The Caged! Nation voted in their masses in the relative categories for the National Banger Awards. Voting was close all the way through but eventually certain drivers pulled momentum. Here are your final results.
Driver of the Year (180)
1st – 388 Stevo McGrath – 26.11%
‘He’s had a blinder’
‘True World Champ’
Stevo had a momentous 2022 season, which begun with taking victory in the Unlimited World Cup at Cowdenbeath in April. Stevo followed that up with an impressive showing at the Kev Waller Memorial weekend in May, where he piloted two of the rarest cars of the year in the form of the Austin Cambridge Hearse and Jaguar XJ6-Twenty Six. It was October where Stevo’s biggest moment would come, winning the Unlimited World Championship at Ipswich in dominant fashion. Stevo’s ‘homecoming’ event at Tullyroan saw him guide his Scorpio to the win in the Unlimited Irish to cap off a fantastic for the popular Team Sour driver.
2nd – 178 Kieran Bowman – 22.77%
‘Slim’ is another to have a standout 2022 season, and has probably been the man of the year in terms of his overall output. Narrowly getting pipped to the post here, Slim also individually is up for another two awards with his Predators team featuring too so scroll down to see how he fairs.
3rd – 639 Tye Williams – 13.33%
Tye has shot from a most improved driver in last season’s awards to a podium spot in the Driver of the Year category. Tye has had probably his best year to date taking the Unlimited Supreme Championship as well as the YorStox Points. Tye has raced some cool motors over the course of the year too and certainly got stuck in with them.
4th – 699 Stacey Holdsworth – 8.88%
‘What an inspiration she is’
‘Gives it her all. Knows how to handle a car and adds the skill of contact when needed.’
5th – 69 Brad Bartram – 6.11%
6th – 114 Liam Lake – 4.44%
7th – 625 Josh Gooch – 3.88%
8th – 77 Aaron Charles – 2.77%
=9th – 400 Lee Kingsnorth – 2.22%
=9th – 760 Joey Reynolds – 2.22%
=11th – 133 Terry Hill – 1.66%
=11th – 830 Lee White – 1.66%
=13th – 123 Kieron Gray – 1.11%
=13th – 754 Klaas-Jan Poolman – 1.11%
=15th – 32 Callum Reed – 0.55%
=15th – 299 Tommy Callaghan – 0.55%
=15th – 570 Jordan Cumming – 0.55%
=15th – 673 Darren Fendley – 0.55%
=19th – 60 Laurens Van Dijk – 0%
=19th – 284 James Head – 0%
Entertainer of the Year (169)
1st – 178 Kieran Bowman – 24.85%
There had to be only one winner really. Slim follows up his second place in the Driver of the Year Award by securing the Entertainer Award after winning both the BWS Entertainers League and the Trackstar Entertainer Points this season. Slim had an array of top cars all season accompanied by some top Chris Signs artwork, it’s clear to see why you voted him your driver of the year.
2nd – 100 Callum White – 21.3%
‘Captain Cock’ has more or less singlehandedly kept Team Black at bay this season in their ongoing battles. Regularly being outnumbered, Cock has made sure on more than one occasion to get the first blow in against his rivals and has typically made it count, winning the hearts of a large proportion of the Caged! Nation on route.
=3rd – 252 Steven Bugler – 7.1%
Boogie has been on top form once again this year and as always, hasn’t shied away from getting stuck in. With plenty of DD wins at his local of Mendips as well as being lively on the BWS circuits.
=3rd – 827 Sjirk Hansma – 7.1%
Sjirk is one of the best wreckers that mainland Europe has to offer. Sjirk has been on it over the past few seasons, but this year really shone apart from his comrades with consistent top performances. His decimation of 105 Harm Ludolphie’s Lincoln Town Car Limo at Emmen’s Lente Knaller meeting in April was one of the hits of the year.
5th – 77 Aaron Charles – 6.5%
6th – 211 Dennis Vorkink – 5.92%
=7th – 51 James Licquorice – 4.14%
=7th – 182 Reece Tingle – 4.14%
9th – 521 Ashley Riley – 2.96%
=10th – 360 Jack Reynolds – 2.36%
=10th – 379 Shaun Turner – 2.36%
=10th – 555 Harry Gelsthorp – 2.36%
13th – 720 Kenny Gabriel Jnr – 1.77%
=14th – 211 Jamie Pole – 1.18%
=14th – 262 Rob Bugler – 1.18%
=14th – 278 Sean Brokenshire – 1.18%
=17th – 224 James Burrows – 0.59%
=17th – 396 Callum Woods – 0.59%
=17th – 420 Matthew Jode – 0.59%
=17th – 460 Luke Tongue – 0.59%
=17th – 623 Ricky Hutton – 0.59%
=17th – 747 Bradley Dee – 0.59%
=23rd – 23 Sonny Parsons – 0%
=23rd – 205 Alex Ganter – 0%
=23rd – 281 Aaron Pole – 0%
=23rd – 355 Aaron Dark – 0%
=23rd – 828 Jordan Sharpe – 0%
Team of the Year (170)
1st – Predators – 28.24%
The Predators continue to feature among the awards with the team winning Team of the Year Award. We’ve already mentioned the accolades of 178 Slim, but the team behind him have also brightened up meetings wherever they attended. 307 Martin Kent featured heavily for the team for the majority of the season winning the Trackstar White & Yellow Championship and getting third in the World of Shale whilst in team colours. 129 Joe Skutela has had a top season on the crashing front with 87 Damien Matthews, 519 Lee Middleton, 478 Ant Bailey, 378 Jack Bailey, 279 Bradley Bowman, 246 Aston Burt, 595 Drew Burdett, 594 Mason Burdett and 25 Matt Black among others featuring heavily over the course of the year too. The team behind the scenes regularly ensure the cars are back on track no matter how stuck in they have been and are usually en mass too. The team have also been working hard behind the scenes raising money for Motor Neurone Disease Association which in itself is worthy of the award.
2nd – BRCM – 12.35%
BRCM have had a top year seeing them dominant things at Mendips Raceway with 440 Macauley Mills pipping 252 Steven Bugler to the points on the final day of the season as well as the team getting stuck in on their travels up and down the country.
3rd – RAL 6005 – 11.18%
Maai’s Testimonial highlighted the team at their best; cool cars and top crashing. The Van Osch brothers have also enjoyed strong showings on their travels across to the UK as well as the team getting stuck in on the continent.
4th – The Bears – 9.41%
5th – Seedless Squad – 8.82%
6th – Crash Zone – 5.29%
=7th – Gladiators – 4.12%
=7th – Silver Boys – 4.12%
9th – Condoms – 3.53%
=10th – Barton Boys – 2.94%
=10th – Damage Inc – 2.94%
12th – Aftermath – 2.35%
13th – Team Black – 1.76%
=14th – Real Steel – 1.18%
=14th – ToM – 1.18%
=14th – TYB – 1.18%
17th – Jackpot – 0.59%
=18th – Blue & Black – 0%
=18th – Drive Inn – 0%
(Honourable mention must go to the Dover Boys who were missed out on the awards by mistake and would have undoubtedly faired strongly within the category having had a superb 2022 season including winning the Good Friday teams and 2L Mildenhall Team Championship)
Most Improved Driver (144)
1st – 243 Pete Osborne – 21.53%
It feels weird to describe Bodja as the Most Improved Driver given his years of service but 2022 really has been his Breakthrough year being a consistent scoring on the Spedeworth Unlimited scene. Bodja’s top moment came when he took third place in the World Championship in October and we’re sure he’ll be looking for another strong year in 2023.
2nd – 69 Brad Bartram – 14.58%
Brad is another to have a break out season going from a white/yellow top lost among the sheer quality of drivers that Trackstar boast to being a contender for the points championship, where he eventually got second and a valiant 4th in the Entertainers League too capped off a fine year.
3rd – 459 Blake Platts – 12.5%
A top year for Blake which saw him book himself on the World Final grid for the first time having won the BWS Wildcard at Mildenhall. Blake put a top performance in at the Halloween Carnival Night at Kings Lynn which aided his result here.
4th – 625 Josh Gooch – 10.42%
5th – 585 Luke Holdsworth – 6.94%
6th – 299 Tommy Callaghan – 5.55%
7th – 743 Jake Bond – 4.86%
=8th – 154 Joe Odhams – 4.16%
=8th – 739 Jason Moore – 4.16%
=10th – 477 Jack Spiers – 3.47%
=10th – 961 Brad Deeprose – 3.47%
12th – 91 Sam Bartlett – 2.77%
=13th – 32 Connor Byram – 1.38%
=13th – 60 Dan Croskell – 1.38%
=13th – 224 Lewis Canham – 1.38%
=16th – 396 Callum Woods – 0.69%
=16th – 687 Mark Cross – 0.69%
Best Newcomer (151)
1st – 670 Max Eaton – 32.45%
Max came out of the Junior Bangers in May and immediately made an impression getting in amongst the front runners at the Kev Waller Memorial weekend. Max came close to securing the Micro UK Championship too in what was a standout debut season.
2nd – 121 Leo Riley – 29.8%
‘Right attitude’
The young Bear went right in at the deep end making his debut at the Maai Testimonial where he got straight into the action with an entertainer award and that set him up for strong showings at the Bears Bash and World Final.
3rd – 622 Harvey Webb – 13.25%
Harvey only made the step up from the Junior ranks in late September but made enough of an impression across limited appearances to get your support for a third. A talented driver worth keeping an eye on in 2023.
4th – 111 Jens Peetermans – 9.27%
5th – 14 Will Walmsley Jnr – 7.95%
6th – 582 Corey Hunt – 2.65%
7th – 564 Jack Priest – 1.99%
=8th – 350 Liam Webster – 1.32%
=8th – 392 Tyler Rice – 1.32%
Dedicated Driver (157)
1st – 211 Dennis Vorkink – 26.75%
Dennis set out his intentions early of achieving his dream of being on the World Final grid. Dennis achieved this dream whilst accumulating some huge mileage travelling across for every BWS round and the main night itself in a complete set of cool Volvos, often racing back to the ferry-port to ensure getting home in time. There’s nobody really more deserving than this accolade.
2nd – 178 Kieran Bowman – 21.65%
Slim reached a tally of 54 cars across 41 meetings this year, again travelling all depths of the country.
3rd – 639 Tye Williams – 15.29%
Tye was another to rack up some mileage seeing trips to Cowdenbeath, Bradford, Sheffield and Warton as well as regular appearances at Kings Lynn alongside the Spedeworth calendar from the South East.
4th – 77 Aaron Charles – 9.55%
‘For doing all the meeting and crashing off the back of a transit’
5th – 834 Jan Van Osch – 8.28%
6th – 760 Joey Reynolds – 3.82%
=7th – 51 James Licquorice – 3.18%
=7th – 360 Jack Reynolds – 3.18%
=7th – 397 Daz Linton – 3.18%
10th – 107 Taylor Pratchett – 1.9%
11th – 460 Luke Tongue – 1.27%
12th – 477 Jack Spiers – 0.63%
Mr Material (156)
1st – 388 Stevo McGrath – 39.7%
2nd – 476 Ross Coleman – 18.58%
‘Where does he find them?’
3rd – 211 Dennis Vorkink – 16.66%
4th – 175 Kevin Timmermann – 10.25%
5th – 182 Danny Spin – 7.05%
6th – 260 Keith Reynolds – 4.48%
7th – 834 Jan Van Osch – 2.56%
8th – 349 Lee Saunders – 0.64%
Car of the Year (135)
1st – 388 Stevo McGrath – Austin Cambridge Hearse – Mildenhall Kev Waller Weekend – 17.03%
=2nd – 6 Mark Lumsden – Austin A135 Princess III Hearse – Kings Lynn Pre 80 – 13.33%
‘Some effort from digging it out the garden to getting it ready after the state it was in before he raced it.’
=2nd – 388 Stevo McGrath – Jaguar XJ6-Twenty Six – Mildenhall Kev Waller Weekend – 13.33%
4th – 182 Danny Spin – Mk1 Ford Granada Ambulance – Emmen Blue Oyster Trophy – 11.11%
5th – 388 Stevo McGrath – Edsel Villager – Maai Testimonial – 10.37%
6th – 175 Kevin Timmermann – Ford Taunus P7 Hearse – Emmen 2L RWD – 8.88%
7th – 211 Dennis Vorkink – Volvo 264 Limo – Ipswich World Final – 7.4%
8th – 203 Darren Nash – Mercedes W211 Hearse – Yarmouth BWS – 4.44%
=9th – 121 Dale Bishop – Mk5 Chevrolet El Camino – Aldershot 3L Tongham Classic – 3.7%
=9th – 307 Martin Kent – Chevrolet Impala – Kings Lynn Maai Testimonial – 3.7%
=9th – 696 Kris Ceuppens – 1954 Oldsmobile 88 – Emmen Teams – 3.7%
=12th – 53 Ben Holtrop – Hudson Commodore – Emmen Blue Oyster Trophy – 2.96%
=12th – 88 Tim Macdonald – 1947 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe Hearse – Arlington BWS – 2.96%
=12th – 677 Jorane Horstede – 1949 Plymouth Deluxe Hearse – Autorodeo Rouveen – 2.96%
15th – 1 Maarten Steenbekkers – DeSoto Powermaster Limo – Kings Lynn Maai Testimonial – 2.22%
=16th – 359 Sean Swanborough – AMC Rebel Wagon – Aldershot 3L Tongham Classic – 1.48%
=16th – 580 Peter Bland – 1953 Cadillac Coupe de Ville – Kings Lynn Maai Testimonial – 1.48%
=18th – 43 Luke Maynard – Mercedes W204 Estate – Arlington Bears Bash – 0.74%
=18th – 47 Niek Beltman – Opel Olympia Wagon – Autorodeo Nieuwleusen – 0.74%
=18th – 93 Lewis Godfrey – Hillman Minx Mk4 – Kings Lynn Pre 80 – 0.74%
=21st – 88 Alan Read – Ford Pilot – Kings Lynn Pre 80 – 0%
=21st – 117 Roy Dijkhof – Dodge Monaco – Blue Oyster Trophy – 0%
=21st – 182 Danny Spin – Ford Scorpio Aerobus Limo – Emmen Season Opener – 0%
=21st – 254 Barry Leentjes – Volvo PV544 – Autorodeo Nieuwleusen – 0%
=21st – 476 Ross Coleman – Oldsmobile Series 60 – Kings Lynn Pre 80 – 0%
=21st – 959 Aaron Keoghan – Daimler 104 – Kings Lynn Pre 80 – 0%
Meeting of the Year (187)
1st – Kev Waller Memorial Weekend – Mildenhall – 27.27%
‘Tom and the family did a great job getting this together, can’t wait for next year’
2nd – Maai’s Testimonial – Kings Lynn – 19.78%
3rd – Blue Oyster Trophy – Emmen – 16.57%
4th – Half Pint Memorial Weekend – North Cornwall – 8.02%
5th – Halloween Carnival Night – Kings Lynn – 7.48%
6th – Pre 80 – Kings Lynn – 5.34%
‘Always great to see old cars’
7th – 3L Tongham Classic – Aldershot – 4.81%
8th – World Final – Ipswich – 4.27%
9th – PRI World Final – Mendips – 2.14%
=10th – Crash for Cancer – Kings Lynn – 1.07%
=10th – Pre 90 2 Litres – Skegness – 1.07%
=12th – Caplin Cup – Ringwood Cheetahs – 0.53%
=12th – Heavy Metal Classic – Standlake – 0.53%
=12th – Scott Graves Memorial – Skegness – 0.53%
=12th – Undercracker – Aldershot – 0.53%
16th – Civil War – Hednesford – 0%
Promotion of the Year (178)
1st – Trackstar – 52.24%
‘By a country mile’
2nd – ASE – 16.29%
3rd – Spedeworth – 12.92%
‘As much as it has its criticisms, it’s the place to race for quality and THE world final’
4th – North Cornwall – 8.42%
5th – Ringwood Cheetahs – 2.8%
=6th – Mendips – 2.24%
=6th – Standlake – 2.24%
8th – Skegness – 1.12%
9th – Stansted – 0.56%
