2018 World Championship Report

Last Updated: 03/10/2018 11:02

The Gilmore Engineering World Championship for ORCi Stock Rods, as run by westcountry promoters Autospeed, attracted nearly 40 drivers to the Racewall, Cowdenbeath over the weekend of 1 & 2 September.

A strong home contingent was joined by drivers from southern England, the north east of England and from Northern Ireland, which included defending World Champion 17 Stephen McCready.

With the weather looking unsettled, the Time Trials to determine starting positions on the World Final grid were conducted in reverse grid order for the starting blocks, to ensure drivers within each block had the same track conditions to set their times in.  The weather fluctuated during the Time Trials, as reflected in the lap times, with dry spells punctuated by occasional flurries of drizzle.

932 Ian Thompson Snr was the fastest of group four, and another Northern Ireland driver, 314 Jack Kennedy topped the times for group three.  Eight drivers took to the circuit for group two, and again, it was a Northern Irish competitor, 268 Kurtis Reid, who earned his place at the front of the group.

There was a brief delay in clearing the cars from group two, which was very helpful for late arrivals 854 Chris Chance and 45 Jordan Wainwright, who were able to make it on track for their timed session.  This was to determine who would gain the coveted pole position, and as the session neared its conclusion there was remarkable drama.  The chronological sequence of events saw World Champion McCready post a slightly faster time than 308 Jordan Morgan; then the 5 minute time allowance elapse, and just a second or two after the end of the session, 363 Lee McGill got under the time of McCready.  However, whilst McGill had beaten the timing system, he had not been the overall clock, and having failed to complete his lap before the 5 minute session ended, McGill’s time had to be discounted.  Thus, McCready and Morgan were set on the front row, with 83 Michael Bethune and 10 Niall McFerran on row two, and 117 Jon Dunn with McGill on row three.
With an hour to go before Start Time, the World Final grid was duly assembled on track, and spectators were invited on to the circuit, to take photos, meet drivers, chase autographs and generally revel in the chance of being the other side of the safety fence for a short time.  Despite the drizzle, this again proved popular with racegoers.

A little while into the night’s race programme, a small number of Stock Rods contested the Last Chance Qualifying race.  35 Stuart Wedderburn won convincingly, whilst stalwart racers 240 David Dignan and 41 Stuart McKinnon made no mistake in securing second and third on their home track.  924 Andrew Morrow from Northern Ireland claimed the fourth and final place to progress to the rear of the World Final grid.

The World Finalists made their entrance on to the circuit via the smoke filled tunnel which helped to build up an excited atmosphere, as drivers drank in the cheers as they paraded and received their commemorative awards.  Gold top McCready experienced drama when he broke a driveshaft on the parade lap, and had to make hasty repairs before gridding.

The drizzle had made the track greasy and testing conditions awaited the drivers as they set off on two warm up laps, ahead of the 40-lap race.  As the tension mounted the green flag dropped with McCready going straight into the lead but Bethune was swiftly alongside Morgan and the Scot slotted into second.  At the end of the lap, McFerran and Morgan slid wide in the turnstile bend, which opened the way for McGill to swiftly head into third with Morgan gathering it all back together to hang on to fourth.
McGill and Bethune were side by side as they swarmed all over the tail gate of race leader McCready, and within a lap, Bethune had made an outside line move stick.  As McCready tried to cover that, he left the door open, and to a Scottish roar McGill followed Bethune past to make for an all-Scottish top two, and that demoted the gold top to third.  There was nothing to choose between the lead quartet, who battled fairly with one another, as they began to approach the first of the backmarkers.
Race leader Bethune continued to persevere with the outside line in his search for better grid, whilst McGill regularly dipped to the inside line on the bends, but without making any kind of a move that saw him grab the lead for more than a split second.  Then the lead quartet encountered Dignan, and for a brief moment it looked as though Bethune was going to career into the back straight marker tyres.  However, it was Dignan who was spun aside, leaving Bethune in the lead, but he now had McCready attacking him on his outside.  The cars shuffled back into single file with Bethune, McGill, McCready and Morgan the order, but next time around in the turnstile bend, McGill made his inside line dive stick, and he wrestled the lead from Bethune.

McGill and Bethune began to open up an advantage over McCready and Morgan, and within the next two laps, McGill had eased past assorted backmarkers to extend his lead over Bethune.  79 Adam Howe spun at the end of the back straight, but the leaders safely negotiated the obstacle.  McGill was passing backmarkers on the outside and on the inside as he produced a couple of storming laps to break clear of the chasing Bethune, who was being caught again by McCready.
Just after half distance McGill lapped the tenth placed driver 9 Chris Drake and was some distance clear of Bethune and McCready, who were still dicing for second.  As the race sped through its next segment, McGill continued to edge ever clear, despite a slight tangle at one stage with 189 Kev Watson.

McGill now had five laps to remain, at which point fourth placed Morgan departed in a tangle with Wainwright.  The elevated 216 Cameron Doak into fourth, but there was no doubt about the winner, as McGill reeled off the remaining laps to clinch an emphatic victory, lapping everyone up to fifth.  On the last lap McCready managed to get ahead of Bethune to claim the runners up spot.

Result

1. 363 Lee McGill
2. 17 Stephen McCready
3. 83 Michael Bethune
4. 216 Cameron Doak
5. 117 Jon Dunn
6. 197 James Gray
7. 96 Brett Constable
8. 9 Chris Drake
9. 644 John Rankine
10. 92 Adam Daniels

There were two heats for the Open Scottish which saw Dunn win from Bethune and Reid whilst in the other McGill and Thompson Snr crashed out as McCready won from McFerran and 909 Justin Washer.
On Sunday the weather was dry and as a result the racing was faster than the night before.  Two more heats determined the grid positions for the Open Scottish where Morrow and McFerran were the winners but Scottish hope Bethune blew his engine.

McFerran was on pole for the Scottish Open and it was he who led the field away.  Morrow slipped in behind with McCready in third.  Morrow got caught up with a spinning car allowing McCready into second.  Despite McCready trying every way to get through, McFerran held on for an all Northern Irish 1-2-3, as he led by McCready and Reid.