THE stock car meeting at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night started and finished in a drizzle but there was quite a spell where it was dry, however, the track was wet and greasy for most of the meeting with the drivers trying various lines to obtain the best grip, writes our Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

Practice was to claim Stock Rod driver Leon Stewart and Prostock Basic driver John Galloway, both with engine problems.

The non contact ORCi Stock Rod drivers were in good form despite the conditions with a field of twenty-one cars starting the meeting and there was some close and fast racing throughout.

For action the 1300 Saloon drivers came to the fore as the drivers contested another round in their Gold Roof Series. Mind you part way through their final the drizzle restarted causing the drivers a lot of problems.

There were new faces in the Stock Rods coming in the form of Jamie Bell, Simon Smail and Jonathan Howe, who had headed up from County Durham. There were a few changes in the drivers starting positions due to the new grading coming into play.

Local drivers on the grid included Stuart McKinnon (Kincardine), Lee McGill (Kirkcaldy), Stuart Wedderburn (Leven), Steve Gunby (Cupar), Kris Simpson (Methil), Liam McGill (Dysart), Dean McGill (East Wemyss), David Dignan (Leven), Scott Galbraith (Auchtermuchty) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy).

Galbraith was the first to show when the opening heat started but Smail tucked in behind although the latter was soon to be caught by James Halkett. David Kempton drifted wide in the company of other cars, clipped the wall and had to retire. There was to be no stopping Galbraith who went through to win from Wedderburn.

Heat two was stopped after Halkett and Euan Robertson tangled on the main straight and then a few laps later, after Cameron Doak was spun and clipped by a passing car.

By the time the race restarted Galbraith was the leader but he had Dignan in close order. Bethune was making up ground rapidly and in one swift manoeuvre went from third to first. Once there he eased away from the field to win from World Champion Lee McGill, Scottish Champion James Gray, McKinnon and Dignan.

The final was led off by Smail and whilst Halkett moved into second his bonnet began to flap but then Doak and Bell tangled on the main straight and the race was suspended. Smail was removed from the grid with a receiver failure and Halkett with a bonnet likely to depart his car at any time. This left Wedderburn as the leader and when the race did restart he pulled away from Dignan but Bethune quickly closed on both and then moved into the lead. D. McGill and McKinnon were dicing for second after relegating Wedderburn down the order. Behind them Lee McGill and Gray were running in close order and they began to close in on Dignan. D. McGill slowed momentary whilst L. McGill, Gray and Doak were now squabbling over third spot.

At the front of the pack Bethune went on for a comfortable win over McKinnon with Dignan bringing his car home in third spot. Lee McGill and Gray were penalised a couple of places to finish fifth and sixth and ahead of D. McGill. At the trophy presentation Bethune was presented with a tyre by Alex Hunter Race Car Prep.

Amongst those racing in the 1300 Saloon Gold Roof series was the defending champion Peter Low and the Scottish Champion Fraser Clark but missing from the ranks was Jeff Cosans who had broken ribs in the heavy shunt the previous week. The local drivers in action included Lee Wilson (Comrie), Gary Paterson (Saline) Kyle Hegg (Glenrothes), Scott Lindsell (Cowdenbeath), Callum Sturrock (Saline), Gordon Myers (Dunfermline), Gregor Whyte (Cowdenbeath) and Arron Hastie (Ceres).

After Sturrock had crashed into the turnstile bend wall on the opening lap the race was suspended and on the restart Whyte led the field away from Myers with Craig Jones slotting into third.

Lisa Freebairn retired but both Hegg and Low were closing in on the leader quickly. Before half distance Hegg was ahead and despite Low’s challenge held on to win with Paterson third with Wilson sixth and just ahead of Hastie with Whyte in ninth place.

Myers led the field away at the start to heat two but lost out after a few laps to Hastie who led until the closing stages when he was pushed wide and that allowed Charlie Folan into the lead although Clark was on his bumper. Folan held on to win from Clark with Hegg third and ahead of Hastie and Paterson and Myers in tenth place.

Whyte led the pack away when the final started but lost out a couple of laps later to Hastie although the latter had Paterson in close order. The rain started to fall and the cars began to lose grip and started to slide wide on the bends. Paterson slid into the wall suspending the race. Hastie now had Hegg on his tail and a few later he was sent wide, clipped the wall and retired as did Hegg and that allowed Clark through to win from Low, Folan and Lindsell with Wilson limping home in eighth after suffering from a clutch failure. The meeting was sponsored by Hegg Race Developments and MCRH Allsorts Printing & Embroidery.

The Prostock Basic drivers turned up in their numbers and were in good form with Megan Wilson (Comrie), Jordan and Graeme Dignan (Leven), David van Dieken (Leven) Kimberley Mills (Cowdenbeath), Martin Loggie (Leven), Dean Whiteley (Glenrothes), Callum Rennie (Kinglassie), Declan Lindsell (Cowdenbeath) and Dougie Anderson (Cowdenbeath).

Whiteley went through to win the opening heat from Jake Mason, David Sher and Lindsell with Mills in eighth and she led home Anderson and Rennie. Whiteley then made it two wins out of two when he won heat two this time from D. Sher, Lindsell and Rennie with van Dieken sixth and ahead of G. Dignan with Mills in ninth place.

van Dieken led when the final started but after a couple of laps lost out to Mason but there was a stoppage after John Rankin was spun. Mason led the restart and went through to win from Rennie and Lindsell with G. Dignan sixth and Wilson seventh.

The Prostock drivers were in good form with three different winners to their races with Paul Barron (Cowdenbeath), Michael Mitchell (Kirkcaldy), Ian Christie (Kirkcaldy) and Ryan and Jack Cameron (Methil) in action.

Christie went on to win heat one from Barron and John Mason with the latter winning heat two from Barron, Craig Murray and Christie. The final saw Leslie Paterson and Christie tangle on the opening lap and there was another stoppage a couple of laps later. Murray made a good restart and drove away from the field to record an easy win over Mason and Robert Hamilton with Barron limping round for fourth with damaged steering.

There weren’t too many bangers around with Callum Campbell winning heat one from Brian Youngson and Lee Kopacz. Youngson then got the better of Campbell during the latter stages of the race to win with Kopacz third.

Youngson then won the final from Campbell and Kopacz whilst Jon Taylor won the Destruction Derby.

This Saturday the Formula II and 2 Litre Saloons return whilst the Classic Hot Rods make their first appearance of the season. Also racing are the Ministox and the Micro F2s with the latter taking to the track at 5.30pm to get the meeting under way.

*Over the weekend Formula II World Champion Gordon Moodie (Windygates) was racing his car down at Taunton. On Saturday he won his heat and then the final. Moodie continued his form through into the Sunday where he won the BEN Fund trophy but in a big field of cars for the meeting final he had to be content with a third placed finish.

Ross Watters (Leven) was racing his Saloon in the British Championship where on Saturday night he managed to qualify in ninth place.

However in a hectic British Championship race he wasn’t classified.