National Hot Rod National Championship Hednesford 2nd - 4th August 2024
MAGICAL MCDONALD MATCHES BOARDLEY'S BENCHMARK
National Hot Rods
The oldest ‘major’ title in National Hot Rod racing has been contested for more than 60 years at Hednesford Hills Raceway, with the maiden awarding of the title taking place during the venue’s first year of operation in 1963 and the 2024 edition took place on the 10th and 11th of August. A star-studded entry of World, European, National and British title winners gathered at the Midlands oval to stake their claim to be the 60th National champion but there were plenty of other rapid contenders who would be gunning for their first big win. There were seven World Champions in the field, two of them multiple winners, and four-time title holder Robert McDonald was looking to make it three National title wins in a row and his fourth overall to go with his World Championship victory five weeks earlier.
The Ginetta G40 is the growing weapon of choice nowadays in the National Hot Rods, with four-time World champion Robert McDonald leading the charge of the Carl Boardley Motorsport-built machines. Other Ginettas that couldn't be discounted belonged to three-time World champion Chris Haird, 2016 World champion Adam Maxwell, former European champion Jason Kew, as well as the quick English series cars of Hayden Ballard and Aaron Dew, whilst reigning Northern Irish points champion Shane Murray put in a late entry. Five of the increasingly popular Lotus Exige chassis were entered in the hands of the ever-competitive 2013 World champion John Christie, the rapid Irishman Jeff Riordan and Northern Ireland series regular Dave McKay, along with the new cars of Nick Roots and Alistair Lowe. Roots debuted his example at the Ipswich Spedeweekend meeting and recorded a top-ten finish in the World Championship final despite spinning to the rear of the field, whilst Lowe debuted his at the opening English World qualifying round at Aldershot a couple of weeks ago. Two of the all-new Spedeworth Fabrications Mk4 Mazda MX5s were in the field and Billy Wood continued development on chassis #1 but still harboured hopes of taking the title, whilst Barry Limer was also out in the first customer car. A further MX5 rolling chassis was delivered to Gordon Alexander in the paddock during the weekend. The number of the once-dominant Vauxhall Tigras has reduced of late as a number of new cars have come on stream but 2023 World champion Derek Martin, Paul Wright - who was robbed of the chance of taking the 2023 National crown by a late misfire, Perry Cooke and Scotsman Gordon Alexander continued to fly the flag for the Phoenix, along with Jack Blood’s rarer Mk2 version. Terry Hunn was another contender with front-running speed and was now equipped with an ex-Robert McDonald Tigra in place of his previous Fiesta, with Joey Palmer also able to mix it with the fancied names. Five of the low-line AutoXross Fiestas graced the entry, with 2012 World champion Glenn Bell's example arguably the front-runner. Triple European title holder Carl Waller-Barrett hoped his would be the quickest at the venue where he took the Best in Britain title in 2022, whilst Scottish hope Ross McWilliam won the World championship reversed grid race recently and Dutch star Jeffrey Roeffen continued to make his mark on the British ovals. Ivan Grayson could also be a dark horse with a good run through the qualifying heats.
National Hot Rods
The oldest ‘major’ title in National Hot Rod racing has been contested for more than 60 years at Hednesford Hills Raceway, with the maiden awarding of the title taking place during the venue’s first year of operation in 1963 and the 2024 edition took place on the 10th and 11th of August. A star-studded entry of World, European, National and British title winners gathered at the Midlands oval to stake their claim to be the 60th National champion but there were plenty of other rapid contenders who would be gunning for their first big win. There were seven World Champions in the field, two of them multiple winners, and four-time title holder Robert McDonald was looking to make it three National title wins in a row and his fourth overall to go with his World Championship victory five weeks earlier.
The Ginetta G40 is the growing weapon of choice nowadays in the National Hot Rods, with four-time World champion Robert McDonald leading the charge of the Carl Boardley Motorsport-built machines. Other Ginettas that couldn't be discounted belonged to three-time World champion Chris Haird, 2016 World champion Adam Maxwell, former European champion Jason Kew, as well as the quick English series cars of Hayden Ballard and Aaron Dew, whilst reigning Northern Irish points champion Shane Murray put in a late entry. Five of the increasingly popular Lotus Exige chassis were entered in the hands of the ever-competitive 2013 World champion John Christie, the rapid Irishman Jeff Riordan and Northern Ireland series regular Dave McKay, along with the new cars of Nick Roots and Alistair Lowe. Roots debuted his example at the Ipswich Spedeweekend meeting and recorded a top-ten finish in the World Championship final despite spinning to the rear of the field, whilst Lowe debuted his at the opening English World qualifying round at Aldershot a couple of weeks ago. Two of the all-new Spedeworth Fabrications Mk4 Mazda MX5s were in the field and Billy Wood continued development on chassis #1 but still harboured hopes of taking the title, whilst Barry Limer was also out in the first customer car. A further MX5 rolling chassis was delivered to Gordon Alexander in the paddock during the weekend. The number of the once-dominant Vauxhall Tigras has reduced of late as a number of new cars have come on stream but 2023 World champion Derek Martin, Paul Wright - who was robbed of the chance of taking the 2023 National crown by a late misfire, Perry Cooke and Scotsman Gordon Alexander continued to fly the flag for the Phoenix, along with Jack Blood’s rarer Mk2 version. Terry Hunn was another contender with front-running speed and was now equipped with an ex-Robert McDonald Tigra in place of his previous Fiesta, with Joey Palmer also able to mix it with the fancied names. Five of the low-line AutoXross Fiestas graced the entry, with 2012 World champion Glenn Bell's example arguably the front-runner. Triple European title holder Carl Waller-Barrett hoped his would be the quickest at the venue where he took the Best in Britain title in 2022, whilst Scottish hope Ross McWilliam won the World championship reversed grid race recently and Dutch star Jeffrey Roeffen continued to make his mark on the British ovals. Ivan Grayson could also be a dark horse with a good run through the qualifying heats.
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Practice
When the times from the three practice sessions on Friday afternoon were combined, Aaron Dew’s Ginetta was shown as fastest by a slim 0.010 seconds from Scottish contender Ross McWilliam in his Fiesta. Fellow Scot and four-time World champion Robert McDonald was just 0.006 seconds behind McWilliam in third aboard his Ginetta and was narrowly faster than 2013 World champion John Christie’s Lotus, which was a scant 0.001 seconds behind in fourth. Paul Wright was fifth quickest with his Tigra, the only Vauxhall representative inside the top ten, another 0.008 seconds back and Hayden Ballard’s sixth-placed Ginetta was the final car within a tenth of pacesetter Dew in a highly competitive field. Irishman Jeff Riordan took his Lotus around in the seventh fastest time, ahead of 2016 World champion Adam Maxwell’s Ginetta. Two further World title holders rounded out the top ten as 2012 king Glenn Bell was a hundredth faster than his 2018 counterpart Billy Wood in the developing Mazda MX5, with just 0.160 seconds covering all ten competitors. The two other World champions in the field had a steadier day, with three-time crowned Chris Haird 27th in his Ginetta and 2023 winner Derek Martin down in 30th. Ivan Grayson didn’t have a great afternoon after a stuck throttle sent his Fiesta into the wall on just his third lap of practice, an issue that would be something of a recurring theme over the weekend, and three-time European top dog Carl Waller-Barrett had a halfshaft go on his similar car in the third session.
Heats
The field was split into four groups of up to ten cars and would race in three of the four heats on Saturday afternoon. Each group would start once from the front, the middle and the back of the grid for their 25-lap qualifiers.
Glenn Bell leapt into the lead at the start of Heat One for groups A, B and C and was chased throughout by Hayden Ballard but the Ginetta couldn’t quite get close enough to try to unseat the Fiesta. John Christie came through for third place after using the outside line to gain a lot of ground ahead of current World champion Robert McDonald, who had charged up from the third block of starters to head Group C. Karl Baker took fifth with his Ginetta, whilst Jack Blood's Mk2 Tigra led the Group B field over the line in sixth overall. Triple World champion Chris Haird’s meeting got off to a disastrous start after spinning out at the exit of the first corner with a damaged right-rear corner after appearing to receive a push from behind by Christie. Irishman Jeff Riordan vaulted into the lead from the outside of the front row of Heat Two for groups D, A and B, with Shane Murray's Ginetta following the Lotus past poleman Jeffrey Roeffen’s Fiesta into second at the first corner. There was an early stoppage with Alistair Lowe’s Lotus stranded head-on against the barrier out of the East Bend. The new NASCAR-style restart procedure saw its first use in the National Championship as a result, whereby the drivers choose whether to start from the inside or outside line for the two-by-two restart. Riordan, Murray and Jason Kew opted for the inside line as Paul Wright jumped up from third to join Riordan on the front row followed by Gordon Alexander and Nick Roots on the outside to form the top six at the restart. Riordan stayed an arm’s length ahead of Murray and Wright to take the victory, the Ginetta having moved past the Tigra at the restart. Kew was a solo fourth ahead of Roots, Hayden Ballard and John Christie in a tough scrap for fifth, the Ginetta and Lotus leading the charge from Group B. Ballard had a good run on Roots on one occasion but got boxed in behind lapped traffic. The Tigra of Perry Cooke led the Group B pack home and climbed to tenth overall, ahead of Dan Smith in twelfth. Fellow Group B contender Jack Blood was disqualified from the heat for cutting through the central figure of eight to rejoin the race from an early spin. Heat Three of the four qualifying heats for Groups C, D and A was the pick of the bunch. Inside pole starter Adam Maxwell led the field away as Robert McDonald made a mega start from the second row up to leap into second place as Kym Weaver and Billy Wood in the new MX5 fought over third but the race was soon stopped with Carl Waller-Barrett in the West Bend wall after a stuck throttle caused a heavy impact. Leader Maxwell, Weaver and Joey Palmer opted for the inside in the queue, with McDonald, Wood and McWilliam going for the longer route for the restart. Maxwell controlled the heat in the early stages after the restart until the Ginetta was caught by McDonald's similar car and Wood's MX5, who had passed Weaver when he had a bout of oversteer at the end of the restart lap. When McDonald started pressing Maxwell on the outside line, a brilliantly opportunistic move from Wood at the East Bend saw him pass the pair of them to take the lead after the trio ran abreast down the following straight. The top two pulled away together and McDonald passed Wood for victory starting the last lap when the MX5 was boxed in behind a lapped car at the East Bend. Maxwell just took third from McWilliam, who’d caught the lead trio as they fought. Weaver chased the top four home in fifth and Barry Limer took a good sixth in his MX5. Palmer went from attacking Wood at the restart to retirement soon after. The top three from Group D finished line astern in seventh, eighth and ninth as Gordon Alexander bested Jason Kew and Heat One winner Jeff Riordan. John Christie finished at the head of the Group A cars in twelfth overall, as Chris Haird continued his fightback with second in the group and thirteenth overall. The decisive Heat Four formed the last of Saturday’s action and contained Groups B, C and D. Aaron Dew took the lead from the start, whilst Perry Cooke moved up to second on lap two as inside pole starter Ethan Doull fell back. The heat was soon stopped after Ivan Grayson's Fiesta got stuck at the West Bend recovering from a spin. As expected, the lead Ginetta went for the inside option, followed by Cooke and Gordon Alexander, whilst Derek Martin, Dan Smith and Jack Blood looked to make the outside line work. Dew was dominant after the restart as the Ginetta built on its Friday practice promise with a clear win. Martin sat in second for a long period before the 2023 world champion was reeled in by Cooke, Dan Smith and Jack Blood. The group of four became five when a charging Billy Wood from Group C caught them too. and the MX5 quickly dispensed with Smith. Cooke passed Martin for second place with just over two to go, with Blood and Wood doing likewise next time by. Smith made a last corner move to take fifth at the line, with Robert McDonald finishing on the back of Martin in seventh as the Northern Irishman’s Tigra fell to the back of the group and the Scot had done well to hang on to a major slide after a brush with Ross McWilliam’s Fiesta to take second in Group C. It was a Lotus 1-2 in Group D as Jeff Riordan topped the group for the second time from Nick Roots in thirteenth and fifteenth overall, split by Adam Maxwell's Ginetta.
When the times from the three practice sessions on Friday afternoon were combined, Aaron Dew’s Ginetta was shown as fastest by a slim 0.010 seconds from Scottish contender Ross McWilliam in his Fiesta. Fellow Scot and four-time World champion Robert McDonald was just 0.006 seconds behind McWilliam in third aboard his Ginetta and was narrowly faster than 2013 World champion John Christie’s Lotus, which was a scant 0.001 seconds behind in fourth. Paul Wright was fifth quickest with his Tigra, the only Vauxhall representative inside the top ten, another 0.008 seconds back and Hayden Ballard’s sixth-placed Ginetta was the final car within a tenth of pacesetter Dew in a highly competitive field. Irishman Jeff Riordan took his Lotus around in the seventh fastest time, ahead of 2016 World champion Adam Maxwell’s Ginetta. Two further World title holders rounded out the top ten as 2012 king Glenn Bell was a hundredth faster than his 2018 counterpart Billy Wood in the developing Mazda MX5, with just 0.160 seconds covering all ten competitors. The two other World champions in the field had a steadier day, with three-time crowned Chris Haird 27th in his Ginetta and 2023 winner Derek Martin down in 30th. Ivan Grayson didn’t have a great afternoon after a stuck throttle sent his Fiesta into the wall on just his third lap of practice, an issue that would be something of a recurring theme over the weekend, and three-time European top dog Carl Waller-Barrett had a halfshaft go on his similar car in the third session.
Heats
The field was split into four groups of up to ten cars and would race in three of the four heats on Saturday afternoon. Each group would start once from the front, the middle and the back of the grid for their 25-lap qualifiers.
Glenn Bell leapt into the lead at the start of Heat One for groups A, B and C and was chased throughout by Hayden Ballard but the Ginetta couldn’t quite get close enough to try to unseat the Fiesta. John Christie came through for third place after using the outside line to gain a lot of ground ahead of current World champion Robert McDonald, who had charged up from the third block of starters to head Group C. Karl Baker took fifth with his Ginetta, whilst Jack Blood's Mk2 Tigra led the Group B field over the line in sixth overall. Triple World champion Chris Haird’s meeting got off to a disastrous start after spinning out at the exit of the first corner with a damaged right-rear corner after appearing to receive a push from behind by Christie. Irishman Jeff Riordan vaulted into the lead from the outside of the front row of Heat Two for groups D, A and B, with Shane Murray's Ginetta following the Lotus past poleman Jeffrey Roeffen’s Fiesta into second at the first corner. There was an early stoppage with Alistair Lowe’s Lotus stranded head-on against the barrier out of the East Bend. The new NASCAR-style restart procedure saw its first use in the National Championship as a result, whereby the drivers choose whether to start from the inside or outside line for the two-by-two restart. Riordan, Murray and Jason Kew opted for the inside line as Paul Wright jumped up from third to join Riordan on the front row followed by Gordon Alexander and Nick Roots on the outside to form the top six at the restart. Riordan stayed an arm’s length ahead of Murray and Wright to take the victory, the Ginetta having moved past the Tigra at the restart. Kew was a solo fourth ahead of Roots, Hayden Ballard and John Christie in a tough scrap for fifth, the Ginetta and Lotus leading the charge from Group B. Ballard had a good run on Roots on one occasion but got boxed in behind lapped traffic. The Tigra of Perry Cooke led the Group B pack home and climbed to tenth overall, ahead of Dan Smith in twelfth. Fellow Group B contender Jack Blood was disqualified from the heat for cutting through the central figure of eight to rejoin the race from an early spin. Heat Three of the four qualifying heats for Groups C, D and A was the pick of the bunch. Inside pole starter Adam Maxwell led the field away as Robert McDonald made a mega start from the second row up to leap into second place as Kym Weaver and Billy Wood in the new MX5 fought over third but the race was soon stopped with Carl Waller-Barrett in the West Bend wall after a stuck throttle caused a heavy impact. Leader Maxwell, Weaver and Joey Palmer opted for the inside in the queue, with McDonald, Wood and McWilliam going for the longer route for the restart. Maxwell controlled the heat in the early stages after the restart until the Ginetta was caught by McDonald's similar car and Wood's MX5, who had passed Weaver when he had a bout of oversteer at the end of the restart lap. When McDonald started pressing Maxwell on the outside line, a brilliantly opportunistic move from Wood at the East Bend saw him pass the pair of them to take the lead after the trio ran abreast down the following straight. The top two pulled away together and McDonald passed Wood for victory starting the last lap when the MX5 was boxed in behind a lapped car at the East Bend. Maxwell just took third from McWilliam, who’d caught the lead trio as they fought. Weaver chased the top four home in fifth and Barry Limer took a good sixth in his MX5. Palmer went from attacking Wood at the restart to retirement soon after. The top three from Group D finished line astern in seventh, eighth and ninth as Gordon Alexander bested Jason Kew and Heat One winner Jeff Riordan. John Christie finished at the head of the Group A cars in twelfth overall, as Chris Haird continued his fightback with second in the group and thirteenth overall. The decisive Heat Four formed the last of Saturday’s action and contained Groups B, C and D. Aaron Dew took the lead from the start, whilst Perry Cooke moved up to second on lap two as inside pole starter Ethan Doull fell back. The heat was soon stopped after Ivan Grayson's Fiesta got stuck at the West Bend recovering from a spin. As expected, the lead Ginetta went for the inside option, followed by Cooke and Gordon Alexander, whilst Derek Martin, Dan Smith and Jack Blood looked to make the outside line work. Dew was dominant after the restart as the Ginetta built on its Friday practice promise with a clear win. Martin sat in second for a long period before the 2023 world champion was reeled in by Cooke, Dan Smith and Jack Blood. The group of four became five when a charging Billy Wood from Group C caught them too. and the MX5 quickly dispensed with Smith. Cooke passed Martin for second place with just over two to go, with Blood and Wood doing likewise next time by. Smith made a last corner move to take fifth at the line, with Robert McDonald finishing on the back of Martin in seventh as the Northern Irishman’s Tigra fell to the back of the group and the Scot had done well to hang on to a major slide after a brush with Ross McWilliam’s Fiesta to take second in Group C. It was a Lotus 1-2 in Group D as Jeff Riordan topped the group for the second time from Nick Roots in thirteenth and fifteenth overall, split by Adam Maxwell's Ginetta.
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National Championship Final
The feature National Championship Final would be of 75 laps duration and all of the entered cars were allowed to take the start, minus Carl Waller-Barrett's Fiesta as the damage proved too great from its heavy impact with the wall on Saturday. The race would start in the coolest conditions of the weekend under overcast skies and the starting grid was headed by form-man Robert McDonald's Ginetta. 2018 World champion Billy Wood built on the promise of his new Mazda MX5 to line up on the outside of the front row. The second row was headed by Perry Cooke's Vauxhall Tigra from John Christie's Lotus Exige, with the second Lotus of Jeff Riordan on the inside of the third row joined by Hayden Ballard's Ginetta on the outside. Four further Ginettas made up the top ten starters, with Jason Kew and Dan Smith going from row four and headed Heat Three victor Aaron Dew and Shane Murray on the fifth row. Thirty six cars would take the green flag after Alistair Lowe and Brett Collison pulled off during the formation laps and the front row pair of McDonald and Wood battled it out for the lead around the opening lap before the polesitting Ginetta settled into the lead, with Perry Cooke looking to attack Wood for second before a halt was called on lap three for Barry Limer and Chris Haird in the East Bend wall, the MX5 innocent as another stuck throttle sent Haird's Ginetta cannoning into the Japanese machine. McDonald unsurprisingly went to the inside for the restart, whilst Dan Smith took the gamble to go to the front of the outside queue from eighth. Wood and Cooke lined up behind the leader, whilst Christie - whom Smith jumped past as the Lotus was about to pull out, and Dew made up the top six. Smith got his nose briefly ahead at the resumption but McDonald claimed the lead at the East Bend before the second stoppage followed a lap later after Ethan Doull, Dean McCrory, Dave McKay and Neil Robertson collided at the West Bend, with Ivan Grayson and James Mooney also pulling out. The top five went with the same idea for the restart as the previous stoppage but Dew had been replaced in the first six cars by Jack Blood's Mk2 Tigra. Smith again tried to unsuccessfully hang on around the outside of McDonald when racing got underway again, whilst Wood was beaten up at the first corner at the restart after a tap from Cooke pitched him sideways. The Tigra went through and the concertina effect saw Ballard turned into the wall across the front of Blood and Christie on the back straight, the Ginetta rejoined but retired a lap later. A four-car West Bend pile-up involving Nick Roots, Joey Palmer, Kym Weaver and Nigel McAuley forced another stoppage after six laps of green flag racing, whilst Jeffrey Roeffen's Fiesta was also parked against the West Bend wall with a broken wheel and 2023 National Championship runner-up Paul Wright wouldn't repeat last year's heroics after the Tigra pulled off before the stoppage. Derek Martin moved up to join Wood on the outside of the third row of the restart queue behind McDonald and Cooke on the inside, with Smith and Christie on the outside once more. McDonald pulled away from Smith, who fended off an attack from Cooke at the restart to stay second from the Tigra and Wood. Blood passed Martin for sixth within five laps of the restart and set about catching Wood's MX5, whilst Kew broke clear of the Ross McWilliam and Terry Hunn tussle to arrive at the back of the Riordan, Glenn Bell, Dew, Shane Murray and Adam Maxwell train behind Martin before the fourth and final stoppage came along after an attritional opening half of the final. The Lotus of Christie crashed out of fourth place after a little over a dozen laps had passed with another stuck throttle, which resulted in a hard whack into the West Bend wall for the unfortunate Northern Irishman to bring about the pause in proceedings. With McDonald again clinging to the inside line for the restart, Wood headed to the outside to regain the spot where the MX5 started. Smith followed the leading Ginetta to the inside for the first time and was joined by Blood to his outside, with Cooke and Riordan lining up as the third pair. There was finally a long period of green flag running to the finish and McDonald pulled ever further ahead to win the 60th National final by half a lap and lapped up to seventh place, the victor is now tied with Carl Boardley on four World and National Championship triumphs each and the success was McDonald's third in a row. The Scot avoided the possible tension of a late restart after Terry Hunn and Gordon Alexander clashed for the second time at the West Bend, Hunn having spun at the first corner of the last restart after getting help from Alexander, with David Brooks' Ginetta already in the East Bend wall from a little earlier. Wood couldn’t keep pace with the flying McDonald but the new Mazda MX5 showed great potential in just its fifth meeting as it pulled away from the rest in a solitary second place. Smith held off Blood and then Cooke for a long time after the Tigras swapped places soon after the restart, with Cooke trying the outside line of the last corner to steal a podium finish but the orange Ginetta held on for third. Cooke was later docked two places for the earlier contact with Wood so was reclassified sixth. Blood was promoted to fourth from Dew's Ginetta and Kew's similar car was the last unlapped finisher in seventh on-the-road after battling past Maxwell and Murray soon after the restart, with each demoting Martin before the Tigra's exit but Kew was docked two places for nerfing Murray aside earlier to gift Maxwell and Murray seventh and eighth place. Murray fell back into battle with McWilliam and Alexander but the Scottish Fiesta was also docked two positions post-race so was placed eleventh behind Ryan Morgan. Sixth-in-line Riordan spun at the end of the last restart lap before retiring to the centre of the oval to join the expanding retirements list as just eleven cars survived to take the flag of a bruising final.
The feature National Championship Final would be of 75 laps duration and all of the entered cars were allowed to take the start, minus Carl Waller-Barrett's Fiesta as the damage proved too great from its heavy impact with the wall on Saturday. The race would start in the coolest conditions of the weekend under overcast skies and the starting grid was headed by form-man Robert McDonald's Ginetta. 2018 World champion Billy Wood built on the promise of his new Mazda MX5 to line up on the outside of the front row. The second row was headed by Perry Cooke's Vauxhall Tigra from John Christie's Lotus Exige, with the second Lotus of Jeff Riordan on the inside of the third row joined by Hayden Ballard's Ginetta on the outside. Four further Ginettas made up the top ten starters, with Jason Kew and Dan Smith going from row four and headed Heat Three victor Aaron Dew and Shane Murray on the fifth row. Thirty six cars would take the green flag after Alistair Lowe and Brett Collison pulled off during the formation laps and the front row pair of McDonald and Wood battled it out for the lead around the opening lap before the polesitting Ginetta settled into the lead, with Perry Cooke looking to attack Wood for second before a halt was called on lap three for Barry Limer and Chris Haird in the East Bend wall, the MX5 innocent as another stuck throttle sent Haird's Ginetta cannoning into the Japanese machine. McDonald unsurprisingly went to the inside for the restart, whilst Dan Smith took the gamble to go to the front of the outside queue from eighth. Wood and Cooke lined up behind the leader, whilst Christie - whom Smith jumped past as the Lotus was about to pull out, and Dew made up the top six. Smith got his nose briefly ahead at the resumption but McDonald claimed the lead at the East Bend before the second stoppage followed a lap later after Ethan Doull, Dean McCrory, Dave McKay and Neil Robertson collided at the West Bend, with Ivan Grayson and James Mooney also pulling out. The top five went with the same idea for the restart as the previous stoppage but Dew had been replaced in the first six cars by Jack Blood's Mk2 Tigra. Smith again tried to unsuccessfully hang on around the outside of McDonald when racing got underway again, whilst Wood was beaten up at the first corner at the restart after a tap from Cooke pitched him sideways. The Tigra went through and the concertina effect saw Ballard turned into the wall across the front of Blood and Christie on the back straight, the Ginetta rejoined but retired a lap later. A four-car West Bend pile-up involving Nick Roots, Joey Palmer, Kym Weaver and Nigel McAuley forced another stoppage after six laps of green flag racing, whilst Jeffrey Roeffen's Fiesta was also parked against the West Bend wall with a broken wheel and 2023 National Championship runner-up Paul Wright wouldn't repeat last year's heroics after the Tigra pulled off before the stoppage. Derek Martin moved up to join Wood on the outside of the third row of the restart queue behind McDonald and Cooke on the inside, with Smith and Christie on the outside once more. McDonald pulled away from Smith, who fended off an attack from Cooke at the restart to stay second from the Tigra and Wood. Blood passed Martin for sixth within five laps of the restart and set about catching Wood's MX5, whilst Kew broke clear of the Ross McWilliam and Terry Hunn tussle to arrive at the back of the Riordan, Glenn Bell, Dew, Shane Murray and Adam Maxwell train behind Martin before the fourth and final stoppage came along after an attritional opening half of the final. The Lotus of Christie crashed out of fourth place after a little over a dozen laps had passed with another stuck throttle, which resulted in a hard whack into the West Bend wall for the unfortunate Northern Irishman to bring about the pause in proceedings. With McDonald again clinging to the inside line for the restart, Wood headed to the outside to regain the spot where the MX5 started. Smith followed the leading Ginetta to the inside for the first time and was joined by Blood to his outside, with Cooke and Riordan lining up as the third pair. There was finally a long period of green flag running to the finish and McDonald pulled ever further ahead to win the 60th National final by half a lap and lapped up to seventh place, the victor is now tied with Carl Boardley on four World and National Championship triumphs each and the success was McDonald's third in a row. The Scot avoided the possible tension of a late restart after Terry Hunn and Gordon Alexander clashed for the second time at the West Bend, Hunn having spun at the first corner of the last restart after getting help from Alexander, with David Brooks' Ginetta already in the East Bend wall from a little earlier. Wood couldn’t keep pace with the flying McDonald but the new Mazda MX5 showed great potential in just its fifth meeting as it pulled away from the rest in a solitary second place. Smith held off Blood and then Cooke for a long time after the Tigras swapped places soon after the restart, with Cooke trying the outside line of the last corner to steal a podium finish but the orange Ginetta held on for third. Cooke was later docked two places for the earlier contact with Wood so was reclassified sixth. Blood was promoted to fourth from Dew's Ginetta and Kew's similar car was the last unlapped finisher in seventh on-the-road after battling past Maxwell and Murray soon after the restart, with each demoting Martin before the Tigra's exit but Kew was docked two places for nerfing Murray aside earlier to gift Maxwell and Murray seventh and eighth place. Murray fell back into battle with McWilliam and Alexander but the Scottish Fiesta was also docked two positions post-race so was placed eleventh behind Ryan Morgan. Sixth-in-line Riordan spun at the end of the last restart lap before retiring to the centre of the oval to join the expanding retirements list as just eleven cars survived to take the flag of a bruising final.
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NHRPA Championship
The grid for the last action of the National Hot Rods' weekend was randomly drawn out of a hat for the 35-lap race and a depleted field of eighteen cars formed up to start. Dean McCrory was drawn on the inside pole but elected to start from the back so Perry Cooke led the field away but was immediately put under pressure by Robert McDonald. The Scot's first attempts drew a stern defence from Cooke and allowed Ross McWilliam to catch them but the battle calmed for a short while until the World champion turned the screw inside the last dozen laps. The Ginetta went to the outside line and finally made a move stick into the East Bend with five laps to go and claimed another title to go with the National crown that he took earlier. McWilliam held onto third place until the East Bend for the penultimate time when Hayden Ballard got under him, the Ginetta rising from a lowly grid position. The Fiesta then lost out to Billy Wood at the last bend to be fifth with a collapsing rear wing. Joey Palmer led the chase of McWilliam but faded to sixth as Ballard and Wood came through from fifteenth and seventeenth on the grid respectively.
The grid for the last action of the National Hot Rods' weekend was randomly drawn out of a hat for the 35-lap race and a depleted field of eighteen cars formed up to start. Dean McCrory was drawn on the inside pole but elected to start from the back so Perry Cooke led the field away but was immediately put under pressure by Robert McDonald. The Scot's first attempts drew a stern defence from Cooke and allowed Ross McWilliam to catch them but the battle calmed for a short while until the World champion turned the screw inside the last dozen laps. The Ginetta went to the outside line and finally made a move stick into the East Bend with five laps to go and claimed another title to go with the National crown that he took earlier. McWilliam held onto third place until the East Bend for the penultimate time when Hayden Ballard got under him, the Ginetta rising from a lowly grid position. The Fiesta then lost out to Billy Wood at the last bend to be fifth with a collapsing rear wing. Joey Palmer led the chase of McWilliam but faded to sixth as Ballard and Wood came through from fifteenth and seventeenth on the grid respectively.
2.0 Hot Rods
The 2.0 Hot Rods joined the National Championship bill for the first time at Hednedford. The most recent edition took place at Ter Apel in the Netherlands and was won by Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson from two locals in the form of Sander van der Heijden and Marius Burt, with all three back in action at the Cannock Chase venue. The top three from the World Championship final a fortnight previously were all present too as the victorious Adam Heatrick put in a late entry to join runner-up Drew McKeown, the current British champion, and third-placed Jason Secker. The other world champion in the entry was Heatrick’s predecessor Jordan Rochford, who had taken the two prior World titles in 2022 and 2023. Gavin Botfield has won the National title twice before and had recently returned from a lengthy ban along with English points champion Jackson after a particularly physical final between the pair at Aldershot in March 2024. European champion Ben Murray, 2023 Irish champion Conor Hughes and 2023 British champion Wayne Woolsey, the son of National Hot Rod legend Norman, would also have to be considered among the favourites. Irishman Ian Riordan, former Lightning Rod racer Frankie Cunningham, the rapid Jack Wilks, the aggressive Harry Smith and Aldershot Hoosier Tires series final winner Jordan Morgan are all names yet to claim one of the big prizes but could have a shot at changing that this year. The numerically dominant Peugeot 106 made up the majority of the field but Lee Munday’s new-for-2024 Citroen DS3, Alan Thorndyke and Dean O’Dell’s Citroën Saxos, the aforementioned van der Heijden and Mike Daniel's Corsa Cs, Phillip Potter and Ryan Allgood's older Corsa Bs and Lee Pepper's Peugeot 206 CC provided some variety of shapes.
Heats
Alan Thorndyke got the drop to lead the early stages of Heat One before the Saxo was caught and passed by Jason Secker. Drew McKeown also got by Thorndyke and put pressure on Secker towards the finish, who just held on for the victory. Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson came through for third. Ben Murray was an early retirement and Jordan Rochford struggled before stopping to get his event off to a bad start. Brendan O'Connell took an early lead of Heat Two, whilst Jordan Rochford was soon up to second from fourth on the grid ahead of Scott Morgan. Rochford was in hot pursuit of O'Connell when the race was stopped for multiple stranded cars after Colm O'Sullivan was turned hard into the West Bend wall on lap one, with Jack Wilks parked at the same bend. Alan Gibson, Sander Van Der Heijden and Rik van der Linden were also littering the oval and 'Boxer Jack' had pulled off too. There was a concertina at the first corner of the restart as Harry Smith pushed Rochford into O'Connell but all stayed in the same order, with Rochford's offside-rear bodywork now rubbing on the tyre as a consequence. The battle at the front intensified when Smith lunged up the inside of the double World champion for second place at the East Bend but Rochford stayed on the outside to take the lead from O'Connell, who quickly fell to seventh place. As the heat moved into its later stages, a closing Chevy Mills tagged Smith on the inside of the East Bend and turned both around, O'Connell had nowhere to go and hit the back of Mills as he slowed, Scott Morgan then piled in also to force a stoppage with three laps to run. Rochford charged clear at the restart to win as Daniel Bennett fended off Drew McKeown for second. Jorden Vowinkel and Frankie Cunningham spent the opening lap of Heat Three side-by-side before the Dutchman established himself in the lead despite a lock-up into the East Bend for the second time but Cunningham couldn’t take advantage. In their wake, Alan Gibson spun on his own oil at the West Bend, with Pat Kiely, Phillip Potter and Jack Wilks tangling in the aftermath to bring about a stoppage. Jordan Morgan thumped into the back of Lee Pepper's Peugeot 206 CC as the pack slowed but both continued, the Midhurst Engineering 106 with a severely bent nose. Vowinkel pulled away after the restart from the closely-tied Cunningham, Ian Riordan and Keith Brown. Pepper finally passed a stubborn Sander Van Der Heijden for fifth shortly before a second stoppage on lap nine with Mark Dews stranded at the West Bend. Vowinkel went away again at the restart as Riordan knocked Cunningham sideways at the East Bend and got by with Brown following the Irishman through. Smith, Pepper and Morgan went three-wide at the front of a large pack contesting fifth prior to the race being stopped again with three laps to go, as Mike Daniels' Corsa C was stranded on the start line. Riordan was all over Vowinkel from the restart and took to the outside line to pip the Dutchman by a nose but the Irishman was docked for his earlier Cunningham contact so Vowinkel won from Brown in second, with Riordan knocked back to third.
The 2.0 Hot Rods joined the National Championship bill for the first time at Hednedford. The most recent edition took place at Ter Apel in the Netherlands and was won by Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson from two locals in the form of Sander van der Heijden and Marius Burt, with all three back in action at the Cannock Chase venue. The top three from the World Championship final a fortnight previously were all present too as the victorious Adam Heatrick put in a late entry to join runner-up Drew McKeown, the current British champion, and third-placed Jason Secker. The other world champion in the entry was Heatrick’s predecessor Jordan Rochford, who had taken the two prior World titles in 2022 and 2023. Gavin Botfield has won the National title twice before and had recently returned from a lengthy ban along with English points champion Jackson after a particularly physical final between the pair at Aldershot in March 2024. European champion Ben Murray, 2023 Irish champion Conor Hughes and 2023 British champion Wayne Woolsey, the son of National Hot Rod legend Norman, would also have to be considered among the favourites. Irishman Ian Riordan, former Lightning Rod racer Frankie Cunningham, the rapid Jack Wilks, the aggressive Harry Smith and Aldershot Hoosier Tires series final winner Jordan Morgan are all names yet to claim one of the big prizes but could have a shot at changing that this year. The numerically dominant Peugeot 106 made up the majority of the field but Lee Munday’s new-for-2024 Citroen DS3, Alan Thorndyke and Dean O’Dell’s Citroën Saxos, the aforementioned van der Heijden and Mike Daniel's Corsa Cs, Phillip Potter and Ryan Allgood's older Corsa Bs and Lee Pepper's Peugeot 206 CC provided some variety of shapes.
Heats
Alan Thorndyke got the drop to lead the early stages of Heat One before the Saxo was caught and passed by Jason Secker. Drew McKeown also got by Thorndyke and put pressure on Secker towards the finish, who just held on for the victory. Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson came through for third. Ben Murray was an early retirement and Jordan Rochford struggled before stopping to get his event off to a bad start. Brendan O'Connell took an early lead of Heat Two, whilst Jordan Rochford was soon up to second from fourth on the grid ahead of Scott Morgan. Rochford was in hot pursuit of O'Connell when the race was stopped for multiple stranded cars after Colm O'Sullivan was turned hard into the West Bend wall on lap one, with Jack Wilks parked at the same bend. Alan Gibson, Sander Van Der Heijden and Rik van der Linden were also littering the oval and 'Boxer Jack' had pulled off too. There was a concertina at the first corner of the restart as Harry Smith pushed Rochford into O'Connell but all stayed in the same order, with Rochford's offside-rear bodywork now rubbing on the tyre as a consequence. The battle at the front intensified when Smith lunged up the inside of the double World champion for second place at the East Bend but Rochford stayed on the outside to take the lead from O'Connell, who quickly fell to seventh place. As the heat moved into its later stages, a closing Chevy Mills tagged Smith on the inside of the East Bend and turned both around, O'Connell had nowhere to go and hit the back of Mills as he slowed, Scott Morgan then piled in also to force a stoppage with three laps to run. Rochford charged clear at the restart to win as Daniel Bennett fended off Drew McKeown for second. Jorden Vowinkel and Frankie Cunningham spent the opening lap of Heat Three side-by-side before the Dutchman established himself in the lead despite a lock-up into the East Bend for the second time but Cunningham couldn’t take advantage. In their wake, Alan Gibson spun on his own oil at the West Bend, with Pat Kiely, Phillip Potter and Jack Wilks tangling in the aftermath to bring about a stoppage. Jordan Morgan thumped into the back of Lee Pepper's Peugeot 206 CC as the pack slowed but both continued, the Midhurst Engineering 106 with a severely bent nose. Vowinkel pulled away after the restart from the closely-tied Cunningham, Ian Riordan and Keith Brown. Pepper finally passed a stubborn Sander Van Der Heijden for fifth shortly before a second stoppage on lap nine with Mark Dews stranded at the West Bend. Vowinkel went away again at the restart as Riordan knocked Cunningham sideways at the East Bend and got by with Brown following the Irishman through. Smith, Pepper and Morgan went three-wide at the front of a large pack contesting fifth prior to the race being stopped again with three laps to go, as Mike Daniels' Corsa C was stranded on the start line. Riordan was all over Vowinkel from the restart and took to the outside line to pip the Dutchman by a nose but the Irishman was docked for his earlier Cunningham contact so Vowinkel won from Brown in second, with Riordan knocked back to third.
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National Championship Final
Forty laps lay between the 2.0 Hot Rod field and the crown of National champion, with British champion Drew McKeown starting from the prime spot at the head of the field. Rapid Scot Jason Secker joined the Northern Irishman on the front row, whilst the recently crowned World champion Adam Heatrick went from the inside of the second row alongside 2015 and 2018 National champion Gavin Botfield. Ian Riordan lined up on the third row with Conor Hughes starting beside him in sixth. Double World champion Jordan Rochford would take the start on row four and had Daniel Bennett for company. Keith Brown and Jordan Morgan completed the top ten starters, ahead of leading Dutchmen Marius Bert and Jorden Vowinkel on the sixth row. McKeown led from pole position into the first corner but a great opening lap from the World champion Heatrick saw him into the lead at the West Bend after the poleman went slightly wide and the Northern Irishman wouldn’t be headed thereafter to take his maiden National title. Riordan passed Secker for third place on lap one before climbing up to second at the East Bend for the second time and gave valiant chase throughout but would have to be content with being the runner-up at his last race weekend in the 2.0 cars before joining his brother Jeff in National Hot Rods. Gavin Botfield had Jordan Rochford crawling all over him for lap after lap before the two-time World champion eventually broke through with fifteen laps to go and chased down Riordan but ran out of time to make a proper attempt for second place. Secker also had a real go at deposing McKeown and tried both the outside and inside lines before a touch sent Secker spinning going on to lap six at a cost of only five places. In the aftermath, Botfield and Rochford went under McKeown at the East Bend before Conor Hughes passed both Keith Brown and the poleman in one go on the back straight. A rejuvenated McKeown later chased down the 2023 Irish champion and passed him into fourth place on lap 21. Once Rochford got through, Botfield started to slide down the order and fell behind both McKeown and Hughes on lap 28 before the Hampshireman retired at the West Bend on lap 30. McKeown and Hughes finished close together in fourth and fifth but both were subsequently disqualified so Harry Smith and Jason Secker slid into the top five on the result sheet. Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson was classified sixth from Jordan Morgan, Dean O'Dell and Marius Bert, whilst Jack Wilks rose superbly from his lowly grid position of 33rd to finish inside the top ten after surviving an early two-wheeled moment when he tangled with Colm O'Sullivan coming off the West Bend.
Forty laps lay between the 2.0 Hot Rod field and the crown of National champion, with British champion Drew McKeown starting from the prime spot at the head of the field. Rapid Scot Jason Secker joined the Northern Irishman on the front row, whilst the recently crowned World champion Adam Heatrick went from the inside of the second row alongside 2015 and 2018 National champion Gavin Botfield. Ian Riordan lined up on the third row with Conor Hughes starting beside him in sixth. Double World champion Jordan Rochford would take the start on row four and had Daniel Bennett for company. Keith Brown and Jordan Morgan completed the top ten starters, ahead of leading Dutchmen Marius Bert and Jorden Vowinkel on the sixth row. McKeown led from pole position into the first corner but a great opening lap from the World champion Heatrick saw him into the lead at the West Bend after the poleman went slightly wide and the Northern Irishman wouldn’t be headed thereafter to take his maiden National title. Riordan passed Secker for third place on lap one before climbing up to second at the East Bend for the second time and gave valiant chase throughout but would have to be content with being the runner-up at his last race weekend in the 2.0 cars before joining his brother Jeff in National Hot Rods. Gavin Botfield had Jordan Rochford crawling all over him for lap after lap before the two-time World champion eventually broke through with fifteen laps to go and chased down Riordan but ran out of time to make a proper attempt for second place. Secker also had a real go at deposing McKeown and tried both the outside and inside lines before a touch sent Secker spinning going on to lap six at a cost of only five places. In the aftermath, Botfield and Rochford went under McKeown at the East Bend before Conor Hughes passed both Keith Brown and the poleman in one go on the back straight. A rejuvenated McKeown later chased down the 2023 Irish champion and passed him into fourth place on lap 21. Once Rochford got through, Botfield started to slide down the order and fell behind both McKeown and Hughes on lap 28 before the Hampshireman retired at the West Bend on lap 30. McKeown and Hughes finished close together in fourth and fifth but both were subsequently disqualified so Harry Smith and Jason Secker slid into the top five on the result sheet. Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson was classified sixth from Jordan Morgan, Dean O'Dell and Marius Bert, whilst Jack Wilks rose superbly from his lowly grid position of 33rd to finish inside the top ten after surviving an early two-wheeled moment when he tangled with Colm O'Sullivan coming off the West Bend.
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Grand National
Mike Daniels led the Grand National race early on from pole position but was soon passed by Anthony Burgess, who went on to build a reasonable lead as the second wave dealt with Daniels' Corsa. Dean O’Dell, Phillip Potter and Ryan Allgood all reeled in Burgess and contact on the back straight gifted O'Dell a big lead and removed Potter and Allgood from contention. The Saxo took the flag comfortably after the 25 laps but Jack Wilks came from gridding eleventh to steal second on the final lap to head home a huge pack. Burgess crossed the line in third place with his recently-acquired 106 but was docked two spots, thus promoting Daniel Bennett and Lee Pepper into the top four. Harry Smith, Gavin Botfield and Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson were each demoted from their respective on-the-road positions to be reclassified sixth, seventh and tenth. The first three cars over the line in the National final started with almost a lap's disadvantage and Ian Riordan initially led the trio at the back before Adam Heatrick went ahead. Jordan Rochford worked his way to the front of the group before the former pair exited and just failed to pip Jason Secker on the line to take away eighth.
Mike Daniels led the Grand National race early on from pole position but was soon passed by Anthony Burgess, who went on to build a reasonable lead as the second wave dealt with Daniels' Corsa. Dean O’Dell, Phillip Potter and Ryan Allgood all reeled in Burgess and contact on the back straight gifted O'Dell a big lead and removed Potter and Allgood from contention. The Saxo took the flag comfortably after the 25 laps but Jack Wilks came from gridding eleventh to steal second on the final lap to head home a huge pack. Burgess crossed the line in third place with his recently-acquired 106 but was docked two spots, thus promoting Daniel Bennett and Lee Pepper into the top four. Harry Smith, Gavin Botfield and Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson were each demoted from their respective on-the-road positions to be reclassified sixth, seventh and tenth. The first three cars over the line in the National final started with almost a lap's disadvantage and Ian Riordan initially led the trio at the back before Adam Heatrick went ahead. Jordan Rochford worked his way to the front of the group before the former pair exited and just failed to pip Jason Secker on the line to take away eighth.
Superstox World Championship Final
The Saturday of the weekend also saw the title of 63rd Superstox Champion of the World fought for over 30 laps by the full-contact machines, the title up for grabs since 1961 and was contested at Hednesford for the first time in its long history. The top six starters were headed by Dean Johnston and Steve Haugh on the front row. Current Spedeworth National points champion Chris Bradbury started from the inside of row two as he looked for his second world crown and was joined by 2018 World champion Lee Davison. Billy McKenzie would go from the fifth spot ahead of Michael Green, the 2019 World champion. Bradbury immediately jumped up to second at the first corner behind initial leader Johnston and then moved into the lead on lap two, with sixth starter Green going after the leader. Front row starter Haugh sat in third before the first stoppage at half distance with Bradley Brooker shoved hard into the East Bend wall and was followed in by Tommy Aylward, who was disqualified for his part in the incident. The final was stopped again soon after it restarted for Brett Westbroom's mount alight in the centre of the oval, with Bradbury still containing the threat from Green out front as Randall Lynn moved up to third. Ten laps remained at the resumption and Green pushed into the lead at the first opportunity, while further fighting for Bradbury allowed Green to quickly stretch his advantage after Lynn and Haugh passed the former leader as he gathered speed. However, Bradbury nipped back under the pair to quickly regain second at the East Bend with a nudge to the rear of Haugh. The same top three headed into the last three laps with Green looking safe in front from Bradbury and Lynn was somehow still in third but the race was stopped for Haugh stranded in the middle of the East Bend after being pushed into the wall by Lee Davison to set up a dramatic two-lap finale. Bradbury went to exact revenge at the first corner of the restart but went into the wall himself and was removed from contention. Green, Lynn, Eric Walker and Martyn Coles fought it out for the lead into the next bend, with Walker emerging with second onto the last lap behind Green after recovering magnificently from an opening lap spin at the East Bend. Leader Green was pushed wide into the West Bend after Lynn got into the back of Walker and Jordan Robinson came through on the inside of all of them from out of nowhere to hit the top spot accompanied by roars from the crowd. Robinson survived any ‘last bender’ attempt to dramatically take the World Championship crown after a stunning last couple of laps ahead of Green. Lynn was second into the last corner but got knocked sideways by Green and came off the bend four-wide with Coles, Harry Sturt and Walker, who won the race to the line from Lynn, Sturt and Coles.
The Saturday of the weekend also saw the title of 63rd Superstox Champion of the World fought for over 30 laps by the full-contact machines, the title up for grabs since 1961 and was contested at Hednesford for the first time in its long history. The top six starters were headed by Dean Johnston and Steve Haugh on the front row. Current Spedeworth National points champion Chris Bradbury started from the inside of row two as he looked for his second world crown and was joined by 2018 World champion Lee Davison. Billy McKenzie would go from the fifth spot ahead of Michael Green, the 2019 World champion. Bradbury immediately jumped up to second at the first corner behind initial leader Johnston and then moved into the lead on lap two, with sixth starter Green going after the leader. Front row starter Haugh sat in third before the first stoppage at half distance with Bradley Brooker shoved hard into the East Bend wall and was followed in by Tommy Aylward, who was disqualified for his part in the incident. The final was stopped again soon after it restarted for Brett Westbroom's mount alight in the centre of the oval, with Bradbury still containing the threat from Green out front as Randall Lynn moved up to third. Ten laps remained at the resumption and Green pushed into the lead at the first opportunity, while further fighting for Bradbury allowed Green to quickly stretch his advantage after Lynn and Haugh passed the former leader as he gathered speed. However, Bradbury nipped back under the pair to quickly regain second at the East Bend with a nudge to the rear of Haugh. The same top three headed into the last three laps with Green looking safe in front from Bradbury and Lynn was somehow still in third but the race was stopped for Haugh stranded in the middle of the East Bend after being pushed into the wall by Lee Davison to set up a dramatic two-lap finale. Bradbury went to exact revenge at the first corner of the restart but went into the wall himself and was removed from contention. Green, Lynn, Eric Walker and Martyn Coles fought it out for the lead into the next bend, with Walker emerging with second onto the last lap behind Green after recovering magnificently from an opening lap spin at the East Bend. Leader Green was pushed wide into the West Bend after Lynn got into the back of Walker and Jordan Robinson came through on the inside of all of them from out of nowhere to hit the top spot accompanied by roars from the crowd. Robinson survived any ‘last bender’ attempt to dramatically take the World Championship crown after a stunning last couple of laps ahead of Green. Lynn was second into the last corner but got knocked sideways by Green and came off the bend four-wide with Coles, Harry Sturt and Walker, who won the race to the line from Lynn, Sturt and Coles.
Stock Rod National Championship
Jonathan Cardwell did as Robert McDonald had done earlier in the National Hot Rods and ran away from the field to prevail in the forty-lap Stock Rod final. Reigning World champion John Smith moved quickly up to second place and held off a growing group of combatants early on before breaking away to comfortably take the runner-up spot. The tussling Dan Shannon and Mark Foster slowed each other down enough to be caught by Stuart Smyth, Siobhan 'Shuv-On' Martin, 2023 National champion Mark Crawford, who had blazed up from twelfth row, and Max Bradburn. Shannon held on to third as Crawford chased him home in fourth from Foster, Bradburn and Smyth. Mark Latter and George Baker engaged in some afters in the centre of the oval at the finish when the disgruntled Latter, who had a wheel hanging off of his machine, punted Baker head-on, who returned in kind before the officials calmed the situation.
Jonathan Cardwell did as Robert McDonald had done earlier in the National Hot Rods and ran away from the field to prevail in the forty-lap Stock Rod final. Reigning World champion John Smith moved quickly up to second place and held off a growing group of combatants early on before breaking away to comfortably take the runner-up spot. The tussling Dan Shannon and Mark Foster slowed each other down enough to be caught by Stuart Smyth, Siobhan 'Shuv-On' Martin, 2023 National champion Mark Crawford, who had blazed up from twelfth row, and Max Bradburn. Shannon held on to third as Crawford chased him home in fourth from Foster, Bradburn and Smyth. Mark Latter and George Baker engaged in some afters in the centre of the oval at the finish when the disgruntled Latter, who had a wheel hanging off of his machine, punted Baker head-on, who returned in kind before the officials calmed the situation.
The various categories now head off back to their World Championship qualifying series chases, with the Northern Irish National Hot Rod contenders back in action a week after Hednesford. Their Irish, Scottish and English counterparts would next see action on the 16th, 24th and 25th of August respectively at Tipperary, Lochgelly and Yarmouth.