National & 2.0 Hot Rods Hednesford 16th March 2025
National Hot Rods
WRIGHT WRIGGLES THROUGH TO WONDERFUL WIN
Round nine of the National Hot Rods’ English World Championship qualifying series took place at Hednesford Hills Raceway on the 16th of March. 23 competitors entered the races on the quarter-mile oval, built in the base of a disused reservoir.
Frank West made his first start with his Tigra after a non-appearance at Aldershot and was the sole White-graded driver. The Yellow group swelled to eight cars for this meeting as Dick Hillard, Robert Gamble, Paul Tompkins and Chris Aldridge started from the same grade as Aldershot. Terry Hunn and the Lotus of Alistair Lowe slipped down from the Blues, Hunn was the third-placed finisher in Hampshire and would be fancying his chances from the Yellows. Former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion James Morris and John Sibbald made their first outings of the year as they completed the line up of Yellows. A strong Blue-graded contingent contained the first two finishers from the recent Aldershot final as winner Aaron Dew and runner-up Paul Wright hoped for another strong showing, both having started from the Blues two weeks earlier. Also staying in the Blues, Nick Roots ran as high as second in the Aldershot final before fading later on. The Vauxhall Tigras of Darren Cardy and Ryan Morgan were another pair to retain the same grading as a fortnight ago. Former European champions Shane Bland and Carl Waller-Barrett moved into the Blue grade from the Red group at Aldershot, as did ex-2.0 Hot Rod World Champion Dan Smith. Aldershot Heat Two winner Kevin Gooding was elevated to the Red 'superstar' grade, where he joined first-time 2025 entrant and two-time World Champion Malcolm Blackman. The Ginettas of Hayden Ballard and triple World Champion Chris Haird couldn't be written off for a strong performance as they aimed to build on their current fourth and fifth places on the series points table. Perry Cooke looked to eat into Billy Wood's 46-point buffer at the head of the qualifying series standings and make second place his own after coming into the meeting tied on points with the reigning World Champion Robert McDonald, whose absence in 2025 continued. Points race leader Wood was back where he secured the ’Best in Britain’ title last December with his 'works' Mazda MX5, a chassis that is growing in popularity as 2023 World Champion Derek Martin, 2015 2.0 World Champion Adam Hylands and Irish star Dave Casey unveiled their brand new cars in recent weeks.
Heat One: Frank West started on his own in the White grade at the front of the grid. John Sibbald shared the front row of the Yellows with Terry Hunn, with Paul Tompkins alone on row two after problems in practice ruled out Alistair Lowe’s Lotus. The Blue grade would be led away by recent John Butler Trophy winner Aaron Dew and he would have Darren Cardy on his outside. The second row comprised Nick Roots’ Lotus and Carl Waller-Barrett’s Fiesta, with Aldershot heat winner Paul Wright on the inside of the third row alongside Ryan Morgan. The six Red grades had triple World Champion Chris Haird on the inside pole and the similar Ginetta of Hayden Ballard alongside. Perry Cooke’s Tigra sat on the inside of row two with Malcolm Blackman to his outside and the back row of the grid played host to points leader Billy Wood and Aldershot heat two victor Kevin Gooding. The White-graded Frank West suffered problems during the warm-up laps and pulled into the centre as the grid formed up for the 25-lap race start, whilst Paul Tompkins was sent to the back from the second row before the heat got underway. John Sibbald and Terry Hunn got away together from the front row of the Yellows, with the Scot's Ginetta getting the advantage on the inside of the East Bend. James Morris slotted into third ahead of Robert Gamble and Chris Aldridge as Dick Hillard held the rest of the field at bay in sixth. Darren Cardy got around the veteran on lap two and was quickly onto the rear bumper of Aldridge, whilst Nick Roots was knocked sideways into the East Bend at the start of lap three, after attempting to enter the corner three-wide with Hillard and Aaron Dew, which compressed the pack and triggered a multi-car collision at the West Bend. Carl Waller-Barrett knocked Ryan Morgan sideways, who in turn touched Roots. Both Waller-Barrett and Morgan spun after further contact from leading Red-grade Hayden Ballard's Ginetta pushed the Fiesta into the Tigra when they checked up. The spinning cars took Shane Bland and Paul Wright wide with them and the trapped Bland's Ginetta was collected by Malcolm Blackman after he bounced off Perry Cooke. Cooke's Tigra was then hit up the back by Billy Wood and Kevin Gooding, with Paul Tompkins running into the back of Gooding's Ginetta. Bland's Ginetta from the Blues along with Ballard, Blackman and Cooke from the Reds were all out with damaged machinery, whilst Paul Wright from the Blues rejoined a lap down after coming to a halt behind Bland. Hunn had got ahead of Sibbald just before the yellow flags came out and opted to take the inside line for the two-by-two restart, with Morris and Cardy forming up behind him. Looking to take the lead back, Sibbald went to the outside as Aldridge followed him along with Wright's lapped car effectively in sixth spot. Having kept his lead at the restart, Hunn pulled away from Sibbald to the end for a handsome win. For third place, Aldridge got around Morris at the resumption to run in the top three for the remainder but he had company right up to the chequered flag. Cardy and Dan Smith also passed the former 2.0 Hot Rod star within a couple of laps of the restart. Wright followed Smith by Morris and Cardy when the pair ran wide at the West Bend. The squabbling Smith and the one-lap-down Wright reeled in Aldridge, with Wright continually trying the outside line to get ahead of Smith as Aldridge defended the inside from the similar Tigra just behind and Wright almost had the job done when Smith's Tigra knocked the Ginetta wide at the East Bend with five to go. The moment let a charging Wood get ahead of Wright but Smith proved a tougher nut to crack, the three of them tussled to the end with Wood taking to the outside of Smith without success. Wood had reached the top ten soon after the restart before gaining two and losing one on lap seven when Morris and Dew tangled and the Mazda was repassed by Haird. Wood got Haird back again a lap later and also passed Gamble to be seventh, he then demoted Roots for sixth on lap 17 when the Lotus lost momentum threatening Cardy and took the Tigra's place in the top five on the following lap before joining the Aldridge, Smith and Wright tussle. Several black crosses saw the order at the bottom of the top ten look rather different to how they crossed the line. Third-past-the-flag Aldridge was demoted to fifth behind the first Blue grader Smith and top Red runner Wood. Chris Haird was the second driver from the Reds to finish and gained from sixth-on-the-road Nick Roots' demotion to eighth as fellow Red-graded Kevin Gooding also profited, the seventh-placed Ginetta had been passed on the last lap by Darren Cardy but he too lost two spots so the Tigra was classified ninth ahead of Carl Waller-Barrett in tenth. To compound his tricky race, Wright was ultimately disqualified.
Heat Two: Frank West's Tigra couldn't be fixed in time so the Yellow-graded drivers led the field away once more for the second 25-lapper, with the grid forming up in the reverse of Heat One among their gradings. Dick Hillard would have the inside pole start with Chris Aldridge alongside, former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion James Morris was also poised for a good result from the inside of row two. The top two from the opening heat were to start from the back of the Yellows this time, with winner Terry Hunn on the inside of John Sibbald. The Blue grade was missing Shane Bland on the inside pole of their group so the top Blue from Heat One, Dan Smith, would be alone on the front row. Paul Wright hoped to make amends for his first heat disqualification from the outside of Ryan Morgan on the second row. Kevin Gooding sat at the front of the Red group with the Mazda MX5 of Billy Wood looking to top the grade again beside him. Chris Aldridge made another sharp getaway to lead from Dick Hillard and James Morris into the East Bend for the first time and gained a few lengths lead around the opening tour. Hunn and John Sibbald each got ahead of James Morris during lap two and both managed to pass a stubborn Hillard reasonably quickly afterwards. Hunn made his move at the West Bend on lap three and Sibbald followed suit a lap later, the pair then set off in pursuit of Aldridge. Hillard proved to be something of a roadblock to the rest of the field as the top three raced away but Dan Smith eventually fought ahead on lap six after driving between the long-time participant and Morris at the West Bend. Morris got around the outside of Hillard on lap nine before the Tigra lost further ground being pushed wide at the West Bend and was ultimately turned around on lap eleven on the back straight. The top three were joined together by now and when Smith caught them, Hunn redoubled his efforts to take the lead on the outside but Sibbald got under him on lap sixteen. The Tigra stayed on the outside of the Ginetta and reclaimed second place a couple of laps later. Leader Aldridge and third-placed Sibbald stuck rigidly to the inside line as Hunn and Smith probed for an opening on the outside into the closing stages and when Aldridge took Hunn slightly wide at the West Bend for the 23rd time, Sibbald snuck under both starting the penultimate lap to take a great win. Smith also pounced to get by Aldridge and Hunn at the East Bend straight after for second place, whilst the first heat winner drove around the outside of Aldridge to pip him for third place over the line. However, Hunn was docked two spots after contact with Morris on the opening lap so fell from third to fifth. Ryan Morgan, Carl Waller-Barrett and Nick Roots finished sixth, seventh and eighth, the sixth-placed Tigra from the Blue grade had passed the Yellow-graded cars of Robert Gamble and Paul Tompkins inside the first four laps before Hillard's rapid descent gave Morgan the sixth position he would hold to the end. The latter two enjoyed a side-by-side battle mid-race which eventually went the way of the Fiesta. Billy Wood finished as the top Red again in ninth from counterpart Malcolm Blackman in tenth after the pair passed Tompkins on laps fourteen and sixteen respectively. The heat proved to be another disaster for Paul Wright as he pulled into the centre during the warm-up laps so wouldn't even take the start.
Final: With Frank West’s Tigra trailered for the Final, the Yellow grades would again lead the field away into the 35 laps. The two heat winners formed the front row with Heat Two victor John Sibbald sitting on the inside and opening heat winner Terry Hunn on the outside. Paul Tompkins and Robert Gamble comprised the second row after Chris Aldridge and James Morris were sent to the back of the field for lining up out of position, with Dick Hillard the final runner from the first batch. The Blue grades had Dan Smith on the inside of the front row and Nick Roots started beside the former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion. Ryan Morgan headed the second row from Carl Waller-Barrett, with Darren Cardy and the recent John Butler Trophy winner Aaron Dew on the third row. Paul Wright’s troubled day so far left him on the back row of the Blues with a bit of work to do for a top result. The charge of the superstars from the Red grade would be headed by 2018 World Champion Billy Wood’s Mazda and Kevin Gooding’s Ginetta, with Chris Haird and Malcolm Blackman sharing row two. The last row of the grid should have been made up by Hayden Ballard and Perry Cooke until Aldridge and Morris’ demotion from the Yellows. When the green flag dropped, John Sibbald beat Terry Hunn to the first corner to lead from Paul Tompkins and Robert Gamble in third and fourth. Blue-graded Dan Smith quickly passed Yellow tail-ender Dick Hillard for fifth place by the end of lap one, with Nick Roots soon getting ahead too after driving around outside of the Tigra at the West Bend and was able to turn across Hillard's front into the East Bend early on lap three. Carl Waller-Barrett's engine blew up in a big way on lap four to bring about the first caution to clear up the dropped oil. Red-graded Hayden Ballard followed the Fiesta into the barriers on the slippery surface and Chris Aldridge also spun, with neither restarting in addition to the broken Fiesta. With the light getting ever gloomier as sunset neared for the restart, leader Sibbald predictably headed the inside line for the NASCAR-style restart from Tompkins and Gamble. Taking a punt at the outside line were Hunn, Smith and Roots. Smith's Tigra and Roots' Lotus both passed Hunn in quick succession after the resumption, Smith shooting around the outside at the end of the restart lap and Roots prised an opening into the East Bend just over one lap later. The flying Paul Wright moved up to fifth at the expense of Tompkins on lap nine and began to close on the top four. The Ginetta had started last of the Blue-graded drivers but had got ahead of Waller-Barrett and Aaron Dew during the opening lap before taking Darren Cardy on lap two. Wright opted for the outside of the fifth row behind Hillard and Morgan for the restart, with leading Red driver Billy Wood to his inside. Hillard held up the inside starters when the race got back underway, which allowed the Ginetta to move ahead immediately and when Ryan Morgan was cut off by Gamble at the East Bend so Wright gained another place almost straight away. Gamble was dispensed with by the end of the restart lap as Wright went after Tompkins. The top four paired off as Smith chased after Sibbald and Hunn fended off Roots up to the second stoppage on lap fourteen after Morris and Gamble clashed at the West Bend, with Morris’ Tigra losing its offside-front wheel. The top Red-graded runner Wood had moved up to seventh and was chasing Morgan when the caution flags came out. The Mazda was sat directly behind Hillard at the restart and was briefly usurped by Kevin Gooding for the lead of the Red-graded cars but Gooding's Ginetta was eliminated in a clash with the Tigras of Tompkins and Morgan that left Gooding with the driver's door hanging off. Leader Sibbald once again chose the inside for the two-by-two restart, ahead of Roots and Wright. Smith led those who went to the outside from Hunn and Wood. As Sibbald maintained his lead at the restart with just over half of the race remaining, Roots got up the inside of Smith at the East Bend for second place after the Tigra was rebuffed on the outside of Sibbald. The fourth-placed Hunn hesitated when the pack accelerated and couldn't stop Wright from moving into the top four, despite trying to hang on to the place around the outside. Wood also got ahead of the Tigra three laps later and Hunn picked up a black cross after nerfing the MX5 at the West Bend. Roots reeled in Sibbald within a couple of laps and the pair pulled away from the scrap for third as Smith tried to fend off Wright. The rampant Ginetta wrestled through on the outside of the East Bend on lap 21 and set off after the lead pair. Wright wasn't alone as he brought the leading Red-grade Wood with him, the Mazda having taken Smith on the following lap. The lead Ginetta went defensive as Roots became ever more determined to grab the lead when the charging Wright and Wood arrived on the back of the Lotus with ten laps remaining. Wright followed Sibbald on the inside line as Roots tried to hold on to second place with some demon braking to the outside. Wright's persistence saw him grab second on lap 27 and the Ginetta then moved to the outside line to get his nose in front ending lap 28, before claiming the racing line properly on lap 30 as Sibbald desperately tried to cling onto the top spot. Wood grabbed second place soon after around the outside, with Roots giving Sibbald a tap at the West Bend as the MX5 made its move. Wright held Wood's Mazda at arm's length for the last few laps to triumph in a great final from Wood and Sibbald. Smith fell to seventh as Hunn went on a late charge and passed Roots for fourth three laps from home, having taken Smith on lap 22. Ryan Morgan claimed sixth place after also passing Smith on lap 23 when the chasing pack closed in on the fierce fight for third. Second of the Red grades Perry Cooke came home eighth after passing Round Eight final winner Aaron Dew late in the day, whilst Tompkins crossed the line in tenth but was thrown out for his part in the Gooding incident so Aldridge was classified in the top ten as a result.
Billy Wood extended his English series points lead to 72 points from Perry Cooke after finishing as the top Red-graded car in both heats and the final. Chris Haird sat nine points off Cooke in third leaving Staffordshire, with Hayden Ballard just a single point down on Haird in fourth. Ryan Morgan leapt up two places to fifth in the standings another eight points further back as the missing Robert McDonald dropped to sixth, 107 points away from dropping out of the World Championship qualifying spots.
WRIGHT WRIGGLES THROUGH TO WONDERFUL WIN
Round nine of the National Hot Rods’ English World Championship qualifying series took place at Hednesford Hills Raceway on the 16th of March. 23 competitors entered the races on the quarter-mile oval, built in the base of a disused reservoir.
Frank West made his first start with his Tigra after a non-appearance at Aldershot and was the sole White-graded driver. The Yellow group swelled to eight cars for this meeting as Dick Hillard, Robert Gamble, Paul Tompkins and Chris Aldridge started from the same grade as Aldershot. Terry Hunn and the Lotus of Alistair Lowe slipped down from the Blues, Hunn was the third-placed finisher in Hampshire and would be fancying his chances from the Yellows. Former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion James Morris and John Sibbald made their first outings of the year as they completed the line up of Yellows. A strong Blue-graded contingent contained the first two finishers from the recent Aldershot final as winner Aaron Dew and runner-up Paul Wright hoped for another strong showing, both having started from the Blues two weeks earlier. Also staying in the Blues, Nick Roots ran as high as second in the Aldershot final before fading later on. The Vauxhall Tigras of Darren Cardy and Ryan Morgan were another pair to retain the same grading as a fortnight ago. Former European champions Shane Bland and Carl Waller-Barrett moved into the Blue grade from the Red group at Aldershot, as did ex-2.0 Hot Rod World Champion Dan Smith. Aldershot Heat Two winner Kevin Gooding was elevated to the Red 'superstar' grade, where he joined first-time 2025 entrant and two-time World Champion Malcolm Blackman. The Ginettas of Hayden Ballard and triple World Champion Chris Haird couldn't be written off for a strong performance as they aimed to build on their current fourth and fifth places on the series points table. Perry Cooke looked to eat into Billy Wood's 46-point buffer at the head of the qualifying series standings and make second place his own after coming into the meeting tied on points with the reigning World Champion Robert McDonald, whose absence in 2025 continued. Points race leader Wood was back where he secured the ’Best in Britain’ title last December with his 'works' Mazda MX5, a chassis that is growing in popularity as 2023 World Champion Derek Martin, 2015 2.0 World Champion Adam Hylands and Irish star Dave Casey unveiled their brand new cars in recent weeks.
Heat One: Frank West started on his own in the White grade at the front of the grid. John Sibbald shared the front row of the Yellows with Terry Hunn, with Paul Tompkins alone on row two after problems in practice ruled out Alistair Lowe’s Lotus. The Blue grade would be led away by recent John Butler Trophy winner Aaron Dew and he would have Darren Cardy on his outside. The second row comprised Nick Roots’ Lotus and Carl Waller-Barrett’s Fiesta, with Aldershot heat winner Paul Wright on the inside of the third row alongside Ryan Morgan. The six Red grades had triple World Champion Chris Haird on the inside pole and the similar Ginetta of Hayden Ballard alongside. Perry Cooke’s Tigra sat on the inside of row two with Malcolm Blackman to his outside and the back row of the grid played host to points leader Billy Wood and Aldershot heat two victor Kevin Gooding. The White-graded Frank West suffered problems during the warm-up laps and pulled into the centre as the grid formed up for the 25-lap race start, whilst Paul Tompkins was sent to the back from the second row before the heat got underway. John Sibbald and Terry Hunn got away together from the front row of the Yellows, with the Scot's Ginetta getting the advantage on the inside of the East Bend. James Morris slotted into third ahead of Robert Gamble and Chris Aldridge as Dick Hillard held the rest of the field at bay in sixth. Darren Cardy got around the veteran on lap two and was quickly onto the rear bumper of Aldridge, whilst Nick Roots was knocked sideways into the East Bend at the start of lap three, after attempting to enter the corner three-wide with Hillard and Aaron Dew, which compressed the pack and triggered a multi-car collision at the West Bend. Carl Waller-Barrett knocked Ryan Morgan sideways, who in turn touched Roots. Both Waller-Barrett and Morgan spun after further contact from leading Red-grade Hayden Ballard's Ginetta pushed the Fiesta into the Tigra when they checked up. The spinning cars took Shane Bland and Paul Wright wide with them and the trapped Bland's Ginetta was collected by Malcolm Blackman after he bounced off Perry Cooke. Cooke's Tigra was then hit up the back by Billy Wood and Kevin Gooding, with Paul Tompkins running into the back of Gooding's Ginetta. Bland's Ginetta from the Blues along with Ballard, Blackman and Cooke from the Reds were all out with damaged machinery, whilst Paul Wright from the Blues rejoined a lap down after coming to a halt behind Bland. Hunn had got ahead of Sibbald just before the yellow flags came out and opted to take the inside line for the two-by-two restart, with Morris and Cardy forming up behind him. Looking to take the lead back, Sibbald went to the outside as Aldridge followed him along with Wright's lapped car effectively in sixth spot. Having kept his lead at the restart, Hunn pulled away from Sibbald to the end for a handsome win. For third place, Aldridge got around Morris at the resumption to run in the top three for the remainder but he had company right up to the chequered flag. Cardy and Dan Smith also passed the former 2.0 Hot Rod star within a couple of laps of the restart. Wright followed Smith by Morris and Cardy when the pair ran wide at the West Bend. The squabbling Smith and the one-lap-down Wright reeled in Aldridge, with Wright continually trying the outside line to get ahead of Smith as Aldridge defended the inside from the similar Tigra just behind and Wright almost had the job done when Smith's Tigra knocked the Ginetta wide at the East Bend with five to go. The moment let a charging Wood get ahead of Wright but Smith proved a tougher nut to crack, the three of them tussled to the end with Wood taking to the outside of Smith without success. Wood had reached the top ten soon after the restart before gaining two and losing one on lap seven when Morris and Dew tangled and the Mazda was repassed by Haird. Wood got Haird back again a lap later and also passed Gamble to be seventh, he then demoted Roots for sixth on lap 17 when the Lotus lost momentum threatening Cardy and took the Tigra's place in the top five on the following lap before joining the Aldridge, Smith and Wright tussle. Several black crosses saw the order at the bottom of the top ten look rather different to how they crossed the line. Third-past-the-flag Aldridge was demoted to fifth behind the first Blue grader Smith and top Red runner Wood. Chris Haird was the second driver from the Reds to finish and gained from sixth-on-the-road Nick Roots' demotion to eighth as fellow Red-graded Kevin Gooding also profited, the seventh-placed Ginetta had been passed on the last lap by Darren Cardy but he too lost two spots so the Tigra was classified ninth ahead of Carl Waller-Barrett in tenth. To compound his tricky race, Wright was ultimately disqualified.
Heat Two: Frank West's Tigra couldn't be fixed in time so the Yellow-graded drivers led the field away once more for the second 25-lapper, with the grid forming up in the reverse of Heat One among their gradings. Dick Hillard would have the inside pole start with Chris Aldridge alongside, former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion James Morris was also poised for a good result from the inside of row two. The top two from the opening heat were to start from the back of the Yellows this time, with winner Terry Hunn on the inside of John Sibbald. The Blue grade was missing Shane Bland on the inside pole of their group so the top Blue from Heat One, Dan Smith, would be alone on the front row. Paul Wright hoped to make amends for his first heat disqualification from the outside of Ryan Morgan on the second row. Kevin Gooding sat at the front of the Red group with the Mazda MX5 of Billy Wood looking to top the grade again beside him. Chris Aldridge made another sharp getaway to lead from Dick Hillard and James Morris into the East Bend for the first time and gained a few lengths lead around the opening tour. Hunn and John Sibbald each got ahead of James Morris during lap two and both managed to pass a stubborn Hillard reasonably quickly afterwards. Hunn made his move at the West Bend on lap three and Sibbald followed suit a lap later, the pair then set off in pursuit of Aldridge. Hillard proved to be something of a roadblock to the rest of the field as the top three raced away but Dan Smith eventually fought ahead on lap six after driving between the long-time participant and Morris at the West Bend. Morris got around the outside of Hillard on lap nine before the Tigra lost further ground being pushed wide at the West Bend and was ultimately turned around on lap eleven on the back straight. The top three were joined together by now and when Smith caught them, Hunn redoubled his efforts to take the lead on the outside but Sibbald got under him on lap sixteen. The Tigra stayed on the outside of the Ginetta and reclaimed second place a couple of laps later. Leader Aldridge and third-placed Sibbald stuck rigidly to the inside line as Hunn and Smith probed for an opening on the outside into the closing stages and when Aldridge took Hunn slightly wide at the West Bend for the 23rd time, Sibbald snuck under both starting the penultimate lap to take a great win. Smith also pounced to get by Aldridge and Hunn at the East Bend straight after for second place, whilst the first heat winner drove around the outside of Aldridge to pip him for third place over the line. However, Hunn was docked two spots after contact with Morris on the opening lap so fell from third to fifth. Ryan Morgan, Carl Waller-Barrett and Nick Roots finished sixth, seventh and eighth, the sixth-placed Tigra from the Blue grade had passed the Yellow-graded cars of Robert Gamble and Paul Tompkins inside the first four laps before Hillard's rapid descent gave Morgan the sixth position he would hold to the end. The latter two enjoyed a side-by-side battle mid-race which eventually went the way of the Fiesta. Billy Wood finished as the top Red again in ninth from counterpart Malcolm Blackman in tenth after the pair passed Tompkins on laps fourteen and sixteen respectively. The heat proved to be another disaster for Paul Wright as he pulled into the centre during the warm-up laps so wouldn't even take the start.
Final: With Frank West’s Tigra trailered for the Final, the Yellow grades would again lead the field away into the 35 laps. The two heat winners formed the front row with Heat Two victor John Sibbald sitting on the inside and opening heat winner Terry Hunn on the outside. Paul Tompkins and Robert Gamble comprised the second row after Chris Aldridge and James Morris were sent to the back of the field for lining up out of position, with Dick Hillard the final runner from the first batch. The Blue grades had Dan Smith on the inside of the front row and Nick Roots started beside the former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion. Ryan Morgan headed the second row from Carl Waller-Barrett, with Darren Cardy and the recent John Butler Trophy winner Aaron Dew on the third row. Paul Wright’s troubled day so far left him on the back row of the Blues with a bit of work to do for a top result. The charge of the superstars from the Red grade would be headed by 2018 World Champion Billy Wood’s Mazda and Kevin Gooding’s Ginetta, with Chris Haird and Malcolm Blackman sharing row two. The last row of the grid should have been made up by Hayden Ballard and Perry Cooke until Aldridge and Morris’ demotion from the Yellows. When the green flag dropped, John Sibbald beat Terry Hunn to the first corner to lead from Paul Tompkins and Robert Gamble in third and fourth. Blue-graded Dan Smith quickly passed Yellow tail-ender Dick Hillard for fifth place by the end of lap one, with Nick Roots soon getting ahead too after driving around outside of the Tigra at the West Bend and was able to turn across Hillard's front into the East Bend early on lap three. Carl Waller-Barrett's engine blew up in a big way on lap four to bring about the first caution to clear up the dropped oil. Red-graded Hayden Ballard followed the Fiesta into the barriers on the slippery surface and Chris Aldridge also spun, with neither restarting in addition to the broken Fiesta. With the light getting ever gloomier as sunset neared for the restart, leader Sibbald predictably headed the inside line for the NASCAR-style restart from Tompkins and Gamble. Taking a punt at the outside line were Hunn, Smith and Roots. Smith's Tigra and Roots' Lotus both passed Hunn in quick succession after the resumption, Smith shooting around the outside at the end of the restart lap and Roots prised an opening into the East Bend just over one lap later. The flying Paul Wright moved up to fifth at the expense of Tompkins on lap nine and began to close on the top four. The Ginetta had started last of the Blue-graded drivers but had got ahead of Waller-Barrett and Aaron Dew during the opening lap before taking Darren Cardy on lap two. Wright opted for the outside of the fifth row behind Hillard and Morgan for the restart, with leading Red driver Billy Wood to his inside. Hillard held up the inside starters when the race got back underway, which allowed the Ginetta to move ahead immediately and when Ryan Morgan was cut off by Gamble at the East Bend so Wright gained another place almost straight away. Gamble was dispensed with by the end of the restart lap as Wright went after Tompkins. The top four paired off as Smith chased after Sibbald and Hunn fended off Roots up to the second stoppage on lap fourteen after Morris and Gamble clashed at the West Bend, with Morris’ Tigra losing its offside-front wheel. The top Red-graded runner Wood had moved up to seventh and was chasing Morgan when the caution flags came out. The Mazda was sat directly behind Hillard at the restart and was briefly usurped by Kevin Gooding for the lead of the Red-graded cars but Gooding's Ginetta was eliminated in a clash with the Tigras of Tompkins and Morgan that left Gooding with the driver's door hanging off. Leader Sibbald once again chose the inside for the two-by-two restart, ahead of Roots and Wright. Smith led those who went to the outside from Hunn and Wood. As Sibbald maintained his lead at the restart with just over half of the race remaining, Roots got up the inside of Smith at the East Bend for second place after the Tigra was rebuffed on the outside of Sibbald. The fourth-placed Hunn hesitated when the pack accelerated and couldn't stop Wright from moving into the top four, despite trying to hang on to the place around the outside. Wood also got ahead of the Tigra three laps later and Hunn picked up a black cross after nerfing the MX5 at the West Bend. Roots reeled in Sibbald within a couple of laps and the pair pulled away from the scrap for third as Smith tried to fend off Wright. The rampant Ginetta wrestled through on the outside of the East Bend on lap 21 and set off after the lead pair. Wright wasn't alone as he brought the leading Red-grade Wood with him, the Mazda having taken Smith on the following lap. The lead Ginetta went defensive as Roots became ever more determined to grab the lead when the charging Wright and Wood arrived on the back of the Lotus with ten laps remaining. Wright followed Sibbald on the inside line as Roots tried to hold on to second place with some demon braking to the outside. Wright's persistence saw him grab second on lap 27 and the Ginetta then moved to the outside line to get his nose in front ending lap 28, before claiming the racing line properly on lap 30 as Sibbald desperately tried to cling onto the top spot. Wood grabbed second place soon after around the outside, with Roots giving Sibbald a tap at the West Bend as the MX5 made its move. Wright held Wood's Mazda at arm's length for the last few laps to triumph in a great final from Wood and Sibbald. Smith fell to seventh as Hunn went on a late charge and passed Roots for fourth three laps from home, having taken Smith on lap 22. Ryan Morgan claimed sixth place after also passing Smith on lap 23 when the chasing pack closed in on the fierce fight for third. Second of the Red grades Perry Cooke came home eighth after passing Round Eight final winner Aaron Dew late in the day, whilst Tompkins crossed the line in tenth but was thrown out for his part in the Gooding incident so Aldridge was classified in the top ten as a result.
Billy Wood extended his English series points lead to 72 points from Perry Cooke after finishing as the top Red-graded car in both heats and the final. Chris Haird sat nine points off Cooke in third leaving Staffordshire, with Hayden Ballard just a single point down on Haird in fourth. Ryan Morgan leapt up two places to fifth in the standings another eight points further back as the missing Robert McDonald dropped to sixth, 107 points away from dropping out of the World Championship qualifying spots.
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2.0 Hot Rods
SMITH SURVIVES TWO-LAP SPRINT TO SNARE MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2.0 Hot Rods joined the Nationals once more at the Staffordshire venue to compete for the Midland Championship title, with both categories having been in action at Aldershot a fortnight previously.
Heat One: Reigning Midlands Champion Ben Murray was drawn on pole position for the opening 20-lap heat with Irish visitor Brendan O’Connell alongside. Alan Thorndyke headed row two from one of the pre-event favourites, Harry Smith. The first group of six cars was completed by a couple of cars from overseas, Northern Irishman Andy Best and Dutchman Martijn Vowinkle. Several leading contenders could be found in the second group, including Jason Secker on the front row with Nathan Houghton and Gavin Botfield on the inside of row two with teenager Charlie Homewood-Burrows. Another teenager, Anthony Weaver, was on the back row of the batch and title hopeful Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson was sat to his outside. Of the other likely players in the final outcome, Phillip Potter was in batch three. European champion Jack Wilks, the rapid Mitchell Souter and Dean O’Dell started from the midst and back of the fourth group. Ben Murray got the jump at the start as fellow front-row man Brendan O'Connell got away slowly and was outdragged by Alan Thorndyke from the second row to the East Bend. Harry Smith also got off the line smartly to threaten the Irishman at the first corner, followed by Northern Irish runner Andy Best. Jason Secker from the second group moved into sixth ahead of Dutch visitor Martijn Vowinkle by the end of lap one and the Dutchman went to the back of the field after being tipped into a spin by Pat Kiely on lap two. Murray began to edge clear as the orange Saxo in second held off a line of five cars. At the West Bend on lap six, Thorndyke slid out a little wide and O'Connell followed in his wheeltracks to allow Smith to slip underneath the pair of them into second place by the exit of the East Bend. Category heavy hitters Gavin Botfield and Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson were running just off the back of the second-place scrap in seventh and eighth. Thorndyke started to drift down the order as O'Connell and Secker made their way through on lap eight, with Botfield and 'Boxer Jack' soon further demoting the Saxo. A lap later, Botfield got inside Secker at the East Bend and the Scot became entangled with the delayed Dutchman Martijn Vowinkle as they were briefly three-abreast so Jackson sped by too just before halfway. Kiely and Phillip Potter also moved ahead of Thorndyke, who was also caught by youngster Charlie Homewood-Burrows. The order settled down at the front during the second half of the heat as Murray still led from Smith and O'Connell. West maintained fourth place but was coming under pressure from the Botfield, Jackson and Secker trio. A last-lap tangle just ahead of race-long leader Murray almost cost the Peugeot victory after lower runners Chris Tullett and Anthony Weaver made contact at the East Bend, the clash forced Tullett's VW sideways and the Polo fishtailed into Mark Dews by the winner's hump on the back straight. Dews' Corsa was clipped by race winner Murray as he passed and Keith Conlon piled in too, whilst fourth-placed Best broke his Saxo's steering against Conlon as he tried to follow Josh Breakspear through a narrowing gap with the outside wall. Richard Norman's rare Suzuki Baleno was also trapped by Dews' stranded car against the barrier. The chaos allowed Murray's closest challenger Smith to finish right on his tail, with O'Connell third from Botfield and Jackson after they each dived to the inside to avoid the melee and 'Boxer Jack' got very sideways in the process. Best dragged his broken Saxo home in seventh behind Secker. Potter, Kiely and Homewood-Burrows completed the top ten finishers.
Heat Two: The line up for Heat Two would be the reverse of the opening heat draw. The damage caused during the last lap drama of Heat One ruled out Keith Conlon from the first batch and Dutchman Gerton Boes’ Opel Adam on the outside pole non-started after breaking down on the installation lap and was pushed into the centre to leave only two up front in the form of Frank Swift and Josh Breakspear. Dean O’Dell and Mitchell Souter made up the front row of the second wave, with Jack Wilks well placed on the second row. Aldershot heat winner Anthony Burgess and Dutch youngster Jorden Vowinkle fronted the third group with Phillip Potter on the third row. The fourth tranche had 2024 points champion Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson and teenager Anthony Weaver on the front row, with ‘superstars’ Gavin Botfield and Jason Secker on the next two rows. The final mini-grid was headed by Martijn Vowinkle and Andy Best. Title threat Harry Smith started beside Alan Thorndyke on the penultimate row, with Brendan O’Connell alongside first-heat winner Ben Murray at the back. Swift beat Breakspear into the East Bend to lead the early laps but a flying Mitchell Souter soon worked his way through the remaining pair of batch one and grabbed the lead on lap four before disappearing up the road. Souter had got away from the squabbling Dean O'Dell, Jack Wilks, Graeme Parrott and Nathan Maidment from the second batch on the opening circulation before dispensing with Breakspear's Nova at the West Bend for the second time and grabbed the lead around the outside three laps later. The fraught tussle behind saw the four of them lapping side-by-side in pairs until they reeled in Breakspear, whereupon O'Dell's Copart Saxo got to the head of the bunch followed by Graeme Parrott. Anthony Burgess had caught the group and was three-wide with Wilks and Maidment out of the East Bend, succeeding in passing the latter. The Aldershot opening heat winner a fortnight previously then followed the current European champion past Breakspear. O'Dell and Parrott soon chased down Swift and the duo moved into the podium places on lap eight, Wilks then dived under the Saxo into the East Bend on lap ten. Burgess slowed to a stand terminally at the West Bend later on the same lap, with the car trailered for the final and opening heat winner Ben Murray also ground to a halt behind him a few laps later. Wilks moved up to the rear of the second and third-placed pairing, with the European champion unseating Parrott at the East Bend for the sixteenth time as they came up to lap young Anthony Weaver. The order remained static in the top four to the finish after Wilks' move so Souter won at a canter from O'Dell, Wilks and Parrott. Breakspear was running in sixth after Burgess' departure but the Nova was hung out dry by Dutchman Jorden Vowinkle, Phillip Potter and 'Boxer Jack' rose from the fourth batch to finish eighth. Jason Secker followed Jackson up from group four to ninth, likewise Gavin Botfield in tenth. Harry Smith came through from the last row but one to eleventh as Breakspear's slide down the order finished with twelfth position. Heat One third-place finisher Brendan O'Connell was an early spinner and his race finished beached in the centre by the start/finish line.
Final: The points scored across the two heats would determine the grid for the Midland Championship final and opening heat runner-up Harry Smith would be sat on the prime inside starting slot, with second heat victor Mitchell Souter lining up alongside. Current silver roof bearer Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson held the inside of row two and the red and yellow chequered roof adorned Peugeot of Jack Wilks would be beside him. The first batch of six cars was completed by Dean O'Dell's Saxo and the determined Jason Secker. The second group were to be led away by Phillip Potter and Graeme Parrott, with defending Midland champion Ben Murray poised on row two. The inside pole starter Harry Smith got away well at the start as Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson sprinted up to take second from outside front row man Mitchell Souter. Jason Secker had also made a good start and got around Jack Wilks at the East Bend but the European title holder fought back at the West Bend to run in an early fourth, after Dean O'Dell had also threatened to pass him at the opening bend. However, rapid Scot Secker took away fourth place again starting lap three when Wilks went to attack Souter on the outside of the West Bend for the second time. Unusually, Jackson couldn’t keep pace with the leading runners and started to slide down the field, with Souter reclaiming second on lap three at the East Bend and Secker followed him past at the West Bend. Wilks gave Jackson a slight nudge a lap later at the West Bend as he moved ahead of the 2024 Hoosier Tire Series champion. ‘Boxer Jack’ was trapped on the outside as Dean O'Dell, Phillip Potter and Brendan O'Connell also lined up to have a go at the Silver roof holder. O'Dell finally managed to make the inside line work on lap ten at the East Bend and within a lap Jackson was behind all three as he got sideways at the West Bend. 'Boxer Jack' fought back ahead of O'Connell a couple of laps later to run in eighth as the race progressed. Smith continued to hold a few lengths lead from Souter and his shadow Secker as the final moved into the closing stages but that all changed when Anthony Weaver and Gerton Boes caused a late Yellow flag. Weaver had been tapped into a spin and the Dutch Opel Adam was trapped on the outside when he was confronted by the prostrate Peugeot on the following lap. The stoppage left a two-lap dash to decide the title, Smith chose to defend his previously dominant lead from the top of the inside line for the restart, whilst Secker had been pushing Souter for second place before the stoppage and lined up behind Smith's similar Peugeot from O’Dell's Citroën. Second-heat winner Souter would try to steal the win from the outside line, with Wilks following suit and Jackson also opted for the outer line in an attempt to regain some of his lost ground after slipping to eighth. Souter momentarily got his nose ahead of the long-time leader at the restart as he drove around the outside of the East Bend but Smith hung on to his lead to claim the Midland Championship in style. Souter went onto the last lap second but fell to fourth behind Secker and Wilks after a twitch allowed Secker to get up the inside at the East Bend and Wilks got through too at the last bend. Jackson came home sixth behind O'Dell as O'Connell just fended off Potter for seventh. The top ten was shored up by Pat Kiely and Andy Best. Ben Murray's defence of the Midland title lasted less than one lap as he pulled into centre after the first corner.
The 2.0 Hot Rods joined the Nationals once more at the Staffordshire venue to compete for the Midland Championship title, with both categories having been in action at Aldershot a fortnight previously.
Heat One: Reigning Midlands Champion Ben Murray was drawn on pole position for the opening 20-lap heat with Irish visitor Brendan O’Connell alongside. Alan Thorndyke headed row two from one of the pre-event favourites, Harry Smith. The first group of six cars was completed by a couple of cars from overseas, Northern Irishman Andy Best and Dutchman Martijn Vowinkle. Several leading contenders could be found in the second group, including Jason Secker on the front row with Nathan Houghton and Gavin Botfield on the inside of row two with teenager Charlie Homewood-Burrows. Another teenager, Anthony Weaver, was on the back row of the batch and title hopeful Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson was sat to his outside. Of the other likely players in the final outcome, Phillip Potter was in batch three. European champion Jack Wilks, the rapid Mitchell Souter and Dean O’Dell started from the midst and back of the fourth group. Ben Murray got the jump at the start as fellow front-row man Brendan O'Connell got away slowly and was outdragged by Alan Thorndyke from the second row to the East Bend. Harry Smith also got off the line smartly to threaten the Irishman at the first corner, followed by Northern Irish runner Andy Best. Jason Secker from the second group moved into sixth ahead of Dutch visitor Martijn Vowinkle by the end of lap one and the Dutchman went to the back of the field after being tipped into a spin by Pat Kiely on lap two. Murray began to edge clear as the orange Saxo in second held off a line of five cars. At the West Bend on lap six, Thorndyke slid out a little wide and O'Connell followed in his wheeltracks to allow Smith to slip underneath the pair of them into second place by the exit of the East Bend. Category heavy hitters Gavin Botfield and Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson were running just off the back of the second-place scrap in seventh and eighth. Thorndyke started to drift down the order as O'Connell and Secker made their way through on lap eight, with Botfield and 'Boxer Jack' soon further demoting the Saxo. A lap later, Botfield got inside Secker at the East Bend and the Scot became entangled with the delayed Dutchman Martijn Vowinkle as they were briefly three-abreast so Jackson sped by too just before halfway. Kiely and Phillip Potter also moved ahead of Thorndyke, who was also caught by youngster Charlie Homewood-Burrows. The order settled down at the front during the second half of the heat as Murray still led from Smith and O'Connell. West maintained fourth place but was coming under pressure from the Botfield, Jackson and Secker trio. A last-lap tangle just ahead of race-long leader Murray almost cost the Peugeot victory after lower runners Chris Tullett and Anthony Weaver made contact at the East Bend, the clash forced Tullett's VW sideways and the Polo fishtailed into Mark Dews by the winner's hump on the back straight. Dews' Corsa was clipped by race winner Murray as he passed and Keith Conlon piled in too, whilst fourth-placed Best broke his Saxo's steering against Conlon as he tried to follow Josh Breakspear through a narrowing gap with the outside wall. Richard Norman's rare Suzuki Baleno was also trapped by Dews' stranded car against the barrier. The chaos allowed Murray's closest challenger Smith to finish right on his tail, with O'Connell third from Botfield and Jackson after they each dived to the inside to avoid the melee and 'Boxer Jack' got very sideways in the process. Best dragged his broken Saxo home in seventh behind Secker. Potter, Kiely and Homewood-Burrows completed the top ten finishers.
Heat Two: The line up for Heat Two would be the reverse of the opening heat draw. The damage caused during the last lap drama of Heat One ruled out Keith Conlon from the first batch and Dutchman Gerton Boes’ Opel Adam on the outside pole non-started after breaking down on the installation lap and was pushed into the centre to leave only two up front in the form of Frank Swift and Josh Breakspear. Dean O’Dell and Mitchell Souter made up the front row of the second wave, with Jack Wilks well placed on the second row. Aldershot heat winner Anthony Burgess and Dutch youngster Jorden Vowinkle fronted the third group with Phillip Potter on the third row. The fourth tranche had 2024 points champion Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson and teenager Anthony Weaver on the front row, with ‘superstars’ Gavin Botfield and Jason Secker on the next two rows. The final mini-grid was headed by Martijn Vowinkle and Andy Best. Title threat Harry Smith started beside Alan Thorndyke on the penultimate row, with Brendan O’Connell alongside first-heat winner Ben Murray at the back. Swift beat Breakspear into the East Bend to lead the early laps but a flying Mitchell Souter soon worked his way through the remaining pair of batch one and grabbed the lead on lap four before disappearing up the road. Souter had got away from the squabbling Dean O'Dell, Jack Wilks, Graeme Parrott and Nathan Maidment from the second batch on the opening circulation before dispensing with Breakspear's Nova at the West Bend for the second time and grabbed the lead around the outside three laps later. The fraught tussle behind saw the four of them lapping side-by-side in pairs until they reeled in Breakspear, whereupon O'Dell's Copart Saxo got to the head of the bunch followed by Graeme Parrott. Anthony Burgess had caught the group and was three-wide with Wilks and Maidment out of the East Bend, succeeding in passing the latter. The Aldershot opening heat winner a fortnight previously then followed the current European champion past Breakspear. O'Dell and Parrott soon chased down Swift and the duo moved into the podium places on lap eight, Wilks then dived under the Saxo into the East Bend on lap ten. Burgess slowed to a stand terminally at the West Bend later on the same lap, with the car trailered for the final and opening heat winner Ben Murray also ground to a halt behind him a few laps later. Wilks moved up to the rear of the second and third-placed pairing, with the European champion unseating Parrott at the East Bend for the sixteenth time as they came up to lap young Anthony Weaver. The order remained static in the top four to the finish after Wilks' move so Souter won at a canter from O'Dell, Wilks and Parrott. Breakspear was running in sixth after Burgess' departure but the Nova was hung out dry by Dutchman Jorden Vowinkle, Phillip Potter and 'Boxer Jack' rose from the fourth batch to finish eighth. Jason Secker followed Jackson up from group four to ninth, likewise Gavin Botfield in tenth. Harry Smith came through from the last row but one to eleventh as Breakspear's slide down the order finished with twelfth position. Heat One third-place finisher Brendan O'Connell was an early spinner and his race finished beached in the centre by the start/finish line.
Final: The points scored across the two heats would determine the grid for the Midland Championship final and opening heat runner-up Harry Smith would be sat on the prime inside starting slot, with second heat victor Mitchell Souter lining up alongside. Current silver roof bearer Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson held the inside of row two and the red and yellow chequered roof adorned Peugeot of Jack Wilks would be beside him. The first batch of six cars was completed by Dean O'Dell's Saxo and the determined Jason Secker. The second group were to be led away by Phillip Potter and Graeme Parrott, with defending Midland champion Ben Murray poised on row two. The inside pole starter Harry Smith got away well at the start as Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson sprinted up to take second from outside front row man Mitchell Souter. Jason Secker had also made a good start and got around Jack Wilks at the East Bend but the European title holder fought back at the West Bend to run in an early fourth, after Dean O'Dell had also threatened to pass him at the opening bend. However, rapid Scot Secker took away fourth place again starting lap three when Wilks went to attack Souter on the outside of the West Bend for the second time. Unusually, Jackson couldn’t keep pace with the leading runners and started to slide down the field, with Souter reclaiming second on lap three at the East Bend and Secker followed him past at the West Bend. Wilks gave Jackson a slight nudge a lap later at the West Bend as he moved ahead of the 2024 Hoosier Tire Series champion. ‘Boxer Jack’ was trapped on the outside as Dean O'Dell, Phillip Potter and Brendan O'Connell also lined up to have a go at the Silver roof holder. O'Dell finally managed to make the inside line work on lap ten at the East Bend and within a lap Jackson was behind all three as he got sideways at the West Bend. 'Boxer Jack' fought back ahead of O'Connell a couple of laps later to run in eighth as the race progressed. Smith continued to hold a few lengths lead from Souter and his shadow Secker as the final moved into the closing stages but that all changed when Anthony Weaver and Gerton Boes caused a late Yellow flag. Weaver had been tapped into a spin and the Dutch Opel Adam was trapped on the outside when he was confronted by the prostrate Peugeot on the following lap. The stoppage left a two-lap dash to decide the title, Smith chose to defend his previously dominant lead from the top of the inside line for the restart, whilst Secker had been pushing Souter for second place before the stoppage and lined up behind Smith's similar Peugeot from O’Dell's Citroën. Second-heat winner Souter would try to steal the win from the outside line, with Wilks following suit and Jackson also opted for the outer line in an attempt to regain some of his lost ground after slipping to eighth. Souter momentarily got his nose ahead of the long-time leader at the restart as he drove around the outside of the East Bend but Smith hung on to his lead to claim the Midland Championship in style. Souter went onto the last lap second but fell to fourth behind Secker and Wilks after a twitch allowed Secker to get up the inside at the East Bend and Wilks got through too at the last bend. Jackson came home sixth behind O'Dell as O'Connell just fended off Potter for seventh. The top ten was shored up by Pat Kiely and Andy Best. Ben Murray's defence of the Midland title lasted less than one lap as he pulled into centre after the first corner.
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The National Hot Rods move on to Ipswich for the next English series qualifier on the 29th of March, with the 2.0 Hot Rods’ Hoosier Tire Series points chase also starting again at the Suffolk oval on the 5th of April.