The inaugural Caged Weekender took place in a very windy Mendip hills across 15/16 October.
Unlimited Bangers
The Unlimited Bangers raised 16 cars. 133 Terry Hill returned his World Final Mk1 Granada, and 278 Shaun Brokenshire had his Rover P5 from the same meeting. 77 Patxi Beasley had a used Jaguar XJ-S, with the rest being your run of the mill Unlimiteds.
Their first race of the evening was the Caged Open. 742 Morgan Galley was the first to show, spinning 470 Gary Baker. 739 Jason Moore put the bumper in on 284 James Head, with the latter spinning. 239 Steve Carter went in under pressure from 262 Rob Bugler. 77 Patxi Beasley followed 470 Spike in. 252 Steve Bugler spun 838 Jamie Peters. 103 Lee Bugler homed in for a head on to 838 Sloth. 262 Roona spun it round to jack 838 Sloth on oppo a couple of times. 333 Charlie Randell tboned Sloth. 262 Roona homed in for a solid jacking to the DWO man. 252 Boogie tboned Sloth, before 440 Macauley Mills delivered a head on to the latter as the reds came out to assist 838 Sloth from his blitzed Mercedes W210 wreck. 133 Terry Hill lead them away on the restart in his Mk1 Granada. Autospeed World Champion 582 Corey Hunt cruelly expired, pulling up on the edge of the infield on the home straight. 739 Meerkat made the move on the final bend to try and dislodge 133 Terz from the lead, but Terry took the win pipping Jason in the run down to the line. 246 Ryan Sparks taking third place.
133, 739, 246, 278, 284, 440, 262, 582, 742, NOF
The first Alcomers begun with 103 Bugler punting 911 Rhys Burgess-Jones, the latter flying wildly into turn 1 to bury himself and claim 284 Heady in the process. 77 Patch jacked 911 Burgess-Jones. Several laps passed before 262 Roona punted in 742 Titch. 77 Patch delivered an oppo attack on 742 Titch. 582 Corey Hunt clobbered 77 Patch, as 252 Boogie won.
252, 739, 278, 133, 239, 246, 284, 440, 333, 262
The Thunderbolt Final saw 133 Terz strike first by spinning 582 Hunt. 239 Nemesis had a pop at 440 Big Mac. 262 Roona slowed to wait for 239 Nemesis. 239 Nemesis spun 262 Roona, before the latter turned it round to attack Nemesis on oppo. The leading 284 Heady cruelly expired, meaning that a new champion would be crowned. 262 Roona and 239 Nemesis had a set about along the home straight, with 262 Roona bombing it down on oppo to turn 4 to get a run up, jacking 239 Nemesis near the start/finish line. 739 Jason Moore raced to the win from 246 Ryan Sparks and 103 Lee Bugler.
739, 246, 103, 252, 133, 582, 278, 440, 333, 262
The second Alcomers was an action-less affair, with 103 Lee Bugler taking the win.
103, 333, 252, 262, 582, 440, NOF
Back To Basics
It was great to see an array of material for the Back to Basics across the weekend. 328 Mike Parry had the pick of the bilge with his Citroen C15 van. 150 Lewis Richards had a Nissan Sunny, in a cool Pizzeria decal. Elsewhere, 02 Ash Reynolds had a Mk3 Vauxhall Astra, 270 Shaun Baker had a Nissan Bluebird, 160 Jamie Warr a Nissan Micra and the Nissan’s continued with an Almera GX for 67 Rickie Beasley. There was some more bilge fresh for the Sunday with 77 Trevor Barret-Cross’ Vauxhall Cavalier. 385 Ben Brice had a Ford Escort, whilst defending Caged Open champion 200 Brian Pugsley had an Estate version. The Ross’ of 129 Charley and 272 Shaun had a pair of Nissans with a Micra and Almera. 218 Kevin Plunkett bringing a smart Mk4 Vauxhall Astra Estate. There was plenty of modern variety with some people carriers, Ford KAs, Toyota Aygo, and other various junk.
The first Back to Basics heat of the weekend saw ‘Mr Caged’ 317 Bryson Walker spin 202 Lisa Stevenson, who rolled at the end of the home straight bringing a red flag out, but not before a sort out on turn 3/4. 6 Troy Jones had a pop at 328 Mike Parry on the restart. 87 Jason Harvey lunged at 31 Liam Shipway and 160 Jamie Warr. 31 Shippers spun 160 Warr, who was then jacked by 87 Harvey. 519 John Scores spun 237 Jamie Boardhurst. 317 Brick ran 788 Darren Morgan into 237 Boardhurst, which spun the latter as 129 Lee Dalton took the victory.
129 (LD), 852, 200, 23, 6, 788, 317, 31, 87, 756
Heat 2 begun with 67 Rickie Beasley having a pop at 270 Shaun Baker. 363 Sam Trim took a nibble at 63 Rhys Landsdown. 02 Ash Reynolds launched 154 Joe Odhams into turn 3, which sent 42 Jack Chapman spinning. 404 Rob Mills put 210 Ryan Brooks under fire. 746 Deejay Tyler took the win this time.
746, 228, 404 (SD), 363, 797, 888, 67, 122, 02, 404 (RM)
Heat 3 for the Back to Basics was one of the best of the weekend. 31 Shippers weighed in on 174 Ben Taylor. 888 Dan Kempin went in on 31 Shippers. 894 Chris Stokes put the bumper in on 788 Morgan. A pile up occurred on the exit of turn 4 with a few drivers going in. Our very own 238 Jake John Harris drove through 150 Richards. 961 Brad Deeprose had a pop at 519 Scores. 894 Stokes set about 270 Slig, before 797 Scott Clarke and 237 Broadhurst became wedged together. 519 Scores jacked 237 Broadhust, and copped one himself from 160 Warr. 238 Mr Bangernation had a pop at 174 Taylor. 363 Trummer spun 788 Morgan. 328 Parry slowed allowing the closing pack to drive through; 02 Reynolds obliging and dislodging the panels on the Citroen van in the process. 270 Slug spun 238 Mr Bangernation. 961 Deeprose jacked 174 Taylor before more pummelled their way through the pile up. 80 Matt Nutley taking the win.
80, 228, 363, 756, 788, 160, 129 (LD), 894, 02, 961
Heat 4 was another lively affair although unfortunately I was unable to record or take notes. 228 Matt Fall taking the win in that one.
228, 756, 404 (RM), 210, 02, 270, 961, NOF
Heat 5 was a lot quieter with the evening’s action clearly taking it’s toll. 80 Matt Nutley took another win.
80, 797, 363, 471, 6, NOF
At the end of Saturday evening’s events, three merit awards were handed out; the recipients being 328 Mike Parry, 150 Lewis Richards and 270 ‘Slug’ Shaun Baker, all for a combination of their car choice, attitude and wrecks.
Onto the Sunday which begun with a last chance race. The top 8 from each heat on the Saturday qualified for the Caged Open and the top six in this were looking to add their names on the grid. 77 Dirty T set about 154 Pugs and came under fire from 49 Ashley Harvey. 147 Millie Ruby collected 49 Harvey. Wallbangers revenge was quick with 551 Tom Down going in on 147 Ruby. 83 Rich Venall delivered a front wheel shot to 49 Harvey before the red flags came out. 154 Pugs set about 77 Dirty T upon the restart. 385 Brice and 488 Luke Whatley tangled, which saw 385 Brice bury himself into the infield tyre wall on turn 3. 662 Jared Roe spun 83 Venall, before 385 Brice spun and got caught over the front wheel by 154 Pugs. 488 Pooman weighed in on 385 Brice. 33 David Atrill ran 17 Adam Welsman into 385 Brice. 662 Roe ran head on into someone on the exit of turn 2 with a wheel coming lose. 488 Pooman attempted to block 17 Welsman before the reds came out to retrieve the errand wheel. The restart saw 488 Pooman take a pop at 16 Alistair Edgecombe; pushing him round for a lap before eventually spinning him. 17 Welsman set about 488 Pooman as 29 Jamie Jones won by half a lap. Only five going the distance with 17 Welsman having a small fire after crossing the line.
29, 200, 17, 488, 16, NOF
The Caged Open saw 746 Yoyo Jnr and 852 Ryan Hughes off the front row. 23 Clive Crockford and 122 Jimmy McDermott tangled bringing a stoppage early doors. A few laps passed on the restart before 317 Brick spun 17 Welsman. 317 Brick was clearly in lively spirits as he buried 6 Jones. 17 Welsman leant the leading 746 Yoyo Jnr up the wall, only to come under fire from 317 Brick; the latter then spinning 17 along the back straight. 746 Deejay Tyler raced to the win in his Ford Fiesta from 129 Lee Dalton (Mk4 Vauxhall Astra) and 852 Ryan Hughes (Mk5 Vauxhall Astra).
746, 129, 852, 797, 363, 404 (SD), 404 (RM), 317, 17, NOF
The Alcomers was a lively affair. 42 Chapman struggled to get going whilst 363 Trummer had an off along the back straight. 17 Welsman followed in 77 Dirty T. 23 Crockford attacked 27 Dean Quinn but came under fire in turn from 42 Chapman as the red flags came out. 16 Edgecombe jacked 110 up, with 71 Zak Peters leathering the latter’s KA as 27 Deano got sent fence-wards. 363 Trummer ran wide and collected 16 Edgecombe. 17 Welsman spun under his own steam, and was done hard by 87 Harvey. 488 Pooman set about 404 Millsy. The following pack piled in as they looked to find a pathway through. 147 Ruby weighed in on 27 Deano. 488 Pooman leathered 137 Zoe Williams, as behind, 17 Welsman thundered 797 Clarke into the pile up. The race was paused once again to clear the track. On the green, 404 Millsy meant business running 488 Pooman into the growing scrapyard on turn 3. Pooman backed out on the pack, stopping most in their tracks. The race got stopped to clear the track once again. 71 Peters had a pop at 404 Millsy on the restart. Millsy had a go of his own at Peters before 746 Deejay Tyler took his third win of the weekend.
746, 23, 71, 404, NOF
A 7-lap dash was added prior to the DD. The rain begun to fall just before the race making conditions tricky on track. 852 Hughes ran in 17 Welsman and 6 Jones. 49 Harvey went in on 852 Hughes. 317 Brick buried 49 Harvey. 154 Joe Odhams counted down the laps to take the win.
The DD was a short lived affair with 71 Peters jacking 237 Broadhurst. 29 Jones had a pop at 317 Brick. 363 Trummer jacked 71 Peters before the red flags were brought out due to thumbs down from 237 Broadhurst, and the DD duly being abandoned due to complaints of neck and back pain. Thankfully all was ok.
Another two merit awards were distributed at the end of the meeting; 16 Edgecombe and 488 ‘Pooman’ Luke Whatley taking them with their display of true Back to Basics attitude.
2 Litres
Just shy of 30 cars for the 2 Litres on the Sunday. There were a few PRI World Final left overs, with most cars being used.
Heat 1 saw 52 Michael Hudd the first to show, taking a pop at 58 Paul Rubery. 962 Abbie Deeprose leant 714 Paul Smaldon in. 133 Terry Hill set about 616 Ian Jones and 305 Mark Penfold. 720 Kenny-Joe Gabriel weighed in on 616 Jones. 205 Alex Ganter spun 410 Dan Galley, as 908 David Brown ran 02 Ash Reynolds in; the red flags coming out to check on Reynolds. 743 Jake Bond lead them away on the restart. 961 Brad Deeprose stuffed 303 Josh Jones in as 852 Ryan Hughes rattled 205 Ganter around the armco before turning him left. 410 Dano followed in 52 Hubby. 205 Ganter homed in on 303 Jones as 743 Bondy raced to the win.
743, 252, 956, 133, 440, 961, 720, 410, 205, NOF
Heat 2 saw 410 Dano set the action rolling, burying 6 Troy Jones. 720 Keno jacked 6 Jones. 52 Hubby spun 111 Tom Ruby. 262 Roona spun 52 Hubby in turn as the retuning 781 Blake Dudley jacked 6 Jones. 133 Terz turned 781 Blakos left at the end of the home straight. 410 Dano spun 02 Reynolds. It appeared as if Reynolds was looking to head to the infield, but instead met 76 Matt Hodgkins in a solid head on. 961 Deeprose put away 111 Tommo and then continued the momentum to jack 76 Milkyman. A track blockage then occurred on turns 3/4. 961 Deeprose weighed in on 205 Ganter. 262 Roona gave a head on to 303 Jones. 205 Ganter went in on 02 Reynolds. 961 Deeprose weighed in on 205 Ganter once again. 133 Terz went in on 961 Deeprose before the reds came out. On the restart, 961 Deeprose spun 205 Ganter. Ganter again came under fire from 961 Deeprose before deciding to back out on the pack – 743 Bondy was his first victim, before also claiming 410 Dano. 720 Keno jacked 410 Dano. 205 Ganter parked at the end of the back straight with who else other than 961 Deeprose obliging to lengthen him. 252 Steven Bugler taking the win this time around.
252, 133, 743, 262, 440, 956, 961, 720, NOF
The Caged Open was up next. 440 Macauley Mills buried 956 Thompson and 616 Jones as he looked to work his way up the order. 781 Blakos collected 616 Jones. 962 Deeprose homed in on 781 Blakos. 720 Keno jacked 616 Jones with the rest of the race being relatively quiet. 714 ‘No Show’ Paul Smaldon taking the win from 133 Terry Hill and 262 Rob Bugler.
714, 133, 262, 440, 252, 743, 956, 852, 720, 671
Only 6 cars for the Alcomers which saw 133 Terry Hill take the win on a top weekend for him.
133, 262, 252, 440, 720, 303, NoF
Into the DD which was a short affair. 305 Penfold buried 303 Jones. 671 Callum Hawker and 781 Blakos sandwiched 303 Jones, 781 Blakos being the one on oppo getting decent airtime. 252 Boogie jacked 303 Jones. 252 Boogie weighed in on 671 Hawker and dispatched him at the end of the home straight to take the honours.
961 Brad Deeprose’s efforts in the heats enough to earn him the entertainer award for the day, although it was hard to overlook 205 Alex Ganter too.
440 Macauley Mills doing enough results wise all weekend to keep 252 Steven Bugler at bay to win the Mendips Points Championship.
Overall a great inaugural Caged Weekender, with the foundations set to build upon for a return next year and a decent way to end the 2022 National Bangers season at Mendips.
