The Mob had a very disappointing event, with leakages from head gaskets and then rear mains oil seals sidelining them from the event.

The fight for the Championship was very tight, only 15 points in it, to the favour of Relentless over Nuthin’ Fancy for the No. 1 spot going into the event…. all to play for.

Chaos opened the show with an off-the pace 7.898/118.85, after a repeat of the clutch gremlins that started at the Euro Finals.

Relentless was then paired against Xtreme Racing, but soloed for a win when a bolt holding the bottom pulley departed the Xtreme machine and they had to shut down.

Nuthin’ Fancy then staged against Freddy’s Revenge and took the win 6.889/197.85 to a loosing 7.220/180.67, but it was a great side-by- side to the stripe.

Round 2 saw Frank Bennett up against Joe Bond. Frank got out first but Joe was not far behind, then the Relentless chute popped out at 800ft and Joe took the win, 7.062/191.24 to Frank’s 7.294/125.14…. putting them equal on championship points….

Bob Glassup was next up against Dave Grabham and Xtreme got to the stripe first with a oh-so close-to-the sixes 7.030/169.79 to Dave’s 7.342/177.78.

The new Motor Psycho of Adam Gleadow and Darren Galloway tried an observed run, but a broken throttle cable put paid to their attempt.

The last chance to may the ‘final 4’ commenced at 12.15 on Sunday, with Chaos trying to make the field, up against Relentless, but loosing out with more clutch woes 7.288/161.32 to Franks 6.772/202.43.

Next, Nuthin’ Fancy could only stage for the points, having a suspect crank, so Xtreme laid down a stella 6.792/195.55 to take the win and the first ‘six’ for Bob.

Motor Psycho tried again to make a pass, but a broken oil hose put paid to that chance.

So, the final 4 were Xtreme v Nuthin’ Fancy in Nos 1 & 2 positions and Relentless v Freddy’s Revenge as Nos 3 & 4.

Relentless fired up as did Freddy’s Revenge, but the latter spat a rod out of the side of the block, leaving Frank Bennett to solo with a 9.277, for the 3rd place.

The final matched Xtreme against Nuthin’ Fancy and both went for it, neck and neck to the finish. Bob got the win with a 6.874/180.69 to Joe’s 7.080/184.32, to take the event title for the Xtreme Racing Team, well deserved in everyone’s opinion.

Overall a good meeting in good conditions, next year will be even better as new cars enter the Series.

The Spirit of Fuel Altereds Award is there for that person or that team that goes the extra mile, not necessarily the fastest, quickest or the new champion but the person in the class who is there for that little something special, loaning parts, brewing up for the crew, raising spirits or a whole load of other things.

The first year it was awarded to a certain Mr. Gatehouse and Luke Bennett was the last well earned winner clearly both for very different reasons. All we need now is your nominations for the next award, we have had to put a deadline on receiving your thoughts which is 1st October 2009;

to the following e mail address please glennram@glennram.karoo.co.uk.

Thanks in anticipation Glenn & Mandy, UK Event Safety

On Saturday we lost 4 hours before our first call-out due to a major oil down, leaving time for only one pass instead of two.

Frank Bennett carded 6.793, whilst most others struggled for grip or got tyre shake. The Xtreme Topolino got oh-so- close to the Armco, but just avoided contact. Venom was sidelined with a late discovery of a blower malfunction. Jon Best ran a great full pass, 6.711/209.32, in the Felstead, Best and Lotsabeera nitro burner, to gain his full licence. Due to another left hand lane oildown, only the spectator lane was available for safety reasons, so some pairings became solo’s, unfortunately.

The final qualifying session was at 1.00 on Sunday and 4 pairs fought for the right to be in the Finals shoot-out.

Venom outran Relentless with a wheel carrying 6.902 to a 7.42 from Frank, who got tyre shake causing the chute to deploy at 500 ft. The Mob beat Chaos 8.07 to 8.92, neither run being pretty, with John Wright getting close to the centre-line and lifting off. Xtreme ran against Nuthin’ Fancy, but past the lights Bob experienced severe bouncing causing a front ‘A‘ Arm to shear and a front wheel to depart, pulling him directly across Joe’s path. Quick reactions from Joe as he swung hard right and took to the field, but breaking the lower frame rail in the process – tough luck.

Clayton Round, back after a long absence with new parts in the ‘T’, was 2 seconds off their best, leaving the win to Dave Grabbham, who had a wild, use-all-the-lane ride to record his forwarding progress.

So the final 4 were set. For the 3rd and 4th spots, Clayton was paired against John Wright, Chaos left hard and ran their best-of-the-meet, 6.773 with a 1000ft click-off, to a loosing 7.097 from the Rebel ‘T’.

The Final was a disappointment, Freddy’s Revenge being shut down after the burnout due to a small oil leak, leaving Frank to solo for a win. A little lucky for the Relentless Team as they lost two gears on the pass, with an off-the pace 7.201, but a win is a win and you take whatever you can get in this unpredictable Class.

The weather was great, sunny both days, 46% humidity, 70-80 degs F and corrected altitude of 1440 ft.

First Round on Saturday started with Venom against Nuthin’ Fancy, Joe away first through tyre shake, with Tony having to pedal and shutting of at half track, giving the win to the Nuthin’ Fancy team, 7.478 to 8.467.

Next up, Frank Bennett, back after a two race absence, against John Wright. Frank wasn’t rusty, leaving first with a better reaction time, but at the eighth there was 0.01 in it, with the win going to Relentless, as Chaos was checking out the top end stability on the new combination. John stopped the clocks at 6.516/220.98 and nearly not the car, when the ‘chutes didn’t deploy, to Franks slower, but winning, 6.699/193.80.

Freddy’s Revenge got a bye, with a newly repaired engine and ran a great solo pass, 7.271/186.64.

For the Second Round the pairing was Joe Bond against Frank Bennett. Joe moved first but Frank had it covered, 0.989 to 1.067 at 60ft. A great run by Relentless, 6.654/175.71, off it at 1000ft, with Nuthin’ Fancy moving around at the top end, so Joe shut off and dumped the laundry to bring it back into shape….. a great side-by-side match up.

Tony Betts had a bye as Chaos couldn’t show due to fuel pump problems, but Venom hit the shakes at 60ft, Tony pedalled, tried again, but the car was moving all over his lane, so he wisely shut off.

The Felstead, Best & Lotsabeera Topolino made it’s first attempt at a licensing run, a great burnout but at the hit the performance went away. Early teething troubles, to be expected with a new entry, but the car looked and sounded good and it’s great to have a new nitro entry.

Sunday dawned with repeat good weather, a great track, so expectations were high.

First up, Chaos with a ‘repaired’ fuel pump, staged against Venom. After staging, Tony left before the starter had activated the tree, and John sensed movement and reacted and left, pulling a ‘cherry’. No time for Tony, under the ‘first or worst’ rule, handing the win to Chaos, but a performance drop after a quick pedal indicated that the fuel pump problem was still present.

Next was Freddy’s Revenge against Nuthin’ Fancy, a great race, neck and neck to the stripe, Dave got it, 7.238/188.93 to Joe’s 7.270/186.40.

Then a bye for Relentless, but Frank wasn’t taking it easy, 6.426/191.24 – a new PB and a great run.

For the Final Round, Joe Bond got a bye when Chaos couldn’t show, 7.391/181.37.

The Final, based on the two lowest aggregate ET’s was Relentless against Freddy’s Revenge. Dave out of the hole first by half a car length when Frank ‘snoozed’, but by the 1000ft mark Frank had it in hand to record the victory, 6.571/196.09 to Dave’s 7.172/178.48 – a new PB for the Somerset Team, so some consolation at least.

On this form, Relentless is going to take some beating, 4 consistent mid ‘sixes’ and unbeaten on the day…….

A great weekend of drag racing enjoyed by all the teams, it doesn’t get much better.

The first pass was at around 2.00PM, with Venom staged against Nuthin’ Fancy. Joe was away first, but Tony was reeling him in when there was a thump from Venom, scattering aluminium pieces on the strip, Joe getting the win with a 7.36/189.92 to Tony’s 8.74/94.17.

Next up was Bob Glassup paired against defending champion Paul Wratten in the Dirty Harry car. A super burnout from Paul, but to no avail as, on the green, after a holeshot, tyre shake set in and considerable movement around the lane so off the throttle at half track. The Xtreme Racing Topolino ran straight and true using the new, more powerful engine, but Paul carded the win with an off-the-pace 7.92/118.04 to a faster but loosing 7.22/191.25 from Bob.

John Wright in the Chaos car was on a bye and recorded a 1.1s 60ft time, with 600ft pass of 8.37/106.9 to check out the handling of the new chassis – seemed to be a straight run with no visible problems.

Round 2 was at 5.30PM, by which time the track seemed to be loosing heat.

Tony Betts in the Venom car was sidelined with a very damaged motor, when it had hydrauliced on the previous pass, caused by the clutch not locking up and the revs soaring to 12,000 RPM….nasty.

Joe Bond then staged against Bob Glassup – on the green all eyes were on the Xtreme Topolino as it left hard and headed right, sideswiping the Armco, Bob kept his foot in and did it again before lifting – true Altered antics. Joe took the win, 7.23/195.25 to Bob’s 18.08/31.44.

After repairs to the guardrail and some sweeping up, it was Dirty Harry to run on a bye. On firing up, the blower belt broke, causing a short delay as a new one was fitted. After a long smoky burnout, Paul staged and ran a 0.98s 60ft time, got tyre shake, then fuel out of the headers, so obviously some problems with a 9.39/91.73 pass.

Last to run, on another shakedown pass, predicted to be a half pass, came Chaos, which amply lived up to it’s name. John ran a 1.0s 60ft and as the car left the concrete and onto the tarmac, the left rear slick unloaded and the Topolino headed towards the guardrail on two wheels. John got off the throttle and corrected the car without hitting the Armco, but he said afterwards that he could read the letters GKN on the bolt heads holding the guardrail together. A very close shave and a superb driving job.

Monday dawned to damp and wet conditions, so we were obviously only going to get one other pass, after it cleared at around 3.00PM.

Our class was somewhat decimated with damages, Bob Glassup having to withdraw with a crank in two pieces.

So, just Nuthin’ Fancy versus Dirty Harry for the winner and runner-up spots.

After two good coordinated burnouts, Joe was away first, Paul catching him but weaving all over his lane and pretty close to the guardrail. Joe got to the stripe first and the title with a 7.17/196.22, a new best for Joe at this track, to Paul’s valiant, but loosing 7.50/142.38.

We were done, now to regroup, repair damages and get ready to put on a show at the FIA Main Event at the month end.

The conditions cleared a little by mid Sunday afternoon and we got our first passes for 2009 at around 3.00PM. In spite of the sterling efforts by the Santa Pod track crew, the conditions were such that the traction was limited with little heat in the track – 11.7 degrees C.

The first pairing was Dennis Wratten in Dirty Harry against Tony Betts driving the re-vinyl wrapped Venom 2. Unfortunately, Dennis had a throttle problem and had to shut off and be pushed back, leaving Venom on a bye. Fighting for grip, Tony ran a 13.01/63.05, but with a 60ft of 1.01s.

Freddy’s Revenge then squared up to Nuthin’ Fancy, but Dave Grabham had to shut off after the burnout due to a leak, leaving Joe Bond to solo to a 8.04/116.85. Joe recorded a 1.06s time at the 60ft mark, albeit using both lanes and taking out the 330ft reflector, before getting back into his lane.

A re-match was then arranged between Dirty Harry and Freddy’s Revenge, but Dave had to shut off again before staging with another leak. Dennis soloed, having ran a 0.99s 60ft time, then tyre shake pushed the car into the other lane, so no time was recorded.

Next up was The Mob versus Relentless – 11.84 to 8.13 from Frank Bennett. Jim was off the throttle at 300ft, audibly pedalling the loud pedal in an attempt to get traction.

Then Bob Glassup, on a bye, in the newly re-engined Xtreme Racing Topolino, making a welcome return to the tracks. At the hit, a 1.11s 60ft, the car getting close to the wall, but Bob stayed in it, guiding the car back to the centre of the lane, to record a fine 7.44/181.37 – nice run in the conditions.

Last up was Chaos, John Wright at the wheel, for the first pass since the repairs. A nice burnout, then a 1.04 to 60ft, drifting right, pedalling, off the throttle and recording a 10.05/82.88 in the lights.

Our 5.00 PM slot was delayed until nearly 9.00PM, with little light and even less traction as the temperature dropped.

Venom was on a bye, 7.50/132.82 into the dark, lifting at 800ft.

Frank Bennett and Bob Glassup then performed a couple of good burnouts, considering the conditions. On the green it was a 9.46/98.36 for Frank to a loosing 10.26/98.84 for Bob, both feathering the throttles and hanging on as long as they dared.

Dave Grabham was next, paired against Dennis Wratten. The Dirty Harry Topolino gave a tremendous and brave run into the gloom, 1.00 to 60ft, 6.73/192.84 at the stripe to Freddy’s Revenge 8.42/141.34.

Chaos then had a bye, but instant spin and tyre smoke at the hit, as the cars’ power overcame the track.

Easter Monday dawned better with dry, but not warm, conditions.

Our 3rd slot, to determine the final 4, started with Venom against Dirty Harry. Dennis had to shut off with a Lenco problem, leaving Tony to solo for a bye and what a run – 1.00 to 60ft and 6.50/221.84 at the finish – a good looking pass with a strong top-end charge.

Then Freddy’s Revenge against Nuthin’ Fancy, both getting out of shape and pedalling, usual Fuel Altered antics, Joe getting the best of it, 7.23/187.26 to Dave’s 8.41/169.11.

The Xtreme Racing Topolino lost it’s forward gears after backing up, so leaving Relentless to solo for a bye – a fine 6.90/184.32, a new PB for the Team.

A no-show for Chaos due to clutch problems, so the final 4 were set, Nuthin’ Fancy v Freddy’s Revenge for the 3rd & 4th run-off and Venom v Relentless for Winner and Runner-Up spots.

At around 6.00 PM, the cars squared up for the Finals, starting with the run-off for the 3rd & 4th places. Both Joe and Dave had difficult, wandering runs, Freddy with a lot of smoke at half track and a hard right towards Joe, who saw him coming and backed off early, both cars suffering engine damages.

For the Finals, after good burnouts, Frank Bennett read the lights to perfection, taking the win with a 6.63/181.22 to Tony Betts’ tyre shaking 7.46/129.37.

A good win for the Relentless Team and yet another PB.

Dirty Harry IV had been pushed back to cool down and run later, but still within the session.Next up, Havoc against Relentless, the first time that Frank Bennett had run the Topolino in it’s new configuration at Santa Pod.So…….period perfect Bantam versus new generation nostalgia fuel altered…..The usual long smokey burnout from Nick Davies in Havoc was started and went on and on until track, when Nick pulled over and parked the car. Turned out that a nozzle hadblocked, causing a piston to hole and leaving a small oil down in the lane.Relentless, meanwhile, had shut-off and pushed back until after the clear-up. Soon after, Frank was able to fire-up, stage and run a shake-down pass of 7.614/133.58 with the new combination.Last up was the new Venom 2, shoed by Tony Betts, on a bye. This was the first time out at Santa Pod for the full-bodied car and on the green, Tony fought it to a tyre-shaking 8.347/106.17, having to back-off before half-track due to the effects of the vibration.

The second round was run at 7.30PM into a darkening sunset sky. Joe Bond had a bye-run, but didn’t take it easy, carding a new PB of 7.062/196.28.The next pairing was Venom against Relentless. Tony got to the stripe first with an improving 7.265/153.58 to Frank Bennetts troubled 9.406/90.78, having encountered valve train problems, sidelining the Team for the rest of the event.Then the two championship leaders squared off – Havoc v Dirty Harry IV….Into the darkening skies they thundered, side by side, the win light going to Paul 7.219/185.83 to Nicks 7.400/201.40.Havoc went off the end of the track, when the brakes failed, for a spot of gardening. When Nick finally stopped in the field, he was surprised to be surrounded by lights and his first thought was that the track had set this up as part of the low light availability. However, when he looked around, he was stunned to see that the light was from a tractor that was ploughing the field, advancing on him at a rate of knots !Sunday was a little misty, but the sun soon burned it off and proceedings commenced with only a small delay.Now down to only two pairs, first up was Venom against Dirty Harry IV, but drivers having agreed to try to stay in their own lanes……At the hit, both cars left hard, but both had to be corrected as they moved about the lanes and a pedal-fest ensued. Tony took the win with a 7.065/167.17 to Paul’soff-the-pace 8.089/156.70.

Then the final pairing of Nuthin’ Fancy against Havoc. On the green they both left together, Nick carrying the front wheels for a good 300 yards, but just loosing to Joe’s even better PB, 6.857/198.66 to Nick’s 8.405/136.86.First time into the ‘sixes’ for Joe, a tremendous achievement for the first of the ‘new generation’ to record a sub-seven second run.Unfortunately, the run trashed the clutch in a comprehensive fashion, so the Nuthin’ Fancy Team were out of competition, but ending the Season on a ‘high’.So to the Semis and Finals, only 3 left as the attrition took its toll.The aggregate times meant that Havoc were in third place, on a bye, as Nuthin’ Fancy couldn’t make the call.Nick boiled the hides for 100ft from the tree, but then there was a ‘pop’ as the manifold burst panel decided that it had decided that enough was enough, so ending the Teams meeting.The Finals were between Venom (first time for a nitro car into the finals) and the ever consistent Dirty Harry IV. The tension was high as they both staged after impressive burn-outs.At the hit, Paul stamped his authority on the National Finals with a fine win, 6.870/195.02 to Tony’s 7.297/153.58.The win for the Wratten Brothers also consolidated the Series points lead, giving the 2008 Series title to the Essex team.

Driving cross-winds, bitter cold, rain, sleet and snow characterised the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.A warm welcome was extended to Bjorn Martensson and ‘The Dog’ Team from Sweden. They only received the car from the USA, two weeks before the event and had changes to make, such as a new roll-cage, before they arrived at Santa Pod. Bjorn’s objective was to commence his observed licensing runs, but due to the weather and other technical difficulties, that was not possible. We hope to see this AA/FA again, for further meetings this year.

For all the other teams it was a time to catch up after the Winter break, bench race and keep warm.

It was nice to see the Bennett family on Saturday and all good wishes go to Luke who is enduring a course of chemo.

The final day, Monday, was marginally better, but with little heat in the track. The Wratten Brothers in their BB/FA were the only ones to put in a pass, a 7.119/187.97, which was excellent, given the conditions.

For the rest of us, it’s a case of getting even better prepared for the SpringSpeed meeting, May 3rd-5th at Shakespeare County.

A toast was raised to honour ‘the ladies’, who do so much to help all the racers have their few seconds of glory.

Sponsors and Guests included Les and Maureen Downey from Lucas Oil UK, John and Debbie Price from C.C.Flint Insurance, Phil, Bev and Rebecca Evans from the MSA, Andy and Kate Robinson from Robinson Racecars, Nick, Rob and Nigel from ICE Automotive, Darren Prentice from Santa Pod and Bruno on behalf of Shakespeare County Raceway.

The NFAA had a letter of appreciation from Keith Bartlett, CEO of Santa Pod, who had prior commitments, ably and wittily read by the loquacious John Price.

Trophies for achievement were awarded to Jim Usher for The Mob’s first ‘six’; Joe Bond for Most Promising Newcomer and Tony Betts for the lowest E.T. run by an NFAA Member in 2006.Jim Usher was re-presented with two other trophies, the first for ‘Best Newcomer’, ably presented by Darren on behalf of the SPRC and the second, presented by Bruno, on behalf of Shakespeare County Raceway for ‘Outstanding Achievement’.

The season-long NFAA Points Championship was won by Clayton Round (Rebel ‘T’), for the second year running, gaining a glass trophy and a cheque for 3000.00.The runner-up trophy and a cheque for 2000.00 was awarded to Frank Bennett (Bennett Racing), who kept Clayton ‘honest’ all season long.The third piece of glassware and a cheque for 1000.00 went to Bob Glassup (Xtreme Racing), the second year he had picked up a trophy.

The evening was enjoyed by all, with convivial company, plenty of ‘bench racing’, superb food and entertainment in the form of a ‘close magic’ prestidigitator who circulated amongst the throng, finishing with a DJ and Disco.The surprise of the evening was to see ‘The Mob’ Team in dinner jackets, the dress code having been ‘smart casual’… maybe they thought that it was possible to garner ‘best appearing crew’ points, to start the 2007 Season ?The bar did a roaring trade ‘till well after 2.00AM, yet many used the pool and gym facilities on Sunday morning, before appearing remarkablybright-eyed and bushy tailed for breakfast !

The event was judged to be a great success and bodes well for the Teams in 2007, in their chase for this seasons Championship.