F2 Review: April - May 2023

April began with an 8 car turnout at Swaffham on Sunday 2^nd.  Warton-based 746 Gary Kitching made his first visit to the track, putting in some serious miles in the process before looking to move back across to BriSCA.  28 Charlie Webb was a fellow track debutant, while there was a return for 288 Mason Hall after 12 months out.

746 GARY KITCHING

185 JESS WEBB MADE A RARE SWAFFHAM VISIT
ALONGSIDE TRACK DEBUTANT 28 CHARLIE WEBB

254 Harry Heffer took his 2^nd treble of the season to extent his lead in the Southern points series as he took all 3 wins.  185 Jess Webb and 253 Charlie Heffer taking the remaining places on the podium.  (PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDY WEBB)

H1: 254, 253, 82, 255, 746, 185, 28

H2: 254, 255, 185, 253, 746, 82, 28, 288

F: 254, 185, 253, 255, 82, 746, 28

One week later Grimley recorded a strong turnout of 14 cars, which included 2 newcomers in the shape of former Rebel racer 58 David Moores – father of 101 Zak and 52 Dale Underwood who made a return to racing after 25 years.  25 Ant Masters also made his first appearance of the season.

F2 DEBUTS FOR 52 DALE UNDERWOOD AND 58 DAVID MOORES

Heat 1 looked like being a first win in his new car for 245 Kyle Broadway before he crashed into the stricken 756 Dan Steele car on turn 1 as 210 Patrick Somerton and 173 Paul Smith hooked up on the exit of turn 4.  The red flags were shown as a result and the restart saw 681 Ollie Holford take up the running and just hang on for his first win of the season ahead of Masters and 299 Will Jackson.

There was no such trouble for Broadway in heat 2 as he took a comfortable win, with Masters and Jackson again rounding out the top 3.  A 12-car final produced some fast racing and Masters was finally able to better his previous results and take the win, beating out Broadway and Jackson in the later stages.

Broadway continued his impressive form by taking his 2nd win of the day in the Grand National, while Will Jackson scored his best result of the day with 2nd and Holford rounded out the top 3.

H1: 681, 25, 299, 246, 101, 252, 502, 242, 210, 756

H2: 245, 25, 299, 681, 246, 252, 210, 101, 502, 242

F: 25, 245, 299, 681, 101, 252, 242, 502, 210, 246

GN: 245, 299, 681, 252, 25, 101, 210, 502, 242, 246

 

The following day 23 cars were in a rain-soaked Standlake pits for their 3rd meeting of the season. A trio of cars were in attendance from the previous day’s Grimley meeting in the shape of 58 David and 101 Zak Moores and 210 Patrick Somerton.  The rest of the entry included a first outing of the year for 60 Graham Fulker, a rare outing for 394 Ken Edwards (who was a non-starter on the day) and a Standlake debut for ex-BriSCA racer 239 Michael Johnston.

DEBUT FOR 239 MICHAEL JOHNSTON

Despite his promotion to yellow grade, 255 Joshua Heffer made light work of the early laps in heat 1 as he quickly took a lead he wasn’t to relinquish, despite close attention from Somerton mid-way through

the race he was able to hold on for his 2nd win of the season ahead of Somerton and Zak Moores.

The wildly changing weather conditions meant that heat 2 was run on an almost dry track.  This leant itself to much quicker racing and a good start from Johnston saw him take up the running and hold the lead until half way as Josh Heffer and Somerton gave chase behind him.  Once again the 210 car was unable to get close enough to Heffer to make a real challenge, and as Johnston was reeled in with 5 laps remaining, Heffer came through for his 2nd win of the day ahead of Somerton and Johnston.

 DOUBLE WINNER 255 JOSHUA HEFFER

Johnston again took the lead in the final, but was reeled in on lap 5 by 542 Martin Chard who held a decent lead until the second half of the race.  254 Harry Heffer eventually closed down the gap to the leader and took over at the front as the lap boards came out, followed by Somerton and Johnston in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Heffer was to then lose the lead shortly afterwards as he crashed into brother 253 Charlie Heffer on turn 1 with a couple of other cars crashing out at the same time.  The race continued for a lap but was then red flagged and declared a result with only 2 laps remaining.  Somerton had inherited the lead after the loss of the 254 car and as such was given the win (his first final victory) ahead of Johnston and 716 Jim Muckian who had made a late charge through the pack for 3rd.

A MAIDEN FINAL WIN FOR 210 PATRICK SOMERTON

Only 12 cars made it back out for the Grand National, with several unable to repair damage from the final.  David Moores held the early lead having been the lone white top with 623 Rob Dobie giving chase in 2nd.  Moores held the lead until around ¾ distance as he lost out to 352 Andy Webb.

Meanwhile Muckian was making a strong charge from the handicap and with 5 laps left was up to 3^rd behind Moores.  Over the remaining laps he closed the gap down on Webb and after an unsuccessful challenge into turn 1 of the final lap, was able to make the move stick on turn 3 as he just held off Webb across the line.  535 Ryan Stoodley completed the top 3 while long-time leader Moores held on for 7^th.

H1: 255, 210, 101, 253, 82, 716, 239, 508, 60, 534

H2: 255, 210, 239, 254, 716, 542, 101, 352, 61, 535

F: 210, 239, 716, 352, 534, 255, 535, 61, 82, 101

GN: 716, 352, 535, 534, 101, 61, 58, 239, 253, 623

 

The final meeting of April took place after a 2 week gap, with Ringwood playing host to the first championship of the season – the Western Championship being up for grabs.  21 cars were in attendance, including 5 drivers making their first appearances of the season.  320 Matt Hatch and 935 Nathan Maidment were surprise attendees, especially considering the latter was to race at Bristol later in the weekend.  Former Ringwood points champion 72 Chris Langridge, 138 Gary Tweddle and 295 Tony Freebody were the remaining drivers out for the first time this season.

Drawn grids for the heats would then leave the highest point scorer on pole for the championship race.  Heat 1 started with a first bend rollover for 150 John Enright after tangling with the spun car of 280 Pete Webb.  Later in the heat there was also a rollover for 320 Matt Hatch as many in the field sustained damage.  Maidment held off 151 Andy Enright to take the win, with 254 Harry Heffer in 3^rd.

Heat 2 saw the 151 car book a place on pole as he took the win this time, ahead of Langridge and John Enright.

The final saw Maidment and Andy Enright on the front row, with Langridge and 253 Charlie Heffer on row 2.  Maidment quickly got the lead and would go on to remain unchallenged – taking the Western Championship on his lone Outlaw meeting for the season.  Langridge reeled in Enright to take 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

H1: 935, 151, 254, 72, 253, 84, 185, 4, 595, 371

H2: 151, 72, 150, 935, 185, 253, 84, 280, 320, 254

F: 935, 72, 151, 185, 254, 150, 320, 253, 595, 84

 

The second meeting of the bank holiday weekend featured 24 cars in the pits alongside a big crowd.  2021 points champion 155 Carl Lewis made his first outing of the season and there was a return to racing after over a year out for 38 Gavin Busby.

FIRST OUTING OF 2023 FOR FORMER
POINTS CHAMPION 155 CARL LEWIS

The all-in format on a damp track made for some tricky racing in heat 1.  58 David Moores took the lead on the opening corner with 4 Owen Strong giving chase in 2^nd.  Further down the field a brilliant battle developed with around 10-12 cars involved fighting for the lower places, as the red grade struggled to progress to the front.  As the track dried out towards the end, 716 Jim Muckian made a move through the field up into 3^rd, but no one could reel in Moores as he took his first win as Strong held on for 2^nd.

A dry track greeted the cars for heat 2 as Moores again led the field away.  239 Michael Johnston moved through the rest of the white grade to sit 2^nd ahead of Strong in 3^rd.  This time the red grade had more luck in getting towards the front, as Muckian and Lewis both worked their way into the top 5 as the lap boards came out.

LAST BEND TANGLE FOR STRONG AND MOORES

Johnston eventually reeled in Moores at this stage and then quickly had Muckian for company going into the final 2 laps.  Despite a couple of attempts with the bumper, the 239 car was not able to be shifted and he took his first win ahead of Muckian and Lewis.

The early stages of the final followed a similar pattern, as Moores took the early lead and Johnston moved into 2^nd. 58 pulled off after a few laps to allow Johnston to inherit the lead.  Muckian moved his way up into 2^nd and at the half way stage took the lead into turn 1.  Lewis passed Strong for 3^rd just after this and the top 5 then slowly spread out and remained unchanged til the flag, which gave Muckian his first final win of the season ahead of Johnston and Lewis.

18 cars made it out for the grand national, with Strong taking the lead from Moores on lap 4.  185 Jess Webb moved ahead of the 58 car into 2^nd as 352 Andy Webb made a late charge and climbed up into 3^rd.  Muckian gained several places on the final laps and wound up in 6^th place as Strong held on outfront and took his 4^th win of the season ahead of Jess and Andy Webb.

H1: 58, 4, 716, 534, 352, 239, 155, 280, 623, 101

H2: 239, 716, 155, 61, 253, 255, 185, 352, 776, 280

F: 716, 239, 155, 4, 534, 61, 652, 255, 535, 253

GN: 4, 185, 352, 253, 61, 716, 534, 535, 155, 255

 

Just 6 days later Swaffham played host to their next meeting, with 6 cars in attendance.  The meeting turned into a battle between the 3 Heffers, with 253 Charlie taking a heat and final double, while 255 Joshua took the 2^nd heat, with 254 Harry completing a trio of podium finishes.

H1: 253, 254, 255, 280, 14

H2: 255, 253, 254, 280, 14

F: 253, 254, 255, 280, 14

 

Grimley’s third meeting of the season raised the track’s highest turnout in a number of years, with 18 cars in the pits.  The entry was swelled by a trio of new racers; Ministox graduate 17 Kayleigh Senior, 184 Lewis McGing in the Somerton hire car and 192 Charlie Payton, along with a first meeting in 4 years for 216 (formerly 210) Matt Smith.

A QUARTET OF NEW FACES AT GRIMLEY IN THE SHAPE OF
192 CHARLIE PAYTON, 184 LEWIS MCGING, 216 MATT SMITH
AND 17 KAYLEIGH SENIOR

All 18 cars made the track for heat 1, although 25 Ant Masters was a non-starter.  505 Jason Masters took the early lead before tangling with the back marking Payton on the exit of turn 4 which left both cars tangled together and brought the yellow flags out.  On the restart Smith lead but was passed by 4 Owen Strong, who in turn lost the lead to 245 Kyle Broadway as the lap boards came out.  Broadway held on to take his 3^rd win of the season as Strong just held off late pressure from 210 Patrick Somerton for 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

With Payton unable to repair the damage to his car, 17 were back out for heat 2.  Jason Masters led away but was reeled in by 502 Ryan Weston as Kyle Broadway was fired into the turn 2 armco by Strong.  Over the closing laps the battle for 2^nd heated up between Somerton, 681 Ollie Holford and Ant Masters, with the 681 car making a move on the final lap, as Somerton spun trying to retake 3^rd from Masters.  Weston remained clear out front to take his maiden victory of the season ahead of Holford and Masters.

The 15 car final started in lively fashion as Strong was fired in by Kyle Broadway on turn 1 as Somerton took the early lead ahead of Weston, as Broadway put himself into the fence and retired shortly afterwards.

As the laps ticked down the chasing 502 car slowly narrowed the gap, before Senior tangled with another car on the exit of turn 4, which caused 252 Izzy Jackson to pile into the incident, spinning and ripping both back wheels off as she was then hit head on by 242 Mick Jackson.  The reds were shown to tend to both Jacksons with the result declared – giving Somerton his first Grimley win ahead of Weston and Holford.

The scheduled Grand National was cancelled due to running time.

H1: 245, 4, 210, 246, 252, 681, 502, 173, 242, 216

H2: 502, 681, 25, 252, 246, 242, 173, 101, 245, 210

F: 210, 502, 25, 681, 246 (rest not counted due to red flag)

The penultimate meeting of May took place at Ringwood, with a rare Sunday afternoon fixture.  Despite some initial confusion about whether the meeting would take place, 10 cars were in attendance making it the second highest at the track this season.  

Heat 1 ended in spectacular fashion as 295 Tony Freebody lost a wheel which was then collected by the leading 253 Charlie Heffer on turn 3, causing his car to flip over a complete 360 and land on his wheels again as the red flags came out.  Despite the wheel having been off for a while, Heffer was deemed part of the stoppage and as a result the win was given to 84 Stuart Langridge - his first at Ringwood.  

The Heffer family were soon back to winning ways in heat 2, as 255 Joshua took the win and then went on to complete a double in the final.  185 Jess Webb completing a pair of 2nd places, with 151 Andy Enright and 254 Harry Heffer taking 3rd in each race respectively.

An additional grand national gave a first win since moving over from BriSCA for 320 Matt Hatch, ahead of 150 John and Andy Enright.

H1: 84, 255, 150, 320, 185, 151, 593, 280

H2: 255, 185, 151, 150, 253, 254, 320, 280

F: 255, 185, 254, 151, 280, 150, NOF

GN: 320, 150, 151, 254, 255, NOF

The following day Standlake hosted the final meeting of the month, with the 27 car turnout equalling the season high from March.  416 Dave Muckian and 669 Lee Hall made their first appearances of the season, while 112 Bradley Tinto made his track debut and 295 Leo Freebody debuted a new car.  

669 LEE HALL MADE HIS SEASON DEBUT

A FIRST STANDLAKE APPEARANCE FOR 112 BRADLEY TINTO

A 2/3rds format was used for the first time this season and despite the lower numbers in each race as a result, there was still plenty of action.

28 Charlie Webb led the field away in heat 1, which was red flagged after a few laps with Tinto left spun and stuck on the entrance to turn 1.  253 Charlie Heffer led away at the restart, but was reeled in by 535 Ryan Stoodley with 7 laps remaining.  As the lapboards came out, Heffer spun the 535 car, allowing 352 Andy Webb up into the lead.  Late on 563 Keith Walding retired from 2nd to allow Stoodley and Heffer back up into 2nd and 3rd respectively as Webb remained unchallenged to take his first win of the season.

58 David Moores took the early lead in heat 2 but was passed on lap 4 by 185 Jess Webb.  The reds were shown just as the lapboards came out after a tangle between 101 Zak Moores and 6 Tyler Newman saw the latter climb over the 101 car and roll on the exit of turn 2, leaving Webb to take the win ahead of 716 Jim Muckian and 4 Owen Strong.

Moores again took to the front in heat 3, which was also red-flagged early on after Walding came together with 371 Nathan Lewis on turn 4 and sent several infield marker tyres out onto the track.  The complete restart saw Charlie Heffer take the lead on lap 3 from Moores, with Walding then reeling in the 253 car down the back straight on lap 5, to take over at the front, before Heffer clipped a marker tyre on turn 2 a lap later and spun out of the places.

Jess Webb closed the gap down to Walding, spinning the latter out before taking over at the front.  The red flags came out again 8 laps from the end as Lewis had a coming together with a marker tyre.  Webb briefly held on at the restart but lost the lead to Jim Muckian with 5 laps to go, while Andy Webb made some late progress up the field to finish in 3rd.

The 22 car final again saw Moores take the early lead, before being passed by Dave Muckian on lap 2.  Walding reeled in Moores for 2nd as Jim Muckian progressed up to 3rd.  Walding was then hooked out by Muckian, dropping out of the race and moving Somerton up into 3rd as Jim eventually took the lead from father Dave on lap 17, while 245 Kyle Broadway gained on Somerton to snatch 3rd, the latter dropping to 6th.  Jim Muckian coming through to take his 2nd final win of the season.

The Grand National once again had Moores out infront, with Charlie Heffer snatching the lead on the back straight on lap 3, as Jess Webb and Somerton gave chase behind.  The gap between the 3 remained consistent as the laps ticked away, which allowed Heffer to take his 3rd win of the season.

H1: 352, 535, 253, 82, 6, 421, 4, 101, 416, 776

H2: 185, 716, 4, 421, 155, 255, ?, 534, 776, 542

H3: 716, 185, 352, 210, 245, 563, 255, 82, 623, 58

F: 716, 416, 245, 352, 421, 210, 155, 61, 82, 6

GN: 253, 185, 210, 352, 245, 716, 61, 776, 58, 669