Standlake 20^th July 2003 Metro/Fiesta team meeting

A superb showing of 73 cars made up the eighteen teams on display namely Bunny’s Boys (BB), Wacky Racers (W), Useless (U), Dream Team (DT), Luton ‘A’ (LA), Luton ‘B’ (LB), Devils (DV), Apache Indians (A), Biffa (BF), YoYos (Y), Bucks Boys (BC), Roosters (R), Foxy (F), New Sweeney ‘A’ (SA), New Sweeney ‘B’ (SB), Bricknell (BR), Odds & Sods (O) and Cowley Cowboys (C). 24 opted for Fiestas including a mk1 and a van whilst the Metros also managed three vans. From the above you’ll have spotted the two Luton sides representing Brafield including 294 Tarny’s suspect XR2 which was allowed to race providing he started from the back but the main talking point was the return after nearly a decade of C418 Dave Jones and C791 Mickey Rowlands, both of whom were in former lives key members of the once notorious Oxford Saints. Credit at this point to many of the above teams for some superb paintwork.

Heat 1 (30 cars) - The Cowboys declared their intentions in the opener as Jones ran DT112 Rusty (Fiesta) in, sidelining SA7 Kier Spiers as elsewhere W587 Pete Kerry buried F248 Dave Stopps used Metro only to cop a biggie off BC251 Buster Griffiths (Fiesta). DT54 Winnie hooked A505 Natram into the path of BC362 Martin Faherty (Fiesta van) who obliged with a head on. C342 Potty was in a no messing mood removing all and sundry and BC102 Mr Fudge kept the pedal down, taking LA24 Dale Gent out. A good start for the Dream Team saw 301 Darren Goves and 537 Mitch in the top three with only Potty’s fine 2^nd splitting the domination.

Result: DT301 Darren Goves, C342 Stuart Phillips, DT537 Mark Mitchell, A5 Terry Eltham, DT54 Alan Cartwright, LA Tim Day

Heat 2 (30 cars) - The second heat began lively with BR226 Barry Bricknell removing Tarny with Y410 Muppet (van) parking O624 Mark Arthurs into the Luton ace moments later, Tarny bouncing back though with a fine burial of R99 Trevor Simms. BR2 Jon Bricknell wound O303 Clive Spiers’ van out as LA219 Wayne Harris in another van spun SB483 AJ in the mk1 Fiesta but copped a shot off A5 Terry Eltham as a consequence. DV111 Steve Pritchett (used Fiesta) was having a torrid time, seemingly hit by everyone whilst Y106 Paul Gumm (Fiesta) was also on the receiving end rather alot. Muppet saw the race out with a stiff shot on Arthurs as BB244 Bunny (Fiesta) and 426 Slap motored to a fine 1-2 ahead of Gumm, who had seen off his assailants for a well earned 3rd ensuring some resistance to the Dream Team.

Result: BB244 Michael Bunyan, BB426 Paul Horwood, Y106 Paul Gumm, Y110 Derek Tyler, Y410 Matthew Tyler, DV578 Bryan Tritton

Heat 3 (32 cars) - The third commenced with C364 Flumpy punting Y65 Mark Bennett’s mk3 Fiesta in whilst Potty removed both Fudge and SA481 Bernie in one heave only to put himself in. Plucky lady racer BR27 Gem nearly managed to get Winnie round but spun where she was collected by BC252 Will Bignell’s Fiesta as Eltham leaned Griffiths into DV576 Simon Hadland (Fiesta), the move catching Tricky out, Eltham then superbly leaning Jon Bricknell in. Meanwhile brother A506 Gary Eltham leaned Bernie in as Fudge brilliantly jacked U318 Karen Thompson not realising the occupant was a lady driver. Goves motored to back to back wins ahead of Jones with Winnie 3^rd, the Dream Team putting pressure on the others.

Result: DT301 Govesy, C418 Dave Jones, DT54 Winnie, A5 Tezza, DT537 Mitch, DV578 Bert

Heat 4 (34 cars) - and a bad start for F583 Chris Summer (Fiesta) as he span whereupon he was collected by the pack but he recovered well only to take a suicidal lunge at LB696 Brian Morris but missed by a mile and met the wall ending his day. Elsewhere W586 Carl Horwood (Fiesta) felt the combined Luton ‘A’ force of 310 Dim Tim and 100 Dave Thomas (Fiesta) whilst W34 Tyson Mitchell fired up Arthurs. LA24 Dale Gent launched F580 Dippy Dave (Fiesta) across the infield though he returned to the racing line to hammer BF622 Ifor, the latter having just attacked Mitchell. SB202 Matt West blasted Morris with a keen Dippy Dave blowing up West as W91 Dave Beauchamp executed a copybook take out on the returning BF543 Harry Booker. Tarny it was that roared through from the back and was still permitted the win and I bet he wished he’d picked Thomas to join his team as he finished runner up ahead of Bunny to keep the pressure on the Dream Team.

Result: LA294 Alan Tarn, LB100 Dave Thomas, BB244 Baby Bunny, F582 Stephen Tustian, LB378 Aiden Parker, SB483 Alec Spiers

Heat 5 (31 cars) - Heat five action began with Bignell assaulting Winnie as Terry Eltham managed a complete roll. BB133 Karly (Fiesta) removed O73 Nik Wheeler and Faherty in one heave as Tarny rolled Winnie. R302 Billy Kerry (Fiesta) clipped the upturned 54 who was then collected unavoidably by Tricky before the reds appeared to rescue Winnie. On the restart Mitch hooked Thompson out as Rusty blasted Tricky and then going on to remove Faherty who reversed into the path of the advancing R116 Coops (Fiesta) who obliged with a steam. Griffiths however zeroed in on the Rooster but he copped a monster off Turnage, the shot putting the rear wheel literally under Griffiths seat! The impressive Tarny hooked both Mitch and 7 Kier out in one go as Goves completed the hattrick but once again the Bunny Boys showed well with Slap and Bunny himself filling the next two places.

Result: DT301 Govesy, BB426 Slap, BB244 Baby Bunny, C364 Colin Carpenter, SA 7 Kier Spiers, DT537 Mitch

Heat 6 (22 cars) - The last heat saw Gumm get the better of team Useless and indeed Toytown, hooking 315 Noddy (Fiesta) and 316 Big Ears out with further ill fortunes befalling the side as Thompson collided into Mitchell, Gumm then launching Beauchamp into Mitchell’s fortunately quickly vacated motor. Jon Bricknell jacked Pritchett but his better half, Gem didn’t fare so well as Dim Tim attacked her whilst Noddy was all over the place forcing Gent to work hard to locate and finally nail him. Barry Bricknell saw the race out with a blast to Southey as F582 Steve Tustian (Fiesta) collected the chequered in an all too infrequent outing in the bangers ahead of Beattie and Kier.

Result: F582 Stephen Tustian, BF547 Iain Beattie, SA7 Kier Spiers, BR226 Barry Bricknell, DV578 Bert, LA24 Dale Gent

Final (40 cars) - All to play for going into the double points final as the Dream Team were only seven ahead of Bunny’s Boys. Doris had been given permission to take Jones car out but his return couldn’t have got off to a worse start when he stalled and Kier bumped him onto the infield whilst Bignell thumped Tustian. Gem copped one off Gent when Flumpy launched the Luton man into her, Gent then receiving shots from SB202 Matt West and Jon Bricknell. Uncle Barry fired DV578 Bert into Fudge and then buried Coops but paid for it with a revenge shot from Turnage. Dim Tim put Gumm’s wheels up for him as Potty steamed LB378 Aiden Parker whilst Clive Spiers ran Southey in. In a clever move Flumpy turned SA482 Owen Spiers right and Bert left whilst Slap followed Mitch in, though the latter bounced back with a shot on Bunny. Dim Tim homed in on Mitch with Potty also getting in a hit. Potty then assaulted Muppet as Jon Bricknell ran O71 Mr Tea in but left himself open to a blast from Bert as Tarny met Gumm in a battle of the crumpled Fiestas. Rusty was going well until colliding with Tarny which ripped the 294 door and plate off, matters not being helped when Potty arrived to steam Rusty. Potty was still mobile but despite all his efforts he was unable to stop Goves taking his fourth win, thus sealing the result, Beattie and Flumpy his placemen as Slap ended the race by turning it round to meet Bert on the nose.

Result: DT301 Govesy, BF547 Beattie, C364 Carpenter, BB244 Baby Bunny, A505 Nathan Bumpass, C342 Potty

So when the points were totalled the Dream Team were accredited with the win on 43 points, thirteen clear of Bunny’s Boys 30, with the Cowley Cowboys in 3^rd on 23.

Demolition Derby (22 cars) - the action starting with Clive Spiers meeting Flumpy on the nose which allowed Karly to deliver a monster head on to the latter before Doris arrived to give Karly one of his own. Gem’s car was still going and she braved her first demo and fared well, giving Natram a fine steam whilst Beauchamp caught Turnage DSU necessitating an early halt to proceedings to extract the winded Rooster but not before his colleague Coops had raced across the infield to deliver a t-bone to Big Ears before returning to the racing line to meet Flumpy, 116 not allowed in the restart which began with Kier burying Rusty but leaving himself prone to an attack from Terry Eltham who in turn copped one off Beauchamp. Gem now met Karly only to be superbly jacked by the ever-lively Beauchamp with Mitch doing likewise to Eltham before Beauchamp blistered the latter turning the 5 Metro into a three-wheeler. Mitch though latched onto Beauchamp firing him into Flumpy who was still gamely trying to rejoin the fray despite being rimless before Rusty lined Eltham up for a head on from Mitch. The latter two repeated the dosage before Eltham surprised everyone by backing off to huge cheers making him a very worthy winner and ending proceedings to a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Result: 5 Terry Eltham from 537 Mitch

Bill