PRI Banger Team Championship Round 4 1300cc Stock Cars Ministox

Banger Teams
Following mixed performances in the previous rounds, the fourth and final preliminary round of the PRI Banger Team Championship at Arena Essex on July 15 delivered more crashes and much more action, with the defending champions, the Midnight Runners, having to work for their win and the running team war spilling over into the meeting, causing plenty of problems for teams not previously involved as everyone put in the best that they could to avoid being the teams that would be cut out of the final eliminator, due to take place on August 19.

The first heat set the tone as Darren Lee rolled onto his roof off the pit bend kerb, causing a complete restart. The Cream Team, not previously known for participation in the current war but last seen in battle a couple of years ago with the Runners and previously known for their wins in this competition in the late 1990s, came in on the side of the Londoners, taking on the northern Essex teams around the track, especially the pit bend where Ian Smith, currently racing with the Colchester-based Wrekin Krew team, was pounded into the pit fence by Michael Outen of the Creams, Danny Brown of the Eastenders and Sonny Sherwood who, at one point, drove over Brown on two wheels to get at Smith. Sherwood‘s efforts for the Bad Company team eventually were rewarded by points in the final which helped the team into the final eliminator at the expense of the Wrekin Krew and the Gladiators who will sit out the rest of the tournament, at least until the third place playoff in October. The second heat was not quite so heavily wrecked but it still saw much of the Colchester folk crushed, the heat wins going to Dale Hughes for the under-strength Gravesend Condoms and Paul Whiteman for the Runners.

The final started with a pile up on the pit bend as the field all tried to get past the pit gate at once before everything seemed to drop back to the usual warring of the teams in one corner with the leading teams rodding around the inside. This time, however, the rodding wasn‘t to last as Paul Hunter decided to rearrange the rear end of one dead Gladiator only to end up catching Jason Jackson on the way through. This blocked the track, which meant that those drivers normally not so keen to put a hit in had to hit with the rest if they wanted a passge through the wreckage! The final win went the way of Lee Woodards of the Gigglers, the overall meeting going to the Runners for the second round in succession.

The Rawlins 2000 qualifier race was won by Paul Whiteman, team mate Phil Cullen surviving the end of meeting destruction derby to get a last car award and entry to the series final in October.

Ministox
Tempers seemed a little frayed at the July 15 Ministox meeting at Arena-Essex, with the third heat resulting in a number of drivers ejected from the meeting following heated exchanges, though the day was certainly one to remember for Ryan Gibson from Watford who took a heat and final double away.

The race that certainly made the meeting was the final where Gibson managed to hold the inside line and successfully held off current dominant drivers such as Jimmy Galloway and Liam Friel who pressured the white top right through the closing stages but failed to pass him. Gibson had also been the winner of the third heat which had been somewhat spoiled by drivers endulging in barging - Arena-Essex is strictly non-contact for Ministox. The earlier heats saw a race win for T-Jay Powers who would end up in the fence in the second heat after losing a wheel during a passing attempt on turn four, the second heat won by Jamie Lee Callis. In both the early heats, the second place trophy was decided by inches, with Galloway sneaking second in the first heat on the line from Brad Bailey, while George Goodearl just managed to hold off Friel in the second heat.

1300cc Stock Cars
A maiden win for Alex Guintini kicked off the 1300cc Stock Car meeting at Arena Essex on July 15, Guintini recently joining the ranks of the saloon stocks following his Ministox exploits. He held out at the front ahead of another former Mini driver, Jack Wheelwright, who would take both of the other trophies that day. The final was most notable, however, for the midfield antics of Derry Monk, who flung off attempt after attempt to pass him, effectively punting each passing driver out of the way, until Darren Pratt stepped up and gave him a little punt back, sending Monk down the order and giving an easier ride forward for a number of drivers, including former Group A supremo Gary Finch and ex-banger man Paul Haralambou. Wheelwright took the final trophy ahead of Guintini and a rare placing for RDC commentator and correspondant Michael Coventry.

Qualifying teams for Final Eliminator

• Condoms
• Midnight Runners
• Gigglers
• EastEnders
• Cream Team
• Team YPP2K
• Bad Company
• Black n Blue

© 2007 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways