Crashnet > Reports Index > PRI 2009 Index > Meeting 09/15

Van Bangers
The Rawlins Transport Big Van Banger meeting on May 25 was won by PRI Banger points leader Mark Munson. Mark, from Tiptree, also pulled in a second place finish in the heat in the first of two meetings this year for the vans, the other taking place on August Bank Holiday Monday.

The meeting started with a heat that was certainly heated with a number of crashes including a big jacking for Billy Standing by Phil Smith amongst others, Ian Smith also going up in a blaze at the top of the home straight. Paul Korpiela took the race in possibly the biggest van of the meeting, a commercial minibus, outrunning Munson. Korpiela wasn't so lucky in the main event as he was part of a spectacular double rollover along with Nathan King on the inside of turn two. Much of the contact was between Ricky Korpiela and two of the Blue Crew in what appeared to be a slight return of the Blue Runner war that had seemed to have come to an end in recent meetings, though much damage was done when Korpiela was caught on turn four by Dan Gardiner late in the race. Munson took the win to extend his lead in the Banger championship. The destruction derby race was won by Harry Stevens, while Glen Ward took the best wrecker award after a gutsy performance against the remaining drivers, Marcus Sprawling and Craig Oliver, who exchanged a few feeble taps at the end of the meeting to share the last van running award.

1300cc Stock Cars
The 1300cc Stock Cars really put on a show on May 25 in their first Supreme Qualifier of the year, the surprise winner of the final being Sharon Ashworth, the current starter, in a thrilling race that ended early as Dan Melluish made his exit from the race in spectacular style.

George Heath managed to win the first heat, gifted after Scott Hughes was spun out by Ian Beaumont on the home straight just as Hughes tried to take out Heath shortly after he had managed to grab the front. The contact sent both drivers affected back into what had been the big contest throughout the race with Deb Whiteman and Danny Wade also involved in a series of spectacular efforts for the minor places. From the start of the second heat, the competition between Hughes and Beaumont was obvious but it was Sam Edwards and Chris Noble that provided the heaviest contact in the opening stages of the heat when Noble was sent to the pit wall, red flags coming out. The restart saw Hughes outrun Beaumont easily with Ashworth holding third at a distance while the main competition in this race was between Whiteman and Wade, the pair swapping places right through the race while Paul Haralambou and Heath both crossed the line sideways, Heath finishing straddling the finish line in the wall, though his transponder crossed the line for tenth place! The final was no less of a mess as Hughes seemed to have the race in the bag until the closing stages when he hit the home straight wall and then had to pull off with damage. This left Ashworth ahead in the lead with only Melluish in front though on a previous lap. The two met up out of turn four, Melluish put up the wall by Ashworth which led to Melluish rolling up the wall and onto his roof, bringing the race to an early end which meant that Darren Pratt couldn't quite catch up in time to stop Ashworth taking her first ever final win.

Ministox
It was triple win time as Georgie Lee guaranteed himself a regrading by winning both heats and the final in the Ministox on May 25.

Race one stopped early after Curtis Tebbenham hit Bobby Simmons on turn two, Tebbenham ending up in the back straight fence, Natalie Smith taken into the fence following the initial hit. Lee took the winner's trophy after passing Tebbenham before the collision, managing to extricate himself from the battle at the back of the field, Stephen Hackett taking second ahead of Jack Deacon. Lee got two for two by taking an early lead though Brad Turner did well coming through the field to grab second ahead of Hackett. Lee won the final too, having taken the lead shortly before the race was brought to a halt when Ray Petty spun and broke down on the pit bend, the restart dropping some of the hopefuls back down the field and allowing Billy Hull and Reid Murray to move up to second and third.

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© 2009 Chris Johnson (Crashnet) / Promotasport Raceways