| 24 cars | |
| White/Yellow Top Race | |
|---|---|
| 1st | 218 Derek Fairhurst |
| 2nd | 118 Steve Harrison |
| 3rd | 35 Neil Shenton |
| 4th | 70 John Walker |
| 5th | 91 Tony Smith |
| 6th | 81 Ant Brown |
| 7th | 49 Dave Russo |
| 8th | 271 Mark Symons |
| 9th | 154 Stuart Powles |
| 10th | 389 Steve Burgess |
| Heat 1 | |
| 1st | 34 Mal Brown |
| 2nd | 218 Derek Fairhurst |
| 3rd | 343 Barry Heath |
| 4th | 109 Phil Smith |
| 5th | 318 Rob Speak |
| 6th | 49 Dave Russo |
| 7th | 490 Mark Taylor |
| 8th | 291 Dan Squire |
| 9th | 212 Frankie Wainman |
| 10th | 226 Mark Webster |
| Heat 2 | |
| 1st | 218 Derek Fairhurst |
| 2nd | 34 Mal Brown |
| 3rd | 291 Dan Squire |
| 4th | 35 Neil Shenton |
| 5th | 49 Dave Russo |
| 6th | 212 Frankie Wainman |
| 7th | 226 Mark Webster |
| Final | |
| 1st | 318 Rob Speak |
| 2nd | 263 Paul Phillips |
| 3rd | 34 Mal Brown |
| 4th | 276 Mark Poole |
| 5th | 212 Frankie Wainman |
| 6th | 81 Ant Brown |
| 7th | 91 Tony Smith |
| Grand National | |
| 1st | 515 Frankie Wainman |
| 2nd | 318 Rob Speak |
| 3rd | 276 Mark Poole |
| 4th | 212 Frankie Wainman |
| 5th | 91 Tony Smith |
| 6th | 81 Ant Brown |
Perhaps not as many cars as might have been expected, but nevertheless this was still a good meeting. No one driver dominated, but those deserving mentions were Derek Fairhurst, Mal Brown, Dave Russo, and Frankie Wainman Junior. Brown was probably the top point scorer on the night, with first, second, and third places. Fairhurst had two firsts and a second, before taking part in the crash of the meeting, if not the season, when he and Dave Russo both performed synchronised rollovers on the home straight. Before bending his car in his second Stoke rollover, Russo had again put in some good drives, and is becoming a driver that doesn’t move aside for anyone. As for Wainman, he might have been expected to play a bigger part in the proceedings, but managed to finish only one race all night.
Tony Smith (91) was the first away in the Whites & Yellows race, while behind him Dave Russo (49) and Mark Symon (271) got hooked up, with Russo going sideways onto the infield. Derek Fairhurst (218) was flying, and was already up to third place from starting at the back of the grid. Steve Harrison (118) bumped Smith wide to take the lead, but he lost it going into turn 3 and Smith drove straight into him. This let Fairhurst through for the lead. A few laps later, John Walker (70), Mark Symons, Steve Burgess (389) and Stuart Powles (154) all went for the same part of the track on the home straight and ended up in a heap. Powles drove over the front of the Symons car, which then rejoined the race in front of leader Fairhurst. Harrison closed in on the 218 car, but the vastly experienced Fairhurst simply pulled away and went on to take the flag.
Mick Harris (8) got it wrong coming off turn 4 at the start of Heat 1 and was collected by Phil Smith (109) and Paul Philips (263). Barry Heath (343) went in hard on Mark Taylor (490), while up front the early leader was Stuart Powles, though he had Dave Russo closing in on him. Ant Brown (81) and Mark Symons had a bit of a tussle going down the home straight, which resulted in the 81 car going into the fence in a big way. Fairhurst was now up with the leaders, and Russo put up some resistance before Fairhurst got through. Taylor gave Speak a dose of the front bumper, but it didn’t slow the World Champion. Speak was getting closer to Wainman, but any hope of a further 515/318 skirmish vanished when Speak simply drove past Wainman, who then retired. At the halfway, Fairhurst was leading, with Mal Brown (34) and Dave Russo completing the top three. As the lap boards came out, there was a three way battle for third place, with Russo again doing well to hold Phil Smith at bay. Barry Heath moved both wide in one move to take third. Brown took the lead with four to go, and on the last lap Speak closed up to and passed Russo, who finished with a sixth place for all his efforts.
Steve Harrison powered around the outside of turn 3 to take the lead at the start of Heat 2, with Powles and Russo taking each other to the infield. Frankie Wainman Junior went in hard on Barry Heath and Dan Squire. Russo was now back on the track, and he immediately got caught up with Neil Shenton (35), with Paul Philips crashing into both of them. Derek Fairhurst had now taken the lead, followed by Harrison, Brown, and Wainman Junior. Harrison and Wainman retired with flat tyres, and at the halfway Fairhurst was leading Brown by the length of the straight. As the lap-boards came out, there was only 8 cars still mobile. Tony Smith slowed on the home straight as Russo came up behind him, and as Russo made contact the front wheels of the 91 car locked. As Russo shoved the Smith car aside, Smith gave chase down the back straight and went straight for Russo. It looked like he was trying to fence him, although he succeeded only in spinning the 49 car. Russo then got it back facing the right way, and drove straight at the 91 car before continuing the race. Fairhurst went on to win comfortably.
Mark Poole (276) was the first car over the start line in the Final, and Micky Preston (76) got it sideways and was T-boned by Wainman Junior, with Speak going in as well. The 515 car then retired to the infield. Phil Smith went for Paul Philips, as Mal Brown and Mark Symons got tangled together, with Brown spinning onto the infield and Symons going into the fence. Steve Harrison had now taken over at the front, but Poole quickly retook the lead. Dave Russo drove over Mark Symons front wheel as they came off turn 4, and the 49 car then hit a fence post at some speed. The impact flipped the car over onto it’s roof, and it landed back on it’s wheels next to the starters rostrum. A second later, and Derek Fairhurst bounced off a fence post and landed on it’s roof next almost on top of the 49 car. This obviously brought out the yellows, and there was a delay while the 218 machine was removed from the fence, and several fence posts straightened. Poole led them away on the restart, and Rob Speak was now on a charge through the field. Heath leaned on Philips and got past, and Phil Smith took the lead from Poole. The Mark Symons car was stranded on turn 3, and was hit by half the field, bringing the yellows out for a second time. The order was now Smith, Heath, and Speak, although Smith pulled off on the rolling lap. Heath then led until past the halfway, with Speak putting the bumper in at every opportunity but not finding a way past. Speak inherited the lead when the 343 car coasted to a stop on turn 4, and from then on the result was never in doubt. Mal Brown shoved Philips wide to take second, but Philips powered back around the outside.
There were just 7 cars still running for the GN, and this time Frankie Wainman Junior managed to go the distance. A brilliant drive from Speak saw him finish second from the lap handicap.