Carl H

I think it was around 2003 that the internet reached critical mass for stock car websites. There were literally dozens, maybe even hundreds, covering most oval formulae. The ones that stick in my mind, either because they were a good read or just because they had a great name... Don't Get Mad Get Even (named from a slogan on Ian Higgins' F1), Just2Quick (2Quick were a make of gearbox used in F1s), Do You F2? (I think this was from "Do you Yahoo?", from a TV advert - yes, they used to advertise the internet on telly!) and the Trash banger site, which was just superb. Trash was ahead of its time. It was much more like a magazine viewed through a computer, than a website. Whilst nearly all the other sites were put together single handed, Trash combined slick professional presentation with a team of well-informed contributors from all around the country. Good quality content and new stuff every few days. One of the highlights was the Q&A page. Email in a question, it would appear on the site, and readers were invited to submit answers. I was pretty pleased when my answer about Bobby Burns' F1 career was used. But it was starting to become apparent that to make a decent stock car website, what was needed was more than just the technical know-how to put it all together. The staple components of a bright, garish logo, jerky scrolling text, and badly thought out menus weren't all that hard to do once you'd got the hang of it, but what did pose a real difficulty in making a stock car website was coming up with something to actually put on it. One that stood out was F1&F2 Stock Cars with Christina. Put together by 13 year old Christina Dudley, it featured a variety of well written articles and features, including an in-depth interview with FWJ, something previously only ever seen in magazines. She was in all probability the first to think of asking an actual driver for content and then doing something useful with it. "That was through a friend of mine who knew Sam and Frankie well, and helped to put me in touch. I was a big Frankie fan, so I think that worked in my favour!", she says, "It was around Christmas time, so I was able to get some insight into his racing in New Zealand as well". "I was a huge fan of F1 and F2 Stock Cars and wanted to be more involved. I was inspired by an ICT lesson where I had to produce a website. I created mine using Publisher - very old school!" Today, Christina is an Events Manager for Audi UK. "It's great and keeps me busy, definitely no time for a website now!" "I closed the site when I was 15 or 16, it was around the time of my GCSEs. The website was taking up so much of my time, and I needed to focus on my studies. It was also the time that Stoxnet was becoming really popular. I couldn’t update my website as quickly as Stoxnet was updated, so it was fast becoming out-of-date."

There were no proper web editors as such, and at first just getting a heading to line up with a picture was something of an achievement. If your site had a menu along the top or down the side, then changing the menu meant going through each page and changing it on each one. Programs such as Microsoft's Front Page were supposed to make it easier, but it was still very much a labour of love. One of the best sites of that era was Mike's F1 Stock Car Page, which had the web address f1stockcars.co.uk (no relation to F1stockcars.com). When Mike added what was then called a "bulletin board" to the site, it paved the way for online discussion of stock cars, and from there, there was no going back. Mike's bulletin board hadn't been live all that long before somebody got home from the Wednesday night Skegness meeting and started a thread about it. I remember reading it at work early Thursday morning, a bit bleary eyed as I'd got home from Skeg in the early hours (back then, I was just about young enough for that sort of carry-on) and then typing out my thoughts of the racing. Quite a few more did the same, and although none of us realised it at the time, history was being made. That meeting at Skegness on Wednesday 2nd August 2000 was the first meeting to ever be discussed on the internet. It was on Mike's bulletin board that a young lad named Nik Eastwood asked if anyone would be able to make a note of the results at the upcoming meeting and send them to him for his own site, Opposite Lock. "Opposite Lock was started by accident, really", explains Nik, "I was just following a tutorial on how to make a website, and the stock car content came because that's what we liked, it just grew from that. We travelled to many drivers garages to speak with them direct for the driver profiles, we covered some good mileage and met some great people, many of which are still involved with stock car websites, and of course some drivers who are still racing and still winning world championships!" So, I went to the August Bank Holiday Sunday night meeting at Belle Vue with notebook and pen, and carefully wrote down the results. When I got home I typed them all out into an email, and later that same night those results were published on Opposite Lock. That makes Belle Vue on Sunday 28th August 2000 the first ever F1 meeting to have results online the same day. It's possible that Roger's Oval Pages had already done same day results for another formula, but this was definitely the first time that it had been done for an F1 meeting. When we were talking about doing the results, I asked if I should do a bit of a meeting report as well... "Erm... nah, just the results will be fine, thanks!" I wrote one anyway, and it went online sometime the day after. So that was another first, the first ever online F1 meeting report. From then until the end of the 2014 season, I went on to write a total of 174 meeting reports for various websites. Reading that first one back now, it's quite clear to me that I never got any better at it! Emailing the results when I got home wasn't exactly the quickest method, and as both Nik and I now had mobile phones, early in the 2001 season we moved onto text messages. It wasn't immediately after every race, as is the norm these days, but all the results were sent in one or two texts after the meeting finished. (I think they were 12p a time!) So that's another one for the history books: Hednesford on Sunday 22nd April 2001 was the first meeting to have the results texted from the track.

There were no race meetings on 11th June 2003, but one thing that did happen that day was that Stoxnet went online to the general public. The internet back then was very different to how it is today. For a start, not everybody had internet access, and many of those that did were still using dial-up (if you don't know what that is, ask your parents!). What follows is a piece I wrote for the sold-out F1stockcars.com 2017 book about the history of stock car racing on the internet. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, well, to my mind at least, the three greatest inventions of the 20th century, if not of all time, are the internet, mobile phones, and stock car racing. It took a while, but they all eventually came together in the form of websites about stock car racing, and ultimately, F1stockcars.com. Let's take a look back at how it all began. As is widely known, stock car racing in the UK started in 1954. A few years later, the first attempts were made at getting computers to talk to each other, and in simple terms, that’s all the internet is. In 2014, the media reported on the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, and although Sir Tim Berners-Lee is correctly credited with inventing it, he didn't, as some publications made out, do it entirely from scratch. The underlying internet that it all runs on had been over 30 years in the making, beginning just a few years after that first stock car meeting. While other internet based services such as instant messaging (then known as Internet Relay Chat), email, bulletin boards, file transfer, etc, were already well established, there were no websites as such until Sir Tim invented the web browser in 1989. By the mid-1990s computer networks had begun to emerge from being used primarily by academia and the military, and was starting to draw the attention of the general public. The first website to feature stock car racing was Roger's Oval Racing Pages, which went online in early 1997, and still runs to this day. Roger covered a lot of the southern based formulae, including BriSCA F1 on occasion. It was followed a year later by the similar multi-formulae Rolling Start, which is also still around. The internet gradually worked its way into people's workplaces, and then their homes, and many people in the late 1990s had their evenings punctuated by the shrill "Beeee, boooo, diddly diddly diddly diddly!" noises of their big chunky desktop PC making a painfully slow connection to the outside world through a dial-up modem. The main problem with the fledgling public internet, which soon became fairly obvious, was that there wasn't all that much on it. In a bid to get people interested, and generate some content in the process, websites and web space were given away for nothing, and included as a freebie in internet packages. And so the end of the last millennium saw the emergence of a whole raft of stox-based websites, all put together by enthusiastic fans. At the time, web browsers were barely more sophisticated than Teletext, and to say some of those early sites were "a bit basic" would be an understatement.

This Sunday 16th June very much is Thunder in the Hills as the BriSCA power Show returns to Staffordshire's amphitheatre of oval racing - Hednesford Hills Raceway. Europes high Octane short oval race divisions on the ultimate stage that is Hednesford for the biggest F1 Stock Car event in recent history. https://www.facebook.com/events/316990535635536 The first of two events at Hednesford for the BriSCA Formula One Stock Cars has been eagerly awaited since the 2019 calendar was published in the New Year and this event comes no bigger than a trio of British Championships on offer and the British in status comes only second to the World and one the drivers are very much up for with a generous prize purse combined with the accolade of being at the pinnacle of such a prestigious title and race. At the time of writing, a healthy entry of the Big League are entered, with a unique qualification system delivering big grids and building up to a climax of the final race of the day, the 2019 BSCDA BRITISH DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP. The ultra fast contours of the Hednesford Bowl are not for the feint hearted and this is a 4 hour thrills show of pulsating horsepower action. Whilst last years winner at Belle Vue, Stuart Smith Junior is now sadly in retirement, 2019 is relatively wide open with all the top drivers entered, most of whom are well at home at the superfast oval. On recent form, all eyes will be on Tom Harris who has quite literally been invincible through April and May albeit last weekends tarmac double saw him off the boil, However, Matt Newson has had an astonishing first quarter and this is a title he wants to win having come so close last year. However, with big grids and the likes of former Championship winners Nigel Green, Frankie and Danny Wainman, Dan Johnson, Paul Hines, Jamie Davidson and a man on huge form Will Hunter, it looks almost certain this will be fast and furious and wide open. Joining the Big League, sharing this prestigious programme are the National Ministox, providing stars for the future since 1983! Aged from just 11 to 16, the race division seems to get better every single year and 2019 has been the hottest yet. Whilst the formula continues to enjoy an insurgence of new talent, at the leading edge and likely to be chasing for the podium are a whole crop of drivers at their peak led by current World Champion Jack Witts but then add in names such as Rebecca Smith [ daughter of Andy ] and the Evans brothers as part of a mid thirties entry, expect the sparks to fly. Never before has the rivalry been so intense! Our third BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP of the day welcomes the V8 Stock Cars back to the Hills. Its been a transitionary year for this class and the man of the moment seems to be hot shot Matt Barnard, currently fourth in the points table although this formula tends to throw up some explosive surprises! Where better to host such a tremendous trio of Championships than Hednesford ? The scene of some of the biggest title fights since the 1960s and dramatic finishes. A well appointed oval set on the beautiful Cannock Chase with all weather Raceview Grandstands and panoramic viewing from the high levels of the grass banking providing a spectacular view over the raceway. With ample trackside parking where you can view in comfort, licensed bars and a wide range of fast food outlets, this really is a power max motorsport spectacular for all the family! INCARACE, BriSCA and the BSCDA proudly present the 62nd BriSCA F1 Stock Car British Drivers Championship. Sunday 16th June. 1pm. Theres only one way to experience it - be there!

I did notice that there's only 2 heats and final for the V8s, but that's what I was sent.

HEDNESFORD HILLS RACEWAY Sunday 16th June 2019 BSCDA & BriSCA & Incarace present the 62nd BSCDA BRITISH DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP Plus the 38th staging of the National Ministox BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP & The 33rd staging of the V8 Hot Stox BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP F1 Heat 1 (Shale / dual surface cars)F1 Heat 2National Ministox Heat 1V8 Hot Stox Heat 1F1 Heat 3National Ministox Heat 2F1 Heat 4National Ministox Heat 3F1 Heat 5V8 Hot Stox Heat 2National Ministox Heat 4F1 Heat 6V8 Hot Stox BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP FINALNational Ministox BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP FINALF1 2019 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL The booking list at the moment looks like this: 2 Paul Harrison4 Dan Johnson5 Charlie Sworder11 Neil Scriven12 Michael Scriven13 Kelvin Hassell16 Mat Newson25 Bradley Harrison37 Chris Cowley43 Adam Bamford48 Shaun Webster55 Craig Finnikin70 Aaron Leach84 Tom Harris101 Tristan Jackson124 Kyle Gray126 Harry Steward164 John Fortune166 Bobby Griffin172 Micky Randell175 Karl Hawkins180 Courtney Witts196 Murray Jones211 Phoebe Wainman212 Danny Wainman217 Lee Fairhurst220 William Hunter229 Derek Brown242 Joe Nickolls259 Paul Hines283 Alex Wass287 Sean Willis300 Paul Carter303 Karl Whiteman313 Karl Roberts325 Richard Davies339 Ant Lee345 Jake Harrhy346 Ashley England361 Steve Reedman364 Robert Plant366 Dave Dorans401 Mark Wareham422 Ben Riley445 Nigel Green451 Martin Spiers464 Luke Davidson484 Craig Utley501 George Elwell515 Frankie Wainman518 Stuart Shevill Jnr532 Daz Kitson555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Provisional programme of events BriSCA F1 Heat 1 National Ministox Heat 1 BriSCA V8 Hotstox Heat 1 BriSCA F1 Heat 2 National Ministox Heat 2 BriSCA V8 Hotstox Heat 2 BriSCA F1 Heat 3 / Cons * National Ministox Heat 3 BriSCA V8 Hotstox Final BriSCA F1 Final [Al Henderson Memorial] National Ministox Final BriSCA V8 Hotstox Grand National BriSCA F1 Grand National National Ministox Grand National

366 has withdrawn, which leaves 42 cars. 2 Paul Harrison4 Dan Johnson5 Charlie Sworder11 Neil Scriven13 Kelvin Hassell16 Mat Newson25 Bradley Harrison37 Chris Cowley43 Adam Bamford55 Craig Finnikin70 Aaron Leach84 Tom Harris101 Tristan Jackson124 Kyle Gray127 Austin Moore137 Sam Jacklin147 Eddie Collins166 Bobby Griffin172 Micky Randell175 Karl Hawkins180 Courtney Witts211 Phoebe Wainman212 Danny Wainman217 Lee Fairhurst242 Joe Nickolls259 Paul Hines275 Terry Hawkins278 Paul Hopkins287 Sean Willis313 Karl Roberts345 Jake Harrhy346 Ashley England415 Russell Cooper422 Ben Riley445 Nigel Green451 Martin Spiers464 Luke Davidson501 George Elwell515 Frankie Wainman526 Finlay Sargent543 Drew Lammas555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Another bit of trivia... Stu Smith (1) is the only person to have both won and promoted a British Championship.

Well spotted... I was using a list I did for an article I wrote a few years ago.

He's just booked in for Buxton on Sunday, so you never know...

Just booked in.... 217 Lee Fairhurst 313 Karl Roberts

Drivers that have won the British more than once. 9 wins 515 Frankie Wainman Jnr (1992, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2016, 2017) 6 wins 53 John Lund (1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1998) 4 wins 391 Andy Smith (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009) 2 Paul Harrison (1991, 1993, 2011, 2014) 3 wins 1 Stu Smith (1969, 1981, 1984) 2 wins 2 Willie Harrison (1967, 1975) 396 Doug Cronshaw (1970, 1976) 199 Mike Close (1973, 1979) 190 Len Wolfenden (1982, 1983) 217 Lee Fairhurst (2013, 2015) 390 Stuart Smith (2008, 2018) 259 Paul Hines and 55 Craig Finnikin, with 1 win each, are the only drivers that can possibly add themselves to this list this year.

Admission prices have been announced. Adults £22 Concession (65+ yrs) £20 Children (8-16 yrs) £8

48 Shaun Webster has withdrawn. 4 Dan Johnson has booked in.

Updated: 5 Charlie Sworder 11 Neil Scriven 12 Michael Scriven 13 Kelvin Hassell 16 Mat Newson 37 Chris Cowley 43 Adam Bamford 70 Aaron Leach 84 Tom Harris 101 Tristan Jackson 124 Kyle Gray 126 Harry Steward 127 Austin Moore 128 Simon Binder 137 Sam Jacklin 147 Eddie Collins 164 John Fortune 166 Bobby Griffin 172 Micky Randell 175 Karl Hawkins 211 Phoebe Wainman 212 Danny Wainman 220 Will Hunter 242 Joe Nickolls 259 Paul Hines 275 Terry Hawkins 283 Alex Wass 284 Sam Wass 300 Paul Carter 345 Jake Harrhy 346 Ashley England 366 Dave Dorans 387 Hannah Chappell 422 Ben Riley 451 Matin Spiers 464 Luke Davidson 497 Carl Dugdale 501 George Elwell 515 Frankie Wainman Jnr 526 Finn Sargent 532 Daz Kitson 543 Drew Lammas 555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Latest update 2 Paul Harrison 5 Charlie Sworder 11 Neil Scriven 13 Kelvin Hassell 16 Mat Newson 25 Bradley Harrison 37 Chris Cowley 43 Adam Bamford 48 Shaun Webster 55 Craig Finnikin 70 Aaron Leach 84 Tom Harris 101 Tristan Jackson 124 Kyle Gray 127 Austin Moore 137 Sam Jacklin 147 Eddie Collins 166 Bobby Griffin 172 Micky Randell 175 Karl Hawkins 180 Courtney Witts 211 Phoebe Wainman 212 Danny Wainman 242 Joe Nickolls 259 Paul Hines 275 Terry Hawkins 278 Paul Hopkins 287 Sean Willis 345 Jake Harrhy 346 Ashley England 366 Dave Dorans 415 Russell Cooper 422 Ben Riley 445 Nigel Green 451 Martin Spiers 464 Luke Davidson 501 George Elwell 515 Frankie Wainman 526 Finlay Sargent 543 Drew Lammas 555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Mat Newson just booked in which takes it to 40 cars.

A few more now booked in. 2 Paul Harrison5 Charlie Sworder11 Neil Scriven13 Kelvin Hassell25 Bradley Harrison37 Chris Cowley43 Adam Bamford48 Shaun Webster55 Craig Finnikin70 Aaron Leach84 Tom Harris101 Tristan Jackson124 Kyle Gray127 Austin Moore147 Eddie Collins166 Bobby Griffin172 Micky Randell175 Karl Hawkins180 Courtney Witts211 Phoebe Wainman212 Danny Wainman242 Joe Nickolls259 Paul Hines275 Terry Hawkins278 Paul Hopkins287 Sean Willis345 Jake Harrhy346 Ashley England366 Dave Dorans415 Russell Cooper422 Ben Riley445 Nigel Green451 Martin Spiers464 Luke Davidson501 George Elwell515 Frankie Wainman Jnr526 Finn Sargent543 Drew Lammas555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Current booking list 5 Charlie Sworder11 Neil Scriven12 Michael Scriven13 Kelvin Hassell37 Chris Cowley43 Adam Bamford48 Shaun Webster70 Aaron Leach101 Tristan Jackson124 Kyle Gray126 Harry Steward127 Austin Moore147 Eddie Collins164 John Fortune166 Bobby Griffin172 Micky Randell175 Karl Hawkins211 Phoebe Wainman220 Will Hunter242 Joe Nickolls259 Paul Hines275 Terry Hawkins283 Alex Wass284 Sam Wass300 Paul Carter345 Jake Harrhy346 Ashley England366 Dave Dorans387 Hannah Chappell422 Ben Riley445 Nigel Green451 Matin Spiers464 Luke Davidson497 Carl Dugdale501 George Elwell515 Frankie Wainman Jnr526 Finn Sargent532 Daz Kitson543 Drew Lammas555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Current booking list. 2 Paul Harrison5 Charlie Sworder11 Neil Scriven13 Kelvin Hassell25 Bradley Harrison37 Chris Cowley43 Adam Bamford48 Shaun Webster55 Craig Finnikin70 Aaron Leach101 Tristan Jackson124 Kyle Gray127 Austin Moore166 Bobby Griffin172 Micky Randell175 Karl Hawkins180 Courtney Witts211 Phoebe Wainman212 Danny Wainman242 Joe Nickolls259 Paul Hines275 Terry Hawkins278 Paul Hopkins287 Sean Willis345 Jake Harrhy346 Ashley England366 Dave Dorans415 Russell Cooper422 Ben Riley445 Nigel Green451 Martin Spiers464 Luke Davidson501 George Elwell515 Frankie Wainman Jnr555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

This will be the 62nd British Championship. These were the first 61:- 1956 West Ham 14 Wilf Davies1957 West Ham 14 Harry Foot1958 West Ham 103 Johnny Brise1959 West Ham 5 Doug Wardropper1960 West Ham 149 Doug Harvey1961 Coventry 37 Don Evans1962 West Ham 245 Alan Wardropper1963 Belle Vue 285 Fred Ball1964 Harringay 104 Ted Pankhurst1965 Coventry 3 Ellis Ford1966 Harringay 234 Ray Pearce1967 Belle Vue 2 Willie Harrison1968 Harringay 244 Jim Esau1969 Coventry 391 Stu Smith1970 Belle Vue 396 Doug Cronshaw1972 Long Eaton 250 Gerald Taylor1973 Nelson 199 Mike Close1974 Northampton 81 Pat Driscoll1975 Long Eaton 2 Willie Harrison1976 Belle Vue 396 Doug Cronshaw1978 Bradford 304 Dave Mellor1979 Belle Vue 199 Mike Close1980 Hartlepool 175 Glyn Pursey1981 Long Eaton 1 Stu Smith1982 Hartlepool 190 Len Wolfenden1983 Rochdale 190 Len Wolfenden1984 Belle Vue 1 Stu Smith1985 Northampton 55 Bert Finnikin1986 Long Eaton 422 Nigel Whorton1987 Skegness 53 John Lund1988 Bradford 260 Dave Berresford1989 Scunthorpe 53 John Lund1990 Hednesford 53 John Lund1991 Buxton 2 Paul Harrison1992 Coventry 515 Frankie Wainman1993 Long Eaton 2 Paul Harrison1994 Skegness 109 Phil Smith1995 Coventry 53 John Lund1996 Coventry 33 Peter Falding1997 Buxton 53 John Lund1998 Coventry 53 John Lund1999 Coventry 1 Frankie Wainman2000 King's Lynn 391 Andy Smith2001 Coventry 515 Frankie Wainman2002 Coventry 391 Andy Smith2003 Belle Vue 515 Frankie Wainman2004 Sheffield 515 Frankie Wainman2005 Sheffield 515 Frankie Wainman2006 Ipswich 515 Frankie Wainman2007 Skegness 391 Andy Smith2008 Coventry 390 Stuart Smith2009 Belle Vue 1 Andy Smith2010 Skegness 259 Paul Hines2011 King's Lynn 2 Paul Harrison2012 Coventry 55 Craig Finnikin2013 Buxton 1 Lee Fairhurst2014 Birmingham 2 Paul Harrison2015 Northampton 217 Lee Fairhurst2016 Skegness 515 Frankie Wainman2017 Sheffield 515 Frankie Wainman2018 Belle Vue 390 Stuart SmithSome trivia...Although it's known as the British Championship, the title on the trophy is British Drivers Championship.The championship was not held in 1971 or 1977 because of disagreements over where to hold it.Frankie Wainman has won the most British titles with 9 victories to date.John Lund has won 6.The first two British Champions had the same racing number - 14.Gerald Taylor's 1972 victory is notable for two reasons. He was a yellow top and is the lowest graded winner, and he won by the shortest margin - about half a car length.

That's a good point. For instance..... the 2012 World Final at Skegness was cheaper for me and my lad to get in than the Semi Final at Birmingham, and by a considerable amount.

Start times are a definite factor for declining crowds and probably drivers too. A long time ago now, I used to work 6 hours on a Saturday, then set off at 3.30pm and get to Coventry in plenty of time for the 7.15pm start. The earlier and earlier start times just mean less and less time in which to get there.

I recall this being tried at Sheffield years ago. A quid to go in the pits. The idea was to reduce the number of people in the pits. It didn't work, everybody just paid the quid and then vented their fury on the internet for the rest of the week. Charging for something that clearly does not cost anything and that your customers are accustomed to not paying for is only going to sour relations with the paying public. For example, RyanAir's policy of charging extra for everything hasn't exactly endeared them to anyone. I once paid them over £600 for four £35 plane tickets. It's not the actual cost that annoyed me (it was still a reasonable price), it's the feeling that I'd been ripped off. The best solution (other than leaving things as they are) would be to knock the £2 off the admission price for those that don't want to go in the pits. Obviously that's not going to happen.