Since the start of the season Oakley Grief has never been far from the headlines, and it was a similar story on Friday night – although not for winning.
Towards the end of the opening heat he tangled with another driver when avoiding a spun car sending him into a spectacular double barrel roll. The car was repaired in time for the Final but after another heavy shunt, and subsequent mechanical issues, Grief was forced into retirement.
Both the BriSCA F2 and Saloon Stock Car finals were won by members of the Burgoyne family. Chris Burgoyne won the BriSCA F2 Final after an exciting battle with World Champion Gordon Moodie, while Charlie Burgoyne took the Saloon Final, coming through the pack to take his first win from the star grade.
BriSCA F2 World Champion, Gordon Moodie (Windygates), was making his first Scottish appearance with the gold roof this year, with Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Dennis Middler also racing at Racewall for the first time this season, while Andrew Seneschall was a welcome visitor from Lincolnshire.
New grades for May were in effect with Graeme Leckie up to Red while Paul Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Peter Watt dropped a grade each to yellow and blue respectively.
P. Reid made the most of his downgrade by leading most of the opening heat. Chris Burgoyne, another who has dropped a grade for May, was making quick progress through the pack but was delayed slightly when trying to get by Watt. With three laps remaining, C. Burgoyne caught P. Reid and was into the lead a lap later, going on to win. P. Reid was second and Watt third.
C. Burgoyne was a slow starter in heat two, which helped P. Reid to his first win of the season. After a battle for a few laps, Moodie got the better of Watt for second. Reece McIntosh (Glenrothes) completed the top ten positions.
Steven Burgoyne’s evening of mechanical issues continued at the start of the Final where he was an early retiree, while P. Reid and Middler were the front runners.
Leckie and Seneschall became hooked up on the pit bend but were able to untangle themselves and rejoined the race.
As Middler was getting close to P. Reid’s back bumper he spun on the entry to the turnstile bend, and was collected by an unsighted Mika Millar which brought out the yellow flags.
P. Reid led the restart but was soon relegated to third by Moodie and C. Burgoyne, who diced for the lead over the next couple of laps, before Moodie was caught out by some fluid on the track on the entry to the home straight, allowing C. Burgoyne to pull clear. Jason McDonald was another to spin but was able to rejoin. C. Burgoyne went on to record another Final win ahead of Moodie and John Hogg – the latter was also presented with a trophy for winning last year’s track championship. C. Reid crossed the line in fifth place. Hogg went on to take the win in the Grand National ahead of McDonald and Moodie.
National Champion Matthew Stirling, from Northern Ireland, and Bert Farrell, from the South West of England, were the Saloon Stock Car visitors among a field comfortably above twenty cars, with a big grid contributing to some decent action throughout the evening.
Local drivers in action were Eck Cunningham (Leven), Stuart Adsley (Cowdenbeath), Kalin Bryson (Cowdenbeath), Euan Mathieson (Lochgelly), Rian Mitchell (Lochgelly), Duncan Welsh (Rosyth), Darren Rae (Lochgelly), Grady Ross (Lochgelly), Jay Carruthers (Thornton) and Bobby Gold (Leven).
The first race was open to those who started the season as a White or Yellow graded driver. The white tops broke free from the rest of the pack, with only Dale Robertson catching them before the end of the race. Welsh took a flag-to-flag win ahead of Carruthers, who clung on to second, despite a last gasp attack from Robertson.
Welsh crossed the line first in the first heat proper, but was penalised for a quick start along with the other white graders which promoted Robertson to first. Gold was second and Welsh awarded third.
The start of the second heat was frantic, with a yellow flag being called after a marker tyre was shifted into the middle of the turnstile bend – although David Hughes was sent crashing into the wall before the cars had slowed.
Welsh led the restart but was spun aside by Stuart Adsley. Rian Mitchell slowed as Adsley relinquished the lead to Kai Gilmour. Jordan Cassie was close behind but couldn’t make a decent connection on the last bend as K. Gilmour took the win ahead of Cassie and Charlie Burgoyne.
Gold was spun into a marker tyre on the back straight at the start of the Final, with Adsley and Farrell clashing on the pit bend with the latter stopping next to Gold. There was also a trip to the wall for Hughes and Zak Gilmour, with both coming to a stop at the end of the home straight. Welsh led for the majority of the race but dropped down to fourth in the closing laps as Burgoyne made his way past Robertson to win, while Cassie completed the top three.
An extra Dash for Cash race was added to the programme, and was filled with incident. Farrell was sent crashing around the pit bend by Adsley just after spinning Tam Rutherford, a yellow flag being called to allow Rutherford a safe rejoin.
K. Gilmour won out in the dice for the lead that included Stirling and Stuart Shevill, but the race was to be stopped again when Rae, Cunningham and Z. Gilmour clashed messily on the pit bend with Rae being collected head on by Farrell. K. Gilmour got a break at the restart and went on to win, Shevill was spat out by the pack and was relegated down the field on the last corner leaving Burgoyne to take the runners-up spot and Stirling third, while Farrell was awarded a bonus for being the first driver to spin another car out!
Corey Mathers was making his Ministox debut at Cowdenbeath while Billie Summer Glen and William Hunn were making their Racewall season debuts. Zola Paterson (Saline) and Cody Wilson (Thornton) were the only Fifers on the grid.
Glen was the early leader to heat one but Jamie Balfour was heading the field before long. Ollie Sime was on Balfour’s back bumper and did make it into the lead only for Balfour to spin Sime out with the rest of the pack taking avoiding action.
Oakley Grief and Stuart Shevill tangled on the entry to the back straight leading Grief into a spectacular roll over. Balfour led the restart but it was Ben McLellan who came through to win ahead of Mathers and Balfour. Balfour and Sime enjoyed another good battle for the win in heat two, while Caitlin Mitchell was sent heavily into the pit bend wall, but was okay and the race continued. Sime held on to win ahead of Balfour and McLellan.
Grief returned to the grid for the Final but collected the spun Sime in the opening couple of laps – both drivers rejoined.
Balfour was clear in the lead when the race had to be halted for Shevill and Mitchell, who had tangled and collected the home straight wall. Balfour held off Mathers at the restart to win, with McLellan completing the top three.
This Saturday night the BriSCA F2 and Saloon Stock Cars are joined by the Prostock Basics and Prostocks. The meeting starts at 6pm.
