World Series Scotland

2011 World Series Scotland round 1
Lochgelly, Sunday October 17th 2010
The Madman writes… Nine cars turned up for the first of the National Hot Rod rounds at Lochgelly on October 17th, although only five were eligible for points in the series; the other quartet did not have any Hoosier tyres, but were allowed to run on Avons at the back of the grid.

Gary Black and Graeme Gordon shared the front row of the cars taking part in the series, with Billy Bonnar and Jason McDonald on row two ahead of Graeme Callender. Black was indeed lucky to make the start as he collected a puncture on the way down the pits and had to hurriedly change a wheel whilst the rest patiently waited on the grid. Once things got underway Graeme Gordon quickly assumed command and opened up a big advantage over Jason McDonald who slotted into second ahead of Billy Bonnar. The rest were left to battle amongst themselves as Bonnar persistently tried the outside line to get past McDonald who looked to comfortably have the upper hand, which allowed the pack led by Gary Black to close the gap. Once they were on terms, things got serious for Bonnar who decided he couldn’t hang about any longer and gave a tap to Jason going into the track shop bend. McDonald tried to keep it tight but Bonnar was having none of it and sent the Corrado spinning to the infield causing James Gray to hit the fence in his endeavour to miss the incident. This brought out the yellows with Gray forced to retire with suspension damage. The restart saw Bonnar right behind Gordon, but Graeme looked equal to the task keeping his back bumper out of the eager Bonnar’s reach. Graeme Callender had problems as a half shaft came loose causing the car to have a mind of its own and he lost out to the pack behind now led by Stuart Walker. Things stayed that way to the flag with Graeme Gordon taking an easy win from Billy Bonnar who was docked two places by the steward for the incident with Jason McDonald.

As the cars came out from the pits for the second heat of the day, the heavens opened making for some interesting racing as it was evident that the wetter the track became, the more of an advantage the Avon shod cars had. Graeme Callender led the field away this time around with Billy Bonnar quickly emerging in second as the rest of the cars with Hoosiers struggled big time to get some grip. Graeme had the legs of Billy down the straights but kept drifting a bit wide out of the bends allowing Billy to poke his nose up the inside on more than one occasion. Just as in heat one the battle up front allowed the pack to catch up with virtually the same result as Callender tried to shut the door only to find himself spinning round as Bonnar was not prepared to compromise his position. Whilst all these shenanigans were going on, James Gray got a piece of luck this time as he shot round the outside and into a lead he was never to lose. Billy gave chase after him, and was able to catch up but decided to settle for second in a race which was ruined by the rain. The steward initially docked Bonnar a couple of places again but this was later rescinded after further investigation.

The rain had stopped by the time the final came around although the track was still very slippery especially on the bends. With Bonnar and Gordon on the front row it looked highly likely one of them would take victory. Billy set off in the lead with Graeme Gordon tucking in behind as Ian McGuigan and Stuart Walker soon retired having discovered that there was virtually no grip on the tyres that they had chosen. With it being a case of follow my leader up front, all eyes were on the battle for third place as Graeme Callender was getting reeled in lap after lap, and eventually drifted wide allowing James Gray and Jason McDonald to come past. Everyone else was well and truly strung out with the third place battle petering out once Gray had taken the place. In the closing stages, Gordon looked a bit more determined to get past Bonnar but in the end backed off over the final couple of laps leaving Billy to take the win with the once again impressive Gray in third.

The final outing for the cars in 2010 is at Cowdenbeath on Saturday 23rd, when hopefully more cars will be to National specification.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 338 Graeme Gordon, 54 Stuart Walker, 7 Ian McGuigan, 844 Billy Bonnar, 16 Gary Black, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 871 Graeme Callender, 387 Jason McDonald.
Heat 2: 302 James Gray, 844, 7, 54, 16, 338, 387, 187, 871
Final: 844, 338, 302, 387, 871, 16, 187
 

Scottish Hot Rod Racing

Cowdenbeath, 08/10/10
The Madman writes… Ten cars turned up at the Racewall for the penultimate meeting of the year. The track was dry and fast and ended first time visitor Bill Emslie’s challenge before the action even began as he encountered engine problems on the way to line up. Once things got underway, Mark Dews flew away from the start and promptly half spun the car at the first corner as it transpired that his throttle had stuck open. Most of the pack behind managed to miss the obstacle, the exceptions being Ian Donaldson who was forced to graze the wall and Ian McGuigan who clipped the front end of the Dews machine which put the trio out of action. Derek Conner led away the restart with James Gray tucking in behind as Stuart Walker looked for a passage round the outside. Conner quickly capitulated up front as Walker got ahead leaving Gray to do battle with Jason McDonald as Billy Bonnar made progress from the rear with Brett Sneddon in tow. Billy looked the quickest car on the track but, by the time he dealt with McDonald and Gray, Walker had long gone to record an easy win. The McDonald machine ground to a halt off the track on the final lap with what looked like gearbox problems which left Gray clear in third.

All of the casualties made it back out for heat two with the exception of Bill Emslie who loaded up for the night. The two warming up laps came to a premature halt as a hammer fell out of a car onto the track. Mark Dews nipped ahead of Derek Conner at the start whilst Ian Donaldson only lasted a couple of laps before the earlier rigours of hitting the wall took its toll. Stuart Walker was again a man on the move soon emerging as the challenger to the impressive James Gray in second with Jason McDonald tucked in behind. As they were making their move past Mark Dews, the group of cars that all were jostling for position saw Dews hit the wall and Gray forced to retire with suspension damage. The yellows were shown and there were a few scary moments as flames shot out from under the Dews car as oil dripped onto the hot exhaust. When the race restarted, Billy Bonnar was very slow off his mark allowing Walker and McDonald to go clear and remain one-two to the flag. Before Stuart was able to head off on his lap of honour, the steward docked him one place for his part in the Mark Dews incident, something that he strenuously denied, but it left McDonald to head off to accept the plaudits of the crowd.

James Gray was quickly in the lead in the final as Derek Conner once again fell back down the order leaving Jason McDonald to lead the hounds giving chase. Ian Donaldson was once again frustrated as he gave up on his ill handling machine after a couple of laps. Billy Bonnar looked more determined this time as he flew past Stuart Walker and soon set about McDonald on the outside line. Further down the field there was an interesting dice between Ian McGuigan and Brett Sneddon with neither prepared to give an inch. As the laps ticked away, so did Gray’s lead and it wasn’t long before Billy arrived on the scene and wasted little time in demoting him down to second. McDonald got the better of the battle with Walker after which it was all rather processional to the flag, the real excitement coming after it when Bonnar, chuffed with his success, misjudged the turn at the end of the home straight and clattered the wall, leaving him with the front wheel turned under the bodywork and rather red-faced as he headed off on his lap of honour.

The next outing for the Rods is the start of the National Hot Rod world series at Lochgelly on Sunday 17th October, where there is the promise of around 10 cars to compete the early rounds - with more to come in 2011.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 54 Stuart Walker, 844 Bill Bonnar, 302 James Gray, 232 Brett Sneddon, 172 Derek Conner.
Heat 2: 387 Jason McDonald, 54, 844, 232, 7 Ian McGuigan, 172
Final: 844, 302, 387, 54, 7, 232, 7

Crimond, 26/09/10
The Madman writes… Ironically, at the last points scoring meeting of the year at Crimond, the biggest field of the season appeared; 10 cars in total for some good close action. Graeme McWilliam appeared for the first time in almost a decade in a Fiesta whilst Ronnie McKenzie and Ian McGuigan were surprise visitors to the track.

The most drama in heat one came after the warming up laps when McKenzie was forced to leave the track having forgotten to sign in which is a requirement for insurance purposes, whilst Andrew Chalmers, had managed to sneak from the front to the back of the grid. When the race got going Bill Emslie was quickly off with a misfire leaving Graeme Gordon to take control up front from James Gray and Stuart Cowie. Jason McDonald kept trying the outside line which hindered the progress of John Buchan as he was forced to sit and wait for a mistake from those ahead. McGuigan moved ahead of McWilliam who was still finding his feet with the Fiesta. As Gray kept the pack at bay, Gordon pulled well clear up front and there was little change for the minor places until Cowie drifted out wide allowing Buchan to find the gap he had been looking for and blast through into third, towing McDonald along in the process. At the flag, it was a stroll in the park for Gordon, winning as he liked - but it was a lot closer for second as Gray just held on from a hard charging Buchan.

Heat two was stopped as quickly as it was started, as early leader Graeme McWilliam tried just too hard at the front and spun round at the track shop bend - causing half the field to pile into him. A restart was ordered by the steward and it was Graeme Gordon who got ahead on the run to the first bend with Ronnie McKenzie tucking in behind and giving up the inside line to no-one. Stuart Cowie persisted on the outside line to no avail as James Gray tucked in behind McKenzie all the way round the circuit. Up front, it was a replica of heat one as Gordon had time to glance in his mirrors going down the home straight only to see the pack getting further and further behind. The battle for second took a twist when McKenzie drifted wide at the pit corner leaving a scramble for second. Cowie eventually got himself there as things calmed down again, with Stuart happy to get runner up spot which made him favourite to finish second in the track championship; that result putting him two precious points ahead of his rival Jason McDonald.

Pole sitter McKenzie offered some resistance to Graeme Gordon at the start of the final race of the day the result being that the pack all bunched up and John Buchan took full advantage by diving round the outside of both James Gray and Jason McDonald to move into fourth. After a couple of attempts on the outside line, Gordon eventually disposed of McKenzie but had Buchan for company this time. Almost unnoticed, Stuart Cowie retired out of proceedings with the car not sounding too healthy when he pulled off. He was forced to watch rival McDonald taking things easy just content to finish and pick up the points required to overhaul the luckless Cowie. Buchan got close to Gordon in the closing stages but there was only ever going to be one winner as Graeme took a hat trick of wins whilst some good driving from McKenzie saw him keep his rivals at bay for third.

The final action up at Crimond is on October 10th before the attention switches further south to the National Hot Rod world qualifiers at Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath later in the month.  The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 338 Graeme Gordon, 302 James Gray, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 307 Stuart Cowie, 7 Ian McGuigan, 33 Graeme McWilliam, 332 Andrew Chalmers.
Heat 2: 338, 307, 302, 387, 300, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 7, 74 Bill Emslie
Heat 3: 338, 300, 187, 302, 387, 7, 74

From the NHRPA, 27/09/10

Spedeworth Scotland

The NHRPA is pleased to announce that, with the return of Spedeworth to Scotland at Lochgelly’s Thunder Valley Raceway, we shall be organising, in partnership with Cowdenbeath, a Scottish World Series for National Hot Rods.

The first round of the new series will be at Thunder Valley Raceway, Lochgelly, on October 17th.   Round two will be at Cowdenbeath on October 23rd.

It is envisaged that the series will operate in exactly the same way as those run in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Just as drivers in those areas have a choice as to where they will attempt to qualify for the World Final, Scottish drivers will have that same choice.  Scottish drivers already racing in the English series will now need to decide whether to continue to do so or whether to switch to the new Scottish series.  This decision must be made prior to the commencement of the new Scottish series and communicated to the NHRPA.  Drivers who elect to race in Scotland will then be removed from the English points chart and may not change series again, should they wish to do so, until after the next World Final. WQ points attained in the English Series will not be transferred to the Scottish Series.  All participating drivers will start with zero points.

As stated above, although the Scottish series will ultimately be run in exactly the same way as the Irish, in order to get the series off the ground there will, of necessity, be some initial compromises.

Drivers and officials will not be required to use the Raceceiver system until we have had time to implement it.  The cars must run on Hoosier H12 slick tyres and/or Hoosier wets and conform to all other NHRPA specifications.  Drivers must have NHRPA licences in advance of the first meeting, which will be available for the remainder of this season at the reduced rate of £40.  (Drivers who already have one from racing in England need not re-apply). Initially there will be no requirement for Provisional Licences.

It will not be possible to run a full series in the time frame available between now and next July.  In year 2011 – 2012, a full 16 round series will be held. The amount of support for the new series will help determine the number of entrants to the World Final at Ipswich.  It will only be one driver initially, but if the number of drivers participating in this first series warrants it, this may be increased to two.  The World Final allocation will be reviewed each year, as it is in all other areas.

Please contact us if you have any questions/queries.

Graham Brown
NHRPA Racing Director

Crimond 12/09/10 The Madman writes… One of the best turn outs of the season, 7 cars, appeared at Crimond on September 12th. Neil Buchan had swapped his SLK with Nationals star, Graham Luscombe - having inherited a Tigra in return - whilst Bill Emslie made his debut in a Peugeot 205. Despite having the second highest average in Scotland, Neil Buchan was lined up on the front row of the grid alongside James Gray, and wasted little time in taking the lead in heat one. Stuart Cowie slotted into second with John Buchan taking his customary outside role as Gray quickly fell back down the order. Jason McDonald looked content to sit in and see what happened with those ahead. Neil B pulled further clear as the race progressed with the real interest only coming when Cowie caught up with Bill Emslie and Andrew Chalmers who were having their own private battle for the last places. Stuart negotiated them very professionally and took a hard fought second place - albeit almost half a lap behind Neil B, whose new car was running as sweet as a nut. Heat two was a virtual replica of the first heat as Neil B blasted ahead of James Gray at the start. It wasn’t long before James had his day curtailed earlier than normal as a bang from the car meant his retirement for the afternoon. Neil B was able to get himself clear up front as Cowie again had to work hard to maintain his second from a determined John B who kept to the task on the outside line. With Gray a reluctant spectator, Stuart Cowie shared the front row with Neil Buchan in the final race of the day. He made sure that Neil wasn’t going to get things his own way by winning the race to the first corner and with Jason McDonald tucking in behind, it meant that the Buchan brothers were forced to try their luck on the outside line. It seemed a tad slippery out there after a big crash in the previous Hot Saloon race and there was no hiding place, certainly for John B who got very sideways on a couple of occasions and eventually decided to settle for fourth. Neil B stuck to the task though but it was all in vain as Stuart hung on to take the chequers. Those results meant that John Buchan was confirmed as the track champion, but the last points scoring meeting on September 26th has second place all to play for, with Stuart Cowie a solitary point ahead of Jason McDonald. The Madman Results: Heat 1: 301 Neil Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 302 James Gray, 74 Bill Emslie, 332 Andrew Chalmers Heat 2: 301, 307, 300, 387, 74 Heat 3: 307, 301, 387, 300, 332

Cowdenbeath 04/09/10
The Madman writes… (with thanks to Jim Turner) 11 cars descended on Cowdenbeath on 4th September for the Scottish Championship which included defending champion, Billy Bonnar.

Ian Donaldson Jnr and Ronnie McKenzie drew the front row, and it was the former who led the pack away. It didn’t take long for Ian Donaldson snr, to move past into the lead with Billy Bonnar quickly slotting into second. By lap 7 Donaldson snr had opened up a big lead but this was soon to be negated when Keith Chesher and Stuart Walker tangled resulting in both cars hitting the wall and bring the race to a halt. Bonnar was right on the tail of Donaldson snr at the restart but had to watch his rear as Graeme Callender got past McKenzie and closed right up onto the back of Bonnar. Billy decided to defend his second place rather than attack for the lead leaving Donaldson snr to take a clean sweep of the major championships in 2010. Bonnar held on for second with Callender in third.

The first of the two heats held after the main event saw Ronnie McKenzie lead for some time before Graeme Callender got past and went on to record a facile victory.

The other one was notable for a heavy shunt on the first lap which saw Ian Donaldson Jnr end up with a badly bent car which caught out a couple of the pack behind who were left with nowhere to go. Once the debris was cleared, Ian Donaldson snr took his second win of the night to consolidate his place at the top of the track championship which reaches its conclusion next month.  The Madman
Results:
Scottish Championship: 700 Ian Donaldson snr, 844 Billy Bonnar, 871 Graeme Callender, 78 Mark Dews, 7 Ian McGuigan, 302 James Gray, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 70 Ian Donaldson jnr,
Heat 1: 871, 54 Stuart Walker, 78, 844, 700, 302, 7, 187, 70
Heat 2: 700, 78, 7, 302, 844, 187

Crimond 29/08/10
The Madman writes… 6 Hot Rods was the order of the day at Crimond on 29th August, where the formula had five races to decide the outcome of some exceptional silverware provided by Robertson Dairies. An earlier cloudburst left the track virtually dry with the exception of the inside line at the track shop bend where water was running off the embankment making life difficult for all concerned.

James Gray set off out front in heat one but his lead was to be short lived as John Buchan quickly scuttled round the outside into a lead he was never to lose. Garry Ingram was trying to hang onto third but soon found himself demoted as Jason McDonald again tried the outside manoeuvre that Buchan had done and was soon past. Stuart Cowie was having problems with the car in fifth whilst it wasn’t long before newcomer Andrew Chalmers was being lapped in his Mini-bodied machine. After that, the race got a bit processional with John Buchan able to reel off the final few laps to win easily.

Heat two looked as if it was going to go the same way as Buchan was quickly off his mark but, one lap later, it was all over for him as he coasted to a halt on the centre. This left Garry Ingram to try to hang on but Jason McDonald and Stuart Cowie were wise to the fact that the outside line was the place to be and he was quickly relegated to last as McDonald got the power on and got clear of Cowie and Gray, an order which was maintained to the finish.

Heat three was the best of the day as Ingram got in front and was looking a lot more determined to hang on. Stuart Cowie took to the outside but it was proving to be a hard slog for him as McDonald and Buchan were forced to sit behind with nowhere to go. The back-marking Chalmers made things interesting as the leaders caught him up but he wisely hugged the inside and let the battle carry on unabated. On the last lap Cowie tried even harder to get past and very nearly lost second as the pair behind looked for any chink in his armour. At the flag fall you could have flung a blanket over the first four but Ingram hung on for the victory.

Ingram and Cowie set off battling for the lead for heat four. Stuart looked as if he had managed to get through on the inside on lap two but Ingram tried to shut the door. Both the cars ended up with some front end damage which saw the starter bring out the reds. The pair were unable to make the restart which when it got underway proved to be another facile success for John Buchan who was in the lead by lap two and disappeared into the distance in what turned out to be a bore as the cars were all strung out.

Going into the last race, Jason McDonald just needed to finish to pick up the main silverware which was determined by the aggregate scores on the day. John Buchan wasted no time in taking his normal position up front with the repaired car of Cowie slotting in behind, this time with no Ingram to worry about who had been unable to fix his damage in time. McDonald and James Gary had obviously done their homework and never attempted any anything rash as they settled for third and fourth which ultimately saw them one -two in the race for the silverware by virtue of the fact that they were the only ones to finish every race.

The next meeting at Crimond is on 12th September, which is the third last meeting of the year, and where John Buchan can wrap up the track championship if results go his way. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 300 John Buchan, 302 James Gray, 387 Jason McDonald, 333 Garry Ingram, 307 Stuart Cowie, 332 Andrew Chalmers.
Heat 2: 387, 307, 302, 333
Heat 3: 333, 307, 387, 300, 302, 332
Heat 4: 300, 387, 302, 332
Heat 5: 300, 307, 387, 302, 332

Crimond 14-15/08/10
The Madman writes... A disappointing 6 cars turned up for the Scottish Open weekend at Crimond on 14th/15th August. Four qualifying heats were run in order to decide the order of the grid for the final.

The first of those put Stuart Cowie and Jason McDonald on the front row and it was then a race to the first bend. Jason managed to win that battle with Stuart tucking in behind. John Buchan tried his favourite outside line as Neil Buchan sat and waited optimistically for a gap to appear. The back pair after a couple of laps were Graeme Gordon - having his first run of the year in the James Jamieson Tigra – and James Gray, who was soon playing catch-up blaming the lack of good rubber for his poor performance. As the race approached its closing stages John Buchan eventually found a way past a determined Cowie but was unable to do anything about McDonald who drove his normal tight line to take the victory.

With the grids reversed in heat two, John B. made the most of his pole start and disappeared into the distance ahead of Neil B. who slotted into second. The best battle of the race was for the third spot as Graeme Gordon showed that he had lost none of his track craft by fending off the trio behind him which was being led by Jason McDonald, trying desperately to find a way past. At the chequered flag it had been a case of follow my leader throughout, with John B. taking a facile win.

The same grid as heat one lined up for heat three with the exception of Neil Buchan who was posted missing for the Sunday afternoon activities. Jason McDonald set off out in front once again with John Buchan quickly shooting through to second before Stuart Cowie got the opportunity the close the door. For a good few laps John kept trying the outside line and almost lost his place as Cowie kept sticking his nose on the inside line. As Gordon and Gray caught up as well, Buchan decided to stay behind McDonald leaving Gordon and Gray to try their luck on the outside. It was a manoeuvre which paid dividends as Buchan slowed dramatically with a lap to go hampering Cowie behind him leaving the pair on the outside to take advantage. However it was another win for McDonald who booked himself a front row start in the big one.

The last heat proved to be another yawn as John Buchan outclassed his rivals by once again leading from flag to flag. The battle behind kept the crowd interested though as Graeme Gordon tried to keep his rivals at bay. Stuart Cowie was having none of it though and found a gap to charge through into second, although with little prospect of catching Buchan, who was able to cruise to his second win of the weekend.

With Buchan and McDonald sharing the front row it was always going to be about who made the first corner ahead. John ensured that he made no mistake and reached the pit corner in front. Jason decided to slot in behind in case any of pursuers decided to keep him on the outside line. As John started to disappear out front the battle for second could have gone any way as the quartet could have been covered by a blanket. Graeme Gordon looked as if the car jumped out of gear at one point allowing Stuart Cowie past but there was only ever going to be one winner. John Buchan successfully defending the title he has made his own over the years ahead of McDonald and Cowie.

More cars may be the order of the day at the next meeting on the 29th of August when they have six races scheduled and some extra prize money on offer for the Robertson Dairy Trophies. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 387 Jason McDonald, 300 John Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 301 Neil Buchan, 338 Graeme Gordon, 302 James Gray
Heat 2: 300,301,338,387,307,302
Heat 3: 387, 338, 302, 300, 307
Heat 4: 300, 307, 338, 387, 302
Scottish Open: 300, 387, 307, 338, 302

Knockhill 11/08/10
The Madman writes… Only five cars turned up for the final Knockhill session of the summer on 11th August, a date change meaning that none of the Crimond regulars were present as their Scottish Open weekend was only days away.

A wet track greeted the cars for heat one. Mark Dews just made it out on track on time but the car sounded as if it was only running on three cylinders. He was joined by former Nationals racer, Lee Paterson, in the Jock Burgoyne car. Stuart Walker found the best traction off the line, heading Billy Bonnar into the first bend. Lee Paterson took things easy as he familiarised himself with the car and track. Mark Dews dropped well back, hampered by a misfire and was being kept company by Bev Norrie. The battle up front was unrelenting as Bonnar kept looking for a gap on the inside of Walker, who was finding better grip out of the hairpin which enabled him to keep his rival at bay. Bev Norrie got the power on too early coming out of the hairpin and went spinning off down the grass, which with the rain, made it impossible to get back on track. Meantime, Walker was able to reel off the final few laps untroubled, as Bonnar settled for second in what was the closest action of the night.

The track was just starting to dry out as the cars came out on track for heat two. Mark Dews had cured his misfire and led the field away but it was to be short lived as Bonnar quickly blasted past. Lightning struck twice as Bev Norrie spun off at exactly the same place as the first heat and had to spectate from the centre as the car again became grounded. After that it was a pretty mundane affair with Billy pulling well clear of his rivals to take a facile win.

The final had a little more life about it as the track was virtually dry and it enabled Walker and Bonnar to close quickly onto the back of Dews whose advantage lasted a lap more than the last time. Lee Paterson had found his confidence as well, and closed up on the battle for the lead. Bonnar was quickly past Walker, but as Paterson tried to follow suit the pair clashed at the bottom of the hill allowing Dews to get a clear advantage in second. By the time they had recovered, they saw Bev Norrie go whizzing past before the duo were able to retake in quick succession. That was the way things stayed until the chequered flag came out, with Billy reeling off his second easy victory of the night ahead of Dews and the fast closing Walker. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 54 Stuart Walker, 844 Billy Bonnar, 900 Lee Paterson, 78 Mark Dews
Heat 2: 844, 78, 54, 900
Final: 844, 78, 54, 900, 650 Bev Norrie

Crimond 01/08/10
The Madman writes... Six cars turned up at Crimond on 1st August which provided some interesting racing and had three different winners on the day.

Heat 1 was the most boring of the three as Neil Buchan made a lightning start and shot into the lead before the end of the first lap. Brother John Buchan had problems trying to get round the outside Stuart Cowie with James Gray looking for a piece of the action as well. At one point Neil B built up a lead of the length of a straight as John B desperately tried to out brake Cowie on the outside line. Gray was happy just to play spectator whilst Jason McDonald looked out of sorts in fifth with Garry Ingram content to give his Mini a try out having been pondering about problems with the steering rack prior to racing. John B did eventually make it past Cowie with a couple of laps left but it was too late to mount any sort of challenge on Neil B who was already in cruise control in the SLK.

James Gray led off the line in heat 2, with Garry Ingram looking a lot more determined as he adopted a 'thou shalt not pass' approach by hugging the inside, leaving Stuart Cowie to sort out the conundrum of how to get by. Stuart took to the outside leaving the Buchan brothers to sit and suffer behind. This battle was letting Gray get away as Cowie and John B swapped places after Stuart was unable to make the outside manoeuvre stick. After a few attempts on the outside it finally looked as if John B would succeed in getting past Ingram but, just at the crucial moment, Garry drifted wide going onto the back straight allowing the inside train led by Cowie to shoot past leaving John stranded on the outside. He was able to get back in before McDonald got past but it left him somewhat frustrated down in fourth spot. Ingram spun off with a couple of laps to go as the trio quickly wore down Gray. James however wasn’t going that slow and held on to record the victory.

The final race of the day proved to be the most entertaining. Stuart Cowie assumed command from the green as James Gray dropped tamely back down the order. The Buchan brothers were quickly up to second and third and set about putting the leader under pressure. With one brother millimetres off his back bumper and one on the outside it would have been easy for Stuart to panic but he showed he was made of stern stuff as he drove a tidy line on the inside. Neil and John B kept changing positions by going inside and out but Stuart was unruffled by it all and hung on to take the spoils as the trio crossed the line in a heap. James Gray hung onto fourth after a prolonged battle with McDonald which also proved to be entertaining.

The next action at Crimond is the two day Scottish Open meeting which should attract the biggest field of the season. Action starts at 5pm on Saturday 14th August, with Sunday 15th at the earlier time of 12.30. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 301 Neil Buchan, 300 John Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 302 James Gray, 387 Jason McDonald, 333 Garry Ingram.
Heat 2: 302, 307, 301, 300, 387, 333
Heat 3: 307, 301, 300, 302, 387, 333

Knockhill 28/07/10
The Madman writes... Ten cars was a respectable turnout for a Wednesday night at Knockhill for the penultimate round of the Summer Series.

Barry Nelson and Mark Dews shared the front row and it was the latter that made the best getaway and led down the hill for the first time. Hero of the hour last time out, Open Scottish winner, Ian Donaldson, went to zero as he ended up in the gravel over on the far side which ultimately caused his retirement. Stuart Cowie and James Gray slotted in behind Dews with Jason McDonald making a train of four for the first few laps. However, all eyes were on Billy Bonnar who, as he caught the pack, quickly picked them off one by one. This did not help the early leader, as a train all got behind Billy forcing Mark to stay out wide and drop from first to fifth in rapid time. Once in the lead, Billy simply pulled clear of his rivals leaving the Aberdonian trio of Cowie, Gray, and McDonald to argue over the placings. Despite, one or two drivers looking to make a move, things never changed and it was an easy win for Billy.

Mark Dews set the pace again in the second heat of the night as the rest set about squabbling over the minor positions. Stuart Walker and Jason McDonald had a great tussle whilst James Gray had a hairy moment at the bottom of the hill bouncing off a marker tyre. He kept on manfully but with no chance of getting a victory. Billy Bonnar was again a man on the move but was not finding life so easy this time around as he got embroiled in a battle with Stuart Cowie and the aforementioned Walker and McDonald. This was all playing into the leader's hands as Mark showed his previous track experience of racing Legends round the track and was finding a nice line round the hairpin. With three to go he started to get seriously wound in by Cowie and Bonnar. Billy though was desperate to get past Cowie and tried just a little bit too hard on the outside which caused him to spin off and end up on the grass. The slight hold up for Cowie looked as if it had handed Dews his maiden victory in the Hot Rods. Stuart though had other ideas as he flew into the hairpin for the last time. He got the momentum on the run to the flag and managed to nose ahead - literally less than a car length from the line - leaving the luckless Dews to curse his fortune.

The final started without James Gray, who had burst the radiator after his excursion into the tyre in the previous heat, which left Mark dews to blast away from the front in his bid for glory. Bev Norrie got the power on too early coming out of the hairpin and spun round onto the grass and decided to sit and watch the action rather than driver down the hill and back onto the track. Jason McDonald wasted no time in getting Stuart Cowie but both were fighting a losing battle once Billy Bonnar loomed up large and quickly made his way past . Mark Dews though was looking in determined mood and gave Billy as good as he got before experience told, and Bonnar was past and headed for his second win of the night. Mark had to settle for runner up once again, although this one was more predictable, with the rest coming home at regular intervals.

The final meeting of the season at Knockhill takes place on August 11th (a change from the original date) which - on this showing - should be a good way to bring the curtain down on some great Summer action. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 307 Stuart Cowie, 302 James Gray, 387 Jason McDonald, 78 Mark Dews, 118 Barry Nelson
Heat 2: 307, 78, 387, 54 Stuart Walker, 700 Ian Donaldson, 302, 118, 650 Bev Norrie, 844
Final: 844, 78, 387, 307, 54, 700, 172 Derek Conner, 118

Crimond 18/07/10
The Madman writes… With the formula being cancelled at the previous meeting due to the lack of cars, 6 turned up at Crimond on 18th July. Neil Buchan was back in his SLK, whilst Garry Ingram made his season-debut in the smart looking Mini bodied machine.

There was drama before the start of heat one when Stuart Cowie broke down after the two warming up laps. He was given a couple of minutes grace to try to get the car going again but he only managed half a lap before his inevitable retirement.

Neil Buchan led the field away from the front with Garry Ingram, who started alongside, quickly falling back as Jason McDonald in his repaired Corrado (at one point he thought the car was written off after hard impact at Cowdenbeath) slotting into second - John Buchan surging up the order into third. John B. was quickly past McDonald and set about reeling in his brother as Jason had a lonely run in third, whilst Ingram was left fending off James Gray for fourth. The gap between the first two narrowed considerably by the finish but Neil was still in front when it mattered.

Stuart Cowie reappeared for heat two but the car was still suffering from a severe misfire. Garry Ingram slept at the green leaving James Gray to almost run up his rear before he got going. His slow getaway handed the initiative to Neil B. with Jason McDonald and John B. also taking advantage of the situation. Neil B. pulled clear in the lead as the usual inside/outside battle developed between McDonald and John B. James Gray again had a battle with Garry Ingram before the latter retired whilst Stuart Cowie kept going despite the car sounding rougher and rougher as the race progressed. John B. kept at it on the outside of McDonald but had his progress hindered a couple of times as a couple of Stock Rods who were out running with the Hot Rods had their own private battle making then reluctant to give way when the battle for second arrived on their doorstep. With a couple of laps to go, John B. eventually got the drag out of the track shop bend to secure second but with no prospect of catching the runaway winner.

Neil B. again took an early advantage in the last race of the day with Garry Ingram looking a lot more determined as he slotted into second on the inside line. This made for an interesting battle as Jason McDonald took the outside line leaving John B. with nowhere to go as he had to sit and suffer behind the battle going on ahead. Ingram slowed the pace down up front allowing James Gray and Stuart Cowie to catch in the battle. Slowly but surely McDonald gained the upper hand on the outside line and once he emerged in second quickly had John B. on the outside line and he wasted no time in getting past in what was the best entertainment of the day. With all this going on, it was easy to forget that Neil Buchan was heading for a facile hat-trick which he duly did. John Buchan took his third runner up spot of the day and a good battle looks in prospect at the next meeting on August 1st, when Neil should be starting further back on the grid. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 301 Neil Buchan, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 333 Garry Ingram, 302 James Gray
Heat 2: 301, 300, 387, 302, 307 Stuart Cowie
Heat 3: 301, 300, 387, 333, 302, 307

Cowdenbeath 26/06/10
The Madman writes… Nine cars took to the track for the final Hot Rod session at Cowdenbeath before the summer recess. There were three different winners on the night albeit they all started on the front row of the grid.

Graeme Callender was given a front row start in heat one alongside James Gary but, after the couple of warming up laps went round to start at the rear as he was trying out the car before the support races at Ipswich. James Gray led Jason McDonald, away on the green and opened up a fair advantage in the early stages as Mark Dews, who had been missing for a few meetings got no further than one lap before pulling off. Derek Conner had fixed his engine problems from Crimond the previous Sunday and slotted into third and led a train of Stuart Walker, Ian Donaldson, Jock Burgoyne, and Ian McGuigan. By half distance there was still no change in the first two although Conner had slipped down to the back of the aforementioned train leaving Walker as the person to be shot at. Donaldson shot past with six to go followed in quick succession by Burgoyne and McGuigan as Stuart slowed down. Donaldson though had McDonald in his sights and after a couple of attempts was able to nip round the outside but with little prospect of catching Gray who joined the elite club of drivers having won a race at all three Scottish circuits.

With Mark Dews not appearing for heat two, it was left to Gary and McDonald to lead away heat two with the latter quickly gaining the upper hand and opening up a half-lap breathing space over his rivals. All eyes were again on Donaldson as he picked off his rivals one by one eventually deposing Derek Conner of third who then quickly dropped to the rear once again without so much as a whimper. For the next ten laps the places remained unchanged, the only interest being if Donaldson could catch Gray before the finish for second - something he achieved with a couple of laps to go. But the race belonged to McDonald, who ended up an easy winner, but glad to see the flag as oil was gushing out of the diff when he parked up and he wisely pushed the car back to the pits after his lap of honour.

Mark Dews appeared back on track for the final and shared the front row along with Ian McGuigan. Ian had the best of the start but the drama came behind as Derek Conner squeezed Jason McDonald towards the wall causing both of them to clash which sent Jason spinning into the infield tyres causing a fair bit of damage to his car - the steward loading up Conner for his part in the incident. The restart saw McGuigan easy into an early lead he was never to lose. Despite the best efforts of Donaldson who emerged in second spot on lap 4 along with Jock Burgoyne in tow, there was no change to the positions and we had a procession to the flag which saw Ian pick up his second final win of the year in a pretty uninspiring race. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 302 James Gray, 700 Ian Donaldson, 387 Jason McDonald, 900 Jock Burgoyne, 7 Ian McGuigan, 54 Stuart Walker, 172 Derek Conner, 871 Graeme Callender
Heat 2: 387, 700, 302 ,900, 54, 7, 172, 871
Final: 7, 700, 900, 302, 54, 78 Mark Dews, 871

Crimond 20/06/10
The Madman writes… The biggest field of the season up at Crimond, 6 cars, graced the track on Sunday 20th June for what was some entertaining racing providing 3 different winners on the day. World Cup winner Ian Donaldson was there - showing off his gold roof - along with Derek Conner, and all the usual Crimond regulars. Whilst the whole of Scotland basked in warm sunshine, Crimond proved to be the only exception, with rain on and off during the afternoon.

Heat one started in the dry with James Gray setting off out in front with Stuart Cowie tucked in behind. The usual Jason McDonald/John Buchan battle was brewing up behind - John trying as ever to go the long way past the rapid Corrado. Ian Donaldson was keeping tabs on the leaders as Gray was not going that fast in the lead allowing the train to circulate lap after lap. Halfway through, the complexion of the race changed as Derek Conner dumped oil on the track putting paid to his racing for the afternoon. Gray was the first to discover that the track was slippery and spun off and was thankfully missed by those behind. Just to add to the fun, the first rain shower of the day arrived as the lap boards came out allowing Buchan to nip past McDonald for second with time running out on him to mount a challenge on Cowie who drove a tidy race throughout.

Heat two saw Gray back out in front in the early stages with business as usual behind. John Buchan taking to his favoured outside line and Jason McDonald the inner. Ian Donaldson had a watching brief at the rear as he diced with Stuart Cowie. Things got interesting up front as Buchan hemmed McDonald in behind Gray and set about an outside run past both. Just as it looked as if his persistence was going to pay off ,Gray drifted wide going onto the back straight leaving a gap for McDonald to charge up the inside. The trio were three abreast going into the track shop turn before Jason emerged as the leader. Gray retired shortly afterwards and from then on there was only ever going to be one winner as Jason reeled off the final few laps undeterred about the presence of John on his outside.

The final heat saw the rain return just as the cars had all come out onto the track on slicks. Although the speeds were down on the previous encounters, it provided some interesting driving. Ian Donaldson had his moment of glory at the front of the field but couldn’t hold a tight line at the bends eventually allowing James Gray to shoot past. John Buchan for the main part stuck to the outside and had a couple of hairy moments as he drifted almost into the outside tyres in his striving for grip. He eventually got past Gray and disappeared into the distance leaving James to work hard to fend off Donaldson all the way to the flag ahead of Jason McDonald and Stuart Cowie who played follow the leader in the conditions.

Probably some of the best racing seen there this year with the next session clashing with the Ipswich World final on July 4th. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 307 Stuart Cowie, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 700 Ian Donaldson.
Heat 2: 387, 300, 307, 700
Heat 3: 300, 302 James Gray, 700, 387, 307

Cowdenbeath 13/06/10
The Madman writes… Following on from the Knockhill action the previous night, 13 cars arrived at Cowdenbeath on June 13th, where the World Cup was up for grabs. Bev Norrie was missing from action but Keith Chesher, Graeme Callender, and Ian McGuigan all joined the fray. Once again, the promoter decided to give everyone a chance of success by having the main race the first action of the day. Ian Donaldson must have thought he had won a watch as he bagged a front row start in the draw along with visitor Andy Bevan. The track was slippery with the intermittent showers leaving drivers scratching their heads as to the best set up. Most of them opted for two wet and two dry tyres on their cars.

There was drama right at the start as Derek Conner got it all sideways, the result being a chain reaction that almost saw Ian McGuigan being punted into the wall by Billy Bonnar who had nowhere to go. Those on the inside missed all of the excitement with Ian Donaldson and Graeme Callender able to spurt clear of the battles behind. Andy Bevan quickly dropped down the order as Bonnar recovered to slot into third with Conner managing to stay ahead of McGuigan. Jason McDonald was going well moving up to challenge Stuart Walker with the rest a fair way back down the grid. The conditions made it difficult for anyone to make any progress but Donaldson was absolutely revelling in them pulling well clear before half distance. Callender looked safe in second but was always proverbially looking over his shoulder to see where Bonnar was. Billy was having problems of his own as McGuigan eventually got past Conner at the pit bend and closed right up onto his back quarter. The second half of the event proved to be processional with the weather the real winner. The only excitement of note was Jock Burgoyne spinning off when he turned into the back straight but he was able to get clear before the pack came round. Donaldson wasn’t complaining though as he run out an easy victor by almost half a lap from Callender with Bonnar earning his corn hanging onto third from the eager McGuigan.

The first of the two supporting heats saw Keith Chesher lead in the early stages but he was finding little grip and was soon passed by Jason McDonald. Derek Conner and Ian McGuigan were the two coping with the conditions the best coming from midfield starts. Graeme Callender was also making a move from the rear along with Ian Donaldson. Andy Bevan was clearly not enjoying the Scottish weather and retired mid-race having slithered back to the rear. James Gray fared little better but he manfully battled the elements to complete the distance. With 5 to run McGuigan got the better of Conner and quickly left him behind. He started to close in on McDonald but time ran out before he was able to get on terms leaving Jason to have a welcome change of fortune by taking the chequered flag.

The final race of the day saw a reversed grid from the previous one, meaning that Billy Bonnar and Ian Donaldson shared the front row. Billy found traction at a minimum on the green leaving Donaldson to lead the field with Stuart Walker and Graeme Callender nipping past on successive laps before Billy got it back together again. Donaldson started to open up what looked like a winning advantage until lap 7 when Callender got a wiggle on coming onto the back straight and clouted the wall, bringing out the yellows so that the 871 machine could be recovered. On the restart, it became apparent that the drying surface suited Walker a lot more than Donaldson who, for the first time all weekend, looked vulnerable. After a couple of tries, Stuart eventually found the gap he was looking for and quickly disappeared into the distance once he was ahead. Ian dropped back into the clutches of Bonnar with the pair engaging in some place changing before Ian consolidated his position on the last lap. McGuigan was again a close fourth with the rest of the field beaten out of sight. The Madman
Results
World Cup: 700 Ian Donaldson, 871 Graeme Callender, 844 Billy Bonnar, 7 Ian McGuigan, 172 Derek Conner, 387 Jason McDonald, 302 James Gray, 54 Stuart Walker, 900 Jock Burgoyne, 307 Stuart Cowie
Heat 1: 387, 7, 172, 700, 871, 844, 900, 54, 662 Keith Chesher, 302
Heat 2: 54, 700, 844, 7, 900, 662, 387, 302, 172

Knockhill 12/06/10
The Madman writes… A somewhat disappointing turnout of cars arrived at Knockhill on 12th June to do battle for the Open Scottish championship. One solitary visitor, Andy Bevan from Bristol joining the regulars round the unique tri-oval. Given the number of cars, the promoter decided to run the Open Scottish first, thus giving all drivers a fair crack of the whip.

Hero of the previous meeting, James Gray, had a front row start and made the most of it as the flag fell to get proceedings underway. However, this was short lived, as Ian Donaldson quickly made his way past at the end of the first lap and started to open up an early advantage. Gray hung onto second as the Ford Ka of Paul Wightman was keeping any other pursuers at bay. Billy Bonnar, who was out in an ex-James Jamieson Corsa - his intention being to do the Nationals again after the World final - quickly caught up with Wightman, but found the Ka more than a match up the straights. Seeing Donaldson disappearing into the distance, his frustration got the better of him and he barged his way past sending Paul spinning to the outside of the track and collecting a black cross for his efforts next time around. With all this going on, it allowed Jock Burgoyne to catch up, leaving a battle further back between Stuart Walker and Stuart Cowie to develop. Once in the clear, Bonnar was quickly up into second, passing James Gray who was trying just a little bit too hard at the hairpin, which caused him to drift out wide before dumping the car in the gravel a couple of laps later. After that it was a bit of a procession. Cowie managed to get past Walker in the closing stages whilst returnee Bev Norrie was forced to slow with a plume of smoke trailing from the rear of the car. However, she was able to keep going to the chequered flag. Bonnar attracted the wrath of the steward once again as he barged past the now back-marking Wightman at exactly the same place as before, although Paul was doing him no favours after what had gone before. Donaldson reeled off the last few laps incident free, to land his first major title in the formula, with Jock Burgoyne being elevated to second as Bonnar was dropped a place for contact.

The first of two heats held after the main event saw Stuart Cowie being out-dragged up the hill at the start by James Gray, who built up a good early advantage. The rest of the field had to take evasive action as Stuart Walker spun going down the onto the far side which thankfully saw everyone managing to avoid him. Billy Bonnar was quickly through the pack into second but was mindful of what had happened before and showed a lot more restraint in trying to pass the leader. This allowed a few more pursuers to catch up, with Donaldson leading a train of Jock Burgoyne, Jason McDonald, and Stuart Cowie, who all were soon on terms. Gray was able to hold on for a while before the pressure finally got to him and he drifted wide at the hairpin allowing Bonnar to get by. It replicated the manoeuvre on the next lap as well giving Donaldson the opportunity to nip past before slamming the door shut on Burgoyne who was having his own problems fending off an eager looking McDonald. Once ahead it was a stroll to the flag for Billy, with Ian never able to mount a serious challenge in the closing stages.

The last race of the night saw Burgoyne take the lead in the early stages having passed the Stuart Cowie Corsa, which once again was slow off its mark. Bonnar was again in the wars as he tried an optimistic manoeuvre up the inside of Andy Bevan, the result sending both of them spinning onto the infield leaving Billy to retire and Andy to spray dirt all over the track when he rejoined. However a few laps later, he too was forced to retire leaving the pair sitting side by side waiting to get back into the pits. Stuart Walker was the man on the move as he nipped past James Gray for third whilst up front Burgoyne had been reeled in by Donaldson. With four to go the pair were nose to tail with Jock drifting wide out of the hairpin but having enough power to stay ahead in the main straight. Ian cleverly though ensured that lightning didn’t strike twice as he got past next time around to record his second win in what was the closest finish of the night. The Madman
Results
Open Scottish: 700 Ian Donaldson, 900 Jock Burgoyne, 844 Billy Bonnar, 307 Stuart Cowie, 54 Stuart Walker, 83 Andy Bevan, 172 Derek Conner, 368 Paul Wightman, 650 Bev Norrie.
Heat 1: 844, 700, 302 James Gray, 900, 387 Jason McDonald, 307, 368, 172, 83, 54
Heat 2: 700, 900, 54, 302, 172, 307, 650

Cowdenbeath 05/06/10
The Madman writes… Eight Hot Rods graced the Racewall on 5th June to get some valuable practice time before the World Cup weekend at Knockhill and Cowdenbeath. The ever-changing conditions made life difficult for the drivers but for the fans, three different winners, and some close battles, sent them home happy.

The first heat had hardly started when it was stopped as Mike Parnell found himself spun across the track on the entrance to the back straight when Jason McDonald looked for a gap on the inside. Stuart Walker lost a wheel as he tried to avoid the blockage - which put paid to his evening’s activities. The DVD footage was reviewed, with McDonald deemed to be the guilty party. He was removed from the restart, at which he went to the pits and loaded up for the night - although he was entitled to race in the other heat and final. The sextet that were left tried again, with more success this time. Mike Parnell started at the front but was last after a couple of laps as Derek Connor got himself into an early advantage from Ian McGuigan with the trio of Ian Donaldson, Billy Bonnar, and Jock Burgoyne never far behind. Connor slowed as the pack got closer, determined not to lose the inside line. McGuigan made a couple of half-hearted attempts to get past but failed, and fell victim to both Donaldson and Bonnar who demoted him in quick succession. The problem of the 172 machine had still not been resolved until Donaldson tried the outside line, leaving Billy to dive up the inside. He then quickly dived round the outer of Connor and away into the lead. The shock of being passed so quickly caused a momentary lapse of concentration from Derek and the car wiggled coming into the home straight. Donaldson had little option other than run up the back of him which saw Conner lose control and career into the infield Armco causing him to shed a wheel also, and the yellows waved once again. Bonnar continued where he had left off when they all started again and took in the end what was an easy victory, ahead of McGuigan who had nipped past Donaldson on the restart.

The taped up car of Connor managed to get back on track for heat two but his time at the front never lasted long as the car didn’t seem to be at its best. Ian McGuigan quickly moved ahead then found himself watching his mirrors as Ian Donaldson and Billy Bonnar loomed large in his mirror. Halfway through the race, the rain that had threatened all evening fell with a vengeance making the track very difficult. Donaldson quickly dropped back but the man on a charge was Jock Burgoyne - who was demonstrating the form that took him to numerous domestic titles in the 80’s and 90’s. He caught up the battle for the lead but with no-one willing to try the outside line fell back in the closing stages leaving McGuigan to take the win ahead of Bonnar.

With Billy not coming out for the final, it was left for Connor to set the early pace. Ian Donaldson wasted no time in getting into second and was soon into the lead and away into a clear lead he was never to lose. Jock Burgoyne soon followed him through, after which we had a yawning procession in which the only winner was the weather.

Over half a dozen visitors from down South are expected this weekend to contest the Open Scottish at Knockhill with the World cup to follow the next day at Cowdenbeath. On this showing you wouldn’t bet against Ian Donaldson getting his hands on some of the silverware. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 7 Ian McGuigan, 700 Ian Donaldson, 900 John Burgoyne, 55 Mike Parnell
Heat 2: 7, 844, 900, 700, 172 Derek Conner, 55
Final: 700, 900, 172, 7, 55

Knockhill 19/05/10
The Madman writes… There was a reasonable turnout of nine cars for the first in the Knockhill summer series for the Hot Rods on Wednesday 19th May. David Glencross made his debut in the ex-Karl Price Peugeot, whilst there were welcome returns for Paul Wightman in his Ford Ka-shelled machine, and for former multi-champion Jock Burgoyne.

James Gray set off in front in heat one but it wasn’t long before he was overhauled by Stuart Cowie who was getting to grips with the unique tri-oval better than most. Stuart Walker was having a good battle with Jason McDonald, the pair eventually overhauling Gray. Derek Conner ended up with part of his front panel lying on the track after he drifted wide out of the hairpin and clobbered the a marker tyre which bought out the yellows closing the whole field up. When things got going again, Cowie again led the field but all eyes were on Billy Bonnar who had charged up into second from the rear. It wasn’t long before he pressurised the leader into going too quick into the hairpin and nipped through on the inside and on for a victory.

It took Cowie a little longer in heat two to be able to reel in the pacesetter Gray eventually getting past on the run down the hill to the back straight on lap number two. Paul Wightman was forced to retire with the steering in disarray after an incident coming out of the hairpin. Jock Burgoyne was going a bit quicker this time as he moved up a couple of places from the rear. His progress was not as quick as that of Bonnar who weaved his way through the traffic and once again arrived in second. Stuart wasn’t hanging about in front in the Corsa and, without the aid of any yellows, Billy had to work hard to bridge the gap. The pair got involved in a bit of tit for tat bumping at both ends of the home straight before Bonnar was able to secure his second victory of the night.

The final turned out to be the best race of the evening, although not for Billy Bonnar, whose car came to a halt on the entrance to the back straight and sat there for a lap before bursting back into life. Gray took his customary place up front and looked more comfortable in the lead although he had Cowie for company. David Glencross was also getting to grips with his steed, finding the confidence to get involved in a battle with Derek Conner and Mike Parnell at the rear. Bonnar was starting to charge up through the field as he endeavoured to unlap himself. Up front, things were getting interesting as Cowie had a dilemma. He was trying to get past Gray whilst at the same time had to watch his rear as Jason McDonald loomed large in his mirror. Things got even more interesting in the closing stages as Bonnar caught the trio up and, although he was a lap down was in no mood to let the leaders go about their business and passed McDonald and Cowie in quick succession. Cowie desperately tried to tuck back in before McDonald got through. He got a bit of a wiggle on coming out of the hairpin and went spinning down the hill as McDonald caught the back end. This gave Gray a bit of breathing space and he punched the air with delight as the chequered flag fell to take his first victory away from his native Crimond. Stuart Walker ended up in second after McDonald had been held up with Cowie and was then disqualified from third by the steward, something which is currently under appeal at the time of writing. James Gray wasn’t bothered though. He looked as pleased as Punch as he took his lap of honour, and will be counting the days to the next action on the ‘Hill on Saturday 12th June.  The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 307 Stuart Cowie, 54 Stuart Walker, 387 Jason McDonald, 302 James Gray, 900 Jock Burgoyne, 368 Paul Wightman, 55 Mike Parnell
Heat 2: 844, 307, 900, 54, 302, 448 David Glencross,  387, 172 Derek Conner
Final: 302, 54, 900, 448, 172, 844, 55

Crimond 16/05/10
The Madman writes… Five cars were the order of the day at Crimond on 16th May, with the quartet that had graced the last two meetings being joined by Neil Buchan who was now back in the fold. Neil was looking rather droopy-eyed having not arrived home until 2am from Cowdenbeath, as the trailer had a puncture en route and he had to repair the previous night’s damage after his excursion into the Racewall.

The car was showing no ill-effects as he quickly moved into the lead in heat 1 and disappeared into the distance leaving Stuart Cowie with the problem of fending off John Buchan for second, as James Gray dropped back to the rear. Neil went further clear as brother John was unable to get past Cowie, the pair clashing up at the track shop bend as Stuart braked heavily whilst John tried to get round the outside. The Buchan 1-2 was never going to be a factor in the closing stages as John gave up the chase and Neil coasted to victory.

James Gray led the second heat for a lap before he slid out wide at the end of the home straight allowing Jason McDonald to take over. John Buchan’s progress was hindered by brother Neil as he made John go on the outside line whilst James Gray was working overtime to keep Stuart Cowie at bay. McDonald was able to pull further clear as the metaphorical ‘terrible twins’ proved that there was no love lost as they fought it out over second. Neither would give an inch and with the pair holding each other up Jason was able to take a well deserved victory. The final bend proved crucial for the battling Buchans with John getting the better of Neil right on the line taking the second spot literally by the width of a bumper.

The final race of the day was a virtual replica of the previous one as McDonald dived past Gray at the first corner - he subsequently got swamped by the whole field, and was last the next time they came around. The Buchan versus Buchan battle was not as intense as the last one with Neil leading John with the latter not looking so keen to try the outside.  At the end of the race, it was McDonald who again took the spoils with the Corrado looking more than a match for the brothers in the weeks to come.

The next action at the track is not until the middle of June as the formula has been dropped from the Crimond 40th anniversary celebrations at the start of next month, the Stock Rods taking their place instead - although there is a promise of the formula having six races on the card later in the season. The mind boggles! The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 301 Neil Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald 302 James Gray
Heat 2: 387, 300, 301, 302, 307
Heat 3: 387, 301, 300, 307, 302

Cowdenbeath 15/05/10
The Madman writes… The biggest field of Hot Rods in Scotland this year gathered at Cowdenbeath on 15th May for what looked like being some very competitive racing action. The Racewall regulars were joined by a contingent from Crimond which included track champion, John Buchan.

The ever-improving Mark Dews got the better of Mike Parnell at the start of heat 1 and was able to open up an early advantage over Ian McGuigan, who quickly slipped through into second. Ian Donaldson made the best start from further along the grid and quickly relegated the Mercedes SLK of Neil Buchan back down the order. It took another couple of laps for Donaldson to deal with McGuigan, finally making it round the outside on the pit bend and set off in pursuit of pacesetter Dews as McGuigan retired on lap 6. Scottish champion Billy Bonnar was have a good dice up through the field with John Buchan; the pair catching John’s twin brother, Neil. Up front, Dews had been caught by Donaldson, and made life as difficult as he could by hugging the inside line. Ian eventually got the drive out of the bend to overhaul Mark and disappeared into the distance leaving the closing pack with the problem of the 78 car. An eager Billy Bonnar got past Neil Buchan - leaving some of his paintwork on Neil’s boot in the process - but in his endeavour to get past he drifted out wide leaving the door open for John Buchan to dive into the gap and up to third. The pack were still having to deal with Dews who was doing little wrong in second, but with four to go drifted out wide dropping him quickly down the order. Donaldson was too far in front for anyone to get near and he reeled off the last few laps for a comfortable victory with John Buchan working hard to fend off Bonnar for second.

Dews was again the quickest car away in heat two ahead of Mike Parnell and Ian McGuigan with the latter realising that he could not let the leader get away and quickly shot through into second. Keith Chesher was having one of his best runs for some time sitting in behind the pair with the two Buchans, Donaldson and Bonnar, all making headway from the rear. Ian wasted little time in passing the Dews machine, taking over on lap 3 and once Chesher got past a couple of laps later, the heart seemed to go out of Mark’s challenge and he quickly fell away. Donaldson was now leading the charge from the back but the train was forced to slow down when they caught up with Chesher. Ian eventually made the break past and started reeling in McGuigan at a fair rate of knots with Neil Buchan holding off the hard charging Bonnar. It stayed that way until, with just over a lap to go, Billy found a gap and got past Neil Buchan. At the same time, Donaldson’s car had a sudden loss of power causing him to coast to a halt on the back straight leaving the steward with no option that to call an early halt to proceedings much to the relief of McGuigan.

With Parnell opting to start at the back for the final, it was left to Chesher and McGuigan to share the front row - the latter getting the drag into the first bend and taking over a lead he was never to lose. Chesher gave spirited chase for a while before he was forced to change tactics as the train from the rear caught up with him. It was Neil Buchan and Donaldson who again led the charge with Bonnar and John Buchan finding life being made hard as they tried to get past the Corrado of Jason McDonald. At half distance, Donaldson pounced on Chesher going down the back straight and took over in second with Bonnar quickly following him through into third. A great battle ensued further down the field as James Gray, Derek Conner, and Stuart Walker were trading places lap after lap. However there was never going to be any change up front as the first three were well strung out. Neil Buchan lost fourth in sight of the flag when a steering arm snapped on the final bend, leaving him to clout the wall on the run to the flag.

All in all, the best session of racing so far in Scotland this year with Ian McGuigan making a welcome return to form before the Open Scottish and World cup events next month. The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 700 Ian Donaldson, 300 John Buchan, 844 Billy Bonnar, 662 Keith Chesher, 301 Neil Buchan, 54 Stuart Walker, 387 Jason McDonald, 78 Mark Dews, 172 Derek Conner, 302 James Gray.
Heat 2: 7 Ian McGuigan, 844, 301, 662, 300, 387, 54, 172, 302, 78
Final: 7, 700, 844, 662, 301, 300, 387, 54, 302, 172

Crimond 03/05/10
The Madman writes… It was the usual suspects racing at Crimond on Sunday 2nd May as they contested the first silverware of the season, the Norman Cowie Memorial trophy.  John Buchan was the man in form as he rocketed to a hat trick of wins.

Heat 1 was over almost as quickly as it started with Buchan blasting his way past the other trio on the opening lap as they had a skirmish for the early lead. Jason McDonald emerged as the closest contender as he adopted his usual stance of sitting on the inside line and refusing to budge for anyone. Stuart Cowie was brave enough to try the outside line but ended up fighting a losing battle, spinning at the track shop bend and getting hit by James Gray. Thankfully, both were able to continue, but this left the interest there was in the race down to nil as the cars were well and truly strung out all round the circuit. By the flag, John had opened up almost a half lap advantage and was in cruise mode as he crossed the line ahead of McDonald with Cowie and Gray eventually completing the distance.

Heat two provided the best race of the day as McDonald shot into an early lead with Gray slotting in behind and Cowie on his outside. This left Buchan with nowhere to go and he had to sit and suffer as Jason tramped on in front pulling further clear of the battle behind. Approaching halfway the gap opened up that John had been waiting for and he shot through into second and set about reeling in the pace setting Corrado. Buchan’s manoeuvre settled the battle for third as well, as Stuart Cowie tucked in behind him and relegated James Gray to last. John quickly caught up with McDonald, and slowly but surely got his nose further ahead on the outside line, completing the pass with a couple of laps to go to record his hardest race of the afternoon.

The final race of the day saw Gray get the better of his rivals at the start with McDonald left with little option other than to try the outside line to get onto his favoured place on the track. Try as he might, and with Cowie snapping at his heels, he went too hard into the pit bend and spun away whatever chance he had of victory. This left the youngsters Gray and Cowie to try to fend off the old master, Buchan. John just bided his time as was able to pick them off one by one as he assumed command for the third time on the day. Gary put up some stubborn resistance in second by holding off Cowie all the way to the line, so much so that the recovered McDonald almost caught them by the flag.

The formula gets a week’s break before embarking on three meetings in five days - Cowdenbeath, Crimond, and Knockhill all in action - hopefully with more cars to report on.

Crimond 25/04/10
The Madman writes… Four car Hot Rod races can be entertaining - the message from Crimond as a quartet of cars turned up for the meeting on April 25th. The previous meeting had been a bore with the same number of cars but three different winners on the day showed how entertaining they could be. With twin brother Neil abroad on business, it was left to John Buchan to carry the mantle for the family whilst Jason McDonald had his car back on track after its battle scars from the Racewall the night before.

James Gray, who had been doing a lot of work to the car since the last meeting, set off in the lead in heat one but quickly found himself last after just one lap as he got swamped going down the back straight. Stuart Cowie assumed command with Jason McDonald hugging the inside and was not giving it up to anyone. This made life extremely difficult for John Buchan who tried time after time to get round the outside to no avail. Gray even looked like moving back up the order as John’s machine slithered on the dusty outside berth. The never-say-die attitude of John paid off with a couple of laps to go when he managed to get his nose far enough in front of the Corrado to cut across to snatch second but with no prospect of getting near the long gone Cowie.

Gray looked more determined in heat two as he withstood the early pressure from the trio behind and a glance in his mirror when he passed the control box saw him seeing McDonald adopted his inside line which he was giving up to no one. Stuart Cowie was the first to try the outside with John Buchan forced to sit and suffer behind the pair with nowhere to go. Lap after lap the trio battled it out for second whilst at the same time keeping Gray in their sights. As the lap boards came out, Stuart went too wide in his endeavours to get past McDonald allowing Buchan to blast thru the middle of the paid and quickly demote them to battle it out for the minor places. John quickly reeled in Gary but with time running out, he was unable to mount a serious challenge on the leader who held on to take his fist victory of the season.

Gary again led the field away in the third race of the day but Buchan was not in the mood to go home empty handed. He wasted no time in getting past Mcdonald and quickly shot round the outside of James leaving the rest the battle it out amongst them selves. John reeled off the final laps without incident but there was drama behind when Gary left the door open coming into the home straight allowing McDonald to stick his nose in. James tried to slam it shut, the result being a pile of rubber left on the track as he spun down the track backwards just being able to stop before he hit the tyre wall. By the time he got going the race was over with John Buchan taking a well received lap of honour.

The Rods are back in action on May 2nd, with all the drivers trying to lure some more cars to the track. On this showing though, who needs them?
Results:
Heat 1: 307 Stuart Cowie, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 302 James Gray
Heat 2: 302 James Gray, 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 307 Stuart Cowie
Heat 3: 300 John Buchan 387 Jason McDonald, 307 Stuart Cowie

Cowdenbeath 24/04/10
The Madman writes... Nine cars appeared at the Racewall for the meeting on 24th April. All the usual suspect were there, with the crowd being treated to a master-class from Billy Bonnar who recorded a heat and final double.

It looked unlikely that Billy would record any victories when he limped off as soon as the green dropped for race one, unable to engage second gear. Mark Dews made the best of the start with Derek Connor soon putting the leader under pressure. His challenge too was short lived as a misfire dropped him quickly back down the order. After a couple of laps on the sidelines, Bonnar managed to get the gearbox to work and rejoined albeit with no prospect of victory. Mike Parnell was the hound chasing after Dews who was haring along in front but with the pack closing in quickly behind. A moment of indecision going into the pit corner saw him trying to change lines and ended up spun to the wall which brought out the yellows on lap four and ended Mike’s participation for the night. Upon the restart, Ian Donaldson wasted no time in getting past Dews into a lead he was never to lose with Mark dropping back down the order as a train of cars led by Jason McDonald demoted him down to fifth. Things settled down after that with Ian able to reel off the final few laps without incident.

Heat two had no sooner started than it stopped when Graeme Callender broke a half-shaft when changing up the gearbox and his stationary car had to be moved from the circuit. Mark Dews led the field off at the second time of asking and opened up a big advantage early on as the rest of the field ended up battling with one another for second. The exception was Billy Bonnar who started from the back of the field and steadily picked off his rivals one by one by blasting round the outside and soon emerged in second. The flying 844 machine soon reeled in the leader but he was forced to bide his time as Dews wasn’t going that slowly out in front and it allowed Stuart Walker to play catch up. When the leader eventually left a gap for Bonnar to dive in, he found himself losing out to Walker as well before he was able to get back onto the racing line. Once ahead, Billy disappeared into the distance with Walker able to get clear of Dews as well. It was left to Mark to fend off the train of Ian Donaldson, Derek Connor, and Ian McGuigan to the flag.

The final looked like following similar vein to the previous heat as Dews set off quickly out in front leaving the rest to play catch up. Any chance that Ian Donaldson had, went on lap 5, when he lost in coming into the home straight and was already spinning round when he was given a helping hand by the Corrado of Jason McDonald. Jason retired soon afterwards leaving all eyes on the battle which was going to develop up front as Bonnar had to work extremely hard to get past some determined rivals ahead. He eventually got through into second and quickly reeled in Dews who offered little resistance once he was caught by Bonnar. Donaldson was making up for lost time battling it out with Stuart Walker, Derek Conner, and Ian McGuigan despite being a lap down. At flag fall Billy had extended his lead to a quarter of a lap from the impressive Dews in second with Walker hanging on to third.

All in all not a bad display from the formula, with Billy Bonnar showing he could still hack it on the National stage if he chose to. Mark Dews must one of the best prospects to join the formula in recent years, whilst that elusive first win still awaits Derek Connor. The formula has a break from Racewall action for a couple of weeks before a busy summer period as the series at Knockhill gets underway.
Results:
Heat 1: 700 Ian Donaldson, 387 Jason McDonald, 54 Stuart Walker, 7 Ian McGuigan, 78 Mark Dews, 871 Graeme Callender, 172 Derek Conner, 844 Billy Bonnar.
Heat 2: 844 Billy Bonnar, 54 Stuart Walker, 78 Mark Dews, 700 Ian Donaldson, 7 Ian McGuigan, 387 Jason McDonald.
Final: 844 Billy Bonnar, 78 Mark Dews, 54 Stuart Walker, 172 Derek Conner, 7 Ian McGuigan, 700 Ian Donaldson

Crimond 11/04/10
The Madman writes… Then they were four. An apt start to the report of the Hot Rod racing at Crimond on 11th April as, following the five car start to the season one week previous, only four showed up for the second one, Jason McDonald being the absentee, as he was out racing a Brisca F2 for the afternoon.

Four soon became three as James Gray limped round a couple of laps and retired for the day with a broken driveshaft. By then, John Buchan had charged through from the back of the field and led brother Neil in what was a yawning procession, the only excitement for the crowd coming when Stuart Cowie spun with a puncture on lap 8. After that, John reeled off the remaining laps and at least had the decency not to take a lap of honour for his facile victory.

When the trio reappeared for heat two, it was enough for even the camera crew to disappear for a comfort break. Ironically, it was the best race of the day as far as three car races go. Stuart Cowie blasted off down the inside of the track and made life exceedingly difficult for the Buchan boys behind. Neil was on the outside, John was tucked in behind, meaning that one false move from any of them would have been a recipe for disaster. Only in the closing stages did Neil Buchan manage to get his SLK far enough ahead of Cowie to cut across leaving him with nowhere to go. Stuart’s resolve seemed to wane after that and John was easily able to nip past for second at the flag.

If the first race was a yawn, then the final race of the day had people sleeping after the first couple of laps. John Buchan made a lightning start and shot past his two solitary rivals in quick succession. Neil quickly followed demoting Cowie to last and from then on in it was a procession to the flag, the steward sensibly cutting the number of laps to end the boredom.

Anyone in Scotland with a car, come to Crimond. Your track needs you.
Results
Heat 1: 300 John Buchan, 301 Neil Buchan
Heat 2: 301 Neil Buchan, 300 John Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie
Heat 3: 300 John Buchan, 301 Neil Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie

Crimond 04/04/10
The Madman writes… Only five cars turned up for the first meeting of the season at Crimond on 4th April. Jason McDonald was the only car from the previous night’s activities at Cowdenbeath and was joined by Stuart Cowie and James Gray in a Corsa and Tigra respectively. The Buchan twins, John and Neil, turned up with some beautiful looking machinery. John having repainted his 2009 Tigra whilst Neil debuted a new Mercedes SLK which had only had a few laps of practise a couple of days earlier.

Neil it was, that led away heat 1, with John quickly blasting round to sit in second. It looked like we were in for a procession all the way to the chequered flag, but things were made interesting when James Gray spun and the yellows had to be employed. It looked as if he had gearbox problems as the car was lifted from the track from the rear and never reappeared again all afternoon. On the restart. Neil kept his lead ahead of John, who tried in vain to find a way round the outside, and he was able to start the year with a win. The battle for third was quickly settled in favour of Stuart Cowie who came home at a respectable distance in third ahead of Jason McDonald.

The quartet of cars came out for heat two, but they soon became a trio, as Neil Buchan pulled off before the start. It transpired that he had come out with a new set of wet tyres on blissfully unaware that the track had quickly dried after a downpour a few minutes earlier. He decided to sit it out rather than risk having them torn to shreds - which brought out all sort of jokes about Aberdonians being mean! Cowie led away with McDonald sticking the Corrado on the outside line and getting his nose in front down the straights before James had the advantage of the inside round the bends. Jason’s bravado came to nothing as he was unable to take advantage and by then had John Buchan right on the rear of Cowie meaning that there was no way back and he fell from first to third. John showed Jason how it should be done with some late braking at the end of the straights paying dividends.  He disappeared into the distance before Jason took advantage of a slip from Stuart to gain second at the flag.

Neil checked out the track before the last race of the day and came out appropriately shod. He was soon out in front with brother John making his way through to second to give his customary chase. After that the race turned into a bit of a procession with the sibling rivalry between the front pair coming to nothing as John was content to follow Neil home. The battle for third fizzled out as well as Stuart Cowie played led home Jason McDonald.

With the next meeting this coming Sunday there is a promise of more cars being on track sooner rather than later to try to break the Buchan’s stranglehold on the formula. Meantime Neil and John just keep on winning.
Results:
Heat 1:  301 Neil Buchan, 300 John Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 387 Jason McDonald
Heat 2: 300 John Buchan, 387 Jason McDonald, 307 Stuart Cowie
Heat 3: 301 Neil Buchan, 300 John Buchan, 307 Stuart Cowie, 387 Jason McDonald

Cowdenbeath 03/04/10
The Madman writes… Ten cars graced the track for the second Racewall meeting of the season on 3rd April including four drivers making their 2010 debut. The track got wetter as the night went on but it did not detract too much from the action as it provided three different winners.

Keith Chesher outran Mike Parnell to the first corner in heat 1 with Ian Donaldson trying a do-or-die manoeuvre by making it three abreast. There was only ever going to be one outcome if it didn’t come off and Ian ended retired after less than a lap by hitting the wall which punctured the front tyre. Derek Conner, who had looked quick at the first meeting, moved into second place and rapidly onto the back quarters of Chesher - whose car didn’t look too secure in the conditions, Keith fighting with the wheel on a couple of occasions. A yellow flag on lap 5 for Billy Bonnar whose car mysteriously ground to a halt at the end of the back straight closed the whole field up. Chesher had his wits about him on the restart and maintained his advantage over Conner, the pair pulling clear of the battle for third which saw Jason McDonald in the ex-James Jamieson Corrado leading a train of Stuart Walker and the repainted car of Ian McGuigan. Connor looked to the inside of Chesher with two laps to go but Keith was up to the challenge leaving Derek still looking for that elusive win.

Billy Bonnar just made it out in time for the second heat, a clutch problem being rectified in the nick of time. He probably wished he hadn’t bothered as a rare mistake from the Scottish champion saw him clobber the wall and put an end to his evening’s activities. Former Scottish champion Graeme Callender set the early pace, but never looked happy on the surface as Derek Conner moved past, soon to be followed by the repaired Ian Donaldson. Jason McDonald was having a lonely race in fourth as Stuart Walker had to keep a watchful eye on Ian McGuigan who was never far behind him. Derek had to push hard to try to keep Donaldson at bay for the lead but a slip on the pit corner was all the invitation that was required and Ian was through and away. Derek did his level best to keep him in his sights but once again had to settle for being the bridesmaid as Donaldson made up for his error in the previous heat.

With the rain falling for the final, wets were the order of the day tyre-wise, but even they weren’t enough for Mike Parnell who went round after less than a lap and decided that enough was enough. Graeme Callender got himself out front and quickly put daylight between and a great three-way battle for second. Derek Conner was heading Ian McGuigan and Ian Donaldson. The rest of the field were really struggling with the conditions and ended up being lapped by Callender who was making light work of the wet track. Donaldson was getting increasingly frustrated at being stuck at the back of the three car train for second, and eventually pressurised McGuigan into a mistake and started to set about Conner. In the closing stages, Graeme was in the same straight as the battle for second and ended up winning very impressively by three quarters of a lap with Conner taking a hat-trick of second places, repelling Donaldson’s advances in the closing stages. McGuigan was right behind in fourth, that battle sending the Rod fans happy.
Results:
Heat 1:- 662 Keith Chesher, 172 Derek Conner, 387 Jason McDonald, 54 Stuart Walker, 7 Ian McGuigan, 871 Graeme Callender, 55 Mike Parnell, 118 Barry Nelson
Heat 2:- 700 Ian Donaldson, 172 Derek Conner, 871 Graeme Callender, 387 Jason McDonald, 54 Stuart Walker, 7 Ian McGuigan, 55 Mike Parnell, 118 Barry Nelson
Final: 871 Graeme Callender, 172 Derek Conner, 700 Ian Donaldson, 7 Ian McGuigan, 387 Jason McDonald, 54 Stuart Walker, 662 Keith Chesher

Cowdenbeath 20/03/10
The Madman writes... Seven Hot Rods turned up at the Racewall for the start of the 2010 domestic season, and, despite the low entry, it provided three different winners on the night.  Two newcomers joined the old faces, Mike Parnell from Dunfermline, and Mark Dews, a former legend racer who had made the trip up from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Former Prostox driver Derek Connor, led away the first heat but was quickly overhauled by Ian Donaldson who tried to establish an early lead.  However, Scottish champion Billy Bonnar was having none of it, and shot through the gap left by Donaldson and quickly left Derek to fall back into the clutches of 2009 track champion Stewart Walker.  Billy always looked the quickest of the pair and when the opportunity arose, didn’t need a second invitation, diving into a gap when Ian drifted a bit wide coming into the home straight.  He looked home and hosed but there was drama with five laps to go when Barry Nelson came to an abrupt halt on the back straight causing the yellows to come out.  It looked like he had suffered gearbox problems by the way that the car was lifted off the track.  Whatever happened, it put paid to his participation for the rest of the night.  On the restart, Billy quickly gave Ian the slip and was able to reel off the final few laps with consummate ease.

It was a different story in heat two with Donaldson blasting past Connor on the opening lap and building up a big lead as Bonnar found Walker a tough nut to crack. Mark Dews meantime was getting to grips with the track and was showing enough speed to mount a challenge to Derek Connor for fourth. Despite his persistence, Stewart concentrated all his efforts in holding back Billy, leaving an ever widening gap to Donaldson. Ian had one or two hairy moments of his own as he drifted perilously close to the wall.  In the closing stages, Bonnar decided it was a lost cause in trying to get second and cruised home in third as Ian opened his account for the season.

Stuart Walker was always going to be the man to beat in the final as he quickly demoted Connor down to second, which was soon to become fourth as the evening long Donaldson/Bonnar battle entered round three. Stewart had a couple of glances in his mirror and must have been happy with what he saw as Ian in the 700 car fought to hold back the flying Bonnar Tigra. Eventually, Billy got the upper hand as Ian’s car drifted wide leaving him with a long chase after Walker.  It was always going to be a forlorn chase but a glimmer of hope appeared when Donaldson’s car hit the wall and stopped on the outside of the circuit.  With few laps left and very little traffic, the steward decided to stay green leaving Stewart to come home an easy winner. Mark Dews showed what a good prospect he will be as he got past Derek Connor in the closing stages for third whilst Mike Parnell gained valuable track experience.

The next action for the formula is a double-header over the Easter weekend, with Cowdenbeath on the Saturday night, before the Crimond opener the following day. The North East venue has worked hard in the close season trying to boost numbers by writing to inactive drivers to see if they can be enticed back. We await the outcome with interest. Madman McDiarmid.
Results - Cowdenbeath 20/03/10
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 700 Ian Donaldson, 54 Stewart Walker, 172 Derek Connor, 78 Mark Dews, 55 Mike Parnell
Heat 2: 700 54 844 172 78 55
Final: 54 844 78 172 55

nationalhotrod.com welcomes on-board our “new” Scottish correspondent - “Madman” McDiarmid.  Here’s his preview of what lies ahead in 2010, north o’ the border.

The Madman writes… Having endured one of the most harsh winters in recent times, the Scottish Hot Rods are ready to come out of hibernation and do battle in 2010. Those involved on the National scene kick off at Northampton on the 14th whilst the domestic season gets underway the following Saturday at Cowdenbeath.

Much of the talk during the close season was whether or not the Outlaw drivers would vote to go back to National Hot Rod spec which would give drivers the opportunity of having their own series to get drivers into the World final at Ipswich. However, this was met by a resounding no at the drivers meeting and it is safe to say that the matter is dead and buried for the time being.

The saltire will be flown mainly by William Hardie and James Jamieson in the Nationals with both sitting in the qualification positions and should comfortably take their place on the grid come July. There will be occasional forays down south by seasoned veteran Graeme Callender who is hoping to have the car repanelled and ready to race at Northampton on Good Friday. Billy Bonnar, who is notoriously difficult to predict, maintains that he will be concentrating his efforts in Scotland in 2010 which means he is likely to appear anywhere. If I had a pound for every time that Billy has told me he is retiring only to reappear at the next meeting then I would be a rich man. He looked ominously quick at the Cowdenbeath practise day and it would be no surprise to see him crowned track champion come October time.

One of the biggest losses to the formula will be David Newell who proved in his short time racing that he could compete at the highest level. The ever increasing costs of travelling were cited as his main reason for taking a sabbatical from the sport. The car has been sold to Ian Donaldson who will benefit greatly from having added power under the bonnet having been one of the last of the band of drivers to campaign the 2 litre unit. Ian has quite a pedigree in stock car racing having raced Saloons and the limited contact Prostox before moving over to Hot Rods. He is one of the few drivers left racing who can lay claim to having raced at the old Armadale circuit that closed the doors to short circuit racing in 1991. However, I digress.

Another old timer, Willie Hill, looked all set for a comeback in 2010 having had a run out in one of Billy Bonnar’s cars at the end of last year. However, it remains to be seen if he returns or not as the car has now been returned to its original owner. Derek Connor, an old adversary of Ian Donaldson in the Prostox was at the practice with his own car, having campaigned one of Ian’s old ones at the end of last season. Former Ministocker, Barry Nelson, who moved straight from Minis into the Rods looked quicker than he did in 2009 but his practice was hampered by a misfire which ended with smoke coming from underneath the car that hopefully was not going to prove too costly at the start of his campaign. Former Scottish champion, Ian McGuigan, was also at the practice, although he was on foot as the car was away getting prepared for the curtain-raiser on March 20^th - which should see a good number of cars taking to the track.

It is hard to predict what will happen up at Crimond, where the season does not get underway until Easter Sunday. The meetings at the end of 2009 were very poor as far as car content was concerned with only four cars taking part in the final couple of meetings. Due to the nature of the track, there were some close encounters, but the reality was that the racing did little to enhance the formula’s reputation at the Aberdeenshire venue. The comments on various forums suggest that there will be some more drivers out at the start of the racing up there but more will be revealed once the action gets underway.

Local hero, John Buchan, who could be a contender in the Nationals if he had the time to devote to the formula, was the man to beat again in 2009 winning the major silverware on offer and there is no reason to believe that things will be any different in 2010.

On the same day that Crimond kicks off, a new venue for stock car racing opens in Scotland. Lochgelly Motorsport Centre, which is the brainchild of former Hot Rod racers Kenzie Law and Willie Peters. Whether any of the current crop of Scottish drivers decide to jump ship and race there remains to be seen, as the track does not hold an ORC licence, which will leave anyone who races there very much out on a limb as far as racing anywhere else in concerned.

Interesting times ahead as we move into a new decade of Hot Rod action North of the border. As they say watch this space…

ARCHIVE 2008/09

29/12/09: With sadness and regret, we have to announce that our good friend "Mad Jock" will no longer be able to contribute his excellent work covering the Hot Rod scene in Scotland.

He has been single-handedly keeping Scottish Rods in a prominent position on nationalhotrod.com, for the last five years, and it has been solely down to his hard work and enthusiasm for the class there, that we've been able to all keep abreast of the Scottish Rods.

We would lke to publicly thank MJ for the last five years work, and wish him all the best for the future.