Banger Teams
Quite a few teams were in need of a good performance in the final qualifier for the PRI Banger Team Eliminator at Arena Essex on July 27, with more than one team in danger of finishing the day contemplating mediocrity. Some folk took it as a chance to bring out their best preparations, including a very good looking Mk.III Cortina from John Golden for Team Black, a team that had scored well in the first round but got a duck in the second, and an A60 for Darren Caple for the new team, the Metal Wreckers.

Heat three started with a big head on as Jack King and Terry Watkinson tried to slaughter each other by the Tavern, King then putting Darren Stern into the air before receiving one up the diff from Craig Lunness, no doubt in retaliation for the treatment of Silent Hero team mate Watkinson. Ian Knight and Gary Tannahill were having a scrap of their own by the bridge then down the back straight, Tannahill's car continuing though somewhat depressed on one side while Knight took on Neal Wells as the race ended, Stuart Clarke in his first ever win donating a few more points to the Mob with Danny McCormack grabbing some for the Gladiators, Malcolm Mortimer in third for Bad Company. Overall, having scored nothing since the first heat, the Cowboys dropped down the table, the two former team champions, Runners and Mob, closing in now on Mush's Team who still held a slender lead thanks to a late contribution from Paul Dobson and Si Turner.

The last final of the preliminary series of this championship meant that a number of teams had to put in good scores or face being left behind, which meant that light spinning was the order of the opening of the well attended race as each team tried to put as many cars forward as possible. Of course some teams had an advantage as they had managed to get most, if not all, of their drivers into the qualifier only race, many of the favourites and past championship winners well represented. To start with there was precious little real contact, Dobson being the only car to suffer as a result of a light drizzle down the back straight armco in traffic. Then things started to get a little heavier as Billy King met Sherwood by the bridge, Wells also getting a spanking before Mushy, Blake and Darren Jones met up outside on turn four. Wells then parked up to protect George Rowbotham who had dismounted but couldn't get an immediate clear run to safety. Whiteman would lose out on te back straight, getting caught by Lightbody who had already been done by Colin Voller, which was at about the point when we got our biggest fire of the day, as it was now Wells' turn to get out and off to safety. Whiteman, now free of any obligation to get points, now started putting it about to free up Jason Jackson and Matt Fuller who were running close to the front, Michael Murrell one of those on the receiving end on the pit bend. Boxer Jack took the win ahead of Hunter and Condom regular Andrew Davies, the fourth place Fuller being enough to elevate the Midnight Runners into winning position on the day and fifth overall after shaking off the effects of the team wars, the Condoms surviving their own battle with Team Black to take second place on the day and first place overall with the Herd surprise third place on the day, getting the first timers into the Final Eliminator after a shaky first couple of rounds.

SuperBangers
The SuperBangers got an extra heat when a larger number than expected turned up for the July 27 meeting at Arena Essex, the meeting shifted to a "two-thirds" three heat format. The meeting started out a little muggy after the torrential rain of the previous evening, but had dried out well by the time the cars came out for the extra race, put on right at the start of the meeting. Leigh Hussey led them away in that heat, working hard to hold the lead while John Alder removed Richard Smee from contention, chasing the leader. Hussey made a mistake, however, trying to get rid of Tubbs Butler who had spun earlier and was now holding up the leader one lap down; Alder took advantage of the messy spin attempt and spun Hussey down the order, taking over the lead. Steve Davies and Barry Smith were following, Smith making good progress as he first caught Davies, then Alder as Smee got in the way of the lead along with Waz Barber. With all three front cars together, Smith took Davies first, then an unwise wide corner on turn four approaching the last lap board gave Smith the chance to take the lead, Davies following for second place on the last corner, the rest of the field struggling to keep up. Adam Stewart was doing well early on in the second heat, though it would be Alder that would take the honours for the second heat after shaking off Hussey, Steve Shaw killing off his chances by missing a shot on Smee. Again Davies figured heavily in the front, briefly taking the lead from Stewart while Billy Merle spun heat one winner Smith down the order before Merle was forced to pull off in flames, Alder grabbing the lead at the end while Davies spun back to tenth. There wasn't that much to the third heat, Tubbs Butler taking the win ahead of Don Anderson and Glenn Killick, though Phil Butler ended up embedded in Butlers' side after the chequered flag! This didn't stop Tubbs making it out to the final, and it certainly didn't stop him moving through the field to get a heat and final double. Smith and Merle effectively put themselves out of it in a crash on the bridge end turn, two of a number of cars to exit this race. The front end of the race, however, was all about how Tubbs would pass Davies who had control of the lead right into the last lap. The eventual outcome was a last corner dash that saw the race go to Butler by inches from Davies.

1300 Stock Cars
Barry Radcliffe was a double winner at his first attempt at 1300 Stock Car racing at Arena Essex. He added to that in his second attempt on July 27 when he won the rather tricky first heat, the track made slippery by the Banger Team racing that preceded it and would provide difficult conditions all day. Darren Plumb led most of the first race, Radcliffe having to push his way through the field having been started somewhat further back than in his first meeting. Plumb tried to put some speed in as Radcliffe approached, but this didn't work and Radcliffe took over at the front in the final lap. Derek Mortimer seemed to be having trouble all day, almost not starting in the main event, pulling out not long after the start. Wells took on an early lead by getting past Michael Reilly, but it was a foregone conclusion as Andrew Palmer pushed forward to take over as the race wound down, Paddy pushing Clarkycam wide in the last lap, the hit being heavy enough to disable the Wells machine leaving second for Colin Thorndyke to pick up ahead of Spike Ellis in a nine car finish. The helter-skelter was fairly similar, a number of cars failing to finish including Paul Haralambou whose Astra has certainly seen better days. Reilly controlled the race until after half way, crunches going on around the circuit including one that took in Delbert, Ellis and Radcliffe on the pit turn wall, this certainly contributing to Delberts' disappointing showing on the day while Thorndyke sped up to and past Reilly to get the last trophy of the day. Paddy also came a cropper in this one, perhaps taking Steve Davies for granted as he passed, Davies attacking back to deny Paddy fourth place behind Wells who took another third place finish, attacking both.