National Hot Rod World Championship Ipswich 4th - 6th July 2025
FIVE-STAR MCDONALD WEATHERS STORM TO MATCH CHRISTIE
The 53rd National Hot Rod World Championship took place at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich over the weekend of the 4th - 6th of July, one of the major highlights of the oval racing year. The World final was first held in 1972 and was won by Bob Howe. Northern Irish hero Ormond Christie has worn the most World Championship crowns, winning it five times, with greats of the sport like Barry Lee, Carl Boardley and current title holder Robert McDonald all sat on four. Another clutch of drivers have secured the gold roof three times, including Norman Woolsey, Colin White and 2025 contender Chris Haird. George Polley, one of the biggest names in the history of the National Hot Rods, has twice lifted the trophy and 'The Driver' was victorious in 1976 and 1987.
The 53rd National Hot Rod World Championship took place at Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich over the weekend of the 4th - 6th of July, one of the major highlights of the oval racing year. The World final was first held in 1972 and was won by Bob Howe. Northern Irish hero Ormond Christie has worn the most World Championship crowns, winning it five times, with greats of the sport like Barry Lee, Carl Boardley and current title holder Robert McDonald all sat on four. Another clutch of drivers have secured the gold roof three times, including Norman Woolsey, Colin White and 2025 contender Chris Haird. George Polley, one of the biggest names in the history of the National Hot Rods, has twice lifted the trophy and 'The Driver' was victorious in 1976 and 1987.
Preview: A 35-car field would contest the big race, comprising the highest finishers in the four domestic World qualifying series and one place was reserved for a driver from Mainland Europe. The final spot on the grid would go to the winner of the 'Wildcard' race on Saturday, whilst the 'Rest of the World' space wasn't taken. The top seventeen in the standings qualified from the English series, the top ten from Northern Ireland, the top three from Scotland and the top three from the Republic of Ireland all booked their places in Suffolk. Reigning World Champion Robert McDonald was bidding for an historic fifth crown at Ipswich and he currently holds all four of the major titles in National Hot Rod racing. His Ginetta was presented in a stunning all-over gold livery for the weekend but the all-conquering chassis has already been sold and it may prove to be his final meeting racing in the category so he was looking to bow out on a high. Derek Martin is the most recent champion before ’Fast Bob’, after taking the title in 2023, and the Northern Irishman hoped that moving to one of the developing Spedeworth Mazda MX5s would provide him with the leg up needed to claim World title number two. Billy Wood was the champion in 2018 and was sure to be a threat in the original Spedeworth Fabrications Mazda MX5 after claiming the ’Best in Britain’ trophy with it at the end of 2024, he also led the 2024/25 English World Championship qualifying chase until his chances of wrapping up the silver roof were dealt a knockout blow by a first heat multi-car crash during final meeting at Hednesford. Chris Haird secured his third of three World Championship crowns in 2017 and he was back in his ultra-successful Mk2 Tigra chassis after failing to truly gel with his Ginetta, despite scoring a final victory with it at the Suffolk oval in August 2024. His 2016 predecessor Adam Maxwell couldn’t be written off with his eye-catchingly reliveried Ginetta, especially if it turns wet, and the similarly mounted Shane Murphy became the first driver from the Republic of Ireland to wear the World Championship crown in 2015. John Christie was the final of the seven World Champions to qualify, with a total of twelve titles between them, and the son of legendary five-time champion Ormond Christie aimed to add his single victory in 2013 aboard his Lotus Exige, with the Northern Irishman claiming the 2024/25 Irish points title to qualify for the showpiece weekend. There was a quintet of drivers that have clinched a ‘major’ title without claiming the biggest prize of all, chief among them was triple British Champion and the 2015 National Championship winner Gary Woolsey in his Mazda MX5, the son of three-time World Champion Norman Woolsey. Carl Waller-Barrett has claimed a trio of European crowns and he recently debuted a Mazda MX5 at the traditional World Championship warm-up Angie Rowe Thunder 500 meeting at Ipswich, showing a promising turn of speed as he claimed a heat win. The 2023/24 Northern Ireland champion Shane Murray was the runner up this term, to add to the 2021 European and 2022 British crowns in his name, and the Ginetta was definitely one to watch. English series regular Jason Kew has scored a single European title and qualified despite only completing a partial campaign in his Ginetta, whilst Irish star David Casey claimed the 2015 British title and has armed himself with one of the Spedeworth Mazda MX5s this year. Five body shapes were represented in the World final and the group of drivers yet to claim a ‘major’ championship title using one of the increasingly dominant Ginetta chassis would be headlined by Perry Cooke, who stole the 2024/25 English series title at a dramatic final event at Hednesford in May. His immaculate Ginetta only appeared for the first time in late March but the young man from Norwich will be gunning for the gold roof. Since moving to his latest Ginetta ‘Evo’ chassis at the Aldershot meeting in March, former points champion and 2024 World final polesitter Aaron Dew has claimed three English World qualifying round final victories, two of which were earned at Ipswich. The recent Angie Rowe Thunder 500 winner Paul Wright has often been the bridesmaid in major finals but he has made the outside line work effectively with his new-for-2025 Ginetta and that could well prove useful over the 75 laps. Hayden Ballard finished an impressive third from gridding 21st at the 2024 World Championship and was eyeing an even bigger result this year, whilst Kevin Gooding has taken an impressive step forward since moving to a Ginetta ‘Evo’ chassis this season. Scotsmen Derek Conner and James Robertson fought tooth-and-nail with Gordon Alexander for the Scottish points title, with Conner’s ex-Karl Baker machine finishing runner up from Robertson’s brand new build. Jeffrey Roeffen was the only International driver present this year as he gets used to the ex-Chris Haird chassis that took an English series final win at the Foxhall Stadium venue in the triple World Champion’s hands, the Dutchman having made his personal debut in the car at the Suffolk oval just three weeks ahead of Spedeweekend. Scottish champion Gordon Alexander won a closely fought Scottish points championship with his new-for-this-season Mazda MX5 against Derek Conner and James Robertson, with the three of them covered by just twenty points after ten rounds before the experienced Alexander finished the job at the final round. Robert Gamble raced his MX5 for only the second time after using his Tigra in the domestic series, whilst the Mazda was across the Irish Sea being developed by Adam Hylands. Northern Ireland points champion Jeff Riordan was joined by his brother Ian in a pair of Total Oval Prep Lotus Exiges, with the younger sibling finishing third in the competitive Northern Ireland points series in his first season of National Hot Rod competition. The 2021 Superstox World Champion Nick Roots always races well in his Exige and finished inside the top ten at the 2024 World Championship despite an early spin. Once the mainstay of National Hot Rod equipment, the Mk1 Tigra seems to have finally been usurped at the very top of the sport by the Carl Boardley Motorsport-built Ginettas but 2016 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion Dan Smith has actually moved to a Tigra from the Ginetta with which he topped the 2024 Spedeweekend 'Hot Laps' and he would be one to watch in slippery conditions. Ryan Morgan became the first Welsh driver to qualify for the big race after finishing the English points campaign tenth in the standings with his version and veteran Dick Hillard qualified for yet another World final with his example as he celebrated fifty years of competition. Multiple Northern Irish drivers have kept faith with the Vauxhall, including Nigel McAuley, Jordan McCann and Dean McCrory, whilst Scot James Mooney also races his in the Northern Ireland series and finished seventh to qualify. English series regulars Chris Aldridge and Darren Cardy also qualified but both were involved in the Hednesford opening heat carnage at the end of May. Aldridge has since replaced his crashed car with a brand new one, whilst Cardy rebuilt his heavily damaged machine as he achieved his ambition of qualifying for the World final and the Tigra sported a particularly bold livery for the occasion.
Practice round up: The quarter-of-a-mile oval was available for practice on Friday afternoon for the first time and reigning World Champion Robert McDonald showed his intent with the fastest time of practice, which was set by the Scot in the third session. 2013 winner of the World crown John Christie’s benchmark from the second session was good enough to take the number two spot and the Lotus was only 0.018 seconds adrift of the Ginetta. The third World Champion in the top three was Northern Irishman Adam Maxwell and the trio were covered by just 0.038 seconds. The incredibly close nature of the times was evidenced by the first nine cars being blanketed by less than one tenth of a second. English series front runners Aaron Dew, Hayden Ballard and Billy Wood completed the top six, with Scottish series third place finisher James Robertson seventh ahead of the Riordan brothers in eighth and ninth as Jeff bested Ian by six thousandths of a second. Irish hope David Casey rounded out the top ten and the MX5 was 0.138 seconds from the ultimate pace.
Hot Laps: The entire field of 34 qualifying National Hot Rods contested the ‘Hot Laps’ session which opened Saturday’s track action and would set the World Championship final grid from position thirteen down, with the fastest twelve drivers moving forward to the ‘Superpole’ showpiece later in the day. The forecasters suggested rain would hit the venue during the weekend and lo some fell in the early hours of Saturday morning but the tarmac was mostly dry except for a few remaining puddles on the home straight. Each driver got one warm up lap before three timed ‘flyers’ from which the best time was taken to set the order, in the event of a tie then the second and third fastest times would come into play to split the relevant cars. Billy Wood was the first to set a benchmark time after completing his three flying laps but the MX5 was quickly usurped by the second runner Shane Murray, after the 2018 World Champion had to contend with the worst of the damp patches. However, the third machine out in the hands of Aaron Dew then went to the top and his time would hold until out until eighth contender Shane Murphy went 0.017 seconds faster. The 2015 World Champion’s time in the sun lasted five cars before 2013 World title holder John Christie went quickest to loud cheers from his supporters. The Lotus’ moment of glory held for another four cars until three-time World Champion Chris Haird showed the Mk2 Tigra still can’t be discounted when he cut 0.019 seconds from Christie’s target. Also Tigra mounted, 20th runner Dan Smith put his Mk1 version second fastest three runs later. Quadruple World Champion Robert McDonald was the 21st driver to head onto the oval and the Scotsman stunned everyone to wrest away the fastest time by a huge 0.173 seconds. McDonald unsurprisingly held the top spot after the 34 time trials had been completed but the final car, driven by Dutch star Jeffrey Roeffen, impressively pipped Haird to be second fastest. 31st driver Carl Waller-Barrett also came close to knocking Haird back another spot but the MX5 had to be content with fourth. Smith was ultimately fifth and Christie’s time was good enough for sixth. Hayden Ballard was seventh fastest and Northern Irish series champion Jeff Riordan unusually set his quickest time on his second lap as he recorded the eighth-best time. Irishman David Casey and English points champion Perry Cooke completed the top ten. 2016 World Champion Adam Maxwell and Ian Riordan were the final pair of the twelve drivers to qualify for the exciting ’Superpole’ lottery later on Saturday. The Ginetta of Murphy was the first to miss the cut in thirteenth after final runner Roeffen’s rapid effort and some other big names, such as Shane Murray, Billy Wood and Derek Martin, could only manage the 21st, 22nd and 24th fastest times respectively so each faced a mountain to climb to reach the summit of the World title.
Top Twelve Shootout: A new addition to the 2024 World Championship format was the ‘Superpole’ session late on Saturday afternoon for the fastest twelve cars from the ’Hot Laps’ and the initiative was carried over into the 2025 event, with the running order drawn out of a hat for their attempts to seal the coveted pole position for the final. The session followed the ’Hot Laps’ format of one warm up lap followed by three timed attempts and the times were generally down on the morning efforts, which favoured those drawn later as the track cleaned and the surface rubbered in after being swept beforehand. The draw sent 2024/25 English points champion Perry Cooke into combat first and his ultimate effort of 14.743 seconds stood as the initial target. Second to go was Irishman David Casey but the Mazda MX5 went 0.006 seconds slower than the Ginetta. Third on track was triple European champion Carl Waller-Barrett with his new Mazda MX5 and he sped to the top of the times with a 14.576-second best. The Mk2 Tigra of Chris Haird was next up but a dream pole position slipped from his grasp as a 14.637-second best slotted him in behind Waller-Barrett. The popular John Christie was fifth out and he did his vocal encouragement proud as the Lotus sailed to the top spot on a 14.497 seconds, which was set on his second timed lap. The surprise package from the morning ‘Hot Laps’ was Jeffrey Roeffen and the Dutchman was the sixth-drawn contender to run, with the international entry all but matching Christie as the Ginetta was just 0.005 seconds slower to be second fastest at that point. Northern Ireland series points champion Jeff Riordan came next and the Cork man dashed Christie’s hopes of securing the pole as the Lotus stormed to the top of the pile by over a tenth with a dazzling a 14.343-second flyer. One of the hot tips for the big race was 2016 World Champion Adam Maxwell and the Ginetta driver guaranteed himself a top six start as he split Riordan and Christie with four cars left to run. 2024 World championship podium finisher Hayden Ballard was drawn ninth and the Suffolk local also bettered Christie’s earlier benchmark with his second attempt to slip in behind Maxwell on a 14.444 seconds. Robert McDonald was the red-hot favourite coming into the weekend and he had set a searing pace as he topped the times in the earlier qualifying session. The Scot was the tenth driver to go and the four-time World Champion didn’t buckle under the pressure as he knocked Riordan from his perch on lap two with a 14.331-second effort before moving the goalposts further with his final lap of 14.304 seconds to claim the provisional pole, which was almost two tenths slower than his morning pearler. It fell to World final rookie Ian Riordan’s Lotus and 2016 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion Dan Smith’s Tigra to try and depose the flying Scotsman. Riordan’s first lap was a promising 14.633 seconds, which he then improved to a 14.354 seconds before stunning everyone by taking away pole position from McDonald with a mega 14.285-second final lap. Last-to-go Smith couldn’t emulate Riordan’s heroics and he would start from ninth on 14.608 seconds but all the headlines would belong to the polesitting Lotus driver.
Wildcard: Saturday’s ‘Wildcard’ support races for non-qualifying competitors had the carrot of the last starting spot on the World final grid to race for and would be contested over two heats and a final. Scot Ross McWilliam won the equivalent final in 2024 to earn his place in the blue-riband event and this year it would be the turn of Derek McMillan. The Northern Irishman wasn’t deterred by two yellow flags as the brand new Lotus Exige led the first heat all the way, whilst Philip McCloy made good use of the restarts to move up to second on the outside and the Mazda MX5 withstood plenty of pressure from the Ginettas of John Sibbald and David Brooks to hold onto the spot. Damon Wellman, Patrick Curran and Thomas Dilly got away together in the early stages of Heat Two, despite Dilly turning around Andrew Stewart's similar Ginetta off the line, before multiple cars went off on dropped fluid at the Burton Power Bend after seventeen laps to bring out the yellows with eight laps to run. After leaping to the front of the outside queue for the two-by-two restart, Davy McKay drove the long way around Wellman at the resumption and the Lotus stretched away to win. The former 2.0 Hot Rod World Champion’s Tigra finished in a fairly comfortable second, whilst Curran and John Sibbald battled it out behind. However, opening heat winner Derek McMillan had made storming progress after the restart to take the long route around both and crossed the line in third. Sibbald's Ginetta also got Curran’s Tigra before the end to finish fourth, with Dilly unsurprisingly sent to the centre during the stoppage. Derek McMillan led the final all the way from the inside pole to book his place on the back row of the flagship World Championship final on Sunday and the Lotus won by nearly half a lap, once he’d seen off early threat from John Sibbald. Davy McKay’s Exige sat in an early third from Patrick Curran but the Lotus pulled into the centre after eight laps. David Brooks then moved through and began to press Sibbald into the closing stages but the Ginetta ultimately stayed third. Curran fended off Damon Wellman’s similar Tigra for fourth, whilst Philip McCloy closed in on the pair but the Mazda’s handling appeared to go awry and the MX5 retired to promote Thomas Dilly into sixth. Ethan Doull was also part of the scrum but the Scot’s Tigra was another to go out early. 2018 World Champion Billy Wood entered his Tigra for the support races but suffered a nightmare as the Vauxhall failed to take the start in any of the races.
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World Championship Final: The World Championship final field faced 75 laps of the 382-metre oval to crown the 2025 World Champion and claim the prized gold roof that goes with it. After his superb lap in the top twelve shootout, Ian Riordan sat on the inside pole and four-time World Champion Robert McDonald looked to make it five titles from the outside of the front row. The second row found the polesitter’s elder sibling Jeff Riordan and 2016 World title winner Adam Maxwell. 2024 podium finisher Hayden Ballard was much better placed than twelve months ago on the third row and John Christie went from sixth as he bidded for his second World crown. Dutchman Jeffrey Roeffen and the new Mazda of Carl Waller-Barrett formed the fourth row and the top ten was completed by Dan Smith and triple World Champion Chris Haird. The English points winner Perry Cooke had work to do from eleventh, as had fancied runners Aaron Dew and Paul Wright sharing the eighth row. Northern Irish star Shane Murray, 2018 World title winner Billy Wood and his 2023 counterpart Derek Martin had a huge task from the 21st, 22nd and 24th starting positions to feature on the podium, whilst ‘Wildcard’ victor Derek McMillan took up the 35th and final grid slot with his box-fresh Lotus after securing his place on Saturday evening. The threat of thundery showers falling on Sunday brought some added tension to the build up but it was still warm and bright as the midday start time neared. However, dark clouds were looming on the horizon... Scottish champion Gordon Alexander’s final looked to be over before it had even begun as he pulled to the side during the installation laps with loose propshaft bolts but a swift repair in the five-minute break before the rolling laps saw the Mazda take up its position of 25th. There was drama immediately as triple European champion Carl Waller-Barrett's hopes were ended when he was fired off across the nose of Dan Smith's Tigra passing the startline onto the speedway oval at the green flag, which then caused a multi-car incident at the first corner as the Mazda slid back into the mid-pack. The Ginettas of Paul Wright, Aaron Dew and Kevin Gooding, plus the Lotus of Nick Roots, were all involved, whilst the aforementioned Alexander and Derek Martin both collected the stationary MX5 with their similar Mazdas. The Tigras of Ryan Morgan, Dean McCrory, Nigel MacAuley and Darren Cardy also ran into each other as Morgan ricocheted off Alexander to bring out the yellow flags with the field having started lap two. Welshman Morgan wouldn't take the restart and 2023 World Champion Martin's damage was also too great from the collision with Alexander, whilst Smith exited the race having slowed leaving the scene of the incident. Robert McDonald had sat on the outside of Ian Riordan during the first lap but when the Lotus went the long way around the turn one incident, the Scot nipped to the inside and briefly grabbed the lead but Riordan took the place straight back after cutting inside exiting the turn. The two-by-two restart saw leader Ian Riordan heading the inside queue from brother Jeff's similar Lotus and Hayden Ballard, whilst current World Champion McDonald looked threatening on the outside and was joined by fellow World Champions Adam Maxwell and John Christie on the first three rows opting for the wide line. The sky was looking foreboding as the action started again but the sun still shone for the moment. Shane Murray exited stage left out of ninth across the front of Chris Haird into the wall at the resumption but Riordan continued to lead from McDonald. The Lotus was under constant pressure from the Ginetta until they reached the traffic on lap seventeen, when McDonald got inside of Riordan at the Kent Cams Bend. However, a tap from the Scot had put the polesitter sideways off the preceding turn, which earned McDonald a black cross. The sister Riordan Lotus looked comfortable in third, a few lengths adrift of the lead pair, with Ballard, Maxwell, Christie and Cooke fighting over fourth. Ballard and Maxwell were abreast for the first few laps after the restart before the 2016 World Champion was forced to slot in behind when he couldn't make the outside line work. The scrap was suspended when Dean McCrory's Tigra succumbed with a blown engine in the leaders' wake at the Kent Cams Bend and the yellow flags flew on lap 23. Having first choice, McDonald opted to take the inside for the NASCAR-style restart ahead of Jeff Riordan and Ballard. Ian Riordan aimed to repay McDonald from the outside, with the Lotus followed by Maxwell and English points champion Perry Cooke, who had moved forward after gaining ground in the first-corner fracas. Having been sat in sixth when the race was suspended, 2013 World Champion Christie followed Ballard to the inside and trailed the English points silver roof winner after the restart. The first spots of rain began to fall in the break but the status quo was maintained in the top three as the action resumed, whilst Maxwell jumped ahead of Ballard for fourth place. In the pack, David Casey's Mazda was turned at the first corner to dent the Irishman's hopes. Leader McDonald was unflustered when the rain came down in earnest a short time after halfway and stretched his advantage even further, whilst Jeff Riordan closed on his brother for second place but fell away again and slipped into the clutches of Adam Maxwell as the rain came down harder. Maxwell had fallen behind Ballard and Cooke with a wide moment when the downpour arrived but the Northern Irishman is renowned for his wet weather prowess and he quickly picked off Cooke again before passing Ballard for fourth on lap 65 when the 2024 podium finisher had a slide of his own. The tussle for third came to a head on lap 67 when Riordan looped into a spin into the Kent Cams Bend after appearing to receive help from behind and the Ginetta slipped through to third, whilst the Lotus lost only one spot. Chris Aldridge and James Mooney were both spinners at the Kent Cams Bend as the heavy rain made the oval treacherous for the slick-tyred field and the yellows soon followed on lap 68. There was a long break whilst the stewards deliberated over the Maxwell/Riordan incident and came to the conclusion that the Ginetta should be thrown out, much to the 2016 World Champion's frustration. Chris Haird had been going well on the greasy surface and had worked his way up to eighth, after passing the Roeffen/Christie squabble, but the Mk2 Tigra went out before the final stoppage with seven laps left. With a lead to protect and a small number of laps to do so, McDonald unsurprisingly took the inside lane ahead of Jeff Riordan and a charging Aaron Dew. Ian Riordan hoped for one last chance to grab the World Championship trophy from McDonald's grasp on the outside, with Cooke and Christie going with the young Irishman. The weather was now foul but McDonald streaked away from the restart to provisionally seal the World title and join the benchmark Ormond Christie on five victories. The Scot subsequently survived two black cross investigations to confirm his historic achievement. Jeff Riordan and Cooke tangled arguing over third place at the final restart and the Ginetta had a half-spin but was knocked straight again by the Lotus, with Dew skipping by the pair of them as Ballard pushed Cooke back another spot, The elder Riordan looked to have retaken third from Dew when the Ginetta ran wide at the Kent Cams Bend but the pair clashed on the home straight starting lap 70 after the Lotus had got its nose in front and the Exige speared into the wall terminally, whilst the younger Riordan went into freefall in the sprint to the flag as Dew and Jason Kew charged past for the podium places. Dew had made some big gains in the slippery conditions, bagging Christie and Roeffen soon after the rain came to begin pushing Cooke hard for sixth. The Ginetta had already got ahead of Cooke and Ballard prior to the late yellow and gained third when Jeff Riordan spun across his bows, Dew then grabbed second from the younger Riordan with three laps to go as both slithered around the Kent Cams Bend. Kew also came into his own as the oval got ever wetter in the closing stages and picked off car after car, having taking the final restart in ninth, before taking the final step on the podium during the penultimate lap. Out of the blue, Kevin Gooding had also marched up the order as the going got tougher and the Ginetta passed Ian Riordan's Lotus on the last time around for a remarkable fourth. The poleman’s Lotus crossed the line in fifth and Billy Wood took a creditable sixth from starting 22nd. Gary Woolsey marked what may be his last World final appearance with seventh, Cooke faded to eighth, with the two Lotuses of Christie and Nick Roots completing the top ten. Ballard went out in the later stages when his iridescent windscreen fogged up, whilst Jeffrey Roeffen spun out of contention at the final restart after running inside the top ten up to that point.
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Support Races
World Final Reverse Grid: The reversed grid race of the World Championship final starting order took place on a very slick and dirty racetrack, after the heavy rain had eased and blue sky was edging closer. There were nineteen takers for the 25 laps, with the World final top four of Robert McDonald, Aaron Dew, Jason Kew and Kevin Gooding all present but Kew's Ginetta was in trouble before the start and went to the centre. Derek McMillan led early doors from pole but contact entering the Kent Cams Bend on lap one between Derek Conner and Dick Hillard soon caused a stoppage. McMillan continued to lead after the break but Adam Maxwell made great strides up the order after the restart and removed Gordon Alexander from second at the Burton Power Bend on lap ten. The 2016 World Champion proceeded to reel in the leading Lotus and passed McMillan at the Kent Cams Bend on lap sixteen before pulling away to win. McMillan capped a successful debut weekend for his newly built Lotus Exige with second. A three-way Scottish scrap raged for third as Robert McDonald came through James Robertson and Alexander to claim a provisional podium finish on the tail of McMillan but the World Champion was subsequently docked two places so Robertson was awarded third as Alexander's MX5 was classified fourth ahead of McDonald, with Hayden Ballard completing the top six.
Nick Thomas Memorial Trophy: The race over 35 laps was the final action of the weekend for the National Hot Rods, with the grid drawn from a mixture of World finalists and support race contenders. Fifteen drivers went to the startline and the fast-starting Chris Aldridge leapt into the lead from the inside pole but Hayden Ballard outdragged front row man Les Compelli to grab second at the first corner, with the Ginetta soon catching the leading Tigra. Another pair fought for third as Nick Roots attempted to keep Billy Wood at bay, whilst Gordon Alexander wriggled free from the pack behind Ashley Shaw to make it five in the lead group as Ballard took to the outside line to try and unseat Aldridge. The Ginetta finally passed the Tigra on lap eleven at the Burton Power Bend as Wood got up to third in their wake. The MX5 then reached second a lap later and Roots' Lotus became trapped behind the defensive Aldridge as the top two paired up, whilst Alexander disappeared from the exchange on lap sixteen when the Mazda pulled off with a loose rear axle. Four laps later, Thomas Dilly was spat out of the fierce fight for fifth and crashed into the turn one fence to bring a halt to proceedings, with the Ginetta losing a wheel. The five-lap restart saw Ballard, Aldridge and Ryan Morgan each opt for the inside, with the leader's chief challenger Wood, Roots' Lotus and Scot James Robertson's Ginetta all rolling the dice on the wide line. Wood made a bid for the lead around the outside at the restart but Ballard held on as Roots got around Aldridge into the Kent Cams Bend. It briefly looked as though it could be a three-way contest for the win but Ballard and Wood soon left the Lotus behind. Try as he might, Wood was unable to get close enough to seriously threaten Ballard’s lead so the Ginetta driver won the Nick Thomas Trophy from the Mazda pilot. Nick Roots finished in a comparatively lonely third as Aldridge fended off Robertson, Morgan and James Mooney for fourth.
World Final Reverse Grid: The reversed grid race of the World Championship final starting order took place on a very slick and dirty racetrack, after the heavy rain had eased and blue sky was edging closer. There were nineteen takers for the 25 laps, with the World final top four of Robert McDonald, Aaron Dew, Jason Kew and Kevin Gooding all present but Kew's Ginetta was in trouble before the start and went to the centre. Derek McMillan led early doors from pole but contact entering the Kent Cams Bend on lap one between Derek Conner and Dick Hillard soon caused a stoppage. McMillan continued to lead after the break but Adam Maxwell made great strides up the order after the restart and removed Gordon Alexander from second at the Burton Power Bend on lap ten. The 2016 World Champion proceeded to reel in the leading Lotus and passed McMillan at the Kent Cams Bend on lap sixteen before pulling away to win. McMillan capped a successful debut weekend for his newly built Lotus Exige with second. A three-way Scottish scrap raged for third as Robert McDonald came through James Robertson and Alexander to claim a provisional podium finish on the tail of McMillan but the World Champion was subsequently docked two places so Robertson was awarded third as Alexander's MX5 was classified fourth ahead of McDonald, with Hayden Ballard completing the top six.
Nick Thomas Memorial Trophy: The race over 35 laps was the final action of the weekend for the National Hot Rods, with the grid drawn from a mixture of World finalists and support race contenders. Fifteen drivers went to the startline and the fast-starting Chris Aldridge leapt into the lead from the inside pole but Hayden Ballard outdragged front row man Les Compelli to grab second at the first corner, with the Ginetta soon catching the leading Tigra. Another pair fought for third as Nick Roots attempted to keep Billy Wood at bay, whilst Gordon Alexander wriggled free from the pack behind Ashley Shaw to make it five in the lead group as Ballard took to the outside line to try and unseat Aldridge. The Ginetta finally passed the Tigra on lap eleven at the Burton Power Bend as Wood got up to third in their wake. The MX5 then reached second a lap later and Roots' Lotus became trapped behind the defensive Aldridge as the top two paired up, whilst Alexander disappeared from the exchange on lap sixteen when the Mazda pulled off with a loose rear axle. Four laps later, Thomas Dilly was spat out of the fierce fight for fifth and crashed into the turn one fence to bring a halt to proceedings, with the Ginetta losing a wheel. The five-lap restart saw Ballard, Aldridge and Ryan Morgan each opt for the inside, with the leader's chief challenger Wood, Roots' Lotus and Scot James Robertson's Ginetta all rolling the dice on the wide line. Wood made a bid for the lead around the outside at the restart but Ballard held on as Roots got around Aldridge into the Kent Cams Bend. It briefly looked as though it could be a three-way contest for the win but Ballard and Wood soon left the Lotus behind. Try as he might, Wood was unable to get close enough to seriously threaten Ballard’s lead so the Ginetta driver won the Nick Thomas Trophy from the Mazda pilot. Nick Roots finished in a comparatively lonely third as Aldridge fended off Robertson, Morgan and James Mooney for fourth.
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2.0 Hot Rod British Championship
Also appearing on the bill at Spedeweekend was a cosmopolitan entry of forty 2.0 Hot Rods going for the British Championship title. A chaotic opening heat took four attempts to complete the final two laps from a NASCAR-style restart. Former World Champions Andy Best and Jordan Rochford battled hard in the early stages before the 106 got around the outside of the Saxo to lead on lap nine as the queue behind continued to expand. A yellow flag with two laps left to run for Mitchell Souter's stranded Peugeot on the back stretch saw Best jump back into the lead from the restart but a heavy shunt for Martin Meenehan at the last bend brought about a further yellow. Another crash in the pack at the restart left Mike Daniels parked backwards against the wall towards the start/finish line so a halt was called again. Rochford took the lead back at the green flag but Duane Peacock lost a wheel so the yellow flags were unfurled one last time. Taking the inside option for the two-by-two restart, the 2022 and 2023 World Champion Rochford was finally able to seal victory from Best and Jack Wilks. The second heat saw inside polesitter Conor Hughes run away from Brendan O’Connell before a late yellow flag, with first heat runner-up Andy Best stranded on the back straight with rear suspension damage. Four laps were left to run from the restart and Hughes held off the threat from Jason Secker to win from the newly-crowned World Champion. Secker's gold roof predecessor Adam Heatrick claimed third ahead of O’Connell after following the Scot down the outside for the restart, whilst Heat One winner Jordan Rochford took the flag in ninth. The British Championship final would be contested over thirty laps of the Suffolk oval. The two heat winners shared the front row, with Jordan Rochford sat on the inside pole and Conor Hughes started alongside. Phillip Potter and the World Champion Jason Secker formed row two, whilst Jack Wilks and Irishman Brendan O'Connell went from the third row. 2024 World and National double champion Adam Heatrick headed the fourth row from another of the very quick Northern Irish contingent, defending British champion Drew McKeown. Youngsters Charlie Hardie and Callum Doak made up the top ten starters. The first corner was a busy scene as the fast-starting Hughes went deep and four other cars slid out wide with him. Third row starter Wilks emerged from the opening bend in front from Hughes and the three-wide Andy Best, Rochford and Secker but there would shortly be a yellow flag for Martin Meenehan stranded at turn one. Leading the inside queue for the two-by-two restart would be Wilks from Best, who had made a hatful of places in the opening bend from starting eleventh, and Rochford, whilst on the outside were Hughes, Heatrick and O'Connell. Hughes grabbed the lead at the restart as a train of four cars stretched away out front. Wilks, Rochford and Heatrick went with the leader after the latter two dispensed with Best soon after the resumption but Jason Secker reeled them in once he had got away from Ally Neill and McKeown. Heatrick began to defend heavily from Secker and they both lost touch with the top three and were caught by the resurgent Best. New World Champion Secker redoubled his efforts to pass Heatrick in the closing stages and finally succeeded going onto the last lap to take fourth from Best and Heatrick, after the 2005 World Champion drove the long way around the final corner to nick fifth spot. Out front, Hughes soaked up all Wilks and Rochford could throw at him to claim the British crown after a fast-paced final. One of the pre-event favourites, Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson, had a nightmare weekend as a persistent misfire saw the former Banger World Champion fail to record a single finish.
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Classic Hot Rods
The Classic Hot Rods were also out in support of the National Hot Rod World Championship. The opening heat was characterised by plenty of damaged cars and a brilliant scrap for the lead between Kenny Purdie and National Champion James Owen after the final restart on lap eleven. The pair vied for the lead side-by-side for lap after lap and the seventeen-year-old Owen almost got across from the outside to claim the lead on one occasion but ‘The Spanker’ kept his nose to the inside and reclaimed the place before Owen bowled a wide at the Kent Cams Bend with two to go. The Barry Lee tribute Mk2 Escort slipped to fifth on-the-road behind Roger Dormer, Nick Ross and Ashley Burkin as Purdie took the spoils. However, Dormer was docked four places to sixth behind Owen and Darren Fewell. Richard Beere got away out front initially during Heat Two but was reeled in by Chris Partridge, Roger Dormer and the patched-up Viva of Lee Wood before James Owen and Nick Ross made it a pack of six for the lead. Dormer got around the outside of Partridge for second on lap eleven and took the lead from Beere over the startline heading onto lap twelve of the twenty, whilst Wood was shuffled back in the scuffle after running wide at the Burton Power Bend but came through the bunch again to run in third before retiring with a lap to go. Owen's Mk2 Escort got stuck behind Beere's similar car and fell behind the Sunbeam of eventual runner-up Ross, as well as Wood's Vauxhall, with the pair fighting it out for second behind the dominant Dormer once they'd battled ahead of the former leader. Having missed the second heat after his Mk2 Escort was t-boned by Alfie Joynson's similar car and then climbed on by Joe Smith's Anglia during the opener, Jay Norris led the final away in his cobbled together mount and gained a huge lead on lap two when Richard Beere was turned onto the infield across the startline by Darren Fewell. A huge pack built up behind Tony Moss as they squabbled over second, with Nick Ross eventually wriggling free from the tussle on lap seven of the 25. Ross soon began reeling the 'Denim' Escort in, with the Sunbeam reaching its target with five laps to go. Norris immediately forced his challenger to the high line and when the Talbot caught the spilled oil from Peter Faggetter's broken Anglia 100e with a couple of laps to run, Norris was able to hold on for a fairytale win. Joe Smith's Anglia also escaped the scramble with nine laps remaining and crossed the line in third. Moss and Roger Dormer knocked seven bells out of each other at the head of a four-car pack of Mk2 Escorts, with Moss leading Dormer home in fourth from James Owen and Hughie Weaver. Lee Wood's once immaculate Vauxhall Viva had been running ahead of the Mk2 Escort gang in fourth but retired shortly after half-distance, whilst Kenny Purdie's X-Pack Escort was also in amongst them before his engine expired in spectacular style.
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With the 2025 edition now passed, the National Hot Rod qualifying process for the 2026 World final begins with Round One for the Republic of Ireland series taking place on the 19th of July. The opening round for the English series takes place at Aldershot a day later on the 20th of July and the Northern Irish series kicks off on the 27th of July.