Cowdenbeath 27th April Unlimited Banger World Cup 2002
A good entry of around 90 motors for this years World Cup at the Cowdenbeath 'Racewall'. Visitors came from all over the UK including PRI, RDC, Trackstar, Autospeed, Buxton, Spedeworth, Incarace, Warton and Barford. Some top machinery was on show including 6 Mk1s from defending champ 158 Shane Davies, 277 Gary Staples, 300 Dan Kirkbride, 207 John Randall, 420 Neal Wells and 007 Dangerous Dill. 31 Stevie Carson provided a Mk2 Limo while 47 Andy Davies had a Mk1 Coupe. 96 William Mitchell had a Mazda 929 Estate. 3 Jags were present in the hands of 911 Chris Harkness, 537 Bruno who had an XJS and 211 Red Hot Barry with an XJ Coupe. 243 Doug had the only Crown of the meeting while long distance traveller 924 Matt Millen provided a Rover P5. The Mob were present with the material again as 880 Naisy had a Humber Hawk, 252 McWibbs had a 4R, 108 Tangoman a DS420 Limo plus material man 152 James Dillon in a Caddy Fleetwood Limo. This just left another Yank specialist 461 Singy in a superb 1964 Galaxy.
25 cars for the first last chance qualifier heat which started with a large pile up on turn 4 which involved 274 Giggler, 72 Steve Macklin, 350 Dan Peel, 150 Leon Pelc and 239 Nelly to name but a few! Naisy did 11 Darren Race on the nose as 122 Turk steamed the luckless Race before Dangerous Dill delivered a large t-bone to Naisys Hawk. Dill copped a steam off 135 for his troubles before the yellows came out to clear the track. Down to 11 crs for the re-start and 510 The Ghost got us underway by spinning 715 Mick Prince before 53 Phil Stevens buried 148 Mr Honest in an infield marker tyre as the latter then copped one on the nose from 431 Deano. 06 Zippy spun Brunos XJS going into the pit bend only to climb the wall and roll bringing out the yellows once more. 10 for the restart with Stevens leading them off. Ghost hit 149 Beany over the front wheel as Bruno steamed Mitchell well as Stevens stayed out front for the win as on the run down lap Mitchell took another two big packages from Bruno and Beany to finish his estate.
Down to 19 cars for the second and last, last chance qualifier. Singy powerded his Yank hard head on style into 157 Tam Sim at the end of the home straight as Neal Wells turned 220 Dave Bale round before Red Hot Barry hit 3 Gary Doyle and Staples followed in 87. 410 Rugrat hit Staples only to put himself in as a result as Wells removed 170 Kenny McGeechan. Staples then carried onto hit 325 Demo as McGeechan rolled it on the home straight to bring out the reds and an end to the race. Dan Kirkbride being the one in the lead at the time.
The big race was up next and after a grid was drawn 155 Mr Nervous had taken pole 162 Brett Ellacott alongside him. A full grid of 42 cars lined up and there was action from the off with a large pile up on the back straight in which defending champ Shane Davies was taken out. Dillon turned his big Yank round to steam 49 Billy King as 47 Davies hit 502 Hoagy over the back wheel. Hoagy got revenge on Davies as he steamed him on oppo with Deano, Shane Davies, 310 Eno, 428 Grumpy, 331 Boxer Jack, 51 Wusty, 294 Nigel Ashley all caught up in the pile up. Wusty and 430 Robert Moffat had both been given large roof benders by persons unseen as the reds then came out to clear the track and a complete re-start was ordered. Down to 20 for the restart and Hoagy got us underway by weighing into 293 Paul Ashley as 726 Retard Roy did 70 Si Needle. The track was again blocked at the entrance to turn 3 and Ellacott went in on Eno hard as 90 Rob Baker blitzed 450 Glyn Platts, Mr Nervous piled in and Dillon blitzed 200 Noon well. Retard then turned it round to meet King head on, reversing out and having another go before 550 Strpit steamed King but paid for it as he copped the same treatment off Boxer Jack. Stripit and Boxer Jack then met in head on mode as Retard had another couple of goes at King as the yellows came out again to clear the track. Only 7 made the restart which started with Boxer Jack removing Hoagy as the leading 287 Gizmo took Matt Millen in, only to put himeslf in as a result and put himself out of the lead. Millen then did Hoagy on oppo as a great battle for the lead began with the leading 40 Lester Freestone back tyres smoking and slowing him down. Second placed man Gizmo was catching and had caught enough for a last bend lunge. Gizmo made contact and managed to spin Freestone only to spin himself as well. Gizmo was the first to react and got it into reverse to reverse up the home staright and across the line to take the win in a great battle.
The next race was supposed to be a 5 lap dash into DD but the drivers were told on the grid it was just a DD. 56 cars appeared with another large pile up on turn 3 in which Johnstone rolled at the front of it, Bale jacked Tangoman and Stevens did 201 Wol while elsewhere 551 Moley blitzed Rugrat well and 85 Shaun Barnes buried himeslf into the pile up. Turk and Retard were also involved as Moley then arrived to deliver a good blitz to Barnes . 428 Grumpy was another to go in as 67 Sparky steamed Doug and Boxer Jack, Eno, Mr Nervous and 731 Scott Douglas all battled together. It then came down to Shane Davies and Douglas who both met in a big head on, on the home straight with only Shane backing off to take the win.
This ended a good meeting, with some top hits and good racing but some drivers were left thinking that they could have had another race. Our congratulations go to 287 Paul Totham on taking a great win in the main race.
Many Thanks to Shaun Barnes for my transport upto Cowdenbeath.