1600cc Bangers Series 2 Final Ladies Banger Championship Final Group A Hot Rods Supreme Championship Lightning Rods

Ladies Bangers
This year's Ladies Banger Championship was won by Kelly Wilson in a result affected by some controversy following the docking of stock car racer Deborah Whiteman of two places to third position at the line after she jumped the start. Lucy Finch was awarded second place after she was spun from the lead position which she had held for much of the race, losing position to Whiteman and Wilson close to the finish.

Lightning Rods
With two second place finishes and a good start, it seemed that Jason Jackson would take another final trophy away with him in his second appearance in the Lightning Rods at Arena Essex on September 9 in their last meeting before their world final. This was not to be the case, however, as he was spun off the lead by Tubbs Butler, also trying his hand at the formula following his success in the limited contact SuperBanger formula. Butler was disqualified at that point while Jackson was unable to get into the top ten, the race ultimately going to former Lightning Rod world champion, Rick Pannell.

Butler won the first heat with Jackson chasing hard, doing well to pass as far as second place from further back down the field than he did in his first appearance a couple of weeks before, though the race was suspended at one point as a number of cars collided on turn two including Anthony Lawrence who lost his bumper and Terry Shelvey who suffered some front end damage that dropped him from the race. Another car to suffer in that race was that of Mark Collins, who would lose second place to Jackson in the second heat following a close finish that saw them cross the line together, a steward's decision giving it to Jackson based on his transponder position, while Dave Finch took the trophy uncontested in that heat.

Bangers
With plenty going on including the Alternative Banger World Final at Taunton, not to mention the ORC World Final at Arena Essex being a mere week away, the wind-up to the 1600cc Banger second series on September 9 was never likely to be a big affair, though it did have its moments. Gary Brown of Romford had an easy victory in the first heat, a race that saw little contact beyond a Clinton Mumbles t-bone on the home straight and a fencing for Ian Smith by Chris Whiteman, though the hit did more damage to the Whiteman car, Smith reversing off the fence and continuing for a while where Whiteman needed to retire from the race. Kieron Smith, driving on a day licence, made a small scrap pile for himself on turn one in the second heat, though he ultimately failed to finish and completed the meeting with a Fiesta that crabbed somewhat. The race eventually went to Craig Oliver, though there was some debate as to whether the hastily reshaped van qualified for the event. The steward allowed it, much to Craig's delight! One event during the second heat was where Jason Jackson attempted to pass second place man Andy Reynolds, the contact disabling Jackson's car somewhat, which led to a series of head-on hits later in the meeting. Grays driver Paul Ruskin started his winning final run off with a massive shunt for Jody Walker, getting the Escort Estate up to probably its fastest run of the day before dispensing with it in the pit bend wall in a race that was also fairly free of hits, if you don't count the head-ons at the end of the race between Reynolds and Jackson! They saved the best for last, however, with the Rawlins Qualifier called short following a two-point rollover for Danny Gardiner inside turn four and a last car battle between the Midnight Runners, namely Jason Jackson and Ricky Korpiela, and the Gladiators, that is Craig Oliver and Ian Smith, running at each other in fine style to give Korpiela the last car award.

Group A Hot Rods September 9, and Arena Essex was the venue for the Group A Hot Rod Supreme Championship final. With defending champion, Dave Lamb, on the outside front row with points leader, Chris Smith, inside, it was always going to be a matter of who would get control of the first bend and what the other would do about it afterwards. The front row pair headed down to the first turn together and, with door handles clashing, they got around it, Smith just getting the edge as he pushed his inside advantage, then motored away, never to be caught. Behind that, an early run by Terry Bearman was bested by Mark West, with Rob West also getting past for a while, though Bearman managed to claw back to fourth by the end. The support race went to Jack Wheelwright, driving in the car Jack Tuffen drove in the last Group A meeting, in a race that started a little scrappily with Dennis Howes and Keith Furnell both getting tangled on Matt Haines' car. Mark Cook took second with Bearman catching but unable to pass in time, likewise Lamb and Smith behind him.

© 2007 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways