Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 2009 Index > Meeting 09/14

Outlaw Hot Rods
Philip Young increased his standing in the Drivers Championship for the Outlaw Hot Rods at Arena Essex on May 24 with a heat and final double win. The regular from Littlehampton made it onto the front row in the final with a heat win and a fourth place.

The first race was going well as Stu Hammond took the early lead, Young behind him with Buxton visitor Steve Dunstan along with them and Richard Simmons joining in later in the race. All seemed well as Young made a lengthy bid for the outside line and the lead but, as he pulled into the lead, Hammond had to pull up into turn three and Dunstan wasn't ready for it, hitting the back of the Red Bull Audi special and ending up spun and wrecked. Young cruised home for the win with Hammond in second and Simmons in third, Roy Rawlins making a late run for fourth. After checking the circuit for oil as Salvo Falcone blew up on the warm up, Trevor Ward won the second heat ahead of Jack Blood with a good effort from Simmons and Young behind him to get past Rawlins, though both settled down after that with only cursory efforts to grab any more places. The final was a lot less strenuously challenged, Young springing away from pole with Simmons in second and Blood in third. The only battle of note was near the back as Rawlins took on Jon Price and lost.

Group A Hot Rods
This year's Dean Kemp Memorial for Group A Hot Rods was won during the May 24 meeting at Arena Essex by Dan Moulton in a memorable meeting topped off by a sensational finish for the Erith based former Ministox champion.

Race one had to be restarted following a big crash in the opening laps as Lee Hall went out of control through turn four, Steven Lawes going up in the air and almost over the wall while Dave Lamb hit the rear of the pile up in seriously reduced visibility as Hall hit the shaleway. Matt Smith took the win, holding Paul Lawes and Mark West behind him as the restarted race wound down. The second heat also stopped, this time mid way when Nicky Parris lost a wheel on turn two, resulting in an order restart. The contact didn't stop there as Paul Lawes leaned into Smith on turn one to get to second spot after Michael Nichols had found a hole on the inside to grab the lead and, eventually, the win, while Rob West and Nick Hill came together on the last corner, although both cars were well down the field. Lawes was penalised two places for his effort, putting Smith to second and a front row start in the final and Moulton to third. Lawes managed to grab the lead from the outside pole in the final as Smith dropped back. Indeed, Lawes seemed to have the race wrapped up until a couple of laps from home when Moulton appeared inside Lawes and managed to grab the win at the last minute, Steve Gooch following through to second spot, leaving Lawes in third.

Lightning Rods
Lightning Rod racing at Arena Essex on May 24 saw a real nostalgia trip for some of the regulars of long standing as the meeting featured some big names from the past in PRI banger racing as former banger world champions Steve Taylor and Kev Wilsher borrowed a couple of cars and took the circuit.

Both were on the receiving end in the first race, Dave Imber trying a little too hard with his front end to get the edge before he was spotted and black flagged near the end of the race. However, that just spared him from the bigger crash that brought the heat to an early end when Mark Collins, Andy Brown and Anthony Lawrence crashed into the wall at the top of the home straight, one of several crashes on that corner which meant an early red flag. Trevor Draynor, himself returning to the circuit following a lengthy absence, took the win ahead of Chris Reeve with Taylor in third. The second race was a real blast from the past as Jack Woodroffe broke down at the front leaving Wilsher in front for the first time in years! He spent the rest of the race holding the front against Reeve who made an ill advised attempt on the back end of Wilsher on turn three and ended up dropping behind Draynor and, eventually, Imber while Draynor finished the race where Reeve left off but with no more success than Reeve had had. Wilsher took his trophy to the strains of “Spinning” by the Suicide Squad and the Custard Creams, recorded in a pub in 1992. The final was a close run thing with Draynor taking the lead off pole while Terry Shelvey managed to overcome Reeve close to the end to take second after a three way clash of the titans as the current Lightning Rod champion took on two former banger world champions, namely Jason Jackson and Kev Wilsher.

Superbangers
Mark Riches failed to wipe the board as Steve Davies took the final in the SuperBangers on May 24 at Arena Essex. After relatively easy wins in both heats, the Dartford driver found himself nudged down the field by rivals, leaving Davies to pass Bernie French for the final victory.

Not much to say of the first heat, Riches pulling into an early lead with Brian Jarvis chasing but failing to catch up by the end, although Davies, Chris Trickett and James Avison had an interesting battle mid race. The second heat was a lot closer as Jarvis and Trickett managed to get clear of the other cars far sooner and, had the race been a few laps longer, Jarvis and Riches would have had time for a battle for the win. As it was, Jarvis was only in sight of Riche's rear end at the chequered flag, giving Riches a second win that day.

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© 2009 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways