UK National FinalsSunday (race day)
UK National Finals
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19:55
With some finals run and the other finalists in the collection area, it started to rain and Race Director Darren Prentice had no option but to call the race since the track will not come around even if the rain stops.
The winners and unfinished finals are as follows:
Super Comp: Tim Adam v Alex Nicol did not take place
Super Gas: Tim Adam v Pete Creswell did not take place
Super Street: Stuart Peck v Martin Green did not take place
Super Pro ET: Steve Green v Martyn Jones did not take place
Pro ET: Al Didwell v Laurie Craig did not take place
Sportsman ET: Derek Annable v Chris Hodgkins did not take place
Custom Car Street Eliminator: Barry George 11.06/125.23 def. Paul Webster 14.66/88.96
Junior Dragster: Phill Cook 9.20/69.41 def. Scott Hauser 15.03/37.25
VW Pro: Jim Smith 11.242/107.31 def. Lee Darby 12.338/107.12
VW Sportsman: Steve Lee staged for win, Kev Metcalfe broke
Funny Bike: Chris Hall staged for win
Pro Stock Bike: Len Paget 8.135/156.76 def. Dave Beck crossed centre line
Competition Bike: Tim Whetton staged for win
Super Street Bike: Graham Dance v Klaus Sarembe did not take place
9.90 Bike: Pete Cameron 9.969/138.29 def. Geoff Connor 9.965/131.95
10.90 Bike: Darren Winnard 11.170/119.30 def. Al Threadgold 11.341/122.49
Al Cook's third familiarisation pass on the ex-Paul Willis Pro Stock Bike netted him a superb 8.57/159.44.
That's the end of our coverage of the UK National Finals, thanks very much for staying with us. Your reporters this weekend have been Tog and Sharkman of Eurodragster.com, photographs by Sharkman of Eurodragster.com. Our raceday updates this weekend, and for the whole season, were brought to you in association with our sponsors E-Manumit.com and High Performance Heaven. Thanks for their help this weekend and all season to Steve Horn, Andy Marrs, Martin Wallis, Lisa Smart and John Hackney of TSI Timers; race director Darren Prentice; Ian Marshall and all the SPR race officials and track crew; track announcers Graham Beckwith and Paul Venners; Sue Morris and Natalie Grief in the SPR press office; Roger Gorringe; Paula Marshall; Kathy Taylor; Carole Ismail; Caz Beckwith; and Kjell Petterson and Caroline Day of Santa Pod.
This is Eurodragster's last live update this season; our next planned live updates will be from pre-season testing in 2001. See you next season!
17:00
As the light is beginning to go, we have stopped work with the digital camera. The oildowns have given us time to post all of the pictures which we have taken today, they are now available from the Raceday Update index.
16:45
Steve Turner just made his first observed run in the old Turner Racing TMD, a very competent and confident performance. A great burnout followed by a squirt to about 100 feet. Steve recorded a 1.127 60-foot time, not bad at all for a first run.
Al Cook has also put in his first familiarisation pass on Paul Willis' Pro Stock Bike, another competent and confident performance. Cooky took it very gently and recorded a time in the low elevens. Cooky made his second pass just as this update went to post, another competent pass at 9.32/141.73.
A big shout to Steve Venables who displayed excellent sportsmanship in the first round of Super Street Bike, waiting whilst Tony Clark's crew ran to get another starter when the first one wouldn't work. Given Tony's stellar performances on the Team Cooperised machine there might have been a temptation to burn out and stage but Steve was having none of it. Nice one, Steve.
We're just getting to the end of the first round of eliminations here, racing has been delayed by a couple of oildowns from Wendy Baker and Brendan Clancy, Brendan appearing to have suffered major engine damage to his Super Gasser right at the top end. When Brendan's engine gave out, there was one of those clouds of smoke which make you fear that the car will appear out of it sideways with bits flying but Brendan kept it straight.
Stay tuned for more news from eliminations.
14:00
Qualifying is now complete. Here are the top two qualifiers in each class; this is the order in which the classes ran.
Junior Dragster (Reaction Time): 1. Joe Bond 0.523, 2. Paul Lindley-Allen 0.574
10.90 Bike: 1. Ady Reade 11.067/122.12, 2. Steve Templeman 11.235/119.06
9.90 Bike: 1. Pete Cameron 9.908/142.95, 2. Grant Perrin 10.017/139.24
VW Sportsman (own dial-in): 1. Stuart Fagg +0.379 (14.579/91.41), 2. Stephen Lee +0.743 (17.943/73.34)
VW Pro (own dial-in): 1. Jim Smith (+0.094) 11.294/118.51, 2. Lee Darby +0.449 12.439/107.20
Super Street Bike: 1. Graham Dance 8.877/165.58, 2. Klaus Sarembe 8.883/160.85
Sportsman ET (own dial-in): 1. Simon Chalkly +0.028 (13.648/102.79), 2. Martin Lewis +0.030 (16.610/78.80)
Super Street (10.90): 1. Martin Green 10.919/118.12, 2. Bob Lees 10.994/121.43
Competition Bike: 1. Helen Curran 9.627/129.85, 2. Tim Whetton 9.707/133.45
Super Gas (9.90): 1. Andy Kirk 9.945/135.90, 2. Dave Townsend 9.955/141.57
Pro ET (own dial-in): 1. Mark Ramplee +0.003 (11.763/113.11), 2. Lawrie Bamford +0.038 (10.488/127.65)
Pro Stock Bike: 1. Dave Beck 7.537/176.23, 2. Len Paget 8.074/158.86
Funny Bike: 1. Neil Midgley 7.260/177.92, 2. Chris Hall 7.552/168.11
Super Pro ET (own dial-in): 1. Steve Green +0.008 (8.698/155.53), 2. Martyn Jones +0.030 (7.930/168.50)
Super Comp (8.90): 1. Paula Atkin 8.921/139.78, 2. Alex Nicol 8.922/150.38
Custom Car Street Eliminator shoot-out: 1. Barry George 11.574/122.93, 2. Paul Webster 14.151/66.03
One shock in qualifying was the non-qualification of Chris Hope in Pro Stock Bike. Chris left before the lights ran and so didn't record a time, so he is out. The PSB Championship is now down to Len Paget's progress. Not a Championship contender but also out of competition is Karl Larcombe in Super Street Bike who took out the finish line reflector.
Paul Willis put in an exhibition pass of 7.684/171.69 on his Pro Stock Bike.
Racing is due to start again at about 14:20, stay tuned.
11:45
Hi there and thanks for tuning back. The latest news is that we are onto one-shot qualifying, which is scheduled to commence at 12:00. It's a very nice day now, the track is dry and the crew are just finishing up with prepping.
Super Gas racer Dave Gadney is relishing the idea of the one-shot qualifer. "Off-the-trailer qualifying, that's what it's all about", he said. "A 9.90 will do me!".
George Chiarella's crew chief is very pleased to be back. "We're back, at last", he said. "We started it up and it sounds sweet!". The tall rear wing on the car is a temporary measure. "There's a new body coming which incorporates a wing", he said.
Turner Racing crew chief Steve Turner is aiming to get his Top Methanol licence today. "I'd like to do three runs if I can", he said. Steve has been told to report to the staging lanes at the end of qualifying to put in his first pass, a sixty-foot squirt. "I'm nervous!", he said.
Some good news from Spencer Tramm, who has suffered several breakages this year with his 'Quantum Leap' Sierra which is running in Super Street this weekend with Chris Isaacs at the wheel. "It's not broken! In fact it sounds quite good", said Spencer.
We're now only five minutes from the commencement of qualifying. Stay tuned and we'll let you know how it goes.
10:00
Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway on day two of the UK National Finals, the second day of our coverage in association with our sponsors E-Manumit.com and High Performance Heaven. Tog is back in harness after Sharkman's double duty yesterday; thanks Sharkman, you can ease off the throttle now buddy.
If you're wondering where Tog was yesterday, he was a few miles away photographing a wedding, of none other than Andy Marrs of Santa Pod's timing crew who married the lovely Deborah. It was a great day despite the weather, everyone here at SPR wishes Andy and Debs the very best for the future.
The weather this morning is a lot more promising than it was yesterday. The rain stopped in the middle of the night and right now the sun is out and the track is drying remarkably quickly. Santa Pod's own jet drier, on the NHRA model, did a very good (and quick) job on the start line area, and the track crew are currently scraping and re-prepping the track out to sixty feet in both lanes. As usual it's the edges of the track and the shutdown area which are damp.
An unusual start to the day as Mick Smith, Pro ET racer and currently a crew member on Jon and Sharon Hogarth's Super Comp 'Vette, hit Tog across the shoulder with a softball bat. Not hard, you understand, but harder than he meant to. You had to be there to get the full impact.
Ton Pels left to return to Holland after the qualifying was called yesterday. Super Pro ET racers Mark Flavell and Mick Kemp have also left, although we understand that Mick Kemp is planning to return today with the S & K Racing dragster - just a case of preferring a warm and comfortable bed to a sleeping bag in a trailer, we hear.
We're still a way from racing, stay tuned and we'll be back with the latest. At the moment the plan is for two shots at qualifying and then eliminations - if this changes we'll let you know.