IT was just one of those nights at the Cowdenbeath Racewall when the rain stopped not long after the stock car meeting started and whilst it threatened to rain thankfully it never materialised. However, the track was wet and whilst there was a racing line it never got the chance to dry, writes our Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

Banger driver Ryan Martin managed to roll his banger when he was clipped by another car, hit a stationary car and ended up on his roof. Stevie Allan had part of the back end of his car ripped off when another car crashed heavily into it with Stevie needing assistance out of his car!

Jim Pitcaithly and Trevor Calvin were back in the ORCi Stock Rods for the Scottish Championship race but for the World Champion Lee McGill it turned out to be a nightmare when his car wouldn’t fire and he had to be pushed off the grid.

Ant Riley was back up but there were quite a few drivers missing with the local drivers Gregor Turner (Dunfermline), Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Ian Thompson (Kennoway).

The first race of the night was white/yellow series final and whilst C. Reid led the field away but within a couple of laps Turner was through into the lead and he soon began to ease away from his chasers.

The first heat of the evening saw P. Reid in for a good part of the meeting but he lost out at the start to the last lap when Liam Rennie came through to win from P. Reid and Craig Wallace. P. Reid again led the second heat for a good part but it was Rennie who went through for his second win of the night from Euan Millar and John Hogg with Thompson sixth and C. Reid ninth.

C. Reid led the field away when the final started but within a lap P. Reid was leading with Riley soon having Hogg to contend with. They were easing away from the field whilst Millar retired after a brush with the wall. Just after the half distance Hogg moved into the lead and despite having Thompson to contend with went through to win with Wallace in third spot and C. Reid ninth

The 2 Litre National Saloon drivers were in good form and in the slippery conditions there was many a car bouncing off the walls as they searched for grip. Local drivers in action were Euan and Andrew Mathieson (Lochgelly).

Heat one saw Marc Honeyman go through to win from James Letford, Greg Honeyman and A. Mathieson with E. Mathieson seventh. In heat two it was white grader Ross Forrest who took the honours and he led home J. Letford and Robin Copland with E. Mathieson sixth.

The final was suspended after Tam Rutherford Jnr got out of shape on the main straight and with his car sitting across the rack he was hit hard by M. Honeyman. Once the race restarted Andrew Mathieson led but was to lose out to brother Euan who began to pull away from the field. G. Honeyman moved into second and then began to eat into the lead that Mathieson has. With one lap remaining G. Honeyman forced his way through and he went on to win from E. Mathieson and Forrest.

The ORCi Stock Rod drivers drew lots for their grid position for the Scottish Championship and this saw Martin Rankine on pole with Paul Prentice alongside whilst behind was Brett Constable and Cameron Doak. Local drivers on the grid included James Matson (Glenrothes), Lee Buchan (Glenrothes), Jim Pitcaithly (Kirkcaldy), Stuart McKinnon (Kincardine), Lee McGill (Glenrothes), Steve Gunby (Cupar), David Dignan (Leven) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy).

Rankine made the better of the starts with Constable slotting in behind with McKinnon in third. However, when Rankine’s car came to a stop in the back straight the race was suspended with the field lining up behind McKinnon. On the restart McKinnon lost out to Bethune whilst Gray was soon into second then began to close in on Bethune. After a couple laps of dicing Gray slipped inside Bethune to take the lead and on to win from Bethune and McKinnon.

Lee Buchan went on to win the heat which followed where he led home McKinnon and Matson with McGill seventh and just ahead of Gunby The second heat was also won by Buchan, who received a tyre from Hillfoots Cleaning, and this time he led home Rankine, McGill and Matson with McKinnon sixth, Bethune seventh and Dignan tenth.

The Prostock basic drivers were having their last outing of the season and it proved to be a short one for the new Scottish Champion Kieran Edgar who was sent crashing out of the meeting.

Dougie Ford won the opening heat from Ross Burden whilst Gilogley and Joanne Hilditch dead heated for third Sturrock ended up fourth with Wilson fifth. Ford came out on top in heat two where he was ahead of Gilogley and Hilditch with Wilson fifth and Kim Adamson (Lochore) in the hire car eighth.

Ford then made it a clean sweep when he won the final where he led home Gilogley and Burden with Sturrock fifth, Wilson sixth and Adamson tenth. Kim Adamson was in the Charity hire car and she was raising funds for the Chemo ward in Kirkcaldy.

The 2 litre Banger Scottish Championship attracted a reasonable field of cars including the defending champion Jak Denikiewicz. However, there was controversy when Marc Dalgarno was disqualified for hitting Brian Youngson in the driver’s door after the latter had spun.

Dalgarno went straight into the lead but Youngson was to spin and was hit hard next time around by the leader. Denikiewicz moved into second ahead of Jon Taylor and Sean McConnachie. Stevie Allan was spun and began to move slowly down the back straight when he was hit a full pelt by Rodney Herron. Part of the rear suspension was ripped off Allan’s car in the shunt. On the restart Dalgarno led from Denikiewicz and that is the way that they finished only for the result to be changed and it was Denikiewicz who was declared the winner from Taylor and Ryan Thompson.

In the heats which followed Taylor won both from Liam Glendinning and S. McConnachie.

This Saturday it’s going to be quite a busy evening with the 2 litre National saloons having the final of their white/yellow series final whilst the Prostock drivers have their Scottish Championship which is currently held by Tam Melrose. The meeting is scheduled to start at 5.30 pm.

*At Skegness on Saturday night Gordon Moodie (Windygates) was second in both of the Formula II heats but then went on to win the final. Moodie then travelled to Barford in the North of England where he went on to win heat two and then picked up his second final win in two days picking up the Ray Strong Memorial Trophy. Moodie then rounded off a good afternoons racing when he finished in eighth place in the Grand National.