SALOON STOCK DRIVERS                187 CARS 

SUPERSTOX DRIVERS        63 CARS

HOT ROD DRIVERS            7 CARS

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 The points awarded for the 1971 season were as follows:-    

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An Early Saloon Stock Lineup at Armadale (photo knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

The big news for 1971 was the opening of the Armadale Raceway in West Lothian on the 28th May. The asphalt track was reputedly modelled on the shape and size of Wimbledon, as most major Spedeworth championships were held at that venue, this would enable Scottish drivers to get more practise on a traditional oval, Cowdenbeath had of course a more square shape, far  more pronounced than it is today.              
              
Interestingly it was no 9 John Duncker who won the opening Superstox heat, the opening F2 heat at Cowdenbeath in 1965 was also a no 9, Peter "Pepso" Dent.              
The first Saloon Stock race at Armadale was won by Dave Nelson who went on to become the Armadale Saloon Stock expert in the early years.              
              
While at Cowdenbeath the first meeting of 1971, 48 different Saloon Stocks & 28 different Superstox, the saloons up by over 50% from the previous season, the Superstox down by 15%.              
The average attendance for the season was 48 Saloon Stocks, up a massive 14 on the previous season & 30 Superstox up 1 on 1970.              
The highest attendance for the Saloon Stocks was 60 cars on the 31st October "Cock O The North Meeting"              
The highest attendance for the Superstox was British Championship on 4th July, 42 cars.              
               
While at Armadale, there were quite reasonable car attendances, the highest for the Saloon Stocks was at the opening meeting with 39 cars & for the Superstox on the 25th June with 24 cars. The average over the season for the Saloon Stocks was 26 cars & the Superstox 18 cars.             
              
Announced in the 09.05.71  programme that Hot Rod Racing was to be introduced on a weekly basis, with a race against English visitors proposed for later in the year.              
6 English Hot Rods provided a demonstration at the British Superstox Championship on 4th July, including the already Hot Rod legends George Polley & Barry Lee, Polley, won both races with Lee taking runner up spot.              
              
Les Kay having dominated the previous years Saloon Stocks, tried his hand in the Superstox for half a dozen meetings at the beginning of the season, won a heat, but little other success, however on the announcement that Hot Rods were to be introduced to Scotland, decided that going the wrong way round was not for him. 

64 Les Kay & 130 Malcolm Watt (photo knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

These early Hot Rod demonstration events had resulted in a few distinctly non Hot Rod type driving, indeed, Malcolm Watt & Les Kay clashed in the 1971 New Years meeting, to the extent that they both should have been dissqualified.

              
The honours for the 1971 season were as follows:-

1971 SUPERSTOX POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP 

41 Gordon McDougall in his 1971 British Championship winning car (knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP  -  4th JULY                 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP  -  29th AUGUST

1971 Open Scottish Champion Ronnie Nisbet (photo knockhillimages.sugmug.com)

OPEN SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP  -  18th APRIL

  EAST OF SCOTLAND CHAMPIONSHIP - 1st AUGUST       UK CHALLENGE CUP - 26thSEPTEMBER

Armadale in July - 6 Walter Brown, 81 Bill Pullar, 94 Vic Russell, 104 Ronnie Nisbet (knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

"COCK of the NORTH" - 31st OCTOBER   WEST of SCOTLAND CHAMPIONSHIP - 4th JUNE

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The stats for the most wins in 1971 were as follows:- 

For these purposes the British, Open Scottish, UK Challenge Cup & "Cock of The North" (Final & Championship winners race) are counted as finals.              
 

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Most Highest Points Scoring Meetings

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John Duncker's first season in Superstox was very successful, achieving 12 wins during the season, including a memorable final at Cowdenbeath when he crossed the line first despite being hooked up with Walter Brown for the last couple of laps!              
              
1971 Open Scottish Superstox Championship, 41 Gordon McDougall unable to defend or even visit track to spectate due to still being in great pain, Gordon sufferred over the years from a medical condition which can induce severe pain. Ex Saloon Stocker Ronnie Nisbet winning the big race from Roy Eaton & Bil Pullar.              
              
It was English driver Tony May's turn to win the UK Challenge Cup, a truly amazing run of results:-           
1966 Malcolm Paterson             
1967 Tony May             
1968 Malcolm Paterson             
1969 Tony May             
1970 Malcolm Paterson             
1971 Tony May             
              
Scottish qualifiers for the European Superstox Championship at Ipswich in July were Ronnie Nisbet, Alan Neilson, Ronnie Anderson, Bob Morton, Andy Davidson, John Duncker & Gordon McDougall. There was no success in the top 6 though, Bob Perry won from Dave Pierce & Tony May.               
Gordon McDougall did achieve a heat 2nd and final 8th and Malcolm Paterson a heat 5th in the other races.              
              
Scottish qualifiers for the World Superstox Championship at Wimbledon in September were Walter Brown, John Duncker, Eric Moore, Bob Morton, Ronnie Nisbet, Malcolm Paterson & Alan Neilson. Again there was no success for the Scottish Drivers, Spedeworth England drivers filled the first 10 places. Geoff Goddard won, from Dave Pierce & Roger Warnes.              
              
Controversy in the 1971 Scottish Superstox Championship, which principally surrounded the 2nd & 3rd positions, the result was eventually confirmed as 1st Malcolm Paterson, 2nd Alan Neilson, 3rd Walter Brown.              
The uproar which occurred at the meeting, was commented on in the following Armadale programme on 03.09.71, Gwen Cecil went on to praise the lap scores & how great a job they did. The Cowdenbeath programme of 05.09.71 had even more emphasis on how great a job the lap scorers did, & how difficult the job was. There was also an unprecedented description of the race itself & where the drivers respective places were on each lap, also highlighting the incident where Walter Brown lost his lap. Gwen's final sum up in the programme was "Unlike you all, I have no favourite driver, so I see and act impartially, but I would like to put on record that I have the upmost confidence in the three lap scorers, WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY ME".              
It should be noted that Gwen was one of the main lap scorers with the English Spedeworth organisation when they started and was by all accounts one of the best.              
              
Ronnie Nisbet had developed as the Armadale specialist. As well as the West Of Scotland win, he collected 23 race wins there and was the track points champion. He was still only 20 years old.   

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E364 Tony May on his way to 3 race wins at Armadale, E320 Dave Pierce, 70 Andy Davidson & 81 Bill Pullar in shot (knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

At the Friday night meeting on the 24th September at Armadale (pre Sunday's UK Challenge Cup at Cowdenbeath) Tony May put up a thoroughly dominating display taking both of his participating heats and the Final.

1971 SALOON STOCK POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP

1971 Saloon Stock Points Champion Johnny Davidson (photo knockhillimages.smugmug.com)

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Scottish Championship Podium, 1st Kenny Ireland, 2nd Doug Farrer, 3rd Ernest Abram

SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP - 5th SEPTEMBER         EAST of SCOTLAND CHAMPIONSHIP - 29th AUGUST