THE THUNDER of BriSCA F1 Stock Cars was heard for the first time at Incarace in 2013 as the Big League visited Pr1mo International Raceway Northampton on a damp Saturday night

Just under 30 F1s attended and heat one saw the Pr1mo-backed car of 108 Peter Hobbs and Autograss graduate 154 Phil Cooper lead the early stages before track specialist 141 Carl Pickering took over, but it was 191 Josh Smith who took over and went on for his latest win as a fine scrap developed for second in the closing stages won by 259 Paul Hines. Heat two saw Pickering quickly hit the front and the track specialist pulled away for the win as 318 Rob Speak dropped out early. The other star names had seemed well off the pace in the heats but that all changed in the Final which turned into a corker. Pickering and Smith were early casualties as Cooper and Hobbs again led off, but 150 Mick Sworder caught them only to be caught in turn by Hines who spun the 150 car aside to take second. He was the caught by 515 Junior Wainman and 321 Ed Neachell and a terrific scrap for the lead ensued with bumpers flying in on every turn, Neachell eventually escaping to win it from Wainman and Hines in the best F1 race seen anywhere so far this year. Pickering then made it two in the GN after Cooper had again led the early going.

The V8 Hot Stox kicked off their season with F2 graduate 289 John Collier leading heat one all the way and he would do likewise in heat two for a fine double, the higher graders more content to scrap among themselves. The Final saw Collier an early spinner as 298 Tom Spencer led the early going until a stoppage for the spun 211 Phoebe Wainman, 187 Craig Smith pushing his way into the lead on the restart and he remained clear for victory from 178 Richard Burt and 575 Darren Cottrill, the latter crossing the line backwards after tangling with 175 Karl Hawkins on the run to the flag. Spencer then led every lap of the GN for a fine win.

The National Ministox meanwhile contested their Midland Championship, heat one halted for the spun 10 Chloe Jukes with 55 Courtney Finnikin battling past 323 Harry Peall for the win on the restart. Heat two went to the smart new car of 180 Courtney Witts to make up for a retirement from heat one, race three stopped for the spun 8 Catherine Harris before Finnikin and Peall repeated their earlier battle with the former again on top. 514 Chloe Gwin spun on the first lap of the main race and was clobbered by the pack for a red flag but she was OK, the restart seeing 183 Charlie Guinchard spun out of the lead as Finnikin whipped through a gaggle of cars to take the lead and complete her hat-trick from Witts with 1 Frankie Wainman spinning on the final bend to hand 226 Amy Webster third and complete a clean sweep for the girls.