Unlimited Bangers Shakedown III 2l Saloon Stock Cars

Bangers
Things seemed to be heating up already as Arena Essex reopened on March 8 for the Shakedown meeting, the first meeting of the year and an open meeting which welcomed drivers from around the banger racing world. The eventual winner of the meeting, Carl "Blacknuts" Douglas, was involved with a pre-meeting incident which apparently started with the express desire of the Bad Company and Gladiator teams, at war for the last two seasons, to call a truce. The Gladiators, primarily based in Colchester, did not want to include one driver in this truce, however, and this eventually led to a breakdown which saw the Gladiator team loading up and going home, refusing to compete in the day's events.

The main final was a close run thing at the end, with former Firecracker champion Sonny Sherwood of South Ockendon chasing hard to try to get a title that has, so far, eluded him. He even got alongside Douglas at one point but was unable to pass, leaving Douglas as the winner, Sherwood in second with last year's winner, Stephen Hale, trailing in tenth spot. The main final was stopped at one point after Rob Farrington was heavily shunted into the pit wall then t-boned. He walked away from this a little dazed, the car left without a straight line and only three wheels! The first race had gone to Sherwood in a race marked with a number of heavy hits including Lee Busby, who was one of a few that had his car smeared across the wall. Dean Goodearl, a late arrival for the meeting but well known at Arena Essex, took the second race which was stopped twice; first when Farrington guided Darryl Page's stretch Granada into the pit wall, collapsing the front end, though the Romford driver emerged unhurt with a little help, then again when a four car pile-up in the middle of the pit bend occurred shortly before the end of the race, day boys Danny Foreman and Ricky Hutton tangling with RDC visitor Jason Barnard and Trackstar visitor Martin Brunson.

Jason Jackson, known more for his winning ways since the end of his teams' own war a few years ago, decided to forego his qualification in the first heat and came out in the consolation to provide a little traditional Spedeworth crunching as he took on lone Spedeworth driver Ciaran Carton, while Paul Korpiela took one of the biggest cars of the meeting and subjected Ricky Hutton to a head on that did for the day licenced driver and car inside turn four. Matt Fuller won the event. The meeting ended with the usual Rawlins 2000 qualifier, taken by 1300cc stock car regular Paddy Palmer with Danny Brown surviving to get the last car award as Jimmy Randall and Mark Marchant took each other as they hit head on and jammed together.

Saloon Stock Cars
East Anglian ex-World Champion, Dave Aldous, took the 2l Saloon Stock Car final win at Arena Essex in their first appearance there of the year in a meeting that saw plenty of action and quite a bit of success for Andy Santry. The first two heats were both wins for Santry, with second place in the third race and the final, where he came close by grabbing the lead close to the end but was passed on turn three inside the last lap by Aldous. Todd Jones took one trophy back to Surrey by way of a win in the third heat.

Crashnet Photos

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Also see Racepixels for more photos from this meeting.

© 2008 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways