The Easter Thunderball


		The Easter Thunderball - Santa Pod - 2000

	As soon as the Grand Prix was changed to the Easter weekend it was odds on the weather would be bad, and boy, was it bad. Weeks of heavy rain preceded the Easter weekend and the forecast was bad . Saturday Saturday morning it poured down we went up the pod about eleven had a walk round the pits and went home and then ended up in Milton Keynes shopping thank you weather. Some qualifying did take place before it rained some more. Sunday What no rain ! We were up the pod by nine. There was some good racing, a lot of oil downs and, yes, some more rain. Many teams were having problems, maybe because it was the first race of the year for many of them. It was good to see seven top methanol cars entered. Rob Turner and Dave Wilson both qualified with 5 sec runs and Lindsey Duecher was in at 3 with a 6.3 in his very low budget rail. Also entered were a team from Malta running 6.3s. Steph Milam was completing observed runs in a Methanol Funny car. Although the team was a welcome addition early indications show that they have along way to go before than can become competitive. However we wish them luck! So on to the first two rounds of the Pro Fuel Shoot Out. This pitted Top Fuel Dragsters against Funny Cars who had a 0.4 sec handicap in their favor. A good idea but with Top Fuel rookie Peter Beck on observed runs and both Barry Sheavills and John Spuffard testing new equipment in this, the first race of the season, there was never going to be full side by side races. But never the less it was entertaining and good to see Fuel Cars again after the long Winter break. Hopefully next year with a few more entries it could become a good start to the season.

New Top Fuel driver Peter Beck.

This is how the first two rounds went.
Rd 1. Spuffard (6.35 124) V Sheavills (6.09 146). Both cars shut of early and Barry managed to wait .4 sec after Spuff had left. Something that he had been concerned about before the race. Beck (No Show) V Smith (7.71 117). Beck didn't make this round after an earlier practice run. Smith shut of after getting close to the wall.
Rd 2. Beck (6.56) V Spuffard (6.10). Both shut of early after good launches. These were the only two to make Rd 2. The times from these two rounds and one tomorrow would be added together and the fastest two would meet in the final.

The rest of Sunday was taken up with qualifying, and very good it was to. Special mention should go to new Funny Car driver Smax Smith...who after putting in two observed runs to update his license looked very competent. The day finished about seven thirty and we left hoping for good weather on Monday.

Monday

We got to the Pod just before nine hoping to get a parking spot close to the road and not in the middle of the muddy car park!! We heard on the radio that they were queuing on to the M1 to get into Silverstone....the fools!!! Well the sun was shining when we parked......but then it rained......then the sun came out and despite great efforts from the track crew we were within 10 minutes of starting and it rained again!!! Very disappointing for all concerned. Racing finally started at about two, to every ones relief!!

Round 1 of Top Methanol went as follows..... Dave Wilson took the win over Dutchman Lex Joon. Lindsey Duecher beat Doug Bond in his ex-Barry Sheavills car. In the last pair John Eull from Malta beat Rob Turner with a best ever for the team...a great 6.03, but due to a start line problem a re-run was ordered, with the team from Malta unable to repair the damage from their last run and the semi being a bye run Rob Turner staged.....got a green light for the rerun win.....he then backed up, restaged and ran to go through to the final....confusing, it was!!! The other semi saw Deucher run her first ever 5 to defeat Dave Wilson who had the steering break after terrible tire shake. In the final Duecher was unable to make the call so at 8.45 pm with the 9pm curfew looming it started to rain....so Rob Turner took the win by staging....getting the green light and then shutting down, not the ideal way to win!!!!

Top Methanol winner Rob Turner.

ProFuel Shootout
Rd 3. Peter Beck (7.26) V Gordon Smith (6.12). Smith won but suffered major engine damage. Beck had his blower let go at half track. Barry Sheavills (Broke) V John Spuffard (5.58). Barry was shutdown after his burnout when the engine started sounding like it was backfiring. John won with a terrific run.... when standing on the bank you could feel the vibration, had he not shut off at about 1000 feet he may well have run a 5.2 or 5.3...... it was easily the best run of the shootout. This gave us a final of Spuffard V Beck.

ProFuel Shootout Final
Beck could not repair his car in time so Spuffard soloed to the event win, but not without suffering a clutch explosion at mid track with sparks like a firework trailing from the back of the car. It must have been an expensive event for the fuel teams!!

The sportsman classes put on a great show with some good racing. Smax Smith completed his fuel car observed runs with a good 1000 foot pass, if they can not damage too many parts and find some more funding I think they can become a force in funny car. Finally congratulations should be given to the hard working track crew, the racers, and the spectators, for sticking with the event despite the bad weather. With only a few finals to run it rained and with only minutes to go to the nine o'clock curfew that was it....so we went home......tired.......slightly damp but looking foreword to a dry main event!!!

Observations.

The new temporary toilets are a great improvement on the old ones, they even have hot water.....just a shame no one filled up the towel dispenser!!!! However, I thought that it was announced that they gained planning permission for a permanent block last year but according to the program they are still waiting for final permission!!! I know money has been spent on the track, barriers, new return road etc and that money must be tight, but to Joe public the place must look very shabby, but without the cash it's difficult to see how to speed up the slow progress...