This weekend saw the Spedeworth 2019 Hot Rod World Championship at Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk. The 382 metre oval track is home to the National Hot Rod World Championship as well as the National Banger World Final.
Damon Wellman fought to defend his 2018 Hot Rod World Champion title on Saturday 6 July 2019. Competition was fierce amongst the top thirty-five drivers from England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Germany and South Africa.
The two qualifying races during the day set Wellman back, who had to fight from the back in position thirty-six. The battle was very much on in the evening race for the champion. Wellman’s car performed faultlessly, picking up overall fastest lap time in the race.
With this pace Wellman was able to command 9th place overall, catching the top three cars with every lap passed. With the wet track, the race was edgy and closely fought. This was an absolute masterclass in bringing it back from the brink, as only a champion can.
Yesterday’s win went to Dave Leech, with Lee Pepper placing second and Gavin Botfield in third.
Beyond the Championship, the cars raced again today, Sunday 7 July, with the grid in reverse. This meant Damon Wellman started in first place today. Motorsport can be a cruel mistress, with a puncture putting Wellman out of the race. Sometimes it is just someone else’s turn, even amongst Championship greats.
The Hot Rod World Championship provided a fantastic weekend of motorsport with a race made even more thrilling by the wet conditions. After the heat wave we have just had, the slightly cooler temperatures were welcome. This meant the track needed seriously expert handling at race speeds. Exhilarating racing conditions for the weekend crowd and the hardcore race fans.
We spoke to Damon Wellman about his professional life off the track and how on earth a racing driver crosses over into owning adult entertainment venues.
Wellman was a professional racing driver throughout his twenties, competing in various formulas in the UK, Europe and the USA. In between travelling, sponsorship meetings & competing he would work as a race instructor at the Brands Hatch Racing School for Nigel Mansell.
On one occasion all the UK managers for Spearmint Rhino’s came to the circuit for an on track experience corporate event. In a group of twenty managers there was only one female, who was allocated to Wellman for instruction. After a few laps round Brands Hatch, Wellman was soon invited to her ‘Rhinos branch’ in Birmingham. He had never even set foot in a strip club before. The two began dating and that year Wellman spent a lot of time in Birmingham at Rhinos!
Fascinated with the business model, Wellman decided he too would one day have a strip club. He started with a wine bar in 2003 then later found a closed wine bar in Epsom in 2007 for sale. He knew it would be suitable to change over for use as a strip club, if only he could get it licensed!
The licensing was slightly easier then as it was before the current Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) system that the UK has now. So although still not a smooth or simple process, he eventually got it licensed for full nude performances. This was to become Fillies, a now thriving boutique strip club in Epsom, Surrey.
Just two months ago saw the launch of the second club in the group venture. Fillies Kingston opened to the public in May this year. Fillies Kingston is a larger club than Fillies Epsom, with hot new talent in the sexy line up. The dancers are from the UK, France, Spain and Sweden.
The club is on the High Street in Kingston upon Thames and attracts a mixed clientele of both men and women. All are open minded and wide-eyed to see the quaint High Street displaying its wild streak! An adult entertainment venue is a welcome relief to those looking for a cool, grown-up venue to hang out in.
The club is split over two floors, with different performance areas, including two stages. One stage is slung out from VIP on a mezzanine, lit up in blues and reds. It has fast become the only place to party in the area, with curious guests enjoying fine Champagnes, premium spirits, beers and of course, babes!
“So the name Fillies was hugely important in my eyes.” Wellman told us. “It makes a big first impression in someone’s mind especially to those that have never been to a strip club. As we all know there are some very obscure and some very cringey names for clubs in the strip club industry. I wanted something that didn’t scream strip club or sleaze but also something that was relevant to us individually.”
“The location of Epsom is probably most famous for its horse racing and therefore a connection to that made it uniquely relevant. Fillies was mentioned among a list of ideas and stood out as being the answer.”
Fillies is the home of Championship race drivers and phenomenally sexy dancer babes. Daily Sport Online readers can contact the club directly for Guest List enquiries using the code: SPORT21 via [email protected]
Congratulations are definitely due to the new Hot Rod Champion, Dave Leech, and the nifty runners up, Pepper and Botfield. Racing and Stripping are definitely team sports.
