THE news from Taunton on Sunday was that the Formula II World Final next year is to be staged at the Cowdenbeath Racewall over the weekend of September 5 next year, writes Racewall reporter, Jim Turner.

It will make for an exciting season next year, with this massive event coming to Cowdenbeath.

The stock car season at the Cowdenbeath Racewall is entering its last month of an exciting season where Archie Brown and Cammy Doak were crowned champions in two tantalising World Finals.

There is an impressive booking list of 100 Formula II drivers and 51 Saloon drivers also booked to race.

The Formula II 2024 version was held at Taunton on Saturday where the National Points Champion, Charlie Guinchard, started from pole with Gordon Moodie (Windygates), the defending champion, alongside.

Behind an all-Scottish row were Liam Rennie, and the European Champion, Chris Burgoyne. 

Other Scots on the grid were Lewis and Steven Burgoyne who shared row eleven. Scottish drivers have a good record in the World Championships - which was first run in 1963 - although BriSCA didn’t come to Scotland until 1981.

Jimmy Wallace was the first to put the Scottish drivers on the map when he won the first of his titles in 1988, he also won the National Points title that year, before retaining his World title the following year.

Since then, Chris Burgoyne has had two successes, Gordon Moodie four, while John Fortune won at Skegness. Both George MacMillan Jnr and Allister King bagged theirs at the Racewall.

On Friday night the drivers who raced in the semi-finals and didn’t make the top ten had a last-chance qualifying race where the top six were seeded onto the last three rows of the World Final grid.

Time trials took place to determine where the overseas drivers would start on the grid.

Dutch driver Nigel Stegmeijer was the fastest from Graham Feganm which saw them share the third row whilst Belgium’s Jan Beckers and Shea Fegan were on row six.  

The last chance qualifying round was won by Jon Palmer who led home Jamie Jones, but the Scottish drivers were out of luck.

In the domestic meeting, heat one was won by Mat Stoneman, with Gordon Moodie fifth. Josh Weare won the second heat, whilst Adam Rubery came out on top in the consolation with Jason McDonald fourth.

Ben Bates won the final with Graeme Leckie third, McDonald seventh and Wallace eighth. Tim Farrell then ended the night’s racing with a Grand National win where he crossed the finish line just ahead of Moodie, Wallace and McDonald whilst Leckie was eighth.

In the Ministox, local driver Cody Bradford won the opening heat from Kyle Rogerson with Lana Middler finishing in tenth. Mason Sealy won heat two from Oliver Heron and Rogerson, with Ben McLellan in tenth. Heron won heat three with Caitlin Mitchell in sixth place and the final was won by Sealy who led home Herin and Rogerson, with McLellan in ninth place.

Saturday was the day of reckoning at Taunton for the right to sport the gold roof on their Formula II and the black and white chequered roof on the Saloon.

In the twos, the drivers had gone through a series of qualifying rounds and semi-finals so now it was down to one race. After all the pre-race formalities the race proceeded but for Moodie, Liam Rennie and Chris Burgoyne there was no joy and they ended up on the sidelines.

With three laps to run there was a race suspension after Shea Fegan dumped the leader, Charlie Guinchard, in the fence.

That left Stoneman as the leader from Luke Wrench and Ben Lockwood with Stoneman going on to win at his home track to become the new owner of the gold roof. Wrench was the runner-up with Lockwood third. The only Scottish driver to classify was Steven Burgoyne in ninth place.

Unfortunately, in the post-race scrutineering, a problem was found in Stoneman’s car and he was excluded with Wrench being confirmed as the World Champion.  Moodie, Rennie and C. Burgoyne all qualified for the final through the consolation heats where C. Burgoyne was fifth.
 

In the Saloons the drivers had to contest in a series of heats on the night to qualify for the final. Ryan Santry won the opening heat from Kyle Hegg with Andrew Mathieson fourth and Graeme Shevill in eighth place, whilst Derek Duff was third in heat two and Ross Watters seventh. Heat three was won by Kai Gilmour, with Holly Glen eighth and ahead of Gary Paterson and Zak Gilmour. 

Mathieson then won heat four with G. Shevill fourth, Barry Russell fifth, Stuart Shevill Jnr eighth and Watters ninth. The fifth heat went to Warren Darby with K. Gilmour third and just clear of Jordan Cassie with Shevill Jnr seventh and Logan Bruce tenth.

Archie Brown won the British Championship to add to his World Title from Watters, who started from row ten and K. Gilmour.

In the Formula IIs on Sunday L. C. and S. Burgoyne and Euan Millar all qualified for the final but they were out of luck and neither were classified.

Saloons qualifiers were Hegg  Derek Duff, Watters, Mathieson, Robin Copland  Cassie, Russell and Shevill Jnr. Hegg went through to win  the final with Derek Duff fourth Watters sixth and Shevill Jnr tenth. In the Allcomers Watters ended up in third spot with Shevill Jnr fifth.

However, at the Racewall, GMP gears up to what will be a mouthwatering climax to what has been a season of close and exciting racing.

The stock cars return to the scene on October 5 where the Saloon drivers will top the bill with the drivers contesting one of their National Series points rounds. Already one round has been run with Alfie Aldous enjoying a slender lead of four points over Stuart Shevill Jnr with Barry Russell a further sixth points adrift.

Hopefully the meeting will see most of the ten drivers who qualified for the series turn up. Also racing on the night are the Prostock Basics, the Micro F2s whilst World Champion Cammy Doak will be in action.

The following day there is a meeting at the Crimond Raceway where their track points championships will be concluded, both Nationally and domestically.

On October 12, Formula II is back. That night the white/yellow grade drivers will be racing for their championship and they will be backed by the Saloons and Ministox, whilst the youngsters in their Micro F2s will be having their last outing of the year at the Racewall.

The following week Leon Stewart will be defending his Scottish Stock Rod Championship, but will have to be at his best if he wants to retain his title. The likes of Michael Bethune, Doak, Jamie Dawson and James Gray will be stiff opposition, but in a public draw it could give one of the lower grade drivers a chance for success.

That night the Micro Banger Supreme Championship takes place along with the Saloons and the Ministox drivers.

The season ends with the usual two-day affair with the Formula II Saloon and Classic Hot Rod drivers in action on both days.

Over the weekend the twos have their Champion of Champions race with the James Clarke Cochrane Memorial Trophy up for Grabs whilst on Sunday they race for their Grand National Championship. The saloons have their Superbowl Championship on the Saturday night and the Gordon Barclay Memorial Trophy on Sunday. The Classic hot rods are in action both days with the Ministox drivers joining the fray on Sunday.

The various track championships have still to be decided both track and Nationally so there is still a lot to play for.

Nationally in the Formula IIs Tom Bennett leads Gordon Moodie by twenty four points but John Hogg is leading at the Racewall with Craig Wallace and Moodie still in with a chance.

At Crimond the points look to be going the way of Jason McDonald who has a healthy lead over his rivals. 

Saloon wise it is unlikely that Stuart Shevill Jnr can be caught in either of the National or the Racewall points championships and whilst he is leading at Crimond he has Gary Paterson in close order.

It looks as if there is going to be plenty to play for over the closing month of racing starting on Saturday with the usual 6pm start. The Saloons top the bill but will be backed by the Stock Rods, Prostock Basics and the Micro F2s