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23:50

Good evening and welcome to our report of today's Peak Performance Day at Santa Pod Raceway brought to you in association with Alamo Rent-A-Car.

Not unexpectedly it was very cold at Santa Pod today but apart from a couple of stops for brief flurries of snow it remained dry and the sun came out several times, sometimes for long periods.

One of the undoubted stars of the day was the new track surface which, from where I was sat, paid back the expense, effort and time put in by Santa Pod Raceway and the track crew. It held pretty much everything which was thrown at it today and that included Top Methanol cars, granted they were on soft settings but both cars hooked up.

Low ET of the day by any vehicle was by Steve Venables on his Super Street Bike 7.750/184.35, a tick behind him and Low ET of the day for cars was Scott Hauser with a 7.760/172.34 off the trailer. These performances on a virgin track with only a few days' sledding and careful preparation and despite today's low temperatures bode very well. A big pat on the back to all concerned.

First out on track was reigning UK National Sportsman ET Champion Craig Wright who celebrated by blowing away his Personal Best on a number of runs, culminating in a 16.400/83.94. Also either on a PB or very close to it was Pro ET racer Mike Lacey with a 9.236/145.72. Mike, who enjoys pulling rolling burnouts, was helping get some rubber on to the launch pad by starting long rollers from just behind the stage line.

A few new names in 9.50 Bike first of whom was Ian Chrichlow. A half pass was followed by a brace of breakouts and then a 9.521/144.86 and a squeak below at 9.499/114.66 - you can see from the terminal speed just how early Ian shut off on the latter. James Roe, nominally a rookie 9.50 Bike racer, ran a number of eight-second passes and his closest to the 9.50 was 9.626/109.26 - as with Ian a very early shut-off on that pass. Alex Hope, whose bike is surely an early contender for Best Appearing Bike, ran a closest of 9.577/143.90; on one run the bike hesitated off the line and Alex was pitched forward and his helmet hit the front fairing with a 'clonk' audible from Race Control - Kirstie hit the shutter on the camera at that moment and you can see it as picture 46 in today's gallery.

John McLean Junior is new to 8.50 Bike this weekend, his bike sounded to be misfiring in his first runs but picked up on his last run of the day with a 9.347/140.36. Kevin Osman was licencing for 8.50 Bike and clocked a pretty-damn-good 8.529/173.73. Runner-up in last year's UK National 9.50 Bike Championship, Paul Furlong, ran a number of very low nines and then went into the eights with his last run of the day, 8.936/153.63. Staying on two wheels Danny Cockerill made a couple of passes on the NLR Super Street Bike, the second was shut off at about 1000 feet but was still almost a seven at 8.060/147.69.

Another new name to us is Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator racer Martin Smith whose very pretty Nissan GTR35 was quickly approaching the numbers. A launch and half pass were followed by a low nine and then two eights, the last run of the day an 8.480/168.55 and his numerous crew were very happy indeed with that. Mark Adams continued his licencing in the Super Pro ET dragster formerly campaigned by the Harrison family and clocked 8.348/129.92 on a 1000 foot shut-off. Pro ET rookie Glenn Pallant in the classic Ford Consul Capri formerly owned by Vince Gibbs ran a best of 10.885/125.93.

First-footing in a Super Comp dragster - a candidate for Best Appearing Car - was Julie Nataas, daughter of Top Fuel Dragster racer Thomas and formerly a Junior Dragster racer. Julie quickly got the idea of this car. After a couple of footbrake launches she went for the transbrake and very quickly got close to the 8.90 and then chucked it out of the window with an 8.031/166.76 on her last run of the day. Another candidate for Best Appearing Car is Eurodragster.com Points Standings sponsor Nic Williams' new Mustang which went wheels-up on both launches and in two runs clocked a best of 10.190/130.60. Billy Gane made a pair of runs in his Super Pro ET Vauxhall, 9.258/143.33 on the second pass but we understand that some damage was done on that pass.

Today's consistency awards would have to go to Junior Dragster racer Paige Wheeler for ETs of 8.253 and 8.251 on her two runs although the aforementioned Craig Wright and Rick Denny ran her close with their ET spreads; for RT consistency UK National Pro ET Champion Paul Brown would take the brass ring with RTs of 0.073, 0.078 and 0.077 on consecutive passes. Staying with Junior Dragster, trying a new set-up in her Junior Dragster was Thaliah Gibb who will be old enough to move up to Junior Modified Dragster in a couple of events' time; Thaliah will be running a rental Junior Stock dragster in this weekend's race but with a JM motor in her own dragster clocked a best RT of 0.084 and a best pass of 11.241/59.64. Thaliah's motor stopped at the hit on her two final runs of the day, her crew were not sure that the cold weather didn't have some part to play in that. Thaliah's good mate Thomas Cook-Abbott put in a pass of 10.798/51.43 on his first run in the Tominator Junior Dragster; on the second pass something was amiss although not visibly so as Thomas shut it off about 300 feet out. On two Junior wheels Scott Collier clocked a very rapid 8.173/70.62 whilst Charlotte Hales' best of her four runs was a 13.539/46.71. Jordon Bissell made a single pass and recorded 8.649/76.72.

Wild ride, or rides, of the day went to Laura Turburville whose beautiful slingshot turned hard left on her first run of the day; Laura stayed on the throttle and drove out of it in a very assured display. On the next run the car turned right then left, Laura pedalled to straighten it out then wellied it again.

Birgitte Bremnes made a good start to her Top Methanol Dragster licencing with a good burnout followed by a footbrake launch and off the throttle at sixty feet. 1.186 to sixty and 14.980/62.96 at the stripe. On her second pass the Islander dragster jumped forward as Birgitte went up on the revs, she was off the throttle for a moment and then got back on it, feathering the throttle all the way down the track before shutting off to a 10.301/93.66.

A good showing also from fellow TM rookie Gareth Ellis, son of Pro Mod racer Graham, in his Top Methanol FC. Under the tutelage of the car's former owner Dan Larsen Gareth pulled a superb burnout and then brought the car up on the revs - not an easy thing to do in these cars - and went 1.113 to sixty feet before getting off the throttle, 14.801/65.61 at the stripe. On his second run Gareth was staged pointing directly at the 330 foot reflector and once underway he did not have a lot of time to get it away from the centre line. 1.073 to sixty, missed the 330 foot reflector but ran along the centre line until he hit one of the eighth-mile reflectors. Shut off, 8.405/109.79 at the stripe.

Graham Ellis' Superbird Pro Mod is, if it were possible, even swoopier with a new front end. In the cold conditions the exhausts were puffing steam like a locomotive. Graham pulled the customary huge and disconcertingly quiet burnouts but jumped the beams going up on the revs on both of his passes. On the second pass some quick-thinking beam-blocking by Chief Starter Ian Marshall meant that Graham got a terminal speed, 191.95 mph.

Below you can find our manual run log of every run made today.

Today's gallery has been posted; it contains 105 pictures so if you do not see all 105 updated thumbnails when you load the gallery page then click on your Browser's Refresh button.

Craig Wright (Sportsman ET) first out 0.073 RT 16.540/83.17; pushed back; 0.070 RT 16.524/83.16; 16.400/83.94; 16.566/83.16; 16.477/83.65

Ian Chrichlow (9.50 Bike) 13.605/70.63 looked like half pass; 9.261/148.08; 9.056/147.19; 9.521/144.86; 10.037/113.06; 9.257/146.64; 9.499/114.66; 9.748/105.79; 9.390/117.65

James Roe (9.50 Bike) 8.982/151.17; 8.934/152.15; 8.915/151.67; 9.384/116.54; 9.789/119.00; 8.942/151.14; 9.626/109.26; 9.860/101.65; 9.006/152.19

Alex Hope (9.50 Bike) 10.750/141.71; 10.594/142.11; 9.577/143.90; 11.049/141.66 hard right off line good save; 10.625/140.86; 9.9902/142.02; 9.951/143.07; 9.957/141.63; 9.785/142.11; 9.688/143.04; 9.685/143.84

Mark Hope (9.50 Bike) 12.251/133.73; 10.485/140.35; no time top end beams failed; 10.548/138.69 hesitation off line; 11.544/136.55; 10.519/139.06; 10.792/124.19; 15.370/67.17; 12.040/128.70

Martin Smith (Street Eliminator) 12.393/88.04; 11.622/84.74 half pass; 9.137/141.26; 8.747/163.09; 8.480/168.55

John McLean jr (8.50 Bike) 12.339/86.20 sounded to be misfiring; 14.198/62.19; 10.562/106.42; 10.538/139.87; 9.347/140.36

Scott Collier (Junior Drag Bike) 9.521/78.58; 8.337/85.71; 8.173/70.62; 8.229/85.06

Belle Wheeler (Junior Dragster) 0.418 RT 12.788/51.50; 0.079 RT 13.454/47.81; 13.417/48.61

Jack Brewster (Super Pro ET) 10.788/132.11 spun tyres to 100 feet pedalled; 8.737/162.45

Mike Lacey (Pro ET) rolling burnout from almost the stage line before run 9.400/144.84; 9.346/144.37; 9.444/144.80; 9.236/145.72

Simon Innes (Pro ET) 11.375/117.09; 11.349/115.53; 11.4253/116.71; 11.267/119.18

Rick Denny (Pro ET) 11.224/121.43; 11.149/121.52; 0.038 RT 11.1763/122.08; 11.221/121.49; 11.194/122.37; 11.160/121.50; 0.087 RT 11.050/123.72

Keith Herbert (Pro ET) 11.374/83.33 moving around lane half pass; 9.566/138.60; 0.029 RT 9.595/138.15; 0.033 RT 9.616/137.36

Charlotte Hales (Junior Drag Bike) 14.773/47.54; 14.051/46.30; 13.733/46.66; 13.539/46.71

Mark Hales (9.50 Bike) 13.671/124.41 half pass; 11.292/128.77; 11.306/136.86

Steve Ashby (8.50 Bike) 13.091/111.41 half pass; 13.898/113.35; 12.9822/118.25; 11.852/122.56

Phil Pratt (8.50 Bike) 9.002/149.62; 9.019/150.62; 9.004/150.64; 9.286/149.11

Graham Dance (Super Street Bike) 9.455/160.29 visibly gentle pass; 8.948/163.76

Paul Furlong (9.50 Bike) 9.097/151.13; 9.194/150.17; 9.080/150.56; 9.001/154.17; 8.936/153.63

Jemma Venables (Comp Bike) 9.027/159.64; 9.352/154.20 smoked tyre off line; 8.159/179.95

Simon Gough (Super Pro ET) 8.943/151.08; 8.524/161.87

Ian Turburville (Super Pro ET) stopped on track after burnout; 10.982/122.47

Julie Nataas (Super Comp) 14.393/49.27 crept off line off before half pass; 9.499/87.18 half pass; 9.277/96.02 half pass; 9.006/98.78 half pass; 8.031/166.76

Nic Williams (Pro ET) new car 10.443/129.85; 10.190/130.60

Paul Brown (Super Comp) 8.963/150.61; 0.073 RT 8.868/150.18; 0.078 RT 8.920/151.10; 0.077 RT 8.890/151.13

Ed Smiley (8.50 Bike) 9.307/155.77; 9.094/160.18; 8.966/163.66

Joe Kellett (Junior Dragster) 0.034 RT 8.319/78.68; 8.544/78.00; 0.033 RT 8.457/78.41; 8.298/79.51

Kevin Osman (8.50 Bike) licencing 8.529/173.73

Billy Gane (Super Pro ET) 9.732/142.56; 9.258/143.33

Glenn Pallant (Pro ET) no time top end beams failed; no time top end beams failed again; 11.592/120.44; 11.057/123.71; 10.885/125.93

Mark Coulsell (Wild Bunch) 10.055/12.74; 10.573/124.22; 11.971/78.96

Steve Venables (Super Street Bike) 7.955/183.59; 7.750/184.35

Thaliah Gibb (Junior Dragster) 15.640/39.79; 0.084 RT 11.241/59.64

Jordon Bissell (Junior Drag Bike) 8.649/76.72

Stewart Ashby (9.50 Bike) 9.4788/146.22; 9.699/145.77; 17.038/53.70

Richard Sawatzki (9.50 Bike) 9.624/141.23; 9.470/142.61; 9.368/137.43; 10.0823/143.47; 9.359/139.06

Martin Wilson (8.50 Bike) broke; 11.142/140.26

Margot Schmidt (8.50 Bike) 11.620/117.76; 11.648/125.25; 10.990/134.12; 10.449/139.10; 10.549/130.16

Rhiannon Bellenie (Junior Dragster) 0.066 RT 8.226/80.35; 0.023 RT 8.431/80.64

Paige Wheeler (Junior Dragster) 8.253/78.55; 8.251/79.66

Gareth Ellis (Top Methanol FC) licencing very competent burnout 1.113 sixty off the throttle just after sixty 14.801/65.61; 1.073 sixty 8.405/109.79 staged crooked hit eighth reflector shut off

Danny Cockerill (Super Street Bike) 8.395/161.33; 8.060/147.69

Laura Turburville (Super Pro ET) 10.851/135.32 car headed for centre line stayed with it; 12.597/117.42 hard right then hard left off throttle briefly

Steve Hudson (Pro ET) 9.600/108.44 early shut off

Birgitte Bremnes (Top Methanol Dragster) licencing foot launch 1.186 sixty foot 14.980/62.96; 10.301/93.66 rolled beams going up on revs, on and off throttle

Thomas Cook-Abbott (Junior Dragster) 10.798/51.43; 12.672/33.30 shut off 330 feet

Scott Hauser (Super Pro ET) 7.760/172.34

Bobby Wallace (Pro ET) 9.972/135.28

Mark Adams (Super Pro ET) licencing 10.140/81.95 half pass; 8.348/129.92 shut off 1000 feet

Graham Ellis (Pro Modified) huge burnout but jumped beams; jumped beams no time/191.95