Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 1998 Index > Meeting 98/02

Meeting No. 2, March, 22nd. March, 1998 National Bangers World Qualifier Round 1 Group A Hot Rods PRI Hot Rods

PRI Hot Rods
It was an interesting day for the newly renamed PRI Hot Rods at Arena Essex as they took to the track for the first time in 1998 on March 22 with Tony Allard learning the hard way about the luck of the last minute assembly builder as he managed to complete race one's warm up but took no further part then, at the start of the second warm up, his car flamed up spectacularly on turn four leaving him stranded with the remains of his engine. The racing was just as exciting with the first heat going the way of ex-Lightning Rod champion Adam Scott on the outside line from Tony Woodroffe who had been leading most of the race. Phil Barlow held onto the lead resolutely through the second race but he was unable to stop another ex-Lightning Rod expert Roy Rawlins in his under-prepared grey special while Scottish visitor Karl Price ended up being dropped from second to fourth after a failed attempt to follow Rawlins meant a knock for Barlowwho closed the door on him. This promoted Barlow to second and Jimmy Bryan to third. Rawlins had a superb start in the last race, pulling ahead of pole sitter Bryan after Scott dropped out. The race became a three horse battle from that point on, Bryan trying all sorrs of flamboyant moves to pass Rawlins while Price sat back in third, waiting for the error that would let him through. When it finally came, it was Bryan's, one drift too many allowing Price through inside on the last bend for second place behind Rawlins who kept a tight line right through the race, while the rest of the field followed at a distance. The PRI Hot Rods return on April 12.

Group A Hot Rods
The Group A Hot Rods raced for the first time in 1998 on March 22 at Arena Essex with some very close races and a number of new faces, some of the veterans now shifting formula. However one veteran still around was birthday boy Jim Richards who stormed through the field in his Brentwood Corsa, finishing well ahead of Gary Finch and even further ahead of Andy Johnson, though the race from John Megicks in fourth going back to eighth place Matt Leadbetter was extremely close. Heat two followed straight after with a good start for the returning Mark Cook, who had not raced much since the end of Group A racing at Mildenhall. His big lead was cut down from mid race onwards by a combination of a fast run up by Darren Christie and a fair amount of oil on the bends which tended to send most cars wide, but over the final laps, despite many attempts, Christie was unable to pass Cook and that was how it ended, with Steve Mills holding onto third place in a tight race from there back. The consolation went the way of Paul Smith after he took an inside line against Nichola Bearman inside the first lap while Terry Bearman raced up from the back for third, holding Richard Haines off in fourth.

Cook started the final well as he had in his heat, running well away from the opposition until an accident involving Dennis Holmes caused a waved yellow, closing up the cars as they waited for the track to be cleared. Though Cook pulled away on the restart he was unable to make a big enough dent as Christie closed up with Mills and, in a cruel twist of fate, Cook ended up being blocked by Chris Selleck in the trailing end, allowing Christie, Mills and Steve Wright through in that order for the end of the race. The helter-skelter was even crueller as Richards, who had pulled out of the final, looked close to winning as he went outside long time leader Carl Steptoe only for Steptoe to spin Richards into the back straight safety area and into the stationary Lee Ayton car. With Richards out and Steptoe disqualified (pending further penalties), Andy Johnson got his first win, Terry Skeef putting contact penalty disqualifications behind him to grasp a good second place and Finch in third. It looks like another good year of racing from the A's, who return on April 12.

National Bangers
It was an early start this year for the National Bangers in a World Qualifier at Arena Essex on March 22, and a good lineup which provided good action through the meeting. Dave "Plastengrave" Edwards seemed a little surprised as he took the trophy for heat one in a clean race, though events at the end of the race meant an early bath for Andy Burrough with Sonny Sherwood also joining the load up club. Steve Farmer had a chance to catch Edwards before the end but a slip on turn four a couple of laps out left him too far adrift to claim anything more than second, with Shane Davies third before Kev Wilsher bounced him off the armco after the end of the race, Burrough finishing Davies off after the reds for which he earned his load up. Heat two was a bit of a whitewash, or perhaps a yellow-wash, as Chris Whiteman continued where he left off the week before with a convincing win from Buster Woods and Mark Griffin, only Glen Ardley not being yellow in the first eight. The race started with a big pile up on turn four which left little of Glenn Reynolds.

An allcomers final, a heat and final double for Whiteman, though only after a restart which meant an early exit for Richard Brown and Roy Bramley. For Brown it was for medical attention after a drivers' door hit, for Bramley it was a disqualification for his part in that hit. The early race after the restart was dominated by Farmer and Graham Towner but the oily track took its toll, Farmer spinning on the back straight and Towner slipping on turn four. Whiteman got his second victory of the day when Phil Stevens, who had taken over the lead, sustained a flat tyre which left him a little wayward. Last years' drivers' champion, Russ MacAngus came home in second with Wilsher in third in another Squad/Cream dominated result, only Farmer and Peter Salter breaking the monotony. Then came the Rawlins 2000 qualifier. Cometh the Rawlins, cometh the wrecking as Andrew Davies spun Whiteman on turn three, Billy King finishing Whiteman off with an x-rated head on. Brian McGuiness retaliated with a shot on Davies A, while Dave Greenstreet took on King. Meanwhile more was going down on the home straight where Wilsher launched himself through the back end of Ian Leach, destroying Leach's back end and his own front end, though Leach had to be escorted from his car after the inevitable red flag. Lee Wests' curiously shaped car finally gave up the ghost after the restart, while Sean Collin put his nose about with a will, snootfuls going to Paul Holland and West. The end came when Salter managed to go outside Edwards to pick up the win, Edwards dropping to third behind Phil Hudson, before a game of cat and mouse around the wrecks along with the remains of Jamie Wilders played out to Edwards as the official last car running, though the other cars all burst into life rather curiously last as the reds fell.

The next World Qualifier at Arena Essex is April 19.

Results

Event           1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th
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1 Gr. Pde.
2 GpA 1          5    65  110   6   120   63  108  174
3 GpA 2          12   84   23   13   55   3    71   49
4 Hrd 1         119   4    21  117   8    5    17  NOCR
5 Banger 1       19  385  158   37   96   80  126   59
6 GpA Cons      121  119   91   94  100   70   75  176
7 Banger 2       55  238   88   53  257  114   14  173
8 Hrd 2          5    17  117  114  119   21   4    8
9 GpA Final      84   23   13   12  120   65   55  108
10 Banger Final  55   21   96  238  385   88  257  250
11 Hrd 3         5   114  117   21   29   4    17   15
12 GpA H/S      110   3    65  174   13  108   84   23
13 Banger R2000 250   37   19  LCR = 19
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Abbrev: GpA - Group A Hot Rods/Hrd - PRI Hot Rods/NOCR - No Other Cars Running
        LCR - Last Car Running/H/S = Helter skelter/Cons - consolation
Results subject to confirmation by promoter.