PROBABLY the weather surprised everyone on Saturday night and instead of rain it was dry at the Cowdenbeath Racewall.

However the track was wet and greasy causing the drivers many problems as they drove to the edge of the track to find grip, writes our Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

The 2 litre bangers Scottish Championship proved the fans with a lot of excitement as car after car crashed into stricken cars on the pit bend until there was only room for one car to get through the gap. The Destruction Derby saw some pretty hectic hits with car after car crashing out.

There was a good turn out of formula II drivers with David Sinclair up from the North East of England whilst the local drivers on the grid were Gregor Turner (Dunfermline), Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath), Simon Cranson (Cowdenbeath) and Gordon Moodie (Windygates).

Their first race of the night was the final of the white/yellow challenge series with Brian Hogg going straight into the lead from C. Reid whilst Turner got out of shape after being clipped as he tried to go around the outside of the yellow graders.

Whilst Farquhar and Hamilton each led for a couple of laps Sinclair took over and began to edge away before winning from Hamilton, Farquhar and Turner with Cranson eighth and C. Reid tenth

When the first heat started Robbie Dawson was half spun by Moodie with his car coming to rest sitting across the track but when a lap later Blacklock and C. Reid tangled and ended up hitting the stationary car of Garry Sime the race was suspended.

In the end Dennis Middler took over at the front before winning from Marc Fortune, Ryan Farquhar and Moodie with P. Reid seventh and Turner in tenth place. Burgoyne was an early casualty when the second heat started with Farquhar leading the field away but was soon being closed down by P. Reid.

Fortune was going well adapting to the conditions slightly better than the others and he won from Moodie, Dawson and P. Reid.

When the final started Hogg was the early leader and he quickly pulled away from the field. Farquhar held second place until half distance when he lost out to Fortune and Dawson. Farquhar was spun on the turnstile bend as Fortune eased away to win from Dawson and white grader Hogg whilst Moodie was fifth and P. Reid ninth.

Hogg went on to win the Grand National where he led home Sinclair and Dawson with Moodie fifth, Fortune seventh and Turner in eighth place.

Shane Davies was a welcome visitor in the 2 Litre National saloons no doubt looking for a bit extra practice for the forthcoming Superbowl.

Local drivers on the grid were Kyle Hegg (Leslie), Kyle Irvine (Glenrothes), Derek Duff (Cupar), Ross Watters (Leven) and Alex Cunningham (Leven).

The saloons opening heat was their white/yellow challenge series with Ryan Muirhead the early leader from Barry Glen and Jamie Connacher. Glen forced his way into the lead on lap two and began to ease away before winning from Willie Mitchell, Marc Honeyman and Graeme Anderson.

However, M. Honeyman fell foul of the post race scrutineering and was removed from the results.

The opening saloon heat was led away by Muirhead whilst Davies and Watters tangled suspending the race. Muirhead led on the re-start but towards the half distance was overtaken by Glen and James Letford. However whilst Letford won he was excluded from the results and the amended result was Luke Grief winning from Glen and Ian McLaughlin with Hegg fifth and Irvine seventh.

Heat two saw Irvine being spun as Grief made up a place. Glen took over the lead but was sent wide as McLaughlin dived inside but both lost out to Watters who won from McLaughlin, Mitchell and Duff.

Glen went straight into the lead when the final started from Jamie Connacher with Mitchell soon getting ahead of McLaughlin and into third. Mitchell went on to win from Glen and Grief with Duff ninth and Hegg tenth.

The 1300 saloons saw two more new faces in the ranks with Kevin Bruce and Ryan O’Shea making their debuts. Local interest centered around Lee Wilson (Comrie), Jeff Cosans (Dunfermline), Fraser Anderson (Cowdenbeath), Michael Byers (Methil) and Arron Hastie (Ceres).

Bruce led the field away when heat one started but Anderson had made a good start to the race and was finding more grip than the others.

Anderson was ahead by the half distance before winning from Bruce, Derek Campbell and Cosans with Hastie eighth and Byers ninth.

In heat two Bruce was again the early leader before Byers bounced his car hard off the wall but soon had to retire.

Hastie took over the lead but lost out to Anderson who picked up his second win of the night and he led home Cosans, Brian Allan and Hastie.

When the final started Bruce was the early leader but he was quickly overtaken by Hastie who began to open up a gap over the pack. Bruce was holding second but was slowly being caught by the pack led by Anderson. However, as they entered the main straight Anderson was spun and it was Allan who took up the chase to the leaders.

With five laps remaining Hastie had been caught and the next lap Allan was ahead going on to win from Cosans and a recovering Anderson. Hastie ended up in fourth place with Wilson in ninth place

The banger Scottish Championship attracted quite a few drivers from Crimond and from the Barrow and Warton tracks.

James Dillon, from pole, led the field away with Shaun Walsh an early casualty. Matty Younger was sent spinning but when Jonny Kerr was sent bouncing off the wall and into a marker tyre the race had to be suspended to allow him assistance out of his car.

On the re-start Mark Dalgarno moved into the lead whilst Dalton Steele, Mark Farquhar and Neil Naismith tangled on the pit bend.

As the race progressed this pile up attracted other cars until there was only one line around the bend. Mark Morrison moved into the lead from James Dillon Jnr whilst Al Roshall spun. Morrison was maintaining a lead over Dillon Jnr whilst Dillon Snr clouted the cars on the pit bend on more than one occasion. In the end Morrison went through for an easy win over Dillon Jnr and Karl Hodgson.

Neil Naismith won the first of the Allcomers races with Morrison taking the second.

In the Destruction Derby which followed car after car was wrecked as Alan Ellwood went through to win.

This Saturday the formula IIs and 2 Litre National saloons are back in action along with the ORCi stock rods and prostox. The stock rods are racing for their Scottish Championship with Michael Bethune the defending champion as well as the Michael Hastie memorial trophy. The meeting starts at 6.00pm.