Arena Essex Raceway - Meeting 05/12 Sunday, May 15, 2005 Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 2005 Index > Meeting 05/12

Unlimited Bangers Shootout IV incl. Trevor Brooking Mortimer Memorial 2l Saloon Stock Cars Essex Championship

Bangers
The May 15th meeting at Arena Essex, the fourth Shootout meeting, included a memorial event for Trevor, son of Malcolm Mortimer, who died recently. It also included a special event for an Essex FM event which would prove interesting later on in the meeting. The meeting started with a minutes' silence for Trevor, with a whole line of Bad Company cars led by a specially prepared car for father Malcolm.

Race one was twenty-six cars big, Mark Want conking out before the race started, including a large yank job for Steve Laybourn which he used in the continuing team scrap, taking Matt Fuller out on turn four, the first of many hits there that also saw Rob Kokx go into Laybourn and the Firecracker XIII pickup of Garry Deacon take a dive into what was left of Fuller. Most of the biggest crunches in the first race, which was won by Karl 'Blacknuts' Douglas ahead of Chris Murfin and only seven others, took place on turn two which soon turned into a scrap yard well before the half way point, which was effectively where most cars ended up wrecked or wrecking.

The big wrecking shifted down to the Tavern turn in the second race, with 174 stuck right in the middle whilst Roy Laybourn tried to use a large yank to go after the two Runners in the race, though the size of his car made it difficult to avoid being smacked about by the traffic, ultimately taking on the much more nimble John Randall Jag. At the front it looked a lot like Annette Nichols would win but she was hung up on a tail ender inside the last few laps, Richie Ahern taking the advantage and diving inside to grab the win in his ex-Civil War Jag.

The third race went the way of Andrew Davies who started well forward of where much of what would prove to be the main interest in the race, namely the stretch limo of Steve Wilson and the jacked up yank of Tony Green. It seemed that Green was trying to roll his car though it stayed firmly on its wheels, even after Mad Mouse managed a whole lap the wrong way just to send his back end even higher whilst Wayne Bessant beat him to the rollover, doing a two point onto his roof on the bridge turn, skating into the fence courtesy of Jason McMahon, Clyde Williams covering him whilst he scrambled free of the wreck. The limo was sent to the fence on the same turn, an ideal target for a full on t-bone which was provided, eventually, by CAMSO visitor Steevie van Goethem.

The CAMSO folk figured large in a number of hits in the consolation, won by Grieg Cheeseman in a five car finish from 30 starters including the Essex FM sponsored car which decided to go for a little hit on the pit bend, taking Steve Laybourn round off the nose of Darren Wilson before getting slaughtered on the next bend. The biggest hits were on the home straight where Justin Garman jacked Deacon, then Paul Whiteman followed in followed by Ton van Haarlen. Wilson didn't recover from the big head on into the wall under the Tavern whilst a lot of wreckage was left around turns one and two.

With defending champion Jason Jackson stateside and Sonny Sherwood off to Wimbledon, it meant that a new Shootout champion was the only certainty as the 34 qualifying cars lined up. The race was eventually won by Andrew Davies who, contrary to his usual style of rodding, decided to stick one in on turn three just short of the finish when Orville Brown decided to take out Billy King by the pit gate. A light hit compared with much that was happening, especially around the pit wall where Ian Greatrex and Mark Woolner were being hit by many, Lee Hughes getting taken out by the Wilson limo and goodwill qualifier, Clyde Williams, who was taken into the final after protecting Wayne Bessant earlier in the meeting getting friendly with a number of cars.

It was a real struggle to get the remaining cars up for the last race of the day, namely the Rawlins 2000 qualifier, but a healthy - if that is the right word for the assortment of wrecks that pulled onto the circuit - number of cars made the effort and all seemed well until James Ellis crunched Nicky Greatrex a little too hard on turn one, leading to the only lengthy stoppage of the meeting, the race awarded to Bruno Brunson. The few cars still able to move went straight into a destruction derby from there, which was taken finally by John Randall, though only by way of the few inches he could get the wreck to move under power despite most of the bodywork dragging on the floor.

2l Saloon Stocks
Some pretty hard and fast racing dominated the heats for the only appearance of the year by the 2-litre Saloon Stock cars at Arena Essex on May 15. Shaun Webster took the first heat, though he only got to the front towards the end of the race, holding off the winner of the second heat, Eddie Darby, who managed to clock up the quickest lap time in each race. The third race was taken by Chris Murfin who held off Steven Webster whilst Shaun tried hard to catch up but could only manage third by the closing stages, back markers keeping the first three apart. Winner and new Essex Champion Mark Calvert noted with relish that he usually ended the race in the fence, but he kept well ahead of the biggest scraps, Dave Aldous following at a distance. Many of the heat winners also got into the scoring places although Murfin was fenced short of half way, one of a number of big fence shots made throughout the race. Aldous went one better in the last allcomers' race when he managed to grab the lead around half way from Anthony Filbey then managed to hold off first Calvert then world champion Webster for the last trophy of a great days' racing.

Last car: 207 John Randall

Smart/Unusual cars: 17 Malcolm Mortimer/264 Steve Wilson/595 Drew Bracegirdle/999 Steevie van Goethem

Click on photo for larger image

Also see Matthew Bull Photography for official photos of this meeting.

© 2005 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways