Rookie Bangers do battle at Purfleet (From Thurrock Gazette)

Terry Skeef Memorial Trophy is a success at Arena Essex

1:00pm Thursday 11th October 2012 in Sport

BANGER RACING: ROOKIE banger racers did battle at Purfleet on Sunday for the prestigious annual Terry Skeef memorial meeting.

As usual, all the cars were painted in orange, the same colour that Terry Skeef raced throughout his banger racing career.

At the beginning of the programme a Ladies Race kicked off proceedings and that was won once again by Claire Jones from Debbie Woodroffe.

Heat one of the regular Rookies saw a first win for about four years for Tilbury’s Stuart Fuller as Grant Underhill and Nicky Hammer exchanged a series of hits on turn one.

Heat two was stopped after a clash between South Ockendon's Nick Milbourn and Ian Barley. Jamie McAngus warmed up for the final with the win.

After countless crashes in the final, only a handful of cars were left circulating with three of them in contention for the win. Jamie McAngus used his years of Mini Stox and Banger experience to negotiate his way round the track. Glenn Sexton was in the runner-up spot.

Many cars returned for the pit bend Destruction Derby at the end of the meeting and it was almost too many as the chaos was difficult to follow. Brief respite came when Mark Raymond managed to roll his car off the inner kerb and the Derby was stopped briefly to help him get out of the car. When it resumed there were only a handful of cars left and the battle eventually came down to Tilbury’s Paul Harrison and DD expert Tom Greenstreet. After several crashes and a bit of cat and mouse the event was eventually declared a tie.

The Group A Stock Rod season came to a controversial end with a clash between Wayne Shackleford and Neil Wood souring the finale. With both riding high in the points Shackleford appeared to tip Wood into a spin which resulted in damage to the Wood car. Shackleford was disqualified but the clash allowed Steve Gooch – who arrived at the meeting in third place in the points, to take the points lead, although as a driver not registered with Arena Essex for the year, the track championship trophy will go to Wood. Gooch managed to hold off a bouyant Richard Haines in the Supreme Championship to take that win whilst the Terry Skeef memorial final went the way of Haines. Petty and Gooch following him home.

A few extra Stock Cars, thanks to the previous night’s European Championship, saw some of the best action of the season. The Supreme Championship was won by Lee Pearce. Behind the dominant Pearce came Darren Rosenthall and Dean Kitchen. Later in the programme Pearce fenced Rosenthall and wrapped up the track title as a result. Paul Aylward won the remaining heats in a borrowed car. Finally the Mini Stox started their day with a very lively race which saw a number of casualties on turn one, including novice racer Mike Dobney. Harry Steward and Lauren Overy shared the heats before going on to battle it out in the final, with a brakeless, Steward managing to defeat Overy on this occasion – the lack of brakes probably helping in a Stock Car class where you can use your rivals to slow down. Connor Reeve took third place while track championship rivals Dan Newman and Reid Murray found themselves lapped as they didn’t trust each other not to take each other out of the race.

The next action at Arena Essex is on October 21 when the National Bangers compete.