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Continued from News mail your links to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk SMRC 2008 Knockhill Summer Club race meeting 29 June Smartycars.com Mini Cooper Cup Mini mayhem is magic to watch
The Smartcars.com Mini Cooper Cup servered up three helpings of good solid entertainment at Knockhill interspersed with spins, crashes, jumped start and finally confusion. Through it all came Vic Covey Junior, winning two races and taking third in, appropriately enough, the third. Race 1 had seen Covey drop to second to a fast starting Finlay Crocker, so fast he was adjudged to have jumped the start and subsequently penalised 10 seconds. Third into turn one was Ken Thirwall with Mark Dryden hanging in in fourth. As the race settled down it was clear that Crocker was holding up the pack but it took Covey until lap 6 to find his way past, going round the outside at the exit to Car Lube to hold the inside for the hairpin. Once past the win wasn’t in doubt Covey winning by 4 seconds from Thirwall who although third on the road behind Crocker moved up when the later had his 10 second penalty added to his time( which dropped him to seventh). Third was Mark Dryden with Andrew Winchester fourth. Race 2 saw Covey lead from the off, although Chris Know went with him and remained on his tail for the entire race, finishing just 0.461 secs down at the flag. Close behind the leading pair was Mark Dryden, once more in third place 1.4 secs off the winners time. Fourth went to Ken Thirwall who was only 3 tenths behind third while Guest driver Robin Liddell was fifth. Race 3 featured the confusion mentioned earlier. After Ken Thirwall had led the opening lap from Liddell before a lap later power steering fluid all along the main straight and into the first corner introduced some mayhem to the proceedings. Despite the oil flags Ian Milton, Liddell and Michael Rowan were victims or beneficiaries of the spillage. Rowan was one of the victims ending up in the gravel at Scotsman while Liddell and Milton took to the grass. The former cutting the corner in the process to end up in the lead! Winchester and Dryden came together when the former was forced across the bows of Dryden who then hit the rear of possibly Thirwall, who was forced to break hard and the grass trackers speared across the track.
At the restart Liddell led initially before Chris Knox dived by to lead the second lap . Lideell was further demoted when Thirwall got alongside him at Butchers the pair going side by side through the chicane, Thirwall emerging in front. Vic Covey took advantage of the situation to push Liddell down a further place before Ian Milton did likewise leaving Liddell to fall further down the field. At the flag then it was Chris Know who emerged a delirious winner from Ken Thirwall by just under a second with Vic Covey third with Ian Milton fourth in what was a very eventful race Scottish XR2 Championship Knockhill Sleigh ride
The opening race was a cracker, Sleigh and Cruickshank leading the field with Derek McDougall third and Charlie Cope fourth. Fifth was Steven Gray with Ian Munro sixth. On lap 2 McDougall was back to fourth after Cope got by, but only for a lap, McDougall retaking the position at the chicane. Cope’s raced didn’t last much longer as he had a big off at Leslie’s hitting the barrier hard, he was okay but their was some suspicion of a tap from a rival at the top of the hill! Up front Sleigh looked in control although Cruickshank was keeping him honest.
At half
distance light rain started to fall and as it started to wet the track
so the cars started to slide. On lap seven Sleigh nearly lost it at
Leslies, the car getting briefly out of shape before he regained
control. Cruickshank meanwhile didn’t!. He spun off into the gravel and
promptly bogged down. As the field streamed by with cars sliding off and
on the track Barry Holmes came barrelling along the main straight in a
series of rolls ending up in the wall at the top of Duffus. Out came the
Red Flag and that was that. Holmes was taken off for a check out at the
medical centre with no major injuries. This meant that Sleigh was declared the winner, Cruickshank (right) kept his second on the count back and McDougall was third. Race 2 was more of the same, without the accidents. Sleigh led from lights to flag with Cruickshank following him home 1.9secs behind. Third was Steven Gray with Ian Forrest fourth. after a race long battle Dave Collville, Derek McDougall and Callum Dryburgh. It was finally resiolved on lap 9 after Dryburgh dropped it falling back down the field allowing Forrest and co through.
Classic Sports and Saloons Ross rains on Bernard’s ‘parade’s
In race two however a damp track and the reversed grid served to end the Porsche 911 driver’s record. Matthew Gordon’s Porsche led the opening stages from Olly Ross’s Elan, the Lotus revelling in the damp conditions. Stan Bernard trailed back in fifth as he tried to get passed the slower cars in front, aware that up front Gordon and Ross was getting away. On lap two Gordon still led from Ross while Stan Bernard was held up briefly by the Jimmy Crow, the Porsche driver getting by on lap 3. With an empty track in front of him he set about closing down the leading pair but by the time he caught them Ross was in front and pulling away. It took Stan until the end of lap 9 to get into second by which time Ross had the race in the bag winning by3.2 seconds. Gordon held a comfortable third with Crow fourth and Adam Bernard fifth and Tommy Gilmartin’s Capri sixth.
Stan Bernard’s 1005 record may have gone but don’t expect too many days like Sunday, unless it rains of course…
Sports and Saloons Gallacher dominates
In the second race Gallacher again disappeared up the road but it could have been harder had second placed Tommy Dreeland started further up the grid. The Porsche 997 driver had started in seventh and it took him until lap seven to get to second place. Once there he began to haul in the Focus but simply ran out of laps finishing 1.8 seconds behind. Third was Bob Lyons in a Porsche 996 who put in a good drive passing Ian Donaldson’s Lambo Gallara, who almost came to grief when he hit Shaw’s Focus hard at the hairpin with his nose but did not appear to suffer undue damage, before he slipped up the inside of Colin Simpson’s Marcos on lap 9 to claim the final podium place. Simpson finished fourth with Donaldson fifth. Sixth went to Stewart Whyte’s ex-BTCC Honda Accord after he spun early on.
Scottish Formula Ford Alan Kirkcaldy and Graham Carroll win a race a-piece after two epic battles
As the lights went out at the start Kirkcaldy made the best start to lead into Leslies followed by Carroll, Stuart Thorburn and Rory Butcher with close behind Craig Brunton . As the field settled down the leading trio pulled out a small advantage to the Brunton -Thorburn battle while the remainder of the field were led by Andrew Chesser who had Jillian Shedden keeping him honest in seventh As the laps reeled off they top three remained nose to tail, Kirkcaldy winning by just 0.285 seconds, however it was Butcher who crossed the line in second after he made a move 0on Carroll on the last lap to snatch the runner-up spot. Three seconds behind Carroll was Craig Brunton who had managed to get by Thorburn on the penultimate lap when the latter had a ‘moment’ allowing Brunton by. Chesser hung for a comfortable sixth with Shedden seventh . Race 2 followed a similar pattern with Kirkcaldy leading from the start followed on this occasion by Butcher with Carroll third. Fourth was once again Brunton with Thorburn in fifth. This time Carroll wasn’t hanging about and looked to be ‘up for it’ right from the off. He passed Butcher at the hairpin on lap two, taking the lead on the sixth lap at the hairpin. Kirkclaldy tried everything he knew to retake the lead but with Butcher filling his mirrors he had plenty to occupy him.
On several
laps the top three went into the hairpin 2 or 3 abreast , Kirkcaldy even
getting ahead on a couple of occasions but each time he was on the
outside which allowed Carroll to keep the lead as they exited the
corner, Carroll eventually winning by the smallest of margins, 0.039
seconds. Butcher was third, of course, 0.175 off the leaders time with
Carig Brunton fourth 2.8 secs further back.
Fifth went to Stuart Thorburn with Elliot Mason sixth. A truly memorable pair of races which saw Carroll maintain his lead at the top of the table. Words and Pictures - Richard Pascal, 11/56 Motorsport
Classic Speedfair Knockhill June 6-7 Graham Carroll won the Jackie Stewart Trophy at Knockhill yesterday during the Scottish Speedfair after so. Carroll who had earlier won his qualifying heat led from the flag under intense pressure from Robert Barrable and William Herron. After a Red flag on lap, 5 when John Stewart beached his car on the kerbs at Car Lube(formerly Clarks), which Carroll only just missed by taking to the gravel trap, the race restarted. Carroll led again followed by Rob Barrable once more, who kept right on the leader’s gearbox until the flag. Herron, who was third took fastest lap. Carroll was also awarded the David Leslie Trophy as FF1600 driver of the day. In the SMRC’s Classic and Sports Cars race at the Speedfair Stan Bernard maintained his 2008 win rate by taking the plaudits and the Trophy, presented by the great Jack Sears, in his Porsche 911 despite starting in sixth place on the grid. WillyToye had led the early laps in his TR8 before he lost it at Leslie’s on the second lap, spinning to last. Bernard, up to second by now, quicly took the lead which he held to the flag. Second was son Adam in another 911 , just 0.4secs behinds while Olly Ross’s Lotus Elan was third. In the Pirrelli Ferrari Open Series Gary Culver won Sunday’s racer at Knockhill by leading the last 50 or so yards when erstwhile leader Marco Pullen momentarily lost it on the last corner of the last lap after leading the previous 24 and three quarter laps. He recovered to finish second with Charlie White third after a great driver from the back of the grid. Culver then went on to win the Ferrari Classic race held later that afternoon. Once again Marco Pullen had led the early laps but by lap 8 Culver was right on his tail, taking the lead one lap later to win by just under 8 seconds. Nicky Paul-Barron was third just behind Pullen. Richard Pascal
Record Entry at Knockhill's Spring meeting Knockhill attracted a record number of entries for an SMRC event at it's Spring meeting on Sunday (27 April). With the sun shining and some thrilling races what more could you ask for. The Scottish Formula Ford Championship For the remaining three laps Butcher tried to get back in front but with Carroll keeping the door firmly closed and Kirkcaldy right on his gearbox he didn't really get much of an opportunity. That is until the final corner of the final lap. As the trio headed into the hairpin for the final time Carroll appeared to be momentarily blocked by a backmarker, as he jinked right to go past he seem to loose momentum for a split second and Butcher seemed to get onto the power first. As the pair headed up the start/finish straight however Carroll maintained enough of a lead to win, the 3 cars crossing the line separated by just 0.6 seconds. In the Scottish Sports and Saloons Championship,
Robert Pritchard made a welcome return with his Caterham to give the
spectators some much needed opposition to Andrew Gallacher's super-quick
Ford Focus. In race one Gallacher won fairly comfortably by 3 seconds
from Pritchard with George Brewster third. The second race looked like a
re-run of the first for 6 laps until Gallacher's Focus By lap 7 he had slowed significantly and Pritchard nipped by into the lead. Behind Gallacher in third was David Headen who had been embroiled in a race long scrap with George Brester and Bob Lyons, all three in Caterhams. Headen had led for most of the race with a brief respite when Brewster retired on lap 6. However by lap 7 Lyons was climbing all over him, slipping by at Scotsman on lap 8. With one lap to go it looked cut and dried but Lyons clipped the tyres at the chicane and went straight on into the tyre barrier handing third to Headen. This became second on the final lap as Gallacher slipped further down the field, eventually finishing seventh. Third place finally went to the Porsche of Tommy Dreelan who had Stewart Whyte's Honda Accord right behind him in fourth. In the XR2 Championship Stewart Sleigh The Smartycars.com Mini Coopers have three 8 lap races these days and they always seem close fought affairs. No change today either. Ian Milton won the first two, although he had to work hard for them, particularly the first. Mark Dryden and Ken Thirwall were the early leaders with then latter getting the better of Dryden at the start,. Dryden the go back in front for lap 3 before both Thriwall and Milton passed him on lap 5. It then went all awry for Dryden when the leading group came up to lap the guest car driven by STV Presenter Steven Jardine. As Thirwall and Milton dived past Dryden appeared to either see the slower car late or got a wheel on the dirt, either way he spun dropping him back down to ninth At the front Milton now held sway over Thriwall with Andrew Winchester hard on their heels, the three cars crossing the line almost together, 0.7 seconds covering them. Race two was slightly less frenetic, Milton leading from lights to flag, Chris Know gave chase for the first three laps before Winchester took over in second, the three finishing in that order. Dryden drove a good race to climb from ninth at the start to grab fourth on the last lap demoting Vic Covey Jnr to fifth. The final race saw Mark Dryden finally redeem himself
winning from the off. He was a bit fortunate that on lap 7 he was
'pushed' out of Stan Bernard dominated the Classic Sports Saloon races but the main entertainment came in the first race from Matthew Gordon and Adam Bernard who enjoyed a race long battle fro second, Gordon taking the position y less than a second.
SMRC’s opener has action a-plenty and promises of more to come
Ian Milton
The Scottish XR2’s
put on their usual entertaining displays with Peter Cruickshank
Graham Carroll
was very much the man to beat in the Scottish Formula Ford Championship
winning both races from the lights to the flag. David Brown took second
on both occasions with Stuart Thorburn completing the podium in race 1
and Rory Butcher in race 2. The second race was red flagged after
Elliot Mason and Martin Pieraccini (pictured)
Stan Bernard In race 2 Stan didn’t have it quite so easy, both Adam Bernard and Tommy Gilmartin beating him off the line. Stan disposed of Tommy’s Ford Capri within a lap but it took him 6 more laps to get into the lead. He eventually crossed the line 4 seconds up on Adam Bernard with Matthew Gordon third.
The Scottish Sports and Saloons Up front Charlie Shaw led from Sasha Pearl, both courtesy of their jump starts, for which both would be penalised 10 secs later on. Third was Whyte with David Headon’s Caterham in fourth Pearl soon dropped down the order finishing ff the pace and a lap down in 14th, clearly nursing a problem. Whyte meanwhile began to move up, eventually taking the lead on lap 5. Headon soon followed him through before he was eventually passed by the aforementioned Simpson on the penultimate tour but by then he was comfortably ahead of Shaw’s Focus to keep third. Race
two saw Headon’s Caterham take an early lead before the flying Andrew
Gallacher came by at half distance to win by over 9 secs. Headon held on
to second but only just as George Brewster was right on his tail to
finish third 4 tenths behind..
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As
the cars settled down Liddell had the lead from Knox with Thirwall third
when Chris Pearson had a big off at Leslie’s the car rolling onto it’s
side after hitting the tyre barrier hard. Pearson was soon extracted
from the car with no apparent injuries but by then the Red Flag was out.
David
Sleigh did the double in the Scottish XR2 championship win two from two,
Peter Cruickshank picked up two second places despite being stuck in the
gravel trap at Leslie’s in race one. 
Stan
Bernard continues to be the man to beat in the Classic Sports and
Saloons at Knockhill as he maintained his 100% record with a win in the
opening race at Knockhill on Sunday. Son Adam was second in a 911 with
Olly Ross(left) in a Elan third.
Drive
of the day should have gone to Willie Robertson in a Datsun 240z but
sadly he spoilt it all on the last lap. Starting well down the field he
seemed oblivious to the wet track, moving passed cars at every
opportunity. Tenth of lap 2 he went to seventh on lap 3, sixth on lap
6, fifth on lap 9 before he threw it all away at the hairpin on the
final tour by going over-doing his braking, loosing two places in the
process.
Andrew
Gallacher dominated the Scottish Sports and Saloons in his Ford Focus
winning both races with ease. In race one he crossed the line 6 seconds
up on second placed Colin Simpson’s Marcos Mantis with David Headon
third ina Caterham and Charlie Shaw fourth in another Focus. The gap
could have been bigger but a red flag stopped proceedings after seven
laps when Pater Taddei’s Fiesta got stranded on the kerbs at Scotsman.
Alan
Kirkcaldy put one over his Championship rival Graham Carroll in the
opening race of the Scottish FF1600 series at Knockhill yesterday(Sunday)
with fine win from second on the grid.
provided two excellent races. Alan Kirkcaldy winning the opener from
Graham Carroll by just half a second with Rory Butcher a further 6
tenths of a second behind. In race two Alan Kirkcaldy led the early laps
under intense pressure from first Carroll and then Rory Butcher. On Lap
4 Butcher found a way past and held the lead for a further 4 laps
before Carroll produced a superb late braking move up the inside at the
hairpin, slipping by from third to first.
started to trail tell-tale wisps of smoke which got worse as the race
went on. 
took a fine win in the opening encounter from Peter Cruickshank with
Charlie Cope third. Cruickshank reversed positions in race two winning
comfortably after passing Sleigh at half distance, crossing the line
with over 2 seconds in hand. Third was Sasha Pearl who fought hard with
Ian Munro for the first 7 laps before he retired. Charlie Cope didn't
get a ook in, spinning off at Scotsman on the opening lap.
the way by Winchester at the hairpin, dropping him to second but as the
pair crossed the line to start lap 8 the red flag came out handing him
the win. Vic Covey Jnr was third. 
won two out three Smatycar.com Mini Cooper
and Charlie Cope sharing the spoils with a first and second place
a-piece. In race 1 Cruickshank was passed by Graham Whitehill at the
start before he re-asserted himself at the front a couple of laps later
when Whitehill spun. Charlie Cope was up to second and that’s how they
finished with Gerriant Jones third. In the second race Cope made the
best start to lead into Duffus ahead of Cruickshank, who despite staying
close throughout the race never really got into a position to challenge
for the lead. Cope eventually won with 0.277 seconds to spare! The
battle for third was much closer however with David Sleigh, Graham
Whitehill, Ian Munro and Gerriant Jones all slugging it out for the 10
laps. Jones had held third for the first half of the race before Sleigh
got by on lap 5. The last 5 laps saw both Whitehill and Munro take up
the challenge but at the flag Sleigh claimed the last podium place by a
tenthj of a second from Whitehill. 
came together at McIntyres on only the third lap, Mason’s car ended up
across the track with bent front suspension, leaving the officials no
choice but to stop the race. This didn’t affect Carroll who once again
swooped into the lead and headed off to victory but it allow Rory
Butcher to gain a couple of places. In the first race he was lying
fifth when the red came out, in the restart he made a superb start to
claim third at Duffus, which he held comfortably until; the end.
dominated the proceedings in the Classic Sports and Saloons, his Porsche
seemingly unstoppable in both events. In the first race he just pulled
away from Matthew Gordon’s similar car to win by over 7 secs. Adam
Bernard was third to complete a Porsche 911 whitewash of the top 3
places.
provided an entertaining opener which saw Stewart Whyte claim
victory in his ex-BTCC Honda Accord. It wasn’t all plain sailing
however. At the lights what looked like a mass jump start saw pole
man Andrew Gallacher and his Ford Focus swallowed by all and sundry.(in
fact 3 drivers were deemed guilty by the officials) In fact both he and
Colin Simpson’s Marcos found themselves at the back of the field at the
end of lap 1, Gallacher would retire to sort things out for the second
race while Simpson drove the race of the day, climbing all the way
through the field to finish second.