THE stock car racing on Saturday night at the Cowdenbeath Racewall was electrifying with the 1300 Saloon drivers outshining their bigger brothers with a Superbowl race that has everything including heavy shunts, spins and shunts, writes our Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

However, the 2 Litre National Saloons had an explosive start to their Superbowl final which necessitated a complete restart when five cars piled into each other on the turnstile bend.

There was delight at the end though with Scottish drivers filling the top two places after making it a clean sweep in the heats.

There was a tribute on Saturday to my wife Anne, who died recently, prior to the start to the meeting with the cars lining the track which was a very moving experience.

On Sunday the action continued thick and fast with Kyle Irvine being sent clambering up the wall in his saloon whilst Dale Robertson managed to roll his 1300 saloon without damaging his roof fin and when it landed he just drove away!

On Saturday night the first Formula II heat was the final of the Pre-67 Ford Owners Club sponsored Grand National with local drivers on the grid including Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Ian Thompson (Kennoway).

The cars lined up in points order with Paul Reid on pole with Daniel Scrimgeour alongside but when the race started Craig Wallace dived inside to lead and then held on to win from Steven Burgoyne and Euan Millar. Thompson came from twelfth to fourth.

Heat one saw Thompson first home but he was penalised and it was Robbie Dawson who collected the trophy from Liam Rennie and Thompson. Paul Reid eventually finished ninth with Craig Reid finishing outside of the. It looked as if Sean McFerran was going to win heat two but he was spun on the last bend and this allowed Dawson through to win from Millar and Thompson, with P. Reid in sixth this time around.

The final saw Thompson first home again but he had again made too good a start and it was Dawson who lifted the James Clarke Cochrane Memorial Trophy from Burgoyne and Thompson. P. Reid finished the race ninth with C. Reid once again outside the points.

There was the biggest turnout of 1300 Saloons with Gary McFerran over from Northern Ireland whilst Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy), Kyle Hegg (Glenrothes), Jon Taylor, Jock Whyte (Cardenden) and Graham Osborne were having their first outings at the Racewall. Local drivers included Michael Byers (Methil), Michael Moyes (Cowdenbeath), James Ellis (Cowdenbeath), Dale Robertson (Glenrothes), Dale Burt (Lochgelly), Stuart Wilson (Kelty) and Aaron Hastie (Ceres).

Lee Wilson rolled his car during the opening heat which was won by Hegg from Peter Low and Bryan Lindsay. Bethune finished fourth, with Ellis, Byers and Robertson eight ninth and tenth respectively. Fraser Clark then won heat two but he was just ahead of Lindsay and Hegg. Bethune, Ellis, Byers, Hastie and filled spots fifth to eighth respectively.

The Superbowl was sponsored by Gilmore Engineering and saw Hegg on pole with Lindsay alongside with Clark and Bethune on row 2. When the flag dropped Hegg went into the lead with Clark in close order but on lap two Clark was leading from Bethune only for his engine to blow with Burt and Lindsay crashing heavily. The race was suspended to assist the drivers out of their cars. Bethune had led until not long after the third restart but he slowed Ellis went through into the lead and on to win from Low, L. Wilson, Whyte and Myers with Cosans seventh.

There were 38 2 Litre National Saloons at the track including Diggy Smith, Deane Mayes and Anthony & Kieran McIvor. Local drivers featured Kyle Irvine (Glenrothes), Raymond Dick (Glenrothes), Ross Watters (Leven), Euan and Andrew Mathieson (Lochgelly) and Eck Cunningham (Leven).

The first heat saw Irvine go through to win from Ally Strachan and E. Mathieson. E. Mathieson then won heat two from Strachan and Adam O’Dell with Watters finishing sixth. Irvine then won heat three from Willie Skoyles Jnr.

The grid had an all Scottish front row with Irvine on pole with E. Mathieson alongside and Strachan and Skoyles Jnr behind.

The race had to be restarted after a five car shunt on the top bend. When the race restarted Irvine took the lead with Graeme Shevill slotting in behind. The cars stayed in that order to the end with Irvine having a scare when two cars spun right in front of him but somehow he managed to find a way through to win from Shevill with Smith in third spot.

On Sunday the main race of the afternoon for the saloons was the Gordon Barclay Memorial Trophy with the format being an all in one.

Right at the start to the race Stott was sent spinning by Smith whilst Mayes was delayed. A. Mathieson led the way but was being reeled in by Strachan although before he could make his move they were joined by Irvine. However, Irvine was sent clambering up the wall a dropped down the order, the race was suspended when P. Honeyman’s car stopped. On the restart Shevill sent the leader wide as he charged through to win from Triggs and Russell.

The heats which followed saw Shevill win from L. Sampson and Watters. Shevill then made it a clean sweep when he won heat two from Triggs and L. Sampson with Watters sixth..

The stock rods were racing for the Si Laing Memorial Trophy with Mark Blackie the initial leader but he was being closed down by Paul Prentice. When Michael Bethune’s car came to rest on the back straight the race was suspended. Blackie led on the restart but then lost out to Ian Thompson Snr although he was under pressure from James Gray. With a couple of laps remaining Gray managed to get inside top take the lead before winning from Lee McGill (Glenrothes) and Cameron Doak. With James Matson (Glenrothes) sixth and ahead of Lee Buchan (Glenrothes) and Stuart Wedderburn (Leven). Stuart McKinnon then won heat two from Paul Prentice.

The 1300 saloons continued where they had left off and again treated the fans to some exciting racing although a few missed but after receiving damage last night. There opening race was their Cock of the North Trophy with Clark, who had to replace his engine overnight, going on to win from Low, Wilson, Cosans and Whyte with Hegg seventh and S. Wilson. Paterson then made up for all his problems of the previous evening when he won his first ever race where he led home Hegg and L.Wilson with Cosans fifth and ahead of Whyte and Bethune with Ellis ninth.

The final proved to be exciting with cars skidding and crashing out after someone dropped oil causing havoc. Robertson rolled his car but drove it off with Clark and Wilson fighting it out for the win. Clark went wide on the last bend and hit oil and this allowed L.Wilson to sneak through to win with Ellis in third spot ahead of Paterson and Whyte with S. Wilson seventh..

The Classic Hot Rods were back in action with their opening race being for the Doug Farrer Memorial Trophy. Jock Campbell went straight into the lead from Ryan Polley. They diced for most of the race but then Campbell lost out to Polley during the closing stages of the race to win from Marc Spence and Kenny Purdie with Keith Chesher (Dunfermline) fifth.

The next heat saw Graham McCabe lead from start to finish

The Cock of the North final was suspended after McCabe and Trevor Harris (Kinglassie) tangled. On the restart Polley led but lost out to Craig Boyd who went through to retain his title from Purdie, Polley and Chesher with McFarlane again in tenth place.

This Saturday brings a very exciting stock car season to a close at the Cowdenbeath Racewall with another high class affair with the drivers contesting round 9 of the BriSCA National Series – the race for the silver roof. After round eight at Birmingham on Saturday Gordon Moodie is standing some 67 points clear of Kelvyn Marshall.

The meeting will start quietly with the Micro F2 drivers taking to the grid at around 5.30pm but will end with a bang and a spectacular firework display.

* Gordon Moodie (Windygates) has had a busy weekends racing with his BriSCA formula II starting off on tarmac at Skegness on Thursday night where he won the opening heat but was second in heat two as well as the final. Moodie then moved to the shale track at Belle Vue on Friday where he picked up a fifth then a sixth in his heats. In a high speed final Moodie brought his car home in fifth place and then eighth in the Grand National.

Moodie then travelled to Birmingham for round 8 of the National Series on Saturday where he again raced his tarmac car. In his heat he finished in second place, picked up a fifth in the final and then another fifth in the Grand National. In the end Moodie is standing 67 points clear of Kelvyn Marshall and a further three ahead of Chris Burgoyne.