Dover Raceway
Sunday June 26 2016
The Dick Tracey Memorial Meeting
Unlimited Bangers Dick Tracey Memorial and Kent Championship, Bangerstox Masters
QF, Super Rods Masters QF and Ministox
The Unlimited Banger Kent Championship
also played host to the Dick Tracey Memorial meeting and raised a very
respectable and actually slightly better than expected field of 25 cars on June
26, the number boosted by six extras on the day who narrowly outnumbered those
who didn’t honour their booking and given the limited notice for the meeting is
was hugely pleasing to see how many had made a special effort for the day
including many old faces out in memory of the long serving Kent based racer. For
the second year running 145 Dave Bradley had a Volvo 740 limo while 153 Martin
Charles was a welcome returnee with a series 1 XJ and 141 Gary Lee had a simply
stunning looking Mk2 Granada. He wasn’t the only one to impress in the paint
department with 639 Tye Williams (Supra), 222 Karl Kelly (240 estate), 34 Paul
Beavis (Omega), 88 Jason Anderson (Omega estate) and 94 John Armstrong all
excelling and rewarded with top car awards and it was impressive that just seven
cars were used, these including a Rover P5 coupe for 924 Matt Millen and Mk1
Triumph 2000 for 384 Liam Conway.
After a parade of drivers and the presentation of the top car trophies, the
entire field gathered for heat one and set a cracking tone for the
afternoon. 115 Darryl Garrett (740 estate) fenced 101 Ian Norris while 222
Tricky Dicky Jnr came under fire from 746 Tony Jarvis (740 estate) and Williams
combined with 148 Dean Jackson (XJ8) to bury Anderson while 141 G Man lunged at
and span 383 Shane Harvey (300). G Man continued to blast Charles but was nailed
in turn by the recovered Anderson who was hammered in turn by the S Type of 188
John Reeves as 502 Kayligh Dighton (740 estate) opened his account by powering
into 358 Lewis Ilsey (740 estate) and he thundered him in to boot as Tricky
Dicky Jnr nailed Williams and was hammered by 2 Sean Swinborn (240). 502 the
Chief continued to trash Anderson on the pit bend as 271 Dean Goodearl fired 56
Fred Charles (740) into the fence and Conway then piled Martin Charles into 101
Bam Bam who copped the hit in the door but was thankfully ok with Fred Charles
arriving for a revenge hit on Conway. 271 Deano then thundered 34 Beaver into
the pit bend wreckage to take the lead only to then expire shortly after as 148
Deano ran in welcome returnee 20 Andy Burbridge (300). The recovered Beaver now
powered into 746 Ted and span him as 2 Swizz lunged at and span Tricky Dicky Jnr
before the Chief delivered a wicked front wheel hit on Ted only to take a
stonking shot in turn from Beaver with the reds flying for Ted’s whose harness
had undone on impact although Deano was already committed to trashing Beaver to
conclude a superb opener. Williams was declared the winner from Beaver and 924
Mr P5 with the Chief the best entertainer.
Impressively 17 returned for heat two and they picked up where they left
off with Williams powering into and smashing 115 Flymo into the banking while
Tricky Dicky Jnr stuffed Fred Charles with Williams continuing to follow in 145
Muppet which also claimed Tricky Dickey Jnr as Deano found Fred Charles for a
head-on. The Chief then buried the recovered Muppet as well as Bam Bam and 259
Dan Poole (Previa) homed in for a big hit on the limo only to take a belting hit
himself from 11 James Spriggs (240 estate) who was then fenced by 583 Dan Weeks
(Mk2 estate). 259 Big Dan got going and again targeted Muppet, this time with an
even harder blitz as Williams renewed with Flymo, administering a head-on, Big
Dan then delivering a bruising front wheel hit to the latter against the wall
which earned him a disqualification from the race but not a load up. Up front
and 20 Baldy attacked 94 Roly but span himself in the process leaving the Chief
to end things with a package on 11 Penfold as Roly raced to the win from 583
Weeksy and Swizz, just six finishing and Williams the best entertainer.
Down to a dozen for the title and memorial race which was run to
spinner’s special rules but despite the lower field there was no let up in the
action. 85 Marc Anderson (740 estate) lunged at and span Big Dan with Tricky
Dicky Jnr cracking the latter with a T-bone before 85 Crusher took one himself
from Williams and G Man smashed the latter with a head-on as well. 188 Victor
then smashed Tricky Dickey Jnr into the lurking Big Dan for a big impact before
he turned 383 Chimp into the wall. Crusher was then hammered by a shot from Bam
Bam with Williams administering a head-on before 583 Weeksy homed in for a
wicked hit on the luckless Crusher, Tricky Dicky Jnr then trashing the 583 Mk2
with a storming before Roly stuffed Baldy into Tricky Dicky Jnr. G Man again
punished Crusher before earning load up when he turned round to hit him head-on
as Williams arrived to track Tricky Dicky Jnr and Chimp nailed the superbly
presented Supra in turn. Swizz meanwhile buried G Man as Baldy piled into the
playful Big Dan and was hammered by Chimp with the leading Roly getting caught
out in the misery as Bam Bam blasted Big Dan with a big rear wheel hit. Victor
came through the mayhem to win from Roly and Swizz, Baldy the only other
finisher and Weeksy the best entertainer.
Nine returned for the Accumulator including Ilsey and Ted who had
repaired from the opening heat and again they did not disappoint. The former
came under immediate fire from Martin Charles as Fred Charles ran in Flymo and
was clobbered by Martin Charles which allowed Tricky Dicky Jnr to blast the
latter before he was decimated by a storming blitz from Victor which ko’d the
222 pilot on impact and brought the reds out. Thankfully he was shortly out of
the car and the race resumed with Swizz blasting Fred Charles as Bam Bam fenced
Victor to end the latter’s afternoon. Ted then fired Swizz into the wall to take
the lead but was stopped half a lap later by the on opposite Fred Charles with
Martin Charles blasting Ted in turn but he brushed it off to ram Fred Charles
with a revenge head-on. Bam Bam won from Swizz, these the only to finish and we
moved into the DD with everyone who was still running taking part. Flymo
limped onto the track and Bam Bam cut across the infield to blitz him and earn
his exclusion from the event but he continued to meet Swizz on the nose. The
latter continued to also hammer Flymo as Bam Bam zeroed in for a roof bending
blitz on Fred Charles. This allowed Ted to break free and he attacked Swizz
before the pair enjoyed a hard head-on with Martin Charles also getting free to
blast Ted as Bam Bam again weighed in on Flymo before Martin Charles rammed the
latter head-on. Swizz then trashed Ted with a hard hit before setting about
Martin Charles while also taking the time to smash Bam Bam in the rear wheel.
Swizz weighed in for a final hit on Martin Charles but in doing so killed his
Volvo and the veteran racer somehow managed to keep his XJ running to claim the
win, Swizz compensated with the entertainer award.
Heat one: 639 Tye Williams, 34, 924, 583, 502, 148, 259, 2, 94, 222 Best
entertainer: 502 Kayligh Dighton
Heat two: 94 John Armstrong, 583, 2, 20, 153, 639 Best entertainer: Williams
Kent Championship and Dick Tracey Memorial: 188 John Reeves, 94, 2, 20 Best
entertainer: 583 Dan Weeks
Accumulator Qualifier: 101 Ian Norris, 2
Destruction Derby: 153 Martin Charles from 2 Best entertainer: 2 Sean Swinborn
The second Masters qualifier of the season raised the lowest
Bangerstox entry of the year so far but even so the 50 strong entry was
still mightily impressive and still included several on their first outing of
the season but it was disappointing that there were eight no shows from the
entry list.
The opening heat was an all white grade affair and raised 23 cars with 69
Chloe Pelling and 28 Shane Howland suffering early spins as 23 Shane Spencer
blasted round the outside of 82 Gareth Garratt for the lead and 85 Alfie Hover
bester 55 Ricki Barnes for third as elsewhere 99 Brad Epps, 27 Dean Thompson, 41
Aaron Club and 60 Nathan Port enjoyed a four abreast scrap with Thompson then
clashing with 5 Dan Club as 86 Jason Wood blasted past 103 Paul Foreman on the
outside for sixth as Thompson span. Hover now challenged Garratt for second as
Wood and Epps raced over sixth before the latter retired. Port earned a two
place penalty when he sent 45 Harry Marsh spinning as 76 Olly Kent crashed into
the infield banking. Garratt retired from contention as Spencer raced to the win
from 37 Liam Club and Hover.
A mixture of yellow, blue and red grade drivers for heat two with 17 cars
and 43 Steve tangled with 91 Ben Lawrence out of the blocks, the latter going
round but dropping both cars to the rear of the field as 92 Amy Harper setting
the pace as 33 John Butcher went round and was collected by 53 Leigh Garratt. 4
Paul Harris moved into second and then pulled away from their nearest rivals as
9 Chris Young clashed with 11 Heather Green costing them both time and 71 George
Treeby, 15 Jay Powell and 70 David Leaton battled for sixth. 46 Mark Jackson
suffered a spin as 49 William Parrish moved into third and 42 Jake Moat slipped
passed Garrett for fourth. Cross had not only recovered well but had charged
back up the order, revelling on the freshly watered raceway and he blasted past
Harris and Parrish as he climbed to second and he eased passed Harper with a lap
and a half to run for an excellent win with Parrish besting Harper on the final
bend for second.
Heat three was featured white and yellow grade cars and raised 14 with
Aaron Club setting the pace as 100 Howard Belson passed Paul Club for second
only then be passed himself by 7 Joe Marsh with Belson clashing with 77 John
Kingsley as 78 Bobby Miles rocketed into third leaving 24 Neil Jones, Paul Clubb
and 103 Paul Foreman to fight for fourth as Aaron Club clashed with Thompson
which gifted Marsh the lead. Belson bested Foreman for sixth as Miles got the
better of Aaron Club for second as the race hit half way and Belson was
challenged by 21 Jake Moat while there were spins for 13 Tracey Bennett and 35
Lewis Winterbottom. Aaron Club and Miles then clashed in their first for second,
the latter clobbering the wall but Club damaged his steering which allowed Miles
to regain the place as Marsh raced to the win, Club hanging on for third.
A mix of white and yellow grade drivers again for heat four with 20 cars
and Dan Club sent Port spinning into the fence to take the lead early but
collect a two place penalty as well as the spun 89 Vicky Dash was collected by
Jones and then Harris as Liam Club also picked up a penalty when he sent Harper
spinning. Gareth Garratt moved into second but he then dropped down the order as
Dan Club was sent spinning by 45 Harry Marsh in the race for the lead which saw
the latter also handed a two place penalty and it handed 85 Alfie Hover the lead
but Jackson passed him on the inside for the top spot as late incidents saw 39
Ashley Colvin and Spencer collect the spun Marsh as Lawrence span. Jackson took
the win from Hover and Wood.
All the grades were represented in the final heat which fielded 14 cars,
13 Mrs B causing a fright when she failed to start but everyone avoided her and
she made it to the infield as Miles set the pace while Treeby, Cross and
Winterbottom battled over fifth until the latter slid into the wall. Young and
11 Heather Green were battling hard for position but a shove from 15 Powelly on
the latter sent them both spinning as the lapped traffic allowed Leigh Garrett
to close on Miles up front but he was unable to make a move and Miles won with
Kingsley taking third.
19 qualifiers for the final with Kingsley and Liam Club battling over the
lead until Jake Moat sent Belson spinning on the home straight and they were
collected by Powelly which brought the reds out with all three stranded just
past the start line but not in time for Cross and Leaton to avoid crashing
heavily into them. Thankfully everyone was ok and the race was restarted with
Alfie Hover and Paul Club racing for the lead as Harper passed Kingsley on the
inside for fifth as up front Paul Club took the lead with Wood into second and
Hover battling Marsh for third with Harper behind as a clash which also involved
Kingsley and Liam Club sent Aaron Club spinning. The battle for second now grew
between Wood, Marsh, Hover and Harper with Harper battling into third but her
challenge for second ended in Wood spinning which proved critical at the end.
Harper continued to slip passed Paul Club on the inside for the lead as Leaton
battled onto third only to then crash out in a race for second which also
starred Paul Club and Marsh, the latter moving passed Club on the inside for
second in the final stages which proved vitally important as Harper took the
flag but the incident with Wood cost her two places and Marsh inherited the win
from Paul Club.
A B Final was again added for the non-qualifiers and was pleasingly
supported with 17 cars with 72 Ryan Taylor setting the pace from Dan Club and
they quickly pulled away from the race for third between Foreman and Port, the
latter soon passing his rival for the place as Nathan and Jake Moat fought over
fifth. Club grabbed the lead as 29 Liam Hover span and was collected by
Thompson. Club led the race into the second half as 52 Paul Harris raced Treeby
for fourth with the latter soon getting the spot while Harris was also passed by
88 Nick Dash as Treeby raced past Port for third and Thompson again span. Club
then clashed with Green and span her into the fence earning him a two place
penalty but ultimately it had little bearing on the result as he clashed with
Colvin and Hover which ended his race and Taylor took the win while Dash passed
Treeby in the final stages for second.
Heat one: 23 Shane Spencer, 37, 85, 86, 36, 27, 60, 89, 41, 72
Heat two: 43 Steve Cross, 49, 92, 4, 42, 15, 53, 70, 9, 33
Heat three: 7 Joe Marsh, 78, 41, 24, 36, 100, 21, 27, 103, 35
Heat four: 46 Mark Jackson, 85, 86, 33, 100, 24, 39, 60, 5, 23
Heat five: 78 Bobby Miles, 53, 77, 43, 70, 15, 71, 49, 42, 21
Grand Final: Marsh, 36, 92, 78, 24, 70, 77, 46, 53, 85
B Final: 72 Ryan Taylor, 88, 71, 9, 52, 60, 39, 57, 99, 27
Grade Awards: Marsh (white), Miles (yellow), Cross (blue), 70 David Leaton (red)
The second appearance of the season at Dover for the Ministox raised a
healthy field of 12 cars, the sole visitor being 514 Abbie McGuinness who was
making her track debut.
342 Freddie Crittenden led heat one away as 349 Lewis Saunders slipped
passed 318 Codie Reeves for second and 383 Megan Tutt came under fire from 307
Ryan Martin as 308 Molly Smithson and the rapid 303 Jacob Bromley joined Reeves
and Saunders in the race for second with Bromley firing Smithson into Saunders
as elsewhere 339 Harry Atkins and Martin lunged at and span McGuinness, the
latter recovering to repay the favour on Martin as Bromley challenged and took
the lead from Crittenden at half way and 390 Nina Leigh charged at 350 Liam
Webster which allowed Reeves and Tutt to pass, Webster responding with a wild
attack at Reeves while Leigh continued to do the same to Martin as Atkins took
second away from Crittenden and 331 Archie Fryatt lunged at Reeves which in turn
put Webster in the wall, Atkins ending the action by spinning McGuinness into
the banking as Bromley raced to the win from Atkins and Crittenden.
All 12 again for heat two and again Critteden led the way with Reeves and
Smithson engaging in an early battle over third until Atkins lunged at the
former to take fourth with Atkins then dumping out Smithson and Saunders to take
second before Reeves slid into the fence. Bromley had bested Atkins for second
by half way and soon after took the lead but Atkins showed great determination
in lunging at Bromley to take the lead, the pair then enjoying an epic battle
over the top spot and ultimately a big hit at the end of the penultimate lap not
only earned Atkins the spot but such an advantage Bromley could not mount a
comeback and he had to settle, the race for third equally competitive and a last
bend hit from McGuinness not only secured her the spot from Leigh but also
disabled the latter’s car meaning she ultimately finished ninth.
McGuinness sadly failed to start the final and again Crittenden was the
pace setter as Saunders span before Martin fired Reeves into the wall and Leigh
lunged at the former but collected Saunders in the process. Smithson reeled in
Crittenden and showed no hesitation in spinning him for the lead with Reeves
holding onto second as the race hit half way but she went wide shortly after and
Bromley and Atkins moved through into second and third as Martin fired Webster
wide for a place, the latter then spinning his attacker into the fence to earn
an immediate disqualification which to his credit he acknowledge and adhered to
just as quickly. Bromley then reeled in Smithson and forced his way into the
lead with a lap to go and took his second win of the day with Smithson holding
off Atkins for second while Martin’s efforts earned him the white grade award.
Heat one: 303 Jacob Bromley, 339, 342, 308, 390, 383, 307, 349, 318, 331
Heat two: 339 Harry Atkins, 303, 514, 308, 342, 331, 349, 350, 390, 383
Grand Final: Bromley, 308, 339, 390, 318, 331, 383, 342, 307
A disappointing drop in Super Rod entries for their second Masters
qualifier and for the first time this year it was a single figure entry with
all eight cars on track for heat one and 7 Nat Tutt set the pace with 87
Robin Miles quickly into second and then challenging and taking the lead with an
outside line pass on Tutt for the lead, 90 Billy Perry following suite for
second as 12 Dan Elliott and 85 Jack Miles fought over sixth and 35 Cyndi
Bradley and 88 Stacey Reeves challenged Tutt in the race for third with 88 Doris
making the move on the outside as Jack Miles finally got the better of Elliott
allowing 75 Neil Parker to step up and challenge Elliott for seventh as the race
hit half way. Jack Miles continued to take fourth from Tutt with an outside pass
as Parker got the better of Elliott and then quickly passed Bradley and Tutt to
climb to fifth with a late charge and Elliott best Bradley and Tutt in the final
stages to take sixth as Robin Miles raced to the win from 90 Flippa and Doris.
All out for heat two and Parker wasted no time in beating Jack Miles in
the early race for seventh as Tutt set the pace but Robin Miles was quickly into
second after passing Bradley on the outside and soon challenged for the lead as
Flipps challenged Bradley for third. Robin Miles used the outside to pass Tutt
for the lead and Flippa did the same to Bradley for third with Doris soon in the
mix and she overhauled Flippa and quickly reeled in and passed Tutt for second
as Jack Miles continued to challenge Parker for sixth but the former focussed on
passing Elliott for sixth with Jack Miles following example shortly after. Doris
meanwhile reeled in Robin Miles and they enjoyed an excellent battle and raced
into the final bend side by side but the former was able to carry a little more
speed out of turn four on the outside and beat Miles in the drag race to the
line in a thrilling finish of a superb race and not to be outdone, behind Flippa
just held off Parker for third and Elliott just beat Tutt home for sixth.
All full field again for the final but with the grid set by the results
of the heats it made for a more processional affair. Doris beat Robin Miles into
the first bend and was never trouble and she raced to the win with Robin Miles
holding off brother Jack to maintain second throughout the race, the latter sent
spinning by Parker in the closing stages which cost the latter two places at the
end of the race and Flippa subsequently inherited third.
Heat one: 87 Robin Miles, 90, 88, 85, 75, 12, 7, 35
Heat two: 88 Stacey Reeves, 87, 90, 75, 85, 12, 7, 35
Grand Final: Reeves, 87, 90, 75, 12, 35, 7
A quality afternoon of racing with a superb unlimited banger session proving
that once again you don’t need the biggest of fields of unlimiteds to have a top
session at the venue, every race having some superb action and hits while the
Bangerstox were again most enjoyable with some good racing throughout and some
fine racing from the Super Rods and Ministox, their second heats really standing
out. The only drawback was the length of the meeting was perhaps half an hour
longer than hoped for, the Unlimited Banger parade and wreckage from their heats
combined with the need to water the raceway three times during the meeting in
spite of the heavy rain earlier in the morning and other smaller delays all
adding up at the end of another bumper 17 race programme.