Dover Raceway Sunday October 5 
Rookie Bangers Kent Championship and Reliant Robins Masters Championship

The traditional end of season Rookie Banger bash for the Kent title attracted an incredible 115 car field to Dover on October 5 with the noticeable cars being a Mk5 Escort for 100 Julian Richardson, which like his Rookie in May was well smart, a Mk1 Escort for 726 Jamie Marsh and no doubting the top car, a Bubble A50 for 6 Steve Humphreys. 




Top car was 6 Shagga's Bubble while the smartest was 100 Julian Richardson and 63 Iain Brett's. 

28 cars for the first of four heats with 159 Michael Clarke (Peugeot 309) well involved T-boning 6 Shagga and coming back from a hit from 305 Richard Fisher (Astra) to give 500 Michael Barrett (Cavalier) a head-on. Later on 31 Ade Burgess (Metro) clashed with 70 Garrie Martin (Orion) which also claimed the leading 48 Malcolm Saunders (Astra estate) as 166 Lee Fitzgerald (Mazda 323 estate) hit Burgess and 32 Paul Powell (Escort estate) turned Richardson into the fence. 81 Kev Neale (Escort estate) won from the similarly mounted 187 Robin Miles and 346 Scott Saunders (Cavalier). 

Sam turnout for heat two with 7 Les Bates (Montego estate) going up the banking early as 180 Malcolm Burbridge (Volvo 340) and 37 Del Jarman (Fiesta) were fenced by 20 Micky Dunn before 503 Laurence Deighton (Cavalier) hit 169 Tony George (Corolla). 69 Kev Hook (Astra estate) planted 10 Matt Sargent (Cavalier) into 692 Martin Bowmaker with the latter hit head-on by 391 Paul Stratton and the luckless Bates was fenced by 295 Wayne Turner (Cavalier) with 73 Tony Sims burying 691 Marshall Bowmaker before Sargent met 253 Brian Dunn (Belmont) on the nose and 151 Matt Wright (Cavalier) stuffed 71 Adrian Fryer (Corolla). 507 Brian Davidson took the win this time with Turner and Micky Dunn next.

Up to 30 starters for the third heat with the non starting 801 Lloyd Wells (Cavalier) collected by 11 Sam Topley (Mazda 323 estate) as 29 Simon Colard walled 661 Aaron Harris (Polo) triggering a big pit bend pile-up. 40 Kenny Coleman (Corolla) hit 171 Michael Doel (Escort) head-on and shoved him up the bank with 47 Simon Grant (Sierra) ramming 40 Slim as 102 Steve Burrows (Mazda 323 estate) T-boned 154 Shaun Croft (Volvo 340) and 48 Lewis Jones (Samara) put away 34 Steve Emptage's Escort while 071 Paul Whitfield (Escort) took a T-bone from the similarly mounted 941 Jimmy Williams before 15 Tom Yates (Cavalier) planted 800 Shane Robinson (Cavalier) into Wells with the leading Jones crashing into this taking him out. 82 Andy Dobson (Cavalier) then ran in Croft and was jacked by Burrows as Slim held off 264 James Steele (Cavalier) to win with 800 Shunga third.

The final heat raised 29 cars and 380 Trevor Wright (Sunny ZX coupe) started by burying 76 Ken Moss' Maesto as a pile-up formed quickly on the pits bend with 262 Ian Franklin (Sierra estate) attacking 222 Dick Tracey (Escort) while a recovered Mos stuffed 15 Carl Alexander (Belmonth) into 63 Damien Andrews' Sapphire, the latter also taking a head-on from 32 Darren Clarke (Escort estate) as 54 Jason Blackford banked 400 Steve Eastly (Cavalier). 18 Barry Causer (Astra) then took Management team mate 147 Roger Cloke (Belmont) up the banking in a miscue with the latter recovering to put away 266 Ray Williams as 106 Neil Boden (Escort) walled 118 Peter Gill (Escort). 222 Dickey repaid Franklin for his earlier attack as he bunndled him into the pit bend pile-up as Eastly went up the banking and took a shot from 66 Andy Reeve (Sapphire) as 349 Lee Saunders won from Dickey and 112 Tim Streetfield (Peugeot 205).

The first of three consolations raised 30 cars and started again with a pit bend pile-up as 746 Steve Lee rolled his Polo and 122 Ron Davies T-boned 30 Wayne Powell (Sapphire) with the latter then buried by Burbridge as 217 Steve Powell (Sapphire) was pounded by 32 Paul Powell (Escort estate) and Davies before Burbridge followed in Topley with Whitfield blasting Burbridge as 123 Mick Parsons (Pony) hammered Fisher before Hook scored on 223 Andrew Mummery (Polo) and Alexander with 90 Chris Currington (Escort) winning but getting run in by Powell on the run down lap with Marshall Bowmaker and Martin Bowmaker completing the top three.

The fields stayed high for consolation two with 28 cars but it started with a low blow as 46 John Lee came off the centre to door Matty Wright as Steele gave 51 Colin Boswell (Orion) the bone before Lee doored Wright again on the top bend and fenced him with Richardson weighing in on the latter. 77 Mark Shingleton (Sierra estate) stuffed Eastly and Brian Dunn met Steve Lee on the nose which started a pit bend blockage as Causer stuffed Grant and Steele did the same to 43 Warren Lee-Brown but it was Yates who won from George and a recovered Lee-Brown.

The action started to take its toll for the last consolation as only 20 cars came out for it with 165 Shane Marsh and Cloke clashing and crashing out on the home straight as Fyrer stuffed 732 Kev Sims' late Astra but collected 178 Jimmy Akhurst (Cavalier) as a result. 110 Jon Robert (Cavalier) put away 201 Nic Doel (Orion) and Marsh met Boden on the nose as Fitzgerald held off Sims to win with 61 Ken Hollamby (Peugeot 309) third.

31 of the qualifiers returned for the Kent Championship with Davies going up the banking early as did 346 Muttley with the latter collected by Martin Bowmaker while the leading Marshall Bowmaker was spun by 5 Dave Miler (Escort) with his victim hammered by Davies. Blackford took it up but was dumped out by Davies and so 1 Fred Drayner (Rover 213) took control but was stuffed by Turner. This first Drayner up to bury Yates and Wayne Powell but he fell foul of Miller at the end as Turner raced to the win from 349 Finbarr and 502 Kaylie Deighton (Cavalier).

A whopping 60 cars came back for the DD and as expected it was complete mayhem. Among what was going on 300 Del Roberts (Escort) blasted Dickey and Harris shortened Marsh as Reeve hammered Del Roberts as 6 Shagga hit team mate Finbarr before 91 Ashley Cooper rolled onto his roof while the put bend was engulfed in a massive pile-up. Mummery sparked up on the home straight and Sims gave Gill the bone before James Steele attacked Boden and Whitfield and Martin met in a stonking head-on as Sims blasted Marsh. Boden gave 9 Gordon Inge a T-bone and James Steele gave him one of the same with Causer weighing in as well. Marsh blasted 32 Darren Clarke (Escort estate) as Powell scored on Causby and Malcolm Saunders got a hit on 503 Laurence Deighton. Muttley and James Steele met head-on before Sims gave Malcolm Saunders a rated head-on with Marsh also weighing on the latter only to get jacked by Burrows who backed off and blitzed 165 again in style. Burrows then enjoyed some head-ons with 800 Shunga in the pit bend pile-up before blasting Laurence Deighton on the 8. Shunga dug his way out of the pit bend blockage and met Burrows in a meaty head-on which just the latter backed off to win.





DD aftermath from 10 Matt Sargent, 300 Del Roberts, 91 Ashley Cooper and 165 Shane Marsh 

Heat one: 81 Kev Neale, 187, 346, 48, 502, 100, 122, 746, 77, 166
Heat two: 507 Brian Davidson, 295, 20, 5, 9, 1, 73, 691, 231, 180
Heat three: 40 Kenny Coleman, 264, 800, 4, 29, 306, 800, 11, 171, 14
Heat four: 349 Lee Saunders, 222, 112, 66, 118, 54, 110, 262, 90, 400
Consolation one: 90 Chris Currington, 691, 692, 122, 6, 231, 32, 166, 69
Consolation two: 15 Tom Yates, 169, 43, 32, 732, 500, 165, 6, 18, 19
Consolation three: 166 Lee Fitzgerald, 73, 61, 30, 45, 201, 110, 106
Kent Championship: 295 Wayne Turner, 349, 502, 5, 306, 9, 1, 15, 187, 40
DD: 102 Steve Burrows from 800

A decent field of 13 Robins gathered for their Masters Championship with the title race up first. 12 Graham Lee led from pole as 66 Steve Willis hooked out 484 Gary Harvey while 53 Dave Palmer also spun before 147 Roger Cloke took the lead and raced away from the field to claim the title. Further down 66 Pork Pie spun 215 Michael Croxon and Palmer and 17 Wayne Mitchell rolled. 251 Paul Chafer worked his way up the spots to finish second with Lee and 73 Tony Sims filling the trophy places.

Down to 11 for the first Allcomers race with Pork Pie spinning up the bank early doors as Mitchell had a pop at Palmer with dad 38 Gary Palmer coming to his aid to wall Mitchell while Dave Palmer did a full roll and then fell on his side as he tried to recover. Mitchell had a go at 103 Trevor Williams and Pork Pie fenced Lee while Dave Palmer went over again with Chafer winning from Harvey and Cloke.

The drivers requested that the last race was held on the kidney circuit and wasn't for points giving them more freedom to put on a show and they did just that. Cloke sent Mitchell rolling at the start as Harvey also went over and Williams spun Pork Pie before Dave Palmer sent Lee over and then rolled 1 1/4 himself. Williams sent over one and a quarter times too before Gary Palmer sent Croxon into a full roll before Cloke had a pop at Harvey and Dave Palmer fell onto his roof with Croxon shielding him. Lee then buried Cloke with Sims going for the latter but rolling instead as Cloke came back to launch Gary Palmer into a 2 1/2 roll. Chafer won from Cloke and Williams who rolled himself after the reds with all the drivers enjoying a lap of honour which was a nice end to their season.

Masters Championship: 147 Roger Cloke, 251, 12, 73, 66, 215, 484, 102, 53, 38
Allcomers one: 251 Paul Chafer, 484, 147, 103, 215, 17, 38, 12, 66
Allcomers two: Chafer, 147, 103, 215, 12

A very enjoyable way to end the season at Dover with good lively racing all day from the rookies which ended with a typically action packed DD while the Robins entered a good session with an excellent last race.

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