UK National Finals
Saturday (qualifying)

The latest updates are at the top. Click on your Browser's Reload button periodically to be sure of picking up the latest news. Click here to go back to the race update index.

18:50

Today's pictures are available from the race update index. If you don't see the pictures then hit your Browser's Refresh key.

That's all from Santa Pod today, thanks for staying with us. Tune back in the morning and we'll bring you the latest from the pits and then eliminations.

18:45

Qualifying has just finished after the third cycle, rounded off with a 6.079/258.61 from Martin Hill in the Fireforce 2 Jet FC.

Here are the top two qualifiers in each class:

Super Pro ET: 1. Rob Smallworth +0.008 (7.778/174.21), 2. Martyn Jones +0.009 (7.659/170.82)
Pro ET: 1. Robin Shone +0.010 (9.970/135.14), 2. Jon Evans +0.012 (10.062/130.84)
Sportsman ET: 1. Al Platt +0.023 (13.803/102.37), 2. Chevy Llewellyn +0.078 (13.628/98.32)
Super Comp: 1. Brian Pateman 8.917/157.83, 2. Mark Flavell 8.939/150.01
Super Gas: 1. Frank Mason 9.901/136.71, 2. Peter Lane 9.950/140.90
Super Street: 1. Stuart Peck 10.918/122.93, 2. Dave Cherrett 11.022/109.40
Junior Dragster: 1. Jay Hauser 0.522, 2. Phill Cook 0.525
VW Pro: 1. Jon Rathbone +0.081 (10.581/131.67), 2. Nigel Green +0.119 (11.619/108.02)
VW Sportsman: 1. Cath Bishop +0.001 (15.901/79.88), 2. Stephen Lee +0.006 (15.306/74.23)

Pro Stock Bike: 1. Dave Beck 7.627/172.21, 2. Chris Hope 7.720/170.80
Funny Bike: 1. Ken Cooper 7.343/182.09, 2. Tim Blakemore 7.426/172.45
Comp Bike: 1. Andy Newcombe 8.828/137.50, 2. Brad O'Connor 9.008/153.32
Super Street Bike: 1. Tony Clark 8.427/166.65, 2. Graham Dance 8.727/166.65
9.90 Bike: 1. Ivan Birch 9.901/134.78, 2. Jamie Sneddon 9.904/116.92
10.90 Bike: 1. Fred Furlong 10.927/124.66, 2. Phil Pratt 10.984/122.73

17:05

We're back in action here at Santa Pod Raceway, it's now bright and sunny and the track crew have done a great job of drying the surface. Stay tuned and we'll bring you more news from qualifying. Race director Darren Prentice tells us that when this second qualifying cycle is finished, we will have at least one more complete cycle and see how we go after that. Stay tuned.

14:15

Unfortunately the rain has taken hold here at Santa Pod during the second cycle of qualifying. Here's how qualifying stands at present. These are after two sessions unless noted.

Super Pro ET: Martyn Jones +0.009 (7.659/170.82)
Pro ET: Robin Shone +0.010 (9.970/135.14)
Sportsman ET: Chevy Llewellyn +0.115 (13.515/98.69)
Super Comp (8.90): Brian Pateman 8.917/151.83
Super Gas (9.90): Peter Lane 9.956/140.90
Super Street (10.90): Stuart Peck 10.918/122.93
Junior Dragster (RT): Phill Cook 0.561
VW Pro: Jon Rathbone +0.081 (10.581/131.67)
VM Sportsman: Cath Bishop +0.001 (15.901/79.88)

Pro Stock Bike (one session): Dave Beck 7.627/172.21
Funny Bike (one session): Ken Cooper 7.354/163.44
Super Street Bike: Tony Clark: 8.427/171.82
Competition Bike (one session): Andy Newcombe 8.828/137.50
9.90 Bike: Jamie Sneddon 9.904/116.92
10.90 Bike: Fred Furlong 10.927/124.66

Competition Bike racer Sarah-Jane head popped up to race control a little while back, regular readers will remember that Sarah-Jane had a nasty spill at Shakespeare County Raceway the other week. Sarah had one arm in a cast, and a bandaged wrist on the other. "I'm fine", she said. "It'll take more than that to finish me off!".

Stay tuned and we'll let you know what's occurring. The rain has stopped but the track is very wet, the sweepers are on track and working very hard.

12:45

After one complete cycle of qualifying, the top qualifiers are as follow:

Super Pro ET: Steve Pateman +0.122 (8.772/164.28)
Pro ET: Robin Shone +0.010 (9.970/135.14)
Sportsman ET: Chevy Llewellyn +0.115 (13.515/98.69)
Super Comp (8.90): Brian Pateman 8.917/151.83
Super Gas (9.90): Frank Mason 9.985/136.64
Super Street (10.90): Stuart Peck 10.922/122.91
Junior Dragster (RT): Phill Cook 0.561
VW Pro: Nigel Green +0.223 (11.523/118.21)
VW Sportsman: Cath Bishop +0.001 (15.901/97.88)

Pro Stock Bike: Dave Beck 7.627/172.21
Funny Bike: Ken Cooper 7.354/163.44
Super Street Bike: Graham Dance 8.727/166.65
Competition Bike: Andy Newcombe 8.828/137.50
9.90 Bike: Jamie Sneddon 9.904/116.92
10.90 Bike: Phil Pratt 10.984/122.73

12:15

Congratulations to Super Comp racer Zane Llewellyn who has won fifty pounds from Eurodragster for a perfect 0.400 reaction time in qualifying.

Chris Hope had a wild ride in the first round of Pro Street Bike qualifying, taking out the 330 foot reflector. The bike left the line heading right but Chris got hold of it before it started to drift again. Dave Beck leads PSB with a 7.62.

In Funny Bike qualifying, Steve French also took a wild ride when he ran along the guardrail for several yards. From race control it looked as if it was Steve's footpeg which was in contact with the concrete. Word quickly came through on the radio that Steve was fine, although the bike has suffered a little damage.

We're currently stopped for rain although it's only spitting so it shouldn't last long. Stay tuned.

11:15

Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway on an overcast and chilly morning. It's the UK National Finals, with a lot at stake in some classes. Qualifying has already started and is going at some pace, as I type this sentence Super Pro ET racer Martyn Jones has pulled a one hundred foot burnout!

An abbreviated pit report this morning as your reporter is a little under the weather, I promise you that alcohol played no part!

Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Steve Pateman, who just put in an 8.77 qualifier on an 8.65 dial-in, told us this morning that he is running in Super Pro ET this weekend "just to get the car on the track". Steve had problems at Super Series 5 a couple of weeks ago. "We thought it was the oil pump, so we took it apart and there was nothing wrong with it", he said. "There was just too much oil in it! We'll be trying to run 8.60 this weekend, we've changed the jets to see what it does. At the moment we're purging more nitrous than we're using."

Fellow CCSE racer Sue Jackson is running in Pro ET this weekend, like Steve Pateman her car is running in street-legal trim and also like Steve she is here to get track time. Ian Jackson tells us that the car should run eights after clocking 9.3/156 recently. "We've softened the rear springs and the car launches better", said Ian. "We'll use that as a baseline to go quicker."

Dave and Sarah Day have changed engines in their Super Comp/Super Gas roadster. "We kept blowing the old engine up, so we said goodbye to the Ford! We've gone alcohol with a Jeff Bull Chevy engine. We've gained 100-110 horsepower with this engine, it will be nice to get to the first round. We spent most of the last race in the trailer". Dave added that wife Sarah will be going to Frank Hawley's drag racing school at Christmas.

Pro ET racer Al Golding is this weekend crewing with Super Pro ET racer Ian Bishop, as the engine in his Firenza has broken. "When I looked at it, it was terminal", said Al. "Number eight cylinder is cracked, and a bearing has burnt out on the crank. I'll rebuild it over the winter. I never ran that eight! So next year I'll go out and run an eight first time out and get it over with!".

Tune back later on and we'll bring you qualifying highlights.