Mildenhall Stadium Sunday January 31 2016
1600cc (no Mondeo, Focus and Vectra) Bangers Mildenhall Winter Series Final, Ministox Mildenhall Winter Series Final and Bangerstox

The final round of the 24th annual Mildenhall Winter Series attracted an excellent field of just under 75 1600cc Bangers on January 31, this in spite of the meeting, like both the previous rounds, being met with miserable conditions in the hours leading to start time although thankfully it remained dry for most of the racing itself. The non Mondeo, Focus and Vectra format had the desired result with a real variety of cars, including several micro type cars as well, the pick being a Volvo 34o for 93 Josh Aeraman.

24 cars for the opening heat with track conditions unsurprisingly slippery given the rainfall leading up to the meeting but still most decent for the time of year and it was good to see the conditions improve greatly as the afternoon went on. 291 Mick Turner butted heads with the spun 90 Adrian Harboard at the start to cause an immediate pile-up and 527 Danny Gardiner t-boned the former only to cop it in turn from 199 Eddie Lawrence and he was then hammered by 128 Andy Shipp. 206 Dave King then stuffed 3 Terry Peacock and 313 Steve Grace as 97 Jim Maddison found 729 Joe Smith for a hit and Gardiner was buried by 333 Jake Smith. A pile-up then formed along the home straight witg
h 730 Brandon Mayes piling Peacock into 28 Mac Bell as the race hit half way, the second half proving much quieter save 113 Dan Wright nailing Peacock and then burying 413 Jack King. 730 Bubba took the win on the road but was docked two places for corner cutting and so 115 James Mitchell inherited the win ahead of 36 Ricky Lewis.

24 again for heat two which was much quieter but this did help the track conditions improve significantly at this stage. 769 Ben Englestone opened his account with a hit on 16 Jamie Mitchell before 313 Craig Osbone fenced 95 Anton Martin as up front 271 Ashlun Woods, 622 Jack Baker and 744 Liam Barton enjoyed a great battle for the lead which ended when Barton turned Baker into the infield wall. Into the second half and 328 Dan Lathan ran in the luckless Mitchell as the top bend saw 282 Bobby Daniels collect the growing pile-up and he was nailed by Woods with revenge administered by the former’s wife 96 Amber who took one in turn from 727 Sam Smith. Lathan picked his way through the heap to take the win from 326 Shane Lynn and the recovered Woods.

With a couple failing to make a heat, the final heat raised 22 cars and the first half proved very tame save 399 Dave Gibbons spinning 616 Matt Goodswin into the fence but the second half of the race provided the first memorable action of the afternoon where 77 Russell Gill zeroed in for a hard rear wheel hit on the spun 394 Harry Hill but he fenced himself in the process and was duly flattened by 888 Jake Smith with 757 Callum Gill homing in for a solid revenge hit. 034 Wolfie Smith stuffed 338 Terry Garrod, the latter fighting back to spin his attacker into the fence in revenge as 123 Kieran Gray took the win but collected some wrecks on the road bend and was pasted by Gibbons with 338 Wingnut ending things with a second attack on Smith, 26 Dan Holmes and 370 Craig Gray were the placemen.

With around 40 drivers looking to contest a consolation the decision was taken to split the field and so 22 cars gathered for the first consolation.96 Bam Bam began by stuffing 329 Michael Carter before 393 Dan Chiddle put away Sam Smith and the luckless Carter was hammered by Goodswin. Wright then butted heads with the spun Bam Bam as 769 Ben Englestone homed in for a ballistic blitz on the fence King which snapped the latter’s Rover in style to bring the reds out for the latter who was shaken. A depleted field for the lap sheet order with Carter fencing Baker as another great battle developed up front and having taken the lead on the penultimate bend Martin was barged wide by a last bend lunge from 204 Charlie King which earned the latter the win with 162 Kyle Paffeney slipping past Martin for second.

With a handful of drivers doing a quick turnaround to race in both consolations, including previous race winner 204 Charlie Boy, 25 contested the second consolation with an early pile-up on the road bend allowing Osborne to nail Gibbons before 282 Mr Mad followed in Barton and the limping Osborne was trashed by a fine hit from Wright on the back straight. 801 Joe Cook then fenced Wolfie Smith before the reds flew with a wheel on the track. The race resumed with 757 Jack Jnr homing in for a solid hit on the Aeraman and fencing the Volvos to boot before 97 Sunny Jim piled 599 Matty Butcher into the latter, the Volvos then T-boned by Bartram before taking a second hit from Jack Jnr as he tried to flee. Woods then turned 206 Kingy into 599 Matty with the latter limping on only to be flattened by Mr Mad as Woods took the win in his battered Rover from 339 Jack Garrod and 624 Jason Thurlow.

25 qualifiers contested the final which for the second meeting in a row produced the best action of the day. Charlie Boy was the first to show as he buried 411 Matt Franklin with 36 Ricky Lewis then hitting the spun Craig Gray on the nose as Garrod ran in Kingy. Paffeney stuffed 123 Kezza with 551 Brett Jackson meeting the spun 467 Sheldon Grimes on the nose to conclude a somewhat subdued first half but the second half was far better, Grimes turned the recovered Kezza back into the wall as 233 James Carter tangled with Lewis And was duly pasted by 160 Perry Willings. Gray then thundered Garrod in a treat before 160 Pez took a big lunge at 326 Ratty and instead piled into the luckless Garrod with a big hit, 624 JT then homing in for a stonking hit on Pez which also claimed Paffeney. 551 Jacko Jnr then zeroed in to flatten the latter and he was trashed in turn by Charlie Boy who fell victim to the second stunning hit from JT. Gray then piled James Mitchell into JT which set the latter up for a crunching revenge hit from Kingy which blocked the track. Kezza smashed Lathan into the mayhem which cleared a way through and 730 Bubba came through for the win from 26 Hacker and Ratty.

Most impressively 33 returned for the Accumulator qualifier with Cole finding Englestone for an early hit only to be dumped into the concrete blocks by Gray as 96 Liam Brinton opened his account by running in Goodswin while 257 Jaimie Neve nailed 862 Chris Coxen and having completed a lap 96 Brat homed in for a savage blitz on Goodswin which brought the reds out although the latter was out of his car a couple of minutes later. A pile-up formed almost immediately on the road bend with Englestone blasting 469 Martin Baxter before he delivered a T-bone to Jamie Mitchell and then he flattened the limping Bam Bam. The latter battled on to ram Wolfie Smith head-on and she was duly destroyed by a cracking hit from Grimes who was pasted in time by Wright. James Mitchell found Grimes for a head-on and took one himself from Jamie Mitchell and he was hammered by Aeraman with Lathan firing into the Volvo to force a way through the blockage and continue his lead. The impressive Englestone then blasted Grimes and he took one in turn from Aeraman who copped it from James Mitchell as Lathan survived to take his second win from 898 Andy Battle and Ratty. Into the DD and pleasingly all those still running took part. 93 Chris North hit Jamie Mitchell in the front wheel before Englestone ended his performance with a head-on to Ratty and was silenced by Battle while Carter whacked Ratty in the rear wheel. Lathan meanwhile met Grimes on the nose as Ratty turned round and Battle happily met him in a solid head-on. Lathan weighed in on Battle in turn but the latter fought on to deliver a crushing hit on his attacker on opposite. Carter, who had been excluded for being out of the action for too long, then finished Lathan with a head-on before meeting Battle in one of the same before the event was declared as a dead heat between Battle and Lathan, Englestone taking the entertainer award.

Heat one: 115 James Mitchell, 36, 730, 206, 128, 551, 113
Heat two: 328 Dan Lathan, 326, 271, 862, 783, 467, 282, 95
Heat three: 123 Kieran Gray, 26, 370, 898, 338, 160, 419, 034
Consolation one: 204 Charlie King, 162, 95, 411, 128, 113, 206, 282, 291, 96 (Daniels)
Consolation two: 271 Ashlun Woods, 339, 624, 467, 233, 313 (Elden), 862, 206, 757, 96 (Daniels)
Grand Final: 730 Brandon Mayes, 26, 326, 898, 123, 328, 206, 370, 467, 411
Accumulator qualifier: Lathan, 898, 326
Destruction Derby: Lathan and 898 Andy Battle Entertainer Award: 769 Ben Englestone

The final round of the Ministox Winter Series attracted a solid entry of 20 cars, the field once again boosted by long distance guests 629 Ewan Millar and 902 Bradley Compton Sage, the latter on his fifth visit in as many meetings, these the only non RDC drivers on hand.

20 cars for the opening heat with track conditions already improving from the previous races and 356 Harry Overy wasted no time in dive bombing 304 Tony Elbourn and 379 Beth Usher as further forward 303 Jacob Bromley did the same to 308 Molly Smithson as 350 Liam Webster set the pace. 902 Buster Jnr rattled 344 Danny Elbourn into a half spin only to be turfed out by 339 Harry Atkins as 320 Luke Dorling barged past Winter Series rival 370 Rowan Venni and Millar did the same to fellow traveller Buster Jnr. 346 Lauren Nichols then elbowed past Webster to grab the lead with the caution flags coming out shortly after to assist the stricken 331 Archie Fryatt on the back straight. The race resumed with Overy lunging at Venni only to get similar attention from 399 Cole Atkins as Bromley battled his way to second while 301 Josh Rayner and Dorling muscled past 328 Ben Nichols for third and fourth. Cole Atkins came under attack from Miller as Venni span from contention and Rayner barged past Lauren Nichols for the lead with Dorling on his tail and Bromley also in the mix. Lauren Nichols then lunged at and span Bromley which allowed Rayner to secure second as Dorling broke away and with Fryatt again in difficulty on the back straight the chequered flag was dropped a couple of laps early on Dorling ahead of Rayner and Millar, his first podium finish at Mildenhall.

All 20 were back for heat two but 315 Charlie Santry was an immediate retirement again leaving Webster to set the pace as Millar charged at Dorling and Lauren Nichols quickly climbed to second as Fryatt came under fire from Bromley in the race for fifth and Buster Jnr hooked out Ben Nichols for second. Lauren Nichols grabbed the lead from Webster on lap four as Danny Elbourn charged at Bromley to claim third with Harry Atkins then getting in the mix before the waved yellow flags were shown to assist the stricken 327 Jolie Pettit on the back straight. A manic start saw Webster dumped out Overy with the latter then fired into the wall by Dorling as Bromley barged past Elbourn for third. Buster Jnr held second as Venni battled 379 Beth Usher for sixth and Bromley and Rayner got the better of Buster Jnr. Usher then lunged at Venni in their fight for position as Buster Jnr came under attack from Dorling who then barged past Venni. Bromley then barged past the back marking Ben Nichols and the leading Lauren Nichols on the penultimate lap and on the final bend Lauren and Ben Nichols came back at the leader which saw Bromley and Ben Nichols crash into the fence and Lauren Nichols claimed a dramatic win with Rayner and Elbourn next home.

18 for the final and Lauren Nichols immediately attacked Bromley as Usher removed Overy and Cole Atkins charged at 368 Dan Santry as Webster again led the way. Bromley then span Ben Nichols who was collected by Usher as Danny Elbourn hooked out Buster Jnr, the reds then flying with concern for the spun cars but everyone was fine and the complete restart was soon back underway. Overy lunged at Rayner from the off as Cole Atkins attacked Usher and again it was Webster who led with Elbourn besting Harry Atkins for third as Overy dive bombed Cole Atkins and brother Harry did likewise to Fryatt to claim second with Buster Jnr following him into third as Santry came under attack from Lauren Nichols. Harry Atkins had Webster out to grab the lead with Buster Jnr in pursuit as Lauren Nichols again targeted Santry and Cole Atkins had Overy out. Elbourn joined the battle for the lead and muscled his way to the front at half way with Dorling and Miller closing in, the former pushing Smithson wide for fourth as Buster Jnr came under attack from Overy who then lunged at Harry Atkins before the waved yellows were shown for the third race in a row with Pettit stranded on the back straight. The race resumed with Dorling getting shuffled down the order while Miller burst into the top three but a chance at the top spot didn’t come his way as Usher and Fryatt crashes out on opposite sides of the track and with concern for both the reds were shown and the result declared, Elbourn the winner from Miller and Buster Jnr, the latter getting a richly deserved reward of a maiden Mildenhall podium for his visits over the winter.

Heat one: 320 Luke Dorling, 301, 629, 304, 399, 346, 902, 303, 356, 328
Heat two: 346 Lauren Nichols, 301, 344, 379, 449, 304, 320, 902, 399, 370
Grand Final: 344 Danny Elbourn, 902, 629, 304, 320, 339, 368, 399, 328, 301

The annual Bangerstox Winter Series date raised a very impressive 23 car field for the first round of the 2016 points championship, the best entry to date for the fixture but only 22 contested the first heat which saw the reds out early doors when 8 Gareth Garratt was spun across the pit bend. The restart saw more bad fortune for Garratt as he clouted the fence after clashing with 26 Robin Ash while 53 Leigh Garratt set the pace as behind 42 Jake Moat and 492 Roy Harper slipped past the third placed 60 Nathan Port and 73 Karl Taylor moved in to challenge Garratt for the lead as the race hit half way. Port span from contention as the battle between the lead two gave Harper a chance to nip through into the lead as Taylor fell by the wayside. Harper then tangled with the back marking 79 Jamie Walker with the latter spat into the fence by the group battling for the lead and 77 John Kingsley emerged in the front and won a dramatic race from Harper and Garratt.

19 for the second heat with Taylor setting the pace as 43 Steve Cross nudged Kingsley wide for a place and 44 Jordan Godfrey battled his way to second and moved in to challenge for the lead as the race hit half way and behind Moat and Pot scrapped for third as Leigh Garratt nudged Harper wide which allowed 7 Guy Payne to leapfrog them both as Godfrey battled his way into the lead and broke away as behind Taylor was joined by 71 George Treeby, Moat, 88 Nick Dash and 33 John Butcher in a great battle for second with Treeby slipping up the inside of Taylor to grab second before Taylor and Butcher tangled and crashed into the infield blocks, an incident which saw Butcher docked two places for excessive contact as Godfrey took a comfortable win from Treeby and Dash.

Down to 15 for the final with Godfrey passing Payne and 74 Lewis Winterbottom with a bold move on the outside to jump up the order as Port set the pace from 100 Howard Belson with Moat and 74 Jay Gilby battling for third. Godfrey returned to the outside to jump past Belson as Moat challenged and took the lead from Port just before half way with Godfrey now second as Leigh Garratt suffered a spin and Godfrey sent 80 Danika Garratt around and Moat did the same to Winterbottom. These incidents saw Moat recapture the lead with Port back into second but Moat then clashed with Kingsley, with the latter sent spinning although to be fair at the time Moat was being pushed by Dash as Port shoved Godfrey wide with the latter striking the fence which ended his race. Moat took the flag but was docked two places for excessive contact, as was Godfrey who didn’t finish, and so Port inherited the win from Garratt.

Heat one: 77 John Kingsley, 492, 53, 26, 44, 71, 383, 70, 43, 42
Heat two: 44 Jordan Godfrey, 71, 88, 100, 492, 7, 79, 53, 33, 77
Grand Final: 60 Nathan Port, 53, 42, 33, 100, 383, 88, 74 (Winterbottom), 74 (Gilby)

A highly entertaining afternoon and one of the best January Winter Series meetings in quite some time, thanks in no small part to the most decent track conditions for the time of year and impressive car counts. The National Bangers admittedly had some quiet spells but this was balanced out by some superb hits, arguably some of the best we’ve seen at a Winter Series in some time, the final being a superb race while the Ministox were hugely competitive all afternoon although the number of stoppages did take a little edge of some of their races and the Bangerstox were also most competitive in perhaps their best winter meeting yet, the first heat being a cracker.