Race Reports
2011 MASCAR Season Review
The 2011 MASCAR season once again came down to the final meeting of the season, the I-factor finals at Birmingham Wheels, appropriately enough on fireworks night. During 20 rounds of racing the series had visited tracks far and wide, including visits to Knockhill, Cowdenbeath and Skegness for the first time.
2011 saw a number of new drivers enter the formula and immediately make an impact with Nathan Nicholls and Michael Hart-Jones winning their fair share of races, Michael taking the Rookie of the Year title and finishing 5th in the points. Another rookie who took MASCAR by storm was Robin Bath, joining his father and brother in the series. Robin won both the season long Semi-Pro Championship and the International title, this year held over two rounds at Knockhill and Cowdenbeath. In fact, it was arguably Knockhill that produced the season's highlight with some stunningly fast racing on the tri-oval in weather that could fairly be described as 'biblical'. It was Robin who dominated the day, recording two firsts and a second which, along with top five finishes the following day at Cowdenbeath, were enough to see him take his first trophy in MASCAR ahead of Steve Dakin by just five points.
Only a week before the Scotland trip, the series had debuted at another track - Skegness, where the inaugural British Championship was held. Supporting the BriSCA F1 World Semi-final saw the MASCARs in front of a huge crowd and they produced some excellent racing with a number of positive comments being received from both fans and drivers of the F1s. The British Championship was decided in the final race of the evening and it was Simon Johnson, having his best season in the formula, who took a well deserved victory in front of Steve Stanford and Richie Wilkes.
As the season progressed three drivers emerged to battle things out for the three track championships and the overall title. Defending champion Richie Wilkes was playing catch up, a disappointing first few months of the season by his standards had left him behind Steve Dakin and Steve Stanford. Richie was fighting back however, enough to take the Southern 450 Championship from Steve Dakin following the last round at Ipswich in which he won a heat and Steve Stanford suffered a crucial DNF in the same race.
Great Yarmouth was the scene for the final round of the Midlands 350 Championship and the penultimate meeting of the season. This time it was Steve Stanford who took the spoils, a near faultless display on the tight seaside track producing a huge points haul with two wins and a third place. Despite occupying all three positions on the podium across the three races Richie Wilkes had to settle for second in the Midlands championship.
This left just the Birmingham Wheels 400 title and the main MASCAR Pro Championship to be settled at the final meeting of the year. With Steve Dakin not racing it was all to play for between defending champion Wilkes and Stanford. Again, Stanford was not to be beaten, in fact, he was literally not to be beaten with a hat-trick of race wins on the night given him both titles after a very consistent season at the top of the formula. Richie Wilkes again finished in second, an excellent achievement after his slow beginning to the year.
Steve Stanford has subsequently announced he is to take a step back from racing in 2012 as he works to promote the series further and also introduces the exciting JASCAR formula to UK ovals for the first time. JASCAR are Junior MASCARs for kids aged 8 to 16, the first car arrived from the US some months ago and has already been spotted being put through its paces during test sessions at Birmingham Wheels where it has ran very impressively. Planning for a 10 round, 10 car series for 2012 is well underway.
2011 saw the series gain prestigious TV coverage on the Sky channel Premier Sports, the formula complementing their existing live NASCAR coverage. Although the TV broadcasts have now finished, highlights of each televised round are still available to view via a WebTV player on the AMG production company's website AMG TV for the bargain price of £2 a show. Although nothing has been finalised at the time of publication MASCAR is still hopeful that a deal can be reached to bring highlights of the 2012 season to the small screen.
2011 Championships Summary
- 2011 Pro Divsion Champion: #22 Steve Stanford
- 2011 Semi Pro Division Champion: #25 Robin Bath
- 2011 Rookie of the Year: #10 Michael Hart-Jones
- 2011 British Champion: #69 Simon Johnson
Track and Area Championships
- 2011 Southern 450 Champion: #01 Richie Wilkes
- 2011 Birmingham Wheels 400 Champion: #22 Steve Stanford
- 2011 Midlands 350 Champion: #22 Steve Stanford
- 2011 International Champion: #25 Robin Bath
- 2011 Incarace I-Factor Champion: #22 Steve Stanford
Race Reports & Premier Sports TV
Following the announcement that all remaining MASCAR events for 2011 will now be shown on Premier Sports TV, we will be delaying race reports until after the showing of each event. A brief report will follow after this time.
Please visit the News page for full details, including the current broadcast schedule and the all latest news regarding Premier Sports TV coverage of the MASCAR series
To find out more about subscribing to Premier Sports TV, please call 0871 663 9000 quoting "MASCAR" or visit www.premiersports.tv and click subscribe.
2011 Season Round 9 - Birmingham Wheels Raceway (09/07/2011)
Rookie #10 Michael Hart Jones takes his very first win in the first heat with a brilliant move on the #49 of Dean Nixon in the last lap. Current points leader Steve Dakin Points was back on form with win in the second heat followed by a win in the final race of the night after a very close race with the #22 of Steve Stanford. However, unfortunately a mistake in post-race tech saw him lose his points for the final.
Heat One saw a disappointing turnout with just 11 drivers on the grid. At the front was the rookie of #14 Ian Whittaker who was hoping to take his first win of the year in his newly livered car after suffering engine problems in his last meeting. The green dropped and with the #14 and the #17 of Paul Patrick got cracking starts it was the #14 who came away in first place. Going into turn 3 the #17 got loose and went wide allowing the #49 of Dean Nixon and the #10 of rookie Michael Hart Jones through to chase down the leader. The #14 was driving a very tight line #49 Dean Nixon took full advantage and passed the leader going into turn 3; the #10 found himself in the second place spot and was driving hard to catch the new leader. Behind these the #11 of Juli Stanford had made her way to third and was steadily gaining on the #10 but hot on her bumper was the #22 of husband Steve Stanford. Under pressure the #11 went too wide coming out of turn 3 which allowed the #22 to take up the inside lane resulting in a side by side, door handle to door handle challenge for that third place with neither driver giving an inch to the other. Following very closely behind was #99 Steve Dakin looking for that way round, and it wasn't until the last lap that he managed to pass the #11 who had suffered a puncture. Up front #10 Michael Hart Jones had caught and passed the #49 with one lap to go and held on to score his very first victory in the series with #49 Dean Nixon holding on for second and also his best finish to date and #22 Steve Stanford finishing third.
There were two casualties in this heat the #14 Ian Whittaker again with engine problems and the #01 Richard Wilkes pulling in the middle with an oil pipe issue.
Heat Two and the #17 of Paul Patrick started up front with #48 Ian Kerry looking for another good result after his win at Northampton. After the rolling start all drivers were away and it was Ian Kerry who took up the running, Paul Patrick was hanging in there but it was the #23 of Corby racer Wayne Galloway who made the first overtake to move up and take second away. The #75 of Russ Best made his way to third but was caught and passed by Steve Dakin and Steve Stanford. Juli Stanford and Russ Best spun after finding oil on the track, Best from 4th place which dropped him down the order. Steve Dakin in the #99 took the win from the very back of the pack with the #22 of Steve Stanford crossing the line for second and the #23 Wayne Galloway coming home with an excellent third. Early leader #48 Ian Kerry finished in fourth.
Heat Three and the Final - reverse grids determined the start and the #11 of Juli Stanford was on pole with #75 Russ Best alongside, the green dropped and the Stanford got a good start but the Russ Best was on a mission and soon found himself at the front. As Best roared off into the distance Juli Stanford got swallowed up by Steve Stanford and Steve Dakin and moved further down the field. After his earlier issues #01 Richie Wilkes was back on form and moved up to third behind the #10 of Michael Hart Jones who was having a another good run. However, it was the #22 and the #99 who again the class of the field and were soon at the front as an exciting, close battle for that first place developed with Dakin crossing the line narrowly ahead of Steve Stanford. Early leader #75 Russ Best lost third as he was overtaken on the last lap by #01 Richie Wilkes to take that last step on the podium.
Unfortunately for Steve Dakin he was DQ'd at the post-race tech inspection following a mistake on his part resulting in a loss of points for the final race of the evening.
The next race meeting will held at NIR on the 24th July
2011 Season Round 8 - Northampton International Raceway (25/06/2011)
Three different winners including two first time winners with boss of TopServe Autos and meeting sponsor #48 Ian Kerry taking the 1st Heat and the #10 of rookie Michael Hart-Jones continued his impressive recent run with a 2nd place finish, his highest place so far in his MASCAR career. On pole for the first race was the #14 of rookie Ian Whittaker, outside of him was
the #23 of local driver Wayne Galloway. When the flag dropped the #14 got away and led for the first few laps until challenged around the outside of turn two by the #48 in the Jimmie Johnson look-a-like car. Further down the field the #22 of Steve Stanford was trying to catch the #10 of rookie Michael Hart- Jones who was lying in 2nd.
The #74 of rookie Simon Brace had been having a good run until spinning on oil and ended up in the fence on turn three, where he stayed until the #16 of Nathan Nicholls joined him after an ambitious three wide move which didn't pay off due to the oil on the track, the #16 ending up parked next to the #74. The caution came out and both cars were moved to the centre. At the restart the Ian Kerry in the #48 held on and took an impressive first win along with the fastest lap time for the evening with #10 Michael Hart-Jones crossing the line in 2nd and #22 Steve Stanford coming home in 3rd.
Heat Two - on the front row for this one was the #25 of another rookie, Robin Bath and the #17 of Paul Patrick on the outside. The green dropped and the #25 was on a mission, looking for his 1st win after some strong recent finishes. The #11 of Juli Stanford made her way to 2nd and challenged the #25 for the lead going round the outside of turn two to take up the running with the #69 of Simon Johnson hot on her heels. A side by side battle began for the lead, the #69 getting out in front with a lovely pass on the inside when the #11 went a little too wide, suddenly it was 3 wide going into turn three with the #01 of Richie 'Meerkat' Wilkes being squeezed in the middle, but he bravely held on to get through into 2nd. There was no stopping #69 Simon Johnson who went on to score his 1st win in the MASCAR series with #01 Richie Wilkes holding on for 2nd and #99 Steve Dakin crossing the line in 3rd, an excellent drive from the back of the grid.
Heat Three - reverse points determined the grid positions for this race with the cars of #49 Dean Nixon and the #17 of Paul Patrick leading the way. At the green the #17 got the better start but got loose coming out of turn two and the #10 of Michael Hart Jones took full advantage and found himself at the front, while behind him the battle for 2nd was hotting up with #11 Juli Stanford, the #22 of Steve Stanford and the #99 of Steve Dakin all fighting hard for the position. #74 Simon Brace was back out after his mishap in heat one but took a spin going into turn three and rejoined at the rear. The #22 and the #11 were enjoying a close race for that 2nd spot with the #99 right behind. Coming out of turn two, there was trouble as Juli Stanford clipped the rear of the #74 when passing the back marker which sent the #11 car careering hard into the wall before barrel rolling down the track. The reds were out straight away but the #69 of Simon Johnson was unsighted to the stricken cars and he too ended up clipping the #74, losing a wheel in the process. All three cars were moved to the centre with no drivers hurt apart from a few bruises.
At the restart #22 Steve Stanford got away but #99 Steve Dakin had made his way through to take the 2nd spot and the #01 of Richy Wilkes had sorted out handling issues and moved up to 3rd. At the front the #22 made an error going into turn two which allowed the #99 through on the inside, and again a side by side battle developed with Steve Dakin holding on to take the 1st place followed by Steve Stanford in 2nd and the #01 of Richie Wilkes bagging the last step on the podium.
The next meeting will be at Birmingham Wheels Raceway on July 9th at 6pm.
2011 Season Round 7- Hednesford Hills Raceway (12/06/2011)
Well what can we say, the wettest meeting of the year! Nevertheless The MASCAR drivers put on a good show with again 3 different winners and some quick times on a very wet track.
Heat One saw the #48 of Ian Kerry on pole with the #11 of Juli Stanford alongside, the green dropped and the battle began the #48 holding off the #11 for a couple of laps until the #11 made a pass around the outside of turn 1 and roared off into the distance. There was to be no catching Juli Stanford who went on to take her second win of the year. The #22 of Steve Stanford made his way to the 2nd spot scoring good points for the Stanford Team. #25 rookie Robin Bath came home in 3rd with the #16 of Nathan Nicholls crossing the line in 4th. Rookie #74 Simon Brace made his debut on slick tires and was having an, unsurprisingly, tough race from the back but impressively managed to keep it in a straight line for the entire race.
Heat Two saw the #49 of Dean Nixon and the #69 of Simon Johnson on the front row. However, it was the #16 of rookie Nathan Nicholls who came through to take the win in a photo finish with fellow rookie #10 Michael Hart Jones who chalked up his best finish to date. #99 Steve Dakin had recovered from battery problems in heat one and was back on form in 3rd. The #69 finished in 4th but was later docked places for an incident with the #22.
Heat Three saw the #99 Steve Dakin on pole, with him at the front was the #48 of Ian Kerry still looking for his 1st win of the season. The green waved and the #99 was determined to make up for his misfortune in the 1st heat taking a flag to flag victory to secure his position at the top of the points championship. The #01 of Richard Wilkes followed him home in 2nd while the closest battle was for 3rd with Nathan Nicholls, Simon Johnson and Juli Stanford all within less than half a second of each other over the line. #16 Nathan Nicholls held on to take the final podium spot.
2011 Season Round 6 - Yarmouth Stadium (29/05/2011)
The MASCAR series headed to the tight, tricky and unforgiving Yarmouth Stadium and, with a freshly tarmac'd track knocking around half a second of the average lap times, the big bank holiday crowd were treated to some very fast, on the limit racing.
Heat 1 saw the series' only currently active lady driver, #11 Juli Stanford, take her first win of the season following some strong finishes in recent meetings. Heat 2 and it was current points leader #99 Steve Dakin who took this one, bouncing back in superb style after a disappointing meeting at Ipswich and setting a new lap record for the formula at the track in the process. The final race of the evening saw the #19 of Kev Satterthwaite fail to get going on the rolling lap, the #19 pulling off with clutch issues. On the restart there was contact between the front row starters of #22 Steve Stanford and #16 Nathan Nicholls which led the #22 drop to the rear of the field after spinning across the infield. The #16 took the win, followed by #99 Steve Dakin and #01 Richie Wilkes. However, while the race results were unaffected, upon review of the video evidence #16 Nathan Nicholls was penalised 120 championship and 4 licence endorsement points for the contact with the #22.
Richie Wilkes now leads the Southern 450 due to Nathan Nicholls being docked points following contact in the final race at Yarmouth. #99 Steve Dakin carries a 200 point lead in the overall points as the season moves back to the Midlands with dates at Hednesford on 12th June and Northampton on 25th June.
2011 Season Round 5 - Foxhall Stadium (14/05/2011)
Round 5 of the 2011 MASCAR series again saw three different winners across the three races. The first heat was led away by the #48 of Ian Kerry but it was the #11 of our lady racer Juli Stanford who took up the running after the first lap and pulled out a good lead on the rest of the pack, the only car to challenge her was the #16 of Nathan Nicholls fresh from his win at Birmingham and on a mission. The #16 caught the #11 taking the lead going into turn 1, while behind a collision between the #10 of rookie Michael Hart Jones and the #17 of Paul Patrick saw the #17 car parked up against the wall with suspension damage. The #01 of Richard Wilkes and the #49 of Dean Nixon were battling hard to hold off the advances of #22 Steve Stanford. As the chequered waved it was the #16 of Nathan Nicholls who took the win followed by #11 Juli Stanford and the #01 Richie Wilkes coming home in 3rd.
Heat 2 saw the #10 Michael Hart Jones retiring to the infield with fuel problems before the race started, and the #99 of Steve Dakin and the #17 of Paul Patrick were also non starters. On the front row was the #24 of 2010 Semi-Pro Champion Lawrence Bath and the #23 of Wayne Galloway. At the green the #24 was soon passed by #69 Simon Johnson with the #25 of rookie Robin Bath in hot pursuit. However, #22 Steve Stanford caught and passed both the #25 and #69 cars and pulled well clear looking for his first win of the night. The #75 of Russ Best made his way up to second spot, setting his sights on the #22 and #48 Ian Kerry was also on excellent form and soon made his way to third. The race was to fnish in this order: the #22 of Steve Stanford home in 1st with #75 Russ Best in 2nd and Ian Kerry #48 having his best finish to date with a superb 3rd.
Heat 3 was a reverse of the points scores and saw the #16 on pole with the #11 beside him. The #16 must of been in a rush and made a false start for which he would later pay the penalty and be docked 2 places from the finishing order. As the rest of the pack got going the first casualty was the #10 who spun early on the first lap but with everyone avoiding him he got going and rejoined a lap down. #11 Juli Stanford got loose coming out of turn 3 which allowed the #01 of Richie Wilkes up the inside, but the #11 was held her own and a side by side battle began for several laps with the #22 of Steve Stanford behind and waiting to pounce. Again the #11 got loose and this time the #22 made his move to take up the third position. The #23 of Wayne Galloway was making his way through the pack but unfortunately suffered steering failure and ended up parked by the wall for the rest of the race. There was no change to the on track order over the line but the #16 was docked for a false start putting him down the order to third, so it was the #01 of Richie Wilkes who took 1st place followed home by #22 Steve Stanford in 2nd with the #16 of Nathan Nicholls in 3rd.
This has very much tightened up the Championship with the #99 of Steve Dakin still leading just behind him is now the #22 of Steve Stanford closely followed by the #75 of Russ Best. The next meeting will be at Great Yarmouth on Sunday 29th May.
2011 Season Round 4 - Birmingham Wheels (07/05/2011)
Round 2 of the 2011 RAM Motorsport/Racequip Birmingham Wheels 400 series and three races, each under very different conditions, fittingly led to three different winners. A dry first race and it was #01 Richie Wilkes who took this one, he was followed home by #99 Steve Dakin and #16 Nathan Nicholls. By race 2 the predicted rain had started but, on a track best described as slick rather than wet, the field was split between those on wets and those still on their dry tyres. The wets proved to be the correct decision though, those on slicks struggled for grip on a difficult track, #99 Steve Dakin winning ahead of #22 Steve Stanford and #11 Juli Stanford.
Onto the final race of the evening and there could be no doubt on the state of the track for this one, monsoon conditions leading to little visibility and standing water on the infield. All credit must go to all the drivers however, it was a superb but clean race again with #16 Nathan Nicholls winning his first race in the series following his move from Legends. #99 Steve Dakin completed another very consistent and high scoring meeting in second with #22 Steve Stanford also maintaining his excellent recent form with another top three finish.
In the points championship, #99 Steve Dakin has extended his lead ahead of #75 Russ Best and #22 Steve Stanford. Steve Dakin also leads the RAM Motorsport/Racequip Birmingham Wheels 400 series with #01 Richie Wilkes in second and #75 Russ Best in third.
2011 Season Round 3 - Aldershot (24/04/2011)
Round 3 of the MASCAR championship moved south to the fast but tricky Aldershot tarmac and a huge bank holiday crowd, no doubt boosted by the superb weather, witnessed some excellent racing from the MASCARs. The meeting formed Round 1 of the Southern 450 championship, sponsored by Courtesy Cars of Ashford and Best Property Investments.
Heat 1 began with the unfortunate #11 Juli Stanford retiring to the infield on the rolling lap, her meeting finished before it started with mechanical trouble. The green flag dropped with #49 Dean Nixon leading the field away from pole with #23 Wayne Galloway tucking in behind him and #22 Steve Stanford in third. Stanford moved into second and began to pressurise the leader, looking around the outside as Nixon defended the inside groove. #49 ran slightly wide coming out of Turn 3 and this was enough invitation for Stanford to grab the precious inside line enabling him to take the lead going into the next corner. With #49 Nixon now on the outside line this also allowed #01 Wilkes and #75 Russ Best to move into second and third.
With the leaders beginning to catch and lap the back markers coming into the closing stages of the race there was nothing between the top four of #22 Stanford, #01 Wilkes, #75 Best and #16 Nathan Nicholls, these four by now well clear. As Stanford defended the inside, Wilkes moved to the outside line in an attempt to find a way past but it was not to be, #22 Steve Stanford taking an excellent victory. #75 Russ Best was able to tuck in behind the leader on the inside groove to pip #01 Richie Wilkes to second and #16 Nathan Nicholls took fourth. Early leader #49 Dean Nixon rounded out the top five.
Onto Heat 2 and it was #17 Paul Patrick on pole and #99 Steve Dakin starting in a strong position on the outside and looking to bounce back after heat 1 disappointment. It was Dakin who got away the quickest, getting round Patrick and into the lead. The two leaders were followed by #24 Lawrence Bath, #44 Paul Bennett and #28 Nathan Bath, these three enjoying a terrific early tussle with Bennett eventually prevailing round the outside to take third. Behind them #48 Ian Kerry was under pressure from heat 1 winner #22 Steve Stanford with #01 Richie Wilkes also beginning to move up through the midfield. #99 Dakin was flying up front and had established a comfortable lead, while behind the top three a huge scrap had developed for the minor places.
#44 Paul Bennett spun on the pit bend meaning the tussle between #28 Bath, #22 Stanford and #01 Wilkes was suddenly a fight for third place, Bennett able to rejoin further down the field. There was near disaster for the leader #99 Dakin as #10 Michael Hart-Jones spun directly in front of him but thankfully Dakin was untroubled. Behind, the lapped #25 Robin Bath also spun whilst trying to avoid the stranded #10 car and #01 Richie Wilkes retired following contact with the #28 car during their race for third place. #99 Steve Dakin completed a dominant victory followed by fellow front row starter #17 Paul Patrick in second and #28 Nathan Bath in third. #22 Steve Stanford continued his strong meeting in fourth and #23 Wayne Galloway took fifth.
The final began with #44 Paul Bennett on pole and #24 Lawrence Bath on his outside. With dust clouds billowing on Turns 1 and 2 following an oil spill in the previous race #49 Dean Nixon moved into third followed by #17 Paul Patrick and heat winners #22 Steve Stanford and #99 Steve Dakin who were quickly moving up through the field and once again looking very strong. Dakin's speed was too much for #17 Patrick, he was able to get around to take fourth and quickly reeled in #24 Bath and #49 Nixon who were contesting second. Using that tricky outside line superbly #99 Dakin swept round both cars to take second with #22 Stanford then also getting past into third.
As the race reached half distance the leader #44 Paul Bennett had caught the debutant #14 Geordie Whittaker but had been caught himself, the flying #99 Dakin now right on his back bumper and looking for an opportunity to take the lead. With the top three now all together and desperate to get around #14 Whittaker there was contact between the #14 and #44 cars but they were able to continue. The battle for the lead was now a terrific three way fight, #99 Dakin looking for a way around #44 Bennett whilst also under heavy pressure from #22 Stanford in third, Dakin working that wide line to take up the lead. These three had been caught themselves by #16 Nathan Nicholls as Robin Bath spun on the exit of Turn 4, #16 Nicholls doing a superb job to avoid the broadsided #25 car. #99 Steve Dakin began to establish a lead as #22 Steve Stanford took second, getting down the inside of #44 Bennett into Turn 1. As #16 Nicholls moved into third there was hard contact between #23 Wayne Galloway and #14 Whittaker at the entrance of Turn 3, the #23 car left stranded facing the wrong way in the middle of track and the #14 up against the wall. With no waved yellows the race continued, #22 Stanford and #16 Nicholls beginning to catch t
he leader but they were unable to find a way around; #99 Steve Dakin taking another excellent win followed by the consistent #22 Steve Stanford in second and the ever improving rookie #16 Nathan Nicholls in third. #44 Paul Bennett rounded off another superb meeting in fourth followed by a second top five performance from #49 Dean Nixon in fifth.
Following the completion of the main race program a scratch race was arranged between 2 MASCARs and 2 Superstox cars, each formula starting at opposite sides of the raceway with three laps to determine the quickest formula - the lightweight, Yamaha-powered MASCARs or the armoured, 2 litre Ford-powered Superstox. On track for the MASCAR formula were #75 Russ Best and heat 1 winner #22 Steve Stanford, with current World Champion #51 Colin Aylward and #482 Jason Cooper representing the Superstox formula. In a very close race it was the #75 Best car who was fastest overall and the #22 also finished ahead in the second pair of cars, a result which perhaps surprised a few people and demonstrated just how quick these pure-bred American racers really are. The MASCAR boys even finished off their impressive performance by entertaining the crowd with some well executed doughnuts!
With a number of the new drivers having now completed their rookie meetings and able to start in their true gird positions things are certain to get shook up at Round 4 of the championship and Round 2 of the RAM Motorsports Birmingham Wheels 400. After three meetings it is #99 Steve Dakin who leads the points, followed by #75 Russ Best and #44 Paul Bennett.
2011 Season Round 2 - Birmingham Wheels (04/04/2011)
The first race of the 2011 RAM Motorsport/Racequip Birmingham Wheels 400 series began with #23 Wayne Galloway, making his first appearance of the season, on pole with #11 Juli Stanford on his outside. The #11 got away well and quickly pulled clear while behind her a four-way battle developed between #23 Galloway, #22 Steve Stanford, #75 Russ Best and #01 Richie Wilkes. With Wayne Galloway pushing hard to catch the leader he got loose coming out of Turn 4 and, despite some spectacular attempts to save it down the home straight, spun into the infield banking. This allowed #75 Best to get clear of the pack and he chased down and passed #11 Juli Stanford to take over the lead. Behind these #99 Steve Dakin and #16 Nathan Nicholls, a rookie in the series after moving from the Oval Legends formula, had both moved up well from the rear of the grid.
In the closing laps #11 Juli Stanford spun leaving #75 Russ Best well clear followed by #01 Wilkes, the top two finishing in this order. In an excellent race behind them #16 Nicholls drove round the outside of #99 Dakin on the final bend and won the drag race to the finish line to claim a superb third place. #99 Dakin in fourth and #22 Steve Stanford completed the top 5 finishers.
With the field gleaming under the track lights it was #11 Juli Stanford to start on pole for Heat 2 and she again pulled into the lead during the early stages; Juli being followed by 2010 Semi-Pro Champion #24 Lawrence Bath who found himself under pressure by #17 Paul Patrick. After several laps of close racing #17 Patrick took second and #69 Simon Johnson followed him through into third, and both began to catch the leading Juli Stanford. The hard- charging duo of #75 Russ Best and #99 Steve Dakin were again slicing through the midfield and had moved up well as #17 Patrick took the lead, passing #11 Stanford down the inside. Suffering from handling issues the #11 spun again which left #75 Best a clear run on the leader who he caught and passed round the outside, #99 Dakin and #16 Nathan Nicholls also getting passed #17 Patrick into second and third.
An excellent race developed at the front between these three, #75 Best holding onto the lead despite the challenge from the #99 car. With #99 Dakin then coming under pressure from #16 Nicholls this gave #75 Best the opportunity to pull away, #16 Nicholls repeating his Heat 1 move round the outside of #99 to claim second. Series rookie #25 Robin Bath, driving in a plaster cast on a broken wrist, spun onto the infield. The leaders were not affected though and #75 Russ Best took a superb second win of the night, followed by #16 Nathan Nicholls and #99 Steve Dakin. Early leader #17 Paul Patrick held on for an excellent fourth and #01 Richie Wilkes finished in fifth.
Onto the final and #75 Russ Best was looking to complete the second hat-trick of the season following #99 Steve Dakin's clean sweep at Hednesford. #11 Juli Stanford started on pole and was the early leader followed by a two-wide #22 Steve Stanford and #01 Richie Wilkes, and #99 Steve Dakin who had quickly moved up through the field into fourth. As #01 Wilkes and #99 Dakin passed #22 Stanford into second and third these two immediately set their sights on the leading #11 car. They were soon at the head of the field, a position familar to both drivers following their closely fought title challenges in 2010. It looked like the #01 car was handling better on the cold track and Wilkes was able to open up a gap to the 2010 Rookie of the Year #99 Steve Dakin. Behind these two a fantastic battle for third had developed with #11 Juli Stanford, #22 Steve Stanford, #75 Russ Best and #44 Paul Bennett all side by side with nothing between them for several laps. The close racing took its toll with the unfortunate #22 Stanford being forced to retire with a tyre rub before #44 Bennett moved into third. #44 was still under pressure from #75 Best and it was the heat winner who eventually prevailed, the #75 taking the final podium spot in the closing stages.
Up front, defending Birmingham Wheels 400 champion #01 Richie Wilkes was not to be denied and he opened his race winning account for 2011 after a disappointing opening meeting. The consistently fast #99 Steve Dakin finished in second to maintain his overall points lead after his Hednesford hat- trick and the night's stand- out performer #75 Russ Best finished in third to go into the lead of the Birmingham Wheels 400 track championship, sponsored by RAM Motorsport/Racequip. #44 Paul Bennett took a hard fought 4th place and rookie #16 Nathan Nicholls finished a very strong meeting in fifth.
The series now moves down south to Aldershot on Easter Sunday for the first round of the Courtesy Cars of Ashford/Best Property Investments Southern 450 series.
We'd like to thank RAM Motorsport/Racequip for the ongoing support of the Birmingham Wheels 400 and the MASCAR series in general - you can find the RAM Motorsport stand, selling all manner of Racequip racewear and short cicruit race parts, at most Incarace meetings.
2011 Season Round 1 - Hednesford Raceway (20/03/2011)
The 2011 MASCAR season began with the field led by the USA Stock Car Fiat 500 pace car and it was action immediately as the #19 Kev Satterthwaite car spun in front of the pack causing a number of other cars to spin whilst taking evasive action. A complete restart was ordered with the field getting away cleanly at the second attempt, #69 Simon Johnson leading the pack away from outside pole followed by #48 Ian Kerry in the Jimmie Johnson look-a- like car and #22 Steve Stanford. #10 Michael Hart-Jones, making his debut in the formula, went into Turn 2 a little too hot and introduced his fresh looking car to the armco but was able to continue.
The #69 had built up a decent lead but behind him there was a superb midfield battle taking place with three-wide racing at times involving #11 Juli Stanford, #50 Dekka Roseblade, #24 Lawrence Bath and others. #28 Nathan Bath spun after contact with #75 Russ Best who was to receive a black flag as his car began to smoke heavily. Up front #99 Steve Dakin had moved up to 2nd and was beginning to catch the leading #69 car. #11 Juli Stanford spun on the exit of Turn 2 and #44 Paul Bennett completed a superb 360 spin on the home straight, both incidents possibly a result of oil laid down by the now retired #75 car. Steve Dakin had caught the leader and was putting pressure on Simon Johnson and, in a superb finish, drove round the outside of the #69 car on the final bend of the final lap to take the win. Johnson finished an excellent second followed by #22 Steve Stanford in third.
Heat 2 and #24 Lawrence Bath was the early leader followed by #49 Dean Nixon and #28 Nathan Bath, as the Bath's took the first two places #44 Paul Bennett moved up into third with nothing between the three leaders. As the leaders battled each other this allowed the chasing pack to catch them, before #01 Richie Wilkes made hard contact with the Turn 2 wall leading to a caution. As the green flag dropped #28 Nathan Bath led the field away with #99 Steve Dakin getting down the inside of #44 to take second. The leading #28 car spun onto the infield whilst exiting Turn 4 under pressure from Dakin, this left the #99 clear at the front, followed by #49 Dean Nixon and #44 Paul Bennett. #28 Nathan Bath dived down the inside of #17 Paul Patrick causing contact between the two cars and they both spun. There was more action further down the field as Juli Stanford made contact with the rear of #69 Simon Johnson leading to heavy damage to the front end of the pink #11 car. #99 Steve Dakin took his second win of the afternoon followed by #44 Paul Bennett and #75 Russ Best.
Onto the final and #69 Simon Johnson got a good start round the outside of Turn 1 as an excellent battle developed for second between #17 Paul Patrick and #75 Russ Best. With those two racing side by side #99 Steve Dakin, who had already moved into fourth, quickly caught them but was unable to find a way passed. As the race reached half distance #44 Paul Bennett spun in front of the pack coming onto the back straight which lead to heavy contact between #49 Dean Nixon and #22 Steve Stanford as they tried to avoid the #44, the #22 car in particular suffering heavy front end damage. With debris spread across the track the caution flag came out but not before Dakin had crucially got passed Paul Patrick and Russ Best to take second.
#69 Johnson and #99 Dakin took the green flag on the restart with #99 hunting for a way passed round the outside and #75 Russ Best still in touch in third. A close three-way battle developed up front before Dakin took the lead after Simon Johnson had moved to block #75, leaving the inside open for the #99 car. Russ Best moved into second but Steve Dakin was not to be denied his hat-trick, these three finishing in that order. #10 Michael Hart- Jones scored an impressive 8th place at his first meeting in the MASCAR series after moving from Autograss racing.
So, a perfect start to the season for 2010 Rookie of the Year #99 Steve Dakin as he looks to go one better than last season and take the 2011 Pro-division championship and that coveted #01 number away from defending champion Richie Wilkes. The series now moves onto Birmingham Wheels on 2nd April, we hope to see you there!
2011 Season Preview
With only days to go until those famous words "Drivers, start your engines" I think it is appropriate to update all with what's been happening within the series over the closed season. Well to start, #01 Richie Wilkes has been a very busy man with not only his own car but with the ex-Gill Hughes car which Rich purchased at the end of last year. He's also been setting up and helping several drivers with set up and engine swops and burning the midnight oil with the #19 of Kevin Satterthwaite having a replacement engine and set up and testing at the open day very much improved and should be another contender for the title in 2011. New boy #16 Nathan Nicholls also payed a visit to the Wilkes camp and in testing is looking well on the pace. Next to make the Alcester trip was that of Paul Bennett #44 who also tested after his help and looked quick. With the #23 of Galloway now with his new fancy built motor and set up although not revealed who has done it maybe we can all guess looking to test in the next day or so. Other news is that #48 and #49 of Kerry and Nixon both have brand new motors all rebuilt and hot on the pace with Nixon testing at Birmingham and well happy with the result.
News has that Best in the #75 has paid a visit to the rollers and has gained power then on to the Bourne camp for a complete set up followed by testing a Arena which has seen a massive increase in power and handling and should be a top contender again in 2011. Down at the Bath camp, newbie #25 Robin Bath with his newly painted car also testing and looking on the pace straight out the box. However, Robin has just informed us that he will be now missing from the first meeting after breaking his wrist, another in the wars has been #05 H Hardy who, after preparing the car, has had an operation and won't be fit for the first few meetings but will return with vengeance shortly. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Moving North all been quite from the #50 Dekka who we have no doubt got to grips with every thing at the end of last year and certainly will be another top contender in 2011. With rumours that he will be attending more meetings in 2011 he could be in the running for one of the top titles.
Further North and we got the Tetley Tea gang of #69 Simon Johnson who has been working away between tea breaks to prepare his 2011 car ready for the challenge. Just down the road in MASCAR terms we have 2010 top points rookie #99 Steve Dakin who undoubtedly will be looking to better his runner up place in the championship from last year and has again spent hours of work in preparing his #99 car ready for the challenge.
Coming back to Midlands and the cars of #11 Juli & #22 of Steve Stanford both prepared ready to make their challenge on the title with hopefully all the issues sorted and Juli once again the only woman driver in the series,
Not forgetting #17 Paul Patrick who has had a busy winter with his drainage company and should show his true pace this year after some success in 2010,
One other New commer for 2011 is that of #10 Michael Hart-Jones who has a grass track back ground and will bring another new challenge to the series.
With the #32 & #55 car still available for sale or the #32 car for hire we have a few others that have fell by the way side for 2011 which are Gill Hughes who hopefully return after the birth of the second child with Dan Hughes looking at coming over and to be the first driver in the UK to have a Junior Mascar, Unfortunately we also lost #55 of Bates and rumour has it is now tractor racing or back model car racing??
Also new for 2011 a fresh team of officials with Jeff Harborne leading the Team as Race Director with assistant Mark Webb. Alec Turner is now Head of Tech with assistance from Mark Webb and Jeff Harborne, plus Mike Wilkes and Pete Best if needed. With our long standing Pit Girl Lucie Royall sorting out points and line ups, and not forgetting of course our ORCi rep Paul Gerrad to ensure we are playing fair and guide the series. The official line up is completed by Juli Stanford as series admin and Kevin Satterthwaite doing all our publicity and website.
So there you have it, the series has seen lots of changes over the winter with loads of effort gone into the cars which should prove for some fast and close racing; possibly seeing some new winners and the quicker boys maybe left to pick up the pieces. You never know what what's going to happen but I can assure you all that everyone seems to want to pick up the pace and not leave it to a two or three horse race. With the titles all back on the line this will be an interesting one for all.
So why not come and join us for potentially one of the most exciting seasons you will witness within the history of the MASCAR series.
2010 Season Review
The 2010 'Archer Investments' sponsored MASCAR season saw the formula go from strength to strength with increased car numbers, stunning NASCAR-inspired paint jobs and a number of new drivers, some moving into the series from other oval formulas, others completely new to racing. With individual track and area titles, a mid- season split championship, a big-money final meeting and a points championship that was only decided after the final chequered flag had fallen it was a season that provided thrills, spills and great racing right to the end (and even beyond!).
After a number of Midlands-based rounds early in the season it was clear that defending champion Richie Wilkes in the #01 RAM Motorsport car would be a strong contender to retain his title. It wasn't going to be easy though with series rookie #99 Steve Dakin recording a victory in the first race of the season and the LNR Motorsport car of #24 Nathan Bath finishing in the top 3 in every race of the first meeting.
Early Birmingham Wheels meetings saw wet track expert #11 Juli Stanford in her element, a first ever win for #17 Paul Patrick and strong finishes for series rookies #69 Simon Johnson and #44 Paul Bennett. Unfortunately things didn't go quite so well for rookie #05 Howard Hardy who, on his debut meeting, conspired to test out most of the Wheels armco, bending his previously stunning looking car in the process.
In search of better weather the series moved south to Arlington Stadium and a real chance for those at the front to make an impact at this tight track, Gill Hughes in the Gary Jones Tanker Services #16 car and #22 car of series promoter Steve Stanford both taking their first wins of the season. It was to prove another eventful evening for #05 Hardy and his hardworking pit crew, a trip to the wall in Heat One and a spectacular engine fire in the final proving that his crowd- pleasing performance at Birmingham was no fluke.
The series returned to Birmingham and the closest race yet, #11 Juli Stanford being beaten on the line by 4 hundredth of a second by #99 Steve Dakin who pounced after the #11 car had moved wide to lap rookie #04 Ian Cameron who was making his debut. Ex-banger driver and MASCAR rookie Wayne Galloway in the #23 Corby Car Spares car took an excellent final win to open his account in the series with #31 Pete Best also recording his highest finish of the year in 3rd.
As we welcomed summer it was Wilkes who took up the lead in the points after a double header weekend at Arena Essex and Aldershot, meetings that formed part of the battle for the 'Ashford Courtesy Cars Southern 450' title. The Arena Essex meeting also witnessed the début of an innovative driving style by series rookie Ian Kerry, the TopServe Autos #48 car attempting to negotiate Turn 4 whilst on its side! He recovered well though, and in the final recorded an excellent 6th place finish.
Back to the Midlands and a first for the season, the #01 taking a hat trick of wins at Northampton to cement his place at the head of the leaderboard and move into first place in the 'Midlands 350' championship. The plaudits were also shared by rookie Dean Nixon in the #49 TopServe Autos sponsored car who finished 3rd in the meeting final, his first podium.
It was long track action next up and the first title of the season was up for grabs as the series moved to Lydden Hill, a meeting that was later featured on Motors TV. After a consistent showing all weekend it was the #99 H&G Vehicle Services car of Steve Dakin that took the 'Lydden Hill 150' title. It was at this point in the season that the points table was split, the lower placed drivers going for the new 'MASCAR Semi-pro' championship whilst the boys (and girl!) at the top battled for the main 'Archer Investments MASCAR Pro' points championship.
With bucket and spades packed, the series headed east in August with Yarmouth first up and a very eventful night it would prove to be. Big accidents for #99 Dakin and #23 Wayne Galloway in Heat 1, and for the RAM Motorsport #31a car of Adrian Pickerill in Heat 2 entertained the large holiday crowd but lead to a much reduced grid for the final, a race won by #75 Russ Best who moved into the lead for the 'Southern 450' title. Rookie Kevin Satterthwaite in the USA Stock Car #19 car making a last lap pass to record his highest finish of the year in 5th.
Onto Ipswich and a strong showing from Steve Dakin and Juli Stanford moved them back into contention for the points championship, with Stanford moving in front of Wilkes by the end of the night's action.
A return to the Midlands in late summer and the championship race really began to heat up, with Steve Dakin getting to grips with the set up on the car to take final wins at Hednesford and Northampton (as part of a meeting hat trick) before Richie Wilkes struck back the following day at Buxton. Dakin scored enough points over these three meetings to take his second title of the year - 'Midlands 350' champion, and also remained in the top spot in the points.
Following meetings at Aldershot and Birmingham, where series rookie Deka Roseblade in the #50 DM Plant Hire sponsored car secured an excellent heat and final double, it was still Dakin leading as the series hopped across the channel to Belgium for an superb weekend of racing on the banked corners and fast straights of CAMSO Speedway.
Dakin and Wilkes were again the class of the field with the #99 car winning 3 out of 4 of the races but the #01 car the most consistent overall, Wilkes taking his first title of the season, 'MASCAR International Champion'. Sadly #55 Mark Bates was to finish his final race in the MASCAR formula prematurely as he retired early with a puncture following contact with the #17 car of Paul Patrick in a first bend incident that also involved the #19 Kevin Satterthwaite car.
The final meeting of the 'Southern 450' rounds at Arena Essex saw #75 Russ Best win that title and Lawrence Bath in the #28 LNR Motorsport car also earned enough points to take the inaugural 'MASCAR Semi-pro' championship; both drivers thoroughly deserving their titles.
However, the main points championship was to come down to the final meeting of the season with both Steve Dakin and Richie Wilkes able to take the title. With the 'Birmingham Wheels 400' title, 'I-Factor' crown and a RAM Motorsport donated purse of £500 also up for grabs the scene was set for a fantastic end of season showdown.
The heats saw both drivers take a win each, but crucially, a spin from #11 Juli Stanford had delayed Wilkes in Heat 2 leaving Steve Dakin only needing a top two place to take the title, even with a Richie Wilkes victory. The final race of the season was also the Incarace 'I-Factor' final for the formula so the cars were lined up in points order, this meant that Dakin and Wilkes would share the front row. Richie Wilkes duly delivered a faultless flag-to-flag victory but Steve Dakin also did his job, finishing 2nd which should have been enough to take the points championship for 2010.
However, a post-race technical inspection led to an unfortunate DQ for the #99 car, giving Richie Wilkes the 'I-Factor', 'RAM Motorsport Birmingham Wheels 400' and 'Archer Investments MASCAR Pro Championship' titles on a fantastic evening for the #01 team. Steve Dakin took a well deserved 2nd in the points championship and also won the 'Rookie of the Year' title.
A fittingly highly entertaining (and somewhat controversial!) end to another excellent MASCAR season. MASCAR would like to thank all the drivers, officials, sponsors, team members and supporters who made it happen. With new drivers and the 2010 rookies getting ever stronger we're looking forward to a close and competitive season in 2011.
2010 Championships Summary
- MASCAR 2010 Pro Divsion Champion: #01 Richie Wilkes
- MASCAR 2010 Semi Pro Division Champion: #28 Lawrence Bath
- MASCAR 2010 Rookie of the Year: #99 Steve Dakin
Track and Area Championships
- 2010 MASCAR Southern 450 Champion: #75 Russ Best
- 2010 MASCAR Birmingham Wheels 400 Champion: #01 Richie Wilkes
- 2010 MASCAR Midlands 350 Champion: #99 Steve Dakin
- 2010 MASCAR International Champion: #01 Richie Wilkes
- 2010 MASCAR Lydden Hill 150 Champion: #99 Steve Dakin
- 2010 MASCAR I-Factor Champion: #01 Richie Wilkes
Logically speaking... drill holes
What do drill holes have to do with racing and MASCAR?
The answer is nothing and everything but more logical than you may think!
When you purchase a quarter-inch drill bit what are you really buying?
Quarter-inch holes.
The point?
Features of a product are always important but the benefits of those features are sometimes most important.
It’s not just about the cars. It’s as much about integral aspects of racing like maintenance, durability, performance, running budgets and let’s not forget about fun.
Entering any Motorsport or within any series is a decision that warrants consideration. MASCARs are an alternative to the demands of a full-size National Hotrod or similar race car, while still delivering high-performance racing. The best of both worlds! It doesn't get any better!