Angus racers play their part in a memorable season

As the nation gradually made its way out of lockdown periods, crowds were again welcomed back at tracks, including the Cowdenbeath Racewall in Fife.

Drivers from across the country regularly travel to the kingdom track to compete, including several from the Angus area.

It was a campaign to remember for Scots who enjoyed months of keen competition which regularly standing there on top of the podium at the end of the evening’s meeting.

The Scottish drivers were to the fore in many of the national and domestic formulae in 2021.

World Championship titles went to formula II driver Chris Burgoyne and the ORCi stock rod honours to David Philp Jnr.

Armadale’s Robert McDonald retained his national hot rod title as Scots racked up a series of high profile victories.

It was a good year for the ORCi stock rod drivers with John McAllister and Michael Bethune going over to Northern Ireland in June with McAllister coming back with the British Championship and Bethune the ORCi title.

After his success in the worlds, the following day Craig Haxton won the World Masters whilst, at their next meeting, Philp Jnr won the Scottish Championship.

Later, David Dignan won the white and yellow final and at the end of the year Sandy Galbraith won the Simon Laing Memorial trophy and Bethune the Scottish Open.

The track points championship went down to the wire with Bethune just grabbing it on the last race while Cammy Doak winning the National Points title.

In the prostock basics, there was a lot of close and fast racing in the formula designed to introduce newcomers into the sport.

Mind you, Aimee Winfield rolled her car at her first practice outing.

The Scottish Championship saw Jack Robertson come out on top while Joanne Hilditch won the Highland Championship at Crimond.

The race for the track points went down to the last race with Nicole Russell winning the National Points and the silver roof with Kielan Ogilvie, from Brechin, winning the track points.

Monifieth’s Martin Joy was another who had a good season but a disappointing last meeting saw him lose ground in the track points.

In the basics with Kailum Greig picked up his first win and ended the season in the blue grade.

Callum Rennie who hails from near-by the Fife course, was on the fringes of the track points race and generally fared well whilst his father, David, returned to the track after a good few years on the side lines in Callum’s old car and won a race.

Kenny Purdie won the Doug Farrer trophy as well as the Cock O the North title in the Classic Hot Rods whilst Ross McWilliam, Roy Anderson and James Mooney were the top three in the National Hot Rods. The new season at the Racewall is set to get underway in the spring with Angus drivers gearing up towards its regular March start date. There will be a new year meeting, though, on January 9.