Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 2000 Index > Meeting 00/40

Unlimited Bangers Firecracker IX

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The show kicked off in the sunshine with the smart car event and the news that Alan Reed of Trackstar fame was in the process of retiring, his appearance this year being his penultimate race, only his defense of the Unlimited World Final at Wimbledon to follow before his career behind the wheel would end. It was somehow fitting therefore that the veteran should end up racing in an A125 Austin from the 1940's which would win the smart car award, along with a Lincoln brought in by George Geeves of Peterborough.

The weather would play a part in the show, however, and as the afternoon went on the cloud built up ominously, eventually spilling over in the early evening. The first heat would set the course of the meeting, this year with the cars put into the heats in no particular order. Smart car runner-up Geeves would exit the meeting at this point after receiving a shot to the side from Frank Skinner, the race restarted with Jason Jackson on pole and well away, though towards the end Vince Wolf was just about managing to close with him but not quickly enough to stop him grabbing the first win of the day in a five car finish, best car award going to Dutchman Werner Wolters.

A 1954 Daimler Majestic was the point of interest in the second heat, not just for its age, nor for its condition, but also for its former owner, one Arthur Mullard. Driven by Ian Horton, it managed a creditable sixth from the six cars that survived the race, only to end up in the side of the Speedy Sheerline which, after an awesome wrecking display, earned Speedy another award while Darren Wolf outran Danny Reid for the second heat win with Rod Foster, late for his heat, took third.

If Horton had a notable car in the second heat, the third was positively blessed as Jan Verhoeven brought out the ex-Pope road car, though it would not survive what would be one of the biggest wrecking displays of the day, only two cars surviving the slaughter starting with Frankie Holmes mounting the turn one wall ahead of a pile up and ending with Daniel Steele getting jacked by wrecking award winner Trevor Wright who then turned his attention to current British Champion Andrew Davies but was unable to stop Davies crossing the line first.

The fourth heat stopped early when Niall Hogan's Wolseley D6/110 took a hit too many and flamed on, as did Turbo Tom Reynolds' monster yank, a Cadillac Eldorado which had been doing good wrecking work around the track including a huge jacking for Fran Cassidy and his 1956 Dodge Royale Hearse which will be going ghostbusting no more! With a last head on pin by Len Brinkley on Dave Marsh and his DS420, Mark Burbridge doing the rest with a steaming great diff shot up Marsh's tail pipe, the race was prematurely ended with Paul Laver awarded the win ahead of Ian Knight and Marsh, benefitting from rule 100 but sorely tried, his final tormentor Burbridge getting fifth place and the best wrecker award.

So to heat five and yet another big pile up, early leader Graham Heywood, a regular visitor to the Arena Plastengrave Non-Ford events, being eventually stuck through the sleepers on the infield by Steve Thompson while John Harris was putting it about large. Mark Rowland was leading for a while after that until, for no specific reason, he turned and stopped, leaving Thompson to run through and grab the trophy ahead of Jason McMahon and Wayne Rowland, the only three finishers in this heat, Heywood getting best car here for his pains.

The sixth and final heat again saw some extreme hitting as turn one got clogged again and while Steve Reynolds and Jon Stoneman hit the speedway track, regular visitor Frankie Whitelock introduced local JJ Wing to the front end of a P5 at great speed. The race was stopped midway when Riki Rawlins got into trouble on the pit gate which closed the racing right up, with Sonny Sherwood now having to fight for the lead having lost his big buffer which he had built up earlier. He eventually lost out on the last lap when Brett Ellacott rodded past him to win, Sherwood settling for second ahead of Stoneman, Steve Hemmings getting the best car award this time. The final speial car awards were dished out at this point, runner-up being the popemobile of Jan Verhoeven, the winner being Fran Cassidy and the Dodge Royale Hearse. The rain started about here as the first thirty-nine cars hit the track for the first consolation. The pile up shifted this time to turn four to the delight of the pit bend onlookers, the race stopping after a stuffing for Ray Sharrod by Tony Abrehart. Gareth Woolven spun out on the restart while Brett Fry belted Ian Smith up the end while Simon Byrne did the same to Fry. Steve Macklin was ahead at the half way point and was still ahead at the end despite hitting Shane Davies head on, going up on two wheels in the process. Davies took second spot with Mick Bradbury the only other runner.

Consolation two was heavily loaded down but the rain stopped the worst excesses on the circuit, the pile up on the pit end not so marked, though Frank Skinner got a good seeing to, first by Mark Hughes head on, later by Ronny Hoeve, airing his Oldsmobile out from Holland straight up Skinners' diff end. Julian Peapell also featured with a brutal jacking for Shane Brown into the turn three scrap pile. However the slowing due to the rain allowed a full eight cars home led by Paul Young, Peapell in second from Ian MacKenzie.

And so to the final and the rain was coming down in torrents, the home straight pile up providing anoter stoppage early on before Pete Winter was stuffed, the early lead falling to Vince Wolf from Sonny Sherwood and Steve Thompson. Wolf would not go the distance, however, leaving Sherwood ahead though he and rapidly closing rival Andrew Davies had a few problems getting past Wayne Rowland in the final laps, Rowland stopping Thompson so promoting Davies to second place. Rowland finished the final by doing some damage to the back axle of Dave Edwards' car, but the sticky back plastic man managed to keep it going while Rowland had to bow out. In the end, only five cars got home, Jason Jackson taking the rear in fifth behind the remains of Edwards' P5, then came Grieg Cheeseman topping out a mixed season for him. Davies was never quite able to catch up and settled for second, which meant that Sonny Sherwood took the title, something he last did back to back in the 1995/6 double.

Despite the rain, the destruction race/derby was well worth the watch with some good wrecking from the surprising number of leftovers from the days' racing, though this year Tom Reynolds decided not to repeat his wrong way start that thrilled the fans at last years' event but got him into some measure of trouble in the Swaffham Icebreaker that followed. He exited the race when Paul Whiteman inserted his Toyota Crown up the large yanks' back end in no uncertain terms, while McMahon and Hughes did for Jeff Simington, many cars dying on the pit bend. Leo Newman was going well and nearly won the whole thing but was eventually to fall prey as so many did, the eventual winner being Grieg Cheeseman who was stopped 100 yards from the line by Whiteman, who was awarded the last car running award, Newman getting best wrecker.

With the rain making itself felt and the car park already emptying, this was the end of the Firecracker barring the display which was loud and, while longer than last year, was mercifully short given the conditions.

0  Smart cars 888 Alan "Speedy" Reed /610 (402/757/810/331/801/790/860/588/9/488)
1  Heat 1     331 Jason Jackson      /8/448/19/10 NOCR BW=723
2  Heat 2       9 Darren Wolf        /61/764/729/341/202 NOCR BW=888
3  Heat 3      47 Andrew Davies      /680 NOCR BW=680
4  Heat 4     532 Paul Laver         /490/629/129/847/921/467/169 BW=847
5  Heat 5     175 Steve Thompson     /290/530 NOCR BW=795
6  Heat 6     762 Brett Ellacott     /348/601/641/405/547/312/743 BW=901
7  Cons 1      72 Steve Macklin      /158/308 NOCR
8  Cons 2      80 Paul Young         /971/526/817/748/700/780/634
9  Final      348 Sonny Sherwood     /47/312/19/331 NOCR
10 DD         312 Grieg Cheeseman    LCR=10 Paul Whiteman   BW=747
Special Awards - 860/790