2003 Easter Thunderball
Monday (eliminations)
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
20:00
Today's pictures are now posted, you can view them via the Event Index page.
That's the end of our coverage of the 2003 Easter Thunderball, thanks very much for tuning in.
Thanks for their help this weekend to: Race Director Darren Prentice; Chief Marshal Steve Horn; Lisa Billinton, Martin Wallis, John Hackney and Andy Marrs of Santa Pod's timing crew; Chief Starter Ian Marshall, Nigel Anniwell, Jon Cross and the start line crew; Chief Fire Marshal Bob Day and his crew; track announcers John Price and Graham Beckwith; Roger Gorringe; Lee Child; Jon Crawford; Ivan Sansom; Andy Wilsheer; Dave Alexander; Ian Turburville; Paula Marshall; Kathy Taylor; Carol Ismail; David Anniwell; Kjell Pettersson; David Lloyd-Jones; Keith Bartlett; Caroline Day; Lex Joon and Gerda Dijkstra; Talbot Racing; She Devil Racing; Woollatt Racing; Spencer Tramm; Sue Morris; and of course to all of the racers for giving us quotes and action to write about and photograph.
Eurodragster's next Event Coverage will be from the Excitement Nationals at Shakespeare County Raceway; our next Event Coverage from Santa Pod Raceway will be the Speedfreaks Ball on 10th-11th May.
This weekend's Event Coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.
19:30
Final results
Pro Fuel Shootout: Smax Smith ntr/283.36 def. Gordon Smith 16.46/64.91
MSA Top Methanol: Rob Turner 5.65/238.22 def. Dave Wilson 5.70/245.31
Super Modified: Andy Hone 7.988/168.12 def. Kev Perkins 8.110/170.99
Super Pro ET: Ian Bishop (7.90) 7.940/155.07 def. Danny Cockerill (7.90) 7.971/168.56
Pro ET: Steve Wells (10.22) 10.216/112.21 lesser breakout def. Rick McCann (10.65) 10.632/129.24 breakout
Sportsman ET: Ian Turnbull (12.00) 12.057/110.41 def. Kev Syfield (12.28) 12.240/111.15 breakout
Super Comp: Tim Adam 8.931/139.99 def. Martin Curbishley 8.983/149.45
Super Gas: Peter Lane 10.028/139.51 def. Martin Curbishley 9.876/140.83 breakout
Super Street: Mike Bentley 10.851/132.72 lesser breakout def. Bob Doignie 10.850/117.05 breakout
Junior Dragster: Joe Bond (9.60) 9.683/65.91 def. Holley Glassup (8.65) 8.707/73.38 red light
Custom Car Street Eliminator: Steve Pateman 8.653/168.81 def. Sue Jackson 8.723/155.06
VW Pro: Russ Fellows (11.80) 13.188/84.58 def. Neil Davies (12.99) 14.801/78.43
VW Sportsman: Stuart Hinds (16.30) 16.435/81.64 def. Brian Burrows (13.65) 13.745/96.34 red light
Top Fuel Bike: Steve Woollatt 7.06/188.25 def. Antonio Ferretti no time recorded
Pro Stock Bike: Dave Beck 7.434/174.07 def. Richard Gipp 8.189/160.41
Funny Bike: Neil Midgley 7.147/183.28 def. Dave Holland 7.284/146.37 DQ (hit timing equipment)
Comp Bike: Phil Leamon 8.944/154.32 def. Bob Brooks 10.200/90.82
Super Street Bike: Graham Dance 8.343/176.04 def. Karl Larcombe 8.533/166.95
9.90 Bike: Geoff Connor 9.913/130.37 def. Fred Furlong 9.856/131.00 breakout
10.90 Bike: Steve Knapp 11.053/121.74 def. David Warren 10.978/121.73 DQ (blue line violation)
We are now working on today's pictures - stay tuned.
18:00
Pro Fuel Shootout final
Smax Smith ntr/283.36 def. Gordon Smith 16.46/64.91
Another story for the Smax annals as Smax takes the win in his first event in Top Fuel Dragster. Gordon Smith went up in smoke off the line and Smax's dragster stuck to the track and rocketed down the quarter mile. A time of 4.55 came up on the top end display but much as we would like to believe it, it wasn't a 4.55. Chief Timekeeper Steve Horn tells us that the problem was on the start line as Smax clocked a 0.35 sixty-foot time; Steve thinks that given the strong launch a 0.85 sixty-foot is not unfair so it will have been a 5.0 or a 5.1 - borne out by the speed.
MSA Top Methanol Final
Rob Turner 5.65/238.22 def. Dave Wilson 5.70/245.31
Dave Wilson hit tyre shake for the first time this weekend, although he drove through it Rob was away and took the win. It was very close indeed though.
We are now catching up on the Sportsman eliminations, Neil Midgley has just raised the roof with a 7.14/181 in Funny Bike whilst Graham Dance put down a marker for Super Street Bike with an 8.22 in the semi-final. Tim Adam and Martin Curbishley had a peach of a semi in Super Gas with Martin pulling a 9.906 to Tim's 9.919. Stay tuned!
17:00
CCSE racer John Sleath has just been interviewed on the PA here at Santa Pod. "It was a nasty incident, but it could have been a lot worse", he said. "An oil line blew, I don't know why, it's one of those twenty pound parts". John said that the engine and roll cage survived the crash but that the rest of the Audi has been totalled. He thanked the emergency services, saying "I got myself out of the car and they were there for me, in fact they were there before I came to a stop". Apart from a bruise on one arm John is physically OK.
With start line conditions at 59.9 F, 45% humidity, and 29.83 pressure racing has just this moment restarted to stay tuned and we'll let you know how things go.
15:30
Custom Car Street Eliminator racer John Sleath is OK after hitting the guardrail at half-track in his Audi. The car swerved right and then turned hard left just as John got hold of it. The car hit the rail twice before coming to rest just past the finish line. The safety crews were with John as the Audi came to a halt and he got himself out of the car although he was taken to the medical centre for a routine check-out. Ian Hook in the other lane was ahead and so stayed clear of trouble on his 8.87/158.86 run.
15:10
MSA Top Methanol Round 1
Dave Wilson 5.63/251.11 def. Doug Ripley 7.98/142.98
Dave didn't give Doug a chance in this race, off the line like a rifle out of a bullet and never looking back. Doug pedalled and straightened the car out before getting back on the throttle.
Rob Turner 5.63/230.24 def. Steph Milam no time recorded
This was very similar - Rob catapulted off the line, no sign of shake, and a new best time for the Netcall team's spare engine. Steph went way out of shape off the line, appearing to go up on one wheel before crossing lanes and idling down the track.
Top Fuel Bike elimination
Steve Woollatt 7.06/188.25 def. Antonio Ferretti no time recorded
This was all over on the start line as Steve disappeared into the distance, Antonio broke on the hit.
If you are tuned into the Webster Race Engineering/Dragrace Drachten webcam you probably noticed a long period of downtime a short while ago. Super Pro racer Martyn Jones had his engine let go at the finish line and just about everything which could came out on the shutdown area. Syd is A-OK, and we hope that it is not too long before we see him back out on track.
During the break our raceday photographer Sharkman went on assignment to take some aerial shots of Santa Pod, the guys at Cabair Helicopters giving him a ride which he would probably describe as interesting. We now have him back in one piece and in his accustomed trackside position.
13:50
Only Doug Ripley turned out for the final qualifying session of MSA Top Methanol. Doug was on a test launch, he stayed on it to about 300 feet and clocked 11.84/59.71. It's Wilson v Ripley and Turner v Milam in the first round of Top Methanol.
Pro Fuel Shootout qualifying session 3
Øyvor Jacobsen 7.30/110.00 v Gordon Smith 10.05/85.72
The right side of Gordon's engine was smoking and he was off the throttle at about 330 feet. No problems for Øyvor with the 0.35 extra wait, but she hit shake quite early on in the pass and got out of it.
Micke Kågered 14.44/52.57
Micke again up in smoke at the hit.
Andy Carter 5.47/197.97 v Bill Sherratt 12.31/78.12
Andy was on a stormer, pedalling briefly off the start line and clocking 235 mph at the eighth before backing off at 900'. Similar story to yesterday for Bill Sherratt, a bang and the relief panel popping off the front of the FC body.
Smax Smith 6.31/144.59
A banker for Smax, a strong launch and then shake at about 250 feet, Smax got off it by half-track.
Smax v Gordon Smith, then, in the Pro Fuel Shootout final.
Eric Teboul's second pass of the weekend on his Rocket Bike was an outstanding 6.17/181.05. Eric recorded 3.889/203 to the eighth which is the quickest and fastest ever for a bike over the eighth.
Tony Baker clocked 7.09/220.94 in the Fireforce 1 Jet FC. Martin Hill told us that the team freshened the engine and afterburner over the winter which accounts for the far more aggressive throttle slams.
Action is on hold right now after Pro Stock Bike racer Len Paget suffered a very nasty-looking fireball right at the top end. We understand that Len is OK but the can't be said for the engine of the Hayabusa.
Notable performances today have been a new PB of 7.83 by Comp Bike racer Bob Brooks and a 7.35 by Dave Holland in Funny Bike after what has been a mare of a weekend so far. On four wheels Kev Perkins really has the reins of Danny Cockerill's Super Mod clocking 8.06/167.43 in the first round of eliminations. In Custom Car Street Eliminator Sue Jackson and Ian Hook are back in the eights at 8.78/160.90 and 8.965 respectively, Al Simms into the nines at 9.945, and Jon Webster's family changing their underclothing after Jon got a vicious-looking wobble on at the top end in John Hales' Chevy. A great driving job by Jon kept the car on the track.
11:50
As promised we had another quick run round the pits to catch up with a few more racers. Our visit to the Fuel pits wasn't brilliantly-timed as there were a lot of warm-ups underway which meant a lot of busy racers. Øyvor Jacobsen was busy with a warm-up so a wave and a smile had to suffice. The warm-up sounded good and strong anyway!
Bill Sherratt was busy on the Showtime FC but gave us a few moments of his time to let us know that yesterday's eruption was indeed caused by the revs getting too high on launch. As Bill raced back to adjust the clutch settings Tom Hoover filled in for him. "The rear main bearing had minimal damage", said Tom. "It'll be a backed-down version today!".
Shockwave Fuel FC Crew Chief Dave Bryant was in a good mood considering his first words. "We've done my TFX!", he said. "Gordon's sixth sense in clicking off early saved the motor". Dave said that on the incrementals the pass would have been a 5.40. "It was hauling!", he said. The team's spare engine, Elvis, is now in the car. ""We're going to go out and do what we have to do to get it down the track", said Dave. "This time we're praying that the rear end holds together". Dave asked us to thank Tom Hoover "For being on the payroll this weekend and giving me the hot tune-up!".
Rocket Bike racer Eric Teboul said that it was a bit cold yesterday, and that the percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide was low. "I want to go quicker - maybe I will today!", he said. "The problem I have is stopping. The G forces tail off on the Top Fuel Bike but the rocket never stops accelerating - I don't have a parachute and I only have small brakes!". Eric likes running at Santa Pod. "This is the best track in Europe", he said. "The people who run the track love drag racing - they are not just in it for the money". Eric tells us that he will definitely be back at the Speedfreaks Ball with both the Rocket and the Top Fuel Bike.
The next round of the Pro Fuel Shootout is due soon and the weather is improving: 59.5 F, 65% humidity and dropping, and 29.77 air pressure.
Stay tuned and we'll bring you the news from Top Methanol, the Pro Fuel Shootout, and the Sportsman highlights.
10:00
Good morning again from Santa Pod Raceway. It's race day and we're here to bring you all the action in association with our friends at American Car Imports.
The Webster Race Engineering/Dragrace Drachten webcam has been on-line since 7:30 this morning, you can get to that via the Event Index page.
A big Good Morning to our US correspondents Ed O'Connell and Kathy Hileman in Rye, NH, whom we know are tuned in and enjoying the reports and webcam. Hello also to Luke Nieuwhof in Australia, and to Paul Cooper who dropped us a line yesterday evening: the answer to your question, Paul, is "We don't know yet" but hopefully Botch will give us the heads-up with his promised update. Hello also to Gittli Koller in Germany who spotted yesterday's deliberate mistake. Nice to know you're all out there folks.
It's quite misy at the moment but you can see the sun starting to burn its way through. Eurodragster's weather station is currently reporting start line conditions of 55.0 F and rising, humidity steady at 87%, and air pressure slightly raised at 29.74 inches.
We took a quick turn around the pits this morning, we have yet to pin down a few racers to whom we would like to have a word but here's what we found out so far.
In the Carbon By Design Top Fuel pit we were treated to more of the comedy stylings of Knut "Giggles" Söderquist who had another sponsorship announcement. "We will shortly be announcing a major deal with a sunglasses manufacturer", he said. "They come with little wipers for when it rains". When Knut is cracking jokes at that time of the morning, this early in the season, then you know that things must be going OK and that is certainly the case with Smax Smith's Purple Loans-sponsored Top Fueller which is one of Knut's cars. "That car runs like clockwork", said Knut. Micke Kågered's Bahco Tools-sponsored Top Fueller put in one run yesterday and went up in smoke at the hit. "It's all Stateside stuff on Micke's car", said Knut. "For example it has a ninety-two gallon fuel pump. We're treating this weekend as a test and we will have it all sorted out in time for the Main Event."
Smax Smith is leading the Pro Fuel Shootout at present, and is very happy with his first two Top Fuel Dragster passes. "I'm buzzing!", he said. "We're sitting pretty with a nice lead, I might only do a half pass in the next round and save the big one for the final round."
Andy Carter is less happy having run two six-second passes in the First National Telecom Top Fueller. "I'm not happy with second!", he said. "I have had shake on both runs. I don't believe in God but I have spent all night praying - for once we need good luck to get there."
Micke Kågered is satisfied with the new car. "I only wanted a half pass yesterday", he said. "We had problems with the ignition so we didn't make the first round, then we blew the tyres off. The car is really comfortable, though, I think I like it more than the last car". Micke spent the last couple of weeks at the Stockholm Motor Show which was attended by no less than 200,000 visitors. The Show saw the debut of the Sandflex-sponsored TMFC which will be driven by Niclas Andersson; Micke confirmed that Niclas will be making his licencing passes at the pre-Main Event test on 17th May which is this year open to the public.
New ACU Pro Stock Bike ET and Speed record holder Dave Beck said that yesterday's 7.2-second performance wasn't a surprise either to him or to Roger Upperton, who built the four-valve 1640 engine. "This engine ran a 7.38 at the Finals last year", he said. "We came here with that set-up freshened up. We ran the 33 yesterday and then loosened the clutch up a bit and the 29s came out! The 33 was easy to ride but the two 29s were bumpy and then wind-blown". Dave said that he was unlikely to run any of this year's FIM events because of work commitments and his US racing schedule of Jay Regan's Pro Mod Bike, but he had a warning for his PSB competitors. "Roger's got another engine at home which is better than this one!".
The Turners' Netcall-sponsored Top Methanol Dragster has the spare engine between the rails this morning after the team decided to play safe. If you were tuned in yesterday you will remember that Rob Turner disappeared behind a cloud of smoke as he crossed the finish line in yesterday's final qualifying session. It transpires that a couple of small screws broke loose from the injector butterflies, went through the blower and took a stroll around the inside of a cylinder. The damage didn't appear too serious but Crew Chief Steve Turner decided to take the engine home for a checkover at his leisure. "This is a 5.7-second engine", said Rob. We have another session of Top Methanol qualifying scheduled for 12:00 today but the only racer who hasn't said that they are not contesting it is TMFC racer Steph Milam.
Racing is now underway so stay tuned and we'll bring you the news.