Webster Race Engineering Test Day
Santa Pod Raceway, 19th March 2003

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18:00

Today's pictures are now posted, you can get to them from the event index.

That's all from Santa Pod Raceway for today, thanks very much for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed our coverage. Thanks to everyone who has already written to say that the enjoyed the webcam, on a first impressions the test has been a success and it will continue!

Thanks for their help today to Darren Prentice, John Hackney, Bob Day and the safety crews, David Lloyd-Jones, Spencer Tramm - and a big Thank You to Jon Webster for inviting us along to cover the event.

Eurodragster's next scheduled event coverage is the Run What You Brung here at Santa Pod on Sunday 6th April, at which we expect to see Øyvor Jacobsen licencing in a Top Fuel Dragster.

Today's coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.

17:00

As you've probably realised, our ISP have had some problems with their web server in the last half hour or so. Not our fault, of course, but apologies all the same.

The first Webster Race Engineering Test Day has come to a close and there are a lot of very satisfied racers out there. The track has been pristine all day and everyone must have been very pleased with the amount of runs they have been able to put in. Let's take you through the last batch of runs.

Andy Frost put in a couple of interesting passes. Well, I say "a couple", what he actually did was to run to about 330 feet at full throttle, then stop, reverse to the start line, and then put in a full pass. His last full passes were 9.43/150.74, 9.23/157.90 and 9.26/157.91. Rick McCann pulled another nice wheelie on his last pass, again on the throttle for 300 feet or so then taking it gently, 11.94/103.58. Johnny Beech put in one last pass, leaving before the green but clocking 19.13/58.16.

On two wheels Jamie Sneddon has got it all back together, clocking 13.32/55.64 on a 300-foot pass and then 8.76/156.52 and 8.80/158.33, and a day with which he's got to be well pleased. Matt Nixon put in another couple of strong passes, 8.79/159.19 and 8.63/160.07. Pete Bellenie's last run was 9.86/140.78, and Rod Martin's final run was 10.789/134.66.

At the end of the day the trackside temperature was 9.9 C, humidity 43% and pressure falling slightly again to 30.03 inches.

Stay tuned as we are now working on today's pictures.

15:45

Rick McCann is putting in longer launches each time, the Camaro is now pulling sizeable wheelies off the line and running very stoutly until Rick gets off the throttle. Rick's last two passes have been a 13.60/86.85 and 12.37/96.16. Andy Frost and John Hales are starting to tame the wheelspin, Andy's latest runs 9.78/151.21 and 9.89/150.45 whilst John clocked 9.59/159.12 on his last run.

Johnny Beech looks to be licencing in his Mustang, a very nice looking car it is too. Johnny has been getting used to staging procedures and on his last pass put in a gentle 17.71/65.68.

The Super Street Bike guys are getting their money's worth today with all of them, apart from the unfortunate Graham Dance, putting in several runs. Steve Venables is running without nitrous after a solenoid broke but even so his performances are pretty good, the latest being 9.15/151.21, 9.18/148.63 and 9.14/149.73. Jamie Sneddon appeared to have a transmission problem in the burnout on his latest run, the rear wheel suddenly stopped turning although the engine revs stayed up. Matt Nixon is stepping up with passes of 9.32/125.48 - in which he sat up at 1000 feet - followed by a storming 8.67/160.20. Matt's sixty-foot of 1.343 is, he tells us, the quickest sixty foot ever pulled by a Super Street Bike in the UK. Nice one Matt! Matt also tells us that Graham Dance's engine is comprehensively lunched, with a hole big enough to put your hand in. Pete Bellenie broke not far off the line on his last pass but is below race control even as I type.

Rod Martin is also getting his money's worth with a 10.74/126.81 the latest of his several passes.

The startline conditions are changing very slightly at 11.9 C, 38% humidity and the pressure dropping to 30.06.

A very welcome visitor today is our good friend photographer Richard Heeps, who is working on another exhibition which is to be held in Norwich in July. As well as racing pictures, Richard is taking several art shots of track textures, these shots will be joining a number of others which he has taken at Rockingham where I believe they go round corners.

More hellos to Gittli Koller and Gary Cottingham who have written in - get on with your work, both of you!

Stay tuned as we have plenty of time left yet.

14:45

It looks like an early dinner for Graham Dance. He was on a stormer of a pass until suddenly the engine cut out and started smoking, going through the top end at 10.05. The fire crew chased him down the shutdown area, the track sweeper came out, and race director Darren Prentice returned to race control with a handful of assorted scrap, much of it recognisable as bike engine parts. Bad news for Graham but he is A-OK.

Jamie Sneddon has been running very consistently today, his latest passes an 8.74/162.40 but then an 8.94/136.25 with what sounded like a misfire at the top end. Matt Nixon got into the eights with an 8.82/140.44 and he was off it well before the finish line as the last gear didn't seem to engage. Steve Venables black-striped again with a 9.20/151.14, whilst Pete Bellenie clocked 9.96/138.94 on his latest pass.

On four wheels Andy Frost hit shake again at 10.71/137.25, feathering the throttle by the sound of it. rick McCann took his test launches a little further with a nice solid launch and on the throttle to 300 feet, clocking 13.26/89.98. John Hales is still spinning the tyres but has started to get a handle on it with a much improved 9.71/147.68.

Rod Martin clocked 11.22/140.36 and 10.70/138.83 on his last two passes, getting very close to the finish line reflectors again on the last pass.

The weather station is reporting 12.3 C and 37% humidity at present, pressure still 30.09 inches.

Stay tuned for the next batch of runs.

13:15

We're not stopped for lunch, with this weather it will be cucumber sandwiches and tea on the lawn. The weather station is reporting 14.7 C and 36% humidity on the start line, pressure steady at 30.09.

A big Hello to Benni Voss, Andy Marrs, Ben Beneke, Lex Joon, Magnus Cato and Andy Carter all of whom have written to say that they are tuned in to the webcam.

We've had a fair number of runs since the last update and your reporter has been out on the start line taking a few photographs so there will be something to look at at the end of the day!

Maybe we were wrong about Rod Martin being a 10.90 Bike racer since after leaving before the Tree ran he came back and ran 10.43/134.12. Graham Dance had a good shot at taking low ET of the day with a straight 8.78 but he has taken high speed of the day at 170.74. Jamie Sneddon is still the quickest on the property having clocked 8.61/163.18 on his last pass. On the pass previous to that Jamie's bike got a bit lively and he had to raise a leg at half track to save hitting a reflector. Pete Bellenie ran 9.90/139.66 on his SSB, we would guess normally aspirated. Matt Nixon's first run of the day was a 10.40/104.89 but he was obviously having trouble shifting gear.

On four wheels Rick McCann reappeared in the Heaven and Hell Camaro, just a test launch and then idled up the track. John Hales blackstriped for a hundred feet and then the car turned hard right, John backed off and straightened her out to record 10.63/144.70. Fellow CCSE racer Andy Frost has also been blackstriping almost to the extent of making rolling burnouts of the first couple of hundred feet, and on his last pass he hit shake worthy of a Fuel car, 11.37/137.06 and 11.21/109.31 his two passes with what sounded like a misfire on the last run.

We'll be back after the lunch break so be sure to visit again.

12:00

Not much change in the weather: 13.8 C on the start line, 39% humidity, 30.09 air pressure.

Jamie Sneddon's second pass of the day a very nice 8.69/163.62. Rick McCann followed up in the Heaven and Hell Camaro, some sort of problem at the top of first gear, backing off to 15.32/82.59. There was a quick check for oil after Rick's run but everything was A-OK, hopefully no damage.

Graham Dance's first run with nitrous netted him an 8.87/168.18, a lot more to come there I think. Rod Martin put in two passes of 1.30/137.84 and 11.06/121.27, on both occasions getting very close to the centre line and on that last pass almost collecting the finish line reflectors. Andy Frost went next, his great burnout broadcast to the world as the webcam took a snap just at the right moment. He blackstriped the track for about 300 feet clocking 10.38/137.94. Last out in the last batch was John Hales, who drove the '56 Chevy in to the track. John left the line very sedately and then you could see where the nitrous kicked in, the car picked up its skirts and ran, 10.62/143.23.

Just as I went to post this update, Steve Venables put in a nice 8.79/165.20 on his SSB, wheelspin off the line again so plenty more in store.

Stay tuned.

10:55

Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway on a beautiful spring day. It's the first of Webster Race Engineering's Test Days and we're here to bring you the action in association with American Car Imports.

Today's coverage is a one-man job since Sharkman is unwell and is stuck at home. Everyone here has asked me to say Get Well Soon buddy.

It's a test day for Eurodragster too as we've got our new webcam and weather station on trial here. According to the weather station the temperature and relative humidity on the start line are 13.0 centigrade and 39% respectively, and the air pressure is 30.09 inches of mercury. Your reporter is still studying his teach yourself weather book so we won't try draw any conclusions - but looking out of the window, it's a nice day!

The webcam is up and running and you can reach that from the event index.

In the pits we have Carla Pitau and Rick McCann (Pro ET), Andy Frost (Custom Car Street Eliminator), John Hales (Custom Car Street Eliminator), Johnny Beech in a very nice late-model Mustang (we think Sportsman ET); on two wheels it's Super Street Bike central with Graham Dance, Pete Bellenie, Steve Venables, Jamie Sneddon and Matt Nixon here, plus 10.90 Bike racer Rod Martin.

Graham Dance opened the day some ten minutes ago with what he said would be a normally-aspirated pass. 9.64/141.64, very straight and clean. Rod Martin followed up with an 11.17/127.52 then right on the money with a 10.91/135.95. Jamie Sneddon took low ET so far with an 8.82/163.72 which was not at all straight so there's more to come there. Pete Bellenie followed Jamie with a 9.91/137.33 - looked like another normally-aspirated pass, then Steve Venables clocked 8.93/165.18 with a lot of wheelspin off the line. Steve's bike looks very nice indeed in its new Kawasaki green paint.

Andy Frost has just pulled a stormer of a burnout which moved the webcam...and an arrow-straight no-nitrous pass of 10.26/134.76.

Stay tuned and we'll be back soon with the next set of passes.