BriSCA F2 Stock Cars World Qualifying Round Lightning Rods 2l Bangers

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars
Local man Matt Roach won the final of the BriSCA F2 Stock Car World Qualifying round at Arena Essex on April 20. Roach, of Benfleet, just held out ahead of Piers Cockerill and Tim Farrell in a meeting that saw a lot of contact. Defending world champion, Mick Sworder, won a very rough first heat ahead of Chris Mikulla after long time leader Keith Walden was tangled in a four way pile up. Sworder would not feature in the final result however as he was taken out in a comprehensive run in mid race. White top driver Mike Spence, fresh from his feature final win at Birmingham the previous evening, took the second heat as Matt Stoneham had to fend off a last minute attack from Nick Rogers, while Northern Ireland driver Gary Chambers took the consolation race. Mikulla, one of a number of west country drivers in attendance and somebody that has had some success on this circuit in the past, topped his day off with a win in the Grand National qualifier race at the end with Farrell and Kelvin Whalley following.

Lightning Rods
It was a mixed day for Ben Murray, the Lightning Rod driver from Dagenham, as he managed one win, spun at the start of another and saw the tail pipes of a few other cars in the final of the April 20 Lightning Rod meeting at Arena Essex. The first heat was taken well as Murray sped past the early leader, Danny Morrow, early in the race and never had a problem from then on. The second heat, however, was a disaster for Murray as he spun inside on the fourth turn on the opening lap, his car unfit to continue as Steve Willis raced home ahead of Morrow. These two would occupy the front row in the final while Murray's win and duck would leave him down the grid. At first it seemed like Willis would make a heat and final double of it but, with six laps to spare, double national champion Terry Shelvey raced up and easily took the final trophy. Willis kept hold of second place ahead of Rick Pannell with Murray in fourth in a race restarted following the rollover on the start by Anthony Lawrence. The other talking point of the day, however, was the running battle downfield between Roy Rawlins, erstwhile sponsor of the Rawlins 2000 banger series and Jason Jackson, currently defending his banger title while also trying to break into Lightning Rod racing, the pair reverting to banger tactics as they appeared to come into contact in the first heat. If there was any doubt about it in the heat, however, there was no doubt about it in the final as each gave blow for blow mid race, earning them both disqualifications.

Bangers
Roy Laybourn Jr. took the final trophy in the 2l Bangers at Arena Essex on April 20. In a change to the original fixture, the 2l Bangers replaced the Nationals who now meet on May 4.

© 2008 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways