Unlimited Bangers "Shakedown" 1300 Stock Cars

Unlimited Bangers
The Unlimited Banger "Shakedown" meeting at Arena Essex on March 13 was certainly a gamble, though the weather improved over the week before so, despite being pretty cold, the circuit was dry enough for the bangers, made up of Firecracker leftovers, a fair number of regulars and a few visitors. It wasn't without its share of controversy either, Sonny Sherwood being loaded up in one race following repeated drivers dooring including one on Phillip Smith on the pit wall, though nobody was hurt this time around.

The biggest successes seemed to be for Paul Whiteman in a meeting lacking in any real team confrontations. Karl "Blacknuts" Douglas also picked up some good performances including the third heat which he managed to hold onto as he was attacked relentlessly down the back straight and last corners on the last lap by John Randall. The first race was the property of Nathan Roberts in a Jaguar, well ahead of Greig Cheeseman and Malcolm Fuller, whilst the biggest car in the race driven by Tony Abrehart wallowed like a pig in the corners, failing to get into the result despite a plucky drive. Whiteman was the winner of the second race, a race that saw a bit more wrecking action as Steve Laybourn decided to take his car the wrong way on the pit bend, taking Dale Hughes out of a promising run with a head on attack, then Laybourn went one better on visitor Steve Moore in a brutal head on that killed both cars. Hughes managed to resurrect his pink XJS for a convincing win in the consolation which featured the only real bit of illicit team racing which started when Ian Smith spun on the pit bend close to the start to receive a t-bone which started a flurry around turn four.

The final was pretty tame at the start. It was pretty tame at the end, too. The middle, however, was something else entirely as Stephen Hale became the first casualty in a three way run into the pit fence, whilst East Anglian visitor Martin Brunson gave Roy Laybourn's stretch Granada a bit of a shortening around the pit fence and out onto the home straight. Whiteman took the race and the inaugural Shakedown title ahead of double world champion Matt Fuller. Right through the meeting, the casualty count had been pretty much zero, but that would change in the first Rawlins 2000 qualifier of the year as Tony Hutton ended his meeting in the wall on turn three which led to the only stoppage of the meeting. The race was restarted from scratch, Blacknuts taking the win ahead of Roberts and Randall in a race that finally saw Abrehart put his V8 monster to good wrecking use with a number of cars attacked including the equally monstrous Paul Korpiela American sedan. Randall would then get the decision as Lee Woodards came to a stop in reverse on turn one, the remaining field piling in and only Randall able to get any movement.

1300 Stock Cars
There seemed to be quite a rush of new drivers to bolster the 1300 Stock Cars at Arena Essex for the first meeting of the year on March 12, though the return of Delbert Mortimer seemed to be the biggest factor. Although Delbert won both heats, he had to work at it, especially in the first heat when he left it very late in the race to grab the lead away from Paul Griffiths, shunting hm wide on the last bend. However it would not all go Delberts' way as he had to scrap with Paddy and Lee Palmer in the final midfield and lost out to both as Griffiths finally won something, Alec Mortimer in second.

Last car: 207 John Randall

Crashnet Photos

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Also see Matthew Bull Photographic for more photos from this meeting.

© 2006 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways