Mayes clinches European title with a win at Mildenhall Stadium

Diss’ very own Deane Mayes won the Saloon Stock Car European Championship in dominant style at Mildenhall Stadium on Sunday, winning by over a lap in a race that took place just after a massive shower had saturated the track.

This made for challenging conditions for the entire grid, with second and third-placed, Great Yarmouth’s Michael Allard and Diss’ David Aldous, among those that spun or were pushed out on the outside of each bend.

The qualifying heats took place on the drier Saturday night and produced the best action of the weekend.

Norwich’s Martyn Parker put in a great drive in the first heat, winning the race and staking an early claim for the pole position he was to ultimately to secure, while Adam O’Dell won the second heat.

The action took a step up in heat three with Trent Arthurton rolling off the back straight fence before Norwich’s Daniel Parker took the win.

A massive turn one pile-up delayed many in the fourth heat before Matt Fuller brought about a race stoppage rolling off the home straight fence and getting collected when he came back down to earth.

Rivalries came to the fore at the restart with Norwich’s Simon Welton leaning Tommy Barnes into the home straight fence only to be spun himself at the next corner.

A last chance race saw success for Jacob Roff, while two all-comers events fell the way of Aldous and Timmy Barnes.

There was a huge entry of 70 Brisca F2 Stock Cars with the weekend clouded by an unfortunate injury to Glen Scott which brought about an early end to Saturdays race programme.

This led to the unique situation that the Saturday night final was held as the first race on Sunday, Andrew Palmer racing through the field to take a stylish victory.

He looked on course to perhaps take a unique double final on the same day later in the programme, but this was after a torrential downpour and eventual winner, Sam Wagner, leant him out into the boggy outer depths of the track and took the win for himself.

The first ever appearance of the Historic Stock Cars brought an entry of nearly 40 cars and with a packed racing programme they were all put out in each race which resulted in a lot of damage in the first two races of Saturday.

John Healy was a rollover victim pretty much as soon as the green flag waved in heat one, but the race ran without caution and Gordon Coull took the first win.

Heat two saw Graham Francis roll on the back straight before being collected by a number of other cars, thankfully Graham was fine but the car less so. Nick Sandom took the win.

Lee Saunders took a unique double final victory on Sunday as the Saturday night final was held over following the F2 crash for Scott.

In a much closer second final, Saunders held off a last-bend attack from Nick Wickham to take the win and behind Wickham came Mark Simmonds.