I BUMPED in to Grant McGowan and his wife Alana over in Dunfermline and ended up having a chat about the stock cars and in particular his 2017 season, writes our Cowdenbeath Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

Grant, who hails from Grangemouth, finished the season as the silver roof champion in the 1300cc saloon category and is a CPS Tester/Instructor for heavy plant and machinery and whilst based in Grangemouth can be sent all over the country.

“That was without doubt my best ever season,” he told me.

“I started racing in 2004 in the stock rods after having raced in motocross for a few years. My dad had raced bangers and stock rods at Cowdenbeath and my brother Gordon had been a saloon driver racing at Armadale and Cowdenbeath.

"I had initially built a prostock for me to race but there was a waiting list at that time so I decided that I would try the stock rods. I enjoyed my time in them and over the first season moved through the grades to the red.

"Between then and the time that I retired in 2013 I raced most of the time as a red grade driver. I was able to race all over the country and qualified for the World Championship events nearly every season. I particularly enjoyed racing at Hednesford and Northern Ireland.”

He added: “I decided that I wanted to go back to motocross but after Alana had a big motocross crash and amongst her many injuries was a broken pelvis, I was then talked into spectating at the Racewall.

"I was drawn to 1300cc saloons which had just started but there weren’t too many cars.

“I decided to pay a return visit to watch them and met up with Brian Hastie and Stevie Burt – that was in 2015. That was the turning point. I was talked into having a few laps in Dale Burt’s car. I really enjoyed being back in a stock car. I knew that they were trying to build up that formula and I had really enjoyed my run in the car so I decided that I would join them.”

But finding a vehicle was not easy: “I scouted around for a car for a while and ended up buying a one that Andy Raeburn had raced although it wasn’t set up for Cowdenbeath.

"I did quite a lot of routine maintenance to the car before taking it to the Racewall. I hadn’t even painted the car and it was mid way through the season before I appeared. I really enjoyed the racing although they had decided that I would start from the yellow grade. I won both heats the first night and that moved me up to the blue grade for the final. The following week I repeated the two win scenario and ended up as a red grade driver for the final. I have stayed as a red grade driver since then.”

“I decided for the 2016 season that I would have a new car and I bought a Luke Grief 1300 saloon. It was GRP22. I sold my old car after I had rolled it and had to get Gordon and my nephew, ex-ministox driver Aaron McGowan to finish building the GRP car as Alana and I had decided that we were having a holiday in Florida!

“I had changed to the 16 valve engine and literally everything was brand new. When we debuted the car we had initial teething problems but once they were ironed out the car proved to be quick and handled like I hoped it would.

“Fraser Anderson proved to be the top driver at the time and I found that my car was every bit as competitive as his. However, he missed a few meetings and it was Brian Allan who I fought it out with for the track points which ended up being really close!”

Went on Grant: “When the Scottish Championship came along Fraser started from pole position and I was back on row 9.

"It turned out to be an exciting race and I was able to make up a lot of ground. As the race was drawing to a close Fraser was leading and I was second and closing. I think that I would have needed another couple of laps to get into the lead but must say that I was pleased to come home in second considering where I had started.

“I had my first ever hat trick of wins on September 17 2016 and had my photo taken with the rest of the pit crew and the 3 lap board. That was the night before a good friend, wee Jocky Brown had died. He was always at the racing cheering me on and had said that one day I would get the hat trick. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to be there when I did it!

“At the end of the season I finished second in the points to Allan. I had blown an engine and there had been more dnf’s than I would have liked but you have to take the good with the bad when racing.

“When the season ended the car was stripped down, refreshed and rebuilt for the 2017. We had racing at Barford in the North East of England and also a weekend at Crimond in the north of Scotland.

“At Barford the car was faultless. I won a good percentage of the races there and we got a good welcome from the Promoter. He gave us extra practice to get our cars set up. I won the Great Northern Championship and the track points so it is fair to say that I really like racing there.”

“It proved to be a similar story up at Crimond where the main race was the Munster Trophy. The car was particularly suited to the track and the races that I won I did so by a good margin.

"I won a race on Saturday as well as a second and a third in the other races. On Sunday I ended up winning heat 4 and the Munster Trophy. I also came out on top in the Dash for the Cash race so all in all it was a good weekend's racing.

“At the Racewall Fraser Anderson was still the top driver but there were more cars at the track including Fraser Clark and later on Jason Secker. There were also a few drivers having one-off runs in cars which we hoped would entice them into the sport. Fraser Anderson retired mid way through the season and that left me and Fraser Clark as the top two drivers. We raced hard after he had left for the track points and in the end it turned out to be a close run thing.

“The Scottish Championship was held in October and the grid was decided by a public draw. Fraser started the race from the inside of row 2, I was 9th out of the hat and Jason was just behind me, I thought that it turned out to be a cracking race and whilst Fraser led for most of the time Jason and I caught up with him.

"I think we all had a lap or two in the lead but I got caught out when Cameron Milne blew his engine and I got on his oil and bounced the car off the wall. I carried on but had lost touch with the leaders. "Jason went on to win from Fraser but I had to settle for third. In the pits I found that I had broken the seat mounts, the front strut and a ball joint. No wonder the car wasn’t handling!

“In the pits we quickly carried out the repairs to the car and I was back out for the heats. The first was a cracking race with Fraser, Jason and I dicing throughout the race right from the start and even when we crossed the finish line there was nothing in it. I thought that race was a great advert for 1300saloon racing. We pushed and shoved each other but gave the other drivers room to race. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“I was now leading the track points but Fraser wasn’t that far behind as we went into the last weekend of the season. We had a Superbowl race on the last Saturday of the season. Jason was on pole with me alongside. Fraser and I had won heats whilst Jason had been second in both.

"Fraser and I had both had fourth places but I was to share the front row of the grid with Jason who was on pole Not long after the race had started than Fraser sent me bouncing off the wall and in doing so it broke my exhaust and I was disqualified. Jason won from Fraser so the gap in the points had decreased dramatically. It was all down to Sunday’s racing for the track points and it meant that I had to finish just behind Fraser in all of the races, unless of course I could make a break so I had to watch what I was doing.

“In the heats and the final I ended up just behind him so at the end of the day the track points were mine. I also want to say that I thought Jason really mixed things up in the few months that he raced and I enjoyed racing alongside of him I’m sure he will be a welcome addition to the 2 litre saloons.

“For this season I am using the same car. It has been stripped down and everything has been refreshed. I am ready to defend my titles and would like nothing better that to win the Scottish Championship. It looks as if there are going to be even more cars on the grid which is going to make the racing even more exciting.

“I get a lot of help from Gordon and his wife Lesley when working on the car and also from Darren and his son Lewis, my nephew Aaron, and from my race co-ordinator and tidy-upper Alana, which is greatly appreciated. I get sponsorship from STS Group Limited. ASD Welding, DC Services (Dyson) McGowan Vehicle Repairs, GRP and Craig Jones Signs.

"Without their support I wouldn’t have enjoyed the success that I have enjoyed and to the Racewall staff and all those who officiate I would like to thank for them giving their time.”