Congratulations to Northern Ireland's Gary Woolsey for taking a Championship double at the National Weekend at Hednesford Hills Raceway.

There was a very popular winner in the Stock Rod National Championship, again to Northern Ireland with 944 Derek McMillan taking the flag, but, without doubt, the most popular win of the weekend went to Lightning Rod 51 Andy King, who triumphed in his big race despite several yellow flag re-starts - well done to Andy anf all of his team.

OVER 160 competitors from across Britain, Ireland and the Continent gathered at Hednesford Hills Raceway on August 1st and 2nd for the 52nd annual National Championship weekend, and what a phenomenal weekend it was.

The National Hot Rods began with a tangle right at the start of heat one between World Champion 970 Shane Murphy and 962 John Christie as reigning champion 9 Glenn Bell took the win, heat two seeing 54 Adam Hylands fire a warning shot to his rivals with a clear win. 42 Shane Bland dominated heat three and would become Saturday’s only double winner in heat five straight after a rain shower to secure pole. 20 Derek Martin and 76 Adam Maxwell were the other winners, while Bell secured the front row slot alongside the dominant Bland while several big names were some way down the grid setting the stage for a great race.

Sunday’s championship race was not just great, however, it was one of the most incredible and unpredictable races seen in the history of the National Championships. Bland led for most of the way in an ultra-close fight with 261 David Casey and Hylands, the latter finding the smallest gap and taking the lead before with a dozen laps to go he slowed with a deflating tyre and Bland pounced but this attack sent Hylands and Casey into the wall while contact from the chasing 76 Adam Maxwell spun Bland and in seconds the entire top three had gone. This left Maxwell ahead with almost all the pre-meeting favourites out on the infield and he led off but with three laps to go his gearbox failed and it was 940 Gary Woolsey who took the win, holding off 996 Stewart Doak to become the first second-generation driver to win the National Championship. Teenager 199 Jamie McCurdy took third and only ten cars went the distance, in a race that will be remember as the one seemingly no-one wanted to win! Woolsey would celebrate in style later in the afternoon too, leading from the front of the drawn grid to win the NHRPA Championship and complete a wonderful double.

The Lightning Rods saw a clean sweep for Incarace drivers in the heats with 51 Andy King, 30 Mike Daniels and 50 Ben Murray taking the wins, King taking pole alongside defending champion 974 Gary Beggs, but the Ulsterman would be excluded just a couple of laps into the title race when he spun Daniels into the wall. Murray then crashed out and lost a wheel which was collected by 355 Mick Walker who also shed a wheel for a stoppage. King meanwhile got clear on a messy restart which saw pursuers 339 Ben Furness and 503 Jordan Murray eliminated and the Incarace man took the biggest title of his long career, 918 Richard Stewart docked for contact from second allowing 452 Adam Eyles and 591 Reid Murray to complete the podium. Daniels meanwhile repaired his car to win the Allcomers and complete a maximum for Incarace.

The Lattkas scored a heat win each in the Stock Rods with 944 Derek McMillan and 447 Stuart Smyth taking the other heats but consistency put 168 Andy Sturt on the pole with McMillan alongside. After a first turn pile-up and restart Sturt was spun aside by Smyth and McMillan raced off into the lead as the rest scrapped behind, the Ulsterman not putting a wheel wrong en route to a flag to flag win to scenes of delirium from his team, 647 Jonathan Lattka and 188 Paul Hunter completing the podium after third on the road 551 Gary Butler was excluded for spinning 658 Chris Lattka, but Butler made up for it by winning the Allcomers.

The addition of BriSCA F2s to the programme drew mixed reactions but the racing they provided was excellent, 761 Richard Bowyer winning both Finals on his local raceway while there was misfortune for pre-meeting favourite 7 Gordon Moodie who crashed in Saturday’s final and blew his engine in Sunday’s. 647 Chris Burgoyne made up for it for Scotland by winning Sunday’s GN after 968 Micky Brennan had won both heats, while Moodie and Bowyer took Saturday’s two heats.

All at Incarace would like to congratulate the three new champions and all the winners from across a wonderful weekend, as well as all the officials from across the world of oval racing for their hard work, and most importantly all the fans for making such a magnificent weekend possible.

Here’s to Nationals 2016!