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The Main EventSanta Pod Raceway |
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Well the Sun
finally arrived at Santa Pod for the Main Event 2009, and didn’t leave
until the First Round of the European Championship was totally over. I have
been told that this is the first time since May 2006, that not one of the four
days had been interrupted by rain.
Friday was Sportsman day and with 7
qualifying rounds on that day, everyone was busy and had a chance to dial their
cars in. Saturday out came the Pro Classes, (Top Fuel, Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Top
Methanol Dragster, Top Methanol Funny car etc..) and did not disappoint. Top
Fuel had a string of 4 second passes at over 300mph. In Pro Stock Car Jimmy
Alunnd set the European record with a 6.69 second pass @ 206 mph. In Pro Mod
Andy Robinson also set the ET record for that class 6.102 and in Top Methanol
Dragster the European record changed hands so many times between Timo and the
UK’s Dave Wilson it was amazing, the last I saw Dave Wilson had the record
with a 6.30 ET @ 269mph. Even the Funny cars set a new European record, with
John Spuffard running 5.0 sec @ 309 mph (so close to that 4 second pass!!).
With lots of racing to do and watch, the Bristol Doorslammers were out in force
in the sportsman ranks - here are some of the highs and lows of their
weekend.
Super Street 10.90 index. We had all four Bristol cars
back in the class, after missing Bob Lees at the Springspeed National. Chris
Kenny ran a best of 10.902 @ 120mph to get the number 2 qualifying spot for the
weekend, and was quite consistent until a cracked head on Saturday evening put
a stop to his racing weekend. Chris heard a noise after the burnout and clicked
it off, before running the car down the track hopefully saving any further
damage in the motor. |
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Bob Lees was back
with a freshly built 520cin Ford engine, after demolishing the 476 ford motor
at the Easter Thunderball. He ran a couple of shake down passes, just to run
the new motor in, and on the first real pass he broke the pinion shaft in the
third member, but luckily Brian Huxley (Team Top Banana Too) had a spare third
member, and Bob with the help of the Bristol crew, got the Bristol
Transmissions sponsored Mustang back together again and ran a best of 10.96 @
109 mph to qualify in the number 10 spot. |
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Neil Grant had a
great weekend ending up number 4 Qualifier with a 10.904 @ 133mph, but did run
a 9.76 @ 136 mph pass when the throttle stop failed to come in on one of his
passes. |
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John Grant had a
busy weekend as he was running Super Gas as well as Super Street weekend, and
he got the Eurodragster perfect light in qualifying by getting a 0.000 light.
(We are all quite competitive but even more so when we race each other, and I
was in the other lane and I saw my 0.008 light and was feeling pretty happy
with myself until I looked over, I promise Hoch, I didn’t swear!! well not
too much anyway – Ed) John Ended up number 6 with a 10.92 @ 135mph. |
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Monday was
eliminations day, Bob had a deep stage red light (it’s a foul to turn the
pre stage bulb out in index racing) against Dave Cherrett in the First round,
but Bob was just happy to have his car running properly again. Neil and John
went through the first two rounds, to meet each other in the semi finals, John
came out on top, as he had a slightly better reaction time, and was able to get
across the finish line first, even though both cars were backing off at the
topend (so they didn’t breakout). John was then in the final against Leigh
Morris with the green Jag, Leigh had problems, and shut the car of at the
startline, although John’s reaction time of 0.002 would have been hard to
match, and John took the win with a 11.76 @ 93 mph easing off lots at the
topend to make sure he didn’t breakout and lose. |
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Super Gas 9.90
index. Conrad Stanley with the Team Panther Racing Pontiac qualified number
4 with a 9.904 @ 155 mph, and John Grant Qualified number 12 with a 10.09 @162
mph (the MPH might be a bit wrong). In the first round John had a bye run, and
ran a 9.786 @137mph, in the second round he face Jon Evans from Team Tokyo Toy
in the Camaro, unfortunately the rounds between Super Street and Super Gas were
a bit too close and John decide that Super Street was his main priority and
didn’t show for the race.
Conrad Stanley beat Billy Gane in the
first round, Stuart Doigne in the second, and the iconic Al O’connor in
Al’s gasser in the semi finials when Al red light by the smallest of
margins. Then Conrad would face our good friend Jon Morton in the final, this
was a close final, with Jon winning with a 9.938 @138mph to Conrad’s
losing 9.937 @ 154mph. On the final day reports on Eurodragster.com, Tog
reported that there were only 2.44 inches between Conrad and Jon at the finish
line, now that’s close racing!! |
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Junior
Dragster Dial in. Anna Stanley took the number 1 qualifying spot in the
class recording a 0.001 reaction time and running 8.078 @ 81mph, which gave her
a bye in the first round. She lost on a breakout in the second round, but
carried on crewing for her dad afterwards. |
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Pro ET 9.00
– 11.99 Dial In. Pete Ed Yates who normally runs with the Wild Bunch,
contested in the tough pro et class this weekend, and with 40 cars in the class
only 32 go through into the first round. However he qualified number 28 with a
9.44 @140mph and went through the first round of competition, but lost a close
race to Mark Bailey in the second round. |
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Just a quick note
to thank all of the crew on the cars, as they don’t get mentioned very
often, within racing reports, but with all the runs (and fun) the drivers had,
they were very busy running up and down the track all weekend. So in
alphabetical order, Aidan, Gerry, Jan, John, Julie, Lee, Linda, Mike, Paul,
Rachael, Rob, Trevor, and Wendy, thanks, Oh and Mike I would get Hoch to get
you a bike for the next time he does double duty as you looked very tired on
Friday evening.
Chris Kenny |
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DN0902 |
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