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UK Truck Event August 19 - 20
UK Truck Event19th August - 20th AugustPoints awarded for the Wild Bunch Series Round 6 & Real Steel Series Round 9
This event was Wild Bunch Series Round 6, the “UK Truck Event”, as well as Real Steel Series Round 9. There was a field of 17 Wild Bunch cars competing in the rounds on Sunday: 9 Altereds and 8 Slingshots.
| Event Participants | ||||
| Position | WB | Driver | Car | Points |
| 1 | 100 | Roy Wilding | Chariot of Fire | 9 |
| 2 | 109 | Team B-Sting | B-Sting | 7 |
| 3 | 2 | Team Cunning Plan | The Cunning Plan | 6 |
| 4 | 9 | Ray Ford | RamRaider | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | Mike Cresswell | Living the Dream | 4 |
| - | 3 | Helen Smythe | Hell's Belle | 4 |
| - | 4 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 4 |
| - | 16 | Mark Hartnell | Awesome 4-Some | 4 |
| - | 20 | Mark Coulsell | Limited Funz | 4 |
| - | 25 | Terry Clifford | Ratcatcher Resurrection | 4 |
| - | 43 | Martin Holgate | Paranoia | 4 |
| - | 52 | Ant Harris | Frantic | 4 |
| - | 57 | Neil Ward | Andromeda | 4 |
| - | 76 | Steve Field | The Black Pig | 4 |
| 15 | 30 | Luke Bennett | Devils Advocate | 3 |
| 16 | 54 | Phil Sweeney | Antisocial | 1 |
| - | 63 | Joe Stevens | Back In Black | 1 |
| Spot Prizes | ||||
| WB | Team/Driver | Car | Detail | |
| Best Reaction | 20 | Mark Coulsell | Limited Funz | .010 |
| Closest To Dial-In | 2109 | Tony SmithAndrew Murphy | The Cunning PlanB-Sting | Both .001 Off |
| Fastest Mph | 57 | Neil Ward | Andromeda | 147.96 Mph |
| Best Altered | 30 | Luke Bennett | Devil's Advocate | |
| Best Slingshot | 9 | Ray Ford | Ramraider | |
| Best Dragster/Radical | None Participated | |||
| Best Appearing Team | 109 | Team B-Sting | B-Sting | |
| Also attending were Steve Goode, with the Jag-powered “Wobble” altered and Liam Maltby with the Chevy-powered Chevette Funny Car. Liam hoped to make some checkout passes, but had teething troubles and did not make any runs, whilst Steve made several passes both days in the low 10-second region.
Saturday. The day started off wet and cloudy and cool, and remained overcast all day, with some threatening grey clouds skirting round the track. This was a practice day and most drivers got in 3 rounds, with some making 4 or 5. | |
| Sunday (Series Points Day) Again it had rained early in the morning and the day dawned cloudy and cool. The wet track first thing meant the start was delayed around an hour, and the clouds were even more threatening throughout the day. We only lost around 20 to 30 minutes due to rain downtime even though there were some of the darkest rainiest clouds we’ve seen all year. They mostly just seemed to blow round Santa Pod, so we were incredibly lucky to get 3 rounds in on the Sunday! | |
| WB 1 | was the first time at Santa Pod this year for Mike Cresswell in the Living the Dream slingshot. He had recently gotten the car back on form after some teething problems so was hoping for some good runs. He made several passes on the Saturday in the low 11-second region and dialled in at 11.25 for Sunday's rounds. On the first round, he posted an 11.564, and then improved throughout the day with an 11.294 in the second round and an 11.230 @ 117.20 mph in the third round, just .020 off his Dial-in, to finish in 6th place overall. Mikey thoroughly enjoyed being back at the Pod! |
| WB 2 | was also the first Santa Pod appearance of the year for Tony Smith in The Cunning Plan minivan altered. He and Dave went into the event leading the Wild Bunch Series, and were keen for a good result to keep them there! Tony made 5 passes on the Saturday, ranging from a best of 11.642 to a couple of 11.92's and an 11.756 and an 11.782. The team decided to Dial in at 11.77 for Sunday's rounds and started off exceptionally well, when Tony recorded an 11.769, just one thousandth off the Dial, which won him a share in the Closest to Dial-in trophy! He recorded a solid 11.679 in the second round and then an 11.736 in the third, and finished in 3rd place overall for the weekend, which was just enough to maintain the lead in the Wild Bunch Series, and move into 2nd place in the Real Steel Series. |
| WB 3 | was Helen Smythe with the Hell's Belle altered, which had recently suffered axle damage, which crewchief Dean had fixed in time for the event. Helen was lying in 2nd Place in the Real Steel Series going into this event and was hoping to maintain this placing or regain the lead. Dean and Helen went to warm the Belle up on Saturday, but it would not fire up, as there was a problem with the ignition system. Eventually Dean took the plunge and opted to make the 5-hour return trip home to fetch a spare dizzy, and got this fitted and fired up the car late Saturday afternoon! They then dialled in blind at 9.62 for Sunday, and not having tested since the axle repairs or the change in ignition, Helen recorded a 9.906 in the first round. She then improved to a 9.700 @ 136.01 mph in the second round, but then posted an off-pace 10.348 in the third round, to finish in 11th place for the weekend. But fair play to them both, as the trip home was worthwhile to make all the rounds on the Sunday! |
| WB 4 | ‘Crazy’ Chris Hartnell was raring to go with the Backdraft slingshot, and after some problems with his new axle at York, he had re-installed the old one for the event. He was eager to put on a good show, and did not disappoint, pulling a few wheelies and smoking the tyres off the line! On Saturday, he recorded two consistent runs of 9.265 and 9.254, with a tyre-smoking 10.191 at the end of the day. He dialled in at 9.25 for the rounds and the whole team were thrilled when he ran a 9.253 in the first round! He remained consistent in the second round, posting a weekend's best of 9.211, and leading the Bunch at that point. But on the third round, he lost some traction off the launch and recorded a 9.593 @ 143.39 mph, and finished in 7th place overall. Chris still had a great weekend, and was glad his slingshot had been back on form! |
| WB 9 | saw Ray Ford back in the hotseat of the RamRaider slingshot of Team Dog's B's, hoping to take over where Gos left off, and run even lower into the 9's! Unfortunately, Ray and Ed broke down in Ed's van on the way to the track on the Friday night! And Ray's van also had electrical problems, delaying their arrival to Saturday afternoon. They still got there in time for Ray to put in 2 passes of 9.5 seconds in the afternoon sessions! The team dialled in at 9.30 for Sunday, and started off with a 9.462 in Round 1. Ray then put in a really close 9.281 in the second round, including a good wheelie, and followed this with a new Personal Best E.T. of 9.218 @ 143.22 mph! This was good enough to put Ray in 4th place overall for the weekend. And the icing on the cake was that the team took home the Best Slingshot ‘Mr Bolt’ Spot Prize for their well-turned out car and a great performance. Worth all the effort to get it there!! Well, done, guys! |
| WB 16 | saw the first Santa Pod appearance ever of young Mark Hartnell with the Awesome 4-Some slingshot. Mark was fresh from some more PB's at York Raceway, and was really excited to be racing at the Pod! His first run down the hallowed quarter-mile was a solid 12.549 @ 104.44 mph. On his second run Saturday, he ran against Dad Chris, and posted a 13.599 with a sticking clutch, but soon had this fixed and ran his third best run ever of 12.339. Mark dialled in at 12.33 for the rounds, as he hoped the car would run even better Sunday. In the first round, he recorded a 12.436, which he followed with a 12.453 in the second round. The car hovered around this mark, and he ran a 12.498 in the third round to finish in 8th place overall. Mark enjoyed getting the chance to race at Santa Pod, and had even been able to pair up with fellow Pinto-owners the Malcolms with their rear-engined 11-second Pro E.T. dragster., Just 4 fun, which the matchup certainly was! |
| WB 20 | Mark Coulsell was at his first Santa Pod event of the year celebrating 40 years of history of his slingshot Limited Funz, coincidentally the same age as Santa Pod Raceway (and his lovely wife Lynne!!). On Saturday, he made several passes, beginning with a 10.832 @ 122.95 mph, and dialled in at 10.85 for the rounds on Sunday. Unfortunately in the first round, he had a problem with his fuel regulator and the car cut out after launch, but Mark borrowed one from Phil Sweeney and came back out in the second round to record a great 10.872, just .022 off his Dial-in. He was also close in the third round, posting a 10.760 @ 120.97 mph with a Wild Bunch Best Reaction of .010! Mark was chuffed to complete the afternoon's rounds and really enjoyed the whole weekend. |
| WB 25 | was the Santa Pod debut of the Ratcatcher Resurrection slingshot of newcomer Terry Clifford, another car with historic roots! Terry had new crew this weekend in the form of his lovely wife Ruth and youngest daughter. He made several runs on Saturday and dialled in at 13.00 even for Sunday's rounds. Terry's first round run was a 13.117 @ 102.46 mph, and he improved in the second, with a 13.079. He was still pretty close on the third, recording a 13.090, and finished in 5th place overall. Another driver who really enjoyed the Truck Event! |
| WB 30 | Luke Bennett was another driver in his first time at Santa Pod, with his Devil's Advocate altered. He was really up for this event, after some modifications to his front axle, and was really keen to see what the car would run. He made a couple of runs Saturday, and then dialled in conservatively at 13.07. His first round pass was an amazing breakout of 11.771 @ 113.86 mph, a new Personal Best E.T. by over half a second! And in the second round he ran even better, with another PB of 11.494 @ 114.26 mph, again a new best speed! Luke did not run in the last round as the team had to get home and prepare Dad Frank's car for the Open Sports Nats next weekend! Luke's car looked great with its chameleon paint and really performed well for its Pod debut. And a real bonus was that it won the Best Altered ‘Mr Bolt’ Spot Prize, chosen by the commentators! Well done on your first Wild Bunch trophy, Luke! |
| WB 43 | saw the first Santa Pod appearance for Martin Holgate with his Paranoia altered. Martin had recently installed another engine, and hoped to continue his progress with the car this season. He made several checkout and tuning passes on Saturday, including a strong 9.574 @ 132.79 mph. He dialled in at 9.50 for the rounds, and was somewhat off the pace with a 10.776 in the first round. He improved by a second in the next round, recording a 9.739, and a further three tenths in the third round, posting a great 9.475 @ 134.39 mph. Martin was not too disappointed to finish in 12th place, as he had made good progress over the weekend, and hopes to continue this development at his next event. It was good to see yet another historic car back up at the Pod! |
| WB 52 | was yet another Santa Pod debutant, Ant Harris, in the Frantic Topolino altered, in only his second event with the car. He could not arrive at the track until late Saturday due to work commitments, so dialled in blind for Sunday at 9.50. He made a checkout pass in the first round, followed by an 11.454 in the second, and then an off-pace 14.042 in the third, finishing in 13th place overall. Hope he and the team can get a handle on the tuneup and be back out running well soon! |
| WB 54 | Phil Sweeney was in his third event of the year at Santa Pod in his Antisocial slingshot. He made a few runs on Saturday, but then had problems with his gearbox, not being able to select some of the gears. On inspection there was some damage to the box, and he was forced to park the car for the rest of the weekend. Needless to say, the box has already gone off for repairs and Phil and the team hope to be back out for next weekend's MSA event at the Open Sports Nationals at Shakey! Best of luck to them! |
| WB 57 | Neil Ward was running in the Andromeda slingshot, eager to put in some 8-second passes at the Pod. He had been having some tuning and nitrous problems, but by the end of Saturday ran a strong 9.014 @ 147.96 mph, which proved to be the Bunch's Fastest MPH of the weekend! He dialled in at 9.00 even for Sunday and opened his account with a 9.096 in the first round. He then recorded a better 9.054 in the second, but slowed to a 9.406 in the third, to finish in 9th place for the weekend. |
| WB 63 | Joe Stevens was fresh from a 2nd place York finish with his Back in Black altered. He was currently in 4th place in the Wild Bunch Series going into this event and was hoping to maintain his Top 4 form. He made a few runs Saturday and had a small misfire, which he later diagnosed as ignition problems. He dialled in at 9.30 for Sunday, but despite borrowing a coil, the car would not run quite right, so unfortunately Joe had to sit out the rounds. He still maintains his 4th place in the Wild Bunch Series, though! |
| WB 76 | Steve Field was in his first Santa Pod appearance of the season in The Black Pig altered. Last time out, the car had been running really well, and into the high 9's again. Steve made 5 low 10-second passes on the Saturday, starting with a 10.066 @ 133.89 mph, and then posting a 10.230, a 10.548, a 10.403 and a 10.376. The team dialled in at 10.05 for the Series rounds, and Steve began with a 10.499 in Round 1. He then posted a much closer 10.115, and ended the day with a 10.360, to finish in 10th place overall. Steve thoroughly enjoyed racing at the Pod again and thought the UK Truck Event was an excellent weekend! |
| WB 100 | Roy Wilding came into this event with the lead in the Real Steel Series with his Chariot of Fire altered. He made several consistent runs on the Saturday, including an 11.496 @ 115.13 mph. Roy dialled in at precisely 11.496 for the rounds on Sunday, and started well, with an 11.451. He then ran a closer 11.475 in Round 2, and an 11.534 in Round 3, never being further than .045 off his Dial-in. This continued consistency won him the event, and he was even more thrilled to receive one of the Top 3 trophies provided by the event organisers for the Wild Bunch! |
| WB 102 | saw the first appearance with Wild Bunch this season of Steve Goode and his Jag-powered Wobble altered. Steve had recently gotten the car down into the 9's and was hoping for even more progress this weekend. His ran in the low 10-second region and made several runs each day, including a 10.545 @ 123.26 mph, but was not yet participating in the Series rounds. |
| WB 109 | saw Andrew Murphy back at the helm of the B-Sting altered, fresh from his recent win at York. The team were lying in 3rd place in the Wild Bunch Series and eager for a Top 4 finish for the season. Former crewman Baz Bohannon was back amongst the ranks of the Sting boys and really enjoyed being back in the fray! Andrew made several mid 10-second runs on the Saturday. Then the team considered their Dial-in carefully on Sunday morning, and eventually consulted their ‘magic fish’, which up until now has been a closely guarded secret! The fish went for a 10.65, and Andrew posted a solid 10.695 in the first round. He did even better in the second round, recording a 10.649 @ 122.92 mph, just one thousandth off the Dial-in, and sharing the Closest to Dial-in honours with Tony Smith! Andrew remained quite close in the third round, posting a day's best run of 10.578, and finishing in 2nd place overall! The team also won the Best Appearing Team ‘Mr Bolt’ Spot Prize for their smart appearance and good performance. |
| The standard of competition was even higher this weekend, especially so in the second round, where 11 of the 15 drivers were less than a tenth off their Dial-ins, and overall there were 24 runs during the day within a tenth of Dial. All the teams put on a good show, and hopefully gave the truck spectators something different and interesting to enjoy! All the Bunchers certainly enjoyed running at the event!
It had been a really good event where we were incredibly lucky with the weather! Thanks again to all the hard working marshals and officials for their efforts which enabled lots of racing to take place. And thanks to the organisers of the UK Truck Event in their first ever Drag Racing experience, and for their generous entry package and trophies. And thanks to Darren Prentice, Race Director, for including us in the show and running a great event! Well done to them all! We are now really looking forward to the Bank Holiday “Open Sports Nationals” at Shakespeare County Raceway in one week's time! It should be a great event! | |