2008 FIA Main Event
Friday (qualifying)
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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 20:30 We have now posted today's pictures, which you can access via the Event Index. Tune back in the morning and we'll have all the news from day two of qualifying for the FIA Main Event. 16:50 Race Director Darren Prentice has called qualifying for today. The track is cold and there is no breeze to move the water so even if the rain stopped it would take too long to get the track dry and safe again. Those classes which did not have a fourth session today will have it first thing tomorrow morning. We're now going to have a breather and then we'll get to work on today's pictures. 16:25 Super Street qualifying top five after session 4:
Nick Griffin into #2 spot in the second pairing of the session. John Grant improved but stayed in #3 spot at that point. Just as the last car went through the finish line it started to rain. Stay tuned. 16:20 Super Pro ET qualifying top five after session 4:
Nigel Payne took over the lead half way through this session, not a bad job against dial-in considering that Nigel usually races heads-up in Super Modified! Great to see John Everitt out on track in this session after his various engine woes this year although he shut off at half track and idled through, maybe a test launch. 16:05 Super Gas qualifying top five after session 4:
Al O'Connor's still got it, into #4 spot in the first pairing of the session. Al was immediately bumped down a spot as Frank Mason took over #4 in the next pairing. 15:45 Pro ET qualifying top five after session 4:
Congratulations to Marius Blackburn who took the Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award with a 0.0006 RT in the first pairing of the session. Well done Marius, £100 better off. A slight improvement for Mick Howling but he stayed in #4 at that point. Neil Hunter came in at #3 a few pairings later. In the next pairing Paul Baynton took over #1 spot and won the Eurodragster.com/Gold RV Perfect ET Award or £50 plus the extra £20 contribution from Syd McDonald. Well done Paul, and a clean sweep for Pro ET in the Perfect Awards this weekend. 15:30 Comp Eliminator qualifying top five after session 3:
Improvements for Per Erik Lindgren and Dennis Habermann consolidated #1 for Per Erik and moved Dennis up to #2. We're going into cycle 4, cycle 6 has been cancelled as we are running very late. 15:25 Junior Dragster qualifying top five after session 3:
Annalieze Gibb into the top five at #4 in the third-to-last pairing of the session. 15:10 Super Comp qualifying top five after session 3:
Pete Creswell into the top five in the third pairing of the session. 15:05 Super Street qualifying top five after session 3:
Halvor Overby consolidated his #1 spot with an improvement in the first pairing. Two pairs later Mark Watkins came in at #3. 15:00 Super Pro ET qualifying top five after session 3:
Ian Tubb into #1 spot in the first run of the session but his moment of glory lasted a moment since Jack Brewster took over #1 in the very next pairing. We then had a very brief hold for sprinkles of rain. In the last but one run of the session Dave Ward took over #1 spot. Eurodragster.com News sponsor Pete Walters pulled a 0.0014 RT on his pass. 14:30 Super Gas qualifying top five after session 3:
Great to see Alan O'Connor out in Al's Gasser, first run a 10.0947/130.12. Dave Day into #3 and Stuart Morrice into #5 in the same pairing, in the next pair Conrad Stanley came in at #5 to push Stuart down a place. 14:25 Pro ET qualifying top five after session 3:
No changes to the top five in this session. The top twenty one qualifiers are separated by 0.0978. Trackside conditions are 19.5 C, 55% humidity and 1001 mb of air, track temperature is 23.5 C. 14:10 Comp Eliminator qualifying top five after session 2:
A big improvement and a huge speed for Andy Frost but he stayed in #5 at that point. 14:05 Junior Dragster qualifying top five after session 2:
Ludvig Perés moved into #4 spot in the middle of the session, a great time to say Hej to mum Lena who is tuned in from Sweden. 13:45 Super Comp qualifying top five after session 2:
Mark Fairhurst into #2 spot in the third pairing. In the next pair Frank Mason came into the top five at #4 but all eyes were on Chris Isaacs in the other lane whose Standard Vanguard disappeared into a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared the car was still upright and safely stopped in the shutdown area but there was a long trail of oil behind it. 13:20 Roger Goring followed Super Pro ET with a thundering flame and smoke show then 6.1146/260.55 in the Firestorm Jet FC. Super Street qualifying top five after session 2:
John Ricketts into #4 spot in the first pairing, Harrison Brown next into the top five at #3 in the next pair. Simon Cooper took over #4 spot next, then Nick Griffin came in at #3. Trackside conditions are 19.7 C, 54% humidity and 1001 mb of air, track temperature is 24.2 C. 13:05 Super Pro ET qualifying top five after session 2:
Martyn Jones into the top five, #3 in the first pairing. In the next pairing Mark Flavell bumped him down a spot. Nigel Payne and Ian Tubb went side-by-side into #2 and #5 a couple of pairings later. In the next pair Simon Rowland came back into the top five in #2 spot. Next into the top five was Bob Doyle, into #1 spot in the next pair. Paula Atkin pulled a big wheelie to about 100 feet in her match-uo alongside Vince Gibbs, Paula shut off when the car came down to earth and then attention turned to Vince as the Firebird disappeared in a cloud of smoke in the shutdown area. No oil found on the track so hopefully nothing untoward. Steve Green was next up in the right lane, into #3 spot going the long way round. The top thirteen qualifiers are separated by 0.0691 seconds. 12:45 Super Gas qualifying top five after session 2:
Steve Dunn up into #2 and Stuart Morrice up into #4 in the first pairing. Next pairing and Dave Day moved up to #3, the top five names had not actually changed at that point just the standings. That changed in the next pairing with Mick Howling into the top five at #3. 12:35 Pro ET qualifying top five after session 2:
Rick Denny took over the lead in the second pairing, then Kim Bishop made a huge move from #27 to #3 in the next pairing. Two pairings later Steve Hudson came in at #5. Next into the top five was Laurie Bamford, #2 at that point only to be bumped down to #3 by Ian Brown in the next pairing. Great to see Carla Pittau back out on the track in Heaven and Hell As Well, repaired and repainted after the top end pirouette at the Springspeed Festival. A huge breakout, 10.3892 on a 10.85 dial-in, but I very much doubt that Carla is worried about that right now! The top eighteen qualifiers are separated by 0.0994. 12:15 Comp Eliminator qualifying top five after session 1:
A PB for John Bradshaw in the Nissan Skyline, well done John! 12:10 Junior Dragster qualifying top five after session 1:
We had some sprinkles of rain during this session. Trackside conditions are 17.5 C, 70% humidity and 1002 mb of air, track temperature 20.3 C. 11:05 Super Comp qualifying top five after session 1:
11:00 Super Street qualifying top five after session 1:
John Ricketts' Anglia was MOT'd yesterday and went 10.8294 in this session, John wanted to run a 10.9 this weekend so he's gone beyond that, well done John...now slow it down a bit! A great 0.0043 RT by Harrison Brown on his pass, closest yet to the Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award. Trackside conditions are 16.0 C, 71% humidity and 1002 mb of air, track temperature is 18.7 C. 10:50 Super Pro ET qualifying top five after session 1:
A big Well Done to Tim Mugridge on a PB of 8.0926/175.56 in his Super Mod, running this weekend in Super Pro ET. Well done too to Eurodragster.com News sponsor Pete Walters on a PB of 9.5549/133.26 in his dragster. 10:25 Super Gas qualifying top five after session 1:
Five of the twelve qualifiers broke out, the naughtiest being Ritchi Smith with a 9.4311. 10:15 Pro ET qualifying top five after session 1:
Here we go then! A brief stop for spots of rain at the top end but we're on our way. A big Thank You to Syd McDonald, former Race Director here at Santa Pod Raceway, who has put in an extra £20 for the Eurodragster.com/Gold RV Perfect ET Award which now stands at £70. Trackside conditions are 15.2 C, 74% humidity and 1002 mb of air, track temperature is 17.1 C. 08:20 Good morning and welcome from Santa Pod Raceway. It's day one of the FIA Main Event and 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 will post a picture every sixty seconds until the track closes on Monday evening. It's overcast but dry here at Santa Pod, trackside conditions are 12.8 C, 80% humidity and 1001 mb of air. Track temperature on the start line is 15.5 C. It's Sportsman day today and we have six complete cycles scheduled. We are due to start at 9:30 with the first session of Pro ET. Stay tuned and as soon as the wheels start to turn we'll be in touch with the latest, and keep an eye on the Pit Notes page to see what Simon finds out. Reports and pictures ©Eurodragster.com |