Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 1999 Index > Meeting 99/14

National Bangers 1999 Pairs Championship Lightning Rods Supreme Championship Qualifier 2 Ministox

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Ministox
Another good turnout for the Ministox at Arena Essex on May 31 saw Anthony Lawrence with Lawrence Davey and Colin Cooper drag past early leader Glen Witherall in the first heat, with Cooper pulling out a flag to flag win in the second from Witherall and Mark Wilson in the second with a good race down the places as Al Pizzey successfully held Lee Smith off the pace. The heats were fairly straightforward. The final, on the other hand, was twice restarted; first when Colin Thorndyke rolled four points while Davey was blacked for contact, second when Neal gardiner and Lee Smith got a bit too enthusiastic and collided with a marker tyre, then hit David Burton by the pits. Both order restarts were headed up by Mark Wilson, who led them in too, with birthday boy Anthony Lawrence second and Tubbs Butler third while Ray Harris was taken from the result at the last for a late hit on Gardiner.

Lightning Rods
The Lightning Rods had to wait quite a while into the May 31 Bank Holiday meeting at Arena Essex to start on their third Supreme Championship qualifier, possibly that was why the first start attempt was aborted when Nathan Bone died on the rolling lap! The first heat was all about Chris Rabbitt and Mark Collins, Rabbitt holding the lead early but unable to make it all the way, while behind them the traffic was sliding around nicely including a pit bend pile up which took Bryan Whiteman, Darren Ahern, Peter Waite and Paul Harris out of the running when Waite lost his control. Collins would take the second heat too, taking over when Rabbitt spun on the home straight while an early spin by Ahern meant that he was again missing from the result, although his attempts to get back into the running were good to watch, as was the race for second between Colin Clark and Roy Rawlins, Clark just managing to hang on at the last. Collins could have made it three in a row as he sneaked through past a hesitant Rabbitt for the early lead. Collins was not destined to reach the line, however, the lead eventually falling to a last quarter dual between Pat Kenneally and Darren Ahern which Kenneally only just held for the last two laps as Ahern kept a good outside line with Bryan Whiteman shadowing the pair.

National Bangers
Spring Bank Holiday Monday, and time for the National Banger pairs at Arena Essex. Mark and Gary Deacon have been at this pairs racing lark a long time and have the knack, as they showed in the first heat, though the jack-knife by Graham Lindfield and Steve Evans on the home straight was certainly something and promised more good things later in the meeting. The second heat went the way of Dave Edwards and Steve Goody who emerged with hardly a scratch as Nigel Hepburn and Russ McAngus laid about them with a will, including a shot that knifed John Hall and Paul Jones, and another that was the start of the ruin of Wayne Highway and Jason Mills. The two point rollover by (292 & 390) brought the third heat to a stop, the restart won by Phil Hudson and Dave Barwick, John Drummond and Sid Smith making nuisances of themselves as they dispatched the leading couple at the stop, namely Mick Vradbury and Mark Woolner, then Drummond stuffed his snoot up Brad Theaker, seperating him from partner Luke Radley. The meeting was on a roll, literally, as thirty-seven pairs had raced to this point and sixteen reappeared for the consolation. This time Lindfield and Evans did not lose their way, surviving a late attack by Steve Latham and Reg Lawrence to win out. Eighteen pairs were ushered onto the track for the final, and the usual result of such a grouping occurred; they all piled up! However by the time the reds finally came out, Hudson and Barwick were ahead by a lap. That didn't stop the wrecking of course, Kev Wilsher warming to the task by killing his car in a monster blitz on Mick Bradbury while the Deacons were done by the Paul Hunter duo while the Batemans, Dean and Daniel, were pushed across the line in second place by Russ McAngus and Nigel Hepburn.

To top off the victory in the pairs, Balders then ran in as the Rawlins qualifier winner with teammate Barwick in third before the major destruction started. Most of the running, if that is the word, was made by Barwick who spent a fair while in a duel with Ray Sharrod, then turned to face Brian McGuiness, which proved a hit too far for the Bartman, McGuiness taking the last car award.

Results

1  Banger Pairs 1       101+102 Gary & Mark Deacon /232+284/128+129/24+470 NOCR
2  Banger Pairs 2        19+251 Dave Edwards & Steve Goody /68+21/6+183/130+230/180+588/2+299
3  Banger Pairs 3       37+91 Phil Hudson & Dave Barwick /398+490/14+15/308+326/203+341 NOCR
4  Ministox 1           129 Anthony Lawrence /9/8/558/88/599/518/64/111/327
5  Lightning Rods wu    299 Mark Collins /268/220/167/325/219/104/170
6  Banger Pairs Cons    104+280 Graham Lindfield & Steve Evans /96+207/415+339/122+124/(173+275)
7  Ministox 2             8 Colin Cooper /558/599/518/111/62/64/88/9/25
8  Lightning Rods sp    299 Mark Collins /220/245/140/170/290/203/115
9  Banger Pairs FINAL   37+91 Phil Hudson & Dave Barwick /130+230/101+102/21+68/398+490 NOCR
10 Ministox FINAL       599 Mark Wilson /129/41/111/16/8/558/68/88/87
11 Lightning Rods FINAL 201 Pat Kenneally /149/156/203/245/268/140/115
12 R2000 Solo q          37 Phil Hudson /104/91 LCR=14 Brian McGuiness

All results subject to confirmation by promotion.