Nostalgia Nationals - Wild Bunch

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Nostalgia Nationals July 2 - 3

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Nostalgia Nationals2nd July - 3rd JulyPoints awarded for the Roy Wilding Nostalgia Racecars Series Round 2

This weekend was a RWYB event, the “Nostalgia Nationals”. It was Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series Round 2 and there were Spot Prizes. We had a field of 16 Wild Bunch cars including 10 Slingshots & 6 Altereds

Event Participants
Position	WB	Driver	Car	Points
1	2	Joe Stevens	Back in Black	10
2	6	Chris Hartnell	Backdraft	8
3	76	Steven Field	The Black Pig	7
4	16	Mark Hartnell	Awesome 4-Some	6
5	3	Mike Cresswell	Living the Dream	5
-	54	Phil Sweeney	Antisocial	5
-	55	Lee Gallimore	The Fury	5
-	71	Andy Solley	Repeat Offender	5
-	100	Roy Wilding	Chariot of Fire	5
10	1	Dave Williams	The Cunning Plan	4
-	39	Roland Willats	Dragin Time	4
12	34	Alec Coe & Kev Mortimer	Shy Talker	3
-	42	Colin Stevens	Golddigger	3
14	38	Helen Smythe	Hell's Belle	1
-	80	Mike D & Linda W-J	Traspasser	1
-	147	Sid Slattery	Destiny	1

Spot Prizes
	WB	Team/Driver	Car	Detail
Closest To Dial-In	34	Alec Coe	Shy Talker	.007 Off
Best Altered	100	Roy Wilding	Chariot Of Fire
Best Slingshot	34	Alec Coe & Kev Mortimer	Shy Talker
Best Radical	None In Attendance
Most Improved E.T.	76	Steve Field	The Black Pig	.575 Improvement!
Best Burnout	6	Chris Hartnell	Backdraft
Driver's Choice	16	Mark Hartnell	Awesome 4-Some
Nsra Trophy For Quickest Wild Bunch Car	6	Chris Hartnell	Backdraft	8.826

Saturday was a practice day and the weather was warm and became dry until about 5:30pm when a small amount of drizzle stopped play! Sunday was really warm and dry!! No less than 8 racers ran Personal Best E.T.'s, with 6 of these racers running Personal Best MPH's!! We welcomed back Alec Coe debuting the “Shy Talker” shiny blown slingshot owned by himself and Kev Mortimer, and the Mad R's team. We also welcomed back Roy Wilding, driving Angi's brand new bright green “Chariot of Fire” altered which he has just finished building! Great to see Roy back racing in the Bunch! And Wow! What a great weekend we had!!
WB 1	Crew Chief Dave Williams was taking his first turn for a few years in “The Cunning Plan” altered. He and owner Tony Smith arrived Sunday morning and quickly got the car off the trailer, scrutineered, signed on and made it down to the fireup road on time for the first round at 11 o’clock. Dave Dialled in blind at 11.60. Unfortunately, an oil cooler bypass pipe broke, and Dave was not able to make the run, but luckily, he and Tony soon had it fixed, in time for the second round! Dave then put in a PB of 11.720 @ 111.85 mph in that round, followed by another Personal Best E.T. of 11.557 in the third. Dave then recorded an 11.955 in the fourth round, and he and the team thoroughly enjoyed the day's racing!
WB 2	Joe Stevens was back, fresh from his first 9-second runs at the Pod Summer Nationals in his “Back in Black” altered. He made several good low 10-second passes on the Saturday, and dialled in at 10.10 on Sunday. In the first round run, he recorded a 10.147 @ 128.49 mph, followed by another good run of 10.168 in the second round. He kept this consistency up through the third and fourth rounds, posting a 10.143 and then a 10.154, to finish with an average difference from Dial-in of just .053, and won the event! Fair play, Joe! The first place trophy was also accompanied by a Nick Pettitt “Time Travel” DVD, so many thanks to Nick for awarding this as a prize! (And great to see him selling his DVD's and dressed the part in white overalls, driving his “Honest Charley” Pop!) Joe was well pleased with the extra prize!
WB 3	Mike Cresswell was running the “Living the Dream” slingshot. He made several runs on the Saturday, with some misfiring and gear problems, but had a little help from friends, including Smokin’ Joe, and came out mid-Sunday with a new air filter atop the engine. He had dialled in at 11.50 for the day, and began with an 11.922 in the first round, but then improved every run after that, recording an 11.339 in the second round, an 11.116 in the third, and finished with a great new Personal Best E.T. of 10.982 @ 115.90 mph in the last round! This was only the second 10-second time he had run, and had been a long time coming, so many congratulations to Mike and the team, who ended the weekend on a high note, and just missed out on a Top 4 placing, finishing in 5th place overall.
WB 6	“Crazy” Chris Hartnell began Saturday crewing for the youngest racer of the Hartnell clan, son Mark, before getting back in the driver's seat of his “Backdraft” slingshot. For this weekend, the team had asked Scottie Durrant to drive Chris’ 1963 Chevy pickup up to the track to use as a pushtruck for the dragster. Chris had fitted a push pad to the front bumper, and a long pushbar with a wheel to the back of the dragster, and for every run of the weekend, Scottie pushed the car down the pits, and into the pairings lanes, just like teams used to do in the 60's! It looked really cool, and the whole team had a great time trying to recreate a bit of nostalgia for the occasion! Chris’ first run on Saturday, resulted in a 9.038 @ 149.78 mph, which turned out to be his fastest speed of the weekend. The second run produced another 8-second pass, with an 8.926, also at 149 mph. Claire dialled him in at 8.97 for Sunday's rounds, and he came pretty close on the first run, with an 8.950. He then ran an 8.826, his quickest run yet at Shakey, and this won him a special spark plug trophy from the NSRA for the “Quickest Wild Bunch car” of the weekend! In the third round he posted an 8.989, just .019 off the Dial, and ended with an 8.840 in the fourth, getting some more consistency back into the car, and finishing in 2nd place overall, his best result for some time! He was also awarded the “Best Burnout” Spot Prize by the commentators, for his strong burnouts. The highlight of the weekend for the team had been the pushtruck setup, and the reactions of people watching, so many thanks to Scottie for helping with that!
WB 16	was the second event this season for young Mark Hartnell in his “Awesome 4-Some” slingshot. He had installed a new gearbox, after the old one had lost some teeth, and also had some new shock absorbers on the front end, to get rid of some wheel wobble experienced at the American Car World Nats. Dad Chris, and Mum Claire helped crew for his first run Saturday, where he carded a 14.502. His main crew for the weekend, Darryl and Sarah Howells, then took charge and Mark recorded a 15.962 at a new best speed of 99.08 mph. For his third run of the day, he posted a promising 14.202, nearer to his PB, and he decided to dial in at 14.00 even for Sunday's rounds. Mark started off with a 14.271 in the opening round, but then recorded a new PB of 13.633 and a new Personal Best Speed of 99.95 mph, his first time in the 13's! For the third round he put in a 13.759 run, and on the fourth round was paired up with Dad Chris, which may have fired him up a bit more, as he ran a new Personal Best E.T. of 13.561, also at 99 mph, and taking .567 off his previous PB at his debut event! And an unexpected bonus was that he finished in 4th place overall, his first Top 4 placing! Mark was amazed, then even more thrilled when he was awarded the “Driver's Choice” Spot Prize, as voted for by all the drivers attending the event! Well done, Mark!!!
WB 34	saw the debut of Alec Coe & Kev Mortimer's brand new methanol-burning “Shy Talker” blown injected slingshot, built by Johnny Hall and Bill Felstead of B&J Nostalgia. The car looked brilliant and the shine from the blower was only matched by the team's smiles once the car was all ready to go in the pits!! They tried for a run on Saturday after working during the day to put some finishing touches to the car, but had a few things to learn about firing up an alky motor with the squeezy petrol bottle! Alec dialled in at 10.00 seconds even for the Sunday, not really having any idea what the car would run, and knowing he needed to make a few checkout passes. On the first run, Alec was supposed to do a 60 ft pass, but things went really well, and he kept on it for about half track, with a nice straight run of 9.993 @ 113 mph! Just .007 off his Dial, which earnt him the “Closest to Dial-in” Spot Prize for the day! The team then worked on the car between rounds, and came out again on the third round for another great burnout and pass, this time, a strong 9.262 @ 144.51 mph! Definitely quicker and faster than Alec had ever gone before, and still not using the car's full potential! Two great checkout passes and a lovely turned out car won Alec and Kev the “Best Slingshot” Spot Prize, chosen by the commentators, and backed up by all the admiring comments, and photographers buzzing round the car all weekend! Well done to the team on an excellent debut! We really look forward to seeing its next outing, and glad to have the Mad R's back out in the Bunch!!
WB 38	Helen Smythe was running the Team Twisted “Hell's Belle” altered, fresh from her 9-seocnd runs at the Pod. The team had decided to back off the speed for the moment, to learn more about the new engine and the behaviour of the car, and to gain some more valuable experience, before dipping back into the 9's. On her first run on Saturday, Helen recorded a more modest 10.222 @ 135.89 mph, and then went on to put in another 9-second pass, with a 9.943 @ 136.35 mph; showing that Helen and the Belle just could not stray too far from the 9's! Unfortunately, before she could put in a third pass on Saturday, one of the rear slicks suffered a puncture, and despite the efforts of the crew to find somewhere that could repair it the next morning, they were unable to get it fixed for the rounds on Sunday.
WB 39	Roland Willats had arrived Saturday for some more fun in the “Dragin Time” slingshot. He put in a couple of passes on Saturday in the 13's and cracked the 100mph barrier for the first time! He dialled in at 13.00 for Sunday, and proceeded to run his first 12-second pass in the first round, a 12.925 @ 101.40 mph. He then went on to record a new Personal Best E.T. of 12.771 @ 103.22 mph, also a new best speed, and an improvement of .463 over his previous PB! Well done, Roland! Great result! He then put in a pass of 12.889 in the third round, but had to retire before the fourth with a minor problem which he should be able to fix before the next event.
WB 42	Colin Stevens was back out in his beautifully turned out “Golddigger” slingshot. He put in a couple of passes on Saturday, and dialled in at 12.10 for the rounds on Sunday. The car ran better than expected, as he recorded a great 11.758 @ 112.76 mph in the first round. Sadly, in the second round, he broke the diff and was sidelined for the rest of the event. Hope he and the team can get that fixed really soon, and be back out at the next event, making some improvements on performance, and enjoying racing.
WB 54	saw Phil Sweeney back in the “Antisocial” slingshot, after his recent ankle sprain. He put in several passes on the Saturday, and dialled in at 13.50 for Sunday's rounds. He posted a 14.887 in the first round, and then a 15.714 in the second, before improving to a good 13.650 @ 95.83 mph in the third round. He then recorded a 16.005 in the fourth and finished in 8th place overall for the weekend. He and the crew hope to have the car right back on form for the next event.
WB 55	Lee Gallimore was back, running “The Fury” slingshot, for his first full Wild Bunch event of the season. He put in a couple of passes on the Saturday and decided to dial in at 11.00 even for the rounds. He immediately went out in the first round and ran a new Personal Best E.T. of 10.764 taking .536 off his previous PB and running 117.74 mph, a new best speed! He then recorded a 10.896 in the second round, an 11.519 in the third, and a 12.096 in the fourth and finished in 6th place overall, thoroughly enjoying his weekend's racing. Welcome back, Lee!
WB 71	It was good to see Andy Solley back running the “Repeat Offender” altered. He made a few passes on the Saturday, dialling in at 10.20 on the Sunday. He posted an 11.679 in the first round and then an improved 10.271 in the second, much closer to his dial, but unfortunately with a red light. He then turned the nitrous on, and ran a great 9.848 @ 134.97 mph in the third round, getting closer to a PB, followed by another strong 9.975 in the fourth round. Great to have Andy back racing with the Bunch and look forward to seeing some more strong runs at his next event!
WB 76	Steve Field was running “The Black Pig” altered, after having fixed some gearbox problems from the Shakespeare Nats. He made a couple of runs on the Saturday, starting with a good 10.425 at a new best speed of 134.67 mph, and then followed this up with his first ever 9-second pass, a superb 9.722 @ 140.27 mph, his first trip into the 140's and a new Personal Best E.T. and speed! Fair play, Steve!!! This run also earnt him the “Most Improved E.T.” trophy, as he had taken .575 off his previous PB! His lovely wife Lesley then chose a Dial-in for Sunday, 9.90, reflecting the car's improved performance. Steve went out and ran real close to this in the first round, with a strong 9.874 @ 140.49, another speed improvement. He then posted another good 9.995 in the second round, before re-visiting the 10's with a 10.030 in the third, and a 10.331 in the fourth. The last run was, however, another new PB for speed, a great 141.20 mph! There was another bonus to come, as Steve finished in a good 3rd place overall, and had a great weekend!!
WB 80	Mike Davies and Linda White-Jones were back in their “Trespasser” slingshot, after having fixed a gear problem from the York Spring Shootout. They fired the car up in the pits on Saturday, and after that unfortunately experienced a clutch failure, so could take no further part in the event. We really hope they can fix this problem soon, and be back out racing and having fun with the Bunch! Good luck, Team Hector!!
WB 100	saw the debut of Roy and Angi Wilding's new “Chariot of Fire” altered, with Roy in the driving seat for its first event. He put in some checkout passes of 13 and 11-second runs on the Saturday, and dialled in at 10.50 for Sunday's rounds. He then ran consistent mid 11's throughout the rounds of 11.678, 11.599 (a PB), 11.878 and 11.692 with his best speed of the weekend, a 116.53 mph. He even finished in 7th place overall, for his first time back in competition for a while! There were a few small details to work on to get the car up to its true potential, but with Roy working on this, there is no doubt that the car will put in some great performances real soon! The car looked wonderful in bright green with checkers and purple flames and, as always, Roy had given great attention to detail. This was rewarded as the commentators awarded the car the “Best Altered” Spot Prize. Congratulations to Roy on another great car and a good solid debut. We’ll soon see Angi taking over her duties in the driving seat, so she's really looking forward to that!! Welcome back, Roy and Angi!!
WB 147	Sid Slattery was running his lovely Jag-powered “Destiny” slingshot after his Top 4 success at York. He fired the car up in the pits Saturday, then sadly noticed some metal filings in the oil. He stripped part of the engine and discovered a spun bearing, so was unable to run at the event. He put the car back together and set up his pit display, which did look brilliant in the sunshine of the weekend. All the best of luck to Sid and the team, who hope to be back out at the next event in a couple weeks’ time!
All in all a great weekend, where the weather turned in our favour, and we had quite a lot of track time! Many racers put in 7 or 8 passes during the event, with exactly half of them running Personal Best E.T.'s!! A really fun event which saw the debut of 2 great new cars, and a lot of PB's from the Bunch. Congratulations to all of the drivers for great performances and a really great show! Many thanks as always to all the track crew and officials who worked hard all weekend. The next event is the “Mini Nationals” on July 16th & 17th at Shakey! This is a RWYB event and will be Wild Bunch Series Round 4 and Real Steel Series Round 6! This should be another weekend of great racing and we’re really looking forward to it!!