THE Summer Speed Weekend at Smeatharpe Stadium will feature two days of top class short oval racing with the British Championship for BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars and Saloon Stock Cars, sharing the top of the bill.

Additionally, the unlimited Old Skool Bangers will feature on Sunday afternoon.

A magnificent entry in the region of 70 Formula Two stock cars will contest their British Championship, which finally returns to Smeatharpe for the first time in ten years. Drivers are set to travel from throughout England, Northern Ireland and Scotland to race for the British title which was first contested as long ago as 1964.

It features a multitude of potential winners, including two high ranking Scots – 2002 World Champion Chris Burgoyne of Stirling and reigning World Champion George MacMillan Jnr of Glasgow.

Hopes of west country glory appear to lie with Neil Hooper of Exmouth who will be seeking to emulate his father Garry’s 1987 triumph in the very same event, James Rygor of Westbury who won the 2013 World Championship at Smeatharpe and Chris Mikulla of Weston-super-Mare.

The most recent winner of the British title, who is a confirmed entrant this year, is David Polley from Cambridgeshire. He won in 2010, and only two weeks ago won the English Open Championship, to underline his good recent form.

Among the VIP guests due in attendance will be John ‘Chalky’ White of Sidbury and Bill Batten of Newton Abbot. Former garage proprietor White enjoyed a glorious career which spanned from 1978 to 1992, during which time he won the British title on three occasions, the first of which was in his debut season, and poignantly, that first British victory came at Smeatharpe.

Batten retired from racing only last summer. He was the winner of the British title when it was last held at Smeatharpe in 2005, which brought Batten a record sixth British crown, and he remains the all time leading winner of the British Championship.

The last Formula Two Stock Car which Batten raced, is due to be used by Jamie Avery of Newton Abbot, in this weekend’s event.

With the event having not been held in the south west for so many years, a number of the region’s drivers will be racing their first ever British Championship. Among them will be Shane Hector of Cullompton, and the father and son duo of Matt and Sam Weston of Bridgwater. Hector, who has raced in various other short oval motor racing classes, is in his third season of Formula Two Stock Car competition, and has a brand new car for this season, as built by TLF Fabrications of Wisbech.

On Sunday Saloon Stock Cars provide rough, hard hitting action-packed racing as the highly-coveted British Championship is at stake for the Saloon Stock Cars.

Reigning British Champion Stuart Shevill from Motherwell has withdrawn from the event, but there are still as many as five former winners of the title, who feature in an entry of nearly 50 drivers.

So impressive were the unlimited Old Skool Bangers at Smeatharpe on Easter Monday, that they have been rewarded with an extra race date, and a high profile one at that, to provide some supporting action on British Championship Sunday.