News
If you've got any news to contribute to the page, please do so by dropping us a line at nf2000_uk@yahoo.co.uk or clicking here. Maybe you're a driver who's picked up a rated bit of tin, or you've got some travelling planned, why not tell us about it, anyone with interesting news is welcome to get in touch.
Please refresh the page if you don't see the latest news!
West Country Videos (added 9th November)
Standlake Arena will be the place to be on December 4th if you require DVD/Videos for Xmas, Westcountry Videos will be once again be giving Videos/DVD to all the Banger Heat winners & Final winner will get extras include the New Crash tape & DD's, winner will get a voucher for a free copy of the HMC2006. Best Hits & best material will also get copies of the day's Banger racing (racing under & over 1800cc) All friends Old & New Welcome
We will have a new Crash DVD out for the HMC 2006 and are also now filming at Westworld (from November 13th)
Injuries update (added 8th November)
Just to let you know that Les Saunders, the marshal clipped by a car in the Firecracker final, came out of hospital on Monday, he has a badly bruised and swollen leg and four small fractures which hopefully won't need plastering, good news after a very frightening incident. Also, 193 Frank Skinner, who took a big T-bone at the Olly Moran Memorial, didn't actually break his hip as we had first thought, Frank suffering severe bruising which while still painful isn't quite as bad as a break. Needless to say we wish them both a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them back at the tracks soon.
Nothing to do with bangers but... (added 8th November)
...it's my site so I can have what I like on here! My colleagues at work are sponsoring me to have a Grade 2 haircut (yes, the official PRI cut!) in aid of Children in Need (not to conceal premature greyness in case you were wondering). The result will be on view at Wimbledon on Sunday, so if anyone wishes to contribute an amount, however small, it will go to a good cause and would be appreciated. If you just want to come over and take the mickey that's fine as well, I'm used to it.
Surreal Scrap Yard Art (added 8th November)
Anthony Wilson (www.sculpturemad.com) has transformed several scrap cars at Shaftesbury, Dorset based Langford’s vehicle dismantling yard into surreal creatures that look as if they have just landed from another planet.
“Although the creatures do look as if they have come from outer space,” the sculptor states, “they are based upon the gargoyles that once adorned Shaftesbury Abbey.” The Abbey is now lost to history, but Anthony was inspired by seeing the original stone carvings at the Shaftesbury Abbey museum.
To recreate those medieval monsters using a modern medium, Anthony worked with scrap cars as diverse as a modern day Saxo through to a classic Mini Clubman and Citroen 2CV.
“The cars were destined to live again as recycled metal, “ Anthony states, “but with a little imagination they have be reborn as a piece of art, rather than being crushed and turned into baked bean cans.”
Each of the monsters has two faces, one staring over the fence of the yard, the other facing customers, picking some spares for their vehicles. “The finished sculptures are quite spooky,” jokes Anthony, “and they should be more effective at deterring thieves than the traditional grizzled Alsatian on the end of large chain!”
Paul Langford, who owns the four-acre vehicle dismantling yard and has created some of his own art from spare parts of cars, said of the distinctive creations, “People do not usually associate art with car dismantlers, but I think it is a great way to get people to see some interesting works of art that they might otherwise never have chanced across.”
If anyone is planning to recycle their old car, or indeed any other ‘scrap’ materials, in a highly original way, Anthony is be pleased to discuss individual commissions. He may be reached on 01985 840 223 or contacted through his website http://www.sculpturemad.com/
New banger DVD - Full Metal Mayhem (added 6th November)
Rob Daines lets us know about a new banger DVD that's out now, as well as being available online or by post, the DVD will be available at Sunday's World Final at Wimbledon.
If you think you have seen it all in the world of motorsport Full Metal Mayhem http://www.fullmetalmayhem.co.uk/ will convince you otherwise. The DVD delves into a world of motorized madness that includes caravan racing, London Taxis pushed into service on the race track, van racing, the jaw-dropping Siamese racers, the metal bending National Bangers, rollover competitions and even the humble Reliant Robin in full on’ racing’ action.
If you are bored with the hi-tech impersonal world of F1 then this DVD is the perfect antidote as it shows non-stop action that produces more thrills and spills in one racing section than a season of F1 could dream about.
If you loathe being stuck behind a caravan on the way to your holiday the caravan racing will bring a massive smile to your face as the road hogging vans are wiped out in one spectacular crash after another. There is even the chance to ‘get behind the wheel’ with some interactive driver point of view footage that will have you wincing as you drive through another caravan sending it exploding into the air.
Fed up with White Van man’s antics cutting you up on the roundabout and double parking on the High Street? Then get your revenge as the vans are battered to pieces in the van racing section.
For sheer automotive madness you will not be able to beat the Siamese Racers, which as the name implies feature one car perched on top of another with the ‘nutter’, sorry, driver on top steering with the equally ‘sane’ driver below operating clutch, brakes and accelerator.
Add to that racing featuring the Reliant Robin, a car blessed with the handling ability of a brick falling out of a wheelbarrow and the ability to roll over at about 3mph, the sheer automotive anarchy of the National Bangers and the jaw-dropping ramp rollover competition and you have a recipe for 55 minutes of the most entertaining and downright weird motorsport ever seen.
Full Metal Mayhem is priced at £14.99 plus £1.24 post and packing (£16.23 total) and is available now exclusively online from http://www.fullmetalmayhem.co.uk/
Copies can also be pre-ordered from http://www.amazon.co.uk/ or from HUTC Limited PO Box 141 Westerham Kent TN16 2XA.
Wimbledon World Final (added 6th November)
Spedeworth Southern http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/ proudly hosts the biggest night of the year for the National Bangers with the 2005 Championship of the World at Wimbledon Stadium on Sunday, November 13th at 5pm.
The 2005 World Championship, open to unlimited over 1800cc Bangers, draws the biggest names from the Banger racing world to Plough Lane.
Armed with their beautifully prepared cars (which will all be turned into smoking wrecks by the end of the evening) the cream of the Banger racing world will unleash a night of automotive anarchy as they attempt to wrest the title from the current World Champion and destroy the opposition as they spin, barge and crash their way around the circuit to be first under the chequered flag to claim the most prestigious title in the Banger racing formula.
The fender –bending Bangers will be joined by their armoured brethren, the 1300cc Stock Cars, to add some more metal bending action to the night’s racing.
The Banger World Final delivers a night’s action that blends high speed racing as well as pile ups, rollovers and sheer automotive spectacle that would make a Hollywood stunt director green with envy.
The Banger World Final sells out every year and anyone wishing to catch this unique blend of automotive racing and wrecking is urged to arrive at Wimbledon Stadium as early as possible as doors open at 3pm, with pre-race entertainment at 3.30 and racing starting promptly at 5pm.
CAMSO driver change for Wimbledon World (added 6th November)
Bernie of CAMSO lets us know that 24 Mark de Laat was injured last Sunday at Warneton-Speedway. and because of that he can't do the World Final at Wimbledon. His place will be given to 785 James Ellis (who was in the support anyway). We wish Mark a speedy recovery.
Beech Memorial at Standlake (added 1st November)
The Memorial meeting for Dave 'Beech' Beauchamp will take place at Standlake Arena on Sunday 24th September 2006 - Under & Over 1800cc Bangers are on the bill. I'm sure there will be a large turnout of drivers and fans to pay tribute to a very well thought of man whose passing was a great loss to our sport as well as his family and many friends.
Bedford Camper stolen (added 1st November)
Please keep your eyes out for a stolen Bedford CF camper. The registration number is GTR 569X, it's white with a lift up roof. It was stolen from Pontypridd between 10.30 pm on Tuesday 25th October and 6.45pm Thursday 27th October. If anyone sees the CF or has any info at all please contact the police or email Jenny at jenhughes@mac.com
Hednesford season Finale (added 1st November)
The final meeting of the 2006 season kicks off at Hednesford this Sunday - the VROOM VROOM KABOOM Firework spectacular . .. with BriSCA F1 Stockcars AND TRUCK DEMOLITION RACING and an epic Fireworks Display ... this is a meeting for those who like thier entertainment very big and very loud! If you haven't seen the Trucks around Hednesford you haven't lived - honestly! They are awesome - and this is their final meeting of the '05 Season - traditionally a very destructive and totally unique event!
Minis, Rebels and 2000cc Bangers completing the line-up, the season-finale at the fastest Oval in the UK is looking set to be a cracker.
The meeting starts at 2pm and entry is £12 Adults, £6 Children and Family Tickets (2 Adults and 3 Children) are £32 ... entry includes Souvenir Programme, Grandstand Seating (as available) and parking.
This is the biggest event of the year at Hednesford Hills and a great day out
Coventry 2 Litres (updated 31st October)
Thanks to Northern Steam editor Stu Kearsley for the following info, the Coventry meetings have been a big success and the last one of the year looks well set to continue the trend with a quality line up assembled.
The final banger meeting at Coventry Stadium for 2005 kicks off at 6.00pm this Saturday 5th November with bookings now closed at 63 cars and while more have tried to book in, pit space has limited numbers. All races will be run all in and with 2 heats & final into DD programmed it's sure to produce some rated action, and thats even before you start to question if this will be the latest chapter in the Stinkbridge/Barton Boy feud. Racing starts at 6.00pm with the turnstiles opening at 5.00pm, admission prices being £15.00 for adults, £7.00 for children.
Kings Lynn Pre '70 (updated 28th October)
Thanks to Dave Kirby (you'll also know him as Pete Winter's running mate 611 Taximan) for sending us this photo of Pete's Kings Lynn Pre '70 car, a very rare Mitsubishi Debonair which I think is a first for the sport.
Arena Essex Firecracker XIV (added 25th October)
Now with fully booked with 210 cars booked in as at 25th October 2005, list speaks for itself! The last few additions include 208 Jimmy Randall in a DS420, 600 Mark Johns in a Jaguar XJ Coupe, Invaders 514 Paul Woods and 601 Ste Kaye in a Caddy Fleetwood and Deville respectively, while 102 Mark Deacon joins brother Garry on the list and will be tooled up with either a P5 or Yank.
Northampton 1300cc Open (added 25th October)
This Sunday, the Northampton Open Championship for 1300cc Bangers looks like being a cracker. With lots of interest and a big prize fund, this Banger event will finish the NIR Season off in style.
Visitors to the Raceway include the rated Davies brothers Andy and Shane and with a big field of cars looking likely this small car bash could well be a classic. As well as a big field of Bangers, the Rookies will be going for it in their end of season demolition derby ... always a fantastic session as the Rookies are "let off the leash" for a huge finale to their year.
Full drivers listing will be posted on the Incarace Web Site http://www.incarace.co.uk/ - racing at the this the final NIR bash of the year starts at 1pm Sunday.
Mildenhall Old Skool team championship line up confirmed (added 25th October)
The info below is courtesy of the official RDC website.
The four annual National Banger Old Skool Team Championship has proved popular once again with all 14 places for the event on Sunday, December 4 at Mildenhall becoming fully booked very quickly. All eight of last years finalists have accepted the invitation to return to the meeting which are defending champions the Gypsy Crew, former champions Condoms and Beck Row Bandits plus Allstars, team Kamikaze, Bad News, Twisted Metal and the Luniz. They will be joined by the Bobs, Team Flash and Aftermath who make their Old Skool debut, the Dover Boys, Men in Black and former PRI team champions the Gladiators. We will have much more information soon.
CAMSO organises first indoor banger meeting in Europe (added 23rd October)
C.A.M.S.O organises, in collaboration with the Action Racing School and Vision Events, on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of February 2006 the first EUROPEAN CAR EVENT in the MECC (Maastricht, exhibition, congress center) in MAASTRICHT (Holland).
The organisation want to present a complete new type of event: a day out for the whole family. A big part of the exposition will be dedicated to cars and racecars, but there will also be an indoor fair, a children's play corner, clowns and much more. There is also a 10.000sqm (100m x 100m) indoor arena with shows, attractions and competitions.
On Saturday evening (doors open at 6.30pm) will be organised in the race arena a big spectacle with for the first time the European championship Indoor Bangers (maximum 20 cars allowed, maximum 1650cc). Concerning Short Circuit Racing, there will also be races for Camso V8, F1 Stock Cars and maybe Legends; F2 Stock Cars or a circuit Formula could eventually replace the Legends. Eight of Europe's best drifters will compete for the first European Indoor Drift Challenge. Other attractions on the evening show will be the starting of some dragsters, the top 20 tuning cars and eventually a monster truck and a spectacular tractor-pulling engine. Finally, C.A.M.S.O. will try to present some of the good old F1 Stock Car boys from Baarlo in a recent F1.
The indoor track will probably be the biggest and fastest indoor oval, ever presented in Europe, Great Britain included, with a total length of 220m (660 feet) and 20m (60 feet) wide. Concrete walls will protect the spectators.
The number of spectators for the evening event is limited to 4,000
Tickets can be ordered in advance (20 - 14 Euros) via http://www.europeancarevent.com/ (English page will be ready in about 1 week). Price at the gate is 25 - 17 Euros, if any seats are free. So do not wait and order now.
The participation for Short Circuit drivers is on invitation only. Everybody, who wants to participate, can only book in with the C.A.M.S.O.office.
A selection will be made in function of the number of bookings and the number of cars allowed in the different formulas. (Booking-in for the event, will be closed to all drivers on the 18th of December).
Roland Vandermeersch
C.A.M.S.O. Autospeedway Warneton
Tel.: 00.32.56.588 419
Mobile: 00.32.475.44
91 31
Fax: 00.32.56.55 46 57
Email: camso@skynet.be
http://www.europeancarevent.com/
Kings Lynn Pre '70 (updated 18th October)
The annual Pre 70 Banger meeting at Kings Lynn is now just under 2 weeks away and bookings are being received at an excellent rate. All indications are that the steady improvement in car numbers over the past few years should continue in 2005. If the Banger grapevine is correct, there should be more drivers to add to the current list from the North West area and no doubt more besides.
One point that seems to have caused confusion is the ruling on engine swaps. The key reason for getting people to check up about engine swaps smaller than the original is to stop drivers from putting a 2 litre lump in a blatantly unlimited car and expecting to take it out with the unders. In other words, any engine of 2 litres or more should be fine in any Unlimited car. Similarly, any engine of 2 litre capacity or less should be fine in any car originally built with an under 2 litre variant. Any other requests will be considered on their individual merits – all you need to do is ask! Queries about cars and further bookings should be directed to Banger Manager Shawn Mason on 07816 469582.
A list of drivers booked so far can be found on the lists page.
Arena Firecracker XIV (updated 18th October)
Withabookingsanowahittingathea206amark, the meeting is once again looking superb. As normal, the Jaguar is the most popularatoolawithaarounda80aonathealist,arangingafromaMk1aand Mk2amodelsatoaS-Types,aaa420G,aMk10s,aaaCoupeaandaa handful of XJS's, plus aafurtheratenaDaimleraDS420aLimosaoraHearses.aThere are moreathana40aYanksawith the CAMSO drivers in particular tooled up for the occasion,awitha843aBartaVersmissenabringingaaaFordaGalaxie Country Sedan dating from 1963 and 806 John Gillis a Ford Ltd Country SquireaHearseawhilea51 MichaelaCarrollaand 852aLee Grace have 60's CadillacaLimosaanda754aDave Nicholsaaa1949 BuickaRoadmaster. Rovers number overatwenty soafar,aall beingaP4 oraP5 models,aRolls Royces froma431aDean Steele,a146aAllanaTrickett,a322 Rolly in what may wellabe his Shootout Silver Wraith and lastly 333 Danny Webb with whataI believeaisatheasport's first Corniche. Fans of British tin will also enjoy the Jenson Interceptor from 99 Richard Ahern, 40 Lee Morrow'saAustina3 Litre,a321 Andy Newton'saVDP 4R and 814 Danny Bevan's HumberaSuperaSnipe, whilea882 MarkaThompson brings a Zodiac Limo....thoseaofayouawithagoodamemories will recall his last one at this meeting which snapped in typically impressive fashion, while evenamoreaimpressiveaisathea1930'saHearsea(possibly a Daimler) from materialamana804 Mr Happy. Just one Japanese car on the list with theaCedrics andaCrowns still banned (bring 'em back!) but what a motor it is, 748aMarkaCassidyafollowingaChrisaWhitemanainto the history books with a Nissan President.
While postal applications for advance tickets have
now closed, there are several ways you can still obtain them (at the discounted
prices of £10/£5), these are as follows:
a. Telephoning the Arena Essex
Office 01708 867728 and paying by credit card,
b. Requesting tickets in
person on race days up to 30th October,
c. Visiting the Arena Essex
Office in person (please telephone 01708 867728 in advance to arrange a suitable
time) and paying by cash,
d. Visiting the Raceway Tavern on Thursday
evenings between 8.30pm - 10.30pm when tickets will be on sale
You can of
course buy your ticket on race day at the full price (£15/£7) - gates open at
9.00am
Offshore fans - please telephone the office +44 1708 867728 to
arrange advance payment/collection.
Hednesford 2 Litre World (added 12th October)
Bookings broke the one hundred car barrier yesterday afternoon and with loads of new bookings left on the answerphone overnight, the 2 litre World is looking on target to beat the 140 car target.
The World Final has got bigger every year - and even the famous 52-car World Final race looks like being nudged up to 56 cars such is the demand for places on the grid.
There will be 20 places up for grabs on the day -
with 36 pre-qualified. Pre-qualified drivers represents Banger promotions across
the country as follows:
4 Spedeworth
4 Arena
3 Autospeed
4
RDC
10 Incarace
1 Startrax
1 Bristol
2 Trackstar
2 Skegness
2
Buxton
2 Cowdenbeath
Plus defending World Champion John 'Eno'
Nicholson
A list of the prequalified contenders for the World Final
itself and the last chance racers is on the lists page! Remember there are no
less than TWENTY places on the World Final grid available through qualification
via the Heats!!
Bovingdon Vans (added 11th October)
If you have had enough of the antics of ‘White Van Man’ cutting you up on the local roundabout, or double parking on the High Street blocking the traffic, Spedeworth South (www.spedeworth.co.uk) will give you the chance for revenge as the Banger pilots take Transit vans to pieces in the Big Van Banger meeting at 1.30pm on October 16th at Bovingdon Raceway.
The Vans will be driven to total destruction with scant regard for the rules of the road as the drivers attempt to wrestle their poorly handling commercial vehicles around the track, while wiping out the opposition and grimly attempting to keep their own vehicle in one piece long enough to finish the race – so a bit like White Van Man on his local delivery run, but a lot more fun.
Hertfordshire scrap yards will be full to the brim on Monday, as the Rookie Bangers rev up for their Bovingdon Track Championship Final. With it all to play for, and plenty of scores to be settled from a bruising season, the action will be fast and furious as the ‘light contact’ Rookie Bangers go all out to secure the coveted Track Championship title and silverware.
Fans of non-contact racing will be catered for with the ever-popular Rookie Rods. These budget racers have been a great success for Spedeworth in getting fans off the terraces and behind the wheel. Large grids and close racing are the order of the day and none more so than as the Rookies pile it on in their final outing at the famous Herts racing circuit. Completing the bill, the V8 Stock Cars will be contesting their European Championship at the meeting.
With three great formulas in action, the chance to see your dreams come true in dealing with White Van Man, free parking, and a great view of all the action from high-banked spectator areas, Bovingdon (situated off B4005 Bovingdon, Nr Hemel Hempstead, Herts, on the airfield complex) will provide a ‘vantastic’ day’s racing when the green flag waves for the last time in 2005 on October 16th.
More information from Spedeworth South www.spedeworth.co.uk Tel 01252 322 920
Kings Lynn Pre '70 Fever (added 28th September)
The Annual Pre ’70 Banger Meeting at Kings Lynn goes ahead on the traditional Halloween Saturday night date which this year falls on Saturday 29 October. The format for the 2005 event consists of Unders and Overs with the split at the 2000cc mark. The Triumph 2000 and the Rover P6 may be raced in either class although the same car can only compete in one class on the night. If you want to bring 2 Triumphs along then you can race one in each category! In the Unlimited class, the Series 1 Jaguar XJ can be used. Mk3 Cortinas are not allowed to race. As far as engine swapping is concerned, pretty much anything goes although transplanted engines may not be of a smaller capacity than originally fitted to the type of car concerned unless prior permission is obtained. If anybody is unsure or has any questions about applicable cars and engine swaps, please telephone our Banger Manager Shawn Mason on 07816 469582.
Because of limits now placed on the prize fund allowable at an ORC Banger meeting, start money is not going to be offered at this meeting because it would use up too much of the allowance! Instead, all drivers will receive a commemorative award for attending and the following additional prizes will be up for grabs:
· Best / Rarest car in each class will win £100 and
trophy
· 8 other smart / rare cars (across both classes) will each win £50
and trophy
· The most entertaining driver in each race will win £50 and
trophy
· The usual Kings Lynn Banger race schedule will apply (e.g. £50
for winning the Final and £5 to the leader at the end of each lap of the
Final)
All of this adds up to well over £1,000 of prizes on the night and we are sure you will agree that this is better than everybody getting £15 for turning up which doesn’t come close to covering either car or diesel costs.
As usual, TSR want to promote this meeting as much as possible to ensure that there is another massive crowd for this special evening as was the case in 2004. Therefore, all drivers are encouraged to book in as soon as possible stating where possible what car you intend to race and in which class.
Kings Lynn Winter Banger Specifications (added 28th September)
Despite one or two errors on the TSR website during September, it has been confirmed that the “unders” Bangers racing both at the Nutcracker meeting on December 11 and at the Icebreaker next February will be at an under 1500cc limit. The car specification is exactly the same as used at the 2005 Icebreaker with no upper limit placed on car weight allowing 1.3 Cortinas and Capris to be used amongst other cars. The smallest car allowed is a Hyundai Pony or similar size, therefore no Fiestas, Novas and Micras will be permitted. As usual, any queries about “borderline” cars for these two meetings should be directed to Banger Manager Shawn Mason on 07816 469582.
Coventry Unlimited (updated 26th September)
Thanks to Stu Kearsley of the excellent Northern Steam mag for the following:
Coventry starts this Friday at the revised start time of 7.30pm. Entries are still coming in and are expected to do so up to Friday. Bookings can still be made by either phoning 07815 055071 or by emailing stu@northernsteam.fsnet.co.uk, it is pay to race which is £10.00. There is prize money on offer for both the winners and the entertainers as each meeting sees an Entertainers award of £100.00 handed out to the most entertaining driver. Stinkbridge young gun Ricky Finney, 455, being the recipient of both of these so far. With a full turnout of Stinkbridge on the booking list, 32 Matt Small & 428 Grumpy booked in will he be a little more pushed this time to take it?. Also rewarded are those who go the extra mile with the paint, there are 5 awards of £25.00 each to be paid out this Friday, one earmarked for the smartest car that hasn’t been airbrushed and another that has been done by a drivers mate, mechanic, wife or kids! With nearly 100 cars on the booking list, and some of the sports top names, its sure to be a good night, 7.30pm this Friday.
91 Dave 'Beech' Beauchamp (updated 22nd September)
Sadly we have to bring you the terrible news that Standlake's 91 Dave Beauchamp, better known as Beech, suffered fatal injuries after a follow in at Bovingdon on Sunday.
I never met Dave myself but by all accounts he was a genuinely nice bloke, who obviously loved his racing and had been travelling far and wide this season with great enthusiasm, giving and taking a crash in the proper sporting fashion.
There's so little we can say in these desperately sad circumstances, other than to pass on our condolences to Dave's family and friends - RIP Beech.
The arrangements for Dave's funeral have been posted on the Standlake Arena forum.
Spedeworth have issued a statement which reads as follows:
It is with the deepest regret that Spedeworth South has to announce the death of National Banger racer David Beauchamp, who was involved in a fatal racing accident at Bovingdon Raceway on Sunday, September 18th.
David was a visiting driver to Bovingdon and taking part in the final race of the day when the incident occurred. St Johns Ambulance was on the scene within seconds, closely followed by the Hertfordshire Fire Brigade, Ambulance service and Air Ambulance.
Deane and Janet Wood, Spedeworth South promoters and the entire Spedeworth team wish to express their sincerest condolences to David’s family and friends at this tragic time.
Spedeworth South would also like to express heart felt thanks to the emergency crews, especially the first on the scene St Johns Ambulance, who did all within their power to aid the driver and to offer comfort to his friends and racing colleagues gathered at the scene of the accident.
Deane Wood, Spedeworth South promoter said, “We know that David was a popular and well-liked driver at his local track. We are devastated that such a tragedy should happen to a visitor to Bovingdon and can only join with his family, friends and fellow racers in expressing our sadness.”
Spedeworth South is cooperating fully with the Hertfordshire Police and Health and Safety Executive. A further statement will be issued when the inquiry into this tragic accident is completed.
Bristol Mendips West of England (added 22nd September)
There's just over two weeks to go to the Mendips Raceway Unlimited West of England Banger Championship 2005 on October 9th. This is the oldest Banger Championship in the West Country, and the Bears will back in force, with eleven drivers booked . There are plenty of other top names booking in, and some special cars as well. Full list will be available next week, and it anticipated that last year's total of sixty cars will be exceeded.
Standlake news (added 14th September)
Thanks to Keith Hook for the following
Cheaper Banger racing - For the rest of the 2005
season the £5 day licence will be waived if visiting racers can show they are
registered with any other promotion. Bring your licence and all you pay for a
minimum 3 Heats, Final & DD is the £7 Gate entry.
Heavy Metal Classic
2006 - Sunday 8th January is the date of the biggest Banger only meeting on the
calendar. In a bid to stop the no shows that accompany every booking list there
may well be a booking in fee which will be 100% refunded on the day for racers
that honour their booking. I may well be able to come up with an even more
attractive package for racers attending the 2006 HMC.
Keep up to date on
the Standlake scene at http://www.standlakearena.co.uk/
Bovingdon Open (added 14th September)
Thanks to Rob Daines for the following:
Spedeworth South (www.spedeworth.co.uk) will
provides a feat of full contact racing action at Bovingdon Raceway on Sunday
September 18th when the National Bangers, 2.0 Stock Cars and the hilarious
Reliant Robins take to the Hertfordshire circuit at 1.30pm.
The
National Bangers (limited to under 2.0 litres for this event) always provide
crashes, rollovers and general automotive mayhem at Bovingdon. Add to the
driver’s capacity for generous use of the front bumpers on any given day, the
fact that this meeting carries a cool £1,000 prize money and it will come as no
surprise that cars will be sent to the great scrap yard in the sky in fine style
as the day’s racing progresses.
To add to the day’s fender bending action the all-action 2.0 Stock Cars make a guest appearance at Bovingdon. These big, brutal and heavily armoured cars are popular wherever they appear around the UK and are sure to give the Bovingdon safety fence and recovery crews a hard day’s work as they spin, barge and crash their way through the day’s racing programme.
Racing action of a different kind is on the cards when the three-wheeled Reliant Robins take to the track. Never noted for their handling ability the ‘Plastic Pigs’ can be relied upon to provide scores of rollovers as the fibreglass cars are literally are driven to pieces around the Herts circuit.
With National Banger action, the thundering 2.0 Stock Cars and the grin making Reliant Robins, free parking, and a great view of all the action from high-banked spectator areas, Bovingdon (situated off B4005 Bovingdon, Nr Hemel Hempstead, Herts, on the airfield complex) will provide another value for money, action packed day ‘s racing.
More information from Spedeworth South http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/ Tel 01252 322 290
Autospeed World (added 4th September)
Thanks to Colesia and Simon for letting us know that 271 Dean Goodearl won a wet World Final at Smeatharpe, ahead of 46 Maverick, 202 Kilf and 158 Shane Davies.
Warneton Euro (added 4th September)
Thanks to the Steamer for telling us that 45 Lips won the European with just three others going the distance, two of them from the UK
Rhuddlan wreck (added 30th August)
Many thanks to Brav for these photos of a very impressive Capri wreck from Rhuddlan raceway in Wales, this one probably even more of a mess than Ivan Clarke's big Henham wreck!
Autospeed World Final (added 30th August)
List and information courtesy of the official Autospeed website
The 25 drivers who are seeded direct into the Championship of the World at Smeatharpe on Sunday 4 September, as sponsored by Milber Salvage & Spares, can now be seen on the lists page.
There will be 4 awards of £50 plus trophy for the Best Presented Car - There will be 4 awards of £50 plus trophy for Most Unusual Car. All drivers at the meeting (not just World Finalists) will be eligible for these awards.
All race winners will receive trophies. All drivers who contest the World Final will receive a commemorative award. There will be trophies for the first FOUR finishers in the Championship of the World.
There will be Last Chance Qualifying at the start of the meeting to supplement the full quota of drivers for the grid for the main race.
There will be at least two places in each Last Chance Qualifying race. The number of Last Chance Qualifying races will depend on the number of drivers present at the meeting. Grid positions for the Championship of the World will be decided by random public draw.
Amongst some interesting cars being lined up by other drivers aiming to be part of this very special meeting, 772 Barry Newton of Team Jackhammer has a P4 Rover, and 177 Ben 'The Chicken' Bevan has a Wolseley Limo. There is a track debut planned by 98 Brian (Baldrick) Deeprose. Other notable drivers hoping to progress through the Last Chance qualifying process can be seen on the lists page. Support is provided by the Saloon Stock Cars and Stock Rods.
Autospeed Teamarama at Smeatharpe (added 30th August)
List and information courtesy of the official Autospeed website
Another of the highlights on the Autospeed fixture list, is the annual Teamarama event for the Bangers, and a large number of teams are expected to compete in this £1000 shoot out in Bangers (under 1800cc). There is £1000 of prize money at stake on Teamarama VII. The prize money will be split amongst the top three teams in the competition, with a £100 bonus to the Best Presented Team.
The honour of the first team to book in for the event went to the Jackhammers, since when, the entry has gone into overdrive, with the rest of the entry shown on the lists page. Support is provided by the Saloon Stock Cars and Ministox.
Cream Team departure (added 30th August)
We understand that 116 Mark Want has decided to leave the Cream Team, and so when we next see him it's likely he will be out of colours, a move that may enhance his chances in the forthcoming World Final where internal feuds once again look likely to increase the chances of a visitor taking the title.
Andy Reynolds (added 14th August)
Good to see 27 Andy Reynolds back spectating at Arena on Sunday after his nasty accident at last weekend's Non-Ford where he rolled and was hit in the roof. Andy still has his wrist strapped and a few other cuts and bruises but is otherwise fine and was actually keen to race at the Orgles itself, so we'll no doubt see him back out very soon which is good news.
Clyde Williams (added 14th August)
Following the incident at the World Dirt, Clyde informs me that he had been racially abused by the other driver at a previous meeting, and while not looking to justify his actions, wished to explain to me and other spectators that there was more to the incident than was apparent on the day.
Stock Car debut for 331 Boxer (added 9th August)
Just a line to let you know that the Midnight Runners star had an outing in one of Clark Wells' 1300cc Stock Cars at Arena on Sunday, as well as his customary appearance in the bangers.
Correction re ferries to Warneton (added 3rd August)
David from Allsport Logistics, who have for quite some time been involved in getting banger racers across to meetings in Europe, has asked us to clarify the situation that arose following Marie-Anne Criel's comments we published last week:
I have had a number of telephone calls over the past few days concerning the item by Marie Anne Criel about what happened to her at the ferry port and would like to put the facts straight. Having read the article I feel that a few words have to said in reply to her comments.
Firstly the booking was NOT made by Allsports. As most of our regular drivers know, Allsports Logistics have a full Seafrance motorsport rate, which we always use to put a very large number of drivers who attend Warneton, other events, and European drivers arriving in the UK through CAMSO etc, without any problem whatsoever, P&O, DO NOT, certainly in respect of the type of vehicle that the boys take out, they never have, never will. I can confirm that despite what has been said in the report Norfolk Line have the same policy as P&O, that nearly 95% of the vehicles that are taken over should be a freight booking. Marie Anne tried to put the vehicle on with P&O as a motorhome and was lucky to travel from Calais with P&O in the first place. It was booked on the cheap, was a freight vehicle, was classed incorrectly, and they got caught, and got quite rightly done as a freight vehicle, as simple at that.
If she had taken the time to speak to Warneton or any of the regular drivers that come into or travel out of the UK, this is a well known fact, that P&O do not want to know hence the reliance on Seafrance to get the boys out cheaply for a weekends motorsport as a passenger booking and not freight. I have a sneaky feeling that she knew how the boys travel over regularly via myself, re the 8m motorhomes scenario (the regular drivers will know the score) and tried to book it on the cheap, came unstuck and now has caused damage to the relationship that the Banger boys have with the ferry company that has tried to help them out over the past few years. Her comments about what are commercial vehicles are INCORRECT, and I wish she had got her facts correct before she publishes the fact. All ferry companies are not tarred with the same P&O brush and she has caused quite a few problems with this statement not only for the boys travelling to Europe but to Ireland as well.
Unfortunately, the problem that arose with Marie Anne has caused a few feathers to be ruffled at the port, with both the mentioned ferry companies, with the result that, I have had to have a meeting with Seafrance to sort out the situation. I cannot comment on what happened with Marie Anne at the port but................
On a weekly basis we have around 50 "motorhomes" travelling into and out of the UK on our proper motorsport rate and never had a problem. If anyone wants to try and make a booking on the net with the type of passenger vehicle that Marie booked as a motorhome then fine, if they want to try and put one over on the ferry operators then fine, however please do not spread incorrect rumours that the ferry companies do not want to know when it is in fact your own making.
At the present time, having sorted out the situation that has arisen over this issue, I am glad to say that we will still be able to make the bookings for the boys in the normal way on our motorsport rate with Seafrance both into and out of the UK, the same motorsport rate is also available via me with Stena to the Shamwreck in Ireland, however I have been told that if this type of clear abuse of the system of booking, what are clearly freight vehicles, via the net, with the knowledge that they are not motorhomes, and then the 'slagging off' of the ferry operators publically, will result in there being a maximum length of 6m put on a booking with all vehicles over this length going as freight.
This will mean that the normal 8m "motorhomes" will cost around £285.00 return incl of VAT, and includes 1 driver, plus extra persons at £25.00 each return, instead of our normal cost of around £149.00 return no VAT and inc 9 persons.
In Marie Anne's words you have been warned!
David
Allsports Logistics
Bangers at Coventry (updated 3rd August)
Just to give you the very latest on this one, there are now 42 cars booked, including 14 provisionals, however there a further 10 cars expected from Brampton.
Bookings are still being taken for the next Coventry meeting which is on Friday, August 5th, and like the first one it is a 2 litre limit, no Granadas, big Voles etc. Over 55 drivers raced at the first one a little under a month ago and more than a few took home some of the prize fund, none more so than Stinkbridge Young Gun 455 Ricky Finney who won the best entertainers prize and pocketed £100 for his troubles. Bookings are available by either emailing stu@northernsteam.fsnet.co.uk or by phoning 07815 055 071. After this, there are two further banger dates, September 30th will be for Unlimited bangers while November 5th will be back to 2 Litres. All of the Friday night meetings will have V8 Stock Cars as support while the lone Saturday will have Brisca F1’s as back up.
Northampton v Standlake (added 30th July)
This weekend at Northampton the Standlake boys are coming to take on the local stars in a head-to-head Banger event in 2 litre cars. At stake ... £1000.00 to the winning team!!
Krash Kings (added 30th July)
Krash Kings looks like being a cracker (Sun 7th August Hednesford - 1pm). Sky Television will be filming this Unlimited Big Car Team event. The format is head-to-head and the 8 teams have been confirmed for several months ... see full team listings on the Web Site next week .... Real Steel, Demons, Barton Boys, All Stars, Gypsy Krew, Quality Assurred, Havoc and last year's Champions Crashco!
Teams of 10, Unlimited cars, Head-to-Head format ... an awesome event.
Bristol Mendips Crashmania (updated 26th July)
Crashmania 7 is at Mendips Raceway on Sunday 31st July 2005, the line up of 24 teams can be seen in full on the lists page, while the Steamer's preview of the meeting is on the official Mendips site.
Wes Wills' Racetrack Replicas (updated 26th July)
Just a quick line to let you know that Wes now has a new contact number, he can now be reached on 07887 576762.
Also, the Racetrack Replicas website has been updated with many new photos of the superb model bangers that Wes has produced, these are the most lifelike models around, and can even create the model of your choice from a photo, so have a browse round the site to see what's on offer at www.racetrackreplicas.co.uk
Arlington Unlimited Southern (updated 24th July)
Tris Matthews lets us know that he sponsors a breakdown at Arlington and this Wednesday 27.07.05 his company Specialized Driving Force are also sponsoring each race for the Unlimited Bangers Southern Championship Best Entertainer (we like to reward the entertainers not just the winners). Rumour has it there are over 40 cars booked in and it should be a good meeting. The company details and services are as follows, and several drivers have taken the opportunity to use their services:
SPECIALIZED DRIVING FORCE LTD -
DRIVER TRAINING
LGV C.C+E. C1. B+E (CAR AND TRAILER) PCV/D1
HIAB
(LORRY MOUNTED CRANE) FORKLIFT . MEWP
CAR & TRAILER MANOEUVRING
COURSES
01825 724497
SHEFFIELD PARK NR
UCKFIELD EAST SUSSEX
Warneton World Cup (added 12th July)
Thanks to Tom Claeys for this info from the World Cup, Tom has kindly sent a selection of pictures from the meeting which can be seen here, with lots more to be found on his own excellent site www.bangorama.be
Result of the main race was as
follows:
1st: 259 Geert ‘Limbo’ Roubroeks
2nd: 69 Frankie
Whitelock
3rd: 53 Ben ‘Big Ben’ Holtrop
4th: 136 Clyde ‘Mean & Moody’
Williams
5th: 286 Phillippe ‘The Butcher’ Van Troys
Brandon Bowl at Coventry (added 12th July)
Just a quick line to say that photos from the above meeting can be found on Barry Weatherhead's site http://www.bwplive.com/, go straight to the meeting gallery by clicking here.
Ringwood Summer Open (added 10th July)
Ringwood's 2 Litre Summer Open takes place on Saturday 6th August, and anyone planning to race a Volvo has the option of swapping the standard engine for a 2 Litre Pinto.
Warneton World Cup (added 7th July)
Thanks to Bernie for the weekend's race schedule, please note that Sunday's racing starts at 10am due to the busy programme
Saturday
Gates open 11am - practice
14u00 – 15u30 CAMSO V8
15u30 –
16u00: CAMSO HOT RODS – LIGHTNING RODS – SUPER PRIVE CARS
16u00 – 17u00:
PRIVE CARS – BANGERS
Sunday
Gates open 8am, racing starts 10am
10u00
1. PRIVE CARS A 20
laps
2. BANGERS Last chance qualifier 12 laps
3. PRIVE CARS B 20
laps
4. SUPER PRIVE CARS 20 laps
5. LIGHTNING RODS 20 laps
6. CAMSO HOT
RODS 20 laps
7. CAMSO V8 25 laps
8. BANGERS WORLD CUP 20
laps
13u15
9. PRIVE CARS A 20 laps
10. SUPER PRIVE CARS 20
laps
11. LIGHTNING RODS 20 laps
12. CAMSO HOT RODS 20 laps
13. CAMSO V8
25 laps
14. BANGERS Allcomers 1 12 laps
15. PRIVE CARS B 20
laps
15u30
16. SUPER PRIVE CARS FINALE 25 laps
17. LIGHTNING RODS
FINALE 30 laps
18. CAMSO HOT RODS FINALE 25 laps
19. CAMSO V8 FINALE 35
laps
20. BANGERS Allcomers 2 12 laps
21. PRIVE CARS FINALE B 20
laps
22. PRIVE CARS FINALE A 30 laps
23. DESTRUCTION
BANGERS
Standlake v Northampton (added 7th July)
It is confirmed that the long talked about Banger Head to Head team event between Northampton and Standlake will take place at Northampton on 31st July!! This will be 10 on 10 in 2 litre cars. The Standlake team is already confirmed and we will be releasing the line ups soon.
At stake .... £1000.00 for the winners!!! The meeting starts at 2pm on Sunday 31st July!!!! Alan Tarn leads the NIR stars against Winnie and Bricknell's Standlake outfit. This should be a cracking event, not to be missed!
Birmingham and Hednesford this weekend (added 7th July)
This weekend Birmingham Wheels Raceway hosts a fantastic 4-formula meeting featuring 2 litre Bangers (World Qualifier), Lightning Rods, Hot Fords and Mini Stox. We expect over 120 cars and a fantastic night of racing - starting at 6.00pm.
The action moves to Hednesford Hills Raceway on Sunday with a top meeting featuring big fields of Legends Cars in their Midlands Championship, 2 litre Bangers (World Qualifier) and the National Super Rod World Final. The Hednesford meeting also features the annual Veterans Bangers event - with golden oldies from across the centuries coming out to play once more. Hednesford starts at 2pm on Sunday ... admission is £11 Adults and £5 Children, with Family Tickets available at £29. Admission includes programme and grandstand seating.
Arlington Unlimiteds (updated 7th July)
Just a quick note to say that Yanks will be permitted at the Arlington Southern Championship (Weds 27th July) and Arlington Championship (Weds 28th September), but they must not have any welding on them!
Bristol Mendips Crashmania (updated 7th July)
Crashmania 7 is at Mendips Raceway on Sunday 31st 2005.
Only four weeks to go to the top
summer Banger Team Event-CRASHMANIA 7 at Mendips Raceway. Last year nineteen
teams of four were present, and the Weymouth Wallies once again were successful.
This year there is new competition for the title, and new teams to the Mendips
to watch out for. The following teams are already expected:-
Weymouth
Wallies A and B
Team Mental
Weston Boyz
Southern Steam
Quality
Assured
Allsorts
Impact Squad
All
Blacks
Renegades
Barrow
Reservoir Dogs
Jerky Boys A
Jerky
Boys B
Grimley A
Grimley B
Further details and team members will follow.
Injured drivers (added 5th July)
We mentioned yesterday that 172 Bernie will need an operation after having his nose broken by 136 Clyde Williams at Smallfield on Sunday, the latter banned from Smallfield indefinitely and also from ORC tracks until their next committee meeting. There were two further injuries at the Ipswich Spedeweekend, these sustained on track, 670 Tricky broke his kneecap in two with fragments of bone floating about as well. He had an operation to knit it all back together and was on his way home this afternoon (Tuesday) while 244 Baby Bunny had a bad break on his arm at the elbow and was due to be operated on today. Naturally we wish all the injured drivers a full and speedy recovery.
Smallfield World Dirt (added 3rd July)
A full report will follow as soon as I can be bothered to do one (so don't hold your breath!) but briefly, just over 35 big cars, a good variety with Mk1s from 821 Wingnut, 29 Dave Marsh, 221 Ash Riley (an Estate) and 720 Rog (a Coupe), and a Minster from 150 Ady Barnes which never turned a wheel in anger. 869 Davey Peskett and 32 Matt Small had immaculate Crowns while 153 Lion Man returned his 929 from Crasharama, there was a Series 2 XJ from 415 Richard Berlin, 800 Rob Hayes returned a Rover P4 with 102 Nathan King in a fresh P5, 77 Ethan Dudley had a Humber Super Snipe, 737 Elliott Finnie a DS420 Hearse, team mate 134 Toady an impressive Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
Mid fifties for the under 1600cc class, 373 Kevin Stace bringing a fresh Mk3 Cortina and 415 Flasha a Mk4 although the Alfa Sud Sprint of 235 Jay Randall was probably a rarer motor still.
The overs ran all in, with no last chance races and all cars taking part in the World Dirt itself, an early pile up accounted for many, and long time leader 169 Jason Thompson was caught on the last lap by team mate 28 Ozzie who passed him to take the title, 888 Ralphie third ahead of Turbo Tom, Justin Riley and The Wizard. Justin Riley also took the Allcomers and 102 Nathan King took the Final in his Pinto'd Rover after the event became the unofficial DD. Sadly we also have to report an unsavoury incident in the main race when 136 Clyde Williams took exception to a legitimate hit from 172 Bernie, resulting in Bernie receiving a broken nose which will require an operation. Clyde was given a life ban from Smallfield while Bernie showed commendable restraint and we wish him a swift recovery.
The unders for my money were comfortably the better of the two classes, the Aftermath visitors 400 Kevin and 491 Paul Shinn and 602 Shaun Cooper on form while the Metal Wrecker and Pirates set about one another. The first heat saw a spectacular crash as 96 Martin Bowmaker launched 91 Beech into an end over end roll, and that was topped later as 400 Shinny, with 231 Broughton on the back of him, put 322 Twigo over the bottom bank, taking a tree out in the process with Shinny also clearing the bank and rolling.
Ipswich Spedeweekend (added 3rd July)
Just a quick line to say that 348 Mushy won the English Championship from 22 Dave Vincent and 331 Boxer, plenty of cars and tin here as well and we'll have more news on this soon.
Arena Essex Bans (added 1st July)
From the official Arena site, details of the bans arising from the last National meeting on 5th June. Some of the shorter bans i.e. Boxer Jack have already been served.
All the following drivers have been penalised for mis-use of the safety area and dangerous driving. The penalties vary according to the seriousness of the offence.
169 Lenny Brinkley - 2 months
331 Jason Jackson
- 2 meetings
270 Kelvin Wyatt - 2 meetings
456 Nathan Roberts - 1
month
137 Lee Turner - 1 month
273 Matt Wright - 1 month
347 Ralph
Thompson - 1 month
TSR 617 Jack Overy - Rest of season
On another matter, there have been discussions on using the Mk3 Granada shell for Superbangers, next season, the only problem being replacing the front bumper with something that does not resemble a tank!!! Discussions are ongoing and we will try to keep you informed of any progress.
This would seem a sensible move, with the Mk2s becoming rarer, let's keep them for normal bangers! With the welding that is allowed in Supers and the limited contact in the formula, I'm sure a suitably reinforced Mk3 would prove perfectly adequate for the job.
Bangers at Coventry (added 30th June)
Thanks to Stu Kearsley for the following:
Bangers return to Coventry Stadium next Friday, July 8th 7pm, for the first of 4 meetings this year. The first and second, which is also on a Friday-August 5th, will feature 2 Litre Bangers to ORC rules, ie Bluebirds but no big Volvos, Granadas etc, the 3rd on September 30th will be for Unlimited bangers while the 4th on November 5th will be back to 2 Litres. All of the Friday night meetings will have V8 Stock Cars as support while the lone Saturday will have Brisca F1’s as back up.
Already bookings have been recived from top names like British Champion 131 Wadey, 260 Keith Reynolds & 372 Scully with bookings being returned daily from some of the sports top names who are eager for a go on the immaculate Brandon shale. Bookings are still available by either emailing stu@northernsteam.fsnet.co.uk or by calling 07815 055071. It is £10 to race and this must be paid on return of booking form but bookings will be accepted up to the day of the meeting. And contrary to rumors, numbers are not being limited.
Despite being a late addition to the fixture list, the Coventry management have put their faith in these meetings by putting up a healthy prize fund at these meetings with all heat & consi winners getting £30, the first three in the final receiving £150,£100,£50 respectively while the DD winner will get an additional £50. There will be a further award of £100 to the entertainer of the night while the most destructive driver in the DD will also pocket £100 so both the winners and the crashers will be rewarded. Plus at each meeting there will be 3 best paint awards paying out £25 each.
Trent Raceway re-opens (added 30th June)
Just a quick line to say that the track, in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, has re-opened, half a mile from where the old track was, their newsletter brings more details.
The new season started on Sunday 24th April 2005 (every 2 weeks there after) at 1pm and the gates will be open from 9-30am for the first meeting only.
The track has moved about 0.5 mile closer to 5 Lane Ends and is now next to the MotoX track which is opposite Tatenhill Aviation Centre on the same road as the last track. The track will be a lot better this year we hope with the amount of time, money and effort that has been put into it (a big thanks for the few that managed to help). We have improved the track by hopefully having it with longer straights and wider sweeping bends that doesn’t hold the water as much and hasn’t got pot holes (for the moment at least).
Onto the most important part, it has taken a big, big effort of the management team to get the planning pushed through as there have obviously been a number of objections that we have had to fight and put things in place to get an agreement off residents and the council, so there will / is a few changes which are - there will be NO compound this year - we have been asked to build a bank to restrict the noise level between the track and a near by house which will also help to keep the track out of site (the bank is out of bounds – no standing on top etc). There is also a big focus on the general noise levels, litter and scrap cars / parts etc, please help us to keep everyone happy as we may get visits during the 1st few meetings to ensure we are doing as we have been asked and also keep off the MotoX track and fields etc that surround us (very important) – Thank You. The rules for this season will remain the same with the exception of 2 new rules which are – a FULL exhaust must be fitted in all classes and in Novices a Parent must be present at all times when there child is racing, no Uncle/Aunt etc will longer be accepted in any circumstances (in the case of medical attention being required so the parent can consent any treatment which may be needed). We also ask that people drive on/off the track in a quiet and safe manner ensuring no mess on the main roads (eg spillages of fuel, car parts etc).
The answer to the questions you are all waiting
for!! Unfortunately we have been forced to increase the prices this year on the
licences due to the expense of moving and new measures we have been asked to put
in place, however we have kept the price increases to a minimum as we realise
this is a family track and hope we see you all soon and hope you all understand
the needs for the increases and appreciate the new facilities that will be made
available and general improvements we have made.
FULL LICENCES DAY
LICENSES
ADULT £40-00 ALL £10-00
NOVICE £25-00 BANGERS £12-00 ON
FUNDAY
Gate entrances fees are applicable to all persons entering the
track including drivers, these fees will remain at :-
ADULTS £4-50
EACH
CHILD/OAP £2-50 EACH
We will now have proper toilet
facilities that have been requested during the 2003 season. Litter bins will be
scattered around the track for all of your rubbish.
If you are unsure of the rules they are all
available on the website which is http://www.msnusers.com/TrentRaceway
or you can e-mail
us with any questions / queries on TRENTRACEWAY@aol.com and we can send you
rules via e-mail or post if you don’t have your own computer. There is also some
directions on the web under the location heading as well as some photos of the
track from end of Feb 2005 progress and we will also display updates regular on
the site along with points leaders etc.
Blockbusta at St Day (added 30th June)
Autospeed have announced the first 50 drivers to book for Blockbusta at St Day on Sunday 28 August. The entry includes many leading names in the world of Banger racing, and already there are some interesting cars amongst those drivers who have revealed their choice for the day.
Much early interest centres around the trio of Bruisers, who are each due to race a Lincoln Continental. After the performance of The Bruisers at St Day for Boneshayker on Easter Sunday, it is unsurprising that they are so keen to return again, in such style. 32 Matt Small was voted Best Wrecker at Boneshayker, and the prospect of him charging around St Day in a Lincoln will appeal to many action-seekers.
There is £2000 of prize money on the event. Camping is available within walking distance of the United Downs Raceway, St Day, which should encourage that special Blockbusta Spirit on the Saturday night beforehand, but for those still wishing to take in the delights of Newquay over the busiest Bank Holiday of the year, then driving to St Day from the Cornish holiday resort is no more than a 25 minute journey on Sunday morning.
More information is available on the Autospeed website: http://www.autospeed.co.uk/ and booking forms are available from Autospeed: enquiries@autospeed.co.uk, and of course check out Tracktramp for the Steamer's in depth preview.
Kings Lynn 'Bandit' Memorial (added 23rd June)
Thanks to Al Oxby for the following preview. The booking list can be seen on the lists page.
This Sunday is set to be a cracker at Kings Lynn when both 2 Litre and Unlimited Bangers are in action for the second running of the Bandit Memorial. As expected, Team Black and The Predators are both going to be out in good numbers but a varied selection of visiting drivers in both classes is probably the thing that is going to make the meeting most interesting.
In the Unlimited Bangers, we will get the chance to see Team Stinkbridge mixing it with Team Black at Kings Lynn for the first time in four years and there are plenty of PRI and RDC visitors to help make things lively as well. 557 Paranoid was set to take the material honours in the big cars because he will be Yank powered this weekend but a late booking from material maestro 461 Peter Singleton has given him some competition and there may be claims of “mine is bigger than yours” when the big tin rolls into the pits!
The 2 Litre Bangers are just as varied with the Steel City Crusaders from Startrax booked to bring 5 cars and PRI and RDC again accounting for other visiting drivers.
As well as the proper bookings, there are a further 4 Unlimited and 2 Under 2 Litre drivers that haven’t been put on the list but have nonetheless confirmed on more than one occasion that they will be coming. 253 Steve Askham is also definitely coming but will not be making the choice between 2 Litre and Unlimited until he has raced at Skegness on Thursday night!!
With 60 Saloon Stock Cars also booked in for their National Championship, this Sunday at Kings Lynn is a must-do for all fans of crunching contact action. Racing starts at 1pm and if you want to make a weekend of it, BriSCA F1 Stock Cars and Saloon Stock Cars also race on the Saturday night.
Belle Vue Unlimited Terminator (added 23rd June)
Thanks to Alan Wilde for the following preview, the booking list can be seen here.
Ultimate Destruction is the tag for Sunday the 26th June when Belle Vue Stadium Manchester gets ready to host what it claims to be the its biggest Carnage & Destruction of cars yet seen at the Kirkmanshulme Lane Stadium.
It's the once ONLY a year visit, inaugurated two years ago, of the Wild, the Outrageous, the Mindblowing destruction of UNLIMITED BANGERS and TERMINATOR IV!
A HUGE entry of well over 120 Stock Cars and UNLIMITED BANGERS are programmed for the Midsummer Mayhem and top Banger drivers the length and breadth of the country have been attracted to Manchester such is the profile of the event!
The event has attracted the sports top WARLORDS, Several drivers, renowned infamously as the Brighton Bears make their visit from the South East sunshine resort to take on the Northern Stinkkbridge Mafia of Wilf Speak, Rob Speak & Gary Shovelton together with the Woods and Invaders from Merseyside, The BLOOZ Boys from the Potteries and a whole host of drivers absolutely hell bent on demolition from across the land!
At stake , if it mattered, automatic qualification for the Banger World Final at Wimbledon in November in front of 15000 people! But the psyche of the drivers booked in for this event is to achieve some serious wrecking!
At Belle Vue filming this event is likely to be ex BBC presenter Steve Berry for a Discovery Channel programme and Berry may himself find the bravado to get behind the wheel.
Whilst the Big League Bangers top the bill, BriSCA Stock Cars have a World Qualifying Round at stake with close on 75 cars booked including visitors from the West Country and Ireland.
Lock up your daughters, this is High Noon in downtown Manchester, the biggest, the most awesome gathering of Warlords of Demons of Demolition EVER in the one arena!
A film crew from Mustang Productions have now entered a car for Terminator for a Programme on Discovery Channel in September. The programme is produced by Steve Berry (former Top Gear presenter) and is based on the American Chopper series. It follows the lives of a group of UK bike specialists building a number of specials. It also follows dreams of what they would really like to do and our unfortunate mentioned he fancied Banger racing. Well there's nothing like jumping in at the deep end. A car is currently being built by Deadly- Darren Owen to be delivered to the Vue on Sunday so hold on to your seats lads.
The action all happens at BELLE VUE STADIUM,Kirkmanshulme Lane Gorton Manchester M18 on SUNDAY JUNE 26TH at 6.pm
Additional bookings are still being accepted. Admission prices Adults £12, Child £5, under 5's free, Family ticket £28
Copying from websites (added 19th June)
Please note that information from the pages of this site is not to be reproduced without permission, those of us who run websites try to have up to date and interesting content to encourage people to visit our sites, not so that it can be copied and pasted elsewhere without consent.
I apologise to the vast majority of you who already appreciate, understand and respect this rather obvious fact, and would ask that those of you who haven't understood up to now refrain from copying stuff from the site. If the copying continues, there will be no point in us spending time on publishing information such as driver lists and meeting previews, so the choice is yours.
Team Championships at RDC in August (added 19th June)
Two excellent looking team events take place on the RDC tracks in August, the details below are courtesy of the official RDC website.
As predicted the first ever 2 Litre Banger team championship at Mildenhall on Saturday August 27th has proven very popular with all the available spaces snapped up within a week, in fact due to the demand RDC have extended the entry to 22 teams but book ins are now closed with several again missing out. As said in our previous item on this meeting the event will feature a unusual twist as after the fourth qualifying heat the winner of heat four will pick an envelope at random which will contain one of three choices for the rules in the final. They three options will be
1. Points from the heats carried through to the
final which will be worth double points
2. Points from the heats zeroed with
points scored for the top 10 on the final to decide the winners
3. Old Skool
rules-first car home or last team running wins
There will £800 in prize money and if options 1 or 2 are drawn the money will be divided between the top three teams but if option 3 is drawn it will be winner take all.
Click here for the entry list, we'll keep updating this list in the weeks leading up the meeting with any news or changes to the teams
Entry forms have also been coming back for the 2 Litre Banger Kent team championship at Dover on Sunday August 7th and already most of the available spaces have been snapped up with thirteen teams already booked. Click here for the current list and we will keep it updated as and when the entry list changes.
Barford Unlimited Banger Great Northern Championship (added 19th June)
The 2005 Unlimited Banger Great Northern Championship takes place at Barford Raceway on 10th July at 2:00pm.
In Roman times crowds would visit the local coliseum to watch Gladiators do battle with one another to the death to great applause from a bloodthirsty crowd. They say there is nothing new under the sun and so it with the average crowd at a modern day Gladiator meeting – Unlimited Banger Racing. Out they come to do battle with their steeds and fight until only one is left moving in the Destruction Derby.
So on Sunday 10 July at Barford Raceway, these Gladiators will contest for the Unlimited Bangers Great Northern Championship. The lunatics of stock car racing will be out in force to do battle with one another as they have broken free from matron and descend upon an unsuspecting crowd and make medical history as the only surviving brain donors.
They will come from far and wide in bunches together – we would call them teams but they would prefer the more outlawish ‘bandits’ with names befitting such tyrants. From the north the aptly named ‘The Mob’ will pass through Adrian’s Wall, the very reason it was built to keep them out, and rampage into England’s fair land to make reparations for Culloden. From the west come those who make their own rules, well would you mess with someone who produces nuclear subs – ‘The Barrow Boys and the ‘Levellers’. Then there are the hero’s of the second war, the ‘Dambusters’ and others such as the ‘Blooz Boys’ and ‘Stinkbridge’. What about those from the South? Well, the Brighton Bears did miss a turning and end up in Sheffield one time, but will the ‘Care Bears’ have the bottle to come this far North? Now there’s a challenge!
Instead of the St John’s Ambulance being in attendance, it will be matron and the men in white coats as Lunatics Anonymous do battle to thrill the crowd. See you there!!
The Vicar
Bookings are now being taken for the 2005 Unlimited Bangers Great Northern Championship, drivers who are attending this event please book in by telephone 01833 630113 or e-mail cyrils@ntlworld.com
Cars are to be built to ORC spec, engine changes are permitted
Standlake Summer Open (added 19th June)
Standlake's next meeting takes place on Sunday June 26th, the Summer Open - two Banger classes with the split at 1800cc, £500 up for grabs to spice up the action. All visitors welcome, no need to book in, just turn up and surprise us. £5 day ticket for non Standlake registered racers. More info can be found on the Standlake Arena Website - http://www.standlakearena.co.uk/
Bangers on Holiday Showdown TV programme (added 14th June)
Thanks to Clayton for letting us know that on Wednesday 15th June on ITV1 (9pm) the program “Holiday Showdown” features two families that share their holidays together. One shares their holiday in exotic Morocco while the other shares theirs around Banger Racing in Skeggy for a week! Should be interesting.
Combines at Marienvelde (added 14th June)
Thanks to Bernie of CAMSO for the following.
On August the 7th the yearly Combine Harvesters Stock-Car meeting takes places at Marienvelde/NL. They had 50 Combine Harvesters there last year. We`re racing there with "Unlimited Bangers" as well. Very close to the track it will be possible to camp on a farm, free of charge.
The racing takes place on Sunday with 2 Heats for Bangers and a DD. On Saturday there will be a party in a big tent with live music, all drivers get tickets for free and on Sunday all drivers get in for free and there will be one additional ticket for a mechanic. The promotion will also pay a little bit of start money. There's trophies for the winner of each heat and DD plus trophies for "best wrecker" and "most trashed car".
The racing always takes place in front of a massive crowd. If any English drivers are interested to come over for this event they can contact by phone, fax or email. The village of Marienvelde is very close to Germany in the Eastern part of Holland. The nearest major town is Doetinchem in Holland and the nearest port to go there will be from Harwich to Hoek of Holland.
camsobernie@aol.com
Tel.
0049-2151-313103
Fax.0049-2151-8207951
Mobil. 0049-172-2114846
Essex Classic Car auction (updated 14th June)
Thanks to 396 'Rusty' Kev Harland for this information from his local paper, the Evening Echo.
A little more info - we've been advised the auction can be viewed on Christies website and it is 80% motoring memorabilia ie signs, pumps etc and all cars are pre 1940s, the newest being Austin 7 so please bear this in mind, it's probably best to check the website before travelling - click here to go straight to the catalogue
The Gables Service Station in Rayleigh, Essex are auctioning off their collection of classics on Thursday June 30th and Friday July 1st. The sale is to be held at their garage (through Christies), over 200 cars with prices expected to be from £100 up to £100,000 so there should be some nice tin available for racing at the lower end of the price range (not sure the family who have amassed this collection would relish this though!!). Good luck if you attend!
Coventry banger meetings confirmed (added 5th June)
Thanks to Rob Teasdale and Stu Kearsley for the following news of the banger dates at Coventry this year.
Friday 8th July - 2 Litre Bangers & V8 Stock Cars
Friday 5th August - 2 Litre Bangers & V8 Stock Cars
Friday 30th September - Unlimited Bangers & V8 Stock Cars
Saturday 5th November - 2 Litre Bangers & BriSCA F1 Stock Cars
Standlake Havoc meeting (added 3rd June)
The next Standlake meeting on Sunday 12th June is for under 1400cc Bangers of any sort, and will be sponsored by Billo's Havoc magazine which covers the venue so well.
Westworld Blockbuster (added 3rd June)
Just a quick note to say Westworld will have overnight secure lorry parking but no camping, also children are free for this meeting.
Stock car tragedy at Yarmouth (added 30th May)
Many of you may have already heard of the tragic death of Steve Spink in an accident at Yarmouth on Sunday night, we reproduce the press release from Spedeworth below. There's little we can add other than to express our own sadness at the accident and pass our condolences to Steve's family and friends on behalf of all race fans.
"It is with great sadness that I report the death of Steve Spink, V8 Stock Car Driver number 505, who was killed in a terrible accident at Great Yarmouth Stadium last night, 29th May 2005.
Steve was only 46 years old, married with one daughter and lived in Ipswich. He has been racing for Spedeworth for some 18 years, in several different formulas and is a very accomplished driver. Steve has raced at the Yarmouth circuit regularly throughout his racing career and was therefore very familiar with the track. His death is a huge loss to Oval Racing and to Spedeworth.
In the V8 Stock Car 2nd heat Steve was leading the race by over half a lap. We believe that his throttle cable became jammed open, and that his car skidded into a fence post. There were no other cars involved in the incident, and no one else was injured.
First aid and help from officials was administered within seconds and the ambulance arrived quickly, but unfortunately Steve could not be revived.
We have not received the official Coroners report and therefore cannot comment on the exact nature of his injuries, and the actual cause of death. We shall issue a further press release when this is confirmed.
At present all we can say is that we are shocked and immensely upset, and our hearts are with his family and friends. We extend our thanks to the Emergency services and to all the Officials at the track who acted quickly and with sensitivity and great professionalism during the incident."
On behalf of
Spedeworth
International (East Anglia) Limited
Roy Eaton
Managing Director
Kings Lynn Entertainers League Update (added 28th May)
The Kings Lynn Entertainers League is now two months old and so a points update for those drivers that aren’t on the TSR mailing lists is now called for. For those of you unaware of what its all about, the Entertainers League is a season long competition running at every Kings Lynn banger meeting until November 2005. Drivers receive points every time they race in any full contact Banger class at Kings Lynn and bonus points are awarded for fresh material, smart cars and entertaining action on the track. At the end of it all, there is a cash prize for every driver in the top 12 places in the points chart with a total of £4,500 up for grabs!
At the moment, the top few places are dominated by those drivers that scooped the bonus points for racing at the bus and coach meeting but 2 of these drivers are unlikely to race again this year and will fall down the chart as more conventional meetings take place for the rest of the season. The top points positions so far are listed below (including the BangerStox on May 22) with the corresponding prize alongside for the driver in that position at the end of the year. No doubt there will be one or two people wishing they had won something already, but I’m afraid that there is still a long way to go and masses of points still to be earned!
334 Stu Green - 275 pts £1,000
69
Terry Clarke - 230 pts £750
42 Danny Hathaway - 215 pts £500
315 Eric
Graveling - 215 pts £300
191 Shaun McMillan - 210 pts £280
128 Andy Lack -
190 pts £250
79 Ricky Twell - 185 pts £200
292 Keith Saunders - 110 pts
£180
27 Steve McMillan - 105 pts £160
443 Dave Harvey - 105 pts £150
58
Danny Day - 95 pts £130
253 Steve Askham - 90 pts £100
404 Luke Brinton -
90 pts
525 Wesley Starmer - 80 pts
557 Paul Bowen - 80 pts
998 Wayne
Cottrill Jnr - 80 pts
209 Gary Haresign - 75 pts
333 James Cooke - 75
pts
791 Nicky Young - 75 pts
321 Andrew Newton - 65 pts
65 Shaun
Randell - 60 pts
33 Simon Reed - 55 pts
830 Bobby Wilmer - 50 pts
36
Brett Copestake - 45 pts
110 Michael Howard - 45 pts
In theory, it is possible for a driver to score a maximum of 115 points at a normal Kings Lynn meeting and extra bonuses are on offer at the Pre ’70 meeting in October so there is loads of time for somebody to start in the league and get into a top position.
Pre ’70 Meeting at Kings Lynn (added 28th May)
It’s a long way to the Pre ’70 Banger meeting at Kings Lynn on Saturday 29 October but there is an important change to the format that drivers should be aware of. During the closed season, it was decided that the Unlimited class would be dropped in the face of dwindling numbers of available cars and a 2 Litre limit used instead. However, a number of drivers at the home promotion (including quite a few from the TSR Bangers) have protested that they have already found something suitable for the Unlimiteds and so in the face of driver pressure, the meeting is now going to be run with both Unders and Overs and a cut off point of 2000cc.
Even more importantly, it has been decided that the Triumph 2000 can be used in either class on the night so drivers can choose their formula when booking in or even on the night. However, no driver will be allowed to race in both Unders and Overs in the same car. Engine swaps are permitted and so there is no excuse not to come along if you’ve got something the right age sat in your yard!
BBA National Championship (added 28th May)
The BBA National Championship has found a new home for 2005 at Skegness Stadium and goes ahead on Sunday 19 June with Unlimited Bangers filling the bill. The usual suspects will of course be there but all other promoters should by now have received a letter asking for seeded entries into the race.
Whilst people may think Skegness Stadium is a little bit off the beaten track, it proved itself to be an excellent action circuit for Unlimited Bangers at their 2004 team meeting. Therefore if you fancy a go on the fast East coast tarmac, why not get in touch with your promoter if your promoter hasn’t already got in touch with you? A few different faces have indicated that they will be giving Skeggy a try on this date, so get yourself added to the list and find out why the Unlimited bash last year was such a good event.
Wimbledon season ends with a bang (added 27th May)
Spedeworth South (www.spedeworth.co.uk) will bring the curtain down on stock car racing at Wimbledon for the summer break on Sunday May 29th at 5pm in fine style as the Rookie Bangers grind each other to scrap metal in a six side team meeting and brave (or mad) drivers take to the air in the incredible ramp rollover competition. Non-contact racing will be provided by the Stock Rods.
The automotive carnage will be tremendous from the second the green flag waves as the teams of Rookie Bangers go all out to ensure that their team member is first under the chequered flag by a combination of pedal to the metal racing and very determined attempts to wipe out rivals via extreme use of the front bumpers.
The mayhem on the ground will be equally matched by some airborne madness as Rookie Banger pilots take to the air in the ramp rollover competition. The aim of this event is quite simple, the drivers tear around the circuit at full speed and then run over a ramp on the home straight, taking off in Hollywood stunt man style and landing somewhere along the straight in a car that bears very little resemblance to the one that launched from the ramp. Points are then awarded for distance and amount of rollovers, although all drivers win for having the courage to take part in this daredevil event.
Fans who enjoy racing that does not involve turning cars into scrap metal will enjoy the Stock Rods when they hit the track. Built for speed these evenly matched cars always deliver very close door handle to door handle racing at Wimbledon Stadium, as the drivers pour on the power with mere inches between each car. Add to that the ever-present threat of the car-shredding Wimbledon safety fence and you have a recipe for very tense and exciting racing from this non-contact formula.
Racing returns to Wimbledon Stadium, Britain’s finest stock car racing circuit, on August 14th, until then crash happy London race fans can catch Spedeworth racing action at Bovingdon, Ringwood and Eastbourne race tracks. Full details from Spedeworth South on 01252 322 920 or http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/
Smallfield South East Open (added 22nd May)
While there wasn't a great turnout of Unlimiteds for the South East open, with just over a dozen motors in attendance, they still provided some action as this great shot by Karl Annets of 421 Nutty Nige blowing up 29 Dave Marsh demonstrates. 428 Grumpy won all three races and hopefully resisting the urge to destroy his car will mean that he can do Crasharama after all - let's hope so.
I'm sure Karl won't mind me telling you that lots more photos from Smallfield and many other meetings can be found at his site, http://www.bangerphotos.com/, so check it out!
V6 Granada at Mildenhall? (added 22nd May)
The eagle eyed among you may have also spotted that 85 James Ellis's Mk2 Granada at Mildenhall on Saturday had a V6 lump in it, the engine was however a 2 litre V6 as found on the continent, thus conforming to the 2 litre Granada rule at the track, and it had paperwork to prove the capacity. Whether this sparks a rush of RDC drivers across the channel to source similar engines remains to be seen!
Shootout correction (added 17th May)
Just a correction to our Shootout report, the smart Mk2 Estate raced by 188 Matt Fuller was in fact supplied by Paul Jones Car Sales, who had clearly spent a lot of time, money and effort on its presentation. Sorry for the mistake!
Stolen Cortina (added 17th May)
Does anyone have any information on a stolen Mk4 Cortina, JGF576T, last seen on the afternoon of Friday 13th May and noticed missing on 16th May, it was on private land at Allhallows, Kent, awaiting an MoT. The car is a distinctive Highland Green colour and is possibly the only one left in this colour. It did have a vinyl roof which has now been stripped back and recently had a 205 Pinto engine installed, which is painted red.
If you can help with its whereabouts, please see the topic on the forum here, you can contact the owner that way.
Photos of the car when it was purchased can be seen here.
Camping at Blockbusta (added 16th May)
Just a quick line to confirm that camping will now be available at St Day for the Unlimited Blockbusta on the Bank Holiday Sunday, 28th August.
Wimbledon Pre '70 (updated 16th May)
Just a quick line to say well done to 46 Maverick who became the Pre '70 World Champion at Wimbledon on Sunday night, in his P5 (yeah that one!), so no need to debate whether the title holder carries a gold roof as he of course is already entitled to as the Spedeworth World winner anyway. Forty-six cars were there, and the details below come from Rob Daines.
Keith ‘Maverick’ Painter #46 drove a classic race to win the Pre-1970 Banger World Final at Wimbledon Stadium on May 15th. The win adds another title to the Maverick’s CV on top of the Banger World and English Champion titles.
The Pre-1970 World Final proved to be a real blast from the past with a large grid of classic cars, ranging from the once staple of Banger racing, the A60 through Ford Zodiacs to a show stopping 1950 Humber Pullman hearse – which sadly did not race due to engine problems.
Visiting driver Matt Millen, 924 drew pole position only to see that vanish in the early stages as his classic Rover was overhauled by Robert Jopling’s, 35 Zodiac. Jopling was going well until a very heavy shunt wiped out Steve Anderson, 323 on the scoreboard bend and caused a red flag race stoppage.
With the cars regrouped for a complete restart Jopling had it all to do again and was soon overhauled by Mark Thomas, 25. Thomas tangled with another classic on the back straight and with 8 laps to go the race became a two classic event with star driver 348 Sonny Sherwood powering his Triumph around the wreckage hotly pursued by Maverick’s Rover 3.5. As the laps wore down Maverick’s experience and the power of the big Rover began to tell and he passed Sherwood cleanly on the inside and held onto the front place to take the chequered flag ahead of Sherwood and Mark Welland, 264.
The second outing for the classic bangers saw a repeat of the World Final with Sherwood and Maverick battling it out. Sherwood got caught in pit bend demolition derby and Maverick swooped around the combatants to take the win.
Sherwood had to settle for depriving Maverick of a hat trick when he won the demolition derby in fine style with a head on blitz on the battered Rover P4 of Marty Eighteen, 514.
More action from Spedeworth Southern with the Rookie Bangers 6 a side team meeting and the Stock Rods on Sunday May 29th at Wimbledon Stadium, Britain’s finest stock car racing circuit.
Incarace Veterans meeting (added 14th May)
Thanks to Coventry Avenger 264 Ken Gibbs for the details of Incarace's Veterans meeting this summer.
This years Veteran Bangers at Hednesford Raceway on 10th July 2005 is open to all drivers who raced prior to 1990 and have not raced in the past 3 years. It doesn't matter if they didn't race at Incarace tracks, all are welcome. Free day licences. The spec is unlimited BBA/ORC banger rules.
Anyone who is interested contact - Incarace: 0121 357 7328
News from Autospeed (added 13th May)
Sunday 15 May – United Downs Raceway, St Day – 2.00pm – under 1400cc. Just what the major surprise car which 225 Richy Edmonds intends to use is still firmly under wraps at present, but there is plenty of interest surrounding its identity.
One motor that is know for sure, is a truly 'mint' Marina Coupe which 451 Nigel Belfield will appear with, and he should be joined by a raft of other Renegades, including fellow young guns 452 Anthony Sleeman and 453 Ricky Indge, along with 351 Bulldog and 666 Itchy.
Wednesday 18 May – Smeatharpe Stadium, between Honiton and Taunton – 7.30pm – under 1400cc. Named by some as Vintage Tin night, the customary mid-May midweek offering at Smeatharpe does feature a host of extra prizes, including Best Presented Awards and Oldest Car Awards. It is traditional for some old stuff to hit the track at this meeting – 266 Tiggy having appeared with both a Hillman Californian and Beardmore Taxi in years gone by. For this year, there is already talk of 7 James Charles with an Austin A40 and 77 Ethan Dudley with an Austin A30, and those are unlikely to be the only dated vehicles on the track.
Sunday 29 May – Smeatharpe Stadium, between Honiton and Taunton – 2.00pm – unlimited cc. The biggest 'Open' event for unlimited cc Bangers at Smeatharpe will see another huge entry of drivers competing in Crasharama 7, which carries £2000 of prize money.
Already, with still more than two weeks remaining, the entry has hit 60 drivers, including World Champion 46 Maverick, 274 Giggler, 244 Baby Bunny, as many as ten of The Bears, last year’s winner 45 Lips, and the majority of Autospeed’s star names who are well spread around the country – such as 133 Karly, 207 Compo, 157 Noddy, 428 Grumpy, 100 Sat, 584 Sharky, 283 Webby and westcountry based notables like 66 Spoons, 451 Sprout, 225 Lord Richy, 159 Brains, 190 Pikey, 239 Nemesis and 179 Florence.
A host of drivers are set for their Smeatharpe track debuts, including 110 Yo Yo Man, 40 Lester Freestone and 872 Ben Forbes. There are some noteworthy offerings of ‘material’, and the south west’s top competitor with a flair for the rare, 266 Tiggy, also has something up his sleeve for the occasion.
As always, further information is available on both the Autospeed and Tracktramp websites, http://www.autospeed.co.uk/ and http://www.tracktramp.co.uk/
Arena Essex Past Masters (added 13th May)
Following discussions with PRI Arena Essex, they have now decided to run the Past Masters meeting in 2006, so that it can appear on the Arena Essex fixture list from the start of the season and also so that all those drivers wishing to take part can have as much notice and time to prepare as possible.
This is disappointing news for both me and Glen, whose original idea the meeting was, because some fifty drivers have registered an interest in taking part this year which we feel is a very good number and one which would doubtless have increased had the meeting been confirmed 100%. However, we understand the reasons for the decision and hope that by having longer to promote the meeting and more time for drivers to prepare for it, we can have an even bigger and better event in 2006.
We'd like to thank all those drivers who registered an interest in the meeting, it's appreciated, and we very much hope that you will still be keen to take part in the Past Masters next year, all contact details will be kept and we'll be in touch again once we have more information about the proposed date etc.
Robbie Cole (added 13th May)
36 Robbie 'Shaft' Cole has been in touch with us to say that he's still recovering from the injuries sustained after the big follow in he took at the London Open in mid-February, but hopes to return to work in the not too distant future. Robbie would like to pass on his thanks to everyone that has wished him well, which we're of course happy to do, and all banger fans doubtless wish Robbie well as he continues his recovery.
Horndean news (added 13th May)
Thanks to Pat Smith for the following news.
Forms for the hot-rod open and the banger & prodstox open meetings will be available this weekend at the meeting or you can book in online at the SAA website or download a paper form from the download link on the SAA website.
We now have 4 teams booked in at this early stage for the team raid and have promises of at least another half dozen. Only one Home team has booked in so far, so if any of you are thinking of entering a team best get an entry booked as we would hate to disappoint you if we are over subscribed. There will be a limit to how many teams we can run so get it sorted soon. SAA members pay reduced (club) prices through the gate.
Any questions then email me at patsmithuk@hotmail.com or phone me on 07733378402.
Arena Mk3 Granadas (added 5th May)
Arena held their second Mk3 Granada bash on Sunday 1st May, and while the entry was a slight improvement on last year's first attempt, 17 cars was still a disappointment if not entirely unexpected with the team meeting the next day. The main action came when 331 Boxer buried Giggler 263 Paul Lee on the pit bend, while the results were dominated by the Eastenders, Paul Hunter taking heat and final ahead of Malc Fuller, but the latter beat his team mate to the line in the Rawlins, while 323 Sam Rigby won the DD by virtue of being the last man to pull off!
Thanks to Edd and Brian Anderson for the info, and you can see photos from the meeting and many more from Arena and elsewhere at Edd's site http://www.bangerbash.cjb.net/
Results were as follows:
Heat: 183, 46, 549, 555, 26, 589,
116, 327 n/f
Final: 183, 46, 331, 549, 26, 188, 323, 116, 589 n/f
Rawlins:
46, 183, 323 last car by default 323
Smeatharpe Crasharama 7 (added 3rd May)
Over forty cars have already booked in for the seventh annual Unlimited Bangers Crasharama, with the tin including a Cadillac Eldorado for Welshman 157 Martin Roberts, a Daimler Conquest for former PRI Headhunter 159 Dan Godley who's now based in the West Country, there's a Rover P4 for 772 Barry Newton as well as both Mk1 and Mk2 Granada Limos in the hands of 872 Ben Forbes and 341 Andrew Jones. The full list so far can be seen here.
The £2000 Westcountry Open is coming, for more information visit http://www.tracktramp.co.uk/ and http://www.autospeed.co.uk/
Channel Islands action (added 3rd May)
Thanks to Andrew Sparkes for this photo of him in action in Guernsey. Andrew is also after some rear windows for the Bedford CF ambulance he has on the road, so if you can help, check out the ad on the for sale/wanted page.
Warneton Belgian Open 2 (added 2nd May)
Thanks to Tom Claeys of http://www.bangorama.be/ for the information from the second round at Warneton, go to Bangorama for all your continental racing coverage.
Material: Mercedes Ambulance 13 Peewee, Cadillac Limo 885 Mr. Cumshot, FX4 Taxi 286 The Butcher, Austin 350 Speedy Dirk, Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser 83 Nasty
Results:
Heat 1: 36 Napoleon, 350 Speedy Dirk, 80 Diekie, 665 Brutus
Heat 2: 77 Mr. Taxi, 37 Ralle, 228 Crazy Crunch, 32 Carterstop
Heat 3: 60 Terminator, 74 Massis, 80 Diekie, 96 Crash, 37 Ralle, 30 Sgt. Slaughter, 286 The Butcher
Final: 96 Crash, 80 Diekie, 885 Mr. Cumshot
DD Dead heat 80 Diekie and 785 James Ellis
Check out the Bangorama site to view the heavy follow-in on Peewee, which unfortunately resulted in a double fracture of the driver Pieter Leistra’s leg (get well soon Pieter)
Photos from the meeting, courtesy of Tom and Marie-Anne Criel, can be found here.
Bristol Thunderbolt (added 2nd May)
Thunderbolt 5 proved to be a heavy meeting with some big wrecks and impressive tin, 162 Brett Ellacott retained the title after a battle with running mate 239 Steve Carter, with 199 Jamie Wyatt third, Ellacott also delivering the biggest hit of the day with a huge follow in on 502 Kai May, which I believe left the driver with a broken wrist, our best wishes go to him for a full and speedy recovery.
Photos from the meeting, courtesy of Stuart Bishop, can be found here.
More photos from this meeting and many more dates nationwide at Stu's own site here so check that out.
Ringwood now under Spedeworth (updated 26th April)
Breaking news today is that the Ringwood track is now to come under the Spedeworth South banner, with immediate effect. The following statement comes from the official Spedeworth site.
Spedeworth Southern Ltd are please to announce as from yesterday 25 April 2005, Spedeworth Southern Ltd have taken over the lease to run race meetings at Ringwood Race Way (Matchams Park) for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, due to the short time scale between taking over Ringwood and this Saturday meeting, there will be NO meeting held at Ringwood on Saturday 30 April 2005.
The meeting being held on the 7 May 2005 will run has published with 1300 Stock cars added to the fixture. Deane is holding a meeting this week with John Slack to resolve drivers issues regarding Licences etc.
A further statement will be made by Spedeworth Southern Ltd when everything has been resolved and a letter explaining everything to the drivers will be sent as soon as possible.
If you require any more infomation please contact Spedeworth Southern Ltd on 01252 322920 or e-mail Southern@spedeworth.co.uk
Cowdie World Cup (added 24th April)
Just a quick line to let you know that 47 Andy Davies retained the World Cup up in Scotland, ahead of 326 Paul Picton and 536 Annette Nicholls in an English 1-2-3. 592 Mark Marchant took the DD win after jacking up 55 Smiggy.
Caravans at Bovingdon (added 12th April)
Rob Daines lets us know that there's a full page article on the Bovingdon caravan bash in this week's Motorsport News, the paper has been increasing its oval racing coverage which is good to see.
Standlake Rookie Series (added 4th April 2005)
Standlake Arena racetrack kicks off its new 2005 Rookie Banger Series on April 17th with a 1400cc limit on the cars. Subsequent meetings are July 10th with a 1600cc limit and October 9th with an 1800cc limit. The series is to be seen as an opportunity for new racers to make their track debuts before hopefully making the transition to full contact Bangers. Contact is limited to nudging, leaning and spinning to the infield only. Following in, spinning towards the Armco and jacking stationary cars are not allowed with any offenders being loaded and banned from the series. The series carries a cash incentive for the top racers at the end of the series.All racers are welcome, anyone interested should visit http://www.standlakearena.co.uk/ and click the Rookie Bangers tab to find all the info and rules about the series.
Of course we're not forgetting the Bangers as all three meetings will also see 2litre full contact Bangers in action.
Caravan Carnage at Bovingdon (added 24th March)
Rob Daines lets us know that there's an article on the Bovingdon caravan bash on the BBC website, see the article here.
Matt Nutley wins single seat drive (added 18th March)
This week's Motorsport News has the news that Ringwood's 80 Matt Nutley has won a drive in the British Racing Driver's Club Single Seater Championship. Around 320 drivers entered the competition, racing karts and Renault Clios, with 40 pre-finalists whittled down to eleven, Matt coming out on top to win the prize drive. Understandably, Matt wants to give this great opportunity his full attention and with the possible injury risks with bangers, that will be taking a back seat for the time being. Well done to Matt and we wish him the best of luck in the Championship.
Warton Metal Mania (updated 18th March)
Singy, Warton's 461 Pete Singleton has been in touch to confirm that Metal Mania is not being re-run as such, but the meeting on 17th April will include the Metal Mania races in addition to the scheduled programme of Warton formulas, which will all have at least four races each. Scrutineering and rules will be to Warton's normal rules. While Singy sponsored the original meeting, this won't be the case for the meeting on 17th.
Mark Marchant (added 18th March)
Thanks to Tony Woodroffe for letting us know that Mark Marchant was in hospital for two days following the huge head on with 245 Colin Burnham at Arena's Non-Ford opener, and had an operation on his knee which needed 25 stitches, but he is ok and even managed to limp up the Raceway Tavern bar on Thursday night! Our best wishes for a full recovery go to Mark.
Arena Essex update (added 9th March)
Thanks to Tony Woodroffe for letting us know that Arena Essex now have a new website up and running. The site is still in its infancy but has information such as fixtures, rules and news, with many more features to be added in due course. The site can be found at the new address of http://www.arena-essex-raceway.co.uk/, so take a look.
Warton Metal Mania (updated 8th March)
Thanks to Singy, Warton racer and sponsor of Metal Mania, 461 Pete Singleton for updating on Sunday's unfortunate accident at the track when the pit gate burst open after it was hit by a car. Two officials have been injured, one breaking his leg in three places, and he's doing fine after an operation, the other remains in intensive care after two lengthy operations to repair the lower part of his right leg, he has also had major surgery to his shoulder and severe lacerations to his face and head, the latest from the hospital is that he is in a stable condition.
Health & Safety have been to the track and agree it was just an unfortunate accident, as long as repairs and improvements are made in time the Easter Meeting will go ahead.
We would like to send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were hurt.
The latest news can be found at http://www.wartononline.com/
New prize money schedule at TSR (added 4th March)
Thanks to Al Oxby for this news.
Have you ever noticed that the Banger drivers who rod around the ovals and drive around every car in their path often leave the track with most of the money? Does this wind you up? Well, TSR have got good news and bad news for you.
Starting with the bad news, the pay schedule for all Kings Lynn Banger meetings in 2005 (Micro Bangers, BangerStox, 2L Bangers and Unlimited Bangers) has been increased and every fixture will pay the following amounts on race positions as a minimum:
Heats: £20, £15, £10
Finals: £50,
£30, £20, £10
In addition to this, the leader at the end of every lap (except the last lap) of the Final at each meeting will receive a fiver. So if you lead for four laps and then get taken out, you still get £20!
Certain meetings will pay an enhanced prize schedule. In summary, that’s a whole lot of cash for the flying rod brigade!
The good news is that crashing and entertainment will also be making the headlines in 2005. Saturday 19 March is the launch night of the 2005 Kings Lynn Entertainers League – a major new incentive to inject some extra showmanship into the racing scene. The finer details of the points tariff are enough to bore the pants off the most hardened Bangerak, but the basic idea is that every Banger meeting (including vans and buses) will offer every driver an opportunity to collect points. There will be points for turning up, points for smart cars, points for material and points for getting stuck in and having a crash. In fact, if it puts a smile on your face then there will probably be some points for it!
The League is open to anybody and everybody that races Bangers at Kings Lynn in 2005 and at the end of the year, the driver at the top of the league takes home £500. On top of that, there will be another £1,000 spread out across the next 11 drivers in the league. That’s a whole lot of cash for failing to finish most of the races!
Whatever floats your boat and however you like to race your Bangers, you can be a big winner at Kings Lynn in 2005.
For more details about the Entertainers League, keep your eye on the TSR website and also the Trackscene magazine throughout the year.
Change of ownership for GRA (added 1st March)
Thanks to Brav for bringing to our attention the change in ownership of GRA, owners of Wimbledon and Belle Vue as well as other venues not also running stock cars. It will take a while before the implications of this become clear, but in the meantime you can read the thoughts of Belle Vue promoter, Steve Rees of Startrax on their forum here.
Swaffham and Standlake (added 1st March)
While I had my feet up on Sunday, the two main meetings were well covered elsewhere. Photos from Swaffham Hurricane can be seen at http://www.crashattack.cjb.net/ and from the 3 Litre meeting at Standlake http://www.bangerphotos.cjb.net/ and Stu Bishop's site. Swaffham saw success in the unders for 119 Cruncher while 617 Jack Overy took the honours in the bigger cars, where RDC's 425 Martin Stopher raced the sport's first Vauxhall Omega, as predicted here a few weeks back.
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