Best kept secret in Motorsport - Mallory 11th May

[mattbull]

It is the long track championships at Mallory Park this Sunday and if you have never seen this meeting and have nothing else planned you would be well advised to pop along as it is many oval racing fans favourite meeting of the year. I have just checked out the entry and there are 166 cars from a number of short oval classes including National Hot Rods, Legends, Stock Rods & Lightning Rods. As usual a strong presence from Scotland and Ireland have boosted the numbers.

Although the National Hot Rods headline the event with it being one of their World Championship qualifying rounds, for many the lower powered Lightning Rod (Sierras) and Stock Rod (1400cc - Novas etc) steal the show with their slipstreaming battles around the mile Mallory oval. Four abreast racing is not uncommon.

I just wish more people would see this meeting every year as it has to be seen to be believed! There will be in the region of 23 races with it all starting at 11am (Practice from 9:30 I believe)

Regards

Matt

[Paddockman]

Nice to see someone on here plugging Short Oval Racing or as in this case "Long Oval".

Would love to have gone but Mallory is a bit far for me and was at Brands for BSB round.

I am as usual going to National Hot Rod World Final in July though.

Trouble on this forum is most people look at the Short Oavals and declare all racing to be "Banger Racing" without too much knowledge on the subject.

I tend to apreciate most forms of Motorsport from Cars to Bikes To karts.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Paddockman

.

Trouble on this forum is most people look at the Short Oavals and declare all racing to be "Banger Racing" without too much knowledge on the subject.

You will find that a lot of 10/10th posters cut their teeth on the short ovals.
Compared with road circuit racing, it is a brilliant and a more affordable concept, also you would be surprised who started on the ovals and I suggest you look up the history before you tar us all with the same brush !!

[Paddockman]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

You will find that a lot of 10/10th posters cut their teeth on the short ovals.
Compared with road circuit racing, it is a brilliant and a more affordable concept, also you would be surprised who started on the ovals and I suggest you look up the history before you tar us all with the same brush !!

Only trobule is having just looked for British "Short Oval" posts dating back to January this year and there is only 1.

So it's hardly a hot bed of "Interest" is it?

And my admittedely as you point out over generalised comment re opinions of Posters is based on just the amount of actual "Slurs" against the sport all over this forum when ever there is any contact in a circuit race.

But as you have quite rightly pointed out people would be surprised by who started out in Short Ovals.

And to all those who can apreciate the skills on Short Ovals who are Ten/ Tenthers I apoligise.

[GORDON STREETER]

I would have though that any racer worth his salt would appreciate that "any" front runner in any motorised sport is pretty good.
There isn't an Oval spot on 10/10ths as most of the posters are normal circuit racers , and I can't think of any derogatory remarks against oval circuit racers except when relating to TOCA when that "can" be related to "banger" racing more often than not.

[mattbull]

Mallory was a great event again, with everything you would wish for from any meeting. It did end on a sour note with a serious accident to Legends driver Des Chandler, so our thoughts are with him and his family at the moment and we hope for a full and speedy recovery.

Short Oval racing is not for everyone for sure. I love all sorts of Motorsport so I am just as likely to be having a great time at the Banger World Final as I am at the National Hot Rod version, or the Goodwood Revival or Formula Ford Festival - all must see events in my eyes. Just like many circuit types wouldnt be seen dead at a short oval, many contact racing fans view the circuit stuff as roundy, roundy nonsense. Banger fans are as notoriously dismissive of all other forms of Motor Sport as others are of Banger racing. Each is to their own.

Going back to the original point of my first post I think you can pretty much argue that Short Circuit racing is a pretty well kept secret in this country, certainly on a National level. If you live in or around Ipswich you are probably well aware of what goes on at Foxhall Heath Stadium on the first weekend in July, but no-one else in the country does. Yet short oval racing is probably the best attended MotorSport in the country. Bit of a contradiction really.

There ARE die-hard oval fans, but the vast majority of the spectators maybe visit their local oval a handful of times a year. It is a sport that is easy to dip in and out of. You can pretty much guarantee a few crashes to keep the kids happy, a bit of a show and some close racing from the Rods and Stox, all over in 3-4 hours.

When we get the occasional crossover and the oval formulas visit the circuits, such as Mallory and again at Lydden Hill on 6th September, oval fans don't go because its circuit racing and circuit fans dont go because its oval racing! I wish more would give it a chance. We dont want to lose these meetings off the calendar....

Matt

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

also you would be surprised who started on the ovals

Derek Warwick for one. Can't think of anyone else immediately though.

[John Robinson]

Didn't Mark Blundell start out in Hot Rods with Spedeworth?

And wasn't Paul Warwick (Derek's younger brother) a Spedeworth Superstox World Champion prior to moving to circuits?

[Alan Raine]

And didn't Dave Coyne go back to it?

[Alan Raine]

Originally Posted by John Robinson

Didn't Mark Blundell start out in Hot Rods with Spedeworth?

And wasn't Paul Warwick (Derek's younger brother) a Spedeworth Superstox World Champion prior to moving to circuits?

I thought that was Derek.

[Peter Mallett]

Certainly Derek was the Spedeworth Superstox World Champion, not sure if Paul also did it.

[dave vass]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

You will find that a lot of 10/10th posters cut their teeth on the short ovals.
Compared with road circuit racing, it is a brilliant and a more affordable concept, also you would be surprised who started on the ovals and I suggest you look up the history before you tar us all with the same brush !!

Now you've started something!
I expect Matt Bull will be able to correct me if I'm wrong and add some more, but off the top of my head, here is a list of drivers that cut their teeth on the short ovals;
from Mini Stox, Ian McKeller Jnr, Nic and Joe Tandy, Nic and Richard Grindrod, Joe Polley and from Stock Rods, Mike Jordan.
Other circuit converts include Mark Willis, Kevin Clarke, Pete Stevens, Clinton Dorrell, not to mention all those Eurocar drivers, and others I have forgotten.
I have always regarded short circuit drivers to be of a special pedigree; in that they have the ability to race 'bumper to bumper' without the contact.

[dave vass]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

You will find that a lot of 10/10th posters cut their teeth on the short ovals.
Compared with road circuit racing, it is a brilliant and a more affordable concept, also you would be surprised who started on the ovals and I suggest you look up the history before you tar us all with the same brush !!

Now you've started something!
I expect Matt Bull will be able to correct me if I'm wrong and add some more, but off the top of my head, here is a list of drivers that cut their teeth on the short ovals;
from Mini Stox, Ian McKeller Jnr, Nic and Joe Tandy, Nic and Richard Grindrod, Joe Polley and from Stock Rods, Mike Jordan and William Buller.
Other converts to the circuits include Mark Willis, Kevin Clarke, Pete Stevens, Clinton Dorrell, Colin and Keith White, not to mention all those Eurocar drivers, and others I have forgotten.
I have always regarded short circuit drivers to be of a special pedigree; in that they have the ability to race 'bumper to bumper' without the contact.

[rbs]

Short ovals are not my favorite subject but Derek Warwick started here he made a good living later on in his career.

[The Fat Clerk]

Paul Warwick followed his big brother from Superstox into 'proper' racing