National Hot Rod Thunder 500 & BriSCA F1 Ipswich 17th June 2023
RACEY RIORDAN TAKES IPSWICH BY STORM
The National Hot Rod Angie Rowe Thunder 500 took place on Saturday the 17th of June at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich. The meeting would give the competitors some valuable track time ahead of the upcoming World Championship at the venue a few weeks into the future and unsurprisingly attracted a very strong field, which included the English, Scottish and South African points champions. Dutch champion Jeffrey Roeffen was also in attendance with his right-hand-drive Fiesta as he sought to gain more experience of the UK ovals. Among the Northern Irish entries were two sons of World Champions in the form of Gary Woolsey and John Christie, Gary being the son of three-time winner Norman Woolsey and John the offspring of the legendary five-time champion Ormond Christie and was himself the World title holder in 2013.
The National Hot Rod Angie Rowe Thunder 500 took place on Saturday the 17th of June at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich. The meeting would give the competitors some valuable track time ahead of the upcoming World Championship at the venue a few weeks into the future and unsurprisingly attracted a very strong field, which included the English, Scottish and South African points champions. Dutch champion Jeffrey Roeffen was also in attendance with his right-hand-drive Fiesta as he sought to gain more experience of the UK ovals. Among the Northern Irish entries were two sons of World Champions in the form of Gary Woolsey and John Christie, Gary being the son of three-time winner Norman Woolsey and John the offspring of the legendary five-time champion Ormond Christie and was himself the World title holder in 2013.
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Heat One: With the start positions drawn out of a hat for the first 20-lapper, Barry Limer, David Brooks, Carl Waller-Barrett - who was debuting a new Fiesta, Chris Aldridge, Nick Roots, Billy Wood, Jason Kew and Dave Leech formed the first group of starters. Jeffrey Roeffen wouldn't be among them as the Fiesta pulled off during the formation laps. When the flag dropped, front-row outside starter Brooks had his nose in front into the first bend but he was bundled wide by Limer as the Ginetta tried to claim the line. Limer had a very short time in front after an out wide and sideways Aldridge clipped the Tigra exiting the corner, Aldridge's Tigra spun into the infield and Limer's similar car lost momentum. Wood burst through the melee into a lead he wouldn’t lose. Jason Kew, back out in the Hot Rods after a stuck throttle sent his Ginetta hard into the barriers at the venue back in May, chased Wood home in second and Waller-Barrett took third, a promising first race result for the new car, and the Fiesta had run in second until Kew passed him on the fifth lap. Scottish champion William Hardie just kept fourth from Paul Wright at the flag, whilst Jeff Riordan’s Lotus crossed the line in sixth and reigning World Champion McDonald took seventh. However, Wright was subsequently disqualified from the heat after contact with Brooks’ Ginetta sent it spinning. A significant non-finisher was 2013 world champion Christie, the Northern Irishman's engine in his Lotus Exige expired whilst running strongly in seventh and ended his evening.
Heat Two: A complete reversal of the first heat’s lineup saw Brian Twinn's Peugeot 206 CC having the front row to himself. Chris Lehec, Hayden Ballard, Perry Cooke, Terry Hunn and Chris Haird made up the rest of the front group of starters. Ballard grabbed the lead at the start and led all the way to the chequered flag as Perry Cooke claimed second. Aaron Dew came through from the second batch of starters for third. Lehec initially held off a train of cars in second whilst Ballard escaped in the opening laps before Cooke found a way around the stubborn Tigra, followed a lap later by Haird. Dew demoted Hunn just as Haird made his move on Lehec, before passing Lehec's Tigra two laps later. The Ginetta soon chased down the three-time world champion, taking third at three-quarters distance. Hunn also passed Lehec on the outside to claim fifth at half distance, chased by the Dan Smith and Gary Woolsey Ginettas. Current world champion Robert McDonald, Jeff Riordan and William Hardie joined them too, with the three of them demoting Lehec and Woolsey. McDonald got round Smith with five to go, whilst Lehec's freefall continued as Heat One top two Wood and Kew went by. Hardie, Wood and Kew all jumped past Smith and Riordan when their tussle got physical going onto the final lap, for which the Lotus was docked two places as a result. George Turiccki fared even worse as he was disqualified from the heat and told to go home after he failed to heed a warning for retaliation in the first heat and committed the same offence twice in heat two.
Heat Two: A complete reversal of the first heat’s lineup saw Brian Twinn's Peugeot 206 CC having the front row to himself. Chris Lehec, Hayden Ballard, Perry Cooke, Terry Hunn and Chris Haird made up the rest of the front group of starters. Ballard grabbed the lead at the start and led all the way to the chequered flag as Perry Cooke claimed second. Aaron Dew came through from the second batch of starters for third. Lehec initially held off a train of cars in second whilst Ballard escaped in the opening laps before Cooke found a way around the stubborn Tigra, followed a lap later by Haird. Dew demoted Hunn just as Haird made his move on Lehec, before passing Lehec's Tigra two laps later. The Ginetta soon chased down the three-time world champion, taking third at three-quarters distance. Hunn also passed Lehec on the outside to claim fifth at half distance, chased by the Dan Smith and Gary Woolsey Ginettas. Current world champion Robert McDonald, Jeff Riordan and William Hardie joined them too, with the three of them demoting Lehec and Woolsey. McDonald got round Smith with five to go, whilst Lehec's freefall continued as Heat One top two Wood and Kew went by. Hardie, Wood and Kew all jumped past Smith and Riordan when their tussle got physical going onto the final lap, for which the Lotus was docked two places as a result. George Turiccki fared even worse as he was disqualified from the heat and told to go home after he failed to heed a warning for retaliation in the first heat and committed the same offence twice in heat two.
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Final: Billy Wood and Aaron Dew formed the front row of the 35-lap final, whilst William Hardie and Robert McDonald made up row two from Jason Kew and Hayden Ballard on row three. Perry Cooke, Chris Haird, Jeff Riordan and South African visitor Kosie Wevers completed the top ten starters. After the rolling start, the first two rows ran side by side throughout lap one before they fell into line with Wood at the head of the field. Kew's Ginetta moved up to second on lap three after a slight tap in the Kent Cams bend threw Dew sideways. Second-row starter Hardie fell back into sixth early on as McDonald took fourth and Haird went fifth. Setting a rapid pace, Wood pulled away from the group of four contesting second to fifth. Just behind, Riordan passed Ballard for seventh on lap eight and began chasing down Hardie, Gary Woolsey also caught Ballard for eighth. Drama arose on the tenth lap as McDonald went out of fourth with a damaged wheel and then, two laps later, dominant leader Wood conked out with low oil pressure. The Kent Cams bend became something of a graveyard for National Hot Rods as Chris Aldridge, Brian Twinn, Paul Wright and Paul Strawson joined the world champions parked against the barrier. Kew took up the running from Dew, Haird, Hardie and Riordan. The first three started to move away from the squabbling Hardie and Riordan but Haird then suddenly fell behind Hardie and into battle with Riordan on lap 20, after brushing the wall when challenging Dew on the outside. Ballard was able to catch the set-to in front and had brought Woolsey with him. Driving the outside line, Haird eventually cleared the Lotus on lap 22 and began pressing Hardie, who pushed him wide when the Englishman's Tigra had its nose in front into the Kent Cams bend. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, Riordan drove past the pair of them on the inside to move into third and Haird finally got around Hardie three laps later. Kew was able to beat Dew to the flag, the two Ginettas having run nose to tail for most of the race, Riordan drew up to the lead pair in third, having shown good pace in clear air, and Haird pulled away from Hardie for fourth. The Scottish champion held off Ballard and Woolsey for an eventual fifth place. In a twist to the results, on-the-road victor Kew was docked two places for the lap three contact with Dew before the trophies were handed out so Dew was briefly the winner. Only briefly because another amendment saw Riordan promoted to the victory after Dew was also docked for driving Haird into the wall. Haird gained second as a result and Kew was reclassified in third from Dew. Ballard took fifth and Woolsey sixth after Scottish champion Hardie was also docked two spots for the Haird contact.
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BriSCA F1
The thunderous BriSCA F1 behemoths competed in their latest world qualifying series round at Ipswich. The number 84 of thrice world champion Tom Harris was away in America racing in Sprint Cars so didn't feature on the entry list, whilst pantomime villain Ryan Harrison, the 2021 and 2022 British champion, would be getting back into the swing of things after serving a lengthy suspension.
Heat One: White tops Darren Lindsay and Kelvin Hassell made the early running before the higher grades caught up despite being locked together from the first corner. Yellow-graded Thomas Rogers worked through to take the lead ending lap one as Lindsay and Hassell freed themselves and survived three restarts to hold on for the win after a one-lap shootout. Simon Binder sat in second whilst Michael Randell took third from Russell Cooper at the Kent Cams bend starting lap two, which quickly became second at the following bend. He held the place until the fifteenth lap, when he was removed from the spot by Michael Scriven but held on for third. Matt Newson and Frankie Wainman Jnr were next up whilst Ant Wharton-Eales completed the top six, the former BTCC racer making a return to his oval racing roots.
Heat Two: The white-graded Lindsay, Hassell and Binder led the opening laps before the pack headed by Kyle Gray, Callum Thornton and Josh Spiers arrived on the scene, just as a halt was called on the fifth lap. Whorton-Eales went out with bent steering at the first stoppage, with Heat One runner-up Scriven also involved in the Burton Power bend incident. Lindsay was immediately passed by Gray and Thornton at the restart on lap six before Thornton hit the front exiting the Kent Cams bend. Gray and Spiers became involved in a tooth-and-nail scrap for second until Finn Sargent passed them both just as Gray pushed Spiers wide. A closely following Catherine Harris had also got past the two of them by lap nine. Thornton sealed the win at the end of the sixteen laps to atone crashing out of Heat One. Finn Sargent took second ahead of Harris. Tyrone Evans, Paul Hines and Spiers, who completed the top six after Gray plummeted to fifteenth when Courtney Finnikin brushed him aside.
Final: White top Simon Binder made the early running of the 20-lap final until a stoppage on lap four. Second heat winner Callum Thornton was stranded in the middle of the track after being pushed hard into Darren Lindsay by Josh Spiers as they disputed second and Adam Joyce rode over his wheels. Michael Randell and Finn Sargent slipped past the carnage to line up second and third for the restart. Binder's lead didn’t last long as Randell was quickly past at the restart, with Harris following him through after sending Sargent down to sixth behind Spiers and Tyrone Evans at the Kent Cams bend. Binder was then dumped into the third turn armco by Spiers and his car was hit by Lindsay. Harris immediately began pressing Randell for the lead but the race was stopped again on lap five, with Harris making her move at the time. White tops Binder and Lindsay were left stricken at the Burton Power bend, whilst Heat One winner Thomas Rogers was stranded at the Kent Cams bend after being sent to the wall by Matt Newson. Harris looked likely to stick one on the boys as she began pulling away with great pace at the restart, whilst Evans pushed Randell wide at the first opportunity before moving through into the Burton Power bend and Sargent followed him by. Behind them, Ryan Harrison was making good progress and was up to seventh starting lap six. Whilst Harris built her lead, Sargent became her nearest pursuer having got past Randell with a tap in the Kent Cams turn for the seventh time. A lap later Evans was barged wide by Randell at the Kent Cams bend, with the Courtney Finnikin and Frankie Wainman Jnr pair passing them both as Randell oversteered wide. Evans repassed Randell on the following straight whilst Harrison further demoted the #172 down at the Burton bend and claimed Finnikin too. The ninth lap brought heartbreak for Harris as she spun on her own with a puncture into the first corner, having held an eight-length lead. While she recovered, Randell and Paul Hines both skate wide and Newson was able to sweep by the duo into sixth behind Finnikin. The order settled down for a couple of laps before another stoppage on lap eleven, with the Finnikin and Harrison cars embedded hard in the third bend barriers. Harrison had retaliated to a bump from Finnikin at the Kent Cams bend and taken them both into the wall. A long stoppage ensued as Finnikin was carefully removed from her car and taken to hospital for checks, which fortunately showed no serious injuries. An untidy restart saw Wainman Jnr into the back of Sargent as they started accelerating, with Evans also giving Wainman Jnr a whack to nick second up the kerbs at the restart. Newson pushed Wainman Jnr into the Burton bend for the thirteenth time and Hines went through on the pair of them for third as they both sailed wide, Newson immediately pushed Hines aside into the Kent Cams bend just after to reclaim third. Wainman Jnr and Spiers also followed Newson by the #259. Hines climbed back up to fifth on lap fifteen and passed Spiers at the Burton bend, after falling back to sixth in the Newson push. The wingless car of Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr followed Hines past but Spiers had none of it and tapped the #555 wide in the following turn and Liam Gilbank further demoted Wainman Jnr Jnr in his wake. The order among the leading runners settled down into the closing stages, apart from Wainman Jnr having serious eyes on Newson's third place going onto the final lap. Up ahead, Sargent won from Evans whilst Wainman Jnr pushed Newson wide at the Burton Power bend for the final time to take back third. Newson and Hines were fourth and fifth, as Gilbank and Wainman Jnr Jnr both passed Spiers late in the race for sixth and seventh.
Grand National: A depleted field of fifteen cars took the start of the 16-lapper. Final winner Finn Sargent started at the head of the field but with a one-lap handicap. Heat Two winner Callum Thornton quickly moved into the lead on lap one, with Russell Cooper settling into second from Michael Randell, who held third for the first few tours. Kyle Gray displaced Randell for third until Catherine Harris briefly took the spot on lap nine, before Gray and Karl Hawkins both moved past her just after half distance. Thornton rumbled to the win, whilst Cooper fell to fourth after Gray and Hawkins got through on the penultimate lap. Harris took fifth as she chased them home. The handicapped Sargent made it up to eleventh before he encountered James Hall-Morton making a poor recovery from a spin and pulling right into the path of the final victor, who had to stop after almost being pinned against the wall.
Heat One: White tops Darren Lindsay and Kelvin Hassell made the early running before the higher grades caught up despite being locked together from the first corner. Yellow-graded Thomas Rogers worked through to take the lead ending lap one as Lindsay and Hassell freed themselves and survived three restarts to hold on for the win after a one-lap shootout. Simon Binder sat in second whilst Michael Randell took third from Russell Cooper at the Kent Cams bend starting lap two, which quickly became second at the following bend. He held the place until the fifteenth lap, when he was removed from the spot by Michael Scriven but held on for third. Matt Newson and Frankie Wainman Jnr were next up whilst Ant Wharton-Eales completed the top six, the former BTCC racer making a return to his oval racing roots.
Heat Two: The white-graded Lindsay, Hassell and Binder led the opening laps before the pack headed by Kyle Gray, Callum Thornton and Josh Spiers arrived on the scene, just as a halt was called on the fifth lap. Whorton-Eales went out with bent steering at the first stoppage, with Heat One runner-up Scriven also involved in the Burton Power bend incident. Lindsay was immediately passed by Gray and Thornton at the restart on lap six before Thornton hit the front exiting the Kent Cams bend. Gray and Spiers became involved in a tooth-and-nail scrap for second until Finn Sargent passed them both just as Gray pushed Spiers wide. A closely following Catherine Harris had also got past the two of them by lap nine. Thornton sealed the win at the end of the sixteen laps to atone crashing out of Heat One. Finn Sargent took second ahead of Harris. Tyrone Evans, Paul Hines and Spiers, who completed the top six after Gray plummeted to fifteenth when Courtney Finnikin brushed him aside.
Final: White top Simon Binder made the early running of the 20-lap final until a stoppage on lap four. Second heat winner Callum Thornton was stranded in the middle of the track after being pushed hard into Darren Lindsay by Josh Spiers as they disputed second and Adam Joyce rode over his wheels. Michael Randell and Finn Sargent slipped past the carnage to line up second and third for the restart. Binder's lead didn’t last long as Randell was quickly past at the restart, with Harris following him through after sending Sargent down to sixth behind Spiers and Tyrone Evans at the Kent Cams bend. Binder was then dumped into the third turn armco by Spiers and his car was hit by Lindsay. Harris immediately began pressing Randell for the lead but the race was stopped again on lap five, with Harris making her move at the time. White tops Binder and Lindsay were left stricken at the Burton Power bend, whilst Heat One winner Thomas Rogers was stranded at the Kent Cams bend after being sent to the wall by Matt Newson. Harris looked likely to stick one on the boys as she began pulling away with great pace at the restart, whilst Evans pushed Randell wide at the first opportunity before moving through into the Burton Power bend and Sargent followed him by. Behind them, Ryan Harrison was making good progress and was up to seventh starting lap six. Whilst Harris built her lead, Sargent became her nearest pursuer having got past Randell with a tap in the Kent Cams turn for the seventh time. A lap later Evans was barged wide by Randell at the Kent Cams bend, with the Courtney Finnikin and Frankie Wainman Jnr pair passing them both as Randell oversteered wide. Evans repassed Randell on the following straight whilst Harrison further demoted the #172 down at the Burton bend and claimed Finnikin too. The ninth lap brought heartbreak for Harris as she spun on her own with a puncture into the first corner, having held an eight-length lead. While she recovered, Randell and Paul Hines both skate wide and Newson was able to sweep by the duo into sixth behind Finnikin. The order settled down for a couple of laps before another stoppage on lap eleven, with the Finnikin and Harrison cars embedded hard in the third bend barriers. Harrison had retaliated to a bump from Finnikin at the Kent Cams bend and taken them both into the wall. A long stoppage ensued as Finnikin was carefully removed from her car and taken to hospital for checks, which fortunately showed no serious injuries. An untidy restart saw Wainman Jnr into the back of Sargent as they started accelerating, with Evans also giving Wainman Jnr a whack to nick second up the kerbs at the restart. Newson pushed Wainman Jnr into the Burton bend for the thirteenth time and Hines went through on the pair of them for third as they both sailed wide, Newson immediately pushed Hines aside into the Kent Cams bend just after to reclaim third. Wainman Jnr and Spiers also followed Newson by the #259. Hines climbed back up to fifth on lap fifteen and passed Spiers at the Burton bend, after falling back to sixth in the Newson push. The wingless car of Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr followed Hines past but Spiers had none of it and tapped the #555 wide in the following turn and Liam Gilbank further demoted Wainman Jnr Jnr in his wake. The order among the leading runners settled down into the closing stages, apart from Wainman Jnr having serious eyes on Newson's third place going onto the final lap. Up ahead, Sargent won from Evans whilst Wainman Jnr pushed Newson wide at the Burton Power bend for the final time to take back third. Newson and Hines were fourth and fifth, as Gilbank and Wainman Jnr Jnr both passed Spiers late in the race for sixth and seventh.
Grand National: A depleted field of fifteen cars took the start of the 16-lapper. Final winner Finn Sargent started at the head of the field but with a one-lap handicap. Heat Two winner Callum Thornton quickly moved into the lead on lap one, with Russell Cooper settling into second from Michael Randell, who held third for the first few tours. Kyle Gray displaced Randell for third until Catherine Harris briefly took the spot on lap nine, before Gray and Karl Hawkins both moved past her just after half distance. Thornton rumbled to the win, whilst Cooper fell to fourth after Gray and Hawkins got through on the penultimate lap. Harris took fifth as she chased them home. The handicapped Sargent made it up to eleventh before he encountered James Hall-Morton making a poor recovery from a spin and pulling right into the path of the final victor, who had to stop after almost being pinned against the wall.
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National Ministox
Jamie Hanson stole the win in a grandstand finish to the final, after new last lap leader Freddie Hunter-Johnson fired into a lapped car as they arrived at the final bend and Hanson steamed back by on the inside when they both ran wide. Luke Syrett-Barsby followed Hanson by to nick second too, with Hunter-Johnson trailing home in third.
Jamie Hanson stole the win in a grandstand finish to the final, after new last lap leader Freddie Hunter-Johnson fired into a lapped car as they arrived at the final bend and Hanson steamed back by on the inside when they both ran wide. Luke Syrett-Barsby followed Hanson by to nick second too, with Hunter-Johnson trailing home in third.
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