ANOTHER magnificent entry of National Hot Rods was the highlight of Saturday evening's motor racing at the Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich.The line-up of 34 cars included all the country's top names for Round Six of the 2002 World Championship Qualifying Series.

ANOTHER magnificent entry of National Hot Rods was the highlight of Saturday evening's motor racing at the Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich.

The line-up of 34 cars included all the country's top names for Round Six of the 2002 World Championship Qualifying Series.

Despite a damp track, the cars roared round at their usual breathtaking speed with Fakenham's Keith Woods having one of the best nights of his career as he took a hat-trick, winning both his heats and the final in very impressive style in his Peugeot 306.

He started the night down in 38th place in the World Series, so these results will have boosted his chances of qualifying for next summer's big race.

Colin Gomm, who started 11th in the points, also had a good night, but the drive of the meeting – possibly of the year – came from Mark Willis, who is in his first season with the formula but has plenty of experience in other classes, including the big circuit Eurocars.

After winning the European Championship in Tipperary last weekend, he came into this meeting full of confidence only to get mixed up in crashes in both his heats. As a result, he didn't qualify for the evening's final so was obliged to start at the back of a 33-car line up, from where he stormed through to third in his Vauxhall Corsa and might well have taken a highly unlikely win if Woods and Gomm hadn't started so far ahead of him.

The meeting also featured Foxhall's fourth World Championship race of the season when the veteran Peter Scott finally landed the V8 Stockcar World Championship.

Scott, who has been racing since 1966, has won everything in his long career, apart from the World, where he has been second and third on numerous occasions, but it all came right for him on Saturday.

Young Darren Mitchell was second, following in the footsteps of both his father and his grandfather who raced in the formula back in the early days of the '50s and '60s.

Ipswich star Marty Page, who won when the World Final was last staged here in 1998, crashed early on which ruined his chances, while defending champion Stu Blyth from Wisbech never really got going at all, finishing ninth in the end despite starting third on the grid.

A huge entry of around 60 Rookie Bangers provided all their usual entertainment and non-stop action, with the Braintree/Sudbury drivers doing very well again, although it was relative newcomer Martin Clements who came bursting through the rapidly-descending fog to take the win in the final.

Griggs fell by the wayside of a very lively race where around 50 starters were reduced to just a handful of finishers.

Foxhall results

National Hot Rods. Heat One: 1 Colin Gomm (Chesham), 2 Andy Steward (Gt Bromley), 3 Keith Lynam (Coventry). Heat Two: 1 Keith Woods (Fakenham), 2 Barry Bowyer (Peterborough), 3 Malcolm Blackman (Bucks). Heat Three: 1 Bowyer, 2 Karl Price (Scotland), 3 Colin Smith. (Southend). Heat Four: 1 Woods, 2 Neil Stimson (Peterborough), 3 Steward.

Final: 1 Woods, 2 Gomm, 3 Mark Willis (Slough).

V8 Stockcars. Heat One: 1 Michael Driscoll (Grays), 2 Peter Scott (Romford), 3 Robert Harris (London). Heat Two: 1 Marty Page (Ipswich), 2 Harris, 3 John Turner (Roydon).

World Championship: 1 Scott, 2 Darren Mitchell (Oxford), 3 Driscoll.

Rookie Bangers. Heat One: 1 Scott Griggs (Sudbury), 2 Jason Langley (Braintree), 3 Paul Felgate (Woodbridge). Heat Two: 1 Langley, 2 Dave Canham (Ipswich), 3 Tony Kingsnorth (Capel). Heat Three: 1 Griggs, 2 Adam Prior (Ipswich), 3 Langley.

Final: 1 Martin Clements (Mendlesham), 2 Langley, 3 Canham.