GENERALLY, if you are going to take your first win of the season, saving it for the Scottish Championship isn't a bad idea at all - and that's exactly what Shaz Law did in the Prostock Basics on Saturday night at the Cowdenbeath Racewall, writes our Racewall reporter Jack Watson.
While Law was second across the line, the first car home failed post race scrutineering promoting her to the top step of the podium.
There was also some excellent racing from the Saloon Stock Cars, Charlie Burgoyne survived a last bend attack to win the Brian Cuthill Memorial Final. And there was another Final win for John Hogg in the BriSCA F2 Stock Cars, while Ross Graham took a hat-trick in the ORCi Stock Rods.
A massive field of over forty Prostock Basics assembled for their Scottish Championship meeting. Before the meeting began, the drivers had organised a meet and greet on the track, which looked to be an excellent experience for both the drivers and fans.
The drivers were split into two half car heats, with the top ten qualifying automatically for the Scottish Championship Final.
Russell Adams (Glenrothes) and Josh Paterson led the first heat away but it was soon Zoe Stewart who was at the front of the field.
Shaz Law (Kelty) and Joanne Hilditch were battling with Harry Wotherspoon (Carnock) for second but Hilditch broke free and snuck past Stewart with just over a lap remaining to win. Wotherspoon completed the top three, Law was fourth and John Stewart (Kirkcaldy) was sixth.
The second heat was more chaotic - the first yellow flag was called for Elise Robertson who was stuck in the middle of the home straight, and then there was another for Shaun Smith who was across the track on the entry to the back straight.
John Harris (Methilhill), Ryan Neilson and Cole McDonald battled for the lead throughout the early stages but in the end Jay Fordyce came through to win ahead of Liam Boyle (Hillend) and James Paton.
Regan Irvine (Cowdenbeath) was seventh and Calum Nicol (Auchtermuchty) was eighth.
The consolation race saw a final eight spots in the Scottish Championship up for grabs, but was stopped when Daz Sarjantson (Methilhill) skelped the wall on the pit bend and was collected gently by Adams, before Adams was hit by Stephen Gray just as the yellow flags appeared. Robertson and Kevin Nicol (Auchtermuchty) also tangled in avoidance.
Harris led the restart and went on to take his first win in the formula ahead of Neilson and Alex McDonald. Alex Mill (Kirkcaldy) also made the Scottish grid in seventh place.
The 'Scottish' grid was based on the heat results, with Hilditch on pole and Fordyce alongside.
The first start to the race was stopped with less than a lap completed with Ellie Ferguson unable to move from her grid position. Hilditch moved into an early lead when the race got underway the second time, as Boyle made up for a slow getaway by moving quickly through to second place. Boyle had just caught Hilditch when Lee Logan, Wotherspoon and Fordyce tangled when battling for fourth, the latter was then collected by the unsighted Ben Kerr and Phil Payne.
Hilditch and Boyle resumed their battle for the lead when the race restarted, with only five laps remaining. The pair ran side by side until Boyle broke clear with two to run. Hilditch then got out of shape on the final lap and crashed out on the turnstile bend, with the race stopped once Boyle had crossed the line. Law just pipped C. McDonald to second place.
After post-race checks, Boyle's car was found to be outwith the rules and he was removed from the evening's results consequentially. Law has been declared as the new Scottish Champion ahead of C. McDonald with Barry Jackman up to third.
Paterson and Gray were the early front runners in the Allcomers but it was soon Neilson who was in the lead. Shannon Dalgarno spun a few times with a rear puncture while Ferguson exited on the turnstile bend. Ferguson's crash set off a chain of events that also led to Logan and Dalgarno's retirement, with Fraser joining them before the end of the race. Neilson was well clear at the flag, winning ahead of C. McDonald and Paterson.
The Saloon Stock Cars were racing for their Brian Cuthill Memorial Trophy in the Final, and it was good to see another decent field of cars including debutant Fraser Mills, and a second visit of the season from Manchester-based Ben Atkinson.
Ewan Mitchell and Atkinson were in the wars at the start of the first heat, with Mitchell continuing despite a puncture while Atkinson retired on the home straight. Joshua Donavan stopped on the exit of the turnstile bend, only to be collected a few laps later by Bobby Gold (Leven) after a gaggle of cars went into the corner at the same time - Tam Rutherford was another driver who suffered damage in the crash. The race was halted with Gold's car stuck in a dangerous position.
Owen Marshall led the restart, having been well clear at the time of the yellow flag but was bundled down the order.
Kyle Hegg (Leslie) led Stuart Adsley (Cowdenbeath) across the line but both were deemed to have jumped the start, which handed the first two positions to Charlie Burgoyne and Kalin Bryson (Cowdenbeath) respectively. Hegg was demoted to third and Adsley to fourth,
Paterson was an early casualty in the second heat, being spun into a marker tyre by the pack and retiring behind the goals on the pit bend - only to be collected by the spinning Mitchell.
Marshall was prevented from getting his first win in the formula when he was caught on the penultimate lap by Hegg, the latter going on to win. Adsley and Marshall completed the top three,
Rhys Anderson led the early stages of the Final, although the lead places were soon being fought over by Hegg and Adsley. Paterson caught the leading pair and had just forced his way past Adsley into second when the yellow flags were called after Rutherford had clipped a marker tyre on the entry to the turnstile bend which forced Bryson heavily into the wall – but somehow Bryson was able to take his place on the restart.
Hegg led it but Paterson, Adsley and Burgoyne were soon challenging for the lead. Burgoyne made his way to the front and survived a last bend attack from Hegg to take the win. Paterson was third,
The ORCi Stock Rod field included newly crowned World Champion Jamie Dawson, two weeks after his success at Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland.
George White dropped back in the early stages of the first race before Graeme Dignan (Methilhill) and Cameron Doak tangled on the pit bend, but both rejoined.
Ross Graham hit the front relatively early in proceedings and despite pressure from Michael Bethune (Cowdenbeath), Graham held on to win. Dawson was third.
J. Dignan was the early leader of heat two but after a fast start Paul Prentice and Peter Henderson were the leading duo. Prentice led Graham and Henderson across the line but Prentice and Henderson were subsequently penalised for their start by the Steward of the meeting, meaning that Graham took his second win of the night. Bethune was promoted to second with Prentice awarded third.
White was an early spinner at the start of the Final, while Graham had his eyes set on a hat-trick and was in the lead before halfway. J. Dignan and Henderson tangled a couple of times, while Dawson and Bethune set about catching Graham.
Graham and Dawson ran side by side for the last couple of laps and while Dawson momentarily took the lead, Graham's position on the inside line allowed him back in front to take a clean sweep of the evening's Stock Rod races. Dawson and Bethune completed the podium places.
With the BriSCA F2 World Championship on the horizon, it was perhaps understandable that there were a few drivers taking time to prepare themselves and their cars for the season's headline event.
Callum Reid (Cowdenbeath) made his debut but was a spinner in the opening race, which saw John Hogg fend off Jason McDonald for the win on the last bend. J. Hogg and McDonald were then demoted two places each by the Steward handing the win to Graeme Leckie with Steven Burgoyne inheriting second.
Brian Hogg took an impressive win in heat two, his first of the season, leading home J. Hogg and Burgoyne.
Richard Walden led the first part of the Final but it was J. Hogg who moved through to lead. Despite a late charge from Burgoyne, J. Hogg crossed the line to take the win. Burgoyne was second and Walden held on for third.
Walden took the win in the Grand National, McDonald was second and Craig Wallace was third.
There is no racing at the Racewall this Saturday night, owing to the BriSCA F2 and Saloon Stock Car World Championships at Northampton Shaleway. The Prostocks Scottish Championship headlines the next meeting at the Racewall on Saturday September 19, with the debut of the BriSCA Junior F2s in Scotland, the ORCi Ministox East of Scotland Championship as well as BriSCA F2 and Micro F2s with the first race due to get underway at 6pm.
- Jaydyn Wilson (Kelty) took his first Micro F2 win at Crimond Raceway in Aberdeenshire on Sunday afternoon, where Jaxan Moore (Hill of Beath) took the Driver of the Day gong.
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