2004 UK National Finals
Sunday (eliminations)
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15:20
We will post all of this year's UK National and ACU Champions as soon as we are informed.
Today's pictures have now been posted, you can view them via the Event Index page.
That's the end of our UK National Finals coverage. Thanks very much for tuning in, we hope you have enjoyed it. Your reporter this weekend was Tog of Eurodragster.com, and your photographer Sharkman of Eurodragster.com.
For all of their help this weekend we would like to thank Race Director Darren Prentice; Martin Wallis, John Hackney, and Sharon Norris of Santa Pod's timing crew; Chief Starter Ian Marshall and the start line and track crews; Chief Fire Marshal Jon Cross and the safety crew; track announcers John Price and Graham Beckwith; Paula Marshall; Kjell Pettersson; Spencer Tramm; David Anniwell; Dave Alexander; Roger Gorringe; Heather Bond; and Ian Hook and the FB Racing team.
This weekend's Event Coverage has been brought to you in association with American Car Imports.
15:00
The 2004 UK National Championship season has just ended - we have been called as the rain is persistent and shows no sign of letting up in whichever direction you look. A bit of an anti-climactic end to a great season's racing but the race officials had no real choice in the matter.
One point which bears mention is that the CBD/ACI Top Fuel team would have been next up after Super Pro ET qualifying, but Dave Wilson and the team decided to take the Top Fueller back to the pits so as not to take time away from the Sportsman racers when the track was ready to go again. It was not to be of course but a big Well Done to the team for their consideration. Dave and Andy Bissett came to visit us a moment ago to let us know that Dave plans to complete his licencing passes at next weekend's Jap Show here at Santa Pod.
We were also very pleased to see Super Gas racers Steve Dunn and Jon Evans who came up to say Hello and to thank everyone for their good wishes since Steve's crash at Shakespeare County Raceway in August. Steve looked very well considering what he has been through, some of his injuries are still apparent but he is in good health and humour. Steve and Jon said that they had not yet decided what to do next. Part of the decision will doubtless rest on what can be salvaged from the Tokyo Toy; the engine and transmission are probably recoverable but not a lot else.
We are currently working on today's pictures, stay tuned.
13:15
Andy Bissett, erstwhile Crew Chief for Dave Wilson and who is helping out on the CBD/ACI team this weekend, has asked us to say a big Hello to his fiancée Jennifer who is tuned in from Los Angeles. Job done!
13:10
It has now started to rain, so all qualifying has now been stopped. When the rain stops and the track has been dried we will be straight into eliminations.
11:15
The final session of Pro ET qualifying saw the field bunch right up and the top five is as follows:
Next up was the final qualifying session of VW Pro and the top five is:
A shock DNQ is Ken Blomer who didn't make a pass yesterday and broke before staging. Russ Fellows dialled-in a 10.60 and ran 10.503, we think either a PB or very close to it, we're sure he won't mind breaking out.
The final top five in VW Sportsman is as follows:
Shaun Spiers took over the lead in the final session of 10.90 Bike, the final standings are as follow:
Next was the final qualifying session of 9.90 Bike and Fred Furlong took over the lead from Richard Sawatzki, the final top five is as follows:
The final qualifying session of Super Gas was next and we saw some big changes to the top five as the qualifying bunched right up:
A real shock for Al O'Connor as he left before the Tree ran, and didn't record a qualifying time yesterday, so he will not be competing in the Twentieth Anniversary eliminator. Antti Kivinummi broke out in this session with a 9.851/135.21 and so yesterday's pass puts him in the field at #17. Chris Isaacs in Jeff Bull's new Camaro clocked an 8.807/150.45...shades of Super Street Bike in 9.90 Bike!
10:15
We're off! After session one of Junior Dragster qualifying, the top five is as follows:
Finishing off the first qualifying cycle in grand style was Super Modified, the top five after this session is:
Kev Perkins was a mere four thousandths off a new ET record, whilst Paul Brooks was right on his personal best. Congratulations to Craig Gibbs on his first seven, and congratulations also to Tim Garlick on a new PB, the quickest Rover on the planet by an even larger margin now!
We're now going into the second cycle of qualifying, stay tuned.
8:45
Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway for the last day of the 2004 UK National Drag Racing Championships. We're here to bring you all the news in association with American Car Imports.
The Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam is on-line and is scheduled to broadcast a picture every two minutes all day.
It's somewhat less wet than last time we spoke. There is a high overcast and the latest forecast we have heard is OK until this evening so hopefully we can make it through the day and get our Championships sorted out on the track. Trackside it's 10.1 C, 93% humidity, the air pressure has gone up a little and now reads 29.97 inches.
Some more Good Mornings, firstly the traditional raceday Hello to our US correspondents Ed O'Connell and Kathy Hileman in Rye, NH. Hello also to our good buddies Hannele Höydén and Magnus Cato who are tuned in from Finland and Sweden respectively.
This morning we must say a big Thank You to Custom Car Street Eliminator racer Ian Hook who took Tog out on the CCSE Cruise last night, in the FB Racing '34 Ford. It's not often that we get time off our reporting duties so Tog jumped at the chance. It was a tremendous experience and one for which Tog is very grateful indeed, thanks Fatty!
The FB Racing Ford passed all of the Cruise requirements with flying colours as did all of the CCSE contingent with the exception of Jerry Charles who withdrew shortly after leaving Santa Pod. Two particularly enjoyable experiences were the faces on a carful of senior citizens as they pulled into the local BP petrol station to find every pump taken by a race car, and the moment when Fatty spotted a straight, dry stretch of road and hit the throttle for a second to give your reporter an idea of the power of the Ford engine. Take it from me, there are a lot of horses under that bonnet.
Whilst we were out on the Cruise, Fatty sang the praises of his crew who he said never stop working, and the moment the Coupe got back to the pits the rest of the FB Racing team descended on the car and within seconds had it up on the jacks, the bonnet off, and leakdown testing underway. A very hardworking and dedicated bunch of guys who deserve all the praise Fatty gives them.
Fatty was obviously under the weather with a flu-type bug last night, we hope you get well soon mate.
Other news from CCSE is that Andy Frost went straight from the Cruise to Webster Race Engineering last night as he burned a piston during qualifying yesterday. The Red Victor 2 Vauxhall did the Cruise on seven cylinders. It's certainly been an exciting weekend for Andy's guest Ian Christianson who has come all the way from Australia to see how we do the street-legal thing here in the UK.
Action is scheduled to commence at 8:55 with the first session of Junior Dragster and Super Modified qualifying, then there will be an entire cycle of qualifying, with eliminations set to commence at 12:00. Dave Wilson will also be making his second cross-licencing pass in the CBD Top Fuel Dragster. Stay tuned and we'll bring you all the news as it happens.