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Nostalgia Nationals June 20 - 21

Wild Bunch ResultsNostalgia Nationals20th - 21st June Wild Bunch Series Round 2. Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series Round 4. Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series Round 1.
The 'Nostalgia Nationals' was the 4th event of the WB season. It was Round 2 of the Wild Bunch Series, Round 4 of the Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series and Roy Wilding Nostalgia Race Cars Series Round 1. There was a fantastic field of 23 Wild Bunch cars participating: 7 Altereds, 15 Slingshots (1 Coupe) and 1 Funny Car
Wild Bunch Points
PosWBDriver/TeamCarPoints
14Keith CramptonSoultown Shaker9
23Team 'B-Sting'B-Sting7
341Tom LarmanThe Ferret6
467Darryl HowellsChemical Reaction5
52Bob HawkinsTimetraveller II4
-8Mark CoulsellBallbreaker4
-17Team GAS RacingTiki Munki4
-30Mick HillierTexas Ranger4
-35Dick SharpDorset Horn4
-39Jason Cull and Martin WhitePerfect Pete4
-69Alan LotenParanoia4
-73Mike CouchChequered Past4
-86Jim TannerShindigger4
-101Steve EastEllies in Trouble Now4
-111Dan SharpLittle Big Horn4
-112Matt FullerOblivion4
1720Rob & Pete BrownWrathchild3
-22Bradley CooperBack from the Past3
-76Team Black PigThe Black Pig Too3
2025Terry CliffordRatcatcher Resurrection2
-77Andy StonesYellow Slingshot2
2264Russ HeavenTight Fit1
-132Danny JonesRagin Cajun1
Spot Prizes
WBTeam/DriverCarDetail
Closest To Dial-In41Tom LarmanThe Ferret0.001 off
Best Reaction41Tom LarmanThe Ferret0.107
Best Altered30Mick HillierTexas Ranger
Best Slingshot2Bob HawkinsTimetraveller II
Best Appearing Team111Dan SharpLittle Big Horn
Best Burnout2Bob HawkinsTimetraveller II
Most Improved ET77Andy StonesYellow Slingshot-0.784
NSRA "Quickest WB Car"2Bob HawkinsTimetraveller II6.918
The weather was off and on wet on the Saturday, and though the track crew worked hard and dried the track several times, not much racing took place. Only 5 of the Wild Bunch teams managed to make a run. Sunday dawned dry and remained that way all day! Due to the lack of practice on Saturday, it was decided to run the first round as a practice round and this took place at 10:30am. We then got our first round in about 1:30pm. The next round followed around 3:30pm and the third took place at about 4:40pm and was finished by 4:55pm! Throughout the weekend 15 drivers ran Personal Best E.T.s and/or Speeds. A new Wild Bunch class ET record was set by Bob Hawkins, who ran his first ever 6-second pass! Congratulations Bob! Well done to all those who ran PB's!
WB 2 Bob Hawkins was in his fourth event of the season with the Wild Bunch in his 'Time Traveller II' slingshot. He had done a lot of work again since the last event, rebuilding his big motor after the damage at Springspeed, and re-installing it in his rail. He did not make a run on Saturday, though had queued. He put in a checkout pass of 7.847 at 164.86mph in the practice session on Sunday. The team then dialled in at an impressive 6.99!! On the first round Barry Bohannon was really building up the commentary and speculating when Bob would run his first '6'. Well we didn't have long to wait, as Bob succeeded in his goal and ran a spectacular 6.918 at 197.48mph!!!!!! Yeehah!! Huge Congratulations to Bob and the whole team on this great achievement!! Very well-deserved! This was also obviously the new Wild Bunch E.T. record!! It also earnt him a trophy from the NSRA for 'Quickest Wild Bunch Car' of the event! (And for the third event in a row at Shakey, he had the quickest car overall at the event!). In the second round his run was somewhat squirrely, so a bit slower at 7.231 at 185.17mph. He then improved again, and put in another stormer of 7.055 at 183.34mph in the third round. However, there had been a little smoke at the top end, and this turned out to be a torched head, and a minimum of valve damage. Bob will take the car home and investigate again, so is sure to come back out at next week's 'Summer Nationals' at the Pod with either the 'A' engine or the 'B' engine! Bob was chuffed to be awarded the 'Best Burnout' Spot Prize for his strong and very long smoky burnouts. He was also deservedly awarded the 'Best Slingshot' Spot Prize by the commentary team assisted by public vote. He also finished in a creditable 7th place!
WB 3 Bob Morgan was again in the hotseat of the 'B-Sting' altered for his second event of the season. He did not get a pass in on Saturday, though in the practice round Sunday recorded a 10.271 at 131.84mph, a new Personal Best Speed. The team therefore decided on a Dial-in of 10.27 for Sunday! Bob began well with a new Personal Best ET of 10.214 at 131.47mph in Round 1. He followed this with a 10.285 at 129.39mph in the second round. He improved again to a 10.223 at 130.87mph in Round 3, and with this overall consistency finished in 2nd place. Another great showing!
WB 4 saw Keith Crampton fresh from a win at the last event with his 'Soul Town Shaker' slingshot. Keith made a pass of 11.13 at 116.99mph on the Saturday. He put in a run of 11.307 at 116.06mph for his test run Sunday. He dialled in at 11.08 for the rounds and started well, with an 11.046 at 117.56mph. He followed this with a strong 11.062 at 117.09mph in the second round. He then recorded his quickest pass of the weekend, an 11.027 at 117.76mph in the third round. Keith won an event for the second time in a row this year! Many Congratulations, Keith, fair play! He has extended his lead in the Wild Bunch Series and is also now leading the Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series.
WB 8 Mark Coulsell was back in the Limited Funz 'Ballbreaker' slingshot for his first event of the year! The team had started off complete but unfortunately crew chief Steve had to leave Saturday, as his and Anna's little girl Ada was unwell. (Wishing you lots of love and Get Well Soon Ada!) This weekend, Dad Ian had brought up his 40's truck to act as tow car. The team were also assisted with crewing by Scott Hauser. Mark began Sunday with a very hairy burnout, followed by an even hairier run where he nearly crossed the centreline just after the tree! He recorded an 11.403 at a pretty big speed of 145.25mph. The team dialled in more-or-less blind, at 8.70, for the rounds. In Round 1 Mark put in a much straighter and better run of 9.115 at 150.28mph. He then recorded his first 8 of the season, an 8.926 at 150.63mph in Round 2. In Round 3 he posted an 8.809 at a new Personal Best Speed of 153.41mph. He finished in 10th place overall, and was chuffed to be back out racing!
WB 17 Gina Durrant was in the hotseat for her second event of the season in the 'Tiki Munki' slingshot coupe. On the Friday afternoon, the team had rebuilt the head with the assistance of Mark Hartnell, and done some tuning in the hopes of improving the car's performance. Gina made one run Saturday of 15.3 seconds, so there was more head investigation to be done. This turned out to be a carb problem, which they sorted, and Gina made a much better pass of 13.203 at 96.95mph in the practice session Sunday. The team dialled in at 13.05 on Sunday. Gina's first round pass netted a 13.554 at 97.47mph, with a problem with a gear change. Her second round pass was a slightly quicker 13.496 at 94.90mph. She then posted a 13.565 at 95.12mph pass in Round 3. Gina finished in 14th place overall. She is now joint 4th in the Wild Bunch Series.
WB 20 Rob Brown had the first turn of the weekend in his and brother Pete's 'Wrathchild' slingshot. He posted an 11.856 at 112.97mph in practice on the Saturday. Pete then took the wheel for Sunday's practice run and recorded a new Personal Best ET for him of 11.467 at the car's best speed of 116.96mph. The team then dialled in at 11.55. Rob was back in the hotseat for Round 1 and recorded an 11.864 at 113.90mph. The team had to fix a slight problem after the run, and were initially shut down on the next run, but managed to make the run within the round, though posted a slower 13.229 at 97.42mph. The team then had to sit out the next round with a minor rocker box problem, which will be easily sorted by the next event.
WB 22 Bradley Cooper was in his first Wild Bunch event of the season in his and Dad Ken 'Mr Flathead' Cooper's 'Back from the past' slingshot. This weekend, the team were assisted by a friend who brought a Model Y to act as push car for the slingshot. This sported a nice metal push pad with a large 'WB 22' on the front. The whole combination looked great! Bradley did not make a run on Saturday, but put in a practice run of 12.878 at 116.26mph on Sunday. The team then dialled in at 11.75. Bradley began the rounds with a much quicker 11.489 at a new Personal Best Speed of 119.69mph. He then followed this with a new Personal Best Speed and ET of 11.284 at 121.13mph, his first time over 120! Fair play! Dad was well chuffed with that one!! Unfortunately they had to miss the third round, but the whole team had thoroughly enjoyed the event!!
WB 25 Terry Clifford was in his third event of the season in his 'Ratcatcher Resurrection' slingshot. He did not make a run on Saturday, though put in a good practice run of 9.254 at 149.85mph on Sunday. The team therefore chose 9.25 as their Dial-in. Terry blitzed this on the first round run, recording a 9.015 at 151.94mph pass! His best run of the year so far! Unfortunately, when trying to fire up for the second round, there were problems with the starter motor and gear, and he could not start the car! Such a shame as it was running so well. The team are sure to sort this and be back out raring to go at next weekend's 'Summer Nationals' event!
WB 30 Mick Hillier arrived early Sunday morning with his 'Texas Ranger' altered. He made the one test run that morning and recorded a 9.909 at 130.36mph pass. He then dialled in at 9.80 for the rounds. His first round run was a 9.863 at 132.54mph, so a good start. He followed this with a 9.846 at 131.37mph, so even better. He then posted a 9.881 at 132.55mph in the third round, very near his best ever speed. He finished in 6th place overall. He was awarded the 'Best Altered' Spot Prize by the commentary team assisted by public voting. So a good weekend for the team all round!
WB 35 saw Dick Sharp back with the Bunch in the 'Dorset Horn' altered for his second event of the year, after having worked on the car due to some problems at the last event. Crew chief Terry was away, so he had extra help from a few people, including being towed by Dan's fiancée Sammy, and assisted by Scott and Joey. He did not make a pass on Saturday, but put in a good practice run of 9.442 at 144.83mph. Dick and the team dialled in at 9.20 for Sunday's rounds. Dick's first pass was a better 9.126 at 151.27mph! His second round pass was even better at 9.022 at 152.09mph. The car was launching so strongly at the weekend. Then, just as he was about to stage in the third round, the parachute fell out! He was pushed back by the team who quickly started to repack it, and Dick made it as the very last car in the Wild Bunch session. It was well worth the effort, as he recorded an 8.907 at 152.66mph. Fair play to the crew and Dick! He finished in 9th place overall.
WB 39 saw Martin White and Jason Cull again sharing driving duties in the 'Perfect Pete' slingshot. They made one practice pass on the Saturday. Martin then put in a run of 10.783 at 108.69mph in the practice run Sunday. The team dialled in at 10.52 for Sunday's rounds. They began with a good 10.548 at 113.17mph in Round 1. Martin followed this with a new Personal Best ET of 10.376 at 109.42mph in the second round. For the third round run, Jason recorded a 10.505 at 113.50mph, near his best ET. The team finished a very strong 5th overall. So we are sure to see them in the Top 4 sometime soon!
WB 41 Tom Larman was in his second event with the Wild Bunch this year, fresh from a strong 2nd place after his first event for some time. He put in a run of 10.430 at 121.50mph in the practice round. Then Craig dialled him in at 10.45 for the rounds. This was a great choice as Tom then ran a Wild Bunch 'Closest to Dial-in' of 10.451 at 122.73mph, just a thousandth off! He then ran a quicker 10.397 at a new Personal Best Speed of 123.65mph in the second round. He went event quicker and faster in the last, posting a 10.369 at another PB Speed of 124.00mph even. Tom finished in 3rd place overall, so another great result!
WB 64 Russ Heaven was in his second event of the season with his 'Tight Fit' slingshot. He had recently received new parts from the States for his fuel injection system and had hopes of curing the previous fuel flow problems. The team worked on finishing the set up on Saturday, and got ready for Sunday. In the test round, Russ had problems with the car cutting out and eventually idled up the track to a 17-second pass. The team adjusted the setup and this looked promising, but unfortunately they found the starter motor had broken in two! They borrowed some parts from Mark Coulsell, and were nearly sorted, but then found that the fuel pump had given up! Such a shame! But we hear that a new pump has since arrived, so better luck next time to the team!
WB 67 Darryl Howells was in his 3rd event of the season with his 'Chemical Reaction' slingshot. He made a pass of 9.256 at 139.19mph in the practice session Sunday. The team then dialled in at 9.18 for the rounds. Darryl then recorded a 9.256 at 139.19mph pass in the first round. He followed this with a closer 9.212 at 139.27mph in the second. His third round pass was his quickest of the weekend, a 9.109 at 141.43mph, and he then posted a 9.218 at 138.56mph in the fourth round. He finished in 4th place overall for the weekend, so was chuffed to be back in the Top 4.
WB 69 Alan Loten was in his 3rd Wild Bunch event of the season in the 'Paranoia' altered. The team were hoping to make more progress since banishing more gremlins at the previous event. Alan did not make a pass on Saturday, though made a run of 9.568 at 139.05mph in the test round. The team dialled in at 9.48 for the rounds. Alan began very well with a 9.465 at 138.35mph in Round 1. He then ran quicker in the second round, posting a 9.375 at 136.91mph. In the third round, he recorded a new Personal Best ET of 9.340 at 133.34mph, which was great to see! However, it had been a red light which he was drawn into by his opponent leaving before the tree! Great form though!
WB 73 Mike Couch was in his second event with the Wild Bunch this year in his 'Chequered Past' slingshot. He did not run on Saturday, and put in a test pass of 10.330 at 134.41mph in the practice round. The team dialled in at 9.90 for the rounds. Mike posted a 9.833 at 135.33mph in the first round. He then recorded a big new Personal Best ET of 9.446 at 135.82mph in Round 2. He again lowered his PB in the third round, posting a strong 9.326 at 136.75mph. Mike had gone quicker and quicker, so being further off his Dial-in, in a good way! He finished in 12th place overall.
WB 76 Steve Field was raring to go in his and Lesley's 'Black Pig Too' slingshot. He did not make a run on Saturday. He staged for the practice run Sunday, but had a slight brake problem so did not make the run. The team dialled in at 9.50 for the rounds. He promptly went out and ran a new Personal Best ET of 9.257 at a new best speed of 148.01mph in Round 1! Fair play! In the second round, he recorded his first ever 8-second pass, deep into the 8's with an 8.878 at 148.44mph. Many Congratulations to Steve and Lesley on this achievement! A long time coming and very well-deserved!! Unfortunately, the car had a slight problem after this so Steve did not take part in the third round, but the whole team were chuffed with the weekend's performance. Well done to them!!
WB 77 Andy Stones was in his second Wild Bunch event with his yellow slingshot. He had made good progress throughout his debut event with the car, and he and Cathrine were looking forward to the race. Andy did not make a run on Saturday. On his first run of the weekend, in the test round, he recorded a massive new Personal Best ET and Speed of 11.290 at 127.36mph!! A betterment of .784 of a second over his previous best, and earning him the 'Most Improved ET' trophy! Well done, Andy! On his second round pass, he had a problem with the brakes, and redlit, and slowed to a 12.692 at 110.76mph. He then had to sit out the third round to take the car home and cure the problem. He and Cathrine thoroughly enjoyed watching the Wild Bunch run the last round and said that the whole group looked really impressive! So we look forward to them being part of it next time!
WB 86 Jim Tanner was back for his second race with the Wild Bunch in his 'Shindigger' slingshot. He did not get to make a run on the Saturday. His test pass run on Sunday was an 11.205 at a new Personal Best Speed of 121.40mph. He then dialled in at 11.00 even. He was real close on his first round pass, recording a 10.995 at another best speed of 122.64mph, putting him in second place at that point, another good early showing. He then went much quicker in Round 2 and 3, posting runs of 10.788 at a PB speed of 123.46mph and 10.713 at another PB Speed of 126.73mph. Fair play! He finished in 8th place overall for the event.
WB 101 Steven East was also on his second Wild Bunch event of the season in the 'Ellie's in Trouble Now' slingshot, ably assisted by his crew, son Joshua. He did not run Saturday, but recorded a 10.265 at 139.28mph in the practice round Sunday. He dialled in at 10.10 for the rounds. He recorded a 10.009 at 134.51mph in the first round, and was astounded that the quality of the Wild Bunch field meant he was then only in 13th place, with being less than a tenth of a second off Dial! He then posted a slower 11.012 at 81.78mph in the second round. On his third round run, he really hooked up well and ran a fantastic new Personal Best ET of 9.757 at 135.92mph! Well done! He finished in 13th place overall for the weekend and was chuffed with how well the car ran.
WB 111 Dan Sharp was running at his first Wild Bunch event of the year in the team's 'Little Big Horn' altered, after having sorted out the diff breakage from last season. Dan did not make a run on Saturday, and the team were still getting everything ship shape. Dan made a practice run Sunday of 10.033 and posted a new Personal Best Speed of 136.43mph. The team dialled in at 9.82 for the rounds. Dan's fiancée Sammy was acting as backup girl again, and was wearing white thigh high boots and a fab 60's style blue dress with orange trim to match the car, and looked gorgeous!! Dan's first round run was a new Personal Best ET and Speed of 9.829 at 138.69mph! He followed this with another PB ET of 9.813 at 138.09mph. But on his third round run there was a slight problem and he ended up leaving before the tree ran and not recording a time! Such a shame as he had been on course for a Top 4 finish! Better luck next time, Dan! The whole team were voted as Wild Bunch 'Best appearing team' by the commentators and public choice. Well done to all!
WB 112 Matt Fuller was running his 'Oblivion' funny car in his second event of the season. Matt made one run on Saturday of 10.838 at 126.87mph. He then put in a practice pass of 10.817 at 113.28mph in the test session on Sunday, albeit with a red light. The team dialled in at 10.50 for the rounds on Sunday. In Round 1, he posted a 10.775 at a new Personal Best Speed of 130.11mph, his first time over the 130 mark! He then ran far quicker, with a 10.253 at another PB speed of 130.13mph. His third round pass was slower again at 10.929 at 129.79mph. He finished in 11th place.
WB 132 saw the welcome return of Danny and Elliott Jones with their Bantam-bodied 'Ragin Cajun' altered, after around 6 years off. They did not make a pass on Saturday and were still doing some final checks on the car. They put in a test run of 19.274 at 21.83mph in the first round. They came out for the second round and unfortunately could not start the car so did not make the round. They later went out for another test pass. Although they did not make the third round, they had made progress this weekend, so best of luck to them on improving on this at the next event.
Congratulations to Keith and the 'Soul Town Shaker' team on another win! This was accompanied by £50 prize money, courtesy of Scot Durrant of 'Scottie's Vehicle Transportation' on movinghotrods.co.uk . Many thanks to Scottie for this kind sponsorship! And congrats to Bob, Tom and Darryl for their Top 4 places. Well done to the big field of Wild Bunch on the great close competition, well-presented cars and teams, and a fantastic show! Huge thanks to all the marshals, officials, fire and track crews at Shakey for their hard work and organisation. Many thanks to all!

We are now really looking forward to the fifth Spirit of Nostalgia Series round and third Springbridge MSA Challenge round, next weekend at the 'Summer Nationals' at Santa Pod on 27th & 28th June!!