Guy Fawkes may not have been around to lay the gunpowder but there was no shortage of explosive action in the night-sky over Foxhall Stadium and down on the track with well over one hundred Bangers of all shapes and sizes thoroughly entertaining another massive Gala Night crowd, writes Kevin Wegg.
Unlimited National Bangers returned to the bill after a couple of years away and did not disappoint with the unofficial team racing between the Cream Team and the Essex-based Gladiators particularly bruising. It was Jimmy Randall though that landed one of the hardest hits in more ways than one during their opening race when he picked on the former wedding limousine of Phil Milner who was clearly a tempting target as Scott Cornish later landed another big hit. Matt High from Lowestoft rightly won an award for one of the best presented cars in his Granada Limo and celebrated in style by blitzing Charlie Gallard. Red flags came out for that one and also after the first of several engine fires when Dan Rose gave it large to Andrew Milner. Only nine from the forty plus starters made it across the line as Mark Welland partly made up for his disappointment in the World Final at the very same track just three weeks previous with a race win. Jack Foster Jnr followed him home, only to go one better in race two as the drivers swapped places and they swapped yet again in the allcomers race only this time it was Jason Jackson who pipped them both. Gladiator Phil Smith had an engine fire in this one, however by far the most impressive burn-up erupted during race two as Liam Reach left a blazing trail as he continued to race-on, initially unaware of the impromptu flame-grilled helping rolling out behind him. Carl Gould’s impressive American Cadillac Sedan was also a sight to behold, destroying anything in it’s path before coming to rest with a totally mangled front-end.
FORD KA (Honest!)
With a fully-scribed entry list for the smaller-engined Bangers the cars were split and provided great entertainment for all sorts of contrasting reasons. Sam Saunders fought tooth-and-nail to hold on to an opening race lead finally landing in the fence for his troubles as first fellow Clacton-on-Sea resident Ken Denby slipped past then Ipswich racer Jake Stewart took it up for the first of two impressive wins on the night. In-between another victory for the town was secured with Kieran Murphy looking sensational on his way to victory, using the front-end to spin out the opposition in classic stock car style. Gavin Sheldrake then made it a clean sweep for the locals in their final race which will be remembered as much by an appreciative crowd for the bravado of debutant Billy Doyle in a diminutive Ford Ka. A brave choice by anyone’s standards against much larger opposition he had been a target throughout the evening. He was again on the receiving end yet kept getting back up for more only to eventually catch fire but having thoroughly won the crowd over.
Drivers had come from far and wide including Belgium and Holland to add a truly continental flavour to proceedings and put on a great show however Chris Reynolds from Dundee will have travelled back over the border with a bruise or two having been blasted not once but twice after being left in no man’s land in the fifty-three car allcomers race.
Amazingly the hearse of Alec Savage had survived the unlimited races in one piece yet that all changed with a death-defying hit on the plucky Phil Smith that was undoubtedly one of the hardest landed all season. Shane Winsor grabbed the event by the scruff of the neck with massive hits on both Savage and Lewis Price for a fittingly-explosive end to a terrific night’s entertainment.
More hard-hitting action takes place with the sixteen team inter-track challenge on Sat., Nov 19th at 6:45pm.