WHAT a week it has been to be a fan of BriSCA F2 Stock Cars in Scotland, writes our Cowdenbeath Racewall reporter, Jack Watson.
Some of the top names in the formula have joined Scotland's elite as the drivers chased down all-important World Championship Qualifying Points.
Wednesday night was the second stock car meeting of the year at Knockhill, where Steven Burgoyne took the Supreme Championship Final.
There was no shortage of action or incident at Crimond Raceway on Saturday evening, Charlie Guinchard was crowned the Challenge Trophy champion.
Then Sunday afternoon was a day to remember for Mika Millar as he took both the Scottish Championship and Dennis Middler Snr Memorial trophies home with him.
It wasn't all about the BriSCA F2 racing though, and Sunday afternoon's meeting at Cowdenbeath Racewall also included the Scottish Championship for Saloon Stock Cars.
Barry Russell finally got his hands on the trophy that he has been trying to win since he joined the formula from the Ministox.
The weather over all three days of racing helped to ensure a fast track with lots of grip - although a the drivers might have preferred it to be a tad cooler!
There were around thirty BriSCA F2 drivers at Knockhill on Wednesday night, including a handful of drivers racing at the track for the very first time.
The field was split into two half-car heats, which were won by Steven Burgoyne and Paul Ford, before World Champion Gordon Moodie won the consolation race having narrowly missed out on qualification in the heat.
The Final, for the Supreme Championship, featured an early stoppage for a tangle between Moodie, Chris Burgoyne and Charlie Faichney. Ford took over in the lead before half distance, but Tom Bennett and S. Burgoyne were not far behind and Ford was soon under a lot of pressure.
Bennett made his move on the entry to the home straight, possibly slowing both him and Ford down. This allowed S. Burgoyne to make his move on the hairpin, moving both drivers over with Bennett spinning around. S. Burgoyne went on to win ahead of Ford and Jon Palmer. Reece McIntosh won the Grand National.
Just shy of twenty Saloon Stock Cars were on track, some drivers opting to save their cars for the Scottish Championship on Sunday. The heats went to Kai Gilmour and Ross Watters, before Watters returned to the star grade with a win in the Final ahead of Jordan Cassie and Gemma Russell.
The ORCi Stock Rod heats were shared between Michael Bethune and Lewis Dickson, before Bethune was the winner of a slightly chaotic Final. Jamie Dawson was second and Peter Henderson third.
In the ORCi Ministox, Ben McLellan won both heats but suffered a terminal mechanical problem after the second. This left Ollie Sime to win the Final, leading Stuart Shevill and Jayden Roff across the line.
There were 21 BriSCA F2 drivers at the most northerly venue in the UK, Crimond Raceway, for Saturday's meeting which was headlined by the Challenge Trophy.
The two main talking points happened within the first few racing laps. Gordon Moodie suffered a throttle issue at the end of the home straight, collecting the tyres and rolling his car. While Moodie got out of the car under his own power, he was side-lined for the rest of the weekend, citing back pain.
Chris Burgoyne was another whose meeting didn't last long after he collected the tyres on the home straight and was met by Jon Palmer.
Liam Rennie and Charlie Guinchard were the heat winners, before Guinchard executed a last bend dive on Craig Wallace to take the Final. Steven Burgoyne was second and Rennie third - Rennie went on to win the Grand National.
The other main event at Crimond was the Scottish Championship for the ORCi Ministox.
The race evolved into a battle between Bailey Wilson and Corey Mathers, only for the yellow flags to appear with one lap remaining. The last lap dash was nothing short of sensational, with no less than seven drivers involved in the lead battle.
Ollie Sime took the win by the width of a bumper in the end, ahead of Ben McLellan and Wilson. The subsequent heats were won by Mathers and McLellan.
There were also wins at Crimond in the Saloon Stock Cars for Barry Russell, including the Highland Championship, and Kes Watson. Harry Yule won all three Micro F2 events.
A bruising meeting at Crimond took its toll on the BriSCA F2 car count for Scottish Championship day at Cowdenbeath, with an all-in format being adopted.
The Scottish Championship was a drawn grid within grades and the opening race of the afternoon. Ryan Gardiner was the early leader but was soon overhauled by Paul Reid, while Tom Bennett was a spinner on the home straight.
The yellow flags appeared just after the race had hit half distance with a loose wheel guard on the racing line - eventually tracked down to be that of Charlie Folan, who was forced into retirement as a result.
Reid led the restart ahead of Reece McIntosh and Mika Millar, although the latter pair got sideways on the entry to the pit bend. McIntosh spun and M. Millar escaped, with McIntosh being collected by Chris Burgoyne which forced another stoppage.
Reid again led the restart but soon M. Millar was in the lead. Craig Wallace and Liam Rennie battled over second as Reid dropped back with Rennie getting through.
Wallace dropped down the top ten with the gap between M. Millar and Rennie ebbing and flowing. M. Millar was clear on the last corner and went on to take the Scottish title, his first major in the formula, ahead of Rennie who survived a last bend attack from Steven Burgoyne.
Heat two was similar in that Gardiner and Reid led early on but M. Millar hit the front after a battle with a fellow blue grader, this time Paul Ford.
M. Millar took another win, leading home Rennie and Ford. The Final was for the Dennis Middler Snr Memorial Trophy, with the rolling lap being led by Dennis' granddaughter Lana in her ORCi Ministox.
Gardiner led the early stages but M. Millar was quickly to the front of the blues and into the lead past Gardiner. It was another duel between Rennie and Wallace for the lead red top position, with Rennie moving Wallace wide on the turnstile bend before doing similar to Ford for second.
M. Millar was already well clear and recorded his third win of the afternoon, Rennie was second and Wallace third.
The Grand National featured a significant oil slick, which sent multiple drivers into early retirement, including M. Millar, while Gardiner's race came to a halt at the end of the back straight with a mechanical problem.
Ford was in the lead when the oil went down, and if anything built the gap further by the end of the race. Rennie was the runner-up and third went to Kieran Howie.
As is customary, the Saloon Stock Car Scottish Championship grid was formed courtesy of a random draw. This placed Marcus McLean and Owen Marshall on the front row of a field of 26 cars, with Derek Duff and defending champion Graeme Shevill on row two.
The start of the race saw Holly Glen bundled into the pit bend wall by the pack, before being collected a few times. The yellow flags appeared just as the leading McLean came round the corner, which ultimately led to McLean's retirement from the race, which was completely restarted.
Just twenty drivers took the restart, Rhys Anderson was the first driver to spin on the pit bend but he was able to rejoin. Duff and Shevill battled for the lead, with Shevill hitting the front but not being able to create any sort of gap.
Dale Robertson and Euan Mathieson tangled on the pit bend just as Shevill was put out wide, E. Mathieson was collected heavily as Ross Watters took the lead.
Shevill dropped down the order behind both Barry and Gemma Russell as well as Gary Paterson. Watters had a short lead but that was cut into by the time the lap boards appeared, with bumpers flying in with G. Russell briefly taking the lead.
B. Russell hit the front as Watters was piled into the wall by G. Russell, which lifted the bonnet of the car up and excluded him from the race - but not before he could put Paterson into the fence which ended the latter's hopes.
G. Russell was spun which dropped her down the field, allowing Shevill back into second place albeit a long way back from the leader. B. Russell completed the remaining distance to take a comfortable and popular win, his first roof-colour championship success in nearly four years. Shevill was second and Cassie third.
A depleted field for the first Allcomers saw Marshall lead the way early on, although Kalin Bryson and Stuart Adsley were making quick progress from the yellow and blue grades.
Paterson was on a mission from the reds too, having dispatched of Watters on the pit bend in the early stages. Bryson was about to be overtaken by Adsley when the latter slowed with a problem, leaving Zak Gilmour to lead.
Paterson continued through the pack and got by Gilmour with a couple of laps to go to take the win. Shevill nipped past Gilmour for second place.
There were a few more cars on track for the second Allcomers race, with Anderson and Marshall the early pacesetters.
Bryson and Rian Mitchell were soon on the scene, but it was Adsley who emerged as the clear front-runner, with Bryson and Mitchell both dropping down the order.
Adsley was gradually reeled in by Charlie Burgoyne as a superb battle for eighth place ensued between Mitchell, Bryson, Robertson and G. Russell. Adsley and Burgoyne were side by side on the back straight of the final lap, with some cat and mouse style jostling for the win. In the end Adsley won ahead of Burgoyne and Shevill.
Also on the programme were the Prostock Basics, with another field sufficient for a split heat format.
The first heat went to Norman Moore after taking advantage of a brief tangle in front of him by going around the outside of both. Liam Loggie won heat two, and Moore took a last-gasp win in heat three.
The Final featured a couple of stoppages, firstly when Zoe Stewart collected the turnstile bend wall heavily and then after Joanne Hilditch was left facing the traffic on the home straight.
Liam Boyle took advantage of the yellow flags to take a comfortable win ahead of Charles Hay and Greg Fraser.
The next action at the Racewall is on Saturday, August 1, when the annual Caravan Carnage event with Van Bangers takes place.
The Saloon Stock Cars, Micro F2 and Prostocks are also in action. There is the final Wednesday fixture at Knockhill a few days before, with the BriSCA F2, Saloon Stock Cars, ORCi Ministox and Prostock Basics on track.
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