IF this is how the stock car season is going to be then the fans are in for one of the most exciting racing seasons that you could hope for. It may have been a chilly evening but it was dry although there was one or two snowflakes right at the end, writes our Cowdenbeath Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

It started off well for the fans with Ministox driver Declan Honeyman rolling his car – in practice! Mind you Rhys Anderson managed to roll his Micro F2 in one of the heats when he tangled with another car. There were also some heavy shunts throughout the meeting which saw Brian Hogg Jnr limp out of the saloon races whilst Jay Paterson, Robbie Armit and Sam Carter had heavy crashed in their Ministox.

There were only 13 Formula II drivers at the track and that included visitors Les Smart, Craig Driscoll and Martin Bentley. Quite a few of the home drivers are in the process of getting their cars finished so the numbers should swell within the next few weeks. Local drivers on track were Craig and Paul Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Gordon Moodie (Windygates).

The first heat saw Pete Davidson get caught up with Bentley and crashed out as Gordon Moodie went through to win from Garry Sime and Liam Rennie with P. Reid coming home in seventh place. Moodie then won the second heat from Rennie and Sime, P. Reid this time in ninth.

Smart led the cars away when the final took started but within a few laps Sime was ahead but being closed down by Moodie. Once Moodie got ahead he went through to record an easy win over Sime and Rennie. C. Reid scored his first points of the season in tenth whilst P. Reid retired after a spin.

Sime went on to win the Grand National from Rennie and Euan Millar with P. Reid coming home in ninth position.

The 2 Litre Saloon drivers turned up in their numbers with Peter Marioni, Johnny Wood and Neil Linden down from the North of Scotland, whilst Ross Watters (Leven) debuted his new car. Euan Mathieson (Lochgelly) was also in action having raced down in England the week before.

The first heat saw Tam Rutherford Jnr go through to win from Graeme Shevill and Ross Graham, with neither local driver going the distance. Rutherford Jnr made it a double success when he won heat two but there was close racing behind with Shevill claiming second from Aaryn Triggs. Mathieson and Watters brought their cars home in sixth and seventh respectively.

The final saw turned out to be a nail biter with little to separate the top five at the close. Johnny Wood led the cars away but within a few laps Rutherford Jnr was ahead. Mathieson was running in close order but closing in on them were Shevill, Ian McLaughlin and Watters. McLaughlin forced his way through into the lead but then was forced wide as Shevill took over.

Rutherford Jnr dived inside to snatch second whilst Mathieson dropped to fifth. Shevill began to ease away as those behind began to squabble over second place. McLaughlin began to catch Rutherford Jnr but he in turn was being caught by Watters. Shevill went on to claim the win with Rutherford Jnr, McLaughlin and Watters crossing the line nose to tail, whilst Mathieson wasn’t too far behind in fifth.

As usual the Ministox drivers were entertaining in more ways than one and if they carry on in this fashion they are going to hard to beat for entertainment. Mind you the drivers are aged between 11 and 16 and boy can some of them know how to race.

Visiting drivers included Sam Carter, Aaron Richards and Edward Selby in a field of 25 cars. Amongst them were Fifers Jay Paterson (Saline), Scott Allardyce (Anstruther), Mitchell Gold (Leven), Jamie Stewart (Glenrothes) and Ciaran and Mirran Adams (Lochgelly).

The first race of the night was a white/yellow challenge race with Max Walker leading the race from start to finish winning from Kai Gilmour and Billie Dawson, M. Adams going the distance in sixth.

The first heat looked as if Walker was going to win but he was spun on the last lap and had to retire as Barry Scott went through to win from Taylor Borthwick and Gilmour. Gold brought his car home in fifth whilst Stewart wasn’t far behind in seventh.

The second heat saw an exciting scrap for the lead with Gilmour leading but then but he lost out to Gold. However, after a race suspension Borthwick forced her way into the lead. Before winning from Scott and Selby. Gold was fourth, C. Adams fifth and Stewart sixth.

Gilmour led what turned out to be an action-packed final but the race was suspended after Selby crashed into the wall and then when Jay Paterson crashed. Gold led the cars away but Scott moved into second and closed in on the leader. Scott did get ahead but was then spun as Gold went through to win from C. Adams and Mika Millar, Allardyce scored his first points of the night in seventh.

There were almost 30 Micro F2 drivers at the track and the youngsters were in good form although one or two of the new faces struggled a bit. Their races were being sponsored by Anderson Engineering. Connor St Aubyn (Glenrothes) and Lennon Cuthill (Glenrothes) were the only local drivers in action.

The first heat was a white/yellow race with Owen Marshall going through to win from Ben McLellan and Finlay Gemmell with Lennon finishing in sixth place. Heat two brought the blue and red grade drivers into action and whilst St Aubyn was the initial leader he lost out to David Philp Jnr who went through to win from Callan Walker and Kyle Rogerson with St Aubyn finishing in fifth position.

The first combined heat saw Isla Chisholm as the initial leader but she then lost out to Marshall although he was being chased by Philp Jnr. There was a stoppage after a couple of cars hooked up but once the race restarted Philp Jnr led but lost out to Ethan Jack Gemmell who won from Philp Jnr on the run up to the line with Rogerson third. As the cars crossed the finish line Rhys Anderson tangled with another car and rolled.

The fourth heat was stopped after Eddy Anderson and Bobby Brandon got hooked up. Chisholm then McLellan led but E.J. Gemmell then led before winning from Philp Jnr and Rogerson. St Aubyn was caught up in a couple of incidents throughout the evening whilst Cuthill was plagued throughout with mechanical woes.

There was a strong turnout of Prostock drivers with surprisingly all three races being won by white grade drivers. There was a big local presence too with Paul Barron (Cowdenbeath), Ian Christie (Kirkcaldy), Jack and Ryan Cameron (Methil), Stevie Gold (Cowdenbeath) and David Izatt (Dunfermline) all out on track.

Finlay Davidson went on to win the opening heat from Barron and Craig Murray. Christie finished fourth, whilst Izatt came home in ninth. Sean Devine was first home in heat two but was penalised for making too good a start handing the win to Murray from Barron. Gold and Christie were fifth and sixth respectively, with R. Cameron scoring his first points in eighth.

Devine led the final for most of the time but lost out to Alexander Hamilton. However, on the last lap Devine managed to get inside of Hamilton on the pit bend but both cars drifted wide with the Hamilton car clambering up the wall as Devine won. Hamilton just made it across the finish line for second with Robert Hamilton third. Christie and Barron rounded off a good night’s racing in fifth and sixth.

This Saturday the Formula IIs and 2 Litre Saloons will be back in action but this time they are being backed by the National Hot Rods, the ORCi Stock Rods and the exciting 1300cc Saloons. The meeting starts as usual at 6.00pm