Arena Essex 00/22

Meeting 00/22, Sunday July 9th 2000

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Plastengrave Non-Ford Bangers, Ladies Banger Championship Q/R 4
Group A Hot Rods Supreme Championship Q/R 3

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Group A Hot Rods
With the weather playing a big part in greasing the track up, it was a little odd to see the Group A Hot Rods start away with a clutch start during the Arena Essex Supreme Championship meeting on July 9, but start they did with quite some wheelspinning, the rear wheel conversions working hard to keep up with the front drive folk who had things comparatively easy that day. Vic Hope especially enjoys this sort of weather and made good use of it in the cars in front of him slipped in the muck, both Robbie Joyce and James Cawtharay losing front running positions in spins. Hope took the heat by half a lap over Adam Smith by the end with the whole field well spread. Heat two faired little better with a promising run by Nick Hill denied when Dean White took him out at half way. The last few laps were far closer than in the previous race however as Kevin Down tried to go outside eventual race winner Tony Moss. His failure to make it was entirely due to a spin by Keith Simmons in front of the pair on turn four, forcing Down back to avoid hitting the prone car and allowing no time to mount another passing attack. The consolation saw a win for Lee Ayton, though the talking point here was sixth place Terry Bearman, or rather Doug Constable who was docked two places from sixth for a little cross country racing, leaving the Nova expert out of the final.

The final could easily be divided in three; the first section was wet with rain leaving the track slippery which again played into the hands of drivers such as Vic Hope, who made good time and eventually managed to grab the lead from Cawtharay approaching half way. However the track was drying out and Rob Singleton was not far off the front. Singleton managed to squeeze through past the faultering Hope to take the lead with Allan Billington and Dave Devine in hot pursuit, many other contenders stuck behind back marker Adam Smith. Then as Devine managed to get past Hope, down came the rain again which led to a close finish, the other factor in this finish, Billington, succumbing to the wet and sliding out wide from second to an eventual sixth. It was too late for Hope to start another quest for the lead so that was how it came home, with Singleton just holding off Devine and Hope in third. Hope had not finished yet, and neither had the rain as Hope again carved his way through the field for a win in the Helter-Skelter.

Ladies Bangers
The Ladies had two hold-ups in the fourth Championship qualifier at Arena Essex on July 9, first where Toni Lockey was fetched in hard by the Tavern - she limped off smiling all the way - the second when Francis Mills managed a four point roll on the back straight. The race eventually went to Sharon Worthington after an extensive battle with Trina Wade which eventually saw Sharon spin the ex-Champion on the back straight messily, and even saw her try again as she crossed the line, though this time Sharon let Trina off! Third place Nina Crouchman from RDC was a very distant third.

Plastengrave Bangers
July 9 and Sonny Sherwood put more points between himself and his competition at Arena Essex in both the Plastengrave Non-Ford Championship and the RJK Export Drivers' Championship as he pulled down another heat and final double. He easily cruised home in the first heat in what turned out to be a somewhat roddy race, Paul Hawkes surviving a dumping by Dean Kingsworth to trail home a distant second, then Steve Macklin survived the attentions of our regular Buxton visitor Graham Heywood to grab the second heat, Heywood also making a mess of Toni Lockey whie Jason Jackson, second home, did likewise with Andy Crawford, with teamy Neal Wells following in third. Heat three saw a rare appearance for Tyrone Goodchild, last seem at Arena Essex in his junior days when he was known for tearing up the field. Obviously he hadn't forgotten how to do it as he flicked out the pole car and set off for a flag to flag victory, Stuart Ruff trying to catch up but having no luck with the back markers and eventually having to give way to Tony Wade. The consolation was a heavy mess as usual, John Drummond giving Terry Driver a good jacking which locked them together by the pit gate while Jason Mills died after turning it on the home straight and even frantic invitations for a head on got him nowhere! Despite a hit early on from Mills and occasional other problems, the race was dominated by Steve Ward, but as the race wore on he was caught and only just held on to win from past Plastengrave master Lee Witherington.

We had a 41 car start that day in the final, so pile ups were inevitable. Indeed we started with one almost immediately as the starters went into the wall on turn one with Jackson dumping all before him including Hawkes and Clive Killick before his car started to blow steam, though he did just about manage to limp home in eighth. The wrecking also saw a massive burial for Kingsworth at the hands of Goodchild. At the front, it was all down to Sherwood vs. Jason Powers and Ian Smith, Powers leading early but Sherwood by far the faster. Sherwood took the win in a bloodless coup inside turn two close to the race end to complete his double. That just left the Rawlins, and if there was any doubt about the power of the mechanics to restore cars, then the 43 car line up was enough to squash it! However the race was stalled early when Bradley Hampton rolled onto his roof and spun on it on turn four, the reds coming out quickly after what seemed to be a monster wrecking spree, especially when Spencer Barber gave Colin Kerr the bump start of his life (or as the slogan on the car would have it; Thattadoo!) The restart was just as heavy as Jeff Simington took a head on by the pit gate, one of a whole host of turns, nuttings and jackings that quickly reduced the field, the best one being Tony McDonald and his annihilation of Jason Randall by the Tavern. Macklin avoided the worst of it to emerge the winner ahead of Smith and Jackson, Jackson eventually outhitting the rest for the last car running award.

Results

1  Ladies Bangers 488 Sharon Worthington /33/719/3/299/217/363/483/404/417/312/340
2  Banger 1       348 Sonny Sherwood     /415/49/336/27/393/13/428/356/467/289 NOCR
3  Group A 1        9 Vic Hope           /57/79/117/176/82/33/85/23/135
4  Group A 2       92 Tony Moss          /108/197/63/174/67/93/90/62/12
5  Bangers 2       72 Steve Macklin      /331/420/470/250/499/135/9/295/32/353/23
6  Bangers 3      732 Tyrone Goodchild   /33/260/239/363/299/308/340/488/409/149/217
7  Group A Cons    43 Lee Ayton          /45/59/99/148/91
8  Bangers Cons   560 Steve Ward         /84/436/183/339/500 NOCR
9  Group A Final   85 Rob Singleton      /117/9/92/108/79/63/67
10 Banger Final   348 Sonny Sherwood     /340/336/33/84/470/23/331
11 Group A H/s      9 Vic Hope           /78/43/197/90/117/108/33
12 Banger R2Kq     72 Steve Macklin      /336/331 LCR=331 Jason Jackson

Results subject to confirmation by promoter