2004 APIRA Test and Tune
Sunday

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18:45

Good evening and welcome again from Shakespeare County Raceway at the end of the second day of the APIRA Test and Tune. It's been a very similar day to yesterday with sprinkles of rain, one deluge which quickly dried, and finally another heavy downpour which forced an end to proceedings half an hour before the five o'clock curfew. It's been a very busy day with the pairing lanes never less than full, with the queue extending right back into the pits. Let's take you through today's action in association with American Car Imports. We haven't necessarily caught every single run which every racer made but at worst this is all but a few runs.

Jet Dragster pilot Ian Caseley must be wondering about his luck. After being rained out yesterday afternoon, Ian brought out his new Roadzombie II dragster four times today only to see the rain fall on three attempts and a leaking fuel union put paid to the other run. Ian was taking it all very well, though, and we understand that he is planning to attend the Club Day here at SCR in a couple of weekends' time and then maybe the Webster Race Engineering Test Day at Santa Pod on 24th April.

The Mob Fuel Altered team had a frustrating run this morning. Mickey Moore pulled a long, straight burnout with the engine sounding ferocious. The altered barked forward to the start line each time Crew Chief Ollie Burn gestured Mickey Forward, then on one of the throttle stabs the car didn't move. The engine was quickly shut down and the car was towed back to the pits where we understand that nothing untoward was found although clutch spacing was mentioned. The Mob team must be feeling very happy about the outcome of their hard work during the off-season, though, the altered sounds like a different car and there is clearly a lot of potential there.

Super Comp/Super Gas racer Malcolm Francis put in one pass, a 9.020/148.51 with his 'old' Camaro set for Super Comp. Malcolm's reaction time was a tidy 0.431. Fellow SC racer Paul Knight opened his account with a 9.047/141.96 and then made his last run of the day against a Ferrari, whose driver could only watch from half-track as Paul clocked 9.099/146.58. Spencer Tramm's very nice-looking VW Alternate Engine/Super Gas Volkswagen Corrado had its first outing in the hands of builder Chris Isaacs who put in a short burnout and a gentle fifteen-second cruise down the track to check that everything worked OK. The car was in the pairing lanes when the final shower of rain came.

Rookie Super Street racer Scott McCarthy racked up runs of 12.628/110.24, 12.247/119.05 and 12.264/118.11 whilst ex-Super Street Bike racer Mark Pointer recorded passes of 10.868/125.00 and 11.058/124.31 in his recently-acquired Super Street Mustang and had so much fun that he is now talking about competing this season. Bob Lees told us that he had an untraced gremlin in his Super Street Mustang, runs of 11.355/117.49, 11.117/119.68 and 11.320/117.49 were certainly off his usual pace. Ian Brown put in a couple of passes in the Thatadoo Camaro at 11.314/122.62 and 11.046/121.95, we guess with the car in Super Street guise. Brian Huxley clocked 11.036/124.31 in the Top Banana roadster and Lee Morris an 11.105/125.70 in his Jaguar.

John Atkinson will be running in Pro ET this season, and prepared for it well with a 10.614/134.73 checkout pass. Fellow Pro ET racer Steve Saunders backed out early on a pass of 14.449/52.20.

Sportsman ET racer Rich Davies ran a best of 12.014/110.02 in his roadster whilst Sportsman ET 180, for whom we couldn't find a name (sorry) but who was obviously connected with Thatadoo Racing judging by the writing on the car, clocked 18.193/76.92 and 18.279/76.53

2003 National 9.90 Bike Champion Fred Furlong clocked 9.871/141.51 on his first pass of the day, and finished up with a 9.853/141.51. David Warren ran 9.996/144.69 and 9.872/144.69, rounding off his day with a 9.992/145.63 against Richard Sawatzki who clocked 9.952/155.17 having run 10.139/151.01 earlier on. Lizz McCarthy's first pass of today was 12.234/130.43 followed by a 12.331.

Super Street Bike racer Chris Reed is still blackstriping off the start line, with a 10.077/130.81 slowed by a hazing tyre, and SS410 started the day with a pass of 9.832/148.03. 9.90 Bike racer SB7 (apologies, no name) clocked 11.845/124.65 whilst Richard Hann's first run of the day was a 10.368/136.78 followed by a 10.929/136.78. Martin Walker recorded 10.832/130.81. 10.90 Bike racer Nick Holland recorded 13.651/86.87 on his very well-turned-out Flying Dutchman Racing Kawasaki.

Comp Bike racer Martin Clitheroe started the day with a 10.491 on the ex-Blakemore machine and then rounded off his weekend with a great 9.362/150.00. Funny Bike racer Gary Jones returned to the track with an 11.903/112.78 with the bike trying to change lanes.

Representing the Junior Drag racers we had Anna Stanley clocking 16.687/36.64 and Milly Bond, daughter of erstwhile Top Methanol Dragster racer Doug, clocked 14.310/43.44. Holly Mitchell continued to improve on yesterday's performances in the Matrix Two Junior Dragster with a 9.580/68.70. Dan Baldwin's first pass of the day on his Junior Drag Bike was 16.038/36.70.

Wild Bunch racer Dave Draper recorded 12.367/110.02 in his '38 Opel, whilst Colin Stevens improved still further on yesterday's marks with a pass of 11.897/103.69. Andy Solley's Repeat Offender altered clocked an 11.528/116.58, and Johnny Attridge a 12.073/116.28 in the very retro-looking Oddball slingshot. Tony Smith ran 11.998/103.21 in the Cunning Plan altered, although at a couple of hundred yards' distance it sounded as if Tony was feathering the throttle.

Pete Loveridge clocked 10.742/124.31 in his slingshot whilst Helen Smythe ran 13.601/97.19 in the Hell's Belle altered before improving still further to a 12.753/104.41 and Tony Wynne Jones a 12.738/112.78 in his 'Vette roadster. Steve Field's new Plymouth-bodied altered was knocking on the door of the twelves at 13.091/88.93, and Paul Harvey took it gently with a 10.198/132.35 in the rear-engined dragster. Joe Stephens put in a solid 11.597/113.35 and Matt Lee a 12.709/118.11 in the Worth the Wait slingshot.

We have posted today's pictures, you can view those via the Event Index.

That's the end of our coverage of the APIRA Test and Tune, although the weather did its best to wreck things there was plenty to see and we're sure that the racers will have gone away happy and ready for next week's season opener at Santa Pod. Thanks very much for tuning in. For their help this weekend we would like to thank Lee Child, Ozzy Ewing and Simon Day, Richard Warburton, track announcer Barry Bohannon, APIRA and SCR press officers Jerry Cookson and Tracey Cowen, Scott Talbot and all the APIRA race officials, Darren Prentice and Jon Cross. A big Thank You also to Mel McClaine who brought along most of Tescos' grocery department to keep us going.

Eurodragster's next event coverage will be from next week's Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway; our next event coverage from Shakespeare County Raceway will be the Excitement Nationals at the start of May.

This weekend's event coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.