Lightning Ray in superb early-season form

Harper, winner of the Yokohama and Irish Open Stock Rod titles already in 2010, qualified on pole position for the trophy race which the Nutts Corner lad then dominated from start to finish.

Group Two Lightning Rod racer Mick Rodgers jumped to the head of the Global Oils Grand Prix Series with victory in the opening round on Friday evening, with the other final honours at Raceway falling to Gavin Fegan in the F2 Stock Cars, Stephen Nevin in the Classic Hot Rods and Dean McCrory in the Junior Rods.

STOCK RODS

Two qualifying heats determined the final grid for the William Cooke Memorial Trophy race and these brought victories for Vauxhall Corsa racers Raymond Harper and Frankie Lynn. Harper's fourth place in the other race secured him pole position for the final and the recently crowned Yokohama Champion put in a faultless drive to add the coveted memorial trophy to his growing list of achievements. British Champion Lynn had to settle for second with Stevie McNeice in third.

Heat One: 1st. Raymond Harper (Nutts Corner), 2nd. Victor McAfee (Ballymena), 3rd. Bobbie Johnston (Glenarm)

Heat Two: 1st. Frankie Lynn (Cullybackey), 2nd. Geoff Milligan (Portadown), 3rd. Stevie McNeice (Enniskillen)

William Cooke Memorial: 1st. Harper, 2nd. Lynn, 3rd. McNeice

GROUP TWO LIGHTNING RODS

Mick Rodgers put himself at the top of the Global Oils Grand Prix Series with victory in the opening round at Raceway on Friday.

Rodgers qualified on the outside of the front row for the final and immediately grabbed the advantage at the start. Rodgers never put a wheel out of place in his Vauxhall Astra to lead from start to finish.

Stephen Doherty finished as runner-up with Lyle Murray in third. Kenny Carson from Ballymena and Davy Parkhill from Ballymoney shared the heat wins.

Heat One: 1st. Kenny Carson (Ballymena), 2nd. Mick Rodgers (Randalstown), 3rd. Davy Parkhill (Ballymoney)

Heat Two: 1st. Parkhill, 2nd. Liscinda Smyth (Portglenone), 3rd. Jonny Gillespie (Galgorm)

Final: 1st. Rodgers, 2nd. Stephen Doherty (Garvagh), 3rd. Lyle Murray (Ballymena)

CLASSIC HOT RODS

Stephen Nevin underlined his growing presence in the Classics with a hat-trick of victories.

Nevin only returned to the ovals this season after a long absence and is already starting to roll back the years in his attractive Ford Escort Mk. 2.

His cause was aided by more problems for Thomas Dilly. The Dungannon based driver looked set to claim victory in heat two but his rapid machine slowed into retirement just over a lap from home. Desie Howard and Kenny Wilson followed Nevin home in the final.

Heat One: 1st. Stephen Nevin (Coleraine), 2nd. Thomas Dilly (Dungannon), 3rd. Kenny Wilson (Ballymena)

Heat Two: 1st. Nevin, 2nd. Wilson, 3rd. Desie Howard (Moneymore)

Final: 1st. Nevin, 2nd. Howard, 3rd. Wilson

F2 STOCK CARS

Adam Maxwell romped to victory in both the heat races, but come final time it was Gavin Fegan who turned the tables on his rival.

Fegan stole an early advantage in the trophy race which the former Irish Champion retained all the way to the chequered flag. Maxwell had to be content with second this time, with Ryan McCrory in third.

Heat One: 1st. Adam Maxwell (Crumlin), 2nd. Ryan McCrory (Antrim), 3rd. Gavin Fegan (Belfast)

Heat Two: 1st. Maxwell, 2nd. Fegan, 3rd. Jack Boal (Crumlin)

Final: 1st. Fegan, 2nd. Maxwell, 3rd. McCrory

JUNIOR RODS

Dean McCrory dashed Sean McFerran’s triple hopes by securing the final honours. McFerran had been in sizzling form in the heat races, steering his Vauxhall Corsa to a brace of victories.

The final boiled down to a battle between McCrory and McFerran and it was Antrim lad McCrory who kept his cool to land the trophy after a close finish.

Heat One: 1st. Sean McFerran (Portglenone), 2nd. Dean McCrory (Antrim), 3rd. Marc Morrell (Ahoghill)

Heat Two: 1st. McFerran, 2nd. McCrory, 3rd. James Steele (Cullybackey)

Final: 1st. McCrory, 2nd. McFerran, 3rd. Daniel Shannon (Glenavy)

THIS WEEKEND

A first-class evening of short oval action lies ahead at Ballymena Raceway on Saturday (May 8) when some of the UK’s top stars are in town to contest the Saloon Stock Car World Masters Trophy.

The best from England and Scotland, such as former World Champions Steve and Shaun Webster from Sheffield, Scottish Champion Robbie Burgoyne from Airth and current holder Luke Grief from Cambridgeshire, will provide a stern test for the province’s top racers in what is sure to be an all-action clash of steel between these heavily armoured saloon cars.

The Raceway action gets underway at 7:15pm on Saturday evening, with support races provided by the F2 Stock Car, Stock Rod and Group Two Lightning Rod classes.