UK Oval Track Legends - Race Reports

added 20th May, 2011

BIRMINGHAM WHEELS RACEWAY
Saturday 14th May, 2011
Round 4 - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIP

LEWIS DAZZLES THEM IN THE MIDLAND CHAMPIONSIP

Darron 'Daz' Lewis (285) took hold of the first 2011 Championship trophy in the
Legends trophy cabinet, in an epic feature final win at Birmingham Wheels. A heat
win somehow eluded Daz and made the title win seem even harder for the popular
Birmingham based driver. Success tasted even sweeter then, as he worked hard
to stake claim to the Midland Championship.
On a wet night, a heat one win for the Rain Master - Dan Holden (161) may have
lead you into thinking it was going to be his night. It wasn't for the want of trying
though but the track, at times through the night, did start to dry out. Fresh to leave
the Rookie pack in heat one was Mark Carnwell (46) for a pole start. He look confident and was confident out in the lead, then the star drivers started to weave their way through. Pete Amas (33) from the yellow grade, was the next to lead while Dan had his work cut out for him from a red grade start. It was only at the call of '5 laps to go' that he got to the inside line of Pete and it took two more laps for Dan to take ownership of the win. Pete, quite rightly, was not giving up easily! Young gun and 2011 Rookie Championship contender, Jay Austin (427) had also fledged the rookie pack and finished well in third - his best finish to date and showing there will better to come no doubt.
Barry Barnard (116), Tom Sutton (495) and John Durrant (84) also left the rear of the pack, heading into the 4th round meeting, to grid proper in the white grade alongside Mark and Jay. Tom came home in the first heat for a 4th place finish. Barry was unlucky not to finish it, bearing in mind he had looked strong at the previous round at Hednesford. John Durrant (84) also had a quality finish and raced over the line into a 6th place finish.
Ian Hales (6) took his first win of 2011 in the second heat from Harry Nicklin (75).  Harry had looked quite happy taking the initial lead in a race littered with spinners but Hales Jnr. is a dab hand at staying out of trouble in the wet and clinched top slot from Harry with only 4 or 5 laps left to run.
If the second heat was littered with spinners, then the feature final was littered with non-finishers, practically half the field in fact. Jay had clutch problems which was 'not required' as he was leading for most of the yellolw flag restarts. He can vouch for the fact, alongside Daz, that it was a tough race to finish. Darren Smith (76) was quicker on the last restart and went into the lead. The crowd loved it though, especially when Ian was loose and coming out of turn 2 sideways to avoid an accident. He could be, however, in trouble now and is under investigation for the manner in which he rejoined the race.  They loved it too, when Daz braked late into turn one on Darren. It was haplessly 'all over' for him, he had driven superbly but there was just no stopping Dazzlin' Daz Lewis.


TRACK FACTS
Car Count -  25 cars
Fastest Lap -  Stephen TREHERNE (12) in Heat Two (lap 11) 15.690s = 48.699mph
Weather Conditions - Wet to drying occasionally

RESULTS
Heat One : 161, 33, 427, 495, 5, 84, 45, 11, 76, 151, 156, 12, 395, 6, 285, 516, 465, 75, 37, 21, 48, 2, 79, 46. DNF 116.
Heat Two : 6, 75, 33, 76, 285, 395, 45, 495, 151, 12, 37, 48, 84, 11, 465, 5, 116, 161, 516, 2, 79, 46, 156, 427. DNF 21.
Feature Final : 285, 161, 76, 395, 427, 5, 33, 151, 465, 495, 75, 21, 46. DNF 84, 79, 45, 6, 516, 11, 116, 48, 2, 12, 156, 37.

added May, 2011

HEDNESFORD HILLS RACEWAY
Monday 30th May, 2011
Round 5

TWO WINS IN THE RAIN FOR HALES JNR.

The typical Bank Holiday weather at Hednesford provided plenty of water on the track,
causing enough cars to spin and plenty of stoppages. Ian Hales (6) was a casualty
in the first heat, retiring after an accident with wing damage. There were many more
cars throughout the day taking home similar or worse damage - it just seemed to be
one of those days when nothing was going to go right! Things did go right in the end
for Ian when he won heat two and then the final.
Andy Embery (45) kept a fine line and drove for a fine win in heat one. He took the
lead in the opening laps and never looked back.

TRACK FACTS
Car Count - 27 cars
Fastest Lap - Branson POYNER (5) in the Final (lap 29) 15.901s = 56.600mph
Weather Conditions - mostly wet (drying for the final)

RESULTS
Heat One : 45, 161, 285, 156, 12, 52, 33, 76, 8, 151, 84, 75, 37, 555, 42, 46, 495. DNF 6 (accident damage), 427 (accident damage), 116 (spun/stranded), 395 (accident damage), 465 (accident damage), 79 (accident damage - retired for day), 11 (accident damage - retired for day), 2 (accident damage), 60 (mechanical - timing), 5 (mechanical - fuel feed).
Heat Two : 6, 465, 395, 8, 52, 161, 5, 12, 60, 45, 285, 156, 151, 76, 116, 33, 2, 495, 46, 555, 37, 42. DNS 427 (car under repair). DNF 84 (retired), 75 (spun and retired later).
Final : 6, 156, 161, 151, 465, 5, 33, 395, 12, 52, 60, 495, 42, 555. DNF 427 (accident damage), 285 (accident damage), 76 (accident damage), 75 (accident damage), 46 (accident damage), 37 (accident damage), 116 (accident damage - rear bumper hanging off), 2 (accident damage), 84 (retired - puncture), 45 (accident damage), 8 (retired).

added 27th April, 2011

NORTHAMPTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
Easter Monday 25th April, 2011
Round 2

LLOYD'S PRAYER ANSWERED

Ipswich based driver, Stef Lloyd (21) polished off his
success in the heats for two wins, with a stunning
winning performance in the final, holding off the very
close attentions of Branson Poyner (5) and Peter
Blundell (156). He took the advantage of starting
the heats in the white grade, for recent bad luck had
seen his race average drop.  Consequently, he was
'upgraded' in the grid for the final and had to start
with the yellows due to the two wins.  Quietly, he
took on board that he was in line for a hat trick and
maybe only a prayer would do, to help keep the car
as good as she was in the heats!  The final got
started after the traditional 'waved lap' and Stef got
to work on what is quite rare in Oval Track Legends - a hat trick.  With the chequered flag waiting to fall, Branson and Peter wished for a couple more laps but Stef's hopes and prayers were answered - the car was running very well and he took the winning flag for a superb day of racing for him and the hat trick.
Branson became the only other winner on the day for a win in heat two. Second place was highly contested by John Hudson (65), Martin Lamb (52) and Daniel Holden (161) in a last lap frenzy. It all ended with Stephen Treherne (12) adding to the excitement but John, with all his experience, kept cool and kept them behind him, to take second place.
Heat one saw an awful accident involving John's son, Tim Hudson (64).  The car was heavily impacted along the home straight as cars went in all directions. Chris Pye (151) and Andy Hartwell (55) also picked up damage. Tim needed medical attention and happily, after a while, word came through that he was OK. The car, on the other hand, wasn't OK and will take a lot of hours to put back together - hopefully they can fix it in time for the next meeting at Hednesford on May Day.
The Rookies were out in force - all seven of them, producing some good racing. There has to be a rule to clarify a 'Rookie' and Stephen, although a Legends Circuit racer, is classified as one. However, he has indicated that he won't be racing a full Short Oval season.  Stephen will, as they all will, leave the Rookies soon and grid properly at his next meeting. Mark Carnwell (46), John Durrant (84), Jay Austin (427) and Tom Sutton (495) have notched up their second rookie meeting out of three. Barry Barnard (116) and Steve Fullwood (393) both made their first appearance at NIR on Monday, so have two more race meetings to go. All in all, they are looking good and racing well, which should make this years Rookie Championship quite interesting.
It's unusual to see any of the Legends cars change body shape and keep
the same VIN registration. Andy Embery (45) may be the first driver to do
so in OTL. Over the winter, with help from Des Chandler, he has converted
his sturdy, tried and tested 1934 Ford Sedan into a 1937 Ford Sedan and
took it out to race for the first time this year at Northampton. Results didn't
go well for Andy on the day when the prop broke in heat two thus retiring
him for the rest of the day. Hopefully he'll have better luck next time out
and be able to give the car a good run.

TRACK FACTS
Car Count - 30 cars
Fastest Lap - Peter Blundell (156) in Heat One (lap9) 15.666s = 51.452mph
Weather Conditions - Dry and sunny

RESULTS
Heat One : 21, 60, 516, 156, 6, 285, 5, 395, 161, 65, 11, 555, 495, 151, 33,
116, 84, 46. DNF 64 and 55 (accident).
Heat Two : 5, 65, 52, 161, 12, 285, 465, 516, 2, 76, 116, 427, 42, 84.
DNF 45 (retired - prop broke), 393, 8, 60. DNS 33 (handling).
Heat Three : 21, 395, 156, 76, 6 (docked 2 places for contact on 46), 52,
8, 12, 21, 465, 495, 555, 151, 42, 427, 393, 46. DNF 11.
Final : 21, 5, 156, 11, 465, 161, 6, 395, 52, 151, 65, 427, 116, 393, 76, 495,
42, 46. DNF 555 and 8 (accident), 33, 285 (bent half shaft), 84 (spun and
retired), 2 and 60 (spun and retired). DISQ 12 (contact on 84), 516 (contact
on 555).

added 20th March, 2011

BIRMINGHAM WHEELS RACEWAY
Saturday 19th March, 2011
Round 1

THE MAN IN BLACK IS BACK!

Darron Lewis (285) former 'Men In Black' Banger Team member returned
to Oval Track Legends after a short spell in National Hot Rods, to win the
feature final brilliantly at Birmingham Wheels on Saturday night after
qualifying 11th. In 2006 Darron won not only the Rookie of the Year but
also the National Points Championship through the introduction that year
of the new grading system. He proved himself to be a top driver back
then, also winning the 2006 Birmingham Track Championship. This year
he returned as a red top, clearly showing he had not lost his touch at the
wheel of a Legends car.
The heats were good, fine wins for Rob Preece (37) his first ever Legends win and Richard Stagg (2) in only his second career win. Both drivers are hard campaigners, always striving for better results and often have just missed out on race wins. Happily last night they got the results they wanted.

TRACK FACTS
Car Count - 22 cars
Fastest Lap - Darron Lewis (285) in the Final (lap 15) 15.806s = 50.948mph
Weather Conditions - Dry

RESULTS
Heat One : 37, 156, 55 (docked x2 for avoidable contact), 11, 5, 2, 52, 12, 465, 285, 495, 161, 60, 555, 427, 151, 84, 42. DNF 76 (Red X), 395 (accident), 46 (accident), 21 (Red X).
Heat Two : 2, 55, 37, 161, 156, 60, 151, 465, 285, 12, 395, 5, 76, 427, 84, 52, 42, 46. DNF 495 (Red X situation and retired - bumper trapped under car), 11 (accident), 21 (accident) , 555 (Red X).
Final : 285, 156, 161, 395, 12, 76, 465, 2, 52, 495, 427, 84, 21, 151, 37, 11, 42, 46. DNF 5, 55, 60 (all accident damage).

added 7th May, 2011

HEDNESFORD HILLS RACEWAY
May Day 2nd May, 2011
Round 3

CREAM OF THE CROP, TREHERNE RISING TO THE TOP

Top Circuit Legends racer, Stephen Treherne (12) became the first of the
2011 rookies to leave the pack at the back of the grid, to start as a blue
grader for round 3 at Hednesford.  The talented driver, leader of the
Roookie Championship, is proving not only a difficult target to beat in the
rookie ranks, he is also a daunting force to be reckoned with among the
star drivers. The cream will always rise to the top, as Stephen is
demonstrating and it will be interesting to see how the Oval Legends guys
shape up to him in the long run. That's not thinking for one minute that
they will let him run away with anything.
Stephen laid hands on his first short oval win and drove a fantastic race for the May Day final. Dan Hughes (48) was equally as impressive for a second place finish. He got off to a good start, lead well from pole in the yellow grade as no white grade cars were available and moved brilliantly through the rookies, as did Stephen. The other Dan, Dan Holden (161) had the most work to do in the labour of 30 laps, from a red grade start to finish on the podium in third.
The 2010 Master driver, Branson Poyner (5) ran true to form, not only by winning the first heat, he took the fastest lap in it too. Fresh out for his first meeting of 2011 and in new car colours was Jason Worrall (79).  He was straight out from the off and into the lead. Making their way through though and laying in wait, were Stephen and Branson giving it their all. Branson managed to take the lead from Stephen at turn one on the start of the last lap. Stephen was having none of it, he regained the lead going into turn 3 and made it clear through on the inside line. It was a last lap dash over the line, however, that finally clinched the win for Branson, in a first class display of driving from both of them.
Stable mate to Jason, Harry Nicklin (75) was also out at Hednesford for his first meeting of 2011 and lead the second heat admirably. Bad luck struck in the closing stages as he hit the wall, therefore, forcing retirement. Bad luck also went to Richard Stagg (2) for an engine blow which kept him out of the rest of the meeting and likely for the next round. Chris Pye (151) was docked two places for a jump start and should have finished the heat in third. That place was a welcome surprise for Jon Evans (11) after the penalty had been given out.  Darron Lewis (285) eventually took the win, although Peter Blundell (156) was breathing down the back of the #285 car - they made quite a race, another quality finish!
The Bank Holiday crowd was large and Legends laid on more excellent theatre in heat three. Firstly, a stoppage after 7 laps when John Townshend (42) unluckily ran loose coming out of turn four, caused a bit of drama and sadly retired Darren Smith (76) as well. The heat then had to be called four laps short for an accident on the East Bend. The culprit was oil on the track and involved Pete Amas (33), Steve Fullwood (393) and Tom Sutton (495). They all took heavy damage and sadly it kept all three out of the final. Derek Hales (8) earned the win eventually. His vast race experinece prevailed as Stephen and Dan #48 both looked very keen and interested in taking the win from him.

TRACK FACTS
Car Count - 31 cars
Fastest Lap - Darron Lewis (285) in the Final (lap16) 15.295s = 58.843mph
Weather Conditions - Dry and sunny

RESULTS
Heat One : 5, 12, 516, 6, 156, 395, 33, 465, 151, 11, 116, 75, 48, 21, 37, 60, 495, 427, 79, 42.
Heat Two : 285, 156, 11, 161, 151 (docked 2 place for jump start), 8, 516, 21, 76, 465, 116, 37, 427, 84, 52, 46. DNF 75 (accident damage), 2 (engine blow), 45 (mechanical - diff/vibration), 79 (retired), 555 (accident damage).
Heat Three : 8, 12, 48, 60, 161, 285, 395, 5, 52, 84, 33, 495, 393, 46. DNF 42, 76, 6 (all accident damage).
Final : 12, 48, 161, 6, 156, 11, 516, 395, 465, 21, 285, 151, 5, 116, 37, 46, 84. DNS 75. DNF 52 (accident damage), 60 (retired), 427 (retired), 79 (retired).

added 14th June, 2011

ALDERSHOT RACEWAY
Sunday 12th June, 2011
Round 6 - ARTHUR BRIGHT TROPHY
SOUTHERN and 1st leg SOUTH of ENGLAND
CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELD

NEW NAME ON THE ARTHUR BRIGHT TROPHY - ANDY EMBERY
WINS THE SILVERWARE AT ALDERSHOT

Reading based driver, Andy Embery (45) was well on the pace in the wet at
Aldershot to win the nicest piece of silverware in the Oval Track Legends
trophy cabinet - the Arthur Bright Trophy. Angie and Zac Bright normally
attend the meeting and present the trophy in memory of Arthur but were unable
to attend this year. Zac is a keen karter and doing very well, had
an important race meeting which clashed dates. Jenny Shearing, wife of Pit
Marshall Eoin, happily agreed to present the all the trophies to the top three -
Andy the winner, Derek Hales (8) second and Peter Blundell (156) third. The
feature final was also nominated as the Southern Championship making it
another Championship title for Andy to take home with him and his first final
win too.
It was a 'clean up' on the day for Southern based drivers as Paul Fiore (516)
from Aldershot won the opening heat and Hertfordshire driver Richard Stagg (2)
won the second heat, his second heat win of the year.
The results from Aldershot also count towards the South of England Championship
Shield and top point scorer, going into the final round at Eastbourne on 29th June,
is Derek, closely followed by Andy only 5 points behind.

TRACK FACTS
Car Count - 23 cars
Fastest Lap - Ian HALES (6) in Heat Two (lap 11) 15.001s = 73.435kph
Weather Conditions - Wet

RESULTS
Heat One : 516, 6, 8, 2 (docked x 2 places - avoidable contact on 21), 48, 495, 427, 52, 45, 5, 285, 161, 395, 465, 33, 65, 182, 151, 21, 84, 42. DNF 156 (accident). DNS 555.
Heat Two : 2, 45, 6, 8, 161, 52, 151, 156, 285, 84, 495, 182, 516, 465, 48, 33, 42, 555. DNF 395 (accident damage), 427 (blew diff), 5 (mechanical), 21 (accident damage). DNS 65 (accident damage from heat one).
Final : 45, 8, 156, 465, 5, 395, 495, 48, 21, 285, 84, 151, 555, 42. DNF 161, 52, 6, 2, 182. DNS 33 (handling), 516 (oil leak).