The traditional New Year's Day fixture at the United Downs Raceway, St Day - suitably entitled The Ultimate Hangover Cure - featured four formulas in a 12-race programme, and although it was cold and blustery, the rain did at least keep off for most of the afternoon.

The day's three races for the high speed non-contact Hot Rods yielded a different winner each time. Brian Loram of Torquay took the opening heat which included the comeback of two Cornish stars - Mark Sear of Falmouth and Tyrone Snell of Treluswell.

Sear coaxed his untried car home in fourth, but Snell spun out of contention on the back straight and sustained front end damage.

Nonetheless, hard work in the pit area saw Snell get his car back in shape for heat two, and after overcoming Points Champion Mike Loosemore of Honiton, then managed to overhaul Exeter's Derek Palmer to take a popular victory.

That set up a lively showdown in the handicap final, but even though Snell shadowed Mike Serjeant of Exeter for almost the whole of the 25-lap race, he could not find a way to make a telling pass, and it was Serjeant who took top honours.

The 16-car showing of non-contact Stock Rods was the best yet for a New Year's Day fixture at St Day, and helped to produce some fine racing.

The opening heat saw Grand National Champion Neil Truran of St Austell swiftly move to the front of the field. However, Truran then had to pick a route through the backmarkers, which proved a difficult task, and Lee Rogers of Exeter was able to track Truran's progress all the way to the chequered flag.

Truran featured in a stunning battle for second place in the Stock Rod final, as he swapped places repeatedly with Ben Golley of Roche and Mike Hibberd of High Street, as they pursued runaway leader Kev Lock of Exeter. Whilst Lock went on to win comfortably, Golley repelled the attacks of his fellow racers to clinch second. The luckless Truran coasted to a halt with a broken throttle cable.

Lee Rogers claimed the Grand National race, whilst Simon Jones of Bugle managed his best result of the day with a commendable runner-up place.

European Champion Jay Tomkins of Whitemoor and stalwart racer Mike May of Wadebridge dominated the Banger events. Tomkins and May shared the two heats, before Tomkins won the final.

There was a welcome return to racing for Dave Spooner of Four Lanes. Spooner, Track Champion at St Day in 2001 and 2002, suffered a badly injured knee in the summer, but made his first home track appearance since that crash, and was swiftly back in the thick of the action.

Mike Johns of Redruth took Spooner into the turnstile bend fence, and when he got going again, Spooner found himself under attack from Chris Bateman of Helston and Ed Bowman of Porthleven. However, Spooner managed to retaliate, when he landed a head-on blow to Bateman which ended both drivers' involvement in the opening race. Bateman's first St Day outing for more than two years did result in a Best Presented Banger award.