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| Added: 05 Jun 2014 |
Category: 2014 Oval Racing |
| Busy June Ahead |
There was a time that June was the centrepoint of my season, The F2 Irish Open was in June and the visiting drivers came over and made it the showcase event of the local oval racing season. I only followed F2’s back then, or I was only taken to F2’s, but it amounted the the same thing, it made the F2 meetings the focal point of the season and during the 90s stars like Rob Speak, Steve Dakin, Bert Finniken, Bill Batten, Roy Goodman and in later years the Kelly brothers would have been regular visitors to the province for the “Irish week”. Every other formula may have had it’s own equivalent to that meeting with visiting drivers, but back then I was somewhat blinkered to what went on in the other classes, it’s possible I even thought the world was still flat!!
Nowadays the landscape of local oval racing is a lot different and while I still hold the visiting F2 meetings with high regard it seems like there is a “big” meeting every few weeks for something, and with many a trip to the mainland under my belt now there does come a certain realisation that you don’t have to hang about in NI and wait for a big meeting you can hop on a plane and go see a meeting just as good any weekend, although it’s just not the same as seeing the cars come to your local tracks.
As has been the case in recent June’s, this June is a bit of an onslaught of racing, in total there is 11 meetings in the province and if that doesn’t offer you enough choice then a wee road trip will get you to Tipperary for a big banger meeting, The Superstox European Championship is at Lochgelly if you feel more inclined to take a trip across the sea and the BriSCA big league returns to Scotland at the end of the month, racing at Cowdenbeath on the Saturday night before making their debut at Lochgelly on the Sunday. All that is not to mention that the National Bangers have already raced at Coolronan and some of our National Hot Rods have already made the trip to Tipperary, both on the 1st of June.
There certainly can’t be too many fans that can’t find something to go and watch in June.
The month kicks off with the National Hot Rods in action for their final World Qualifying round at Ballymena Raceway on the 6th. One of the meetings I’m most looking forward to is seeing the National Bangers make their Aghadowey Oval debut on Saturday 7th, before the weekend is rounded out by the Unlimited National Bangers headlining at Tullyroan on Sunday 8th.
Fast forward a week and the action returns to Aghadowey Oval for the first Friday night fixture since re-opening as 2.0 Litre’s, ProStocks and Ninja Karts join the Thunder Rods on Friday 13th.
The remainder of the weekend is all about the Saloon Stock Cars as they race for their Irish Open title at Ballymena on the Saturday night and then for their UK Masters on the Sunday at Nutts Corner.
The weekend of the 14th and 15th also sees some of our local Superstox make the trip to Lochgelly as they host another European Championship weekend. Also on the 15th the National Bangers compete at Tipperary for Hippymania, much anticipated I gather by banger men.
The weekend of June 21st and 22nd sees the F2 Irish Open and National Championship. The F2’s headline at Ballymena on the Saturday night to race for their Irish Open Championship and will be supported by UK Stock Rods racing for their European Championship, I could write pages and pages on the Stock Rods but it’s a bit of a hot topic at the minute so I’ll avoid it, it would be great to see a good squad of them back at the showgrounds.
On the same night the F2s are at Ballymena, the National Hot Rods are in action at the Thunder 500 at Ipswich.
The F2’s and Stock Rods move to Nutts Corner on the Sunday which provides the only local clashing meeting of the month when Tullyroan also runs.
The final weekend of the month sees the second round of the NIOvalTV series headline at Tullyroan on the Saturday night and if it’s as explosive as the first round then fans are in for a treat.
On the same evening the BriSCA F1’s make their return to Scotland and race at Cowdenbeath, if it wasn’t for the Tullyroan meeting including a round of the NIOvalTV series then without a doubt I’d have been at Cowdenbeath. The F1 roadshow moves on to Lochgelly to make their track debut on the Sunday and such power around such a small track is bound to put on a cracking meeting, hence I’ve my flights booked already
At home the National Bangers top the bill at Nutts Corner.
So that’s June, not so much in a nutshell, hats off to anyone who does 10 meetings during it, I think I’ll manage 8 and that’s more than enough.
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A busy Month lies ahead |
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Nationals hold their last World Series Round of the 2014 series this Friday |
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The 2L National Bangers go to Aghadowey on Saturday night |
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The Saloons are in action the 2nd weekend of the month |
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While the Superstox (and Stock Rods) are off to Lochgelly |
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Then it's the turn of the F2's. |
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The 2nd round of the NIOvalTV series is on the final Saturday of the month |
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Whilst the F1's are in Scotland. I loved them around Knockhill. Hopefully they'll be as good around Lochgelly |
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