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SpringSpeed Nationals May 5 - 7
Wild Bunch ResultsSpringSpeed Nationals5th - 7th May
Real Steel Series Round 2.
APIRA Series Round 1.
MSA Points Challenge 2.
The Springspeed Nationals was the second event of the WB season. It was Real Steel Series Round 2 and APIRA Series Round 1 as well as the 2nd round of the Springbridge MSA Challenge. There was a good field of 13 Wild Bunch cars competing, our biggest for nearly 7 years! There were: 5 Altereds, 7 Slingshots and a Rear-engined dragster
| Wild Bunch Points | ||||
| Pos | WB | Driver/Team | Car | Points |
| 1 | 4 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 7 |
| 2 | 40 | Darren Law | The Wicked Lady | 5 |
| 3 | 67 | Darryl Howells | Chemical Reaction | 4 |
| 4 | 109 | Andy Murphy | B-Sting | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | Dave Williams | Green With Envy | 2 |
| - | 9 | Dogs Bollocks Racing | RamRaider | 2 |
| - | 65 | Ian Turburville | Mr Spokehead II | 2 |
| - | 91 | Bob Hawkins | Timetraveller | 2 |
| - | 961 | Dave Nelson | Dorris Dormouse | 2 |
| - | 35 | Dick Sharp | Dorset Horn | 2 |
| 11 | 1 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | 1 |
| - | 8 | Ballbreaker | Mark Coulsell | 1 |
| - | 69 | Alan Loten | Paranoia | 1 |
| MSA Points | ||||
| Pos | WB | Driver/Team | Car | Points |
| 1 | 4 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 360 |
| 2 | 67 | Darryl Howells | Chemical Reaction | 310 |
| 3 | 40 | Darren Law | The Wicked Lady | 300 |
| 4 | 109 | Andy Murphy | B-Sting | 290 |
| 5 | 9 | Dogs Bollocks Racing | RamRaider | 280 |
| 6 | 91 | Bob Hawkins | Timetraveller | 270 |
| 7 | 3 | Dave Williams | Green With Envy | 160 |
| 8 | 961 | Dave Nelson | Dorris Dormouse | 150 |
| 9 | 35 | Dick Sharp | Dorset Horn | 140 |
| 10 | 65 | Ian Turburville | Mr Spokehead II | 110 |
| 11 | 8 | Ballbreaker | Mark Coulsell | 30 |
| 12 | 69 | Alan Loten | Paranoia | 20 |
| 13 | 1 | Adz Price | Go Hard or Go Home | 10 |
| Spot Prizes | ||||
| WB | Team/Driver | Car | Detail | |
| Closest To Dial-In | 4 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 0.011 off |
| Best Reaction | 67 | Darryl Howells | Chemical Reaction | 0.195 |
| Best Appearing Team | 35 | Team 'Dorset Horn' | Dorset Horn | |
| #1 Qualifier | 4 | Chris Hartnell | Backdraft | 0.005 off |
| Fastest m.p.h. | 65 | Ian Turburville | Mr Spokehead II | 158.79 |
| The Wild Bunch welcomed back the 10 teams who had competed at the Easter Thunderball and now joined by Dick Sharp in the Dorset Horn altered, Alan Loten in the Paranoia altered and Andrew Murphy in the revamped B-Sting altered. This made it our biggest MSA field since 2005! The only slight drawback was that, due to some problems with the area we were scheduled to pit in, 8 of the Bunch had to be pitted at the far end of the pits by the market, and the other 5 were pitted near the clubhouse end of the pits. This was a shame as we were separated by quite a distance.
Qualifying Saturday This was a qualifying day and there were scheduled to be 3 rounds. It was cloudy and cold in the morning, and the track opened not long after 10am. We were first on the running order, so were out early! In the first round 8 teams took part. The running order went through quite quickly at first, but with a bit of downtime our second round took place at about 1pm with 8 teams participating. We were hoping for a third qualifier, but there were a couple of incidents and we ran out of time to start the cycle. Qualifying Sunday There were scheduled to be 3 more qualifiers on the Sunday, and the day started cool, but warmed up a bit later on in the morning. There was another driver's meeting to start the day, and by the time we had returned to the pits and towed down, it was about 10:15am. We were first on track again for our third qualifier. Our fourth qualifier was then at about 1pm, and by then 12 of the 13 teams had qualified. We were all getting ready for the next qualifier, but then it was decided that, as there was not time for a full cycle of classes to get a round, and Monday's weather looked bad, they would actually go into eliminations for all the bigger classes, including us! | |
| WB 1 | Adam Price was back with the Go Hard or Go Home!!! Topolino altered, and the team had done a lot to the car since the Thunderball! They had had the chassis lengthened to 125! Pretty ambitious between rounds, but necessary to enhance the overall stability of the car, now that Adz was running ever quicker! So the team were looking forward to seeing how the car would run. They started the weekend with a Dial-in of 9.30 in the first qualifier. Adam performed a strong smoky burnout and backed up for the run, against Crazy Chris. No sooner had he launched than there was a bit of a bang, and Adam shut the car off quickly. It turned out that the UJ had broken! And on further inspection in the pits, parts of the diff had gone too. Big commiserations to the whole team on this and the very best of luck to them for fixing it all for the next round – we know they can do it! Unfortunately this had meant Adam did not qualify, as he did not record a time. |
| WB 3 | Dave and Linda Williams started the weekend with a Dial-in of 11.55 in the Green with Envy altered. Dave put in a pass of 11.867 at 110.47mph for starters. He and Linda kept the Dial for the second round of qualifying, and Dave recorded an improved 11.797 at 112.00mph. On Sunday, they raised the Dial-in slightly to 11.60, and Dave posted an 11.877 at 112.59mph. They raised the Dial-in once more, to an 11.72 for the 4th and final qualifier, and were both surprised when Dave broke out with a much stronger 11.509 at 114.89mph. Dave qualified in 7th place overall. |
| WB 4 | ‘Crazy' Chris Hartnell and team were really chuffed to have been back in the 8's at the ‘Easter Thunderball' and were looking forward to running more at this event with the Backdraft slingshot. They dialled in at 8.91 for the first round, and Chris had a squirrely launch, and backed off to a 9.662 at 145.33mph. For the second round, the team raised the Dial to 8.95, and Chris ran a much straighter pass, with a breakout 8.858 at 146.68mph! On the Sunday, they lowered the Dial to 8.82 and Chris posted an 8.889 at 150.04mph, his first 150mph run for 7 years! Fair play, Chris! For the last qualifier, the team raised the Dial-in to 8.84, and Chris ran a great pass of 8.845 at 148.63mph which earned him the #1 Qualifier Spot at just .005 off! |
| WB 8 | Mark Coulsell and the Limited Funz team were looking to pick up where they left off at the Thunderball. They were making some adjustments and checks in the pits first thing Saturday, so did not take part in the first qualifier. For the second qualifier, the team dialled in at 9.50. Mark recorded a 10.071 at 130.05mph. The team later experienced some problems with some burnt plugs, and after some checking on the Sunday, realised that the fuel pump had gone off. And they could not find a replacement. Commiserations to Mark and the whole team on that one. Hope they can source another one and be back out at the next round – best of luck guys! Mark had qualified in 10th place, and though he wasn't able to run in the eliminations, he did become our Wild Bunch pit runner and organised all our pairings in the first round, especially helpful giving the split pitting arrangements. Many thanks for that, Mark! |
| WB 9 | Since the Thunderball, Team Dog's Bollocks have decided to put the RamRaider slingshot up for sale, in order to build another quicker slingshot! So, whichever lucky people buy it will be getting a great race car!! Best of luck to the team on their plans, and if it's anything like the first two, the new car will be hard to beat! This event saw Ed taking his second turn in the hotseat, and he dialled in at 9.53 for starters. He recorded a good 9.610 at 138.40mph, to take the top spot after the first round. He kept the dial for the second round, and posted a 9.645 at 137.13mph. The team raised the Dial very slightly to a 9.55 for Sunday's qualifier, and Ed broke out with a 9.515 at 139.81mph. They lowered the Dial again, to 9.50 and Ed broke out once more, with a 9.481 at 140.50mph. He qualified in 5th place for the weekend. |
| WB 35 | Dick Sharp was in his first Wild Bunch event of the season with the Dorset Horn altered, and had missed out on some RWYB testing due to the weather. So the team were keen to see how the car would run. After a fireup in the pits Saturday, they solved a minor problem and were ready to go in the afternoon, but the third qualifier was delayed til Sunday. Dick dialled in at 9.80 for this round,, and posted a 10.265 at 134.41mph for starters. The team kept the Dial for the last qualifier, and Dick recorded a much better time, a breakout 9.719 at 138.31mph. They didn't mind that at all! Dick qualified in 9th place overall. |
| WB 40 | Darren Law and The Wicked Lady team were already showing good form early in the season, after a #1 Qualifying place at the Thunderball. They started the weekend with a Dial-in of 9.21, and Darren recorded a 9.433 at 141.50mph on this run. They raised the Dial to 9.35, and Darren broke out with a 9.286 at 143.28mph. For the third qualifier on Sunday, the team lowered their Dial-in to 9.24 and Darren ran a stronger 9.280 at 144.03mph. The team kept this Dial for the last run, and Darren ran even better, with a 9.223 at 145.65mph. He qualified in 3rd place for the event. |
| WB 65 | Ian Turburville was raring to go after running his first 8-second pass at over 150mph at the Thunderball in his Mr Spokehead II slingshot. He dialled in at 8.90 for his first run, and had a squirrely run, backing off and recording an 11.326 at 124.54mph. He kept the same Dial-in for the next run where he posted a 10.188 at 111.54mph. He decided to raise his Dial to 9.90 for the third qualifier, but hooked up better and recorded a breakout 9.358 at 136.74mph. The Dial was duly lowered back down to 8.90 for the last qualifier, and Ian posted a 10.034, but at a new Personal Best Speed of 156.40mph, getting right back on it! He qualified in 12th place overall. |
| WB 67 | saw Darryl Howells eager to get back on track after his recent 9-second run in the Chemical Reaction slingshot at the Thunderball. He started Saturday with a Dial-in of 10.00 even, and ran a 10.489 at 130.35mph to open his account. He and Sarah raised the Dial to 10.30 for the next qualifier, and Darryl recorded a breakout 10.288 at 128.77mph. On Sunday morning they lowered the Dial to 9.98, and Darryl ran a much stronger 10.085 at 130.07mph. They refined the Dial to 10.04 for the last qualifier, and Darryl posted a 10.050 at 130.84mph, to qualify in 2nd place for the weekend. |
| WB 69 | Alan Loten was back for his first event of the season with the Paranoia altered. He and crewman Steve had been stuck in traffic on the way to the event Saturday morning and had to miss the first two qualifiers. They were ready to take part on Saturday afternoon, but sadly time ran out. Alan then dialled in at 10.00 seconds even for the third round. The car experienced some misfiring and recorded a 15.543 at 92.71mph. He kept the Dial-in for the fourth round, and posted a much better 10.809 at 115.57mph, to qualify in 11th place for the event. |
| WB 91 | Bob Hawkins was fresh from some more PB's in his Time Traveller slingshot at the Thunderball. He and son Tom began with a great Dial-in of 8.35, and Bob ran an 8.668 at 150.53mph to start the event. They raised the Dial to 8.50 and Bob posted an 8.722 at 146.87mph in the second round. They raised the Dial slightly to 8.55 and Bob broke out with a new Personal Best ET of 8.507 at 150.00mph. The Dial was lowered to 8.50 for the fourth round, and Bob ran yet another PB of 8.466 at 148.18mph! He qualified in 6th place overall. |
| WB 109 | saw the return of Andrew Murphy in the newly refurbished B-Sting altered after a year off whilst the team had a new body fabricated. The car also sported a smart new ‘reverse pattern' paint job of mostly black with yellow details. Andrew began the season with a Dial-in of 10.55 and started well with a breakout 10.512 at 127.94mph! Really strong for a first pass! He had to sit out the second round but came back on Sunday morning with a great 10.573 at 128.12mph on a 10.50 Dial-in. They kept this for the last qualifier and Andrew recorded a 10.606 at 128.74mph, and qualified in 4th place. |
| WB 961 | saw Dave Nelson out for his second event with the Bunch this season in his Dorris Dormouse slingshot. He missed all of Saturday's qualifying with some problems with the starter motor, but a trip home acquired a spare, and Dave made it for the third round. He dialled in at 8.80, but had a problem on the line, and had to be pushed back. So it was a one-shot qualifier on the fourth round, where Dave recorded a 9.159 at 150.34mph pass on the 8.80 Dial to safely qualify in 8th place. |
| Race Day Sunday (Eliminations) As the organisers had decided to go into eliminations it was action stations for everyone! Mark Coulsell had kindly volunteered to be pit runner for us, so he informed everyone of their pairings and paired us all up as we went to the lanes. Many thanks to Mark for the assistance! Our First Round was held at about 4:30pm and there had been scheduled to be 6 good races. Mark's absence meant that Andrew had a solo in B-Sting, where he posted a 10.656 at 127.64mph on a 10.00 even Dial-in. One pairing saw Darryl matched up with Dave Nelson. Darryl and Sarah went for a 10.01 Dial-in whilst Dave opted for a 9.20. Dave broke out with a 9.176 at 136.65mph, while Darryl ran close to Dial with a 10.061 at 130.32mph. Darryl also had the Best Reaction of the Bunch for the day on this run, with a .195. Another race saw Crazy Chris against Dave Williams. Chris and the team dialled in at 8.85 whilst Dave and Linda opted for an 11.50. Chris had a startline advantage and took the win over Dave who recorded an 11.523 at 119.80mph, to Chris' 8.861 at 129.79mph. Chris' run also proved to be ‘Closest to Dial-in' for the Bunch in eliminations. The next matchup saw Ed facing Alan, who had dialled in at 10.00 even. Sadly Alan had to be shut down on the line with a fuel leakage problem and could not make the run. This left Ed to solo, and he had a problem on the run and slowed to an 11.805 at 66.60mph on his 9.50 Dial-in, but he did progress to the next round. (It later turned out, the car had a broken head stud, but the team are well on the way to repairing the car, with a full new set and stud girdle, so it will be even stronger than before). Another race of the round saw Dick and Darren paired up. Darren dialled in at 9.21 and ran close to Dial with a 9.222 at 145.09mph to take the victory over Dick who broke out on his 9.68 Dial-in. In doing so, Dick recorded a lifetime Personal Best ET of 9.413 at 139.82mph in ‘The Horn'. Congratulations to Dick and the whole team on that one! They were also awarded the Best Appearing Team Spot Prize by the commentators, so a great way to start the season! Another great race was had by Ian and Bob. Ian dialled in at 8.90 and Bob at 8.40. Well, both drivers broke out, and Bob took the win with a lesser breakout, and with another Personal Best ET of 8.389 at 138.07mph, over Turbo's new PB of 8.738 at a new Best Speed of 158.79mph! Turbo's speed was the ‘Fastest MPH of the weekend' for the Bunch. A great race which both drivers thoroughly enjoyed. And all in all, another stellar round for the Wild Bunch! It turned out to be a real bonus that we had Round 1 on the Sunday, as although Monday started dry, it began to rain around 10am, and Monday's racing was completely rained off! We were, however, able to decide our Real Steel Series result on the one round, by ‘closest to dial-in without breaking out' of all the Round 1 winners. Many Congratulations to Chris and the team who took the win with an .011 off Dial, and to Darren Law and team for a very close 2nd place, with .012 off the Dial! Could it get any closer? Great racing! Congratulations also to Darryl (.051 off) and Andrew (.656) in 3rd and 4th places respectively. Well done to all the teams, who put on a really great show, with some great qualifying and close races and some excellent PB's. Another great performance from an impressive field of Wild Bunch! Overall it was a really good event, where we were lucky with the weather for the first two days. And glad to be able to have 4 qualifiers and a great first round! Once again huge thanks to the track crew, marshalls and officials who worked really hard to prepare the track well and run the event as far as the weather allowed. Thanks also to all at Shakey for the improvements on site during the off-season. And best of luck to Team Gridlock, Team Dog's Bollocks and the Limited Funz team on repairing their cars for the next event! We are now really looking forward to the first Wild Bunch Series round, of this our 17th season, which will be the ‘Spring Nationals', also at Shakey on May 26th & 27th, the Yanks American Gary's Picnic weekend. This will also be the 3rd Real Steel Series round of 2012. It should be another great event! We're expecting to see loads of the Bunch out for this one! | |