Stock Car Racing

[kaz]

Can anyone tell me about ........?

Yesterday we decided we'd go watch the Stock Car racing at Hednesford Hills raceway in Staffs ...... what a day!!!!!!

there were the national hot rods,
lightning rods
micro minis
micro bangers (glad the driver taken to hospital is now alright, get well soon)
and demolition derby with very very very mad drivers

can anyone tell me more about it....... when the season starts, finishes and are there only the three race circuits

staffs, birmingham, and northampton?

is it worth following on a much larger scale?
it was up to good standard, and we loved it!......

any info would be much appreciated!

[SJ Spode]

There are different sets of series run by different promoters at venues around the country including

Incarace
Hednesford, Birmingham and Northampton.

Startrax
Belle Vue, Stoke and Swindon.

Trackstar
Sheffield, Skegness and Kings Lynn.

Coventry Stadium

For more details on dates etc look at the British Stock Car Drivers Association website at www.bscda.freeserve.co.uk/

Alternatively look at the UK Motorsport site www.ukmotorsport.com/uk If you click on 'Tell me more about '... short Oval Racing then there's a whole list of stock car related sites.

I've got good memeories of Hednesford as I raced an F2 stockcar there on two occasions last year through their Incarace 'corporate hospitality' programme. It was great fun although you had to be very careful feeding in the power coming off the banked corners (otherwise a tank slapper and/or near Armco moment would ensue) You've got to try it sometime

Anyway hope this is useful

[Craig]

You could have told me Kaz - i'd have been there! Stock car and banger racing is how I first got into this sport and I still love it - huge fun!

The best forumla to watch are National Hot Rods (amazing kit - must be seen!), Stock Cars (saloon cars with armour - full contact) and Brisca Stox.
Bangers used to be good but that area is dying due to a large amount of politics between the promoters, increasing costs, and reduced numbers of quality 'material' (cars)

We'll have to organise something... do you fancy something at Ipswich ? It's a great circuit, has some good formulae and I already told Sparky and Invader i'd organise a trip there...

Maybe this topic should be moved to the national racing forum ?

[Ray Bell]

Yes, Craig, more appropriate here...

There's certainly a lot of fun to be had both watching and competing at this level. I would imagine that the shortage of 'material' spoken of would partly be due to the latter day cars being such a flimsy construction?

[kaz]

Yes Craig, i have got to say we fully enjoyed it!
The national hot rods as well as the bangers - were of amazing standard - i would love to go again!

Ipswich sounds like fun, if we can get enough people to go!
We'll have to investigate!

Lighting rods were also good - i never realised the fun i had been missing, first the touring cars, now stock cars!

[chunder]

Good to see you fair weather fans have decided to have a look at how the other half live!
Stock car racing is the best racing in the country at the moment, no question.
THe whole circuit is visible, the cars are getting more presentable and in the real classes they are allowed to hit each other out of the way.
Get yourself aling to Northampton this weekend to watch the F2 World Final or even better, to Hednesford the weekafter to watch the F1 World Final.
And yes it is a world event, there are Antipodeans, Yanks, Dutchmen aswell as the best drivers in the country in 600hp monsters that sound better than NASCAR racers.
Oh and the most popular guy out there is starting on the back row of 30 plus cars. He has been out through F&M but won his first meeting back there at Hednesford last week. He has 25 laps to get past the field.

[Craig]

Fair weather fans my arse!

[neil77]

Yes you were right to look more closely at Short Oval Racing. Short Circuit Magazine will give you a complete rundown of all the various tracks and activities,their website can be found at "www.shortcircuitmag.com". For enthusiasts who like pure non contact racing can I recommend Grand Prix Midgets, the fastest open wheel formula on the small ovals. The website is "gpmidgets.co.uk" and they are well worth a close look. For would be drivers, especially those bought up on the pay pay pay outlook of road racers it is a revelation, with cars available from as little as £2000 ready to race, and with no entry fees a realistic budget for a season of approximately 20 races is only £2000-2500, a bargain for 130 bhp single seater racing. Look closer at oval racing it is far more widespread and varied than you think.

[Craig]

kaz,
Can you get to Northampton this Friday evening ? Looks like a go-er...

[ghinzani]

Anyone know anything about Ringwood raceway at Matchams? Its a couple of miles from me but I aint been to a stock car race since the 70s when I was a kid when they had a track at Par near St Austell. One race team I worked for built an F2 car but I never went to see it race.

[Craig]

Haven't been to Matchams for a couple of years but used to be a regular there when a friend raced in the 1600 Hot Rods down there after quitting Spedeworth. The circuit is okayish - good fun as you park around the outside of the oval and look down over the track which is set in a natural bowl.

Racing was always pretty average though. However when I was last there Autospeed had come to an arrangement with Reg the promoter down there to run Brisca and NatRods, so if you can check out one of those meetings rather than a local meeting you'll probably be on a winner.

[neil77]

ringwood is a good track both to watch and drive .i will be racing there myself on october 13th in the grand prix midgets west country challenge cup. come down and say hello car 77

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by neil77
ringwood is a good track both to watch and drive .i will be racing there myself on october 13th in the grand prix midgets west country challenge cup. come down and say hello car 77

Neil I will defineately be there - checked out the GP midget site last night and it looks like big fun! One thing though, I wasnt able to see all the driver profile info - nice car you have there tho! It said you used to have a Ray - great little FFs, I also saw a Swift DB3 in there plus a Van Deimen. Cant wait to see the the racing, I take it its non contact?

Thanks Neil and Craig for info

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by neil77
ringwood is a good track both to watch and drive .i will be racing there myself on october 13th in the grand prix midgets west country challenge cup. come down and say hello car 77

Neil couldnt get into the pits but the racing was wicked - took three friends who had never been before, altho one of them had been at Rockingham for the Indycars - and they all loved it! You were having a battle royal in that final race tho! It got a bit slidey out of that final turn didnt it! someone behind you had dumped some fluid and I think you were one of the first to find it! I will defineately come and watch GP Midgets again. Have to say I really enjoyed the entire meeting - the bangers were just crazy, some of those meatheads are loonies....

[Aysedasi]

I spent a thoroughly unenjoyable year back in 83/84 studying at Manchester Poly - the only thing that kept me going was the BRISCA stock cars at Belle Vue! It was 5 mins walk from where I had my digs. It had a lot to answer for - it rekindled my interest in motorsport! I don't know very much about stock cars now as they get so little coverage down here in the south, but if you get the chance to go and watch, take it, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[neil77]

glad you enjoyed the racing at ringwood. the season is over now, i finally placed third in the seasons points championship, and i'm planning to spend the winter building a new car in order to sell my present car. the life blood of any formula is new drivers and it is hard to tempt new racers without sufficient cars for sale. any prospective driver you know, tell them about midgets, they are amongst the fastest cars ot the short oval scene and yet one of the most cost effective my car having cost yet again less than £2000 to race for the whole season is available for £4250 ready to race or £2000 as a rolling chassis.

[Lee Purnell]

Up until recently, I have had no interest in Stock Cars.
However, my dad suggested we go to our local track to see some racing. The Mendip Hills raceway. My dad went about 30 years ago, so it was a bit of a blast from the past for him.
Well, I was shocked at how much fun I had. I have been twice now.
Not sure if any one knows the place, but it is on top of a bloody big hill, and it is freezing! I went today, and the meeting was stopped early because of the heavy Mist!!!!!!!
It is cool though, such a world away from the BTCC et al, but good fun.