Foxhall Heath hosts the Unlimited National Bangers World Finals

Unlimited National Banger World Final betting tips & odds for Saturday's event in Ipswich

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Fri October 06, 2017 · 8y ago

You can bet on almost anything these days - and banger car racing is no exception! Check out the tips of Sky Bet's Mikey Mumford for Saturday's World Final.

Three-time world champion Jason 'Boxer Jack' Jackson heads the betting for Saturday's latest renewal of the Unlimited National Banger World Final.

The event is set to break new records for car entries with more than 280 drivers from across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe expected to descend on a small part of Suffolk, a few miles east of Ipswich, with the ultimate aim of becoming 2017 National Banger champion of the world.

On Saturday evening, the past year's work, travelling, racing and commitment will all be laid on the line as we witness the 45th annual running of banger racing’s crown jewel, which for many reasons, could just be one of the most 'open' world finals for some time.

Fancy betting on this?! Here's a clip from the 2016 Unlimited Banger World Final 2016

The drivers taking part fall into one of two categories – the 'rodders' who enter the race simply to win and the 'wreckers' or 'crashers' who want to entertain the sizeable crowds in attendance by providing spectacular crashes and stopping their rivals from winning.

Identifying which one of these groups drivers fall under is a little tougher but if previous meetings of this fixture are anything to go by, fans should prepare for an unpredictable and adrenaline-fuelled evening.

The coveted title race itself sees 57 seeded entries, with the addition of four last-chance qualifiers in the evening’s support heats, do battle over 20 laps of Foxhall Stadium’s tarmac circuit and the odds suggest another fiercely-competitive shoot-out is on the cards.

Not many titles in the sport have eluded 9/2 market leader Jason ‘Boxer Jack’ Jackson, a veteran of 16 previous World Final appearances, and he looks a worthy favourite to add to his triumphs in 2006, 2007 and 2012. On all three occasions his trusty weapon of choice came in the shape of a Ford Granada and while his selection of machinery this time is not yet known, he’s sure to be behind the wheel of something suitably powered.

Jackson's main rival in the betting comes from old foe and 2015 world champion Jack Overy, who has been chalked up as the 5/1 second favourite with Sky Bet to win a second crown. And a little further down the order is defending champion Dale Hughes at 8/1, winner 12 months ago in a rapid Ford Scorpio Estate, who will be hard to dethrone as he seeks a repeat of his victory here last October.

At bigger prices, experienced driver Gary Madgwick will take to the grid hoping to add to the title he scooped 20 years ago in 1997, when the World Final was previously staged at its former Plough Lane home in Wimbledon.

The 14/1 shot finished third in 2015 proving he still has the pace to trouble the judge, and providing he can safely navigate his way through the likely traffic problems, he could be right on the premises again.

Another driver not lacking in big race experience is Dave Vincent. The man behind the number 22 machine may have a few less enemies on track than some and enters each-way calculations at 12/1 to add to his sole win back in 2003.

The contest normally throws up some stars of the future and with several rookie debutants on the World Final grid, Sky Bet report good support for last year’s runner-up Joe Parsons who drove a fine race behind Dale Hughes on his last visit to Foxhall. He proved his crashing credentials in the junior banger scene but his performance in 2016 displayed his aptitude for racing, and that has not gone unnoticed with punters forcing Parsons’ odds to shorten into 14/1 from 33/1.

We could also see a fairytale ending if father-and-son duo Stuart and Jordan Cumming occupy the first two places after the chequered flag. They both made the cut last year and despite failing to trouble the scoreboard then, neither can be ruled out this time around given a little luck in running at 33/1 and 20/1.

Meanwhile, Sophie Fasey will be doing the steering in the 186 car and is available at 28/1 to create history by becoming the first female winner of the race. A good grid position could be key to her chances in her first World Final appearance.

Who will come out on top under the floodlights and fireworks at Foxhall?