IT was action galore at Arena Essex on Sunday as the first World Championship for the Two Litre Stock Car formula was contested.

Jason Askew took his first major win in the class although it could have been so different as he found himself spinning shortly after the start of the race.

But his day was saved by a three abreast lead battle that ran out of room at the end of the home straight – with both Phil Wise and Nick Glover shunted into the infield marker tyres, which speared across the track amidst a dust-storm.

Car after car piled into the dust, with the race stopped while Paul Griffiths was checked over by the medics, having come out worst in the melee.

Following a full restart Dave Palmer assisted Askew with a helpful shove up the inside of the Davies car on the first bend. A lap later and the shove from Palmer looked less helpful as Palmer made his bid for the lead, but just as it looked like the move was successful, Matt Fuller - himself having been assaulted by a lunge from Davies, came barrelling up the inside of Palmer, spinning Palmer and delaying Fuller.

These opening gambits left Askew clear, with defending World Champion and clearly the fastest man on track Ade Clifton through into second.

Davies sensed this and sent Clifton into the barriers, although he was able to continue until a brush with another competitor broke his steering.

Palmer was sent spinning by Dean Bateman as the latter tried to protect his place from Fuller and Nathan Roberts.

Roberts was clearly the man on the move though and he passed both Fuller and Bateman and began to close on Askew but he ran out of time with Askew delighted with his first major win in the class.

Fuller took a big lunge at Bateman on the last corner, but missed and just managed to get round the corner before the fifth placed Glover arrived on the scene.

Two further Stock Car races saw victories for Dave Imber and Darren Nash.

The Lightning Rod Essex Championship was won by Jamie Lee-Callis, who had qualified on pole position for the final.

The quickest man all day long was Nigel Carroll, but he clashed with Rob Merritt in the early stages of heat one and spun down the order. This left him in a lowly grid place for the championship race, but despite the odds, he managed to overtake Anthony Lawrence for second place.

The PRI Bangers suffered a dip in numbers, but two separate qualifying races saw wins for South Coast visitor Darren Terry-Brand and local Purfleet hero, Jack Coveney.

All remaining cars took part in a packed final, the best race of the day, which began with Harry Barwell rolling his car off Jodie Cheeseman.

Coveney and Terry-Brand were the class of the field once again, but Terry-Brand managed to break away from his challenger, despite steaming into Micky Hamer on a couple of occasions as he attempted to slow his progress.

Hamer starred in the Destruction Derby as well, taking his badly warped car to victory while Cheeseman earned herself the Most Destructive Driver award.

Ryan Mayling took a heat and final victory in the Junior Mini Stox - his first victories in the class.

In the final he headed home Jack Leeks, with third-placed Steph Sore was the top placed of the star drivers.

The next action at Arena Essex is on September 25 with the 46th running of the National Banger World Final taking pride of place.

Entries are already looking very good for this one and with more action from the 2L Stock Cars and the Stock Rods Essex Championship it will be a day not to miss. It begins at 1pm.