2004 Speedfreaks Ball
Sunday
The latest updates are at the top of the page. Click on your Browser's Refresh key to be sure of seeing the latest news.
Click here to go back to the event index
18:05
We've had an exciting full day's action here at Santa Pod Raceway on day two of the Speedfreaks Ball. Let's give you the highlights in association with American Car Imports.
Roel Koedam won the Top Fuel/Supertwin shootout with a 6.527/190.82 from Ronny Aasen's 7.650/181.60. Roel was blackstriping most of the way down the track and the terminal speed betrays the early shutoff. Ronny got the jump on Roel off the line but Roel quickly caught and passed him.
Earlier on we had the third qualifying session for the Top Fuel and Supertwin bikes, Steve Carey went first with an 8.215/168.54; Steve later told us that he was going to get some better clutch springs. Steve's bike blew a huge cloud of clutch dust off the line but the run sounded and looked quicker than the ET would indicate. Roel Koedam went next and his rear slick went up in smoke at the hit, Roel got off the throttle and cruised through. Steve Woollatt's first run of the weekend was a 7.460/136.83, Steve was going great guns when the rear tyre suddenly started blackstriping at about four hundred feet. Ronny Aasen got into the sixes at 6.960/198.96, a clean and straight pass with the front wheel in the air to about five hundred feet. Next up was Ton Pels who got close to the reflectors at the top end and feathered the throttle, clocking 7.391/174.44. Finally Bernie Hepworth clocked 10.048/94.96 with ominous white smoke from the exhaust towards the finish line.
The Super Street Bike racers have produced some astounding performances, with Mark Fisher clocking 8.078 in the first session today and Steve Venables recording a massive 186.00 mph in a RWYB pairing with Mark. Both of these, recorded at a National round, would have smashed the existing records assuming that they were backed up. The first session of Super Street Bike kicked off with Dave Smith at 9.240/159.50, then Brad O'Connor 9.180/173.61, Pete Bellenie 9.025/159.05, Richard Stubbins 8.737/171.05, Rachel Pattison 8.978/162.40, Jamie Sneddon 9.591/159.20, Mark Fisher's amazing 8.078/179.27, Steve Venables 8.715/177.31 and Chris Reed 8.802/166.14.
In the second session of SSB, Richard Stubbins stepped up at 8.432/174.35, followed up by Chris Reed 9.358/146.66, Brad O'Connor 9.182/169.14, Dave Smith 8.740/161.82 and Steve Venables 8.399/178.56. The SSBs contested a third session with Steve Venables leading off at 8.503/177.13, Mark Fisher 8.751/177.83, Richard Stubbins with an identical ET to his previous pass, 8.432 at 175.74, Pete Bellenie 9.030/160.68, Dave Smith 8.954/161.22, Brad O'Connor 8.754/171.55 and Jamie Sneddon 9.666/152.09. Mark Fisher and Steve Venables later paired up in RWYB and clocked 8.360/177.15 and 8.341 at the whopping 186.00 respectively.
The promised Eurodragster v Super Street Bike Dodgems Challenge took place last night and Eurodragster took the win again as the Super Street Bike racers, although in much larger numbers, resorted to using children as human shields (which is, of course, a war crime) and so were disqualified. The Eurodragster staff struggled with their consciences for a short while and then t-boned the dodgems containing the kids anyway. A Eurodragster/Super Street Bike v Supertwins Challenge took place later on and the Supertwins fielded a surprise weapon in the person of Ton Pels who turned out to be a demon behind the wheel.
The representatives of the National Association of Supertwins had a couple of showcase sessions, Mark Earrey taking the floor first with a 10.458/132.79, followed by Barrie Gregory on Les Harris' Tilly Two at 11.138/122.97. Chris Mott clocked 11.250/115.67, Ric Naylor 10.759/121.93, Don Irvine 11.348/118.40, Dave Bartz 10.250/135.51 and Les Harris 10.447 on his new Supertwin Gas bike.
Later on Barrie Gregory led the way at 11.201/121.33 with Les Harris right at 10.534/125.30 in the other lane, Mark Earrey quicker yet at 10.241/133.98, Don Irvine 11.475/116.56 and Chris Stebbings' first outing of the weekend on his Supertwin Fuel Bike at 9.647/118.50, followed by a 9.785/128.18 in RWYB later on. Also in RWYB Chris Mott clocked 9.762/140.11 later in RWYB.
Eric Teboul's second run of the weekend on his rocket bike was a 6.204/172.34, a touch over 200 mph at half-track on this pass. Tony Baker rolled through stage before hitting the afterburner in the Fireforce 1 Jet FC recording 7.574/222.81. Charles Berg had teething problems with the new Twisted Sanity Rocket Dragster as the two rockets didn't appear to want to light.
Roger Kircher put in another gentle pass in his Jet FC, the burner appeared to light about 100 feet down the track, 10.769/161.39. The weekend was closed by Martin Hill and Tony Baker racing in the Fireforce Jet FCs with your reporter again allowed to run the Tree (thanks Ian and Bob), Martin pulled a cracking 0.081 reaction time and got there first, 6.250/206.49 to Tony's 7.681/211.39.
Today's pictures have now been posted, you can view them via the Event Index page.
That's the end of our coverage of the third Speedfreaks Ball, thanks very much for tuning in. Your reporter this weekend has been Tog of Eurodragster.com; all pictures by Sharkman of Eurodragster.com. Thanks for their help this weekend to Chief Marshal Steve Horn; Martin Wallis; Ian Marshall, Bob Day and the track crew; Martin Hill; track announcer Martin Bennett; David Anniwell; Ian King; and Kjell Pettersson.
Our next Event Coverage is from the pre-FIA Main Event Professional Test and Run What You Brung here at Santa Pod Raceway on 22nd-23rd May.
This weekend's Event Coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.