Final Raceway meeting of season this Friday

The penultimate meeting of the Ballymena Raceway season took place on Saturday evening when another set of championship honours were decided.

Bangor’s Craig McConnell continued his excellent run of form at Raceway to grab the crh designs sponsored Supreme Championship for the F2 Stock Cars, while Uel McMillan from Ballymena was crowned Group Two Lightning Rod King of the North after a measured drive in the Group Two Lightning Rod final.

Former Saloon Stock Car Irish Champion Winston Weir looks right at home in the Lightning Rod class these days and demonstrated that fact by clinching The Dealer sponsored Champions Challenge Cup with a well judged performance in his Ford Sierra. Junior Rods completed the programme and it was Cara Wightman from Belfast who impressed once again to claim the Wm. Moody & Son Car Sales Trophy after an excellent showing in her Peugeot 106.

F2 STOCK CARS

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Former European Champion Craig McConnell is proving unstoppable at present around Raceway and breezed through the heats to claim a brace of untroubled victories.

Thomas Greer made the early running in the final, but all eyes were on McConnell once again as the Bangor racer tore up the track to effortlessly make his way to the front. Once out front McConnell took his foot off the gas and cruised home to a perfect hat-trick of victories and with it the crh designs Supreme Championship. Conor Hughes made his way through to second at the flag with Sam McKay in third.

Heat One: 1st. Craig McConnell (Bangor), 2nd. Conor Hughes (Antrim), 3rd. Sam McKay (Ballyclare)

Heat Two: 1st. McConnell, 2nd. Hughes, 3rd. McKay

Final: 1st. McConnell, 2nd. Hughes, 3rd. McKay

GROUP 2 LIGHTNING RODS

Twenty cars took part in the two qualifying races which would determine the grid positions for the King of the North race.

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The first qualifier brought a good win for Jimmy Gillespie, who finished well clear of Simon McLaughlin and Darryl Reid, before Kenny Greer steered his smartly finished Vauxhall Astra to victory in race two.

The heat winners shared the front row of the grid for the final where Greer made the break at the green flag to take it up. Man on the move however was Uel McMillan who swiftly moved through from the third row of the grid to challenge the leader.

McMillan eventually found a way past at Fisherwick bend to take over the front running spot and gradually eased out a race winning advantage to secure the King of the North title. Greer was safe in second, with Mark Turtle in third.

Heat One: 1st. Jimmy Gillespie (Ballymena), 2nd. Simon McLaughlin (Londonderry), 3rd. Darryl Reid (Cullybackey)

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Heat Two: 1st. Kenny Greer (Ballymena), 2nd. Gillespie, 3rd. David Gillespie (Ballymena)

King of the North: 1st. Uel McMillan (Ballymena), 2nd. Greer, 3rd. Mark Turtle (Ballymena)

ORC LIGHTNING RODS

Steven McNeill made the running in the early stages of the 16 car opening heat before Winston Weir moved through into the lead. Weir just held off the advances of a fast finishing Tim Hazlett to earn victory in this one before Noel Reynolds from Drogheda made the long journey to Raceway worthwhile by securing a dominant win in heat two.

The points scored in the heats determined the grid positions fir the 25 lap Champions Challenge Cup final and pitted together heat winners Weir and Reynolds on the front row.

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Weir revelled in the damp conditions at the start of the final to build up a handsome cushion, but as the track began to dry his advantage diminished and the leader found himself under attack from Hazlett and Jordan Rochford in the closing stages. Neither could pierce Weir’s resolute defence during those final laps however as Weir held on to clinch The Dealer sponsored Champions Challenge Cup ahead of Rochford, Richard Stewart and Hazlett.

Heat One: 1st. Winston Weir (Killyman), 2nd. Tim Hazlett (Ahoghill), 3rd. Freddie Laffin (Coleraine)

Heat Two: 1st. Noel Reynolds (Drogheda), 2nd. Weir, 3rd. Jordan Rochford (Portadown)

Final: 1st. Weir, 2nd. Rochford, 3rd. Richard Stewart (Ballymoney)

JUNIOR RODS

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Cambridge House pupil Jaimie McCurdy stormed through the pack to record a fine win in the opening heat ahead of Cara Wightman and Peter Greer before Calvin Blake steered his Ford Ka to the honours in heat two.

In the Wm. Moody & Son Car Sales trophy race however it was Belfast girl Wightman who set the pace in her Peugeot 106. Wightman made her break early and maintained a healthy advantage to the chequered flag to make it two final wins on the trot at Raceway.

Local lad Aaron Moody excelled on the damp track to come home in a fine second place, with heat one winner McCurdy just holding off a strong challenge from Greer to claim the final podium spot in third.

Heat One: 1st. Jaimie McCurdy (Aughafatten), 2nd. Cara Wightman (Belfast), 3rd. Peter Greer (Gracehill)

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Heat Two: 1st. Calvin Blake (Ballyclare), 2nd. Wightman, 3rd. Aaron Moody (Ballymena)

Final: 1st. Wightman, 2nd. Moody, 3rd. McCurdy

THIS WEEKEND

The chequered flag falls to conclude another season of Stock Car racing at Ballymena Raceway this Friday (October 5) and a bumper schedule of events are programmed to end the 2012 campaign in some style.

The packed line-up features the 2012 Irish Championship for the Stock Rods, the 2012 Stadium Championship for the Prostocks, the final of the HSS Hire Super League Series for the Open Hot Rods, while the Group Two Lightning Rods will race for the superb Golden Helmet Trophy. A fierce battle is in prospect for the coveted Irish Stock Rod crown, where local favourites Micky McFall, Chris Gordon, Victor McAfee, Derek McMillan and Marc Morrell will all harbour ambitions of taking the title.

The all action Prostock division race for their Stadium Championship with 2012 British Champion Ryan Abernethy expected to figure prominently, while Aughafatten’s Bill McCurdy is one of the favourites for the Open Hot Rod title.

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The well supported Group Two Lightning Rod section is sure to provide fireworks as they battle for the splendid Golden Helmet Trophy which is currently held by Ballymena’s Kenny Carson.

Raceway fans will also get the opportunity to welcome home Chris Gordon as the new Stock Rod World Champion for 2012 on Friday evening.

The local lad has now been confirmed as World Champion following a hearing by the sport’s governing body last week which confirmed that the first two drivers home in the World Final, Stephen McCready and Colm O’Sullivan, should be excluded from the result after their cars failed the post race technical inspections.

Gordon, who started out in the junior class at Raceway 10 years ago, will receive the Gilmore Engineering World Championship Trophy at Raceway on Friday evening and the popular racer is sure to receive a great ovation from his home crowd.

It promises to be a thrilling finale to the Raceway season with the first race at the S. McAfee & Son Car Sales sponsored meeting commencing in the Showgrounds at 7:15pm.

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