National Points Championship Shootout Stage 1 Round Up

National Points Championship Shootout Stage 1 Round Up

2025-10-06

Going into the deciding weekend of Stage 1 of the GBE UK National Points Championship Shootout, there was the big question of 'could it be as good as last year?'. Many will remember 16 Mat Newson vs 216 Jack France at Northampton Shaleway, Mat coming out the victor, cementing his place in Stage 2. It was a meeting that firmly put the 'new look' Shootout into the spotlight.

We need not have worried, Round 4 at the 'returning after 15 years' Scunthorpe Raceway was quite simply 'stock cars on steroids'. A meeting that will be talked about for a very long time!

Before we arrive at 'Super Scunthorpe Sunday' via the tappy keys on my keyboard, we have the Teng Tools sponsored Round 3 from Buxton Raceway, which was held the preceding evening. Weather report first, cold on the terraces but much warmer in the new BSCDA Shootout Hub.

As a PR Team, we had discussed for a while how we could up the 'professional look and feel' trackside. The purchase and conversion of a trailer into a one-stop shop for the BSCDA looked amazing and certainly paid dividends on its maiden outing.

Up-to-date screens with results/points, a dedicated driver interview area, and a general point of contact for all things stock car-related. The Hub will continue to evolve and will be multi-functional in the coming seasons.

Back to the racing. A major talking point before the meeting was the late arrival of Dave Polley, number 138. Dave did brilliantly in last season’s Shootout, having a real chance of claiming the Silver roof, right up to the championship decider at Bradford.

Dave's downfall, as he will admit, was his lack of a designated tarmac car. Recognising this and setting his sights on the final title of the season, Dave had spent the last month updating the Ashley England tar car to be race competitive in 2025.

That wasn't all, Dave, being quite tall had to raise the rollcage height to sit comfortably. Wife of Dave, Liz Polley, explained the sheer volume of hours spent on the pursuit of Silver during her interview in...yep, you guessed it, the all-new Shootout Hub. The result, an incredibly mean-looking F1 - I loved it.

Pit drama following pre-meeting practice. Mat Newson blew a diff and delivered repairs just in time. 175 Karl Hawkins had damage to his engine and was kindly loaned the Michael Storry car.

515 Frankie Wainman Jnr and 259 Paul Hines were further Shootout contenders not in their usual machines. Both drivers divulged engine issues as the root cause. With a change of surface the next day, neither felt it an option to conduct an overnight engine swap from Tar to Shale specials.

A slightly lower than anticipated number of drivers came at start time, and so 2/3rds the chosen format, drivers racing two out of three heats, before an all-in Final and Grand National.

Buxton favoured the tarmac specialists of 1 Tom Harris, 368 Callum Thornton and 526 Finn Sargent, and so it proved with the trio taking all five race wins between them. Tom and Finn are both in Group C, virtually cementing their 'top 2' positions in their group and progression to Stage 2.

555 Frankie Wainman Jnr was only racing the Buxton round; the remaining threat, 55 Craig Finnikin, was not in attendance Saturday, and it would take a monumental effort to overtake 2nd placed Finn the following day.

Group A was proving interesting. 212 Danny Wainman headed the group going into Buxton, and he left still at the helm with a further 27 points under his belt. 515 Frankie Wainman Jnr and 259 Paul Hines didn't have a particularly great night, but the former moved up to 2nd, 7 points ahead of Paul. Danny, however, in P1 looked like a good bet to move onto Stage 2.

16 Mat Newson hadn't had a great Shootout to date, 26 points and 3rd place in the group. 138 Dave Polley was leading, predominantly through his 49 points at the Round 1 Bradford session. With the aforementioned tar car at his disposal, Dave was hoping for a strong tarmac session. It wasn't to be a fairytale story for last year’s 'YouTube sensation'.

Dave could only manage a meagre 3 points all night and was relegated to 3rd at the meeting, close behind 16 Mat, who conversely had a great night, and 175 Karl Hawkins in 2nd. This was a tight group and looked odds on for a big fight the next day - and so it proved.

217 Lee Fairhurst had headed Group D since Round 1, and his 34 points at Buxton further enhanced his chances of Stage 2 entry. Wildcard 554 Sierd de Vries had a brilliant Round 2, but his 2nd place was lost to teammate 368 Callum Thornton. 51 points for Callum, v's Sierd’s 4. The Dutchman would need to win races at Scunthorpe to remain in contention.

8 Catherine Harris had her best meeting of the championship, but it wasn't enough to elevate her from the drop zone.

Fans and drivers left Buxton Raceway, safe in the knowledge that the racing the next day had the potential for some big, big moments. 13 drivers fighting over just 8 places, nobody wanted to go home!

An early start for many, and arrival at a bustling pit area; some anticipated sunshine and a fantastic race circuit. If Carlsberg did Sundays....(wonder if we'll get brand endorsement fee's Sophie? - ask the question)

Scunthorpe was a brilliant 'old school meeting' and had as much drama and intrigue as you could have hoped for the final round of Stage 1. 50 plus cars in the pits and three heats/consolation was the chosen format.

Main interest centred on 515 Frankie Wainman Jr v 259 Paul Hines in Group A and 138 Dave Polley v 175 Karl Hawkins in Group C. Could the unthinkable happen and two of last year's final six fall at the first hurdle?

Heat 1 would give us an idea. Group A raced this one (166, 212, 259, 515). 166 Bobby Griffin drove a storming race to take the win, many lamenting his decision not to partake in the previous rounds. Bobby was certainly a man on a mission, FWJ got past at one stage, but with some deft bumperwork Bobby took the chequered ahead of Frankie, and Paul Hines. A case of as you were in Group A.

Heat 2 and the turn of Groups B&C. This race gave us 6 Shooters, 555 FWJJ and 5 Charlie Sworder, electing not to race. 138 DP really needed a strong start to his Scunthorpe adventure. Ok, but not brilliant, a 7th place was the best Dave could deliver. In his favour was 175 Karl Hawkins failing to make the 'Top 8' and automatic qualification to the meeting's Grand Final. 16 Mat Newson took the win and, in doing so, tightened his grip at the Top of Group C.

The remaining heat and Group D shootout drivers were in this one. After an impressive night at Buxton, 368 Callum Thornton produced possibly one of his best shale performances to take 3rd ahead of Group D rival 217 Lee Fairhurst. 8 Catherine Harris claimed an 8th with 544 Sierd de Vries in the Consolation following a big coming together with Joe Booth at the end of the back straight.

Five Shootout drivers, including 175 Karl Hawkins, were on track for their last chance to qualify race - the meeting Consolation. Karl was doing well, just inside the top 6. Going into the last bend, 151 Bug Maynard, who was running 3rd, launched an attack on 587 Sam Brigg, who then connected with race leader 55 Craig Finnikin. The resultant melee enabled 212 Danny Wainman to sneak through and take the win. 175 Karl Hawkins followed him through to get 2nd.

The number of people who came over to the Shootout Hub noticeably increased as the meeting progressed. The crowd post Consolation was pleasing, everyone wanted to know the current scores, and work out who needed to do what in the remaining two races.

As the cars came onto track for the meeting's Final, you could sense the anticipation in the air; big-name drivers would need to deliver some big actions to cement a Stage 2 place. Interest is still very much on 259 v 515 and 138 v 175. This is where the story was.

259 isn't noted as a driver who is exuberant with the front bumper, yet it was Paul who made the first move. A strong hit on rival Frankie Wainman Jnr sent the 515 machine into a spin in turn 1. Paul sped off, leaving Frankie at the rear of the field. A subsequent caution bunched the cars back up on lap 8. Paul had made it up to 8th, Frankie was well down in 17th.

What of 138 and 175? Well, they were towards the rear of the pack, separated by one car - that man 515 FWJ. Frankie and Dave exchanged some hits as they both looked to make forward progress. Frankie got the better of Dave, spinning him round as they came into the home straight.

With Dave having to really motor once rejoined, he took the following bend too hot and spun off his own accord. Dave retired to the centre. Frankie continued to make forward momentum, but the best he could manage was 11th, one place ahead of son-in-law Karl. Paul Hines? He did brilliantly and certainly drove like he wanted that final Stage 2 spot, a 4th place and another good points haul for the Hinckley-based driver.

It would go down to the final race, the Grand National. Frankie would need to finish 8th or better, and Paul a DNF. Dave would have to finish 3rd or better, and Karl a DNF. Out of the two battles, Frankie's was probably the easiest.

Due to the number of cars wishing to take part, two Grand Nationals became necessary. Frankie and Paul were in the first. Frankie gridded behind Paul, and all eyes were on this duo. Frankie had to eliminate 'Mr Shootout' from the results, but did so in a way that he could continue. Paul knew the hit was coming, but with Frankie's experience, he made this one count. Paul recovered, but the resultant damage impacted his pace. FWJ raced to 2nd behind ‘driver of the day’ Bobby Griffin.

Paul delivered a 9th. Was it enough? The entire crowd waited, many looking expectantly at the BSCDA Shootout website for the points to be updated. What an atmosphere! In the end, FWJ made it through by one solitary point! Wow - so, so close...simply brilliant racing from the pair.

Grand National two, this time all eyes were on 138 and 175. It didn't feel that Dave could take it to Kar,l as he needed a top 3 position, and clearly this was also his view. Dave set off rapidly, with Karl closely behind. And this is how it remained...Karl was driving very sensibly, knowing that just being in the points would secure his path. A very dejected DP made 5th, and Karl 6th. Pretty much unthinkable after Round 1, but Dave Polley was out of the 2025 Shootout Championship!

I am almost out of adjectives to describe the Scunthorpe Meeting, but it will be one of those that live long in the memory. Round 4 of the Shootout, best meeting of the season? Quite possibly!

The full reactions of all the main contenders can be found in our BSCDA TV videos released over the course of this week. They are a must-watch, and if anything, just shows how much this championship means to the drivers involved.

With Stage 1 complete, attention now turns to Stage 2, which gets underway this weekend at Skegness Raceway on Saturday night, start time 6 pm. The eight drivers are now in two groups, and the details can be found below.

Alongside the commencement of Stage 2, we also start with our Shootout Jnr competition winners, who have the all-important job of completing the grid draw. This draw will take place at the Shootout Hub, and we will announce timings on our socials. Whilst you're there, and if you haven't already, pick up this year's wall chart and driver postcards to add to your collection.

If you have enjoyed reading the Shootout round-up, please recommend it to a friend. Shootout 2025 is only just beginning!