Roy B

Continued from above: A classic scene from days gone by. The steep gradient of the tunnel ramp in evidence here. The lamp standard above the tram is still there to this day The London Passenger Transport Board was formed in 1933, taking over the London County Council trams. It was decided soon after to replace all trams in London by "more modern vehicles". The abandonment programme began in 1935 with trams in South-West, West, North-West, North and East London mostly being replaced by trolleybuses. In 1937, the rebuilding of Waterloo Bridge necessitated the diversion of the subway exit to a position centrally beneath the new bridge, at a cost of £70,000 including a new crossing of the District Railway; after the changeover took place, on 21st November, 1937, the curved section of tunnel leading to the former exit in the bridge abutment was walled off and still exists. The replacement programme proceeded swiftly until 1940 when the last of the pre-war series of conversions occurred, leaving only the South London trams and the Kingsway subway routes 31, 33 and 35, the only North London tram routes to survive the war. A prototype Kingsway trolleybus (no. 1379), with exits on both sides with folding doors, was constructed for feasibility tests through the subway, but these were unsuccessful. The trolleybuses would have had to run on battery power through the subway, headroom restrictions making it impossible to use overhead current collection. The test vehicle only managed to get halfway through before the batteries died. Ironically a tram was despatched to tow it out. Finally, on Saturday 5th April 1952 trams ran through the subway for the last time; tram service 35 (Forest Hill-Highgate) was replaced next day by bus service 172, and tram service 33 (West Norwood-Manor House) was replaced by bus service 171. In the early hours of the following morning the remaining cars from Holloway depot were driven south through the subway to the scrapyard. The tracks remained unaltered, though disused, until the final abandonment of London’s tramways on 5th July 1952, after which the street tracks were lifted in stages and those in the subway, cut at the approaches, were left as the longest section remaining in London. A technical committee was set up by the Minister of Transport to report on the possible use of the subway for motor vehicles, and tests with road vehicles were carried out both before and after closure. In 1953, London Transport used the subway to store 120 withdrawn buses and coaches in case they were needed for the Coronation. A film company offered to take over the whole subway as a film studio, but this was rejected on account of the fire risk. Repeated questions in Parliament kept the issue alive, but in 1955 London Transport invited applications for the use of the tunnel as a store for non-inflammable goods, and finally leased it in October 1957 to S. G. Young & Co. of Blackfriars as a store for machine parts. Meanwhile, in June 1958, the London County Council expressed interest in taking over one end of the subway and creating an underpass for light traffic beneath the Strand and Aldwych to deal with the traffic jams which often extend right across Waterloo Bridge. In July the contract for the conversion was awarded to John Mowlem & Co. who started work on the 15 month contract. The construction was completed on schedule and the new Strand underpass opened to road traffic on 21st January 1964. In this short video watch how fast the car goes through the tunnel with the men still working down there! It has been suggested that the remaining part of the subway might have been earmarked for some cold war use, and as part of their emergency planning in the 1970’s the GLC established a flood control centre in a portacabin at Holborn Station in 1974. The control centre had its own radio room. Each London Borough had their own flood control centres which would have reported to the GLC’s main London Control at Holborn. This remained operational until 1984 when the Thames Barrier was opened. During the fire brigade strike in 1977 there was talk of the deployment of army fire personnel and green goddesses from a temporary underground HQ at Holborn. It has been suggested that these temporary headquarters were located in tunnels under Kingsway. Since 1984 no use has been found for the subway apart from the first few yards which is used for the storage of road materials by the London Borough of Camden. In 2012, it was announced that Crossrail's tunnel contractor BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial/Kier (BFK) would form a grout shaft beneath the tunnel. The purpose of the grout shaft was to stabilize the ground in anticipation of the arrival of tunnel boring equipment in 2013. Crossrail agreed to restore the tunnel to its former condition on completion of the tunnel boring project. Earlier this year i had the opportunity to have a look inside the tunnel. My pal had to pick up a couple of large generators from within its depths so i went along as banksman. The tunnel entrance is slap bang in the middle of an extremely busy junction so makes it difficult backing a 50ft trailer down the ramp. Owing to contractual obligations between the haulier and Crossrail photographs of the vehicle and load were not permitted. The pic of the vehicle below is identical to the actual one used. A very busy junction during the week. The tunnel entrance indicated by the orange arrow in the centre. Not good to reverse down the tunnel ramp with impatient car drivers ducking and diving every which way! A Sunday pick up would have been preferable but outside factors prevented this. The impatience of people at the scene was truly astounding. Cars were literally trying to go behind the trailer as it was reversing. I’m sure they would have had a go at going underneath it if they could! Once we got parked up I went for a wander around. There are two lamp standards outside the entrance which have been replaced since construction but a third one at the back of the tunnel opening is original. The initials LCC have been incorporated into the base structure. The refuges are normal height at the start of the slope but within the tunnel they have been doubled in height following the increase in depth for the double-deck trams. Although the tunnel has been taken back to its basic structure there is still a lot of evidence that this was a major transport artery. It is the longest remaining stretch of old tramway in London. Certain sections of it are really dark so i was glad i’d taken the death ray lights with me which I use in disused railway tunnels. The sound of the traffic above ground echoed within which made for a strange sound. The fact that the rails are still there makes it even better. There are a set of crossover points which have been laid between wooden blocks similar to cobbles. This is very rare to find still in existence anywhere in the UK. The walls are constructed using the same white glazed bricks that used to be seen in public toilets. The platform is still in situ and the frames for the advertising posters are just as they were when in use over 70yrs ago. The platform and poster frames Another view further back The same view many years ago. A truly brilliant picture. Look how clean it all is. Continues below:

Continued from above: Okay then let’s head across country to our next destination which is in London. We’re here to have a look at an incredible one of a kind place in the very heart of the city – the Kingsway Tram Tunnel. It has a fascinating story so sit back with a brew and I’ll tell you all about it. First of all I would like to credit Nick Catforth for his article in Subterranea Britannica as the source of information for one part of my research of this location. The tunnel is situated under Kingsway in the borough of Camden next to Holborn Underground station and was built by the London County Council opening in 1906. It is the only one of its kind in Britain. We’ll find out more on the tunnel later but first let’s set the scene in the time prior to its construction. For hundreds of years Holborn and Aldwych were open fields, bounded on the north and south by Holborn and the Strand. The traffic choked roads of today were country lanes that led to villages, those of St.Giles and Charinge respectively. The early settlers in the district were the Romans, followed by the Danes who founded the village of Aldwych. From the beginning of the 1600’s the district was a place of fashionable residence, with great mansions and gardens. Great Queen Street (1612) was lined with noblemen’s houses. Drury Lane housed the aristocracy. There the plague showed itself first. The people of rank and riches deserted the area and it sank to a slum of the worst kind. It became the habitat of an overcrowded population of the destitute and lawless. Even as late as the middle of the 1800’s if you walked through unarmed you would most certainly be attacked and robbed, or even worse. It’s hard to imagine when you see the area today. In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s London County Council made a clean sweep of the district and the slums were swept away. They instigated a grand rebuilding scheme and created the impressive Kingsway and Aldwych thoroughfares. Both sides of the road were lined by magnificent buildings, many of them the offices and showrooms of firms famous in commerce. The carriage-way was 60ft wide, with pavements 20ft wide. It was the largest and most important improvement in London since the construction of Regent Street in 1820. An opportunity to use the new streets for a tramway connecting the lines to the north and south arose. The LCC had for many years wanted to connect its "North Side" and "South Side" tramway networks in order to be able to send "North Side" trams for overhaul to the Central Repair Depot at Charlton in South East London. Note the reference to the child funerals on the undertakers window The first tram was introduced into London in 1860 by George Francis Train an eccentric American. It was a horse drawn vehicle and ran along Victoria Street to Westminster on rails that had been secured to the road surface. Naturally this arrangement impeded other traffic, which soon brought opposition to this mode of transport. Later Parliament permitted the introduction of trams to London, but with the proviso that the rails were built into the roadway. In addition, the tram companies were to bear the maintenance costs including road repairs and were allowed to charge one penny (1d) per mile with half-price fares for early and late travel for workers. Trams were immediately popular with the public and soon they were commonplace in London. They were cheaper than the other forms of public transport at the time and allowed more passenger-room and gave a smoother ride. The earliest trams carried a maximum of 60 passengers and were pulled by two horses. By 1901, electric trams were introduced and the last horse-drawn tram finally ran in 1915. Prior to the introduction of electric trams several other ways of powering a tram were tried out. These included motor-power (1873-1891), compressed air (1881-1883), and cable (1891-1906). There were two cable tram services that once operated in London. In 1891, the first cable line in Europe was introduced into operation on Highgate Hill, and the second went into service between Brixton and Streatham. Both were replaced by electric trams by 1906. The Kingsway tunnel arrowed At Kingsway an application was made in 1902 for powers to construct a subway for single-deck tram running from Theobalds Road to the Embankment at Waterloo Bridge, from where a surface line would continue over Westminster Bridge. A costing of £282,000 was proposed. As would be proved in later years going with single-deckers was not the best option. At this time the decision was based on three factors: Avoidance of a large sewer pipe under Holborn which would have created a descent unsafe for double-deck cars, the relationship of the District Railway in its location with Waterloo Bridge, and the steep gradient from the Strand caused problems building a suitable southern exit. In addition there was a train of thought that London traffic could be speedier and more efficient with single-deckers coupled together rather than with double-deckers. The subway construction started at the same time as the new streets were laid out. The northern approach from Southampton Row was by an open cutting in the middle of the road. The tracks then passed into two cast iron tubes, 14 ft. 5 in. in diameter and 255 ft. long, which took them under the Fleet Sewer. The rails were 31 ft. below the road when passing under Holborn, rising again at 1 in 10 to Holborn Station. Elevated footways were provided in the single tunnels. From Holborn to Aldwych the tunnel was 20 ft. wide with a roof of steel troughing just below the street. The running rails were laid on longitudinal wooden sleepers embedded in concrete. At the time the subway was opened it was not connected with any other electrified route, so it was decided to terminate the public service at Aldwych Station and use the tracks which extended southwards from there towards the Strand as a depot. Inspection pits were constructed under this length and some repair equipment installed. An intermediate station was built at Great Queen Street (later renamed Holborn). South of Aldwych Station, the tracks curved sharply to the south west in twin tunnels and continued beneath Aldwych as a single tunnel with brick arch roof, separating again at the Strand into twin cast iron tubes which continued to about a third of the way under Lancaster Place. The exit on to the Embankment was through the western wing wall of Waterloo Bridge and here a triangular junction was constructed. The eastern side of the junction, leading towards Blackfriars, was never used and was removed during later reconstruction. Pending the opening of Greenwich power station, current was obtained from the County of London Electric Supply Company. Sixteen single deck tramcars were ordered from the United Electric Car Company Limited, of Preston at a cost of £750 each. Services opened to the public on 24 February 1906 from Angel to Aldwych, with a ceremonial opening by the chairman of the Highways Committee. The stylish above ground surround to Aldwych The first journey took 12 minutes northbound and 10 minutes to return, despite horse-drawn vehicles also using the roads on the surface part of the route. The early days of the single-deck cars On 16 November that year the routes were extended north from The Angel to Highbury station. Special trams were constructed from non-flammable materials – wooden trams, common on other routes, were not permitted through the subway. Through services commenced on 10 April 1908 from Highbury station to Tower Bridge and to Kennington Gate, with a procession of six cars going south from Holborn through to Kennington, then to Elephant & Castle in order to return through the subway to Angel. The Kennington service was not commercially viable and services were diverted to operate to Queens Road in Battersea which, due to a low bridge, could be operated with single-deck vehicles only. Drivers of the trams recorded difficulty in climbing the ramp out of the tunnel north and would sometimes roll all the way back to the station. Drivers on routes through the subway had to have at least two years' experience on other services to be considered for these routes. The cars were stabled at Holloway and New Cross depots. There were numerous changes to the routes over the following 20 years. As the years passed it became increasingly evident that the operation of single-deck cars could not be made profitable. If the subway could be enlarged to take double-deckers many useful connections could be made and the movement of rolling stock from north of the Thames to Charlton works would be greatly improved. In 1929 therefore, the LCC decided to increase the headroom to 16 ft. 6 in. by raising the roof at the northern end and by deepening the tunnel at other places. This announcement brought suggestions that the subway might well be enlarged to take motor traffic as well as trams, but the Metropolitan Police Commissioner pointed out that congestion would arise at each end of the tunnel, that a serious traffic block would quickly develop if a vehicle broke down inside and that there was a danger of exhaust fumes and even fire. The London Traffic Advisory Committee recommended that the tunnel could serve no useful purpose for motor vehicles and the L.C.C. would have nothing to do with the idea. The contract was awarded to John Cochrane and Sons, Limited, who started work on the street level on 11th September 1929. The start of the dayshift for the tunnel work North of Holborn the roadway was opened up and the twin tunnels replaced by one wide passage with a steel girder roof, while elsewhere the additional headroom was obtained by under-pinning the side walls with concrete and lowering the track by approximately 5 ft. Altering the tunnel for the double-deck trams All the alterations took place while the flow of track continued unabated. It was a very delicate operation in view of the heavy loads carried overhead as the roof lied directly under road level. The estimated cost was £326,000, including £76,000 for the reconstruction of the 50 single-deck cars. The two tramway stations were rebuilt and modernised, that at Holborn being finished in travertine, a cream marble used in ancient Rome. Standard trackwork with yokes and conduit slot-rails set in concrete was used in place of the special type evolved for the original construction. The tunnel is open once again The formal reopening was performed on Wednesday, 14th January, 1931, by the Chairman of the Council, Major Tasker. Public service commenced at 5 o’clock next morning, with a one-minute headway and a total of 5,000 cars per week. Continues below:

Hi there folks, We start this week with a look back to the opening F2 meeting at my favourite of all tracks Taunton, and then we head off to Holborn in Central London to check out the disused Kingsway Tram Tunnel. Taunton – The Curtain Raiser – Mon 17th May 2021 This meeting signalled the start of the racing season. The Covid-19 restrictions had delayed the start of racing in 2021 so the response to this event was fantastic with 43 cars in the pits. The Smeatharpe venue had been given a facelift and was looking at its best proving that not everything stopped during the lockdown. New cars were in abundance with at least half a dozen from the Luke Wrench (560) workshop, Tristan Claydon's WRC three from Motorworld, and a couple of RCE’s in attendance. Great paint job on the Tommy Farrell car Nobody could accuse Dave Sansom (352) of having a new RCE however as the Semtex Kid campaigned his ‘in rust we trust’ old’un. The Semtex Kid had smartened his car up for 2021 with a new wheel! Three F2 debuts were made at this meeting. One of which was Lauren Stack (928) who is the grand daughter of Kevin (ex-128). He had a trio of 2nd place finishes in the World Finals of 1977, 1983/84. Lauren Stack Heat 1: 19 cars took to the track and it wasn’t long before the stoppages began. Justin Fisher (315) was turned heavily into the turn three wall, and then Richard Andrews (605), a semi-professional speedway rider in his debut of four-wheeled short oval action, went in backwards on the pit bend and required some assistance. Luke Johnson (194) was at the head of the field with one-time English Champion in Saloon Stock Cars, Kieran Bradford (27), looking a threat in 3rd. Further back a great scrap was raging between Ben Borthwick (418), Steven Gilbert (542), Matt Stoneman (127) and Andrew Palmer (606) who were all using the bumper on each other. The leaders had opened a sizeable gap by halfway with Joe Marquand (689) now in the top spot. Bradford then got the lead after Marquand was delayed by back markers. The 689 car hit back hard. It nearly came off but their battle had allowed Gilbert to close in and he swept pass for the win. Result: 542, 27, 689, 606, 127, 895, 194, 948, 988 and 746. Heat 2: 24 cars for this one. After the early race skirmishes it was Ian England (398) who was leading when a caution was called for a lost wheel from the Jamie Jones (915) car. Luke Wrench (560) was already up to 2nd and took the lead at the restart going on to a comfortable victory with Jon Palmer (24) 2nd, and England completing the top 3 for a 1-2-3 for WRC. Result: 560, 24, 398, 184, 890, 126, 352, 903, 581 and 210. Consolation: Borthwick quickly came through the 22 car field to win ahead of fellow Motorworld man Justin Fisher (315). James Rygor (783), who pulled off very early in his first race came to more grief when he hooked onto the spun car of Josh Weare (736) leaving him adrift at the back of the pack. He did well to get up to 7th at the flag. Result: 418, 315, 438, 667, 720, 915, 783, 734, 320 and 828. Final: All 30 qualifiers came out on track to give another spectacular show. Johnson and England set the pace and were still up front as the halfway point was reached. The star men had been battling amongst themselves since race start as they came through the pack. Marquand made his way into second behind England with Palmer and Wrench close at hand. The backmarkers now came into play delaying the now leading Marquand. Wrench made a move entering the pit bend with 4 to go. It didn’t matter that it was his own customer immediately in front, Wrench didn’t need asking twice to put the bumper in. He timed it to perfection, walloping Palmer into England who made heavy contact with Marquand, and the 560 car passed all three cars in one move. Palmer pulled off with a broken throttle cable, while Marquand was disqualified with a broken rear wheelguard. Wrench duly headed home to the victory ahead of Fisher and England. “I thought this is the only chance I’m going to get,” said Wrench of the race winning hit. Result: 560, 315, 398, 581, 27, 667, 542, 127, 126 and 418. GN: 29 cars returned for this last race. Dave Sansom (352) was launched off a marker tyre at race start providing the spectators with some excitement at his wild ride. The tyre ended up on track which brought out the reds. Five cars failed to make the restart, and there was a further stoppage when Charlie Fisher (35) was collected in the fourth bend. Wrench was now on the back of the pack from his full lap handicap and continued his forward progress into 3rd place. The 50 point maximum didn’t look likely but he made a commendable attempt over the closing laps in catching 2nd place man Borthwick with 3 to go. He couldn’t chase down the leading Stoneman however, and had to settle for 2nd. Result: 127, 560 581, 418, 184, 126, 915, 890, 194 and 667. Also on the bill were the Saloon Stock Cars. 22 were in attendance ahead of their National Championship at the same venue the following weekend. Colin Savage (14) was the lone visitor from Scotland, joined by five East Anglians with World Champ Diggy Smith (116) amongst them. Both Smith cars were looking good - Diggy's and Billy's It was a local novice who wowed the crowd though. Eighteen-year-old Warren Darby (677), whose father Eddie was one of the formula’s most successful drivers ever, was making his debut. He led Heat 1 from start to finish and by race end was half a lap up on the rest of the field. Result: 677, 489, 161, 84, 902, 116, 399, 277, 172 and 364. Heat 2 followed a similar pattern with Darby looking unlikely to be caught. Billy Smith (161) had risen to 3rd before getting spun out and collected by the pack. He rejoined a lap down and went on the rampage. Both Levi Oughton (152), the 2nd place man, and later on Simon Paris (672) were treated to the trademark big hits from Smith. Result: 677, 116, 399, 389, 277, 489, 672, 281, 161 and 340. Darby and Billy Smith were in the thick of the action in the Final. Smith was forced into a parked car early on and found himself a lap down so decided to go on a seek and destroy mission. He came upon Darby - who had just taken the lead – on the home straight and sent him spinning the wrong way towards the fence and out of the race ending his hat trick hopes. Adam Hicks (447) had taken a lead which he held to the line ahead of Jack Grandon (277). In 3rd was Junior Buster (902) who then faced the full force of Smith with an enormous near follow-in hit into the Honiton bend wall on the run down lap. Result: 447, 277, 902, 399, 389, 152, 172, 14, 340 and 161. Continues below:

Hi there folks, Welcome back to another off season. What’s in store this winter then? As in previous years we’ll have a review of F2/Saloon meetings of the 2021 season from the far reaches of the Brisca empire, and points in between. There’s some transport themed collections to peruse, and we’ll be having some trips out to see what hidden gems still remain in this green and pleasant land. Join me as we explore some neglected and now rarely seen sites that once played important roles in their communities. These still unite the people that made them matter. Whether they were abandoned a hundred years ago, or within the last few decades, without someone around to maintain them, these places are often degraded by nature, time, and people, leaving a ghostly shell of their former glory. If there’s one thing for sure it’s that old structures are the keepers of secrets. Join me this weekend for our first trip out this winter. A south-west F2 date awaits, and then we’ll head across country to have a look at a very unique place close to here:

Huge thanks to Jane and Nic for 2021. I couldn't wish for two better teammates. Roll on 2022! Plenty of Skeggy pics now in the gallery

Last F1 Race Of 2021 Recall An action packed start sees a huge pile up into turn one. That man 157 again starts his onslaught with a big'un on 318 into turn 1. 8 launches a huge hit on 211 and the cars ahead of her into turn 3. Caution for the stranded 128 and 353 cars at the end of the back straight. Within a couple of laps of the restart 175 gets launched off the back straight infield marker tyres and performs an acrobatic landing bringing out the caution. Light rain falls before the restart which catches Speaky out who spins it in turn 4. 414 and 126 collide with the 318 car. 157 launches 146 into turn 1. 464 takes the win from a hard charging 150. That's it done and dusted for this season folks. Have a good off season everyone. Back from the next meeting 👍

Final Focus A not know where to look action humdinger. 479 leads the field away. 157 gives 318 a hit. 47 does likewise to 318. 307 away up front. 20 puts big hits in on 175 and H410 into turn 3. 124 is on his way through. 307 stops on the outside of turn 1. 157 is the next to get the 20 bumper treatment into turn 3. 353 gets it from 20 on the following lap. 172 spins in turn 4. 157 whacks 479 into turn 1. Adam then gets piledriven into the turn 1 fence by 132. The closing laps sees 8 take both 346 and 150 out with a super hit into turn 1 as 124 claims his second big win of the night.

Consolation Catch Up 307 leads away. 536 makes some hard hitting moves up front. 321 pulls off in the early laps. 20 hits 555 into turn 3, and turn 1 twice over 3 laps but can't shift JJ. Liam then has a dig at 175 before getting caught up with 227 exiting turn 2. 227 takes some unique lines down the straights giving the following cars a fright. 172 tries for a last bender on race leader 536 but is too far back in the end.

Heat Two Happenings 128 leads away. 492 broadsides it through turn 3 and passes a few up the inside. 281 and 283 come to a stop on the outside of turn 1. 211 lets fly with a big hit on 492 entering turn 3. Next time round Phoebe ends up going sideways down the back straight with the right side off the ground in a big coming together with her brother, H248 and 536. 147 leads away following the caution. 128 hits the turn 1 fence in a shower of sparks. 492 whacks 150 into turn 3. 16 passes 381 for 2nd and sets off to try and catch Eddie. As 147 takes the win 150 tries for a last bender on 346 into turn 3 and just misses ending up going out to the fence. Mick came close to losing a place to the close following 381.

Heat One Happenings 479 leads away. 9 and 343 lock together in turn 1 on lap 1. 464 gets through the field early on. 47 and 318 battle it out in the early laps. 157 puts a big hit on 172 entering turn 3. 124 gives chase to race leader 132. 464 and 8 engage in a duel for a number of laps until Luke breaks away. 479 and 350 hook together entering the home straight. 464 passes 124 when Kyle goes wide in turn 3. 132 goes onto win the race.

Hi folks, welcome to Gala Night at Skeggy. U25 Race Recap 343 leads the field away. 124 stacks 'em up entering turn 3 on lap 1. Next time around 5 goes flying in to turn 3 with a monster hit on the back of the blues ahead of him. 36 and 346 go around and are collected by H410. 8 spins out in turn 2. After the caution 147 and 124 head the field. 381, 175, 343, 555 and 127 pile up into turn 3 bringing out the caution once again. Speaky hot foots it down to the scene to gather all the bits of 381 up! 147, 124 and 211 lead off the restart. 124 takes the lead within a couple of laps and sets sail for the victory. H410 is firing in with some big hits. He takes out 36 in turn 3 and his fellow countryman H248 in turn 1. 227 and 295 tangle and come to a stop on the inside kerb just before the starter. 211 has to defend from 20, 346 and 120 who eventually get past. 346 climbs over 20 exiting turn 2 which sees Liam pull off soon after. With oil on track the remaining laps see the field hanging on to make sure of a finish.

Many thanks to Andy for sending some additional pics in which are now in the gallery

A big thank you to you both for the results. Hope hubby is ok Jane. Please send him my wishes. Pics now in the gallery folks. Many thanks to Nic and Mark for sending them in.

Pics now in the gallery folks

Pics now in the gallery folks

Helter Skelter Summary 5 receives a hard hit into the turn 1 fence on lap 1. 8 and 464 make the break from the reds. 217 gets sent wide in turn 2 and makes hard contact with the wall. Caution flag flies. 212 pulls off before the restart. 36 and 124 lead away on the green flag. Jordan then loops it around exiting turn 2. 1 is making his way through the pack. 515 tries to defend his position to the World Champ but to no avail. 166's engine suddenly puts out a lot of smoke down the home straight dramatically reducing visibility in turns 1 & 2. 124 is the first on scene and spins out on the slippery surface. Caution flag. 20 heads the field with 464, 8 and 2 behind. 1 is on a charge and despatches 381 into the turn 1 fence. 8 puts up a good fight against her brother for a couple of laps. The last lap sees the 5 car put a hit in on 515 entering turn 3 which ends up with FWJ clattering down the home straight fence as 464 claims the victory. That's it folks. Back next w/end providing the meeting's on Saturday 👍

Final Focus 197 starts off with some forceful moves forward. 166 and 2 battle at the front of the reds. 1 comes up to engage 197. 48 and 166 lock together exiting turn 4 and come to a stop on the home straight bringing out the caution. 339 leads away the restart. 197 whacks 524 into turn 1 followed by 312 next time around. Turbo Tomo stays put on the outside of the turn for the remainder of the race. A few cars go within a fag papers width of 312 as they go through the turn. 217 comes to a stop on the exit of turn 4 and pulls off soon after. Meanwhile 1 is making good progress with some decisive moves through the traffic to take the lead from 339 with 2 to go. The rest of the field circulate as a high speed train with few changes of position.

Consolation Catch Up The first lap sees 327 take a high speed line into turn 1 and spin out. 524 leads as 295 hits the back straight fence and stops towards turn 3. The caution waves but not all cars slow as 492 and 128 collide in turn 2. The restart has 36 entering turn 1 at high speed taking 172 and 525 out to the fence before getting trapped himself behind them. 392 takes the lead from 524 in turn 1. Within a lap 72 has gone in the back of the stranded cars in turn's 1 and 2 bringing out the caution. 392 extends his lead to the race win when the race resumes with 492 driving well to come in 2nd.

Pit News 132 - Straightening the front end. 11 - Working on the back axle, shocks and brake lines. 175 - Changing gears. 525 - Replacing and welding front right corner bracing. 259 - Replacing front right brake caliper. 327 - Porta power on the front axle. Front bumper right hand side bent back. H248 - Porta power on the back left corner. Rear bumper corner split. 422 - Replacing front right corner. 555 - Changing front axle. 496 - Loaded up. 283 - Loaded up. No brakes and gear set not suitable for Hedno.

Heat Two Happenings 515 gives 16 the hurry up entering turn 3 on lap 1. 217 takes advantage and passes both up the inside into turn 1. H248 piles into 381 and 172 on the run into turn 1. All three stop on the outside line and get collected by 312, 387 and 283. Caution flag flies. 132 leads off the restart. 36 is on his way to the front and after a couple of laps puts a slide job on 451 into turn 2 to take a short lived lead. 512 relieves Jordan of the top spot a lap later. 132 hits the turn 2 fence and the close following 11 car tangles with him and performs a slow rollover. Restart two sees the halfway flag drop on the field. 2 takes the lead from 512 with a hit into turn 3. 16 and 422 end up colliding exiting turn 4 and crash into the homestraight fence. Mat continues, with Ben pulling on to the infield. Paul holds on for the win from a slowly gaining 166 and 5.

Hi folks, welcome to Hednesford Hills. Heat One Happenings Following the stoppage for the turn 1 incident the race developed into stock cars 'racing' with the exception of a couple of laps of dicing between 1 and 197. Although Catherine didn't make it easy for Tom to get past he claimed an easy win.

Helter Skelter Summary An all action affair this one. 2 spins in turn 4 and collects 526 as he tries to pass. At the opposite end 175 half spins and nearly takes out the World Champ. 217 and 166 clash in turn 2 next lap. 242 half spins exiting turn 2 which then involves 11 and 217 again. 502 has set sail up front with 197 making great strides from the handicap. 515 and 127 lock together in turn 2. 73 goes around also in turn 2 which has 55 left with nowhere to go and locks on to him. After 73 rejoins a lap down he takes a pot shot at 45 going into turn one. Nige is having a good race and luckily holds on. The closing couple of laps sees 289 put the bumper in on 502 for the lead and subsequent race victory. That's it folks. Back from Hednesford Hills tomorrow 👍

Final Focus The first start sees a huge pile up with most of the 'A' grade crashing off each other down the back straight. It all ends up with 525 performing a spectacular roll along the fence in turn 3. Nigel climbed out all smiles. 389 leads away on the restart. 197 passes 515 and 1 through turn 3. The World Champ half spins unaided in turn 2 next time round. 278 loses the left front wheel bringing out another caution. 93 heads 55, 191 and 197 on the restart. Within a couple of laps 191 loses it in turn 4, and 55 clouts the turn 3 fence and retires to the centre. 197 takes the lead which he holds to the end in fine style. 217 is the next to suffer a problem and circulates slowly around the outside for the remaining laps. The second half of the race doesn't see many changes for position apart from 1 passing 515 into turn 1 with a well judged hit near race end.

Pit news 150 - Loading up. Misfire and diff u/s. 16 - Gearbox kaput. 234 - Loading up. Right side nerf rail bent up. 463 - Loading up. Right side nerf bent up and James feeling a bit sore after walloping the fence. 338 - Loaded up. 415 - Porta power on the front axle.

Consolation Catch Up 124, 211, 242, 541 pile up in turn 4. 541 and 136 collide on the back straight and take a wayward line into turn 3 collecting 388, 495 and 415 along the way. 345 stops alongside the turn 4 fence. 234 leads off following a caution. 496 spins out in turn 4. 463 is the first red to show. 389 and 87 are now the top 2. 463 loses it duelling with 166 down the back straight and whacks the turn 3 fence head on. With 136 stranded in turn 1 the race is brought under caution. 16 takes the lead from 389 on the restart. 87 has 166 bearing down on him entering turn 3 and makes a spirited attempt to hold him back. However, exiting turn 4 they lock together and spin out. The race leading 16 comes to a stop on the exit of turn 2. 259 now leads. The closing lap sees 346 try for a last bender on 211 going into turn 3 but spins out in turn 4.