This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2023) |
BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars | |
---|---|
Category | Stock car racing |
Active since | 1960 |
Country/region | United Kingdom |
World Champion | 7 Gordon Moodie |
National Points Champion | 183 Charlie Busshard |
National Series Champion | 183 Charlie Guinchard |
British Champion | 7 Gordon Moodie |
European Champion | 7 Gordon Moodie |
BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars is a class of single seater auto racing in the UK. Cars are custom-built and race on oval tracks of either shale or tarmac of up to a quarter-mile in length. The tracks they race on are surrounded by either steel plate or post and wire fences to keep the cars on the track. Racing involves contact, drivers are allowed to push, punt or spin fellow competitors out of the way. The cars are very strong and are of an open wheel design, but are designed with the contact element in mind, with front and rear bumpers and a sturdy chassis and roll cage.
BriSCA F2 Stock Car racing was introduced in a demonstration meeting at Tamworth in August 1960. Initially named ‘Junior Tens’, the formula was designed to be a cheaper option to Senior Stock Cars, now BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars. The first full season of competitive racing began in 1961. ‘Junior Tens’ became ‘Juniors’ and then eventually ‘BriSCA Formula 2’. The formula grew very quickly in the 1960s, with race meetings held in many different parts of the UK. The south west became a particular stronghold of the sport. In the present day, there are over 200 race meetings each season, and over 600 registered drivers.
A modern BriSCA F2 is a purpose-built race car with front engine, rear-wheel drive, and open-wheeled with the driver located centrally. Cars make use of an aerofoil mounted on top of the roof that is similar to those found on American Sprint cars. Cars are normally powered by a 2-litre 8 valve Ford Pinto engine, or a Ford Zetec engine, which is the more popular choice being the faster engine.
Some drivers use two separate cars; one will be set up primarily for use on shale or dirt ovals, while the other car will be set up for tarmac, concrete or asphalt ovals; however a few drivers with limited budgets may optimise just one vehicle for both surface types, changing various components and set up for each different track and surface.
BriSCA F2 Stock Car races are normally held on short oval tracks, either tarmac or shale. The number of drivers per race is usually between 20 and 30 cars. Contact is allowed, and drivers push opponents from the racing line in order to pass. Deliberate fencing and following-in is not allowed.
Each driver is graded according to past results, their roofs painted accordingly: red aerofoils with amber flashing lights are known as 'superstar' grade drivers; then red, blue, yellow and white. The lowest grade drivers (white) start each race at the front of the field, while superstar drivers start each race from the rear of the field. Championship winners are also designated specific roof colours: gold for the World Champion, silver for the Shootout Series Champion, black and white checks for the British Champion, red and yellow checks for the European Champion.
The World Championship is an annual competition and the premier BriSCA F2 championship. The winner is granted the honour of racing with a gold roof and wing until the next World Final. The World Final is usually held in September. The host tracks, all of which are based in Britain, are chosen by the designated promoter.
The grid for the World Final is composed of drivers from Britain who are chosen through a series of qualifying rounds and two World Championship Semi-Finals. Drivers who fail to progress from the World Semi-Finals may race again in a Consolation Semi-Final to choose two more entrants, and the reigning World Champion is entitled to start at the rear of the grid if they have not already qualified. The British drivers are joined by stock car drivers from the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The most successful driver in World Final races is Rob Speak, who has won eight. Other notable multiple winners include Bill Batten (four), Dave Brown (three) and Gordon Moodie (three).
The National Series is a championship raced over approximately 11 race meetings towards the end of the season. Around 18 drivers are invited to take part based on meeting attendance, points scored and championship results. The winner is the driver who amasses most points over the series and is granted the honour of racing with a silver roof for the following season.
From 1962 to 2016, the silver roof was awarded to the winner of the National Points Championship: the driver who scored the most points at every stock car meeting throughout the season.
The most successful driver in National Points Championship and National Series history is Gordon Moodie, who has won thirteen. Other notable drivers include Rob Speak (eleven), Roy Goodman (nine), Bill Batten (six), Barry Goldin (three)Gary Hooper (three) and Blake Robertson (one)
The current BriSCA F2 UK tracks are:
Although not part of the official BriSCA calendar, BriSCA F2 drivers also occasionally compete at Ter Apel, Emmen, Posterholt, St Maarten, Venray in the Netherlands and Warneton in Belgium.
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southern United States and later spread to Japan; its largest governing body is NASCAR. Its NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top-level series of professional stock car racing. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile also have forms of stock car racing in the Americas. Other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have forms of stock car racing worldwide as well. Top-level races typically range between 200 and 600 miles in length.
Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is a multi-purpose stadium currently the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team and Yorstox Stock Cars who host regular monthly meetings of BriSCA F1 Stock Cars and BriSCA F2 Stock Cars. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, hosting the 1997 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain. The football team Bradford City used Odsal as a temporary groundshare following the Valley Parade fire while their ground was rebuilt. Odsal Stadium has also historically hosted baseball, women's football, American football, basketball, kabbadi, show jumping, tennis, live music concerts, and international Rugby League matches over the years.
BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars is a class of single-seater stock-car-racing in the UK with custom-built cars, with races conducted on walled oval tracks of either shale or tarmac of approximately a quarter-mile in length. The cars follow open wheel design principles, and there are no horsepower restrictions for the engines. Drivers may use any engine they choose, with Chevrolet based small or big block V8 engines being the most popular. The season runs from March through to November, with occasional meetings over the Christmas period.
Hednesford Hills Raceway is an oval, short-circuit motor racing venue. It is situated on Cannock Chase, approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) from the town of Hednesford, Staffordshire, England and is operated by Incarace Ltd.
John Lund is a BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars racing driver from Rimington, Lancashire who races under number 53. Lund is one of the most successful stock car drivers of all time and holds the current record for the most World Championship wins.
Stock car racing in the United Kingdom covers a number of different oval racing formulas. Contact is allowed in UK stock car racing, that is, if you are unable to pass an opponent using speed alone, you are allowed to push or hit your opponent in order to pass. The degree of contact allowed varies between categories.
Aycliffe Stadium was a sports facility located in County Durham, England, on the southern edge of the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, which has Newton Aycliffe to the North and Aycliffe Village to the South. The stadium was originally used for greyhound racing and then speedway before stock car racing.
V8 Hotstox is a British stock car racing formula that races on British short oval racing circuits. Drivers are members of the British Stock Car Drivers Association (BSCDA) and are affiliated to the British Stock Car Racing Association (BriSCA). V8 Hotstox have also previously been known as V8 Stock Cars.
Superstox is a type of single seat formula racing, similar to Sprint car racing developed in the 1960s in the United Kingdom. Racing is 'contact' whereby drivers can use the front bumper to help dislodge any car in front. Like most other forms of short oval racing, the higher rated drivers normally start at the back of the grid for each race.
Rob Speak is a racing driver from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, he’s one of the most successful drivers in BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars history. He has won the National Points Championship eleven times in succession and the World Championship eight times. In addition, he has won the BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars World Championship, National Points Championship plus the European Championship twice each. In September 2016 he became the new owner and promoter of the Skegness Stadium in Lincolnshire.
Paul Harrison is a BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars racing driver from Rotherham who races under number 2. Harrison is a former World Champion and one of the most recognisable figures in the sport.
Frankie Wainman Junior is a BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars racing driver, who races using the number 515. Wainman is a three-time BriSCA F1 World Champion, fourteen-time National Points Champion and nine-time British Champion along with many other titles.
The World Championship is an annual competition and the premier championship for BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars. The winner is granted the honour of racing with a gold roof and wing until the next World Final.
Gordon Moodie is a BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars racing driver from Windygates, Fife, Scotland, who races under number 7. Gordon Moodie is the most prolific major title holder in the 60+ year history of the sport. To date he has won 83 Championships including 4 World Finals and the National Points Championship/National Series 13 times. He also holds the all time record in oval racing history of having won 509 feature final wins.
Barry Goldin is a BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars racing driver from Bolton, Greater Manchester who races under number 401. Goldin is one of a select group of drivers who has won the National Points Championship on three occasions. In 2012, Barry married fellow racer and BTCC Grid Girl Jo Polley, although the pair announced their separation in September 2014.
Roy Goodman is a former BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars racing driver. Goodman is one of the most successful drivers ever in the formula, having won the first ever World Championship in 1963 and National Points Championship on nine occasions. He also competed in BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars for two decades.
Northampton Shaleway also known as Brafield, is used for BriSCA F1 Stock Cars, BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars, V8 Hotstox, and various other forms of oval motor sport including National Hot Rods, Banger racing, Saloon Stock Cars, Ministox and Rebels. It also briefly hosted speedway and greyhound racing.
Crewe Stadium, also known by several other names including, Earle Street, LMR Sports Ground and BR Sports Ground, was a stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. Located north of Crewe railway station, it was used for speedway and stock car racing. The track was redeveloped in 1993 and is now the site of a retail park.
Raceway Venray, formerly known as Circuit de Peel, is a motorsport racing circuit in Venray, Netherlands. The track consists of a banked half mile oval with a flat quarter mile oval inside and features a karting track using portions of both along with dedicated sections. The track host its own local championships, national championships in cooperation with the Midland Circuit in Lelystad and Circuit de Polderputten in Ter Apel.
White City Stadium was a greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.