Banger Racing - Early Days

Early Days

From humble beginnings, the sport has become the premier formula in Short Oval racing in the UK, regularly drawing the largest numbers of both competitors and spectators. The Unlimited Banger World Final was held at Wimbledon Stadium in London from 1974 until 2007. From 2008 it was relocated to Ipswich due to the low emission zone in London. The peak number of cars to compete was in 2003 when around 13,000 cars raced, of which around 9,500 were "fresh" (not previously raced). Around 1989 - 1990 promoters began hosting "open" meetings with significant prize funds; the first of these being held at Ringwood Raceway and Arena Essex. The "Icebreaker", held at Swaffham on February 8, 1998 is widely regarded as the "best" ever event, drawing 209 competitors in a day of heavy action. However, the annual "Heavy Metal Classic" event in January of each year at Standlake Arena in Oxfordshire has beaten this on several occasions with as many as 270 cars being raced. In 2009, the HMC Meeting attracted 253 cars booked in to race.

There are further dimensions to this sport apart from the actual racing - one is the quest for interesting vehicles to wreck and race, often dividing opinions between Banger Drivers and Classic Car Enthusiasts. In addition to this there is a recent trend for high quality professional car preparation both in terms of performance and physical appearance. These developments move the sport away from the "scrap-car", cheap motorsport area and provide a higher profile entertainment spectacle. At "important" or "title" events, the cars are meticulously prepared to high standards. In recent years, top drivers have invested significantly in race-tuned engines, "sticky" tyres and even suspension set-ups. In North America, as this is specifically an entry-level class, many tracks will restrict tyres to specification tyres specifically listed in the rule book, and restrict engines, gearboxes, and axles to specific types per manufacturer and limit the types of cars used depending on Street Stock type based on engine size.