Cowdenbeath Racewall: Broken toe led to stock car career!

“I qualified for my first ever World Final and for the National Series, so I was quite pleased with how things went. I also did all bar two of the Skegness meetings, and whilst the National Series involved a lot of traveling at the end of the season, it was a good experience. 

“All told I raced 42 times,“ said Jordan, who is an HGV mechanic with Drummonds, and lives in Armadale and does most of the work on his stock car himself.

”After last year’s Superbowl, I cut the roof off my car, which used to be Ross Watters’, and removed the engine before the car went to Grief Race Preparations for an overhaul. There it was cut back to the front bulkhead before he rebuilt it. When I got the car back, I did what was needed before taking it to David Philp’s to be painted and then readied for the start of the season.

“I started it as a blue grade driver, the car went well but there were a couple of fast white grade drivers ahead of me and I think I only managed one win. I kept picking up good results, which saw me move up to the red grade at the end of the first grading period. I am pleased to say that I retained a red grade throughout the remainder of the season.

Jordan showing plenty of poise in a race. (Image: Jim Turner)

“My first championship was the Irish Open at Nutts Corner, in Northern Ireland. The car ran well and I got a couple of decent heat results. Things didn’t go to plan though during the final, and after getting caught up in a shunt ended up with a lot of damage.

“Not long after that we were back at the Racewall, for the National Championship. The car had been repaired and was really fast. I had a couple of good heat results and started the final from eighth on the grid.

“As the race went on, I made up places and towards the end of the race was in third. Ross Watters and Stuart Shevill Jnr were ahead of me, and on the last bend I was waiting to pick up the pieces if they made contact. Then I got a wallop from behind. I didn’t realise that Michael Allard was that close! He sent me crashing into the wall, my gearbox shattered and I coasted across the line in seventh place.”

He recalled that both the European and British Championships were held on shale tracks. The European was at Mildenhall, and it’s a small action packed oval which doesn’t suit his driving style so he didn’t do too well. At King’s Lynn it was a different story, where the track is smooth and he actually got into the lead at one time and picked up some decent results.

Jordan added: “The UK Championship weekend was at Skegness at the start of July. I managed to race at all of the Skegness meetings up to that point. I like the track. There is always plenty of action during the races due to the big field of cars. The UK was a good meeting, and with my car running well, I hoped for, and was able to pick up some decent results. Unfortunately, I got caught up in the action in the UK on the Sunday and didn’t finish the race which was a big disappointment.

“The next championship that I raced in was the Scottish Championship, at the Racewall. It was wet, and Ross Watters ran away with it. I drew a high number out of the hat and started from the rear end of the grid.

“When the race started, I began to make up places and, in the end, I had to settle for fifth place, which wasn’t bad considering. I then picked up a sixth in the first heat and then a fifth in the second.

Jordan Cassie showing tenacity on the track. (Image: Jim Turner)

“The one I was looking forward to was the World Final, at Taunton, and for the first time I had been seeded onto the World Final grid.

“The meeting didn’t get off to a good start – I blew my engine in practice and got a loan of one. Once it was installed in the car it was quick but a bit smoky! I made a decent start to the race, made up ground, then lost a few places before getting spun. I restarted and managed to get by a couple of drivers only to get spun again and retired, watching the remainder of the race from the infield.

“The last meeting at the Racewall was a double header with the Superbowl on Saturday night, which gave us World Ranking Points, and then a National Series Round and the Gordon Barclay Memorial Trophy on the Sunday.

“By then I had my Elbourn engine in the car. I had good qualifying heats although my only top ten finish was an eighth in my first heat. I started mid order but my race didn’t last long – my wheel guard broke and I had to retire. On Sunday I wasn’t classified in the Gordon Barclay Memorial Trophy race, but in the heats which followed, I picked up a tenth then a third in the National Series Points competition.

“We still had some National Series events to contest but I didn’t do too well on the shale, whilst at the final round at Ipswich I only managed a seventh place.”

But in the closing weeks Jordan recalled: “One of the October meetings had been cancelled due to bad weather and was rescheduled for the start of November.

“I had raced at Ipswich the previous day My car was on-song and I picked up the runner-up spot in the final. Still, I was really pleased overall with my season’s racing. I finished up third in the Racewall points championship and tenth in the National Points.”

Looking at how he got involved in racing and ahead he said: “Getting hooked on stock cars came about when I was a teenager.

“I used to play football, but broke my toe! My father took me to the stock cars, I hadn’t a clue what it was about but after the first meeting that was that. Didn’t miss a meeting until I got a car.         

“When I was 15, I finally got a Junior Banger and I loved every minute of it. Just think, if I hadn’t broken my toe, I might never have been involved in stock cars!

“I started in Saloons in 2019, using a shale car, which got converted to a tarmac unit, but I struggled with it. I eventually got fed up with it and put it up for sale.

“It went back down south and that was just before the Watters’ car came up for sale. I am already looking forward to 2024, especially with the World Championship being at my home track.

“I will have to race in all the World Ranking events that I can, and will need to spend as many hours as I can in the garage, making sure that it is set up properly and that everything is as it should be.

“I have removed the engine - it’s a way back to Elbourn, whilst my car is at Griefy’s to be redone. When I get it back then I will start to rebuild it, get it painted and then hope to get the running gear in to make sure that it is ready for the start to the season.

“I do all the work on the car myself at my garage at Armadale. As for sponsorship it is basically me but, I do get help am indebted to them for their assistance and help.”