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mail your links to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk SMRC 2008 SMRC Final Fling Knockhill 19 October 2008 Knox knockout is Dryden’s dismay Chris Knox won the
first of the two SMRC Mini Cooper Cup races at Knockhill beating Vic
Covey Jnr(pictured) by less that a second in the opener. Findlay
Croker took third with Colin Dryden fourth .
The top four remained unchanged throughout the race but fifth fell to Ken Thirwall after he had had long duel with Michael Rowan and Ian Milton. Early in the race Milton had held fifth behind Dryden, keeping the position until half distance when both Ken Thirwall and Rowan got past. By this time Scott Morrison had joined the train of cars and began to put pressure on Milton who by now climbing all over Michael Rowan boot lid. All this allowed Thirwall to open out a small gap which by the flag had grown to 4 seconds. The remaining three meanwhile stayed in ‘line astern’ to the end crossing the line covered by a mere 4 tenths of a second with Rowan in sixth, Milton seventh and Morrison eighth
Dryden continued to lead until the start of lap 3 when Knox made a lunge around the outside, while at around the same time Finlay Crocker hit the back of Mark Dryden who subsequently hit Knox putting the latter out on the spot. Dryden got going again but only as far as the pitlane where he was forced to retire. This left Finlay Croker(left) up front with Vic Covery Jnr and Ken Thirwall. Croker didn’t stay around long for one lap later he was out and Covey was leading with Thirwall second and Ian Milton suddenly appearing in third after he nipped past Scott Morrison on lap 6. And that’s how they finished Covey picking up the win with Thirwall second, 7 seconds behind and Ian Milton third a further 4 seconds down the road. Fourth was Scott Morrison fifth Mario Loia and sixth Alan Keith, the multiple XR2 Champion making a welcome return to racing. Gallacher keeps it focused!
In that first race Gallacher stormed away from the start line and simply vanished while behind him Tony Galloway made a good start in his Mitsubishi Evo to lead the rest of the pack before he dropped it on lap 2 handing second place to Stewart Whyte’s Escort. Behind Whyte was Warren Dunbar in a Caterham with CVharlie Shaw next up in front of Peter Taddei’s Fiesta ZT. Dunbar held off the chasing pack and stayed right with Whyte’s Escort for the next 7 laps before Charlie Shaw finally deposed him on lap 8, Shaw then got past Whyte to take second at the flag. Whyte hung on for third with Dunbar less than a second further behind in fourth. Fifth was Ian
Donaldson who brought his Lamboghini up from 8th on lap 2 to
fifth by the end, aided by Peter Taddei spinning into the gravel on lap
5 before re-joining to finish seventh. Another recovery drive was put in
by Tony Galloway(#29 below) who brought his Evo home in sixth,
taking fastest lap in the process. Race 2, run in appalling conditions was expected to be a lottery as the track was awash. However the Sports/Saloon drivers were very well behaved and the ‘damage’ was minimal. Gallacher once again scampered off into the distance but the wet drack llowed his team-mate Charlie Shaw to latch onto his tail by lap 5 and for a couple of laps to two Fords circulated as one. However Gallacher soon resumed his normal position, opening a gap of 7 seconds to his erstwhile challenger by the flag. In third was Stewart Whyte, the Escort once again proving to be the best of the rest. Tony Galloway held it together this time to finish fourth with Ian Donladson’s Lambo Gallara fifth. Sixth was George Brewster in a Porsche GT3 after he had a great scrap with Warren Dunbar early in the race before both he and Andrew Morrison got by the Caterham to take sixth and seventh at the end.
Munro bags the wins while Sleigh starts his reign
Munro led both races from the off although in the opening encounter Peter Cruickshank kept him honest for the opening 3 laps before he spun off momentarily at the bottom of SEAT(Duffus Dip) on lap 4.lt was a mistake he could ill afford however as it let his Championship rival David Sleigh through into second while he resumed one place further behind in third. Behind the leaders Dave Collville and John Sheridan were squabbling over fourth which was settled in favour of the former at half distance. The race became more and more difficult as the rain began soon after the start with several of the drivers having spins, among them Callum Dryburgh who did a couple of 360’s between Duffus aDip and Scotsman before rejoining after loosing only 1 place. At the front Munro continued serenely to the flag winning by 1.54 secs from Sleigh who had Cruickshank less than half a second behind him in third.
Munro once again stamped his authority on the race at the light winning comfortably from Peter Cruickshank, by seven second in fact. Early on Dave Collville had the led the challenge to Munro with Sleigh next up followed by Cruickshank, Jason Callaghan and Callum Dryburgh. On lap 2 Dryburgh became the race’s sole retirement when he went off at SEAT hitting the tyres hard and seemed to give Callaghan a nudge in the process, whatever something allowed Sheridan to nip by into fifth. Meanwhile Cruickshank was getting g closer and closer to Sleig before he finally managed a pass late in the race, on lap 7. Sleigh however only needed to stay where he was and the title was his, which is exactly what he did, finishing just over a second behind the Cruickshank in third to take the Championship. A Stuart ‘reigns’ in Scotland, Thorburn that is!
Race one looked pretty straightforward for Thorburn, leading away from the lights he was never really under pressure as the chasing group became embroiled in a fight between themselves allowing him to pull out a four seond gap and keep it to the flag. The chasing pack were led by Craig Brunton who had Andrew Chesser for company for the first three laps until he spun at the Hairpin on the fourth tour dropping back to tenth. This left Elliot Mason in third with Alan Kirkclady on his gearbox in fourth. As the race progressed Brunton opened a small gap to Mason as he fought hard to keep Kirkcaldy behind him. The latter finally found a way by on lap 6 but he never managed to pull away. Mason staying right with him all the way. At the flag Thordburn won by 4.2 secs with Brunton, Kirkcaldy and Mason crossing the line just a second apart. Fifth went to Jillian Shedden who had fought a race long battle with Martin Pieraccini and Willie Hourie which was only settled on the final lap when the recovering Andrew Chesser got into the mix pushing Hourie back to 8th and allowing Pieraccini to take sixth. Race 2 was a re-run of the first, albeit it in the rain. Thorburn won from Brunton once again, although this time the gap was only a second with Alan Kirkcaldy third after he and Elliot Mason had run together for most of the race.
At the restart Thorburn again led the field through SEAT with Brunton on his heels followed by Kirkcaldy, Mason and Shedden with Chesser next up. And that basically was that. Despite Mason staying on Kirkcaldy tail for 6 of the 8 laps there were no changes of position in the top 6 except one. The first four crossed the line with 5 seconds covering their positions, Chasser however had supplanted Shedden on the final lap taking fifth with a second to spare.
Bernard’s class isn’t enough to stop Olly Ross take his 15th title
Jimmy Crow came in fifth in his Escort Mk1 with Donald Laird completing the top 6 in his Elan. Race two was a different affair. To begin with it was raining and the track was sodden, there was in fact a small river flowing across the track at Butchers! Secondly, Willie Robertson failed to make it round the warm-up lap, breaking down exiting Clarks severely denting the chances of an upset at the front. So with a reverse
grid for the top 6 places it was Matthew Gordon(leading below)
who led the field round the opening lap, when Olly Ross only just
managed to stay in the race after he was hit by the Elan of Donald
Laird(see pic below). Somehow he kept it on track and managed to
continue with only a minor loss of momentum. By lap two Stan Bernard was
up to second from sixth and a lap later was in front, where of course he
stayed!
Jimmy Crow held onto third behind Matthew Gordon for the first couple of laps before Gordon lost it between SEAT(Duffus) and Scotsman on lap 4 dropping back a couple of places allowing Crow to move briefly into second. He didn’t stay there long as Olly Ross also took advantage of Gordon’s spin to take third and by lap 5 was up to second, although he didn’t look like catching Bernard. With the first three places pretty much sorted by this time it was 4th thru 6th that were still up for grabs. Gordon, now recovered from his spin held fourth with Ian Longford in fifth in his Escort and Kenny Allen in a Elan in sixth. On lap 6 Allen moved up to fifth passing Longford down the inside into Scotsman but a lap later he was back in seventh having had a ‘moment’ somewhere out on the track which cost him two places, both Longford regaining fifth and Derek Hastings Elan +2 taking sixth. Allen quickly re-took Hastings but Longford was another matter and despite putting in some fast laps Allen never got back on terms with the Escort and had to settle for sixth. So Bernard to another win but it was Olly Ross who won the Championship the fifteenth of his career. I wonder if he’s getting used to it by now?
Red-Flag day Knockhill 13-09-08 Thirwall and Knox take a win a piece
Knox leads Rowan in race 2 Ken Thirwall won the opening race in the Scottish Mini Cooper Championship at Knockhill. He was followed by Vic Covery Jnr and Chris Knox with Mark Dryden hard on Knox’s heels in fourth. Less than three seconds covering the first 4 at the finish. In the second race Vic Covey Jnr made the best start to lead the pack through SEAT for the first time. In second was Knox who had Michael Rowan right behind him in third. Into lap 2 and Knox took over at the front, after Covey had made a mistake which dropped him down the order to fifth in the space of one lap. Second, right on Knox’s tailby this time was Rowan with Dryden next up followed by Finlay Crocker. Within a lap Croker however tried to go past Dryden but the move never came off and he dropped down to seventh. At the front the leaders had opened a gap to the pack although Knox’s lead was beginning to look a bit precarious and to show just how hard he was trying he was given the warning flag for cutting kerbs. Covey by this time was back into third having nipped past Mark Dryden on lap 4 in the aftermath of Crocker aborted passing attempt and he began to edge away from the chasing pack and close on the leaders. Although he did manage to catch them, albeit for the final 2 laps, it was too late to do anything about them, Knox holding on to record the win with Rowan still within half a second of him at the flag. Covey hung on to third a further half second behind with Dryden crossing the line in fourth
Dreelan takes the lead in ‘follow the leader’
Third and half a minute further back was Stewart Whyte in his ex BTCC Honda Accord, with Phil Morris’s Caterham in fourth another second behind. It was fortunate that in fight for fifth was close as it kept the crowds entertained. David Botterill, in a Porsche 944 and Andrew Morrison’s SEAT Leon Cupra did so with a closely fought out contest for fifth. The pair circulating as one from around lap 7. Botterill, who had held the position from the start, managed to hold onto the place but their was never much between the pair and they finished the last unlapped runners.
Gallacher wins two from two
This trio had been racing hard since the sarty and it was Galloway who made the early running in second. Dunbar had been third for most of ther ace, always looking for a way past the Evo. However it was Donaldson who finally broke the impasse on lap9 when he got past the Caterham and then on the final lap he moved into second with Dunbar following him through as well. At the flag Gallacher was still 2 seconds in front even though he had backed off. Donaldson held on for second with Dunbar third and Galloway fourth.. Fifth was the Porsche 997 of Tommy Dreeland who had fifth from then start while Stewart Whyte completed the top six in his ex BTCC Honda Accord. The second race saw more of the same from Gallacher as he once more disappeared into the distance. In fact by lap 3 he had the length of the Railway straight between himself and his nearest challenger.
Up front Gallacher continued serenely on his way, still chased by Galloway and Dunbar still third, when on lap 4 out came the red flag when the fifth placed Porsche 997 of Bob Lyons was ‘tagged’ after Ian Donaldson clipped, first the tyre barrier at Scotsman (placed on the kerb to stop people cutting it!) , then Lyon's Porsche which was pushed off towards the gravel trap. The result was the Porsche stuck right on the edge of the track at he exit of the corner forcing the red. At the restart Gallacher again shot off again, although his second tour through SEAT and Scotsman did look a bit over the top as he appeared to be on the verge of a very big accident as he exited the corner. Whatever his next lap was much more circumspect sp perhaps he got a fright. Anyway for the rest of the race he seemed to pace himself just enough to win with a couple of seconds to spare. Second was Galloway, again, with Donaldson third right in his tailpipe. Into the fifth lap of the restart and Donaldson went round the outside at Scotsman, holding the line through Butchers to emerge in front at the chicane and claim second. There he stayed until the flag with Galloway in third and Tommy Dreeland fourth
Pearl is the jewel in the Classics The star of the Classic Saloons and Sports car was without doubt Sasha Pearl in a Lotus Elan. In the opening race she started second and finished second, beaten only by Stan Bernard’s Porsche while in the second race she came through to win comfortably from fifth despite spending the first couple of laps stuck behind Mathew Gordon’s Porsche while erstwhile leader Olly Ross opened out a small lead.
The main battle in the race had been for third, once Pearl had got by into second, leaving Gordon, Gilmartin, Robertson and Willy Toye’s TR8 to fight for this, the final podium place. Gordon had the best of the early stages closely followed by Toye with Gilmartin and Robertson next up. The last three named circulated as one for many laps until the final tour when they caught Gordon. Toye led the trio until the final lap when he went off onto the gravel at SEAT dropping down the order. This of course allowed Robertson and Gilmartin got and they promptly demoted Gordon to fifth, Robertson keeping hold of third, and Gilmartin fourth. Toye made it to the flag but down in ninth In race two
Stan Bernard had left the circuit on another errand leaving the way
open for someone else to take the spoils. At the start Mathew Gordon
led from Olly Ross in a Europa with Wuille Yoye third and Sasha Pearl’s
Elan fourth. She finally got past on lap 4 and set off after Ross who she passed a lap later. Ross was now second with a gap now appearing to Gordon in third who now had Willy Toye’s TR8,Robertson’s Datsun and Gilmartin’s Capri a short way behind him. Robertson did get up into fourth on lap 9 when Toye had a ‘moment’ exiting Clarks which gave the Datsun 240z the opportunity to get by on the run down to the hairpin, Gilmartin’s Capri following suit. Toye however had other ideas and soon recovered the position, diving passed both Capri and the Datsun on the very last lap. At the front Sasha Pearl now had a huge lead, crossing the line 9 seconds ahead of Olly Ross who was a second ahead of Gordon.
Carroll’s hat-trick…
Despite Rory Butcher wining both races Carroll had enough points in hand to take the title, his second of the eyar after he had taken the NW FF1600 crown recently Butcher led both races from the start and despite intense pressure from Carroll he was never headed, winning the first by just over 2 tenths of a second. Stuart Thorburn and Craig Brunton were third and fourth respectively with Andrew Chesher fifth and Jillian Shedden , wife of BTCC driver Gordon, sixth. Race two was almost a rerun of the first with Butcher scampering off in front, shadowed throughout by Carroll, although on this occasion he appeared happy to settle for second and the title. Third once again was Thorburn with Brunton a lucky fourth after he had been involved in a coming together with Andrew Chesher on lap 7 as the pair entered Scotsman Corner. Chesher appeared to clip the tyres on the edge of the kerb as the pair fought for the position. Chesher’s suspension was bent forcing instant retirement, while Brunton managed extricated himself from the gravel trap to rejoin the track. However it was all in vain as the red flag came out with the result declared on lap 6 handing Brunton fourth regardless.
Cruickshank goes Munro bagging
In the opening race Cruickshank led from pole and was never headed winning by just over a second from Milton. Milton had followed right on his exhaust from the off but try as he might he couldn’t find a way past. David Sleigh was third at the start but his race last just three laps before he coasted to a halt at Scotsman, which left Dave Collville and Derek McDougall fighting for the remaining podium place, which Collville won after passing McDougall on the penultimate lap at the exit of Scotsman, Race two saw yet race end on a red rather than a chequered flag. This time when David Dryburgh had a big off on the start./finish line at the start of the final lap., He emerge unscathed but less than impressed with one of his fellow competitors. In the race itself Cruickshank led from the lights as he had done earlier in the day. Once again it was Milton who took up the challenge driving in his wheel tracks. The pair stayed pretty much stuck together until the end of lap 8 when Milton made his moved. Once in the lead Cruickshank stayed resolutely on his tail looking for a move as the started the final tour. He never got a change for barely two corners into the lap out came the reds fro Dryburgh’s accident and the result was declared. Third then went to Colville once more with McDougall fourth, the pair having another race virtually locked together, this time with Colville leading throughout. words and pictures Richard Pascal 11/56 Motorsport
Border Raiders Race Meeting 3 August 2008 Ian Donaldson wins and then goes out to grass...
Race 1 had looked like a certain win for Glynn Geddie, the Caterham driver taking the lead on the first lap with only Warren Dunbar giving him any competition. The pair had circulated together, pulling out a gap over the rest of the pack lead by Donaldson, his 4 wheel driver Lambo reveling in the wet conditions. At the halfway point things started to change just after the Sylva of Duncan Marshall came round Duffus dip trailing smoke, However before he pulled off at the chicane he left a few drips of oils on the wet track and it was one of these that Glynn Geddie found. On Lap 8 of 10 he came out of Duffus and hit the brakes for Scotsman only to find himself going off into the gravel, effectively, it seemed, handing the race to Dunbar. He did rejoin to finish sixth but he must have been enormously frustrated! Dunbar meanwhile
seemed to have the race in the bag, but that was to reckon without
Donaldson and his 4 wheel drive. Dunbar was also having trouble to stay
on the slippery track, just as Geddie had before him and with 1 lap to
go the Lamborghini was onto his tail and through to snatch the lead and
win by lust 1.5 seconds. Dunbar held on to take second with Tony Galloway third in a Mitsubishi Evo.
Race two was looking pretty much the same with Gegdie and Dunbar out front, chased this time by Tommy Dreelan;s Porshce 997. This time there was no oil or rain and the pair sailed serenely towards the chequered flag. Before they got there however Donaldson would once again intervened, although I doubt if it was the way he would have wished to. On the eighth lap
he completed a superb overtaking move on David Headen’s Caterham coming
out of Scotsman before the car suddenly swerved off the track
approaching Butchers, veered across the grass for some considerable
distance before it hit the tyre wall sideways beyond the John R Weir chicane,
hard, very hard!”
So Geddie finally got his deserved win while Dunbar picked up his second second with Dreelan third
Scottish Formula Ford -Butcher wins at last
Carroll fought back but despite looking marginally quicker in places, couldn’t find his way past. He did finally make it at the end of lap 4, slipping by at the hairpin, however by the time the pair had traveled the start/finish straight, gone through SEAT and into Scotsman, Kirkcaldy was back in front. As the pair fought it out over second Butcehr meanwhile was extending his lead eventually finishing some three and a half seconds ahead. Kirkcaldy hung on to take second with Carroll right on his gearbox in third. Fourth was Elliot Mason who had Andrew Chesser and Craig Brunton right on his tail in fifth and sixth, the trio crossing the line separated by less than a second. In race two Carroll returned to his normal position, first,. With Butcher hared on his heels in second, just 0.074 seconds behind. Kirkcaldy completed the podium as usual 3.3 seconds behind. Scottish XR2 - Sleigh slays 'em
Derek McDougall kept Jones honest in the opening race. Staying on his tailgate for the duration of the race whilst in the second race it was Dave Collville who completed the podium, albeit 5 seconds adrift of the winner. Collville was lucky to be in the race really as in the first event he had side-swipped someone or something on lap 8 leaving a huge scar down one side of his car which resulted in him loosing fuel as his filler cap seemed to have vanished during the incident. Why he wasn’t black-flagged will remain a mystery for now. Andrew Allan made a welcome return to the series taking fourth ahead of Peter Cruickshank who claimed fifth after passing Ian Munro in the latter stages. SMRC Classic and Sports cars - Robertson's races
n race 2 Robertson led all but one lap, the first, after Kenny Allen got the jump on him at the start. Robertson resume his front running position on lap 2 and was never headed winning by 13.391 seconds from Matthew Gordon's Porsche. Allen came home was just a second behind Gordon with Tommy Gilmartin's Capri fourth a further second up the road. The trio had circulated almost as one for most of the race alongside Jimmy Crow's Escort, with no quarter expected of given. Until, that is, the Escort expired on lap 10 right on the edge of the track at Butchers, forcing a red flag. With only 2 laps remaining the officials decided that was that and ended the race. DDMC Northern Saloons - Headen heads off...into the distance The Northern Saloons race itself was won by David Headen in a Caterham after Tommy Dreelan, driving a Porsche 997, spun out of contention(pictured) at the hairpin on the opening lap. Headen, who had taken the lead from the off then simply vanished into the distance finishing 10 seconds ahead of Andrew Morrison's SEAT Leon Cupra. Mind you for Morrison second was a close run thing. For much of the race he had had to fend of the Sylva Phoenix of Tim Evans who was on his tail through the 15 minute race, even managing to get in front on the penultimate lap before Morrison re-asserted himself. But it wasn't just Evans who threatened Morrison's runner-up spot. Dreelan, now up to fourth after recovering from his first lap spin, had scythed through the pack to close on the second and third placed cars in the final laps and he looked as though he might just get by. As the trio exited the hairpin on the final lap the Porsche's straight line speed up to the line took it to within 0.4 secs of the SEAT but 0.2 seconds in front of the Syklva and with it third place. words and pictures Richard Pascal 11/56 Motorsport 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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Race
2 got underway with Colin Dryden making a great start to lead into SEAT
from Covey, Crocker and Knox, the rain making conditions pretty hellish.
Andrew
Gallacher came to Knockhill on Sunday and totally dominated both
Scottish Sports and Saloon races in his Ford Foucs. His team-mate
Charlie Shaw, in an identical car, followed him home on both occasions,
albeit by 14 seconds the drier opening race. 
Ian
Munro took victory in both the Scottish XR2 races at a very, very wet
Knockhill on Sunday while David Sleigh claimed the Championship title
from Peter Cruickshank in the final race of the year.
Race
2 was expected to produce mayhem at the sstart as the track was awash
and ‘traditionally’ the final race of the XR2 championship has ended up
with numerous cars ‘parked’ around d the track. However in 2008 this was
not the case.
Stuart
Thorburn was another man in total control at Knockhill winning both the
SMRC FF1600 races whatever the weather threw at him, and it thew a lot!.
At
the start Jillian Shedden(right) had spun exiting SEAT stopping
on the4 outside of the track just before Scotsman. This was deemed
dangerous so out came the red flags. Shedden was the realwinner of the
incident however as she was allowed into the restart in her original
grid position.
Stan
Bernard continued his winning ways in the Classic Sports and Saloons at
Knockhill on 19th October winning the first race at a canter,
or rather 2.730seconds from Willie Robertson’s Datsun 240Z. Matthew
Gordon was a distant third in his Porsche 911, 18 seconds behind Stan’s
similar machine but only 0.3 secs in front of Olly Ross’s Lotus Europa,
the first of the Class C cars. 
Tommy
Dreelan won the DDMC’s Sports Saloon encounter at Knockhill in his
Porche 997 leading from the start to the finish, in a race which saw no
overtaking amongst the top six. Deelan was followed closely throughout
the race by Richard Wareing in a Lotus Europa who finished just 2
seconds behind.
The
Scottish Sports saloons races at Knockhill this weekend were dominated
by Andrew Gallacher and his Turbo-charged Ford Focus. In the opening
race he simply ran away and hid in the early stages, although hi did
appear to lift off later on which allowed the chasing group, led by the
Mitsubishi Evo of Tony Galloway with Ian Donaldson’s Lamboghini Gallara
and Warren Dunbar’s Caterham to close up.
In
race 1 Stan Bernard did his normal race, which means he won, in
fact in the latter stages he didn’t even appear to be pushing very hard.
Second was the aforementioned Pearl with Willie Robertson ‘s Datsun 240Z
third and Tommy Gilmartin’s Capri fourth. Gordon’s Porshce was next up
followed by Olly Ross’s Lotus Europa. 
(pictured
below) By lap 3 Ross was pased Gordon’s Porsche and opening out a
gap while Gordon had his mirrors full of Sasha’s Lotus Elan. 
Graham
Carroll chalked up his second Formula Ford Championship of 2008
yesterday at Knockhill with two second places in the Scottish Formula
Ford Championship, a hat-trick of seconds in fact.
In
the XR2s races Peter Cruickshank was very much the man to beat and it
was Ian Milton who tried and finally succeeded in the final moments of
race 2.
Ian Donaldson had
what might be called a ‘mixed result’ in the Scottish Sports Saloons yesterday(Sunday). After winning the first race in the morning when he
took the lead on the penultimate lap from Warren Dunbar the Lamborghini
Gallara driver had a huge off at the John R Weir chicane hitting the
tyres hard and causing a lot of expensive damage to his Italian Supercar.
Rory Butcher
finally made it to the top step of the podium with a dominant display in
the first of two races at Knockhill on Sunday 3 August, setting himself
up nicely for his Porsche Carrera Cup GB debut at the track later this
month. Graham Carroll had qualified on pole but was beaten off the line
by Butcher whose start was simply superb. Carroll slotted into second
only to be pushed back to third by Alan Kirkcaldy at the hairpin before
the opening lap had even finished.
David
Sleigh made it two wins from two races in the XR2 Championship winning
the first race and second races from Geriant Jones by 6 and 1.4 seconds
respectively. 
In the SMRC's Classic Sports and
Saloons Willie Robertson did the double at Knockhill today(Sunday)
winning both races in his Datsun 240Z. In the first race Championship
leader and winner of most of the races this year failed to finish
leaving Robertson to win with nearly 10 seconds in hand over second
placed Brian Morris in a second Datsun 240Z. Third was Olly Ross in his
Lotus Europa. 
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.