A TRIPLE figure entry of drivers across five formulas put on an excellent show despite changeable conditions at the 49th annual National Championship weekend at Hednesford Hills Raceway.

The forecast was for “mixed” weather, but we didn’t exactly expect it all at once! After Saturday saw two of the Stock Rod heats run in some of the heaviest rain ever seen at Hednesford, Sunday saw sunshine during the build-up to the big races and during Mikey Godfrey’s humorous bike race victory over Jason Kew which raised an amazing £1400 for FORDS-Care. Then after a shower did its best to ruin the Legends title race things dried up again, but just as the National Hot Rods began to assemble for the biggest race of the weekend the sky blackened and a thunderstorm approached – somehow the dramatic sky and flashes of lightning combined with Conquest Of Paradise on the PA system made for a wonderfully heightened atmosphere. The clouds waited until halfway through the second rolling lap to dump their contents on the track and the start was aborted, the home straight being turned into a pitlane as most of the teams changed to wets. It was clear when things got under way who had got the setup right and who had not, as pre-race favourites 970 Shane Murphy, 115 Chris Haird and 41 Carl Boardley all went rapidly backwards and it was 174 Jason Kew who led the first few laps from row three before 940 Gary Woolsey came blasting through from the sixth row and disappeared into the distance. Soon there were only five cars on the lead lap with Woolsey leading by half a lap ahead of Kew, World Champion 9 Glenn Bell, 209 Kym Weaver and 66 John van den Bosch who was driving the race of his life in fifth place. Woolsey only had to cruise home for the title but he clipped 339 Danny Hunn and half a lap later a tyre went down and he was pitched into the turn three wall to gasps from the huge crowd, but all was not lost for Northern Ireland as Bell came through to complete the World/National double to delirious scenes among his pit crew – Bell is clearly the new Rainmaster! Kew took a fantastic second with Weaver the only other man on the lead lap at the flag and van den Bosch a stunning fourth in an extraordinary race.

Elsewhere the Stock Rod weekend was dominated by gold top 447 Stuart Smyth who won two heats on Saturday including one in an epic monsoon, before blasting off from pole position in the big race and surviving two stoppages due to big crashes for 25 Siobhan Martin and 75 Carl Sloan to lead every lap. Reigning champion 168 Andy Sturt gave chase but dropped back and eventually retired, while 658 Chris Lattka charged from 20th on the grid to third behind 57 Raymond Harper but slowed on the last lap handing 8 John O’Donovan the final podium place.

The Lightning Rods saw two of the big guns in trouble from the off as 923 Stephen Emerson and 87 Frankie Cunningham clashed at the end of lap one sparking a pile-up and a red flag. Emerson was out of the restart and it was poleman 355 Mick Walker who shot away into the lead and the Spedeworth blue top led every lap en route to the biggest win of his career, Cunningham second ahead of 937 Ben McKee.

As mentioned above a rain shower reduced the pace in the Legends title race, 156 Peter Blundell spinning away his pole position even before reaching the green flag. Friday dominator 48 Dan Hughes and 12 Stephen Treherne led the early laps but 161 Dan Holden confirmed his love of wet conditions and drove around the outside of everyone for his first National title after years of trying.

Holden would make it a double later on in the Classic Hot Rod Bill Morris Memorial race, which turned into a destruction derby. 31 Stephen Gooding took home the biggest wreck after a very heavy impact with the turn two wall destroyed his Avenger while 11 Colin Peacock’s new Mini and 247 Graham McCabe’s Escort were also among those wrecked, Holden’s new Anglia winning from 8 Daz Owen and 6 Graham Fulker. The big event for the Classics had opened Sunday’s programme however with the inaugural Stars of the Past race – legendary names such as 351 Barry Lee, 306 George Polley, 16 Tiger Bill Smith, 88 Paul Grimer and 445 Steve Dance returned to Hednesford for the first time in many years. Even promoter 144 Deane Wood got in on the act in Tim Foxlow’s car, but he would tangle with 924 Mike Chapman which sadly wrecked Stuart Wright’s Anglia. It was a late entry who took the spoils in 8 Daz Owen’s car, as Chris Kew had only learned that morning that he was replacing Ricky Hunn at the wheel of the Escort but he caught and passed Tiger Bill to take the spoils from 20 Pete Winstone who survived a tangle with 210 Hughie Weaver’s Vauxhall.

Well done to all the winners, and credit to everyone for another fantastic National Weekend – here’s to the Golden Jubilee of the event in 2013!