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A fascinating insight into A Formula One Stock Car racing season (2009). 
A bitter 40-year family rivalry, bumper to bumper action, crashes, smashes, glory, anguish and the sport's own Romeo and Juliet tale - all in the story of one Formula One Stock Car racing season?

Frankie Wainman Jnr and Andy Smith grew up with their rival fathers dominating stock car racing in the 70s and 80s. Now, as the sport's leading drivers themselves, the Wainman-Smith rivalry has become fiercer than ever - propelled by both drivers' obsession to be the best and ratcheted higher by the pride of their families and teams.

Over a year's racing, cameras follow the Wainmans and the Smiths (with both younger brothers in action too) - as well as other drivers such as 16-year-old Georgia Mitchell and double glazing executive, Paul Hines - at home, in the garages, in the pits and on the track, as they compete in the gruelling National, European and World championships. 
The course of the season finds grudge shunts, incidents and arguments, battling wives, bruises the size of dinner plates, love across the divide and even 10-year olds, destined to continue the family rivalry, racing souped-up minis. But at the end of a punishing season, who'll be doing the celebratory donuts and who'll be crying under a steaming raised bonnet? 

Episode #1
The series follows the fierce rivalry between racing dynasties who spend nearly 40 weekends a year pursuing their dreams of Stock Car glory. In this first episode (of 6 x 30') we meet the Wainmans from Yorkshire and the Smiths from Lancashire. They're bitter enemies off track and on and this is a genuine rivalry that has festered for over 40 years and three generations. There is no holding back in this latter day War of the Roses where passion, pride and family are everything. Both clans battle for supremacy over the F1 Stock Car season's first major Championship - the UK Open held in Skegness.

Episode #2
The real-life battle between stock car racing's two rival families reaches boiling point as the Wainmans accuse the Smiths of cheating with their new car design. Rob Cowley, the racing hairdresser, is nursing a spectacular bruise in an embarrassing place. Meanwhile, a welcome touch of glamour is about to enter the pits as 17-year-old Georgia Neachell swaps her pony for a 740 brake horse power stock car. 

Episode #3
Revenge is the order of the day for the rival stockcar dynasties as the Smiths and Wainmans go head-to-head in the European Championships, the most prestigious event of the season so far - at Northampton International Raceway. Torrential rain makes for atrocious driving conditions, but does nothing to cool the tempers of the women from the warring families. Meanwhile, bad boy Chris Cowley is back from his ban and determined to impress his new girlfriend. Can he pull off a surprise result?

Narrator: Ralph Ineson
Producer: Charlie Clay
Executive Producer: William Lyons
DVD and Cover: Benthouse 

© 2010 Benthouse