A hearse, a rematch and Halloween racing at St Day’s United Downs

Somewhere in Four Lanes, a hearse is being made ready to race. Jacob Read is striving to finish the job in time for this Sunday (1 November), when the United Downs Raceway at St Day marks Halloween with a Trick or Treat meeting.

Things get going with a special Halloween Fancy Dress Parade. Then, once racing starts at high noon, three titles are up for grabs: Judgement Day for the National Bangers, the Cornish Championship for the Bangers and the Grand National Championship for the Stock Rods.

📷Jamie Smith of Delabole will be on the grid

National Bangers chase the Judgement Day title

Big, unlimited cc National Bangers (rough, tough racing with plenty of crashing) are scheduled to make their first appearance at United Downs this season as they battle for Judgement Day.

Ry Beardwell of Indian Queens is set to be in the entry, with a car that is far older than its driver. Expect a real throwback to yesteryear.

A score from last year

Kieran Barrett of Indian Queens and Aaron Dark of Liskeard both aim to be there. At last year’s event, Kieran was the only driver to race a hearse. Aaron won the Destruction Derby, and as it happened, the climactic attack that sealed it came against Kieran’s hearse.

Mike Hamley of Davidstow and Jamie Smith of Delabole have both confirmed they will be on the grid, and Scott Gillbard of Launceston is another Cornish driver hoping to be ready in time.

Layton Mush of Torquay aims to race Bangers at St Day for the first time this year, having missed a large part of the season while banned from racing.

📷Tyler Phillips of Foxhole, a spectacular rollover in August

More than 50 Bangers could chase the Cornish Championship

The Cornish Championship for the Bangers (action-packed racing with lots of spinning) is expected to draw a healthy field. More than 50 Bangers raced at St Day when the class last competed there in August, and a similar entry is likely this time.

Plenty of drivers will be keen to boost their points tally. This is the last qualifying round for the Supreme Championship, which is due to be contested at the United Downs Raceway on 27 December.

Daryl Cock of Falmouth won the Cornish title last year. He will be joined on track by his girlfriend, Kerry Birch.

Scores of Cornish drivers are eager to lay claim to it, including Michael Phillips of Bodmin, Craig Cornelius of Roche, and Redruth father and son Nigel and Jack Belfield.

And Tyler Phillips of Foxhole will be hoping for better fortune than on his last visit to St Day, when he performed a spectacular rollover.

📷A very close finish to the 2025 Grand National Championship for Stock Rods

Stock Rods line up for a Grand National rematch

The non-contact Stock Rods will be racing for their Grand National Championship. Grand National heats are staged through the season, with points from those races collated in a separate table. The standings on that chart decide the starting positions for the title race.

That brought bittersweet news for Aiden Vincent of United Downs. He topped the points chart but is unable to attend the meeting.

So Irish Open and English Champion Callum Faulconbridge of Plymouth inherits pole position. Callum is the defending champion, and the 2024 winner, Tom Larcombe of Taunton, will join him on the front row of the grid.

The pair fought out a thrilling battle last year, with Callum just pipping Tom at the line.

📷Callum Faulconbridge, Stock Rods Grand National Champion

📷Kieran Barrett of Indian Queens raced a hearse