Crashnet > Reports Index > RDC 1999 Index > Meeting 99/03

Mildenhall International Raceway (RDC) National Bangers Under 1400cc Suffolk Team Open Championship Ministox

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The Mildenhall shaleway was perfect for this years' team bash and though some teams were understrength for various reasons, a massive 131 cars were estimated to have raced by the end of the day! Derek Caton (520) started the day off with a win for the WI Engineering team (WI stood for "Well Iffy", so the programme informed us!) springing that team into an early lead in Group A - there were three groups of which the best two teams would go through to the final - in a race that saw plenty of action, mostly at the expense of the Northampton team. While Trevor Luff (777) put himself about with a will, it was Dave Thomas (100) who was left on the home straight, hanging on the second rail as a curious ornament for incautious drivers coming out too wide from turn four to crash into! He had been put there at the start by Martin Brinkworth (2) of the Headbangers. The Steam team ran second in the points with Paul Totham (287) picking second up among three finishers for that team. The second heat - Group B's first - was a little more tactical as a few drivers including Shane Davies (158) of T Bone took to attacking the lead cars, Keith Perrin (17) being one Wolf Cub to fall that way. The race was eventually won by the Jokers' Donny Mann (135), though that and six other points down the field in this race were all that this team could muster, te Wolf Cubs picking the lead up through weight of numbers. Group C's first go saw the return of the Wonderbras, the all girl team that did well in the last Championship, and the first race looked to be a repeat performance as Pippa Cable (11) picked up the ten points that would have been Lizzy Crowden's (84) had her car not died after taking Dave Vincent (22) head on. Trina Wade (33) almost caused an upset when she followed up her attack on Rob Burbridge (18) with another on teammate Caroline Garner (74), though Garner carried on to pick up the rest of the Earmuff's fourteen points to take second behind the Damage Inc. folk, led home by Keith Utting (547) and Graham Kerry (42).

Group A again and the Steamers had a field day Totham (287) improved on his first round performance followed closely home by teammate Steve Mayes (30), with a point more from Nigel Whayman (410) to put them through to the final on a strong 37 points. The race was full of hits with pile ups around the track and only nine finishers as WI's Richard Raynor (101) decided to put himself about, taking a shot from Wolf Gang's Mark Simpson (136) to quieten him down though the best hit came as Roddy James (517) muffed a hit on Johnny Bolton (627) only for Paul Sammit (42) to sniff Jame's diff on turn four. The second Group B race was clean enough for a few laps before hell broke loose and Andrew Davies (147) took a rear shot from the late booked Wolf Cub (532). However nothing was going to stop Sonny Sherwood (348) who ran for the Young Guns with most of the other Guns wrecking including a monster head on by Lee Overy (71) on turn three, aided by a jacking by Terry Chapman (318), of Dave Palmer (53) who flamed on as a result! The double hit got Overy a load up, which meant that they were understrength when they returned for the final. Group C was a total turn about from its first heat. In that heat, it had been the Wonderbras on top with Damage Inc. and the Gremlins trodden underfoot. In the second heat, the Gremlins revived with Burbridge (18) and Andy Thacker (220) running well to take second and third behind Peter Lewis (35) and only Crowden (84) finishing in points. The second heat also saw another good solo effort, this time from Lee Hughes (294) for the Management.

A non-qualifier Accumulator round was the next thing up with three cars limping home led by Dave Thorley (351), followed by Martin Brinkworth (2) and Tony Matthews (98) as the rest proceeded to thump each other into oblivion. Again, Dave Thomas's car became the anvil for hits as Daren (9) and Keith (10) Wolf were pounded in by Sid Mayes (37) and (609). Mayes and Daren Wolf hadn't finished and exchanged a few more before they were both done, Wolf also taking Dave Canam (224) and Thorley on the head as turn four filled up. Thorley finally made it home by dodging a last gasp attempt by Brinkworth.

Meanwhile the finalists were preparing. In group A, the Steam Team were well ahead of everyone else, WI Engineering being consequently the lowest scoring qualifiers, the Wolf Gang squeezed out in third in that group. Group B saw a close race between the Young Guns and Team T Bone, first round leaders the Jokers and the Wolf Cubs unable to score in the second round. A similar story in group C where a big second round effort by the Gremlins denied the Wonderbras a final spot. As usual with a team championship, it was all down to weight of numbers, though the Gremlins suffered badly as a result of their earlier injuries, unable to score at all though Rob and Andy Burbridge (18, 120) and Ian Horton (202) did their best, taking a few out before succumbing, the Steamer's roving Pete Winter (811) spending a fair amount of time and energy putting his Crapi to work wrecking before wandering home for sixth place. His best effort had to be the stuffing of Steve Moore (39) under Keith Utting's (547) car into the wrecks on turn four! Winters' six points added onto the sixteen from winner Paul Totham (287) and the massive 37 points taken from the first rounds to give them the Championship for 1999 ahead of the Young Guns who come home second again!

The day was finished by an allcomers' Accumulator qualifier. I am not sure if 62 cars is a record for Mildenhall but I can't remember the last time that I saw so many cars gathered on the shaleway! It was inevitable that a pile up would occur soon after the start, but this one moved! When Rob Burbridge was shovelled over by Mick Lown (249) on turn three in traffic, there was no hesitation in bringing out the reds. However, sixty-two cars are hard to stop once they get going and a number of drivers just kept going on turn one in a mini-DD of their own! Among them were Vince Wolf (8), Ray Foot (479), Keith Wolf (10), Ricky Wolf (4) and Dave Miller (166) in what appeared to be either a grudge match or a number of drivers having a laugh. Either way, all the drivers involved sat out the restart which was attended by about half the original field. Turn four filled up again, eventually blocking the way. The race eventually became a last car fight between Paul Sammit (42), Lee Hughes (294) and Scott Saunders (446), Hughes and Saunders trying everything to stop Sammit but eventually killing themselves off as Sammits' unlikely looking wreck just kept on going!

Simon Welton (6) picked up the first Ministox win of the day in a twice stopped first heat while Andrew Parrin (150) recovered from a spin close to the front for second. Parrin dumped his opposition in the second heat to win but only just as Alistair Pizzey (62) spent most of the last few laps nibbling his boot. Parrin made it heat and final by returning the favour on Tom Meekings (34) who had spun him in the first heat, with Tommy Barnes (126) and Welton fighting through to take the other final trophies.

Results

1  Bangers Group A 1   520 Derek Caton    /287/2/522/224/30/10/9/558/410
2  Bangers Group B 1   135 Donny Mann     /532/17/33/130/117/49/761/62/420
3  Bangers Group C 1   11  Pippa Cable    /547/42/48/59/18/74/164/412/202
4  Ministox 1          6   Simon Welton   /150/4/126/55/26/41/325/62/116
5  Bangers Group A 2   287 Paul Totham    /30/37/4/39/351/372/410 NOCR
6  Bangers Group B 2   348 Sonny Sherwood /147/761/20/285/877/117/28/420/67
7  Bangers Group C 2   35  Peter Lewis    /18/220/84/175/12/42/120/294/57
8  Ministox 2          150 Andrew Parin   /62/6/51/4/126/11/307/55/65
9  Bangers Accum NQ    351 Dave Thorley   /2/98 NOCR
10 Bangers Team Final  287 Paul Totham    /522/548/62/20/811/117/147
11 Ministox Final      150 Andrew Parin   /126/6/62/51/11/55/350/26/307
12 Bangers Accum a/c   42  Paul Sammit (LCR)

Team                Group| H1  H2 Final Total
-------------------------+---+---+-----+--------
Bacton Boyz           A  |  6   5    -     11
Courage Krew          A  |  2   -    -      2
Headbangers           A  |  8   -    -      8
May M                 A  |  -   -    -      0
Northampton           A  |  -  13    -     13
Steam Team            A  | 15  22   22     59
Swindon Vigilantes    A  |  -   -    -      0
W.I. Engineering      A  | 17   6   14     37
Wolf Gang             A  |  7   7    -     14
-------------------------+----------------------
Bad Company           B  |  -   5    -      5
Duncarin              B  |  3   8    -     11
MC Team               B  |  -   -    -      0
Team T Bone           B  |  9  16    6     31
Team Sparky A         B  |  1   9    -     10
Full Monty            B  |  -   -    -      0
Jokers                B  | 16   -    -     16
Wolf Cubs (WG B)      B  | 17   -    -     17
Young Guns            B  |  9  17   18     44
-------------------------+----------------------
Bedfield Boys         C  |  9   -    -      9
Damage Inc.           C  | 17   9   12     38
Gremlins              C  |  6  20    0     26
Management            C  |  -   3    -      3
Motor Benders         C  |  6   6    -     12
Team Sparky B         C  |  -   -    -      0
Twisted Metal         C  |  3  10    -     13
Wonderbras            C  | 14   7    -     21

Result subject to confirmation by promotion