Driver Of The Day - Belle Vue 31st May 2010, Plus your Racin' Ratin' Options

[Carl H]

Another first rate session of proper stock car racing. Action aplenty tonight! I wonder how many fence posts had to be fixed during the course of the meeting?

This was almost, very nearly, my idea of a perfect stock car meeting. Enough cars in every race, a fast but slightly unpredictable racing surface, and a whole load of full bloodied use of the bumper. It was only the second heat that was rather tame, and if that had been anything like the other races then I'd probably have rated this a ten.

Driver Of The Day, well, almost literally every car on track had a part to play in the proceedings. But I'm going to go for Tom Harris, for his drive in the GN. He barged his way to the front, no messing, and then got held up with backmarkers which allowed Frankie to squeeze past, only for Tom to launch the 515 car hard into the pit turn fence. From where I was standing, the 84 car was still accelerating right up until the moment contact was made. Quite how Tom managed not to end up in the fence next to Frankie almost defies belief.

Hit Of The Day would definitely go to Garry Fox for his last lap assault on Mark Helliwell, which saw 170 in the fence backwards at full speed, and 48 through the wires.

DOTD: 84
RR: 9

[Dave A]

Hard one to choose DoD however i thought it was an excellent meeting so my RR is 9

[fenny]

D of D 55, for 8th and 1st in heats, 1st in final and 6th in national, when everyone else were hitting the fence or each other and spinning out, he kept out of trouble.

R/R 9 good racing, kept going, 17 races injust over 4 .5 hours. Fast fence repairs and quick turnround.

WELL DONE EVERYONE

[beermonster]

I've said many a time that Belle Vue usually leaves me feeling disappointed. Tonight although not the best, was a good all round meeting, nothing spectacular but enough to make me want to go back.

R/R 8

Driver of the day. Do I give it to the best driver of the night or the one that entertained the most? There were plenty that entertained, maybe we should have another category.
I thought Gary Fox drove reasonably well until that attack on Mark Helliwell and put himself out. Tom Harris, John Lund put it about as well but driver of the day Craig Finnikin for keeping out of trouble and getting the results.

DOD 55

[howie]

well from a sport that, according to some only has 15 meaningful meetings what an absolute cracker.
bumpers going in big time.
track prep spot on, nothing to complain about at all
some of the best racing i've see in ages

tom harris's hit on wainman in the national was pure stockcars
515 was on a mission in the final firing a few in.

DOD- 55
RR - 8/10

well done to all invovled

[John Stereohead]

DOD 84 tom harris

RR 8/10

[wildy]

dod - 84
rr - 9

[BillStiggins]

A good and solid, if perhaps unspectacular, meeting. Happy I went, but I didn't leave 'buzzing'.

The meeting ran very smoothly, despite the (three?) fence-breaking incidents, so a huge thanks to the organisation generally and fence crew in particular. I do like the UK Modifieds - last year, I suggested that a big field might be thrilling to watch; well we're approaching that 'big' field and here was plenty to keep the attention. Good drive from Lenny Smith to win the second race, having found hit feet in the first.

So onto the Stock Cars - relatively small grids (14-17) in the heats resulted in some fairly spread-out racing. The big hits were going in for sure, but on a couple of occasions, the leader got away and had a clear half lap in front of him, so the likelihood of being tripped up by a backmarker was minimal. In other words, the essential unpredictability of the sport was missing and some of the races were just, erm, races.

Of the usual suspects, Andy Smith had an unusual meeting, being spun out three times on turns 3/4, at least 2 of those due to perfectly executed billiard-type 'canon' pots. Frankie was late arriving from Buxton, but once he arrived, set about the task like he was on a mission.

Dan Johnson continued his outstanding form of the early season, never missing a chance to use his bumper and driving very smoothly throughout. Other eye-catching performances came from an aggressive Neil Shenton, Lee Smith (race one in his pocket until he over-cooked it on turn 4), Mike Kingston - never overawed by the big guns - and Tom Harris, whose fencing of Frankie in the GN was the evening's highlight. The way FWJ was racing, Tom had to make this stick, or he was going to end up in the fence himself next time around.

But the outstanding driver was Craig Finnikin - another driver at the absolute peak of form this year. A joy to watch.

DoD - 55 Craig Finnikin
Racin 'Ratin' - 7/10

P.S. Did anyone on here win the giant meerkat? I hope that whoever did win had travelled to the meeting on the bus!

[duncana]

R/R = 9/10
D OF D= 84.

Excellent meeting second only to the april Kings Lynn for entertainment this year. Some memorable hits in the ones with the reds not having it their own way by any means, a hit by 35 that put two reds in springs to mind as well as 48 having an excellent battle with 53 in one of the heats. Thought the 84 hit on 515 was just good stock car racing, sure that frankie would have done the same. The F2's were good as well, shame about the bangers but there was a monster follow in and if it brings casual spectators in who can complain? Well run meeting as well, only 26 cars but all of them were involved in the action. 235 was really involved, think he will go well from the front!

[JohnB]

Excellent meet at BV, only downside deing the poor banger turnout and what was the point of the hearses/limo's- 2 cars one of which expired at the end their 'race', can hardly be called entertaining. At least it gave time to eat me chips!!
First class decision making with the meeting format, with very good heats building up to a stunning final and excellent GN, rather than all in which would have severely reduced the numbers later in the biggest races of the night.
But Steve, please put enough race grids in the prog to at least cover all the stox races, eh?!

Good action all through, not sure what 48 was doing on 170, was close to a follow on but he put himself well into and up a post!
91 also put a huge hit in to take about 4 cars in one go in a heat.
FWJ was really dishing out the bumper in ht 3 and the final, and was great to see 84 Tom Harris put a huge hit on him to bury FWJ and go on to win the GN after being on the receiving end of said 515 bumper earlier on. Clearly FWJ wasn't expecting such a ferocious attack!

Meeting 9/10
Dotd 84 T Harris

This post has been edited by JohnB: Jun 1 2010, 04:53 PM