IT started to rain just prior to the start of the stock car meeting at the Cowdenbeath Racewall, on Saturday evening, and was still raining at the end of the meeting, writes our Racewall reporter, Jim Turner.

The track was wet and by the end of the meeting there was a liberal coating of oil making traction difficult.

Despite the conditions there was plenty of exciting racing and a few records chalked up.

In the Formula IIs Gordon Moodie won his 501st final win, despite being delayed at the start of the race, and then won the Grand National, starting the race with a lap handicap. There were wins for Saloon driver Stuart Shevill Jnr and for his son, Stuart Jnr Jnr, in his ORCi Ministox, whilst in the Saloons Derek Duff chalked up his first final win in 25 years of racing. In the Prostock Basics Fifer Liam Boyle made it a clean sweep.

In the Formula IIs Aaron Vaight, Tom Bennett, Ben Spence, Dan Roots and Jamie Jones were back, and they were joined by Kyle Taylor from the North East of England. Making their first appearances of the season were the World Champion Gordon Moodie and Chris Burgoyne.

Heat one saw Taylor lead, but he soon lost out to Jones, but it was John Hogg who was making the better progress. Once Hogg hit the front, he went on to win from Moodie and Jones.

Taylor was again the leader when heat two started, but almost right away Moodie and Jones tangled with both retiring. Hogg was again making light of the conditions and caught long time leader, Peter Watt, before going on to win his second race of the night from Watt and Roots.

The Final turned out to be some race, with Taylor again the first to show, but whilst Moodie made a good start to the race he got caught up on the turnstile bend and when he exited, he was last and adrift of the field.

Watt was ahead by lap two with Spence in third, but Hogg was making up places. Moodie though, was on a charge and soon caught the back markers and started to make inroads through the field. As the laps dwindled, Moodie appeared in third, and then moved ahead of both Watt and Hogg to take the lead.

He proceeded to pull away to go through to win to become the driver with the most final wins and headed home Hogg and Jones.

The Grand National had everyone riveted to Moodie’s progress, starting with a lap handicap he scythed his way through the field to win from Hogg and Watt.

There were not so many Saloons on show, with Sam Critchley back up from south of the Border.

Whilst Stuart Adsley led the cars away both Jay Carruthers and Derek Taylor had spins. Derek Duff soon moved into the lead and was still there at the close, although Declan Honeyman was closing the gap quickly with Stuart Shevill Jnr third.

Heat two was led away by Adsley, but Duff soon caught and took the lead only for a shunt on the back straight which sent Duff and Adsley crashing out. The race was suspended to allow Adsley out of his car. On the restart Shevill Jnr gave his brother Graeme a helpful dunt, going into the pit bend and out of the race. In the end Shevill Jnr went on to win from Ross Watters and D. Honeyman.

The final was led off by Carruthers but on lap four he lost out to Duff but he soon had D. Honeyman chasing as Carruthers dropped down the order. Shevill Jnr and Watters were running nose to tail, and whilst Jordan Cassie ran with them he lost out when was caught up in a shunt.

As the laps dwindled D. Honeyman lost out to Tam Rutherford Jnr but the latter had Shevill Jnr and Watters reeling them in. D. Honeyman dropped away and on the last lap Shevill Jnr was sent spinning. Duff went through to win from Rutherford Jnr and Watters.

The ORCi Ministox drivers were in good form despite the weather conditions, and served up three fast and furious races.

Stuart Shevill Jnr Jnr was the initial heat one leader, and not long after he had built up a big lead there was a race suspension. Although he led for a couple of laps after the restart he lost out to Charlie Hardie. Heat two was mostly a race between white grade drivers Caitlin Mitchell, Kevin Graham and Shevill Jnr Jnr and they raced in that order for many laps. Shevill Jnr Jnr then managed to work his way through into the lead and on to his first Racewall.

The final was led off by Mitchell but she was to lose out to Shevill Jnr Jnr and whilst he led, he had Ollie Sime in close order. Making up ground were Philp Jnr Jnr and Hardie and soon they were closing in on the leader. Hardie made the better of the moves to claim the lead before going on to win.

In the Prostock Basics, the opening heat was won by Liam Boyle who led home Jock Galloway and Joanne Hilditch and whilst Boyle won heat two, he had a hard race with Hilditch before doing s with Galloway in third.

Kai Chisolm led the cars away when the final started but the race soon developed into another Boyle/Hilditch race. Contact was made resulting in Boyle dropping back but he was soon back into his stride before going on to win from Galloway and Hilditch.

This week the Formula II and Saloons return and this time have the ORCi Stock Rods and Ministox backing them. The meeting starts at 6pm.