MOTOR SPORT: THE Big Bangers are back in town this week when Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich stages the annual Volcano meeting and Open championship with £2,000 prize money up for grabs.

THE Big Bangers are back in town this week when Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich stages the annual Volcano meeting and Open championship with £2,000 prize money up for grabs. Obviously the winner of the main race gets a sizeable part of this, but there are special awards all through the evening. Even those who prefer a good crash to a good race can look forward to something for their efforts, with prizes for the most wrecked car, and the wrecker of the meeting, while there are also awards for the rarest car, the best paint job and so on.

Last year's race went to Brighton's Steve Ovett, but he has cut back on his appearances this year so may not be among the 50 or so who usually race at the event. Even so, a number of other top Southerners are expected, but hopes are high for a local success this time after the unprecedented 1,2,3 for the East Anglian drivers in the English championship, their main race at the Spede Weekend a fortnight ago. Shayn Winsor from Wymondham took the title and should be amongst those looking for more Foxhall success on Saturday while Stock Car world champion Mark Smith from Yarmouth is another serious contender.

Other local names who should do well included King's Lynn star Willie Skoyles who was running third in last year's race until the final bend when he crashed out with West Country driver Shane Brown, reigning European champion Gary Madgwick from Newmarket, and Ipswich's consistent Dave Canham.

Sharing equal billing with the Bangers the Lightning Rods race for their English championship, the event coming just one week after a very stormy World Championship at Arena Essex where former Champion Darren Ahern received a three month suspension, and London driver Karl Wheeler took over as the new champion. There should be around 40 of these big Sierra's this week, which always look very impressive on the fast Foxhall circuit.

Another Londoner, Micky Chute, is the defending English champion and while his chances can't be discounted, he would do very well to win it again, against a line-up that includes almost all the country's top drivers, headed by former World champion Richard Boulton and Nick Farrer. There is a number of local hopes though, with Southwold's Gavin Murray and Richard Norman from Chatteris both recent winners at the circuit. Young Darren Goudy from Bacton, who won the Budweiser 500 race here at the Spede Weekend, is another who could give the established names a run for it.

The grid line-up itself will be determined by pre-meeting lap times, so the advice from the promoters is to get there well before seven to watch the grid take shape, even though the race itself will not be run until later in the evening.

Although not advertised originally, the Mini-Stox have now been added to the meeting, which gives the youngsters a rare run out at this famous circuit. Whenever they get the chance to race here, they seem to cope with it very well, and always provide plenty of spectacular entertainment.