ON a dry and warm evening the stock car drivers were in fine form at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night and there was some exciting racing, writes Racewall reporter Jim Turner.

Cowdenbeath's James Ellis in the end ran away with the 1300 Saloon Scottish Championship whilst Liam McGill did likewise with his ORCi Stock Rod to win the Jane Burt Memorial Trophy.

The Stock Rod Allcomers races were dominated by lower grade drivers with David Dignan and Steve Gunby winning – the latter picking up his first Stock Rod win.

Andy Ainslie and Adam Cockburn were having outings in the 2 Litre Saloons and Craig Haxton was having a run in one of Michael Bethune’s Stock Rods.

It turned out to be a busy night for Chris Burgoyne who was racing in the Formula IIs and in the Jason Secker Saloon.

The main race of the night for the 1300 Saloons was their Scottish Championship and it attracted a healthy turn out of drivers including the defending champion Fraser Clark.

Local drivers on the grid were Kyle Hegg (Glenrothes), James Ellis (Cowdenbeath), Dale Robertson (Glenrothes), Gordon Myers (Dunfermline), Gregor Whyte (Cowdenbeath), Callum Sturrock (Saline) and Arron Hastie (Ceres) The draw was a public one and saw Hastie drawing pole position and he had Robertson alongside, Sturrock and Whyte were on row 2 with Ellis and Lisa Freebairn were on row 3. Hegg was to start from row five, Clark on row seven and Charlie Folan on row nine.

After a slow parade lap the green flag dropped but pole sitter Hastie’s car was slow to pick up and he was swamped by the pack. Robertson led from Ellis and Sturrock whilst gold roof winner Cameron Milne was sent wide and bounced off the wall. Ellis hit the front on lap three but after making very quick progress Hegg appeared in second spot with Sturrock third but Clark and Folan were on the march and were making light of getting through the pack.

By lap seven Clark was into third but Folan was fourth the following lap. Ellis was keeping the gap to Hegg constant but Clark had been caught by Folan and a couple of laps later they swapped places. Once ahead of Clark, Folan began to ease away and started to catch Hegg. With the laps dwindling so too was the gap between Hegg and Folan and with three laps remaining Folan was second.

However, Ellis was by now well clear and he went through to become the new Scottish Champion from Folan and Hegg. Folan’s car was to fail post race scrutineering with Hegg now second and Clark third, Sturrock fourth, Robertson ninth and Hastie tenth.

Non-qualifiers for the Scottish Jordan Dignan (Leven) and Lee Burden appeared for the Allcomers races with Clark going through to win the first from Milne and Kieran Edgar with Whyte fifth, Robertson eight, and Sturrock tenth. Graham Osborne was clipped and hit the wall before careering across the track hitting Myers as he did so. In the second Clark made it a double again winning from Folan and Milne with Myers sixth and ahead of Whyte, and Robertson but Osborne’s car shed a wheel on the back straight and as a result he hit the stationary car of Hastie.

Amongst the 22 car field of ORCi Stock Rods was British Champion Justin Washer who had travelled up from the south west for the Jane Burt Memorial Trophy. Local drivers were Stuart McKinnon (Kincardine), Lee McGill (Kirkcaldy), Stuart Wedderburn (Leven), Steve Gunby (Cupar), Kris Simpson (Methil), Liam McGill (Dysart), Dean McGill (East Wemyss), Scott Galbraith (Auchtermuchty), David Dignan (Leven), Craig Haxton (Leven) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy). Galbraith had bought one of Dean McGill’s cars whilst Chris Paul was having a rare outing. .

The grid was another public one and had Wedderburn on pole position with Gunby alongside and behind Simpson and Euan Robertson. Washer was on row five, with Bethune and L. McGill sharing row six. European Champion McKinnon started from row 7, D. McGill and Cameron Doak from row nine whilst Scottish Champion James Gray was on row ten.

When the race started Wedderburn went straight into the lead from Gunby but Simpson was an early spinner. L. McGill made a good start and quickly worked his way through into second place and then eased up onto the tail of the leader. However Bethune was going well and he moved into third resulting in the top three running nose to tail. McGill found the inside line to go through into the lead although Bethune slipped through into second.

The leaders ran nose to tail for many laps but towards the closing stages, Bethune retired leaving McGill well clear and he went through to win from McKinnon and Washer with Wedderburn sixth, Haxton eighth and D. McGill ninth.

Dignan then went on to win the first of the Allcomers races from Doak, Neil Gilogley and L. McGill with Haxton sixth and McKinnon eighth. Although L. McGill was first home in the second he was penalised thus handing the win to Gunby from Simon Morris, McKinnon and D. McGill with Haxton tenth.

After their strong runs in previous weeks Antony McAuliffe and Jason Blacklock were hoping to repeat their successes. Local drivers were Gregor Turner (Dunfermline) and Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath).

The opening heat saw J. Blacklock go through to win from Turner and Chris Burgoyne with P. Reid seventh and C. Reid ninth. McAuliffe led heat two from start to finish to win from J. Blacklock and C. Burgoyne with P. Reid fifth and ahead of Turner with C. Reid ninth.

McAuliffe was the first to show when the final started with J. Blacklock chasing. Craig Reid was caught and passed by P. Reid and Turner although they were to swap places. Steven Burgoyne wall leading the star drivers chase through the field and by the half distance was in third. S. Burgoyne closed the gap to J. Blacklock and then set off after the leader but it wasn’t until lap 14 that he finally forced his way into the lead. Once there he went on to win from McAuliffe and J. Blacklock with Turner in eighth and leading home P then C. Reid.

Euan Millar then went on to win the Grand National from McAuliffe and J. Blacklock with S. Burgoyne in fifth place with P Reid seventh and C. Reid eighth.

Amongst the 2 Litre Saloons were Chris Burgoyne, Andy Ainslie and Adam Cockburn the latter in the ex-Ross Donaldson car. Local driver on the grid was Ross Watters (Leven).

Heat one saw Ian McLaughlin go through to win sending the long time leader Stevie Honeyman spinning at the line although Watters had nipped through to claim second place with Honeyman finishing third. In heat two Colin Savage led the race from start to finish where he led home S. Honeyman and Watters.

Savage led the field away when the final started with S. Honeyman through into second spot after a few laps. McLaughlin, Watters and Barry Glen were running in close order and making their way through the field. S. Honeyman was beginning to eat into Savage’s lead and as the laps dwindled they swapped places before Honeyman went through to win from Savage with Graeme Anderson a clear third and Watters in fourth spot.

Next week it is going to be a busy one with the Formula IIs and 2 Litre Saloons back in action. This time they are joined in the action by the Prostocks, Minis and Micro F2s.

The meeting starts at 5.30pm when the Micro F2 drivers roll out to get an action packed meeting underway.

*At Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland on Sunday the World Formula II Champion Gordon Moodie made history when he won the final on Sunday. Moodie, who lives in Windygates, chalked up his 462nd final win, overtaking the total being credited to Billy Batten.