| Added: 31 Mar 2014 |
Category: 2014 Oval Racing |
| Ten Things I’m looking forward to in 2014 |
I think I wasn’t far off the mark last year that some of my highlights of the season were the things I’d said before the season were in my top 10 things I was looking forward to, so I’ll once again put it writing and we’ll see how close we come again this year.
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1. The 2.0 Hot Rod World Final @ Tullyroan
The 2.0 Hot Rod world returns to NI and it makes it’s first appearance at Tullyroan Oval. Last time it was staged here Will Reed took the honours when Wayne Woolsey was pre-season favourite, this time around I think it’s hard to imagine it won’t go the way of Murray, Hylands, Emerson or Woolsey, but you just never know. Roll on July! |
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2. The big classes returning to Aghadowey
Aghadowey was hailed for many a year as the best track in the country, admittedly for many of the years I heard it hailed as that it was shut, and I think we all remember things to have been slightly rosier than they perhaps were. I haven’t attended an awful lot of meetings at Aghadowey and I don’t think I’d ever seen the National Hot Rods around it, so it’s going to be something new for me and I’m sure many younger fans to see the top classes return to it. Thankfully too there isn’t a lot of fixture clashes with BMR, which I’d feared there would be, so at least it’s not an either/ or decision. |
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3. F2 World at Cowdie
To be honest there would have been more meetings in Scotland in my top ten if it wasn’t to my photography commitments and the clash between a round of the NIOvalTV series and the return of the F1’s to Scotland. The first F2 world I attended was at Cowdie in 97 and it was a cracker. I’m sure this years will be no different. It’s hard to see past Moodie or Burgoyne to take the title, but there is no such thing as a sure thing around the Racewall. |
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4. Shamwreck
When it comes to meetings I’m looking forward to in 2014, then Shamwreck is one of the ones which almost writes it’s own name on the page. Ireland’s biggest banger event boasts the biggest field of unlimited bangers you’ll see over here this season and some of the biggest hits and not forgetting some of the biggest teams. |
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5. F2 Irish Open Championship
Like Shamwreck the F2 weekend is one of the weekend’s of the year that writes its own name on the page. Last year the conditions were horrible and I’d an eye infection that meant I could only just about make out a blur of wings going past me. I may as well have missed it to be honest, but it makes me more enthusiastic about this years. |
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6. Saloon Irish Open Championship
Speaking of meetings I missed last year, a fixture clash with Tullyroan meant that I didn’t make it to what looked like a lively evening of Saloon racing at BMR when the visitors were over. This season it was one of the first things I checked when the fixtures came out and it’ll be great to see them in action. |
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7. Lochgelly European Double Header
Last year Lochgelly hosted the National Hot Rod European Championship for the first time, and I think it was actually the only meeting of the season on the mainland that I was on the infield for, and it’ll probably be the same this year. In 2014 the 2.0 Hot Rods join the Nationals in running their European Championship over the weekend, and it looks like it could well become the Hot Rod equivalent of what the Northampton European weekend is for Stock Cars. |
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8. The Superstox NIOvalTV Series
Last year we were blown away with the visiting drivers for the NIOvalTV series. Whether it was anything we’d done or not it’s great to see a visiting World champion turn up at a meeting you’ve played a part in. I think off the top of my head Dougie and Colin Frame were the other two visitors for rounds of the series. The supers came a long way in 2013 and the grapevine would suggest there is even more cars coming out in 2014. |
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9. Going to Wimbledon
I future of Oval racing at Wimbledon looks bleak to be honest and it’s a track I’ve never been too, but it’s and old skool wire and post fenc track that I’ve always wanted to go to. It looks like it’s probably this season or never for me to make the trip, so the Best in Britain or the Superstox would final are the current likely suspects for a trip to London.
Photo: Ray Brant |
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10. Drivers Switching Classes.
As with any other season there is always drivers shuffling from one class to the next and back again. Steven Emerson probably had the biggest impact in the 2.0 Litres of those who switched last year and is still knocking on the door of a title. This year Steffan McClelland joins the 2 Litres, and the multiple ProStock champion is sure to make a few waves in the class.
Other drivers it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on will be Derek Martin, Jamie McCurdy, Carl Sloan and Ben McKee as they move into the Nationals, all four have been fast in their previous classes and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on.
Gavin Fegan has suggested he’ll be doing the odd superstox meeting as well as F2’s, it’ll be good to see him mix it amongst the Superstox. |
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