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A sprawl of trailers, stock cars, vans and accents, from Norwich to New Zealand,
greeted lifebyte on our track-side debut. |
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Stock car racing is not the mindless vehicular carnage
that it's often portrayed as. The skills demanded of the drivers are subtle, varied
and conducted at speeds of up to 75mph at the top level. Every driver is not responsible
for building his own car and although the prize money does not compare to the
upper echelons of professional motor sport, the money invested in engines
and parts is serious.
There are two categories in Trackstar
stock car racing, Formula
one and two and the night lifebyte rolled up in Norfolk saw the climax
of the Formula two category, in the shape of the World Final. As a result, there
was a good-sized crowd, who were warmed up by a Formula two novice race and some
exhibition Formula one contests. The contestants hailed from all over the UK,
as well as Ireland and Holland.
The King's Lynn track is shale (the other common stock
car surface is tarmac), so watching these swift stocks negotiating corners can
pose a danger to your clothes, skin hygiene and hairstyle. The loose earth (shale
doesn't mean pebbles) is fired into the crowd by these crazed cars skidding into
and out of corners. If this is a worry, then perhaps this is not the spectator
sport for you, although the stands are a safe haven for the feint-hearted.
The victor in the Formula two World Final was Daz Kitson (732) from Huddersfield, who avenged his second place in the previous year's final and impressed the knowledgeable crowd with his power of concentration in the face of two suspensions and re-starts, due to repeated pile-ups.
All this ear-bursting mayhem was enough to encourage lifebyte
to return to the track next season. We definitely recommend this as an alternative
to the high finance, high octane and swollen egos of professional motor sport.
Stock cars are the new gladiators!
— Daniel Crimes 26.10.00 |
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