Stuart eyes up Racewall world finals

Practice sessions are around the corner for Fife’s track stars ahead of a new season starting, hopefully, in a few months time.

Last year motorsport suffered like all others during lockdown, but was able to resume behind closed doors towards the end of summer.

Stuart is hoping to be able to get back on track again soon.

He said: “Just now we are busy in the garage building a new Corsa C for myself and also cars for my dad, Bruce, and my mechanic, Keith Stewart.

“We hope to have all three ready for the practice sessions, assuming that we get sessions before the season starts.”

The local racer is filled with excitement as he looks forward to the next campaign having been a keen motorsport fan for some years although he admits it wasn’t quite love at first sight.

“We used to spectate at the Racewall and when I was 11 I got a ministox but, after a practice session and three races, that was that.

“It wasn’t for me.”

What was a lot more exciting for Stuart were the stock rods and he’s been a huge part of that scene for some time.

“I started racing at the same time as the late Si Laing.

“My first win at the end of my first year and it was a very wet meeting.

“There were three race suspensions and towards the end of the race I was being caught by a couple of yellow graders.

“Luckily the chequer flag appeared before they caught me.

“I won the Great Northern Championship at Barford, the Scottish Open Championship at Knockhill and the Jane Burt Memorial trophy at the Racewall.

“I have raced in five Stock Rod World Finals so far and the 2021 is scheduled to be run at the Racewall, so I am hoping that I have a good qualifying session which could give me a reasonable place on the grid and that could mean a top five result.

“I have had two fifth places in the Scottish Championship meetings and hope to better that this year.”

“Hopefully we might get in almost full seasons racing in 2021.

“We have three cars being built just now in the workshop. Knockhill was on the calendar for last year and hopefully for the new season and my dad intends to race there.”

When he’s not racing Stuart is an agricultural engineering supervisor with A. M Phillips of Glenrothes, who is also one of his sponsors.