Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 1999 Index > Meeting 99/07

1300 Stock Cars World Championship Qualifier National Bangers Rob Belchamber Memorial Ministox

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Ministox
Another good turnout at Arena Essex for the April 25 meeting saw a heat and final win for local driver Ray Harris in a meeting swollen again by visiting drivers. Lawrence Davey did well from the front, winning the novices race and placing well until a collision late in the meeting put him out with Lee Smith taking the other race. The day was also hit by collisions, including a four point rollover for Terri Bramley and a big fence hit by Robbie Ovenden.

National Bangers
Sixty-one bangers turned up for the Rob Belchamber Memorial meeting at Arena Essex on April 25, with possibly one of the best drives of the year being put up by Steve O'Sullivan to win the final of this long running series, first run back in 1983. O'Sullivan had an unremarkable start to the day as Bob Sterling notched up the first heat in a close race with Dale Atkins, then Suicide Sid Smith got the other, neatly avoiding the rest of the destruction which included Roy Bramley taking several heavy shots at Russ McAngus. Bramley was loaded, having flaunted at least three rules, while McAngus tried valiantly to return in the final but to no avail as the damn thing would not start! O'Sullivan took over before half way in the final after early leader Bernie French was stuffed lengthwise by Sean Collin, and proceeded to pull out a big lead which Kev Wilsher would have closed down had he but one extra lap. As it was, O'Sullivan crossed the line and was then treated to a back straight burial by Wilsher! Terry Shelvey had to withdraw from the final with a loose panel, but returned to win the Rawlins 2000 qualifier before a heavy and rather lengthy wrecking session saw Mark Mahoney overcome Phil Hudson with a last burying lunge into debris to book his last car ticket to the final in October.

1300 Saloon Stock Cars
If anyone was uncertain about numbers when the 1300 Saloon Stocks showed up for the first Arena Essex leg of the newly established World Championship qualifiers, then they need not have been, the large numbers being almost too much for the two thirds format belatedly insisted on by Spedeworth. The field included a fair Spedeworth contingent, though the Incarace representatives were scarce and many PRI regulars sat it out, numbers even being made up of Trackstar visitors not thought to be interested. However the first race went a familiar way, both to PRI and Spedeworth fans, as Derry Monk executed a last quarter push that put Simon Berry into Gary Finch, leaving the way home clear for the first win of the day. Andrew Cooper took the other two heats, the first in somewhat controversial style as he battled with Gordon Coul all the way before pushing Coul out on the last corner. Coul responded by spanking Cooper across the line and into the armco, for which Coul was disqualified. Titch Gardener spent most of his meeting testing the hardness of various surfaces; in this case it was the prone car of Cooper as it stood, just over the line. Once the rolled car of Delbert Mortimer was removed in the third race, Cooper led the cars home in more orthodox style, though the race was again not without incident, possibly the worst case being where Anthony Oak was loaded up for fencing Steve Davies forcefully into the wreckage of Paul Haralambou's Astra. Nigel Walker was the final winner, however, staying far enough ahead to avoid Derry Monk's charge as James Stace found that he could no longer hold back the field.

Results

1  Ministox W/Y       9 Lawrence Davey   /41/68/88/25/558/350/599/8/16
2  Stocks A/B       643 Derry Monk       /416/674/256/442/193/329/19/27/658
3  Bangers 1         41 Bob Sterling     /98/391/387/418/546/96/116
4  Ministox Experts  25 Ray Harris       /64/50/62/129/128/16/88/350/6
5  Stocks A/C       625 Andrew Cooper    /442/472/416/19/605/371/501/171/697
6  Bangers 2        510 Sid Smith        /130/348/91/401/43/42/203
7  Ministox          64 Lee Smith        /9/I129/62/128/6/41/76/09/79
8  Stocks B/C       625 Andrew Cooper    /426/472/376/643/371/329/439/256/674
9  Bangers Final    172 Steve O'Sullivan /96/391/37/91/42/59/510
10 Ministox Final    25 Ray Harris       /128/62/41/88/09/512/8/68/79
11 Stocks Final     472 Nigel Walker     /643/416/376/625/54/674/501/193/426
12 Bangers R2000     87 Terry Shelvey    /510/387 LCR=391 Mark Mahoney