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Summer Showdown (UK Northern Nats) August 7 - 8
Wild Bunch ResultsYork Summer Showdown7th - 8th August
Wild Bunch Series Round 5.
Real Steel Series Round 8.
The “York Summer Showdown” was the fifth round of the Wild Bunch Series, in our 15th year, and Real Steel Series Round 8. This was the 10th year the Wild Bunch have raced up at York, so another celebration! There was a field of 6 Wild Bunch cars participating: 3 Altereds, 2 Slingshots and 1 Rear-engined dragster.
| Wild Bunch Points | ||||
| Pos | WB | Driver/Team | Car | Points |
| 1 | 99 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | 10 |
| 2 | 109 | Andy Murphy | B-Sting | 8 |
| 3 | 4 | Dave Rowlands | Destinys Angel | 7 |
| 4 | 72 | Sag Southworth | Daddy Cool | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | Dogs Bollocks Racing | RamRaider | 4 |
| 6 | 2 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 2 |
| Spot Prizes | ||||
| WB | Team/Driver | Car | Detail | |
| Closest To Dial-In | 99 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | 0.002 off |
| Best Reaction | 99 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | 0.589 |
| Best Appearing Team | 2 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | |
| Best Appearing Car | 99 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | |
| PDRC Award: Quickets E.T. Saturday | 2 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 9.125 |
| PDRC Award: Quickets E.T. Sunday | 2 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 9.066 |
| The weather forecast was mixed for the weekend, and though there were a few bits of drizzle during Saturday, we managed to avoid the showers, which came about half an hour after racing finished! Most drivers got in 4 runs on Saturday, with two getting 5 runs. Sunday's weather was better, and though cloudy, stayed dry all day, and once again we completed all four rounds of Wild Bunch racing! So that is five out of five this year! Great stuff! Over the weekend, some drivers also recorded their York PB's. Once again there was a great show throughout the event from the 6 Bunchers attending, who all thoroughly enjoyed the event thanks to the marshals and officials of the PDRC and promoter. | |
| WB 1 | saw Ed Yates having his first event at York with the Team Dog's B's “RamRaider” (2) slingshot. The team had run with “Nutcracker” up at York in 2000 and “RamRaider” (1) in 2003, but this was their first time back up North since then. Ed's first pass Saturday was a good checkout run of 9.477at 132.35mph. His second pass Saturday was a little slower with a 9.705 at 123.30mph, getting a handle on the track. He then improved to another 9.4 on his third run, and a 9.404 at 138.91mph on his fourth run of the day. The team dialled in at 9.40 for Sunday's rounds. Ed started really well, with a 9.409 at 141.05mph in the first round. He followed this with a quicker 9.354 at 142.39mph in the second round, to go into temporary first place. But in the third round, Ed performed a burnout, and just kept going, with a problem with the throttle. Ed got the car safely stopped, and the team worked quickly to repair the problem, so that Ed could make the fourth round. Such a shame, as he had been running well. But he bounced back quickly and ran his best pass of the weekend, and best ever run at York, a 9.279 at 143.32mph. Fair play to Ed and Gos for making it back for the round. The team are now in 4th place in the Wild Bunch Series, equal on points with 3rd place but one less win. They are now in 2nd place in the Real Steel Series. |
| WB 2 | ‘Crazy’ Chris Hartnell was in his eighth event of the season with his “Backdraft” slingshot. He began the weekend with a triple wheelying run of 9.446 at 143.74mph. He then put in a quicker pass of 9.125 at 144.66mph (which netted him the PDRC award for ‘Quickest Wild Bunch car’ on the Saturday). His third run was again a multiple wheelie, and he posted a 9.382 at 142.92mph. His fourth run of the day was an improvement again, to a 9.187 at 142.97mph. The team decided to dial in at 9.30 for the rounds on Sunday, and Chris went straight out and ran a 9.066 at 145.15mph! Never mind the Dial-in! The team were chuffed with the quick run, and this also earned Chris the PDRC award for ‘Quickest Wild Bunch car’ on the Sunday! On the next run, Chris launched hard and got out of shape at the 330ft mark, and touched his side of the centreline, and so the run was disqualified. Chris steered the car gently back straight and still posted a 9.133 at 143.74mph! Meanwhile Ed in the right lane was drifting towards the centre as well, but also controlled his slingshot and got back on the straight and narrow. But as soon as Chris passed the finish line and started to shut down, he heard a loud grinding noise, and on inspection after clearing the shutdown area, realised that the coupler had broken. So unfortunately, he was out for the rest of the event. He also had a breakage on his front wing strut, so a few things for him to repair before the Open Sports Nationals! Hope he can fix it all soon, and be back out for the event. Chris and the team were awarded the “Best Appearing Team” Spot Prize by the commentators. He is now in 7th place in the Wild Bunch Series and 5th place in the Real Steel Series. |
| WB 4 | Dave Rowlands was back in the hotseat of the “Destiny's Angel” altered for his third time at York. His first pass on the Saturday was a 9.672 at 133.17mph, his best ever speed at York. He then improved to a 9.622 at 142.93mph, his quickest ever E.T. and speed at York. He experienced a bouncy run on his third run of the day, recording a 9.953 at 107.00mph, but then got right back on track for his fourth run, a 9.739 at 124.69mph. Dave and the team dialled in at 9.70 for Sunday, but Dave started the day with a 9.927 at 128.94mph. He improved on the next round, to a 9.861 at 127.90mph, and ran a similar 9.883 at 135.23mph in the third round. He posted his best pass of the day in the last round, with a 9.793 at 133.96mph, and finished in 3rd place overall. The team are now in 2nd place in the Wild Bunch Series, on equal points to the leaders, but with no second place event finishes. They are now leading the Real Steel Series, so really doing well this season! Once again, he and the team thoroughly enjoyed the event. |
| WB 72 | was Sag Southworth's second event this season with the Wild Bunch with the “Daddy Cool” rear-engined dragster. This August saw the 30th Anniversary of Sag and Elaine's drag racing debut! He and crew chief Al and the team had some hard work to do since the previous event, down at Shakey, at the June Shootout, where the torque converter had let go and caused some damage! He began Saturday with a checkout pass of 10.2, so the team were quite pleased with that. But then on the second run of the day, the car coughed and spluttered on the track and Sag slowed to a 20-second plus pass. There was a lot of investigating to do back in the pits. On Sunday morning, the team dialled in an optimistic 9.90 for the rounds, and continued trying to trace the problem. Elaine's Dad also gave some advice over the phone, and some adjustments were made to the mag. This really seemed to do the trick, as in the first round Sag recorded a great 9.672 at 135.63. He followed this with a 9.798 at 133.56 in the second round. And then improved again to a 9.739 at 135.52mph. He was looking in good shape for a top four placing, but then in the last round, whilst staging, left the start just before the tree ran, so did not record a time, on what looked like a strong run. Such a shame! But great to see the strong mid 9-second passes again, and to see the whole team running with the Wild Bunch. Hope to see more of them next season! Congrats to them all on their 30th year! |
| WB 99 | Adam Price was also in his eighth event of the season with the Team Gridlock “Go Hard or Go Home!!!” Topolino altered, and the team were thrilled to be back at York Dragway. They were also celebrating, as Adam's fiancée Lorraine is expecting their first baby! So the whole team were in a joyous mood. Even more joyous than usual! On Saturday, Adz started the day early in the RWYB session with a 10.983 at 119.64mph, his best ever time and speed at York. In the first run with the Bunch, he recorded a 10.851 at 119.64mph, another York best! He followed this with a 10.860 at 119.95mph on his third run. He then posted times of 10.928 at 119.26mph, and 10.916 at 119.31mph, so very consistent on the Saturday. The team dialled in at 10.89 for Sunday, and Adz started well with a 10.985 at 118.45mph. He then posted a “Closest to Dial-in” of 10.888 at 119.39mph, with a Wild Bunch “Best Reaction” of .589 (on a .500 tree). His third round pass was a 10.946 at 119.63mph, and in the fourth round Adam held his nerve and posted a 10.862 at 120.04mph to take his first ever win!! And first time over the 120mph at York. He and the team were absolutely over the moon! And somewhat in disbelief! To top it all, they were also awarded the “Best Appearing Car” Spot Prize by the commentators! What a fantastic weekend for the team. Congratulations to them all – very well deserved! And this means he has moved up from 9th place in the Wild Bunch Series to 3rd place, equal on points to “RamRaider” but with an event win to his credit! He is now in 6th place in the Real Steel Series. |
| WB 109 | Andrew Murphy was again the driver of the “B-Sting” Topolino altered, and was looking to move up from the team's current 2nd place spot in the Wild Bunch Series. His first run Saturday was against Adz, in the RWYB session, and netted a 10.618 at 126.77mph. In the first Wild Bunch session that day, he recorded a 10.553 at 127.06mph. He then posted a few more mid 10-second passes, including a 10.567 at 125.68mph, doing smoky burnouts all the while! And having great fun Topolino match racing with Adz. The team dialled in at 10.59 on Sunday, and were chuffed when Andrew went out and ran a 10.584 at 125.67mph, to put him temporarily in the top spot. He then posted a quicker 10.518 at 126.41mph in the second round. His third round run was slightly off the pace, with a 10.777 at 124.33mph, but then he was right on the numbers again, with a 10.598 at 126.69mph in the last round. Andrew finished in 2nd place overall. And this means the team are now leading the Wild Bunch Series, though on equal points to Dave Rowlands, they have a second place event finish. They are now in 4th place in the Real Steel Series. |
| Big Congratulations to Adz and the whole of Team Gridlock on their first ever win! And well done to all the Wild Bunch teams, who travelled from near and very far to make the annual pilgrimage to York. Congrats to all those who ran so well and put on a great show!
It was another brilliant event, where we completed all four rounds of Wild Bunch competition on the Sunday! Thanks very much to all the PDRC marshals and officials, promoters Steve and CJ Murty, and everyone at York! And thanks for the very warm welcome! With only one Wild Bunch Series round to go, things are still very close, especially between 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 4th places! We are now looking forward to the 9th Real Steel Series round of the year, at the “Open Sports Nationals” at Shakey, on August 28th – 30th. This will also be the third and final round of the Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series, and the second and final round of the APIRA Series. | |