NIF2.com - 2013 - #8 – Tullyroan Oval

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Added: 07 Apr 2013	Category: 2013 Oval Racing
2013 - #8 – Tullyroan Oval – 6/4/13
If the opening meeting at Tullyroan Oval was branded “The Dawn of a New Era”, then this must surely be a further Era we have now stepped into. A new start time, two new classes and the first outing for the Stock Rods as an official Tullyroan Oval class, really such a gamble could have produced a meeting that was a complete flop or a huge success, and it was the latter. Straight off, I’m not a big fan of the early start time, it means leaving Carrick at 4.30 for me and it’s not that long ago I would have been leaving at 6.40 to make the first race at Nuttscorner, it’s eating into my weekend more than I’d like it to and it’s going to be a problem when it clashes with football matches I want to go to which don’t end until 4.50. I can see the rationale behind the early start time, it does give more races, better value for money for the fans and it’s not an alien concept to be starting a meeting at 6.30, several tracks on the mainland start earlier than on a Saturday night, Ipswich, Birmingham and Cowdie to name a few off the top of my head. On a normal meeting I’d go on to talk about the drama in the Junior Productions when Jamie McCurdy and Bradley McKinstry crossed swords on a few occasions, or the cracking racing in the 2 Litre final when Shane Murray and Adam Hylands diced for the lead for most of the race only to both be adjudged to have pushed and both be docked two places giving the win to Stephen Emerson, very noteworthy in itself, but on this occasion it was all about the new classes. Starting with the Superstox, six cars made it out for their first meeting at Tullyroan and the first meeting in Northern Ireland for the class in over 10 years. Kyle Beattie took heat one and two with Gary Grattan the winner in the final. When you’re standing watching the racing it’s sometimes easy to forget how much effort is going in behind the scenes, the Grattan team ran three cars throughout the night, changed an engine between heat one and two, had both their cars lifted off in heat two when Denver’s car dropped oil which took himself and Gary who was behind him into the wall, and they still got both cars out in the final, heavens knows, they may even have changed another engine for the final. When many a driver would have had the car on the trailer after heat one, their effort to keep racing is very much admirable. As it turns out, the Superstox were the warm up act for the Ninja Karts, I’ve been excited and sceptical about these in equal measures since I heard they were starting. I wondered about just how good the racing would be when they seem to just run flat out around the track, or how unorganised it could be trying to get young kids to grid and line up, or just how many cars it would take to make a good race, while at the same time they looked good on the practice day. All those fears seem to have been unfounded, they are a bit disorganised at red flags, which I’m sure they’ll get better at, but there was certainly enough to put on a good race and they weren’t all running flat out and boring. It’s fair to say they stole the show on their opening night. Jake Woolsey took the opening heat win with Matthew Nicholl taking heat two and Adam McFall just got passed Nicholl in the final bend to take the final. I’m sure there was a lot of proud parents at Tullyroan Oval last night, I’m sure it’s a proud moment, if a little nervy to watch your youngster to go on track for the first time in any class, but to be able to share the experience with so many other proud parents must have amplified the experience ten fold I reckon. A big well done to all involved. The Stock Rods completed the billing and managed a dozen cars, putting on some good racing, not least in the final when Jonny Cardwell and Lee Johnston scraped for the lead in the closing laps with Johnston the victor on this occasion. Appox Car Turnout: 73 cars (16 Ninja Karts, 15 Junior Productions, 6 Superstox, 24 2.0 Hot Rods, 12 Stock Rods)
Ninja Karts Line up for a heat one restart



At a glance this shot looks like the front wheel is off the ground
Gary and Denver Grattan line up for heat one in the Superstox
Found a new angle
Superstox Heat two carnage



2 Litre red roof heat one lineup
2 Litre Heat two carnage
I'll get that orange colour to look right in a photo yet
Jonny Cardwell in the Stock Rods
More photos on TullyroanOval.com

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