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MIDGET MATTERS by Jack Brodie GP MIDGETS
Short Circuit, May 1982
TONY BREWER looks like emerging as a new
star on the GP Midget Club scene this summer. He was an impressive
winner of the season's opening meeting at Bovingdon, Herts,
when he outpaced former GP World champions Basil Craske and
Mick Bonner to win the 'Fretten Shield'.
Craske and Pollard later won support races,
in which an impressive newcomer was Barry Hughes. He comes
from a family steeped in midget car traditions: his brother
Geoff junior won last season's GP British Champio.nship, while
father Geoff senior is still among the sport's top drivers.
COME-BACK drivers to GP Midget Club circles
had problems at the Bovingdon opener, which attracted 15 starters.
Robin Whall found his car was not properly set-up, while Dave
Wesbroom and Dave Cox failed to complete their cars in time
for the meeting. Newcomer John Eaton had mechanical problems
during practice which also limited his activities.
Also in trouble at Bovingdon were Dermot
McGivern (the only Namicsa licence holder in the 'rival camp')
who blew his engine in the championship event and Jerry Pinny.
He stalled his car and was run into by a following driver.
NAMICSA
THE Iwade speedway training track in Kent
refused an application by Namicsa to make use of its practice
facilities. An Iwade spokesman said, 'This is one dirt track
that prefers to concentrate on speedway bikes'. But British
League speedway club Wimbledon stepped into the breach and
granted Namicsa its needed facilities.
Namicsa chairman Ian Fraser Kerr also set
up arrangements for any interested GP Midget Club drivers
to take advantage of the Wimbledon facilities at the same
time.
THE Namicsa-sanctioned 'East Anglian Championship'
set for Boston on Sunday, May 2, was cancelled because of
a clash of commitments by some drivers for meetings in Holland.
TONY STUBBS, a pioneer midget car driver
in the early days of the sport's promotion by Spedeworth International,
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, is among starters for Namicsa
this season. For the past eight years, Stubbs has concentrated
on speedway-car racing in Holland, but has been tempted back
into British speedway midget car racing
Says Stubbs, 'Going on to the speedway tracks
looks like being the best thing that could happen to midget
car racing in Britain, especially as the cars are more like
those used in other parts of the world, and running with front
engines'.
World Championship
The last time the World GP Midget Car Championship
took place in Britain was at Northampton in 1980. Then, 35-year-old
Norfolkman Basil Craske won the crown. And with this season's
championship running at Swaffham on September 12, Craske believes
he can relieve defending holder Hank Hansen of the crown.
INTERESTED spectator at Bovingdon was 1981
British GP Midget champion Geoff Hughes junior. But there's
no signs at the moment of him reversing his retirement decision.
GP MIDGET Club action during May includes
the Bill Boarer Memorial Trophy at Northampton on May Day
Monday, then the Derek Kisby Memorial Trophy at Swaffham on
Sunday, May 16. Both events honour former drivers. Bill Boarer
lost his life in a swimming accident, while Kisby died from
cancer in the mid-1970s.
ABROAD
IN the two day holiday meeting at Baarlo,
Holland, Namicsa drivers Tony Stubbs and Brian Spicer took
a string of minor places - never lower than fourth, with a
second for Stubbs and third by Spicer their 'best effort in
four qualifying events.
In the main final, Stubbs took the third
place while Spicer was fifth home in the race which were for
'speedway cars' powered by 1600cc engines. An estimated 20,000
fans watched the second day's racing on Easter Monday.
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