Carl H

The latest update to the official booking list is that there are no updates. There is likely to be a short interval before F1 Heat 5.

Press release from BSCDA HEAVY METAL ACTION ASSURED AS THE BSCDA BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP COMES TO SHEFFIELD Sheffield's Owlerton Stadium hosts the British Drivers Championship this Sunday for the first time since 2005, with 50 cars expected to compete for one of F1 stock car racing’s most prestigious championships. The British Championship was first run in 1956, and was won by Wilf Davies at West Ham, where the championship was held for the first five years. The winner of the British title has to work hard for it. Drivers take part in qualifying heats in graded order, with the highest points scorer starting at the front for the championship race itself with the remaining points scorers qualifying in descending order to the back of the grid. The first multiple winner was Willie Harrison, who won the race at Belle Vue in 1967 and then at Long Eaton in 1975. Stuart Smith was the first to win it three times – 1969, 1981 and 1984, and then John Lund upped the ante by winning the race six times – 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997 and 1998. But the driver who has won the race more than any other in the history of the sport is FRANKIE WAINMAN JNR, the reigning champion, who has eight British titles to his name, his first being in 1992 at Coventry. He won it twice more at Coventry in 1999 and 2001, before winning four times in a row (no other driver has ever won the British Championship more than twice in succession) between 2003 and 2006, including twice at this weekend’s venue Sheffield. He has also been placed in the race seven times. But the race Wainman Jnr cherishes the most is his victory last year at Skegness when his daughter Phoebe also won the V8 Hotstox British Championship on the same night. “It was probably one of my proudest races,” Wainman Jnr revealed. “As I went over the line it just dawned on me what me and Phoebe had actually done. It sunk in straight away. “It was meant to be wasn’t it? It was one of those nights you only experience once in your life. For Phoebe and I to win both British championships on the same night made my season.” Can he win an unprecedented ninth title? Few would bet against it. The British has only been run twice at Owlerton Stadium, in 2004 and 2005, and Wainman Jnr won both times. The second win came after a massive first-bend pile-up that wiped out the front row line-up of Andrew Smith and John Lund, in a race that created a huge amount of damage. “I like Sheffield,” Wainman Jnr said. “It’s a lower grader track for the heats and so you’re definitely going to have a few rows of yellows and blue I would have thought. It would be very unusual to have a superstar on the front row of the grid. “I’ll be aiming for a third or fourth row start. I won it both times it has been run at Sheffield, so we could be on for a third then!” Five other drivers who have won the British Championship take on Wainman Jnr this weekend. PAUL HARRISON has won the race four times, notably in 2011, when the Rotherham star reeled in long-time leader Stuart Smith Jnr to take the lead on the last lap before taking the flag. “The British means a lot to me – I think it does all the drivers,” said Harrison. “It’s intense over the one meeting, to get through your heats and then the final and it’s such a prestigious award.” The race was also memorable for Smith Jnr’s kamikaze last ditched attempt at connecting with the Harrison rear bumper on the last bend. “I was gutted going down the back straight for the last time which is why I left it all on and tried to get him,” said Smith Jnr. “I never backed off and I thought I was going to hit him.” But he didn’t – and ended up smashing into the plate fence to eventually finish seventh. STUART SMITH JNR did win the race, however, in 2008 at Coventry with a decisive move when shunting Mark Gilbank into his brother Andrew, and then charging past Wainman Jnr with three laps to go to take the lead. “I’ve only won one British and I’ve come close to winning it many, many times and I should have won it a couple of times,” he said. “But ifs and buts don’t mean a thing, do they. I’m hoping to put that right this weekend.” PAUL HINES won the race at Skegness in 2010, but was lucky to take part, let alone win the race, after his transporter ran out of diesel on the way to the track. Fortunately, V8 Hotstox driver Carl Radforth happened to drive past the bus parked on the side of the road and went to the next garage with a diesel can. If Radforth hadn't been such a good Samaritan, Hines would have been left stranded. “We literally pulled in the gate just as the cars for heat one were going out,” said Hines. “I was in heat one, the car came off the bus, no practice, I got straight in and scrutineered – they waited for me thankfully – and from that point on I never looked back.” He certainly didn’t. Taking the lead from Lee Robinson on the opening lap, Hines took the flag untroubled for his first British Championship win. Like many drivers Hines believes the British is one of the hardest races to win during the year. “The beauty of the British is you have to work hard through the heats to get there,” Hines said. “Don’t get me wrong the World Final is much tougher to get to it through the year, however, on the day the World Final is a race on its own. “Whereas at the British, you have got to do well throughout the meeting in three heats and then the final – you need a bit of luck in all of them, you need skill in all of them. So I was dead chuffed to win it. It was fantastic.” LEE FAIRHURST has won the British title twice, in 2013 and 2105. The first win at Buxton came after surviving an opening lap onslaught by Rob Speak. Fairhurst and his team prepared for meticulously for the race. Apart from set up changes there was the small matter of reinforcing the car against the potential onslaught it was likely to be subjected to – a prediction that came true on the day. “I qualified on the second row outside having done nothing spectacular in the heats,” said Fairhurst. “We strengthened the car before we went to Buxton as we expected to be in the fence at some point seeing as it was such a big race.” The opened laps were fierce. Pole sitter Dan Johnson led momentarily until Speak fired him into the first turn fence, bending a steering arm. Crucially Johnson came to rest next to the fence three-quarters of the way along the back straight. Fairhurst took the lead but Speak was in no mood to take prisoners and immediately launched at Fairhurst into turn three, sending him careering into the fence. However, Fairhurst survived and was able to maintain his lead into the next corner as Speak launched another attack but was unable to connect, which gave Fairhurst some breathing space. It was then that the race was stopped as the packed charged down the back straight. Paul Hines dived to the inside to avoid the stricken Johnson car but Mat Newson hit it head on and was flung into the path of Finnikin who lost the front end of his car in the resulting collision and without any brakes piled into the fence. Josh Smith collected Newson’s car and together they followed Finnikin in. It was one of the nastiest crashes seen in recent years, but the fact the drivers all emerged unscathed was testament to the build quality of the modern day F1 stock car. After the restart Fairhurst went on to win unchallenged with Speak regaining second spot and Robinson taking third from Wainman Jnr. CRAIG FINNIKIN was able keep keep his wheels on in 2012, when he won the race at Coventry after a dramatic last lap. Having led early, he got pushed aside by Murray Harrison and was fourth going into the closing stages, with Wainman Jnr trying to close down long-time leader Harrison. Finnikin was fourth at this stage immediately behind Mick Sworder, but all that changed after Wainman Jnr went for a do-or-die effort to shunt Harrison wide. “I was having a good battle with Mick for third,” said Finnikin. “We were slowly catching the front two so, instead of knocking each other about, I decided to sit behind Mick and see if we could catch them and then sort it out on the last few laps. “And then all hell let loose on the last lap.” Into the last bend Wainman Jnr piled into Harrison, the pair sliding wide and into the parked car of Mal Brown. Harrison’s hopes of victory ended on the spot while Wainman Jnr was slow to get away. In an instant Finnikin, who was fourth entering the last corner, was past Sworder and into the lead in the sprint to the chequered flag. “Frank took Murray out and I took Mick out,” said Finnikin. “And so I came from fourth on the last bend to win it.” Sworder came home second, ahead of Wainman Jnr. Harrison limped across the line a disappointed seventh. “Going into the last lap I didn’t think I had a hope of winning, to be honest,” Finnikin admitted. “It was one of those races. It was the Coventry Curse. I had never actually won a final around Coventry until that night and then I went on to win three on the trot after that…”

Statement from Startrax Stockcar Racing Track update Because we care about what we do I believe it right to provide as an update on 'where we are' in resolving track issues at Belle Vue which provided an issue since the Monsoon March and explain the reasons why this has been 'work in progress' As always we try to be open and offer explanation and update. I would defensively point out that at Belle Vue and Stoke we have invested around 60k into remodelling, relaying with a new base, drainage and equipment at Stoke and 35k last year at Belle Vue in new drainage etc,etc with further pit improvements scheduled during July at 'The Vue' We care passionately about what we do and want the best for our drivers as much as race fans - who despite the difficult times, did us proud with some great racing - and commitment Monday at Belle Vue. Since the first monsoon meeting of 2017 in March at Belle Vue we have had problems on turn 3/4 with the shale being stripped off and binding with the base. So much shale also was 'lost' due to the weather early season and this also doesn't help with restoring the shale / clay balance particularly as I will explain below, the biggest problem we simply haven't been able to get hold of it! We paid during the late winter a tidy sum to haul several loads of shale from Coventry which we have used at both venues. The big problem all year has been getting 'new' shale, the main quarry in Leicestershire, Breedon Aggregates, has not, due to various problems, been quarrying it in 2017 and they also supply 90% of speedway tracks , the NSS next door to us are also struggling and promoters are having to find different solutions. Scunthorpe used to source theirs locally and supplied King's Lynn but they too have run short. That said they also have a different base being steelwork slag. I spoke with Buster 2 weeks ago and he is experimenting with a white clay / granite mix with the clay coming from Suffolk. I have also spoken with Dave Coventry who is getting clay from the same source but no one wants to let it go! Similarly Mildenhall is a lot easier to 'manage' due to the fact it doesn't run F1's, only light formulae and it is the F1/tyres and the tyre wear that contribute the greatest to 'wear' rate Most speedway tracks have been forced in using an aggregate from Edinburgh which is rich in colour and looks nice but has no body in it and totally unsuitable for our sport. When the shale is delivered it comes in a percentage clay/shale mix and because of the supply issues the clay/shale mix is / has now become imbalanced. We put another 30 ton on the track for Sunday's event of what we had left, so it is not about money it is being spent and whilst not perfect Monday, the 'wear' on 3/4 was improved compared to the last meeting and one and was was spot on. Part of that is 3/4 is 2 metres actually wider than 1/2 and where water sits drainage wise and softens the track. However, work continues to finally resolve the issue and we have, after visiting numerous quarries, sourced a supply of 'good shale' AND clay - this was after several weeks actively searching, sourced late last week in the North East after visiting various quarries - and in the next few weeks that is being delivered and the track again relaid with more clay content in the base. Optimistically, the problem will be totally solved by the F1 WQ at the end of the month. I had again spoken to my track man this morning who even spoke to Bert Finnikin on Monday re white clay and he is seeing if he can source some locally. We have now found a supply of clay in the North East. Tony has put the track back but only pulled half of turn 3/4 back in preparation for a delivery of clay and shale in the next 10 days and in his words, not mine, he is 100% certain that once he has the material and gets it in, it will be near as it can be, perfect come the 25th June. We like you want as good a track as we can get, particularly given how much we are spending! We have spent a small fortune at Stoke and 15k on new equipment this year and we have scraped through shale wise there. Had anyone walked the track prior to the meeting, you would seen how good it was but without 'new' material with the right balance, it could not be perfect, now we have the tools we can move forward. However being slightly defensive whilst down on the base in areas, it was reasonably smooth and our staff did as much as they could in pulling shale back. It should be borne in mind every shale track historically has issues from time to time whether as a result of weather, imbalances in track mix, base problem - Mildenhall has suffered, Coventry has had it's issue which took some time to solve, Stoke which was in the biggest part resolved after huge investment and likewise Belle Vue has been consistently satisfactory. History also demonstrates that there sometimes is no quick, not helped by having the right materials to pick up the phone and order at that point in time! We now believe we are in a position to finally resolve the issue once and for all and we thank ALL drivers for their patience and support - Wouldn't life be much easier if we it was tarmac - i WILL GET MY HAT AND COAT! Again thank you to everyone for their support Steve Rees

That was me, and I'm sticking with it. Maybe a few minutes later than that. The start times of all races can be found on MyLaps. This particular meeting is here:- https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/1402203It shows the Final started at 6.34pm and the GN started at 7.25pm. Start time was 3.30pm. Hardly "well past" 4 hours. Comparing with other recent meetings.... King's Lynn last Saturday is here:- https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/1400196Start time 5.15pm, the F1 GN started at 9.21pm. Already over 4 hours before the GN had been run. Buxton the week before :- https://speedhive.mylaps.com/events/1397004Start time 12.30pm, last race started 5.55pm. That's almost 6 hours.

Race FormatF1 Heat 1F1 Heat 2Ministox Heat 1F1 Heat 3Ministox Heat 2F1 Heat 4Ministox Heat 3F1 Heat 5Ministox Heat 4F1 Heat 6Ministox British FinalF1 British FinalBooking List1 Frankie Wainman Jnr2 Paul Harrison4 Dan Johnson16 Mat Newson21 Mark Gilbank25 Bradley Harrison34 Mal Brown36 Jordan Falding55 Craig Finnikin57 William Fenwick73 Rob Cowley84 Tom Harris134 John Brown152 Neil Scothern166 Bobby Griffin169 Billy Johnson175 Karl Hawkins192 Luke Dennis196 Murray Jones197 Ryan Harrison207 Ben Hurdman212 Danny Wainman216 Jack France217 Lee Fairhurst220 William Hunter238 Richard Bryan244 Mick Rogers249 Jonathon Gibson259 Paul Hines268 Richard Woods287 Sean Willis293 Eliot Smith313 Karl Roberts335 Mark Woodhull338 Chris Brocksopp348 John Wright363 Dan Clifford364 Robert Plant390 Stuart Smith415 Russell Cooper422 Ben Riley446 Joe Booth448 Jason Eaton462 Scott Davids463 James Morris483 Wayne Marshall502 Richard Wilson555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Indeed it is.... nothing to do with me though, it was Mick Jenkins that wrote it.

There are currently 48 cars booked. The meeting format will be 6 heats with each driver racing in 3.

British Championship preview on F1stockcars.com

He did not race.

It will hopefully be in normal size print from now on.

The Belle Vue page on the F1stockcars.com Points & Stats site

This is not a Startrax event, so Startrax season tickets cannot be used.

Gates open 11.am - No Advance tickets - simply pay at the turnstiles on the day, credit & debit card accepted Adults £22 Concession £20 Child 12 -15 £8 Accompanied Children Under 12 ABSOLUTELY FREE Enjoy the superb facilities of Owlerton Stadium and upgrade your afternoon and wine and dine and view the racing from our luxurious air conditioned Raceview Restaurant with private bar and superb Sunday Carvery £9.95 The Restaurant is very popular and while spaces may be available on the day your are strongly advised to reserve your table and this must be done direct with the stadium on 01142343074 Schedule First Race 12.30.pm This event is promoted by BriSCA / BSCDA and BMB This is the Big one, the 2017 British Drivers Championship for the awesome BriSCA Formula One Stock Cars at one of the UK's best appointed stadiums, Owlerton Stadium, Hillsborough, Sheffield S6 2DE - Plus full support from the National Ministox with their premier British title also at stake competed over four heats and British Final. Sheffield offers amongst the most spectacular racing in the UK. A hugely atmospheric stadium with covered stands and Raceview bars and restaurants, the rumble and noise of the huge V8 engines simply revurberates like music around the stadium creating a heady atmosphere. The tight D shaped shale oval is one of the fastest in the UK and the combination of speed,size and shape plus the full contact element of BriSCA Formula One Stock Cars on it's day makes it one of the most spectacular. the sight of 4/5 cars exiting turn four stepped sideways is a hair raising site and the shape of the track makes for adrenalin packed action and not for the feint hearted. It has been some years since this prestigous title was held in South Yorkshire and who can forget the start to the last British which was like a motorway 'car cash' in slow motion and one of the biggest crash sequences in Stock Car History! With most of the top names in BriSCA formula expected to attend and up to 50 entries anticipated, this really is an event NOT to be missed! Formats and entry list for the 2017 British will appear late wednesday 31st May

Great turn out today. Didn't his Dad race under that number some years ago ?He's definitely related to 136 Steve and 137 Andy Jacklin that raced in the 1990s, so it's either his dad or uncle.

The first major title of 2017. The F1 British Championship, plus the National Ministox British Championship. Start time 12.30pm More details to follow throughout the week.

Last minute booking :- 137 Sam Jacklin

I've just heard that the chippy under the grandstand will not be open for this meeting as alterations are being made in that area.

445 Nigel Green has withdrawn.

Kids (and big kids!) can have their photo taken in Paul Hines' car, parked by the entrance.

No changes to the entry so car, still on 36 cars. Obviously this may change after KL tonight. 1 Frankie Wainman Jnr 16 Mat Newson 34 Mal Brown 45 Nigel Harrhy 55 Craig Finnikin 57 William Fenwick 84 Tom Harris 152 Neil Scothern 166 Bobby Griffin 169 Billy Johnson 183 Steve Whittle 192 Luke Dennis 212 Danny Wainman 216 Jack France 217 Lee Fairhurst 220 William Hunter 225 Marc Clayton 238 Richard Bryan 249 Jonathon Gibson 263 Chris Worrall 268 Richard Woods 276 Mark Poole 293 Eliot Smith 313 Karl Roberts 342 Christopher Smith 348 John Wright 363 Dan Clifford 364 Robert Plant 380 Chris Alderson 390 Stuart Smith 415 Russell Cooper 422 Ben Riley 445 Nigel Green 462 Scott Davids 463 James Morris 555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Unfortunately we've lost a couple, but still on 44 cars for tonight. 1 Frankie Wainman Jnr 2 Paul Harrison 12 Michael Scriven 16 Mat Newson 18 Richie Ahern 21 Mark Gilbank 25 Bradley Harrison 32 Chris Farnell 45 Nigel Harrhy 55 Craig Finnikin 84 Tom Harris 166 Bobby Griffin 169 Billy Johnson 175 Karl Hawkins 183 Steve Whittle 192 Luke Dennis 197 Ryan Harrison 207 Ben Hurdman 212 Danny Wainman 215 Geoff Nickolls 216 Jack France 217 Lee Fairhurst 220 William Hunter 244 Mick Rogers 259 Paul Hines 263 Chris Worrall 268 Richard Woods 287 Sean Willis 293 Eliot Smith 307 Tim Warwick 313 Karl Roberts 335 Mark Woodhull 338 Chris Brocksopp 348 John Wright 363 Dan Clifford 364 Robert Plant 372 Colin Goodswen 390 Stuart Smith 415 Russell Cooper 422 Ben Riley 445 Nigel Green 463 James Morris 480 Fraser Nairn 555 Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr

Only a few more years until you're old enough to be a promoter, Harry. I'm already looking forward to passing comment on your meetings before they've even taken place. In the meantime, why not save your thoughts for your post in the Driver Of The Day & Racing Rating thread?