Mendips Raceway will be back in action for the penultimate time this year this coming Sunday. The Junior Rods and National Bangers will have their final outings of the season, whilst the BriSCA F2 Stock Cars have today and October 7, but such is the lead 886 Chris Bradbury, even with this and the next meeting, he has pretty much done and dusted it for another year such is his points lead, a fifth in a row looks a certainty.
For the F2’s Sunday will see the Final of the Rookies Reward for the white and yellow graded drivers. It was won last year by 954 Jamie Beere for the second year running, but he has spent the 2012 season graded blue and thus unable to qualify for today. Despite there not being as many cars for the event as we would like, or that there once was it will be a hard fought race.
Last time it came down to a very close battle between teenager 991 Ryan Hoskin and 53 Phil Mann, with the regular visitor from the northwest just failing to dislodge him. Whether there is a repeat of this or a vice versa we shall see but others in with a shout could well be 14 Mike Priddle and locally based drivers 476 Ryan Wadling and 526 Marc Rowe, both of whom who are in their first season of F2 racing.
With regard to the rest of the days racing, it will be the first tarmac round of the ‘Shoot Out’ series building up to the big end of season Final at Birmingham in November. Bradbury took the title last year and will be again the man to beat around here today, but 676 Neil Hooper did do just that last month as he became the first one to beat Chris in a Final here this season. Or could there be a non-star grade victor? 605 Liam Rowe went very well here last time and with his namesake 76 Chris Rowe in the yellow grade, it may be hard work for the bigger names today.
After having Rookie Banger action over the August Bank Holiday weekend, it is back to the National Bangers today, and they have the added bonus of some World Championship qualifying round points up for grabs for the last remaining of the Banger ‘Worlds’ at Ipswich in November, which is the one that they all want to appear in.
The last time we had the National Bangers was Banger Olympics, when there was racing for basically all three of the forms that they race in with the Micro’s, under 2 litre and ‘unlimited’. Today will be under 1800cc and 363 Sam Trim leads the points coming into the meeting and could well be headed for his first silver roof and point’s championship. Others to look out for will be the brothers from the New Forest, 252 Steve and 262 Rob Buglar, who know how to race and crash in equal measures.
Finally the Junior Rods will have their season conclusion, and also their biggest date of the year with the West of England Championship up for grabs. They had been part of the triple header for the past few years, but have had to make way for the F2 Grand National Championship next time, and so it moves to today. Louis Aldom was the winner last year, but he has since reached retiring age and so we will be looking for a new title holder this time. This as well as the points, which was a very close run thing that went down to the very last race last season, but is looking pretty much tied up this time.
510 Sid Harrison missed out last year but looks set to take the silver this year. Last time out 796 Dan Steads took his A40 to an impressive hat-trick of wins, probably the only junior driver in the country to race a rear wheel drive car. Such was his form last time, he could be the one to beat this time, but will need the weather and associated track conditions on his side.
Copyright © 2022. Mendips Raceway. Mendips Raceway. Designed by APWD.
