2005 Speedfreaks Ball
Saturday
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20:15
Good evening and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway at the end of day one of the Speedfreaks Ball. It's been a great day, interrupted by a couple of heavy showers, but the track crew did their usual bang-up job of drying the strip and the disruption was as minimal as it can be when the track starts off resembling a major tributary. There has also been a very stuff crosswind all day today which has affected a number of the race bikes with lanes crossed and sponges punted into Earth orbit. But it's still been a very good day's action; here are today's stats in association with American Car Imports.
Fuel v Supertwin shootout
Session 1:
Steve Woollatt 8.295/122.32
Ian King 12.791/59.84
Steve Carey 7.536/140.10
Chris Stebbings 8.222/113.34
Ton Pels 10.558/92.71
Ronny Aasen 7.888/166.07
It sounded as if Ian King banged his blower panel on his run, a belt came off the bike at that point. Ton Pels' first run was very gentle, probably checking out the new clutch, the bike looks great in its new colours.
Session 2:
Ton Pels DQ (crossed lanes)
Steve Carey 7.147/168.01
Ronny Aasen 10.925/75.39
Chris Stebbings broke
Ian King and Steve Woollatt didn't appear for this session, no word yet on the cause. We have one more session left before the final but Steve Carey and Ronny Aasen are already looking like shoo-ins for the final.
Super Street Bike shootout
Qualifying session 1:
Steve Venables 8.323/180.76
Dave Smith DQ (crossed lanes)
Mark Fisher 8.724/168.54
Brad O'Connor 9.313/174.63
Pete Bellenie 9.234/127.06
Rachel Pattison 12.296/106.83
Qualifying session 2:
Steve Venables 8.700/185.02
Brad O'Connor 8.603/172.56
Mark Fisher 8.155/175.68
Dave Smith 9.447/137.15
Pete Bellenie DQ (crossed lanes)
Nick Pepper 10.873/149.47
Rachel Pattison 11.679/125.32
Nick Pepper's new SSB is a very nice-looking bike indeed, doubtless there will be a picture in tomorrow's weekend gallery.
Qualifying session 3:
Steve Venables 8.142/177.84
Brad O'Connor 8.097/175.00
Mark Fisher 8.681/164.88
SSB28 10.251/146.58
Nick Pepper 9.763/157.75
So at the end of today, Super Street Bike shootout qualifying stands as follows:
We understand that SSB may continue qualifying in the morning before going into their shootout.
Ian Caseley has made a couple of passes in the Roadzombie 2 Jet Dragster. The first run was a gentle 8.794/106.57 half-pass with the 'chute out before the finish line, I am guessing that Ian was checking some mods made to the afterburner during this week. The second pass was 7.578/189.20, off the throttle before the finish line which in these very breezy conditions doesn't surprise me. Tony Baker's two passes in the Fireforce 1 Jet FC were also shut off early, again due to the conditions I'd say, 7.369/179.09 and 7.941/123.55.
The Run What You Brung action has come thick and fast, not least for your reporter who has been working on the timing system for most of today. A couple of notables which I dashed into my notebook between typing in race numbers were a tremendous 7.913/167.90 by Top Gas racer Job Heezen, 9.830/145.61 by Paul Watson on his street bike, and a superb 9.209 by Supertwin Gas racer John Floyd.
Tune back tomorrow afternoon and we will again bring you the details of the Fuel v Supertwin shootout, the Super Street Bike shootout, and the exhibition action, and the weekend Photo Gallery will be posted. Don't forget that the Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam will again be on-line all day tomorrow.