Published Date:
27 April 2010
By Staff reporter
STOCK Car racing returned to the Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday night and racers from the local borough ensured it was a memorable occasion with some terrific performances.
Ballymena based Chris Gordon recorded an impressive heat and final double success in the Stock Rod class and his exploits were matched by Cullybackey's Ryan Wright who stormed to a brace of victories in the Saloon Stock Car class.
Raceway stalwart Kenny Carson from Ballymena capped a good evening for the locals with victory in the opening Group Two Lightning Rod race at the Ulster Livestock Care sponsored meeting.
STOCK RODS
Lee Johnston claimed his first victory of 2010 in the opening heat ahead of Bobbie Johnston and Victor McAfee. Chris Gordon served notice of his intentions by claiming a clear win in heat two and followed that up with a swashbuckling display in the final where the Ballymena lad swooped from third to first on the final two laps to secure a sensational win in his Peugeot 106.
Heat One: 1. Lee Johnston (Portadown), 2. Bobbie Johnston (Glenarm), 3. Victor McAfee (Ballymena)
Heat Two: 1. Chris Gordon (Ballymena), 2. Raymond Harper (Nutts Corner), 3. John McMillan (Ballymoney)
Final: 1. Gordon, 2. B. Johnston, 3. L. Johnston
SALOON STOCK CARS
Ryan Wright registered a flag to flag win in the opening Saloon heat, before Irish Champion Andrew Stewart ripped through the pack to claim heat two.
Come final time however it was Wright who made all the right moves in his Ford Mondeo. The Cullybackey based racer quickly took over out front and established a clear advantage which was comfortably retained all the way to the chequered flag.
Heat One: 1. Ryan Wright (Cullybackey), 2. Jason Burns (Ballymena), 3. Andrew Stewart (Portadown)
Heat Two: 1. Stewart, 2. Ross Houston (Waringstown), 3. Wright
Final: 1. Wright, 2. Stewart, 3. Burns
NATIONAL HOT RODS
Tommy Maxwell was the victor of the opening heat of World Qualifying Round 12, but a crash during heat two would sideline his Peugeot 206 for the rest of the evening.
Glenn Bell dominated the remaining National races, taking victory in both heat two and the final in his Vauxhall Tigra. Northern Ireland Champion Stewart Doak followed Bell home in the final with Mark Heatrick third in his Mercedes SLK.
Heat One: 1. Tommy Maxwell (Antrim), 2. John Christie (Crumlin), 3. Glenn Bell (Portadown)
Heat Two: 1. Bell, 2. Christie, 3. Keith Martin (Dungannon)
Final: 1. Bell, 2. Doak, 3. Mark Heatrick (Portadown)
CLASSIC HOT RODS
The three races for the Classics provided a different winner each time. Teenager Caleb Howard took the spoils in heat one, before former Saloon Irish Champion Stephen Nevin recorded his first ever Classic Hot Rod win in heat two.
The final was all about Thomas Dilly however. The Dungannon driver powered away from the rest in his impressive Ford Escort Mk. 2, to take the silverware ahead of Howard and Nevin.
Heat One: 1. Caleb Howard (Moneymore), 2. Stephen Nevin (Coleraine), 3. Kenny Wilson (Ballymena)
Heat Two: 1. Nevin, 2. Thomas Dilly (Dungannon), 3. Howard
Final: 1. Dilly, 2. Howard, 3.
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Last Updated:
27 April 2010 11:30 AM
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Source:
Ballymena Times
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Location:
Ballymena