World Series Scotland

2012 World Series round 06
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 24th September 2011
The Madman Writes… The National Hot Rods returned to Cowdenbeath on 24th September for their third qualifier in as many weeks. Once again the field failed to break into double figures although one surprising entrant was Alan Ross, out what was basically the same Starlet which he raced down in England back in the 90’s. Peter Allan arrived in the pits before the start of the meeting but the team spent much of the night working on the car before managing to get it running for the final.

Craig McLaren led away heat one from fellow front row starter Ronnie McKenzie but both were soon overhauled by Wayne Lee who was starting to find his feet in the formula as he was familiar with the unique shape of the Racewall. He opened up an early advantage from the hard charging Billy Bonnar who returned to the fray having missed the previous round at Lochgelly. McLaren wasn’t hanging about in third place as he was trying to keep Graeme Callender at bay as McKenzie fell back and got involved in a battle with Gordon Naismith, with Alan Ross not taking too long to get back into the swing as he kept tabs on them. It took to lap 7 before Bonnar was able to drive home his advantage as he found the gap necessary to sneak past Lee and into the lead. The pair were able to maintain their advantage over McLaren, who despite all his efforts, found Callender going round his outside as they approached half distance. After that it was a bit of a procession with Bonnar lapping Ross in the closing stages whilst Lee was forced to drive defensively over the last few laps to keep Callender at bay.

Peter Allan made it out onto the track for heat two but all he did was give the mechanics sore arms as the car refused to start and it was pushed off into the run off area behind the goals. Wayne Lee tried to get into the lead once again but was unable to do so as Craig McLaren shot ahead of Ronnie McKenzie at the start and by the time he got it back together again found both Billy Bonnar and Graeme Callender finding a way past on the inside. Billy quickly got past McLaren as well, leaving Callender forced to sit for a couple of laps before taking the bull by the horns on the outside line. Lee looked determined as well as he too found a way past McLaren on the outside line whilst Alan Ross looked quicker than on his first run but was still off the pace as McKenzie caught back up with McLaren before the end of the heat which became a rather strung out affair from half distance.

The final had no sooner started than it was stopped as Wayne Lee hit the wall on the back straight in his bid to get the lead. When the race restarted, it took a familiar pattern as Craig McLaren spent his customary few laps at the front before the flying Billy Bonnar took over. Gordon Naismith got ahead of Ronnie McKenzie and ran third for a while until he was past by Graeme Callender and ended up having to battle later in the race from the rejuvenated Alan Ross. Bonnar once again demonstrated his class as he pulled well clear of his rivals with the only interest in the race being if Callender could snatch second by the flag as he closed lap after lap on McLaren. Craig was up to the task though and held on to take his best result in the series so far whilst at the other end Pete Allan was just happy to get the car to run all the way to the finish.

Although there is still a long way to go, Bonnar and Callender look on course to take two of the four places on offer at the 2012 World final. As for the rest, the non-appearance of Graeme Gordon makes the table very interesting for the other two berths with even Alan Ross a good outside bet on this showing. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 99 Wayne Lee, 871 Graeme Callender, 34 Craig McLaren, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 525 Gordon Naismith, 848 Alan Ross
Heat 2: 844, 871, 99, 34, 187, 525, 848
Final: 844, 34, 871, 525, 848, 187, 3 Pete Allan

2012 World Series round 05
Lochgelly, Sunday 18th September 2011
Kevin McQueen Writes…  The latest round of world qualifying round was held at Thunder Valley, Lochgelly on Sunday 18th September. With a few notable absentees, although not unexpected, omens for the day’s racing weren’t ideal. In the end, the racing wasn’t too bad, but the weather was certainly far from great.

Heat 1 went the way of Graeme Gordon, opting to go for half and half set-up of tires. The track was dry as the cars came onto the raceway, but by the time the warm up laps had been completed, the rain was falling onto the raceway. Graeme Gordon came through the pack quickest, having been on the optimum set-up, and was soon some way ahead of the rest. He cruised to victory in the opening heat from Graeme Callender and Wayne Lee; whom both had a good battle to the chequers, the latter clattering the Armco as they crossed the line.

Heat 2 was an all-out wet affair. The drivers all knew what to expect for this one, and all had a full wet set-up. Wayne Lee got away well at the start and led the field away, with Callender and Gordon in pursuit. Lee opened up a decent gap on Callender who didn’t seem to have the same speed to begin with. However, as the race progressed, he slowly closed the gap on Lee. Lee seemed to sense this and at the same time, picked up the pace to maintain the gap to take victory from Callender and Gordon.

The final was arguably the best Hot Rod race of the day. Keith Chesher finally got a set-up that he found more comfortable in the wet weather conditions. Although not the quickest on track, he held a steady line and made it difficult for anyone to overtake. Lee had a look at the outside a couple of times, but lost time in the process on both occasions. As Lee and Chesher battled for the lead, this allowed Callender to close the gap onto the two of them. Lee stuck on the back bumper of Chesher, but as Chesher ran wide, Lee seemed to make the same mistake! Lee was ultimately unable to find a way past, with Callender finishing the race on the bumper of Lee.

A sodden day at the track, but a day that saw three different winners - something I don’t think we’ve seen so far since the introduction of the Scottish series. Kevin McQueen
Results
Heat 1: 338 (Graeme Gordon), 871, 99, 187, 662
Heat 2: 99 (Wayne Lee), 871, 338, 662
Final: 662 (Keith Chesher), 99, 871, 338, 187

2012 World Series round 04
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 10th September 2011
The Madman Writes… A poor turnout of Nationals, seven in total, turned up to contest the fourth world qualifier at Cowdenbeath on 10th September. Gary Black was a notable absentee, as was Ian Donaldson who was seen walking about the pits nursing a cold.

Craig McLaren got the better of Wayne Lee at the start of heat one and was able to open up a big advantage as the cars completed the first lap. Omnipresent Ronnie McKenzie set off from the line behind the front pair, but was immediately in trouble as the front hub snapped on the car, limping off with his night over as he did not have a replacement with him. McLaren kept his advantage until the rapid Billy Bonnar moved up to challenge on lap 5. Billy was quickly past whilst Wayne Lee found himself under increasing pressure from Graeme Callender with the pair having a coming together on lap 8 causing Lee to spin and enabling Graeme to take over in third. He had company for much of the way as Graeme Gordon kept tabs on him without mounting a serious challenge. As half distance approached Lee pulled up on the home straight lay-by which caused a yellow flag to be thrown a couple of laps later when Wayne decided to remove his helmet whilst still in the car. It made the final few laps exciting, although not for McLaren who found Callender going round the outside with four to run. He was able to hang on for third, as Gordon was unable to find a way past. However no-one could live with Bonnar who run out an impressive winner.

Heat two saw Wayne Lee beaten off the line again by Craig McLaren but his shot of glory was short lived as Graeme Callender wasted no time at blasting round the outside into the lead. Billy Bonnar was again the man on a charge from the back of the field and by lap three emerged in second spot. It took a further four laps to catch up with Callender and was soon past as his pressured Graeme to leave a gap on the inside coming round the pit bend. The pair looked a lot quicker than their rivals although McLaren was having his best race for some time in third. Graeme Gordon suddenly found himself slowing with a puncture, and was passed by the rest of the field as Lee and Gordon Naismith took advantage of his predicament. After that it was a bit of a procession to the flag as Bonnar took his second win of the night ahead of Callender, whilst Gordon limped home in sixth to pick up the points on offer.

The final looked like being a replica of the previous heat as Craig McLaren led his third race of the night. Wayne Lee looked more determined this time as he sat in second. Billy Bonnar again charged up from the rear but was trying just too hard as he chopped off Graeme Callender’s nose at the end of the home straight and ended up spinning towards the wall - in the end doing well not to do any damage to the car. It looked as if he would just fire the car up and start to make up lost time but instead he was still sitting there as the leaders came down the home straight leaving the steward with no option to throw a yellow. Bonnar was asked to leave the raceway having been the cause of the stoppage, something which infuriated him and he started driving round the track stopping to do doughnuts at every opportunity before eventually pulling onto the hallowed Cowdenbeath FC pitch and continuing his display of petulance and spinning antics there. Once he was out of the car, the race got back underway with Callender taking to the outside line and passing Lee and McLaren in quick succession to take over a lead he was never to lose. McLaren was looking all set for second until he pulled off approaching half distance. The interest in the rest of the race fell on the battle for second as Lee hugged the inside for all it was worth ensuring that the only route for Gordon was on the outside. Graeme though didn’t seem interested and was happy to pick up valuable points for third with Naismith the only other finisher on a night that will be remembered for the antics off the track, rather than on it.

There is no rest for the drivers though as they are back in action at Lochgelly this coming Sunday for round five.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 871 Graeme Callender, 34 Craig McLaren, 338 Graeme Gordon, 525 Gordon Naismith
Heat 2: 844, 871, 34, 99 Wayne Lee, 525, 338
Final: 871, 99, 338, 525

2012 World Series round 03
Lochgelly, Sunday 21st August 2011
The Madman Writes… Although Billy Bonnar lost his unbeaten record in the 2012 qualifying series, he was still able to keep his winning streak in the finals going, taking his third in a row in a day of drama at Lochgelly for the third qualifying round on 21st August.

Eight cars were in the pits for heat one but only seven made it out on the track with the luckless Craig McLaren forced to be a spectator for the afternoon after his clutch failed when he was getting prepared to leave the pits.  After the warm-up laps, Keith Chesher blasted into the lead with Englishman Wayne Lee tucking in behind, ahead of Ronnie McKenzie and the fast moving Billy Bonnar. Graeme Callender, after a slow start was making up for lost time as he nipped past Gary Black. Bonnar meantime, was not wanting the leaders to get out of sight, and tried an optimistic move up the inside of McKenzie. There was only ever going to be one outcome as he found himself spinning off and getting passed by the rest of the field before rejoining at the rear. Meantime at the front, Chesher was pulling away from Lee who by now was coming under pressure from Graeme Gordon. Callender nipped past McKenzie up at the control box turn where the latter spun shortly afterwards. He was another to rejoin at the back of the pack and was soon catching up to the slow moving Black. Up front, Gordon caught up with Chesher who started driving with his head keeping a nice tight line on the inside leaving plenty of room for Graeme to try the outside if he wished. It was a bit of a dilemma for Gordon as Callender and the recovered Bonnar arrived on the scene in the final couple of laps. It ended up being a bit of a blanket finish but Chesher had done enough to hold on as they all charged for the line.

Ian Donaldson arrived in time to take part in heat two having been up half the night fixing the damage sustained after losing a wheel at Knockhill the previous Wednesday - which came back to haunt him at a charity event at Cowdenbeath the previous evening. With Gary Black slow off his mark, it allowed Graeme Callender to dive past Wayne Lee on the outside line and open up an early advantage from Ronnie McKenzie; Keith Chesher ended up down in fourth as Graeme Gordon got into third. Keith was trying a bit too hard to keep up and he eventually spun himself off. Gordon meanwhile, wasted no time at getting past McKenzie as Ronnie left an invite on the inside as they went down the home straight. Having almost having lost it at the start, Billy Bonnar was starting to find his feet as he caught up with McKenzie. Gordon caught up with Callender who was struggling with a brake problem and the leader offered little resistance when the challenge came. There was a good battle further down the field as Black was involved in a three-car struggle for the minors with Lee and Donaldson. Bonnar looked as if he was going to mount a late challenge for the lead but twice out-braked himself causing him to drift out wide allowing Gordon and Callender to maintain their advantage, with McKenzie putting on a spurt on the last lap to get back past Bonnar as they raced to the flag.

There was no sign of Ian Donaldson for the final as he discovered that his Knockhill damage was worse than first feared - a cracked axle causing him to load up for the day. Keith Chesher shared the front row with Wayne Lee and whilst the latter got clean away, Chesher found his car stuttering which caused all sorts of carnage. Billy Bonnar looked to run into the back of Ronnie McKenzie which had a domino effect leaving him and Chesher off on the infield. Gary Black and Graeme Callender also got involved with Gary slamming the Armco when he discovered the car wouldn’t go round the first corner. Callender was out with a puncture when he clipped Black. The steward rightly showed a red flag while the carnage was cleared up. The steward initially decided that the cars could go off the track and come back after an intervening race, but, as the green had been shown, then the race had to restart with those cars fit at the time of the stoppage under the rules. Callender changed his wheel out on the track with McKenzie planning to do so as well, but neither were back in the restart. This resulted in only three cars being sent away under green and the race turned into a procession as Billy Bonnar quickly took the lead from Graeme Gordon, with Wayne Lee a distant third. They duly reeled off the laps to the flag enabling Billy to score another hatful of points. Thankfully the next round is not until September 11th at the Racewall, giving those with damage plenty time to fix it.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 662 Keith Chesher, 338 Graeme Gordon, 871 Graeme Callender, 844 Billy Bonnar, 99 Wayne Lee, 16 Gary Black, 187 Ronnie McKenzie
Heat 2: 338, 871, 187, 844, 16, 99, 700 Ian Donaldson, 662
Final: 844, 338, 99

2012 World Series round 02
Knockhill, Wednesday 17th August 2011
The Madman Writes… Eight cars appeared for the second round of the 2012 World qualifying series at Knockhill on 17th August, although it could have been double figures but for a couple of late call-offs. Gary Black was a reluctant spectator having being sidelined with a throat infection whilst Neil Buchan had to cancel having had the recurrence of an eye injury whilst racing at Crimond the previous weekend. The field though was boosted by the appearance of Wayne Lee from Cumbria, who was planning to do the Scottish series as the venues are closer than the treks down to Ipswich from his Cumbria home.

It was Wayne who led away heat one but was quickly overhauled by both Ian Donaldson and Billy Bonnar, the latter providing some good sponsorship for the GMP rounds throughout the series. Graeme Callender was determined not to get left by the pair ahead and dived to the inside of Ronnie McKenzie coming out of the hairpin. There was contact between the duo with Ronnie ending up on the grass and staying grounded there for the duration of the event. Billy kept the power on to press home his advantage in the series ahead of Donaldson who always looked like he was going to come out second best. Lee looked comfortable in third but the real battle was for fourth as Callender battled it out with Graeme Gordon. The pair looked evenly matched as the luckless Craig McLaren ground to a halt on the run to the back straight putting paid to his night’s activities. The leaders quickly lapped Gordon Naismith who was struggling with slick tyres on the damp surface but at the flag it had turned into a bit of a procession with Bonnar keeping his unbeaten record in the series so far intact winning easily from Donaldson. The only change in the places came in the control box when Callender was docked two places for his part in McKenzie’s demise.

Having had time to familiarise himself with the circuit, it looked as if Wayne Lee might pose a stronger challenge this time around to the leaders. However, after the warming up laps he disappeared back up the pit lane and was seen heading homewards shortly afterwards. This left Ronnie McKenzie to get proceedings underway but the superior handling of his rivals quickly saw him drop down to fifth as he stayed out of the way of any challenges from behind. Once again Billy Bonnar wasted no time in taking the lead from Ian Donaldson who was chasing in vain as Bonnar Tigra disappeared further and further into the distance lap after lap. The only interest in the race was the battle for third with Gordon heading Callender in the battle of the Graeme’s. The latter had a few looks both inside and out but never seriously thought about risking the points at stake. With three to run and the places looking all settled, the field ended bunched up again as Donaldson broke a hub causing the wheel to fly off and the yellows to be deployed. The final three laps on the restart made no difference to the result as Billy was quickly back in his stride and on his way to his second win of the night.

The 25 lap final with only six cars was always going to be a procession once Billy Bonnar got into the lead. Ian Donaldson did keep closer tabs on him throughout the race but was once again always playing second fiddle. Graeme Callender and Graeme Gordon clashed on the first lap coming out of the hairpin almost causing Callender to spin and Gordon forced to dump two wheels on the grass to avoid him. When the dust settled it was Callender who emerged in third with Gordon sitting right behind him and trying a couple of optimistic manoeuvres in the home straight which come to nothing. He backed off considerably in the closing stages as Ronnie McKenzie and Gordon Naismith were miles behind in what must have been the dullest race of the season so far. Billy Bonnar wasn’t complaining as his good start to the qualification series continued. Here’s hoping for more action at Lochgelly this Sunday in round three.  The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 700 Ian Donaldson,  99 Wayne lee, 338 Graeme Gordon, 525 Gordon Naismith, 871 Graeme Callender
Heat 2: 844, 338, 871, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 525
Final: 844, 700, 871, 338, 187, 525
Photos by GM Photos at http://knockhillracingcircuit.pikfu.net/getMediasetList.php?page=1&perpage=36&filter=&year=&sort=setdate&sor tdir=desc

2012 World Series 01
Lochgelly, Sunday 24th July 2011
The Madman Writes… It was business as usual for Billy Bonnar when the 2012 World Qualifying series got underway at Lochgelly on July 24th. The new Open Scottish champion got his campaign off to the best possible start with a maximum score lapping the whole field in the final in the process.

Eight cars took to the gird for heat 1 including former Brisca F2 driver Gordon Naismith who had looked impressive in his debut in the formula over at Knockhill a few days earlier. Ronnie McKenzie led the field away with Craig McLaren tucking in behind ahead of Billy Bonnar, Gary Black and Graeme Callender. Billy wasted no time in quickly moving past the lead duo and quickly disappeared into the distance as Graeme was able to slip past the Black car which had a tendency to drift wide at the bends. Callender was soon challenging for third but tried to sneak past McLaren as they passed the start/finish line. The pair made contact which saw McLaren slip out and clobber the Armco which led to his retirement a couple of laps later and the black cross being shown to the 871 pilot. Ronnie McKenzie was quickly disposed of by Callender who was able to back off in second as Bonnar was well out of reach. There was a good battle for the minor places as Pete Allan battled it out with Gordon Naismith and Keith Chesher. Allan’s car was looking more and more smoky as the race progressed but he still had enough to hold his challengers at bay. This battle was soon to be joined by Bonnar who found Chesher and Naismith most obliging to move over. Allan was a different matter though as he held the inside refusing to relinquish the line to anyone. With only a couple of laps to go, Billy could have backed off but kept the foot down looking for way through. On the last bend Allan slowed up too much leaving Bonnar with no option but to run up the back of him which saw him spin round. There was much deliberations after the chequers, with the steward deciding to give the win to Bonnar. Callender on the other hand was not so lucky and got docked two places for his incident with McLaren.

Only seven cars appeared for heat two, Keith Chesher complaining that he was not feeling too well so the team loaded up for the day. Ronnie McKenzie once again led away at the start as fellow front row starter Craig McLaren had problems which saw him drop down to the rear. Graeme Callender tried the outside of Gary Black but ended up losing ground before eventually getting past on the inside a couple of laps later. Billy Bonnar meantime had wasted no time in getting past the race leader, and once again opened up a gap. His advantage came to nothing mid-race as Pete Allan spun off all of his own accord and ended up stuck on the rumble strips at the side of the track which caused the yellows to come out. When the green dropped again, Bonnar disappeared once more leaving McKenzie to battle it out over second. Callender was past on the next lap  with Ronnie finding himself demoted down to fifth as Black and McLaren followed suit. Craig was unable to make to move stick as Ronnie was soon able to retake him and then put pressure on Black in the closing stages as he looked to snatch back third but it was to no avail.

Craig McLaren looked more determined in the final as he raced Ronnie McKenzie to the first bend but it was the latter who emerged out front as Billy Bonnar followed Ronnie through before easing past into the lead. Graeme Callender quickly shown in third then made a dive inside McKenzie at the track shop bend. Ronnie was taken by surprise and the two cars clashed, Ronnie later saying he’d never seen the 871 car. McLaren was in the mix as well running into the back of Callender which saw Graeme grounded in the gravel on the infield. Ronnie was able to rejoin albeit almost a lap down as Billy led by over half a lap from Gary Black who had missed all of the melee in second. Pete Allan became another casualty as he hit the Armco all by his self causing his retirement. The race by now had became somewhat of a procession as Billy drew further and further away. Everyone else seemed to be suffering from some sort of problem in the sweltering heat as McLaren slowed down letting McKenzie past. Ronnie had the bit between his teeth and set off after Naismith who seemed to tire in the closing stages having been complaining of a sore back for much of the afternoon. When Ronnie caught him he was content just to let him past. Black also wasn’t going that fast as he had second place sewn up. Bonnar swept past with a couple of laps to go having lapped the whole field and ended the day with a perfect score.

He is unlikely to get things so easy at the next round at Knockhill on August 17th with Ian Donaldson and Graeme Gordon both set to return to the fray which could see the first double figure entry since the series began. Here’s hoping.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1:  844 Billy Bonnar, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 16 Gary Black, 871 Graeme Callender, 3 Pete Allan, 525 Gordon Naismith, 662 Keith Chesher.
Heat 2:  844, 871, 16, 187, 34 Craig McLaren, 525.
Final: 844, 16, 187, 525, 34

*  * *

2011 World Series Scotland round 10
Lochgelly, Sunday 12th June 2011
The Madman writes…There is a Vanessa Williams song from the ‘80s that I am particularly fond of called Saving the Best to Last. It would have been an apt one to play at the final round of the Scottish qualifying series as there was plenty of action despite only seven cars on the grid.

One or two of those who had raced in the earlier rounds opted out of this one as they had nothing to race for. They were joined however by top Crimond driver, Neil Buchan, who was having his first outing in the series and is going to race whenever his offshore work commitments allow.

Heat one was no sooner started than it was stopped after Craig McLaren came out of the race control corner onto the back straight too wide and grazed the Armco. He was able to move under his own steam but the yellows and subsequent reds were flying as he made his getaway. The complete restart left Ronnie McKenzie to lead having had the front row all to himself. Graeme Callender tried a manoeuvre round the outside which saw him drop back to last as Graeme Gordon found the pace to snatch an early lead. ‘New boy’ Neil Buchan, was out to make an impression as he harassed Billy Bonnar, and eventually found the gap on the inside at the pit bend. Billy tried to defend the line and ended up spinning towards the infield. He quickly rejoined but got to the next bend where he promptly spun again and ended up grounded on the rumble strips at the edge of the track. The yellows were again deployed with the source of Billy’s spin being due to a large dollop of oil on the track. It was eventually traced to the Tigra of Callender who had broken a half shaft and subsequently retired. The resumption saw Gordon quickly pull clear again leaving Buchan to challenge McKenzie for second and a rather smoky Gary Black the only other runner. Neil tried to go the long way round past McKenzie but found how unforgiving getting too wide on the tight Lochgelly circuit could be as he almost ended up in Armco. He tried a different strategy when he caught up again and slipped thru on the inside to finish second at the flag albeit a distant second behind Gordon.

All the cars made it back out for heat two of the day which again saw Ronnie McKenzie make the best of the start and get ahead of Craig McLaren. Graeme Callender again tried an all or nothing manoeuvre on the outside which resulted in him quickly dropping back to last as Gary Black led a train of Graeme Gordon, Billy Bonnar, and Neil Buchan. Bonnar was a man on a mission after his non-finish in heat one and charged on the outside before trying to get past Black on the inner but was unable to make the move stick until Gary slowed with a problem which allowed him through. Buchan also tried the outside line but it was to no avail as he lost out to both Gordon and the recovered Callender. Meantime, up front, Billy wasted no time in getting past McKenzie and opened up a half lap advantage in no time as time run out for Gordon and Callender to catch McKenzie with Buchan coasting home in sixth place having complained of overheating.

The final was the most entertaining race of the day, if not the series. Craig McLaren and Ronnie McKenzie led away but Graeme Callender found a gap on the inside of Gary Black to snatch third. All this unsettled McLaren who went out wide. The next lap he almost hit the Armco and careered across the track taking both Billy Bonner and Graeme Gordon with him. The three rejoined albeit well down the order as the remaining quartet continued to run nose to tail. With Buchan looking the quickest of them all, it was Black who lost out as Neil got past with Callender in tow. Neil’s bid for glory was short lived as he tried to dive up the inside of McKenzie sending him into a half spin as Ronnie tried to hang on. Callender seized the initiative by sneaking past both before the yellows came out.  When the field lined up to try again, it was Callender who shot away out front with Bonnar, helped by the yellow flag, now on his tail as Black moved aside on the restart. Buchan retired after his impressive debut and the final few laps were all about whether Bonnar was going to be able to get past Callender. Graeme always looked in control as there were funny noises coming from under the Bonnar machine, later traced to a crank problem. Graeme reeled off the final few laps to take an eventful final with Bonnar pulling up as soon as he crossed the line. Graeme Gordon by finishing third ensured him second place in the points and a place on the World Final grid. It was an exciting way to finish the series which holds much promise for next season. Now, all roads lead to Ipswich…. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 338 Graeme Gordon, 301 Neil Buchan, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 16 Gary Black.
Heat 2: 844 Billy Bonnar, 187, 338, 871 Graeme Callender, 16, 301, 34 Craig McLaren
Final: 871, 844, 338, 34, 187, 16

2011 World Series Scotland round 9
Knockhill, Wednesday 25th May 2011
The Madman writes…The undulating tri-oval of Knockhill played host to the penultimate round of the Scottish qualifying series on May 25th, when it was almost business as usual for Billy Bonnar who took an impressive heat and final double to add to his near faultless tally this year. Stuart Walker was missing from the round but Ian Donaldson returned having missed the last one over at Lochgelly.

There was some series mulling of which tyres to use in the pits as a shower of rain made the track slippery for heat 1, so much so that Ronnie McKenzie was left red faced when he spun on the two warm up laps. After that fright Ronnie opted to line up at the back of the grid instead of the front row to which he was entitled. It was probably a wise decision as when the green flag dropped, there was no movement from the 187 machine which caused an aborted start. More drama was to follow as Billy Bonnar coasted to a halt on the back straight with the car stuck in gear and he had to be tractored back to the pits. When things eventually started for real, it was Graeme Callender who wasted little time in nipping round the outside of front row starter Craig McLaren, and into a lead he was never to lose. Graeme Gordon was keen to get himself some good points to consolidate second place in the series and had a good battle with Gary Black for a while before easing past into second. Ian Donaldson was struggling somewhat further down the field and Craig McLaren was easily able to keep him at bay whilst Ronnie McKenzie chugged round at the rear after Pete Allan got the power on too soon coming out of the hairpin and grounded himself on the rain softened infield. The rest of the laps were reeled off without incident with Callender looking at home on the surface as he race to an easy win.

With Billy Bonnar all repaired for heat 2, an interesting battle looked in prospect between the first heat winner and himself. Callender made the most of Ronnie McKenzie again starting at the rear and quickly got out in front and opened up a fair advantage as Bonnar had to battle through from the rear. Ian Donaldson looked quicker in than his first outing as he strived to keep Graeme Gordon and Gary Black at bay. It wasn’t long before Bonnar emerged in second but had to work hard to reel in the race leader, the pair looked evenly matched on the straights but Billy had his car handling like a dream and was able to gain lap after lap at the hairpin. When he caught up with Callender, it looked inevitable that he would soon be past and this was the case next time around as the leader drifted wide leaving Bonnar with the opportunity he was hoping for. Once ahead, Billy drove off into the distance as Callender dropped the pace slightly but had to keep a watchful eye on his mirrors as Graeme Gordon closed up without seriously threatening to take the place away.

With Ronnie McKenzie opting to take up his place at the front of the line up in the final, it made life a bit harder for Callender and co. behind. But Ronnie’s bid for glory was shot lived as he spun off going onto the back straight and had the best view in the house at the cars coming down the hill towards him - however, he was far enough off the racing line for the action to continue unabated. Bonnar was quickly snapping at Callender’s heels and shot past in lightning quick time and once again disappeared into the distance. After that the race became a bit of a procession although there was a hairy moment for Pete Allen as he spun again coming into the home straight although this time he kept one wheel on the tarmac ensuring he could rejoin. Gary Black got caught out at the same point as well and weaved up the home straight before he got things under control but not before he had allowed Graeme Gordon to get past. Gordon again closed on Callender as the laps ticked away but the final was all about Bonnar who won by a good half lap at the finish and he goes into the final round at Lochgelly knowing that the job has been done.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 871 Graeme Callender, 338 Graeme Gordon, 16 Gary Black, 34 Craig McLaren, 700 Ian Donaldson, 187 Ronnie McKenzie,
Heat 2: 844 Billy Bonnar, 871, 338, 700, 16, 187, 3 Pete Allen, 34
Final: 844, 871, 338, 16, 700, 34, 3

2011 World Series Scotland round 8
Lochgelly, Sunday 15th May 2011
The Madman writes… Although the results suggest otherwise, the best round of the Scottish qualifying series was held at Lochgelly on 15/05/11. Eight cars graced the track - Ian Donaldson was a notable absentee - whilst Pete Allan was having his first run of the year. Ronnie McKenzie had painted the 187 machine, and Graeme Callender had spent a lot of the week fixing the damage he sustained at Cowdenbeath.

Ronnie McKenzie was quickest off the line in heat one with Graeme Callender following him into the first bend as Craig McLaren moved aside and let the pack come racing past. Stuart Walker led the train behind as Gary Black got caught on the outside line leaving Billy Bonnar to quickly close up on him. The lead pair ended up side by side with McKenzie leaving plenty of room on the outside if anyone was brave enough. Graeme slowly edged ahead before making the move stick by half distance. His passing spurred Billy Bonnar into life as he left Walker trailing as he shot round the outside of Ronnie as well to take up the chase after the race leader. It was all change further back as Walker got hit from behind by Graeme Gordon that forced his retirement a couple of laps later. Meantime, as the race entered the closing stages, Billy was right on the tail of 871. He had a couple of looks up the outside but opted to go out wide passing the start finish line and cut underneath Callender. He made the manoeuvre stick and was off for his first win of the day. Graeme Gordon crossed the line in third but was docked two places for the incident with Walker.

It was a bit drizzly for heat two but thankfully it came to nothing as all the field were out on slicks. The opening gambits were similar to heat one with Ronnie McKenzie plonking himself on the inside line and moving for no-one. Callender tried the outside line again but, although it was drying, it was still a bit damp and Graeme found himself at the back of the pack as a five car train were queuing up to get past the race leader. With Stuart Walker and Gary Black reluctant to try the outside line it was left to Billy Bonnar to once again take up the mantle as he inched nearer and nearer the lead as the laps ticked past. He eventually got out from and was followed by Graeme Gordon who decided it was now or never if he wanted to get himself a good finish. The recovering Callender also was getting his second wind and sneaked past the Walker/Black battle, then took command of his race with McKenzie to get third by the flag. The places at the rear were hard to predict as you could hardly separate Walker and Black at the line with Pete Allan and Craig McLaren having a good battle for the minors.

The final looked liked following in the same vein as the heats but Callender decided to tuck in behind McKenzie on this occasion. Billy Bonnar found a gap to got past Graeme and quickly demoted  McKenzie from first - a move quickly replicated by Callender a couple of laps later. Ronnie then dug his heels in and decided he was hell-bent at hanging onto third as he had a train of Walker, Black, and Graeme Gordon all queuing up to get past. Walker tried just too hard and clouted the barrier which saw him coast to a halt at the entrance to the home straight. He gestured to the marshals that he wanted the race stopped but they rightly deemed that he was well off the racing line and things continued. A couple of laps later their hand was forced when Craig McLaren spun at the same end of the track and was stranded on the racing line bringing the field to a halt. The spin of McLaren enabled Gordon to dive past McKenzie, but it was all in vain as the cars were placed back in the order they were on the previous lap leaving Graeme being forced to do it all again. There was no change up front on the restart as Bonnar pulled away from Callender who in turn was leaving the battle for third behind. McLaren pulled off in the closing stages whilst Gary Black had to nurse his car home after it went sick. Gordon tried an all or nothing manoeuvre on McKenzie on the last lap but Ronnie just held on for third.

Certainly some of the closest racing we have seen for a while. The next round should be just as interesting at the undulations of Knockhill on the 25th.  The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 871 Graeme Callender, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 16 Gary Black, 338 Graeme Gordon,  3 Pete Allan, 34 Craig McLaren.
Heat 2: 844, 338, 871, 187, 54 Stuart Walker, 16, 3,34
Final: 844, 871, 187, 338, 3, 16

2011 World Series Scotland round 7
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 7th May 2011
The Madman writes… The National Hot Rods were playing second fiddle to the Saloon British at Cowdenbeath on 7th May but they proved their worth on the programme with some close racing all night.

It was the usual suspects out for heat one in a drying track after some earlier rain, the only absentee being Keith Chesher. Ronnie McKenzie set off from the front row and after a brief foray from Craig McLaren at the first bend was allowed an unchallenged lead for the first few laps. Ian Donaldson has his Tigra back on song and he quickly emerged into second before easing his way past on lap 4. Gary Black was finding more speed than usual and holding onto third as Graeme Callender and Billy Bonnar queued up behind looking for a way past. Billy wasn’t for hanging about and he neatly hemmed Callender in behind Black and shot round the outside of both of them. Graeme decided that there was no time to waste and completed the same manoeuvre on the next lap. However, as he got to the end of the back straight, the car went straight on and flew into the wall at high speed before careering round it and stopping in the home straight. The yellow flags were quickly out. Graeme was none the worse for his ordeal, a stuck throttle being the cause - although the car had some front end damage which curtailed his evening’s activities. Upon the restart, Donaldson was able to pull clear as Billy was stuck behind McKenzie for a couple of laps before emerging in second. He quickly caught up with the leader but despite a couple of looks both inside and out had to settle for second in what was an intriguing battle for the second half of the race. Ronnie McKenzie fell away in the closing stages allowing Stuart Walker, Black, McLaren and Graeme Gordon all past in double quick time leaving him to cross the line in seventh although the first two were well clear of the rest.

Heat two saw Ronnie McKenzie get quickly off the line but he was soon passed by a determined Craig McLaren who soon left him trailing in his wake. However Craig looked to be trying too hard as he almost pranged the car on a couple of occasions in as many laps.  Deciding that discretion was the going to win the day, he backed off the throttle. This allowed Ian Donaldson to lead his second race of the night with it not being long until he had Billy Bonnar in tow. The pair got set to battle out the lead all the way to the finish with less than 5 laps gone. The rest of the field looked strung out as Stuart Walker got the better of the challenge of Graeme Gordon, both of them then having lonely races to themselves. Pete McVay was also getting into the swing of things and looked quicker and quicker as the race went on. However, once again the talking point was going to be if Bonnar could get past Donaldson this time. In the closing stages he never even mounted a serious challenge allowing Ian to take his second victory of the night.

Pete McVay never appeared for the final and with Ronnie McKenzie opting to start at the back, it only took a lap for Ian Donaldson to get his nose in front ahead of Stuart Walker. Craig McLaren disappeared in a plume of smoke on lap 4 which gave the following drivers a few anxious moments. Billy Bonnar wasted no time at passing Walker and looked in determined mood as he homed in on the race leader. A couple of looks to find the best line and Billy nipped through on the inside at the pit bend before half distance was reached. It looked as if we were going to have a processional race in prospect with the sextet which were still running getting well spread out. The main talking points came in the final five laps when Stuart Walker found a turn of speed and was absolutely flying. Two or three more laps and he might have overhauled Donaldson for second. At the flag it was Bonnar who marched on ever closer to getting to Ipswich as there are only three rounds left, the first of which takes place this Sunday at Lochgelly. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 700 Ian Donaldson, 844 Billy Bonnar, 54 Stuart Walker, 16 Gary Black, 34 Craig McLaren, 338 Graeme Gordon, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 88 Pete McVay
Heat 2: 700, 844, 54, 338, 88, 34, 16, 187
Final: 844, 700, 54, 338, 187, 16

2011 World Series Scotland round 6
Lochgelly, Sunday 24th April 2011
Kevin McQueen reports:  The latest round of the Scottish World Series was held at Lochgelly on April 24th, which proved to be another successful meeting for Billy Bonnar.

There were only seven cars on the grid, a couple of drivers missing, but another driver taking to the grid, Ronnie McKenzie in #187, giving 10 cars that have now competed in the championship series.

The opening heat saw Bonnar come from the rear of the grid and battle his way through to the front, challenging Ian Donaldson for the lead in the latter stages. Ian was in no mood for making it simple for the flying Fifer, holding his line well and ensuring if he was going to be passed, it would be from a bold move around the outside, or from a driver error on his part. Bonnar couldn’t find a way past the Donaldson motor, enabling Donaldson to take the opening heat victory. Bonnar was later docked 2 places for jumping the start, dropping him to fourth position.

All cars took to the grid again for race two which saw a complete restart as Bonnar and Black were amongst a few drivers getting caught up on lap 1, Bonnar being spun across the racing line, and Black picking up some suspension damage. Donaldson again took an early lead from Callender, Walker and Bonnar. Bonnar fought his way through to the front of the grid early on leading from Donaldson and co. Donaldson dropped back a bit after getting caught on the outside, allowing Callender, Gordon and Walker through into second third and fourth respectively, with Donaldson finishing fifth.

Bonnar took an early lead in the final and showed his class well, flying away from the rest of the grid, in the process, pulling out a lap time a full two-tenths of a second quicker than anyone else in the race. Donaldson seemed to be struggling for grip at times during the race, but managed to hold on to take second place from Gordon and Walker. The battle for the minor places between Black and McKenzie was quite intriguing as well, with both battling throughout the race, no more than a few car lengths apart, providing some great all round Hot Rod racing.  Kevin McQueen
Results
Heat 1: 700, 54, 871, 844, 338, 187, 16.
Heat 2: 844, 871, 338, 54, 700, 187.
Final: 844, 700, 338, 54, 871, 187, 16. Latest Scottish points

2011 World Series Scotland round 5
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 16th April 2011
The Madman writes… The latest National Hot Rod world qualifier at Cowdenbeath on 16th April proved to be a Billy Bonnar benefit as he strolled to three easy wins from the back of the grid. Graeme Callender chased him home on each occasion, having struggled with an ill handling car all night.

It was the usual 8 cars that lined up for heat one with one addition, Pete McVay. His car met with all the current criteria but he was not given places in any of the races due to the fact that he had not got his NHRPA licence yet. Front man, Keith Chesher got things underway but was quickly swamped by the pack which saw him down to last by lap two before moving up a couple of places again. Fellow front row sitter Craig McLaren did likewise a lap later as the quick men made their move up through the field. Graeme Callender got himself a good early lead as Ian Donaldson emerged from the pack in second and gave chase for a couple of laps before he lost it and spun off rejoining at the rear of the field. This left Billy Bonnar to take up the mantle as chaser, and it took him until lap 12 before he could catch up with the 871 machine. Once there Graeme offered little resistance and decided to let Bonnar past and concentrate at hanging on for second as Graeme Gordon, going appreciably better than the previous meeting was not too far behind. Once Billy had fled the nest it was left for all eyes to look further down the field for an enthralling battle between Chesher and Stuart Walker. The pair changed placed regularly throughout the race with Walker doing it when it mattered on the run to the flag as he ended up in fifth behind Gary Black who had the quietest race of them all. Craig McLaren retired in the closing stages leaving Ian Donaldson to move up a place in what was to be a rotten night for the Scottish champion.

With no sign of Craig McLaren for heat two, Graeme Callender was quickly into the lead. Any chance he had of building up a big advantage was thwarted as the yellows were out on lap three as Stuart Walker and Keith Chesher touched putting the latter out and leaving Walker running at the rear. When things got back underway, Callender set off out in front again but it was only another couple of laps before Billy Bonnar caught him up and was past, the Bonnar Tigra handling supremely well for the former world finalist. After that the race turned into a bit of a procession with the field well and truly strung out and no-one running the risk of pushing on too hard to gain a place.

With the field whittled down to six for the final which included Pete McVay, it was clear that the race was never going to be a classic. Things got worse when Ian Donaldson was forced to retire with diff problems. Graeme Callender led once again but it was clear that there was going to be only one winner - Billy Bonnar - who took over on lap seven on disappeared into the distance. The last 18 laps was one of the most boring races seen in the formula so far as Graeme Gordon settled down in third and Gary Black a respectable distance behind. The most excitement was the McVay Mini pulling off in the closing stages and almost everyone was glad when the starter eventually waved the chequered flag.

Things can only get better at Lochgelly this Sunday. Not that Billy Bonnar will be complaining mind you as he left Cowdenbeath with a maximum haul. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 844 Billy Bonnar, 871 Graeme Callender, 338 Graeme Gordon, 16 Gary Black, 54 Stuart walker, 662 Keith Chesher, 700 Ian Donaldson
Heat 2: 844, 871, 338, 16, 700, 54
Final: 844, 871, 338, 16
Dave Rennie’s photos

2011 World Series Scotland round 4
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 19th March 2011
The Madman writes… There were no surprises on the grid for the 4th round of the Scottish National Hot Rod series at Cowdenbeath on 19th March. 8 drivers appeared on the grid including Keith Chesher in the ex-Graeme Callender Colt which had been given a freshen up and painted in the usual black colour scheme of its pilot.

Craig McLaren set off from pole in heat one but was quickly relegated to last as he got swamped at the first corner. However, he was soon to get a second chance as Keith Chesher spun causing the reds to be applied and everyone having to do it all over again. McLaren looked more determined on the restart only Stuart Walker getting past by the first bend although it wasn’t long before Ian Donaldson and Billy Bonnar were soon up to second and third. Hat trick hero from the previous week, Graeme Gordon, was going nothing like the speed he was then, the team finding it hard to get a suspension setting which suited them. Donaldson quickly caught up to the race leader and sat behind him for a few laps until he was spurred on as Bonnar arrived on the scene as well. The pair seemed to adopt an “after you” approach as they eventually found a gap to get past the race leader. Further back Graeme Callender was getting increasing impatient at being stuck behind Graeme Gordon, finally finding a way round the outside as the race passed half distance. Another spin from Chesher saw him cry enough and vacate his car safely off the circuit. Once the first two got up front there was little else to talk about. Gary Black eventually got past Gordon whilst Walker backed off over the last few laps allowing Callender to close up but never going to be close enough to mount a serious challenge. At the flag, it was Donaldson who took his Tigra to its maiden win from Bonnar who looked content to sit back in second.

Stuart Walker quickly overhauled pole sitter Craig McLaren in heat two and set about building up an early advantage from Ian Donaldson who emerged from the pack in second. Billy Bonnar had made another lightning start from the back and was soon in hot pursuit leaving Graeme Callender and Gary Black to negotiate the outside line to get past Graeme Gordon once again. Eventually Donaldson left the door open for Bonnar to sneak up the inside, the pair eager not to repeat their clash at the previous round which put both of them out one of the heats. Billy then reeled in the leader but the only way past was going to be on the outside line as Stuart slowed the pace down a bit to ensure that he left no opportunity to get up the inside. With 6 to go, Bonnar dropped back rather quickly from his battle for the lead, allowing both Donaldson and Callender to play catch up. It transpired that he had a puncture. Callender neatly trapped Donaldson in and got past for third but when he tried the outside line to go past Bonnar he was unable to make the manoeuvre stick and Ian was the one which benefited most as he got past into second with Billy limping home in third ahead of Callender and the fast finishing Gary Black. However, it was a facile win for Walker.

The final looked like following the same pattern as Stuart Walker got ahead in the early stages with Ian Donaldson quickly on his tail. Graeme Callender looked a lot quicker this time and flew up to the back of the leaders with such speed that it looked like he would drive round the outside of both of them. He had Billy Bonnar for company though with Gary Black another looking quicker as the night progressed. They were well clear of Graeme Gordon, Keith Chesher and Craig McLaren who were battling it out for the wooden spoon. Once again Walker slowed the pace a tad to ensure that the inside line was his although Donaldson’s challenge was being thwarted by the return of a misfire which bugged him in the final at the previous round. When Bonnar started to put pressure on Callender for third, Graeme offered little resistance and let Billy past and dropped back before coming with another late burst in the closing stages. In the final few laps, Donaldson had the problems with his tyres going off to contend with as well and he suddenly found himself quickly being relegated down the order. On the final lap, Bonnar made a do or die manoeuvre up the inside but Walker knew what he was doing as he got the drag coming out of the corner and took the chequered flag by less than a bonnet length at the finish, with Callender and Black right up there as well in what was a good night of Rod action.  The Madman
Results:
Heat 1: 700 Ian Donaldson, 844 Billy Bonnar, 54 Stuart Walker, 871 Graeme Callender, 16 Gary Black, 338 Graeme Gordon, 34 Craig McLaren.
Heat 2: 54, 700, 844, 871, 16, 338, 662 Keith Chesher, 34
Final: 54, 844, 871, 16, 700, 338, 662, 54
Photos by Dave Rennie from Oval Racing News in the Gallery

2011 World Series Scotland round 3
Lochgelly, Sunday 13th March 2011
The Madman Writes… Eight cars appeared for the third round of the Scottish National Hot Rod series at Lochgelly on 13th March. Heavy snow the previous day had left the meeting in some doubt, but some sterling work by the track staff ensured that racing could go ahead.

There was no real surprises in the entries although Northern Irish star Dave McKay was an interloper, having come over to collect his car to take back home. There were new Tigras for Ian Donaldson and Graeme Callender, whilst Craig McLaren was a welcome addition to the fold.

Graeme Gordon drew pole for heat 1 and made his advantage pay from the off as he led round the first bend ahead of Stuart Walker, as fellow front row-er Gary Black quickly fell back down the order. However, his efforts were all in vain as Craig McLaren spun on lap two causing the steward to throw a red leaving everyone having to do it all again. Gordon got the better of his rivals at the restart as Walker drifted out wide allowing a more determined looking Black to settle in second. This was short lived as well as Billy Bonnar slipped past on the inside going past the control box and set about quickly reeling the leader in. After a tentative start, Ian Donaldson was getting more confident and eventually emerged in third and caught up with the battle up front as Billy kept trying the outside line to no avail. Graeme Callender who was crawling round with his new Tigra which had been finished literally a couple of hours before the meeting, gave up and parked up on the centre - being joined by Walker, who bounced off the Armco and into retirement. Craig McLaren spun again in the latter stages with Donaldson almost coming to grief late on as he tried a daring move down the outside and discovered how little grip there was when he reached the turn. At the flag, Graeme Gordon always looked in command from the hard charging Bonnar.

With the grid reversed for heat two, it was Bonnar who set the early pace with rapid headway being made from Donaldson on row three, and he was soon on the tail of Tigra out in front. Graeme Gordon sneaked up to third albeit at a respectable distance, but his cause was helped by Davy McKay spinning and bringing out the yellows which closed the whole field up. When the green came back out, it was apparent that the first two were able to circulate a lot quicker than Graeme was and they quickly pulled clear once again. Donaldson, who was now confident with his machine, was eagerly looking for a way past the leader. At the end of the back straight Billy ran slightly wide giving Ian the chink of light he was looking for. He dived up the inside, Bonnar tried to shut the door, the result being that the pair went spinning towards the Armco which put both of them out of the race. After that, Graeme was able to stroll to victory by half a lap from Gary Black who got the better of an intriguing battle with Stuart Walker.

The final started with only half a dozen cars with Davy McKay and Graeme Callender loading up for the day, the latter having suffered the lack of brakes during the heats. Graeme Gordon made the most of his pole start with Bonnar tucking in behind to ensure that Gary Black was stuck on the outside line. The race though was soon halted as Craig McLaren spun on the back straight and was unable to move until the reds had been thrown. The restart saw Gordon go away from pole again, whilst Bonnar's eagerness to snatch second saw him drift out wide letting both Walker and Black past. Gary decided to try to nip up the inside of the Walker machine but ended up spinning Stuart round which incurred him a two-place penalty at the finish. It also held up Bonnar’s charge as he was forced to take evasive action and clipped the 54 car which allowed Donaldson through into third. However, the new Tigra had developed a misfire which was sounding progressively worse as the race progressed. All of this played nicely into the hands of Gordon, who reeled off an easy hat-trick of wins. Black crossed the line in second whilst the recovering Bonnar took advantage of Donaldson’s coughing and spluttering machine to nab third in sight of the post.

There is little rest for the drivers, as the next round takes place at Cowdenbeath this coming Saturday. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 338 Graeme Gordon, 844 Billy Bonnar, 700 Ian Donaldson, 16 Gary Black, 943 Dave McKay, 34 Craig McLaren.
Heat 2: 338, 16, 54, 943, 871 Graeme Callender, 34.
Final: 338, 844, 700, 16, 54, 34

2011 World Series Scotland round 2
Cowdenbeath, Saturday 23rd October 2010
The Madman writes… Nine cars turned out at the Racewall for the final meeting of the season in Scotland on October 23rd. Six cars were eligible for points in the National Hot Rod world series but they were all overshadowed by Ian Donaldson who demonstrated the difference in grip between his Avon shod machine and the National cars on Hoosiers by taking a facile hat trick and with it the track championship.

Stuart Walker led away heat one from Gary Black with Billy Bonnar slotting into third. All eyes though were on Ian Donaldson as he quickly emerged in fifth having started almost half a lap behind the leaders. His next target was Jason McDonald who was proving to be a tougher nut to crack as he had his own agenda by trying to become the top points scorer in Scotland in 2010 - having raced at all three venues regularly throughout the year trying to achieve his goal. It was lap 5 before Donaldson was able to dispose of him although he needn’t have bothered as McDonald had a diff problem on the next lap causing the car to spin at the turnstile bend. Those behind shot in all directions to miss the melee with the leader, Stuart Walker, being spun by Bonnar under the yellows. Once the stricken Corrado was moved off the track, Walker led the field away again with Bonnar and Donaldson making a train going down the back straight. It wasn’t long before Ian was through into the lead as the duo ahead were quite happy to let him past as he was not scoring any points in the National series. In the final few laps, Graeme Callender got fed up sitting behind Gary Black and charged round the outside to take fourth with Graeme Gordon looking nowhere near as quick as he had at Lochgelly the previously week way back in sixth.  Donaldson pulled well clear by the flag to win at ease with Walker forced to go on the defensive in the final couple of laps as Bonnar looked for a way past.

Graeme Callender started at the front of heat two and soon established an advantage over Graeme Gordon who looked more confident than he did in heat one looking comfortable in second as Billy Bonnar moved up into third ahead of Jason McDonald who, despite all the hard work in the pits, still had problems with the diff and he eventually retired for the night. Ian Donaldson soon had the leaders with in sights and again found little resistance from those ahead who were quite happy to let him past. By lap 10 he got past Callender and drove off into the distance. It was rather processional from then on, although another Avon shod car, James Gray, was quickly moving up through the field. With just over a lap to go he all but lost it coming into the home straight and ended up broadside across the track and got collected by Graeme Gordon. The steward brought out the reds to declare the race although Gray and Gordon were taken out of the places having been deemed to be the cause of the stoppage.

The final put Graeme Callender and Stuart Walker on the front row of the grid but the former decided to go to the back of the National cars as he had a misfire which wouldn’t clear during the warming up laps. Billy Bonnar took advantage of Callender’s predicament and got ahead of Walker after a lap, something which seemed to spur Stuart on and he made sure that Billy could not relax for the duration of the 25 lap final. Once again, the superior grip enjoyed by Ian Donaldson got him up with the leaders quite quickly although he found himself stuck for a while behind an intriguing battle between Gary Black and Graeme Gordon. He eventually found a way through but it was just as well that the final was run over an extended distance as it took him to lap 20 to get into the lead as Walker and Bonner made certain that they did not lose any ground in allowing him past. Ian then once again pulled clear in the latter stages, with the most interest coming from watching to see if the Colt of Callender could made it to the finish, something he achieved - albeit three laps down.

The close season should prove interesting as the National fixtures are announced for 2011, and the future of the Outlaw Rods are discussed. At the moment though, Billy Bonnar is the man in pole position to get a place on the world final grid come next July. The Madman
Results
Heat 1: 700 Ian Donaldson, 54 Stuart Walker, 844 Billy Bonnar, 871 Graeme Callender, 16 Gary Black, 338 Graeme Gordon, 302 James Gray
Heat 2: 700, 871, 844, 54, 187 Ronnie McKenzie, 16
Final: 700, 844, 54, 16, 338, 187, 871

2011 World Series Scotland round 1
Lochgelly, Sunday 17th October 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.