win, picking up the trophy for the second time having won the inaugural event in 2013. Howie and Wallace completed the top three.
The Grand National was for the Chapman Trophy, and with Middler on a lap handicap as Final winner, Howie enjoyed a relatively straightforward run in to the win. Leckie was the first of the star graders home in second and John Hogg was third.
Ewan Mitchell joined the Saloon Stock Car ranks as the car count reached beyond the twenty mark for the second week in succession, meaning that the Final would be for double points.
Derek Taylor and Rhys Anderson led the first heat away, but Tam Rutherford had hit the front within a couple of laps.
The yellow flags were called when Mitchell was spun on the exit of the pit bend and wasn't able to move his car. Rutherford pulled away from the pack at the restart as Taylor tangled with Grady Ross (Lochgelly) and dropped down the order.
Behind Rutherford, who took the win, was an entertaining battle between some of the star drivers for second and while Scottish Champion, Barry Russell, was the runner-up across the line, he was penalised for a restart infringement handing the position to ORCi Champion Graeme Shevill, with Stuart Adsley (Cowdenbeath) promoted to third.
Taylor was the leader when the second heat was stopped for Logan Bruce, who, having hit a marker tyre on the entry to the pit bend he was then pushed heavily into the wall before coming to rest on the exit of the corner.
Rutherford pushed Taylor out of the way at the restart to lead while Dale Robertson tangled with Ross and dropped down the order. Rutherford went on to take his second win of the night, ahead of Zak Gilmour and Taylor.
Anderson and Taylor were the leaders at the start of the Final but again found themselves falling down the order, with Ross the driver who took over in the lead this time.
Mitchell found himself pushed into the wall a few times by the pack while Ross extended his lead and the blue and red graded drivers battled among themselves.
It turned out to be a comprehensive win for Ross, with second going to Robertson and third to B. Russell.
Ben McLellan was an early spinner at the start of the racing for Ramsay Shield for the ORCi Ministox, which allowed Oakley Grief to break clear from the other star drivers.
Jamie Balfour found himself spun on the back straight twice by Shaun Boyle, although he rejoined the action and completed the race. Cody Wilson (Cupar) led until the lap boards came out when Grief made his way through to take the win. C. Wilson was second and Stuart Shevill, fresh from adding the National Championship to his honours list last weekend in Northern Ireland, was third.
McLellan was spun on the entry to the home straight at the start of the first heat, once again finding himself trying to catch the rear of the pack. Boyle and B. Wilson tangled on the home straight midway through the race, with Balfour inadvertently collecting B. Wilson head-on, but both were able to carry on.
At the front, C. Wilson took his first win at the Racewall ahead of Shevill and Grief.
Grief was the unfortunate driver to be spun out at the start of the second heat, but he rejoined at the rear of the pack. C. Wilson went on to take his second win of the meeting, Shevill was the runner-up and Corey Mathers was third.
There were nearly twenty Micro F2 drivers at the track including newcomer Riley Hunter and visitor Teddy Watson. Hunter crashed out on the pit bend in the opening race, which caused a yellow flag.
Jack Haldane (Kelty) and Charlotte Lindsell (Cowdenbeath) led the pack away at the restart and held out for a couple of laps before the likes of Harry Yule and Jaxson Watters (Kennoway) moved past.
Yule and Watters were the first two across the line but were removed from the top three positions, handing the win to Cooper Brown (Cowdenbeath) with Harris Honeyman second and Ryan Johnstone (Thornton) third.
The second race was stopped less than a lap after it had started after Jake Ramage rolled on the back straight.
Jack McGuire was the early leader of the restart although he soon had C. Brown for company.
Watters, Johnstone and Yule were making quick progress through the pack and at the end of the race it was Johnstone who was at the front. Second went to Watters and third to C. Brown.
The last race was for the Stars of the Future Cup and featured a heavy knock for Watters who struck the home straight wall apace before being collected by Lindsell, Evah Adsley and Lewis McFarlane.
Watters was assisted from his car by the track paramedics before being taken to hospital for a check-up. C. Brown led the restart until the end of the race, with second going to Johnstone and third to Yule. Jaxan Moore (Hill of Beath) was declared the Driver of the Day.
Seventeen Heritage F2 Stock Cars made their annual pilgrimage to the Racewall, with their Scottish Championship on the line.
Nathan Croston led for most of the first heat, where Simon Cooper was an early spinner on the pit bend, before Dean Griffiths retired.
Kevan Woollas clobbered a marker tyre on the home straight as Mark Foster's car shed a wheel and the race was halted.
Charlie Yarrow survived the last lap shoot-out to win ahead of Will Yarrow and Mike Heywood.
W. Yarrow won the second race at a canter, with the battle for second going down to the last corner when C. Yarrow moved by Daniel Nicholson-Howden for the runners-up spot.
Dan Cooper and Croston tangled when battling for the lead of the Scottish Championship, with the former suffering a puncture and being forced into retirement, where he was joined soon after by Alfie Lockett and Paul Arden.
Foster led for most of the race but W. Yarrow caught and passed him in the closing stages to regain the title. Foster was second and Woollas was third. W. Yarrow very nearly took the Grand National despite starting from the lap handicap, finishing as the runner-up behind Woollas. Third went the way of D. Cooper.
The Prostock Basics have their biggest night of the year this Saturday with the Scottish Championship the feature event.
There is also the Brian Cuthill Memorial Trophy for the Saloon Stock Cars, a National Points Series Championship Round for the BriSCA F2 Stock Cars and the ORCi Stock Rods.
The first race is set to get underway at 6pm.
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