Rothwell F1 Stock Car Superstar score maximum on 2024 debut

In every sport there is a special number which indicates perfection – in darts it is 180, in snooker the perfect break is 147. In BriSCA F1 Stock Cars the absolute perfect points haul is 69.

King’s Lynn started running BriSCA F1 Stock Cars in 1955 and up until last Saturday had staged 188 F1 Stock Car meetings. In that time nobody has gone home scoring 69 points although some have come close but that was until Rothwell’s Ryan Harrison took to the track last Saturday and sent local fans home delirious following a coveted maximum.

Ryan Harrison is one of the top drivers in BriSCA F1 and indeed in international stock car racing. During the UK off season, Harrison spends his time making a name for himself in Sprint Car Racing in the USA where he is also now a prolific race winner.

The good news for UK fans though is that whilst Ryan is aiming to become one of the top drivers in US Sprint Car Racing, his heart still lays with BriSCA F1.

He made his 2024 UK debut on Saturday at King’s Lynn and it was a night when the opposition had no answer to the flying Rothwell Superstar.

It was 50/50 whether Ryan would make the meeting. He had been struck down by a bug most of the week and only confirmed his booking the day before the meeting. He wasn’t going to let the illness slow him down though and in he cruised to victory in his heat. Despite having to start every race at the back of the grid as a champion racer he took the lead with five laps to go and won easily.

“I’m feeling far from 100%” said Ryan after his heat win as his voice was still crackly with his bug. “In honesty I feel like total c**p but there isn’t many places better than King’s Lynn you can come to on a Saturday night to have a good night! I was cruising round really was hoping there would be some bumpers thrown in!”

Come the final it was the Ryan shown again as he took another convincing victory taking the lead from the back of the grid at the half way stage and completely demolishing a shell shocked opposition.

Even runner up Retford’s Bobby Griffin had nothing but admiration for Ryan’s performance “He was toying with us to be honest” said Bobby after the final. “You think you are catching hom but he just seems to slow a little for a play – he is just so fast it is unreal!”

The final was dedicated to long standing fan and sponsor Colin Knibbs who sadly passed away a couple of years ago but would have been celebrating his 80th birthday on Saturday and was a close friend of the Harrison Team “That one means a lot. My family were very good friends with Colin Knibbs and we have travelled around the world with him going to racing events. That win is for Colin! The car is really good it has just continued really where we left off last year and we are now really looking forward to getting on with the rest of the season!

A BriSCA F1 meeting ends with a Grand National which is open to all cars. The thing that makes it difficult for the final winner to double up though is that he has to start right in front of the front cars which effectively puts him a lap down. That wasn’t going to be a problem for Ryan though. He was helped with a couple of race suspensions but nobody can take anything away from the phenomenal drive. With two laps to go he was up to second place and eased past Solihull’s Jake Harrhy to take an amazing triple and send local fans into seventh heaven!

“I have won heat and final here before a couple of times but always fell short in the Grand National” said Ryan after his amazing maximum. “When the yellow flags came out and I was getting close I thought I really want this and I’m having it! I’ve loved it tonight and the shale car is unbelievable. I have also done some upgrades to the tarmac car so hopefully we will also be more competitive on tarmac and we are really going to have a good go at it this year. Thanks go to all my sponsors, my mechanics and family. Without them it just wouldn’t be possible!”