Dover Raceway
Sunday July 10 2016
National Bangers Kent Team Championship, Bangerstox Richad Randall Memorial Masters QF, Super Rods Masters QF and Ministox Kent Open

The Kent Team Championship raised a slightly better than expected field of 25 National Bangers at Dover on July 10 spread across eight teams (BA=Banana Splits A, BB=Banana Splits B, DA=Dover Boys A, DB=Dover Boys, DN=Team Deano, TA=TMT A, TB=TMT B, TC=TMT C) although only four had a full compliment of four while three could only muster two with an all Ford entry, DA673 Darren Fendley putting in the miles to attend.

A full field for heat one which was a brutal start to the afternoon. TB444 Charlie Jackson stuffed by BA108 Kieran Jefcote and DB746 Tony Jarvis while DN148 Dean Jackson thundered in BA11 James Spriggs with the reds flying with concern for BA81 Lewis Greenwood on the pit bend. The race resumed with DN219 Dan Matthews lunging at and stuffing BB105 Chris Jacobs before TB141 Gary Lee stuffed 11 Penfoold and TA571 George Goodearl did the same to 148 Deano before TC383 Shane Harvey zeroed in for a solid head-on to Penfold, the latter then nailed by TC165 George Segwick, the latter continuing to bury BB26 Robin Ash with 383 Chimp blasting the latter to boot, Ash also copping a rear wheel hit from TB200 Ash Grieson who continued to hit Deano on the nose. BB144 Jordan Godfrey then hammered Chimp on opposite as 141 G Man crashed into the infield banking. Deano hit back with a shot on 108 Squeaky and he then planted him into Segwick as TA592 Mark Marchant trashed Ash with a killer hit. Chimp now set about Squeaky as BA557 John Small met TA741 Charlie Daniels on the nose with TA123 Tony Hutton blasting the former in turn only to come under immediate fire from DA53 Dave Palmer. The on opposite Segwick stopped DB346 Scott Saunders with a head-on and 144 Bungle followed suite to T-bone the former only to take one himself from Jackson. TB80 Gavin Wood attacked Palmer but was smashed into Ash’s wreck by DA188 John Reeves as Fendely nailed Grieson. Goodearl turned round and Palmer met him on the nose as Segwick and Fendley enjoyed one of the same while 123 Curly also turned round to meet 188 Victor head-on with 592 Mad Mark nailing the latter to snatch the win, Victor recovering for second and Goodearl third but with all four cars among the seven finishers the Dover Boys A set the pace, Palmer ending the action with a hit on Wood while Deano took the entertainer award.

17 returned for heat two which was another belter. Curly began by thundering in Jacobs and 746 Ted with Matthews connecting with a T-bone on Jacobs before Goodearl set about Palmer who in turn laid into Grieson with Deano then smashing the latter into TA741 Charlie Daniels as Chimp hammered Ted and Palmer met the on opposite G Man on the nose. Jackson span Jacobs into the back straight banking before Goodearl grabbed hold of DB346 Scott Saunders and followed him with an absolutely titanic hit on the bottom bend which brought the reds out for the latter but after a few minutes he was able to exit under his own power. Goodearl again set about Palmer on the restart and span him while Mad Mark lunged at and buried Fendley with 349 Finbarr homing in for a big hit on the former only to take a T-bone from the on opposite Curly. Woody also attacked Finbarr as Goodearl piled Matthews into the infield banking and in a TMT miscue Chimp hit Curly on the nose. Palmer turned round to set about Wood but took a head-on from Jackson before the recovered Finbarr drilled 741 German Jnr into the wall. Wood fired into Palmer on opposite which in turn wiped out Curly with Palmer then hammered but hits from Mad Mark, Chimp, Wood, German Jnr and Curly, the latter deemed one hit too many and earning him a load up with the race called early to check on Palmer who was fine and rewarded with the entertainer trophy for his determined effort. Jackson took the win from Fendley and German Jnr, just six finishing with TMT A closing the gap to just four points on the Dover Boys A for the final.

Only nine cars made it out for the final and crucially there was no Dover Boys. Chimp turned round and the leading Matthews happily nailed him with a head-on, Chimp then targeting Deano who returned the hit with a crushing T-bone a lap later, Deano then turning round to silence Jackson with a couple of hits. German Jnr reeled off the laps to win from Mad Mark which claimed the title for TMT A while Matthews and Deano were the only other finishers but missed out on taking second from the Dover Boys A by a single point, Matthews getting some consolation with the entertainer trophy.

Six for the Accumulator and Chimp was again on opposite and Matthews again happily blasted him with a head-on with Deano then nailing the former in similar fashion only to come under fire from Jackson. German Jnr then powered into and span Deano who duly set off on opposite to nail Jackson. Mad Mark won with German Jnr the only other finisher and we moved into the DD which all the survivors contested. Deano zeroed in for a belting head-on to Chimp as Mad Mark fired into and stuffed Jackson and German Jnr nailed the game Deano. The latter battled on and again hammered Chimp which left him prone to a big hit from the on opposite Mad Mark. Jackson also laid into Deano as did Mad Mark again but a hit from Jackson finished Mad Mark but Deano battled on but two more hits from Jackson finally finished him, Deano compensated with the entertainer award while the two man Team Deano were named the best entertaining team.

Heat one: TA592 Mark Marchant, DA188, TA571, DA673, DA349, DN148, DA53 Best entertainer: DN148 Dean Jackson
Heat two: TB444 Charlie Jackson, DA673, TA741, DN219, TC383, TA592 Best entertainer: DA53 Dave Palmer
Grand Final: TA741 Charlie Daniels, TA592, DN219, DN148 Best entertainer: DN219 Dean Matthews
Accumulator qualifier: Marchant, 741
Destruction Derby: CharlieJackson from 148 Best entertainer: Dean Jackson

The penultimate Masters qualifier attracted another massive field of Bangerstox with 54 cars on hand although a couple failed to race, the meeting also featuring the Richard Randall Memorial event and it was pleasing to see a near 100 per cent attendance among those booked in with the field boosted by a handful of extras on the day.

21 white grade drivers for heat one with 28 Shane Howland earning an instant penalty when he sent 99 Brad Epps spinning as 83 Paul Apps set the pace while newcomer 96 Stuart Howland battled to second and a crash with 62 Phil Cook sent 95 Lewis Ochwat and 28 Bubbles around. Howland reeled in Apps with five to run as 37 Liam Club suffered a spin and 13 Tracey Gilbert battled Stuart Howland over second. Apps took the win but received a two place penalty for excessive contact and so Howland inherited the win with 13 Mrs B second.

Heat two was also the Richard Randall Memorial and featured the top 18 in the points chart with the race again run to non-contact rules. 60 Nathan Port set the pace as 46 Mark Jackson slipped past 7 Joe Marsh for third and 78 Bobby Miles made an early move on 88 Nick Dash. 33 John Butcher eased into the lead as Miles continued his early progress with a pass on 36 Paul Club and 15 Jay Powell got the better of 11 Heather Green. Marsh then bested Port for third and soon joined Butcher and Jackson in the race up front with 43 Steve Cross the joining them, the latter eventually working his way into the lead and opening a big advantage. Miles got the better of Butcher for fourth as 71 George Treeby earned an immediate black flag when he sent Marsh spinning. Miles now used the inside to pass Jackson for second which proved vital as Cross took the flag but, along with Jackson, Marsh and 15 Powelly, was found guilty of breaking the non contact rules and dropped two places and so Miles inherited the victory from 70 David Leaton.

Heat three was mainly a white grade affair and fielded 22 cars with Mrs B quickly getting the better of 82 Gareth Garratt for the lead only to slide into the fence in the tricky conditions and Apps picked up the lead from Cook and Garrett with 73 Andy Taylor passing the latter for third before 49 Will Parrish got the bottom bend all wrong and rolled off the banking to bring the reds out with a complete restart ordered. Apps led this away but again it was short lived as Mrs B went round and was collected by the pack and again the reds flew and a complete restart needed. 55 Rikki Barnes set the pace this time with 45 Harry Marsh quickly into second but he came under pressure from Apps as Howland raced into the lead. Cook attacked 85 Alfie Hover in the race for fourth which allowed 77 John Kingsley to slip passed as Apps and Marsh enjoyed a great battle over second and Kingsley and 24 Neil Jones did the same for fourth. The final laps saw the leading Howland come under attack from 72 Ryan Taylor who took him out towards the fence earning him a penalty and Apps nipped past to snatch the win with Howland recovering for second and Marsh third, Jones just beating Kingsley to the line for the fifth and final qualifying spot while 29 Liam Hover also earned a penalty for sending 52 Justin Harris around in the final stages.

Heat four was another all white grade affair and fielded 16 cars with 23 Shane Spencer going around and collected by 4 Pail Harris before Liam Hover sent Port around on the back straight and he was collected heavily by 74 Jay Gilby which brought the reds out to assist Port. The complete restart was headed by 89 Vicky Dash who was soon joined by 41 Aaron Club and Hover in the race for the lead with Club eventually grabbing the spot as behind Alfie Hover, 5 Dan Club and Butcher battled over fourth, Club able to grab the spot but he then sent Dash spinning which earned him a penalty as Harris crashed onto the infield and performed a spectacular double rollover to bring the race to an early conclusion, the driver ok despite the violent nature of the crash. Aaron Club was the winner from Butcher and Spencer.

The yellow, blue and red grade contested the final heat with 94 John Armstrong making the running before 91` Ben Lawrence expired on the back straight and was collected heavily by Cross which also sent 92 Amy Harper spinning but the race was able to continue with 32 Glynn Butcher and 53 Leigh Garratt fighting for third. Joe Marsh slowed while lying second but came into worse problems at the end as he became the day’s third Bangerstox roller, going onto his roof on the bottom bend. The result was declared with 94 Roly the winner from Butcher and Garratt, a late charge by Powelly earning him the sixth and final qualifying spot after a brave outside line pass on Miles and 9 Chris Young.

20 qualifiers for the Grand Final but again the reds were out early when Spencer and Aaron Clubb tangled with Apps and the former’s efforts to avoid spinning the latter saw Apps collect Club who hit the infield banking and rolled on impact. John Butcher led the complete restart and was soon joined by Dan Club and Alfie Hover in the race for the lead, Club able to break away and a race for third developed between Apps, Hover and Spencer as Butcher again challenged for the lead, these two then tangling on turn three and Apps slipped into the lead with Club, Spencer and Butcher now fighting over second as Nick Dash started making fine progress, passing Hover and Leigh Garrt on the outside as he climbed to fifth before Hover produced the afternoon’s fifth rollover in the formula and again the reds were needed. Dash was quickly into third on the restart and boldly emerged from a three abreast fight with Club and Apps to take the lead with Powelly following him through to move into second and that was how it stayed with Apps taking second after Spencer sent Club spinning on the final bend in the race for third, this earning the former a two place penalty.

A B Final was once again added for the non-qualifiers and 16 drivers took part with Harper going round and collected by Green on the freshly watered track with 14 Callum Merryweather also spinning which caused a multi car pile-up on the bottom bend as Charles set the pace. Young, 79 Jamie Walker and Paul Club also got collected in a heap on the bottom bend as Green climbed the banking on the bottom bend, Liam Hover also collecting the banking and hit by 27 Dean Thompson. Charles led the field to half way but then expired and Kingsley inherited a massive lad he would not lose, Young battling through for second while Harper just beat Thompson to the line for third.

Heat one: 96 Stuart Howland, 13, 83, 100, 73, 82, 5, 55, 41, 4
Heat two/Richard Randall Memorial: 78 Bobby Miles, 70, 43, 33, 46, 88, 9, 92, 15, 32
Heat three: 83 Paul Apps, 96, 45, 39, 24, 77, 85, 23, 2, 74
Heat four: 41 Aaron Club, 33, 23, 85, 5, 14, 29, 74, 27, 37
Heat five: 94 John Armstrong, 32, 53, 39, 71, 15, 78, 9, 43, 49
Grand Final: 88 Nick Dash, 15, 83, 78, 71, 23, 53, 32, 24, 39
B Final: 77 John Kingsley, 9, 92, 27, 37, 79, 2, 28, 74
Grade Awards: Apps (white), 53 Leigh Garratt (yellow), Miles (blue), 15 Jay Powell (red)

A decent field 11 Ministox gathered for their Kent Open and heat one began with a quite superb battle for the lead between 342 Freddie Crittenden, 318 Codie Reeves and 308 Molly Smithson, the trio changing the lead five times in only a couple of laps before the fight was halted when 349 Lewis Saunders rolled on the bottom bend. A complete restart was ordered and this time 342 Little Critter made the break as Smithson bested Reeves for second, the latter then dumped out by 383 Megan Tutt who continued to lunge at Smithson in a bid for second but this allowed 350 Liam Webster to slip through. Smithson attacked Webster which allowed 303 Jacob Bromley to close in and he soon raced into the lead and motored to the win while behind 339 Harry Atkins battled hard to catch and pass Little Critter to take second.

Down to 10 for heat two and Smithson lunged at Little Critter which allowed Reeves to join them in the race for the lead as behind Atkins dive bombed 514 Abbie McGuinness for a place allowing Bromley to fire the former wide but Atkins came back and shoved his attacker into McGuinness. Smithson led the field to half way with Reeves and Little Critter in pursuit and behind Bromley and McGuinness barged past Webster. Little Critter then lost a little pace making it a two way scrap up front with Reeves taking the top spot but Smithson showed no mercy and shoved her wide to not only regain the lead but open an advantage, Reeves then cruelly expiring on the final lap to deny her a maiden podium while Bromley just held off Atkins on the line for second.

10 again for the title race but it became nine when Saunders failed to start but nonetheless it was a superb race. Bromley made the most of his pole start to take the lead but Atkins was on his tail and made contact more than once but was unable to dislodge Bromley and while the latter was able to record a flag to flag win, Atkins more than made him sweat, shadowing him the whole race and never much more than car length or two behind but just unable to strike. Meanwhile the race for third was equally brilliant, primarily between Reeves and Smithson, the former able to race past her rival a couple of times but each time the determined Smithson shoved her wide and allowed her to regain the spot. As Bromley was taking the flag, Reeves went for third one last time, rocketing up the inside of Smithson on the final but such was her speed and Smithson trying to make the bend it sent the unlucky Reeves around, McGuinness equally unfortunate as she crashed up the banking and failed to finish. Smithson took a hard fought third and Little Critter was fourth, Webster and the recovered Reeves the only other finishers and they claimed the white grade awards.

Heat one: 303 Jacob Bromley, 339, 342, 308, 318, 383
Heat two: 308 Molly Smithson, 303, 339, 342, 514, 350, 349, 383
Kent Open: Bromley, 339, 308, 342, 350, 318

Super Rod numbers returned to double figures for the third Masters qualifier, the field boosted by the debut of 86 Jason Wood who led heat one away with 87 Robin Miles making quick passes on 12 Dan Elliott and 72 Dean Worriner to climb the early order while 75 Neil Parker slipped up the inside of 85 Jack Miles with 88 Stacey Reeves on his tail as Parker now passed 90 Billy Perry on the inside and again 88 Doris was able to follow him through before the pair switched to the outside to pass Worriner. 35 Cyndi Bradley eased past 7 Nat Tutt for second as the race hit half way with Parker able to slip past Elliott and Robin Miles when they clashed wheels on the pit bend. Wood then drifted wide in the tricky conditions and Bradley moved into the lead but she also went wide and Parker was able to squeeze through to claim a hard earned win with Bradley second and Wood holding off Doris for third.

Down to nine for heat two and Tutt set the pace this time as Robin Miles used the outside to pass Bradley and then Wood and climb to second as Perry, Jack Miles, Parker and Doris squabbled over the minor places, the former able to pass Elliott on the inside for fifth with Miles following him through as up front Robin Miles stepped up to challenge Tutt for the lead and was able to make the pass on the outside on lap eight. Meanwhile Jack Miles used the inside to pass Perry for fifth with Parker on his heels to also make a pass, Miles and Parker then clashing wheels in the final lap which allowed Perry to just beat the latter home for sixth as Robin Miles won from Tutt and Wood.

Back to a full field of 10 for the final which was a brilliant race. Parker quickly moved passed Bradley on the inside for third as Robin Miles used the outside line to take the lead from Wood, Parker doing the same to move into second as Doris quickly raced into fourth and behind Bradley and Jack Miles fought over fifth. Doris stepped up and challenged Wood for third and took the place with an outside attack while Jack Miles did the same to Bradley. Up front we had a three way battle between Robin Miles, Parker and Doris as the race hit half way, the three enjoying a quite superb tussle for the top spot, Parker briefly getting his nose out front but Robin Miles dug his heels in and hung onto the inside, refusing to let Parker complete the pace and he regained the upper hand. The critical moment came when the leaders encountered the back marking Worriner, Miles able to pass him much quicker and that proved key in him taking the win, Parker having to settle for second and Doris third while in a photo finish Elliott just beat Tutt to the line for eighth.

Heat one: 75 Neil Parker, 36, 86, 88, 87, 7, 85, 90, 72
Heat two: 87 Robin Miles, 7, 86, 35, 85, 90, 75, 88, 12
Grand Final: Miles, 75, 88, 86, 85, 90, 35, 12, 7, 72

Another hugely enjoyable afternoon at Dover Raceway in spite of most miserable conditions at start time with a hard hitting afternoon of National Banger racing, the two heats being savage affairs and while the second two suffered from small entries they still delivered some action and big hits, another enjoyable Bangerstox session which featured a remarkable amount of rollovers, a fine Ministox outing highlighted by a brilliant title race and another good showing from the Super Rods with a brilliant battle in the final. It was also pleasing to report the bumper 17 race programme was completed in little over five hours although this was helped by the lack of a need for watering from the earlier rain although this was in fair cancelled out by the amount of race stoppages in the day.