2007 Springspeed Festival
Sunday (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 19:45 Today's pictures have now been posted, you can view them from the Event Index page. We're off to dinner now, have a pleasant evening and we'll be back in the morning with all the news from eliminations. 17:25 We were all set to go into round 1 of 9.50 Bike eliminations but it started to rain at the top end and we are already past curfew so Race Director Richard Warburton has called a halt. We're now going to start work on today's pictures so stay tuned. 17:15 Pro ET eliminations round 1 winners: Mike Lacey (9.87) 9.859/135.16 bye, Paul Baynton (11.04) 11.036/124.28, John Atkinson (9.27) 9.505/141.34, Brian Huxley (10.52) 10.496/121.80, Chris Hodgkins (9.75) 9.782/126.92, Billy Gane (10.90) 11.148/120.50, Dan Page (11.24) 11.285/117.41 bye, Liz Malcolm (10.90) 10.907/122.34, Rick McCann (10.30) 10.228/122.56, Gary Springford (9.25) 9.276/141.57, Steve Bolton (9.45) 9.400/145.89 16:55 Next up after Supertwin Fuel was Derek Flynn with another pass in the Gold RV Racing Top Methanol Dragster. The car really had a skate this time, blackstriping and making a move towards the finish line, Derek had a good hold of it but there comes a point where you call it a day and Derek was off the throttle by half track. Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association qualifying session 4 (left lane first): Clayton Round 6.981/192.05 bye The engine zinged on on Bob Glassup's Xtreme altered in the burnout and Bob shut off, leaving Clayton to run the bye. No sign of shake this time, a great run for Clayton and back to into the sixes. Top Fuel Bike final qualifying:
Steve Woollatt opened the session with an 8.263. Steve told us that the concrete/asphalt transition disturbs the TFBs a little and The Dealer started to fishtail a little almost as soon as it got onto the asphalt. Steve shut off at about 400 feet, the bike was going great guns at that point but Steve was trying out a change to the set-up so the shut-off may have been planned. Next up was Steve Carey, the Purple Princess similarly fishtailing but Steve stayed with it and clocked 6.835/200.69, his first six/200, well done Steve! Turbo was next on to the track, a great-looking run from Mr Spokehead but then there was a big cloud of smoke from the twin at about 700 feet and Turbo and the bike disappeared. Turbo is quite OK, 8.147/150.76 at the stripe. Rene Van Den Berg followed with his second attempt at a run this weekend, the motor started up but then stopped. For the second time of asking the motor stayed lit, the tyres didn't light on the burnout and on the green the motor was doing plenty of work but the bike crept along the track. Fluid was found at the top end of the track. 16:25 NAST Supertwin Fuel final qualifying:
Andy Smith into the eights but stayed in #2 spot. Another slight improvement for new boy Shaun Rodman. 16:18 Super Comp qualifying final top five:
Chris Johnson moved into #5 spot in the first pairing of the session. Trackside conditions are 63.1 F, 45% humidity and 29.80 inches of air, track temperature is 76.4 F. 16:15 Super Modified qualifying final top five:
Andy Hone took over the lead in the first pairing of the session, we think a PB for Fred, in the other lane Paul Mander got back into the sevens and into #5 spot. Craig Gibbs improved but stayed in #4. 15:55 Wild Bunch qualifying final top five:
No changes to the top five in this final session. Pro Stock Bike final qualifying:
Richard Gipp and Paul King improved but stayed in place. NAST Supertwin Gas final qualifying:
Les Harris removed the front fairing from his bike and improved his ET, although he stayed in place so no changes to the qualifying standings. 15:40 Outlaw Flat Four qualifying final top five:
Chris Emmens improved again but stayed in place. Outlaw Anglia qualifying final top five:
Richard Colby moved up into #3 spot in the first pairing of this session. 15:35 NAST Supertwin ET final qualifying:
Comp Bike final qualifying:
Phil Leamon improved but stayed in #2 spot. 15:30 Volkswagen Sportsman qualifying final top five:
No changes to the top five in this session. Super Street qualifying final top five:
Dave Cherrett saved the best 'til last, taking #1 spot with the first run of the session. Congratulations to Chris Kenny who is £75 better off having pulled a 0.000 Reaction Time for the Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award. 15:20 Real Steel Street Eliminator qualifying final top five:
A big improvement for Steve Nash but he stayed in #2 spot. 15:10 Super Pro ET qualifying final top five:
Ian Tubb improved but stayed in #3 spot, Chrissy O moved into the top five at #4. 15:05 Super Gas qualifying final top five:
Bob Doyle took over the lead in the first run of the session and Dave Catton came into the top five at #5. 14:55 Funny Bike final qualifying:
Tim Blakmore took over #1 spot - just as we said there was more in the Kawasaki. Jorgen Waalewijn made it into #5 with his first pass of the weekend. 14:50 Super Street Bike qualifying final top five:
Subject to official ratification Steve Venables backed up his speed record of 198.55 with a 197.52 in the first run of this session, but missed out on the ET (so far). Two pairs later Scott Baldwin got into the sevens at 7.973/180.72, well done Scott! Graham Balchin improved but stayed in #3. In the last run of the session Jamie Sneddon crossed lanes at about 1200 feet, from here it looked pretty sudden but Jamie did a great job of holding on to the Blackbird. 14:40 Sportsman ET qualifying final top five:
Geoff Cowley into #2 spot and Harrison Brown into #4 in this final session. 14:35 Junior Drag Bike final qualifying:
Jake Carruthers improved but stayed in #3, Tyler Clutterbuck into #4 spot with his first run of the weekend. Junior Dragster qualifying final top five:
No changes to the top five in this session. Trackside conditions are 67.1 F, 40% humidity and 29.83 inches of air, track temperature is 89.5 F. 14:25 Pro ET qualifying final top five:
No changes to the top five in this session, in other highlights Rick McCann had a tilt at the Eurodragster.com/Speedflow Perfect Light Award with a 0.002 RT. The first nineteen of twenty one qualifiers are separated by 0.078 seconds. 9.50 Bike qualifying final top five:
Greg Skett moved into #2 spot in the first pairing of this session. 14:05 NAST Supertwin Fuel qualifying after session 4:
An improvement for Shaun Rodman, taking it nice and easy on his first outing. 13:55 Pro Stock Bike qualifying after session 4:
A big improvement from Len Paget but he stayed in #2 spot, same story for Ray Debben who stayed in #4 spot with another seven. 13:50 Super Modified qualifying top five after session 4:
An improvement for Andy Hone, and a big improvement for Andy Chilton, but both stayed in place. 13:42 Super Comp qualifying top five after session 4:
No changes to the top five in this session. 13:40 Wild Bunch qualifying top five after session 4:
Roy Wilding took over the #1 spot in this session whilst the husband/wife tussle between Darryl and Sarah Howells for #3 and #4 spot continued with Darryl taking #3 spot. Neil Ward moved into the top five at #5. NAST Supertwin Gas qualifying after session 4:
An improvement for Les Harris but he stayed in place, in the next pairing Chris Mott took over #1 spot with two tenths off his Personal Best, well done Chris! 13:33 Outlaw Anglia qualifying top five after session 4:
Mark Pointer back into the field after sitting out the re-run session 3. 13:30 NAST Supertwin ET qualifying after session 4:
Barrie Gregory improved but stayed in #5 spot. Outlaw Flat Four qualifying top five after session 4:
Bernie Newbury improved to consolidate his #1 spot, Chris Emmens improved but stayed in place. 13:20 Derek Flynn's latest pass in the Gold RV Racing TMD was a 7.206/182.64, a nice straight pass. Nostalgia Fuel Altered Association qualifying session 3 (left lane first): Tony Betts 6.687/182.72 bye, Bob Glassup 7.580/182.85, Clayton Round no time, Joe Bond 7.370/181.55 bye, John Wright 7.268/131.13 bye A great pass from Tony Betts, the car went straight as you like and it looked to me as if it were a little gentle in the first half so there's more to come from the Venom team yet. But if I recall correctly that's a class ET record. Clayton Round pulled a 250-foot burnout and was past half-track before he rolled to a halt. At the hit Clayton launched hard but then the engine stopped and Clayton pulled over to the side of his lane, Bob Glassup pedalled off the line and was feathering the throttle down the track. Nice burnout from Joe Bond, the flamed altered started to move around its lane at about 200 feet but Joe stayed with it, nice run. Two attempts to get Chaos started, the car sounded very strong indeed as John Wright pulled into stage. A straight half pass and the team will be very pleased with that for a baseline. 13:02 Comp Bike qualifying after session 4:
A great run for Nick Holland put him into #2 spot, a new PB too we think, well done Nick! Next up is Derek Flynn in the Gold RV Racing Top Methanol Dragster. 13:00 Super Street qualifying top five after session 4:
Ian Brown improved but stayed in #4 spot. 12:55 Real Steel Street Eliminator qualifying top five after session 4:
Colin Lazenby and Andy Frost missing from this session, Colin is rebuilding his transmission whilst Andy is waiting on a new brake disc after one of the discs failed yesterday afternoon. Alex McIntosh went into the eights and moved up to #3. 12:45 Volkswagen Sportsman qualifying top five after session 4:
Mark Malone has changed vehicles since yesterday so his #2 spot from session 3 has been discounted. Phil Norman took over the lead in this session and Martin Ayton moved up to #2 spot. Steve Parfitt's run yesterday now good for #3 spot and Matt Attwood moved into the top five at #5. 12:28 Top Fuel Bike qualifying after session 3:
Steve Woollatt looked to be on a good one but the bike headed for the centre line so Steve backed off. Steve Carey was next up, a nice-looking pass, 6.947/190.37. An improvement for Turbo, a little languid off the line but straight as you like and a few hundredths quicker. Next up was Rene Van Den Berg with his first pass of the weekend for the Shark Attack team, the tyres didn't light on the burnout and then Rene drove down the track. 12:15 Super Pro ET qualifying top five after session 4:
Ian Tubb improved but stayed in #3 spot, Dave Ward and Barry Giles moved into the top five at #4 and #5 respectively. The top eight qualifiers are within 0.092. 12:05 Super Gas qualifying top five after session 4:
Conrad Stanley improved but stayed in #4 spot at that point, check out Conrad's speed. In the last run of the session Jon Morton improved but stayed in #5. 12:00 Funny Bike qualifying after session 4:
Steve French improved and moved into #2 spot, in the next pairing Tim Blakemore took over #2 spot, and there is a lot more to come from Tim's bike as he had to back off at half track as the Kawasaki headed for the centre line. 11:55 Sportsman ET qualifying top five after session 4:
Improve,ents from Anna Metcalfe and Ian Petrie but they stayed in place, Lee Huxley moved intp #4 spot in the huge Day Van. Trackside conditions are 65.5 F, 46% humidity and 29.83 inches of air, track temperature is 77.8 F. 11:50 Super Street Bike qualifying top five after session 4:
A stormer from Steve Venables, the quickest and fastest run ever in Super Street Bike, well done Ven! Ven is now on ET and speed records if he backs them up. Scott Baldwin clocked a PB of 8.171 in this session, well done Scott! Mark Fisher into the sevens in this session, 7.979 but only good for #6. 11:40 Junior Dragster qualifying top five after session 4:
11:35 Junior Drag Bike qualifying after session 4:
Giselle Moor up into #2 spot in her first race, Jake Carruthers improved but stayed in #3 spot. 9.50 Bike qualifying top five after session 4:
Chris Reed moved into #5 spot in the first pairing. A big Hello and apologies to Kim and Andy Haley for your reporter's little slip yesterday. Andy Haley was in fact the first ever racer to record 9.500 in 9.50 Bike at last year's FIA European Finals, so Andy Burfitt's 9.500 yesterday was the second-ever. Andy is still however the first bike racer ever to win a Eurodragster.com Perfect Award so at least I got that bit right! Andy is on a £100 bonus from LA Racing Parts if he wins the event. 11:25 Pro ET qualifying top five after session 4:
Steve Bolton into #5 spot in this session. The top sixteen qualifiers are within 0.082 seconds. 11:10 Super Modified qualifying top five after session 3:
Another new PB for Andy Kirk as he improved his ET and speed, well done Andy! After consultation with Championship Co-ordinator Barbara Kirk we can confirm that Andy's speed is a new class record. Andy Chilton with his first pass of the weekend moved into the top five at #5. Improvements from Tim Garlick and Craig Gibbs but both stayed in place. Same story for Andy Hone, a big improvement in ET but stayed in #3. 11:05 Super Comp qualifying top five after session 3:
Jon Morton moved into #2 spot in the first pairing of the session, but was then bumped down to #3 by Shaun Lathan in the next pairing. Next up was Frank Mason who moved into #5 spot with we think his first 8.9. 11:00 Outlaw Anglia qualifying top five after session 3:
Yesterday's third session was annulled so Mark Pointer is removed from the standings. Steve Wells improved and moved up into #2 spot at that point, in the other lane Chris Kenny moved into #4 spot only to be bumped down to #5 by Cliff Griffin in the next pairing. There was a huge cloud of smoke from Cliff's car at the finish line but nothing untoward was found on the track. 10:55 NAST Supertwin Fuel qualifying after session 3:
Shaun Rodman on the board with his first run in STTF competition. Duncan Hocking improved but stayed in #4 spot. 10:50 Outlaw Flat Four qualifying top five after session 3:
OK so we started with Outlaw Flat Four and not the rest of yesterday's third Outlaw Anglia session. Phil West improved but stayed in #5. Wild Bunch qualifying top five after session 3:
Sarah Howells improved but stayed in place, Terry Clifford moved into #4 spot. NAST Supertwin Gas qualifying after session 3:
Improvements for Chris Stebbings and Chris Mott but no changes to the standings. 10:15 Good morning and welcome from Shakespeare County Raceway for our coverage of the Springspeed Festival brought to you in association with American Car Imports. The Webster Race Engineering/MPM Oil webcam is on-line and broadcasting a picture every sixty seconds, and will stay on-line throughout the weekend until the track closes on Monday evening. You can access the webcam via the Event Index page. We had the briefest sprinkling of rain earlier on this morning but it's gone now and has brightened up some. Rigght now the temperature outside is 60.6 F, humidity 78% and air pressure is 29.83 inches. Track temperature on the start line is 64.8 F. We are due to start at 10:30 with the rest of session 3 of Outlaw Anglia qualifying, so stay tuned and as soon as we get going we'll be back with all the news. Reports and pictures ©Eurodragster.com |