Standlake F2 - 23/06/19

The joint lowest turnout of the season still raised a decent 16 cars, including a track debut for 45 Will Adams, who was joined from Grimley by 115 Ben Farebrother.  Ex BriSCA driver 109 Stuart Biddle made his full debut in his own car, while there was a last ever F2 outing for former Grimley racer 886 Brian Owens in the Andy Brewin car.

All 16 cars for Heat 1; pole sitter 38 Gavin Busby took the lead into turn 1 followed by 45 Will Adams.  623 Rob Dobie made a good start and got past 109 Stuart Biddle and 185 Jess Webb to sit 3^rd.  45 Adams took the lead making a move into turn 3, as 563 Keith Walding and 261 Roger Mountney dropped 185 Webb further down the order before 886 Brian Owens spun on turn 3.

563 Walding clipped a marker tyre on turn 4 a couple of laps later and this allowed the hard-charging reds of 352 Andy Webb and 155 Carl Lewis to move ahead, followed through by 261 Mountney. 

With Adams retiring, 38 Busby was back ahead with 155 Lewis taking 623 Dobie for 2^nd into turn 1, as Walding made a move on 421 Gary Webb, before 352 Webb also got the better of Dobie.  Less than half a lap later and Lewis took the lead, diving inside Busby on the back straight, quickly followed through by Andy Webb.

Further back the battle was developing for 3^rd place; 115 Ben Farebrother and 856 Paul Webb got ahead of Walding and 421 Webb, with the foremost managing to take both 856 Webb and Dobie in a single move on the following lap.  115 Farebrother then chased down Busby and knocked him wide on turn 3, only to drift wide himself and allow the 38 car back up the inside on the exit of the corner.  This allowed Walding to catch and pass both, before he too was to drop back as both Paul and Gary Webb came through.

The race finally settled down up front, however further back Dobie spun and was helped round by 508 Terry Butcher while Busby hit the back straight armco and tangled with 82 Keith Richens, ending the latter’s race.  Up front Lewis and Andy Webb had a comfortable lead and that was how it was to finish, with 155 taking yet another win.

Result: 155, 352, 856, 421, 115, 563, 508, 261, 509, 623

15 cars were back out for Heat 2, which started with 45 Adams getting the lead into turn 1 ahead of 38 Busby.  A lap later Busby lost 2^nd to 109 Biddle, as 563 Walding got by 185 Jess Webb and then 623 Dobie to move into 5^th.  352 Andy Webb and 115 Farebrother made the early running from the reds and moved 508 Terry Butcher wide as they started their chase to the front.

Walding moved up the inside of 509 Jordan Butcher while Adams had by now managed to build himself a sizeable lead.  421 Gary Webb was forced to retire with a misfire, while 856 Paul Webb put the bumper in on Farebrother allowing 155 Lewis through also.  886 Owens spun himself on turn 2 as Walding came under pressure from 856 Webb, but it was Andy Webb who benefited as he overtook both.

With Andy Webb looking the quickest on track, he caught 109 Biddle and squeezed up the inside on the exit of turn 4 to claim 2^nd place.  With a train of reds now upon him, Biddle found himself dropped right down the order as Lewis also took Walding to sit 3^rd.  The latter then lost out a lap later to Paul Webb and Farebrother, but Paul Webb had Walding come back at him, before pulling off onto the middle a short while later.

Up front no one could catch the flying white top, as Adams came through for his first win at Standlake ahead of Andy Webb and Carl Lewis while Walding lost a drag race to the line against 261 Mountney in the battle for 5^th.

Result: 45, 352, 155, 115, 261, 563, 509, 508, 109, 623

The final raised 14 cars and while 109 Biddle was slow away at the start – losing out to both 509 Jordan Butcher and 623 Dobie - 45 Adams raced off into an early lead.  Biddle was caught on lap 2 by 261 Mountney and then 563 Walding who moved him wide around turn 3.

Further back, 115 Farebrother had made the best start from the reds and quickly caught 508 Terry Butcher and then the struggling Biddle.  Dobie came under attack from Mountney on turn 3 and was to then drop further back as Walding and Farebrother knocked him wide on the next bend.  The Grimley points champion’s charge continued as he outpaced Walding on the back straight to take 4^th place.

Adams by this point had a sizeable lead and looked strong for another win.  Mountney took 2^nd from 509 Butcher, who became the latest victim of the red top train, as he was quickly relegated to 8^th as the pack came through.  Walding dropped back a couple of places as Gary and Paul Webb got by, while 508 Butcher grabbed 8^th place from Dobie as Farebrother slowed and came to a halt on turn 4.

Up front Mountney eventually reeled in long-time leader Will Adams, as behind him Carl Lewis exchanged hits with Gary and Paul Webb, with the former getting ahead of both, before taking 2^nd from Adams with 5 laps to go.  Adams was dropped down to 6^th in the remaining laps as all 3 Webb brothers and Walding were able to get by.  There was no change amongst the top 2 and Mountney came through for his first win at Standlake this season.

Result: 261, 155, 856, 352, 421, 563, 45, 509, 109, 623

After a long wait due to an injured driver in the 1600 Prod Final, a total of 12 cars gridded for the Grand National.  As he had done previously, 45 Adams made a good start but this time it was 109 Biddle who lead into turn 1.  The former retired a lap later, leaving 509 Jordan Butcher to inherit 2^nd place ahead of 623 Dobie.  563 Walding had made a good start from blue and put the bumper in hard on Dobie into turn 3 to take 3^rd.

352 Andy and 421 Gary Webb got away well from red and after a handful of laps they caught and passed first Walding and then Jordan Butcher, to sit 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.  The latter then lost out to Walding and 115 Farebrother a lap later, although picked a place back up as Gary Webb retired with engine issues again.

This spread the field out and saw the race quieten down.  Andy Webb chased down 109 Biddle and took the lead on turn 2 and with 5 laps to go, Farebrother - having got ahead of Walding – took 2^nd place from the 109 car.  His charge was to end on the following lap, when he spun out on turn 3, at the same time as Jordan Butcher spun himself on the back straight.  From the lap handicap, 856 Paul Webb was now up to 4^th after getting ahead of 508 Terry Butcher, who then had 261 Mountney for company. Farebrother’s luck definitely seemed to have expired as he spun again – this time on turn 1, as the 10 car field were now settled and remained without change until the finish, allowing Andy Webb through for his first win of the season.

Result: 352, 109, 563, 856, 261, 508, 115, 623, 509, 185