No new formulae arrived in 1984, although there was a change of name, as F1SCA Formula 80 Stock Cars became known as Spedeworth Formula One. The class was still not intended as competition for the national (apart from the south east!) BriSCA F1 Stock Cars, but as a more cost-effective alternative for the Spedeworth-licensed Southern drivers. The specification for the Spedeworth version remained at 5-litres. One of the best at driving and preparation in this class, Stu Blyth, kicked off the year in good style at Wimbledon, by winning the English Championship.
Many promoters were still running their own variations of classes, up and down the country, but it was heartening to see that more and more were coming into line, to create a truly National formula that could compete together in major races. The class that benefited most from this, in the 1984 season, was the Ministox, as it was introduced by both Spedeworth Scotland and Hednesford. The latter’s first meeting was an invitation, and saw the first race win going to Steven Carding, son of Hot Rod racer, John.
In 1983, the PRI Hot Rods had contested a one-off meeting, on the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch. The layout, not quite an oval, with two left hand corners at Graham Hill Bend and Surtees, proved well suited to the class, and the reversed grid racing had proved popular with the organisers; so, two more dates were added for the formula, in April and August 1984. The crossover between short ovals and long circuits was happening elsewhere, as Hednesford planned a meeting that would include short oval racing for the single-seater racing category, Formula Ford 1600. Although the meeting did not happen, a similar idea was put into practice in Europe a few seasons later, using Formula Toyota cars.
At this time, however, the English Midgets were doing well. It had become a self-governing club back in 1975, and found its own fixtures with promoters. One of the dates in 1984 was the World Championship, at Northampton. This was another meeting shown live on ITV’s World of Sport, and the truly international nature of the event certainly did the class no harm. The race itself was exciting too, with Alf Boarer, driving from the back of the grid, to take the lead from Mick Bonner on the last bend, winning the title.
PRI realised that getting more than one use out of a stadium was good for business, and so Speedway was introduced to Arena Essex on 5th April – the shale track being laid on the inside of the tarmac oval used for car racing. The Essex Hammers were to become an established part of the UK Speedway scene.
One of the top names from the UK Hot Rod racing scene looked like he would be on his way out of the formula, after some winter outings in Rallycross. 1982 World Champion, Davy Evans, was citing frustration with Hot Rod racing at the time, but in all probability he may have felt he was not reaching his full potential, racing on the short ovals. Rallycross outings at the Boyd Autodrome, and at Mondello Park, got him seriously thinking about moving into rallying, and he made his debut in the sport in the Circuit of Ireland Rally, co-driven by Roy Kernaghan. In his first competition against such highly regarded names as Jimmy McRae and Henri Toivonen, the result was an amazing third place. His impressive introduction to the sport continued in major events, and later in 1984 he scored a 6th place in the Manx International Rally, and a 4th place at the Cork International Rally, finishing 3rd in points in the 1984 Irish Tarmac Series.
Superstox were in for a good year, as Paul Warwick graduated to the formula from Ministox. He first raced his Colin Higman chassis at his home circuit, Aldershot, in a wet meeting at the end of March, although a final win would elude him until almost a month later, after taking several heats, when he won the feature, again at Aldershot. Everyone knew that Paul would shine in the class, but his rapid progress still managed to raise an eyebrow or two, especially when he became the youngest driver to win the National Championship, at just 16 years of age, at the Ipswich Spedeweekend.
Warwick’s arrival may have been good for the Superstox, but, as one hero arrived at the beginning of the year, another departed the scene at the end, with Dave Pierce’s retirement from the formula. The Dorking man raced for the last time at Aldershot, on Boxing Day 1984, leaving a legacy of championship wins from what was undoubtedly the sport’s most competitive era.
Although there was a trend in Hot Rods at this time to move towards more ‘hybrid’ cars, many of the formula’s new drivers were doing well with more traditional machinery and modest budgets. One example was former Stock Saloon and Banger racer, Martin Davey, who had done well with a Ford Anglia.
The final few entries to the Hot Rod World Championship were to be decided by semi finals again. One of these, down at Newton Abbot in Devon, provided a controversial ending, as John Edwards apparently took Stu Jackson into the wall, allowing Leon Smith through to win from two local stars, Spence Morgan and Derek Palmer.
The World title finally returned home to England, with Peter Grimer steering his Ford-powered Toyota Starlet to both pole position and the race win. George Polley was second, his best result in the event since winning the crown back in 1976, whilst Norman Woolsey was third. Barry Lee raced with an experimental, turbocharged Ford Pinto engine in his car and also, ever the innovator, provided some live television commentary whilst racing.
Pete Stevens remained a prolific winner in the Hot Rods, taking a third successive European title at Cowdenbeath, along with the British, English and Scottish Open Championships. Pete had, however, competed in one of the Brands Hatch PRI Hot Rod outings as a guest driver and, like Davy Evans, his thoughts were beginning to turn to competition away from the small ovals.