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WB Spring Shootout at Late Spring Madness May 14 - 15
Wild Bunch ResultsSpring Shootout14th - 15th May
Wild Bunch Series Round 1.
Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series Round 3.
The 'Spring Shootout' was the 3rd event of the WB season. It was the first round of the Wild Bunch Series, in our 21st Anniversary year, and Spirit of Nostalgia Challenge Series Round 3, and we had a field of 15 Wild Bunch cars: 4 Altereds, 8 Slingshots, 1 rear-engined dragster and 2 funny cars, though commiserations to Dave Rowlands who was going to join in with the 'Destiny's Angel' altered but discovered cracks in the heads. Hope he can fix that soon and be back with the Bunch!
Special awards of cash prizes, kindly donated by anonymous donors:-
Hard luck awards: Team Ratchet Strap breaking a camshaft on WB debut of 'Cheap Thrills' slingshot; and Michael Kenway for gearbox problems on his WB debut in 'Grease Monkey'; and Jim Tanner in the 'Shindigger' trashing his block
Great start awards, stars of the show: Phil James and team for quickly getting a handle on the nitrous setup on 'Rampage' and deep into the 8's! Sag and team for having a stellar weekend with a string of 8-second PB's, a Top 4 placing and a consistent weekend with 'Daddy Cool'!
| Wild Bunch Points | ||||
| Pos | WB | Driver/Team | Car | Points |
| 1 | 2 | Team 'B-Sting' | B-Sting | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Keith Crampton | Soul Town Shaker | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | Tom Larman | The Ferret | 7 |
| 4 | 72 | Dave Southworth | Daddy Cool | 6 |
| 5 | 20 | Rob & Pete Brown | Wrathchild | 5 |
| - | 66 | Team Rachet Strap | Cheap Thrills | 5 |
| - | 67 | Darryl Howells | Chemical Reaction | 5 |
| - | 69 | Alan Loten | Paranoia | 5 |
| - | 76 | Team Black Pig | The Black Pig Too | 5 |
| - | 77 | Andy Stones | Stoned | 5 |
| - | 112 | Matt Fuller | Oblivion | 5 |
| 12 | 4 | Phil James | Rampage | 4 |
| - | 91 | Bob Hawkins | Time Traveller II | 4 |
| 14 | 86 | Jim Tanner | Shindigger | 3 |
| 15 | 13 | Michael Kenway | Grease Monkey | 1 |
| Spot Prizes | ||||
| WB | Team/Driver | Car | Detail | |
| Closest To Dial-In | 3 | Tom Larman | The Ferret | 0.001 off |
| Best Reaction | 91 | Bob Hawkins | Time Traveller II | 0.037 |
| Best Altered | 69 | Alan Loten | Paranoia | |
| Best Slingshot | 20 | Rob & Pete Brown | Wrathchild | |
| Best Appearing Car | 77 | Andy Stones | Stoned | |
| Best Burnout | 91 | Bob Hawkins | Time Traveller II | |
| The weather forecast was totally dry for the weekend! Saturday began nice and many teams got in at least 3 runs. Sunday was dry again and there was loads of track time and we completed all 4 rounds of racing! Throughout the weekend a total of 5 drivers ran Personal Best E.T.'s and 4 ran PB Speeds with some amazing individual performances! Overall, it was a great show from the Bunch!! This weekend we were trialling an addition to the DRAG system, whereby Reaction times were also factored in, so basically the average reaction time over the 4 rounds was added to the average difference to Dial-in, and the lowest total was the winner, and so on. There were NO red lights Sunday! | |
| WB 1 | Keith Crampton was in his second event of the season with his 'Soul Town Shaker' slingshot. He made 3 runs on Saturday, beginning with an 11.380 at 115.28mph. He followed this with an 11.242 at 112.64mph and a troubled 19.778 at 43mph. He dialled in at 11.20 for the rounds on Sunday, and began with a strong bid with an 11.210 at 116.60mph. His second round run netted a solid 11.183 at 116.56mph. On the third run he recorded an 11.395 at 115.96mph, and closed with his quickest run of the weekend, an 11.138 at 116.56mph. His reaction times were all under two tenths. Keith finished in 2nd place, a good start to his title defence. |
| WB 2 | Bob Morgan was taking his first turn of the year in the 'B-Sting' altered with Andrew and Paul as crew. Bob made 4 passes on Saturday. They were: 10.455/126.00, 10.398/126.26, 10.380/126.76 and 10.453/126.26, incredibly consistent on the speeds! The team dialled in at 10.40 for Sunday. Bob posted a 10.284 at 128.19mph in the first round. In Round 2 he ran a closer 10.323 at 128.28mph. He then made passes of 10.369 at 128.31mph and 10.308 at 129.06mph in Rounds 3 & 4. His reactions were really good throughout, with all but one being under the tenth. He emerged the winner, so a great start to the season for the team!! |
| WB 3 | Tom Larman was in his first Wild Bunch event of the season with 'The Ferret' altered, 'Proud to be WB 3'. He and crewman son Craig were thrilled to be back out racing, with the family too! Tom made 4 runs on Saturday of 10.581/120.32, 10.652/119.48, 10.561/121.23 and 10.691/120.83. The team dialled in at 10.58 for Sunday. Tom's first round run was a 10.873 at 120.83mph. He then ran closer with a pass of 10.658 at 120.24mph, and then in the third round, the Wild Bunch 'Closest to Dial-in' with just a thousandth off, a 10.579 at 121.11mph. He finished the day with another very close run of 10.584 at 120.67mph. He was really chuffed to finish in 3rd place overall for the weekend. |
| WB 4 | Phil James was in his third Wild Bunch event of the season with the 'Rampage' funny car, after making a special addition in between events – the team had installed the nitrous system! Also, many Congratulations to son and crew chief, now Dr Carl, as he has just gained his PHD! Well done on your achievement Carl! The team spent most of Saturday morning making the finishing touches to the new system and firing up to check all was okay. The team towed down around 3pm for their first test run. And what a run it was! A massive new Personal Best ET by half a second of 8.775 at 148.63mph, a PB speed! And straight away deep into the 8's! Congratulations to the whole team on this success!! The team checked things over and Phil made another run, with another big PB of 8.627 at 143.31mph! They then dialled in at 8.58 for the rounds on Sunday!! Phil began strongly with an 8.668, with a new Personal Best Speed of 151.45mph! His first time over the 150 mark! He followed this with another PB ET and Speed of 8.613 at 151.86mph! Fair play Phil! But in the third round, he encountered a problem and had to slow to an 8.929 at 141.74mph, still none too shabby. On returning to the pits and further investigation, there were some strange sounds on fireup and the team had to miss the fourth round. But further scrutiny revealed a problem with the prop shaft, which was later rectified, and the team finished the day happier that they had solved this. Well done to them on an overall fantastic weekend! |
| WB 13 | saw the Wild Bunch debut of Michael Kenway in his black and flamed altered 'Grease Monkey'. Michael started the weekend well with a new Personal Best ET and Speed of 12.448 at 119.53mph. He followed this with a 12.676 but slowed to 85.88mph. On further checking in the pits, the team discovered there were gearbox problems, which sidelined them for the rest of the weekend. Such a shame! But they were all still smiling, and optimistic of having the box fixed for next time! Welcome to the Wild Bunch, Michael and team!! |
| WB 20 | saw the Marra twins Rob and Pete Brown, with their 'Wrathchild' slingshot in their first Wild Bunch event of the year. The boys had been to a recent RWYB where they both achieved their first ever 10-second runs with the car!! So Many Congratulations to them!! They were ably crewed by girlfriends Hayley and Kimberley, as well as Dad George! They made a total of 5 runs on the Saturday, sharing the driving as usual, with: 14.052/74.50, 11.045/124.45, 17.921/41.92, 11.706.117.60 and 11.683/121.70, so mixed fortunes. The boys dialled in at 11.55 for Sunday's rounds. It was Pete who made the first round pass, recording an 11.476 at 120.26mph. Then it was Rob's turn in the hotseat, and he posted an 11.260 at 113.25mph in Round 2. Pete then ran an 11.580 at 121.48mph. Rob took the final turn of the weekend, and posted a fantastic new Personal Best ET of 10.783 at 123.60mph! Way below the Dial-in, but a great run, and curing any glitches they had!! Well done, guys! They finished in 5th place overall for the weekend. There was a bonus to come in that the commentators awarded them the 'Best Slingshot' Spot Prize, so they were chuffed with that! Well done boys! |
| WB 66 | saw the Wild Bunch debut of Team Ratchet Strap with their 'Cheap Thrills' slingshot. Saturday saw the first ever drives for team member JJ who began with a 17.696.54.25, and followed this with passes of 14.693/95.60 and 15.447/63.37. The team then dialled in at 11.00 even for the rounds on Sunday. JJ began with a pass of 14.010 at 92.19mph in the first round. He followed this with a new Personal Best ET and Speed of 13.340 at 108.42mph. He improved again to a 13.221 at 107.74mph in the third round. Then it was the turn of other driver Skippy to have a run to round out the weekend. He launched well, but then slowed and pulled over with a problem. Unfortunately, on later investigation, the team discovered a broken camshaft, valves and pushrods. Such a shame! But the team is already on the case with the repairs and hope to make the next event. Welcome to the Wild Bunch folks!! |
| WB 67 | Darryl Howells was on his third Wild Bunch outing of the year with the 'Chemical Reaction' slingshot. Once again, Bernie was crew chief, with Sarah also crewing this event. Darryl began the weekend with a more promising 9.894 at 137.04mph. The team were adjusting the fuel system to see if they could cure the recent problem, and had quite a few different pills to play with, so they say many thanks to all who loaned them! Darryl later ran a 10.225 at 135.39mph and a 12.482 at 102.21mph. Darryl dialled in at 9.18 for Sunday's rounds, hoping to improve. That he did, and on his first round run, recorded a stronger 9.261 at 145.57mph, which proved to be his best run of the weekend. Darryl then had a problem in the second with a squirrely start, slowing to a 10.307 at 138.36mph. He improved again to a 9.377 at 138.98mph in the third and ended with a 9.891 at 132.35mph in the fourth. He finished in 7th place overall for the weekend. |
| WB 69 | Alan Loten was in his second event of the season in his 'Paranoia' altered. The team had installed a new battery in the quad, and this then gave good service all weekend. They arrived in the morning and set up camp. Alan just made the one run on Saturday, a 9.569 at 134.65mph. The team dialled in at 9.26 for the rounds on Sunday, not entirely knowing what to expect. Alan began the rounds with a 9.637 at 131.03mph. He followed that with a better 9.561 at 132.03mph. He improved again for the third and fourth rounds, posting a 9.490 at 134.22mph and a 9.404 at 133.47mph. Looks like they're going in the right direction again! Alan finished in 6th place. The team were chuffed to once again be awarded the 'Best Altered' Spot Prize by the commentators. |
| WB 72 | we welcomed back Dave 'Sag' Southworth and team with the 'Daddy Cool' rear-engined dragster for their first event this season. They were a couple of family members down as both Shana and Chloe had course work and exams to do! Over the off season, the team had had the old magneto serviced, as this had proved to be the cause of some fluctuating performance. Also, they even had time to polish and paint the blower, and the team says this is the first time for around 33 years!!! Well, the magneto and tuning seemed to do the trick as Sag's first run of the weekend was a solid 9.031 at 149.30mph, his new Personal Best Speed, and the first improvement on speed for years. He followed this with a new Personal Best ET of 8.946 at 148.85mph. Sag then rounded the day off brilliantly with another PB of 8.894 at 148.84mph! Great stuff. The team then dialled in at a great 8.95 for the rounds on Sunday. Sag started brilliantly with another new PB ET and Speed of 8.844 at 149.34mph! Congrats again! He then ran very consistently with an 8.882 at 149.14mph and 8.863 at 148.49mph. He then tipped back just into the 9's with a 9.007 at 147.99mph. Sag finished the event in 4th place overall. A fantastic weekend for the whole team! Great to see them running so strongly and consistently and really enjoying their racing! Brilliant! |
| WB 76 | Steve Field was back with his and Lesley's 'Black Pig Too' slingshot, now with its red, blue, yellow, black and white Mondrian bodywork. After doing some tuning, and trying to cure the recent gremlins, Steve put in just the one run on the Saturday, a 10.666 at 135.67mph, which was a good starting point. The team dialled in at 10.50 for Sunday. Steve then went quicker than that all day, posting a 10.429 at 136.34mph in the first round and a better 9.882 at 144.11mph in the second. He then ran a similar 9.901 at 144.92mph, and finished much stronger with a 9.283 at 143.02mph! Steve finished in 10th place overall. It was great to see the car running better this weekend! Well done team! |
| WB 77 | saw Andy Stones and his wife Cathrine with a new orange paint job on their Kawasaki-powered slingshot, now sporting the name 'Stoned'. They also had a very nice new tow vehicle of a miniature orange Willys which Cathrine sat on to tow! Much better than walking and pushing, and much cooler! They were assisted by Dave Heaven as crew. Andy began the weekend with a run of 14.015 at 88.58mph with some problems. The team spent the day tuning and posted further runs of 12.603/98.15, 13.317/100.09, 12.599/104.51, 11.447/107.04 and 12.259/108.95. The team dialled in at 11.80 for Sunday. Andy began the day with a 12.491 at 113.28mph. He then posted his best run of the weekend, with an 11.198 at 125.38mph. In the third round he ran an 11.865 at 114.31mph and finished with an 11.901 at 115.66mph. Andy finished in 8th place overall for the weekend. The team won 'Best Appearing Car' Spot Prize chosen by the commentators, for their well turned out car and appearance. |
| WB 86 | we welcomed Jim Tanner and his crewman Eddie with the 'Shindigger' slingshot for their first event of the season. The team had all sorts of problems on the Saturday with not being able to fire the car up. They tried numerous batteries and power sources (even solar ;-) !) but to no avail. They then had a problem with the starter motor. For the rounds on Sunday, they dialled in at 10.30. The backup plan was called into effect and the tow car used to jump start the dragster. This worked fine for the first two rounds where Jim ran a 10.456 at 132.47mph, but then a slower 11.282 at 106.24mph. He was fired up for the third, and staging after the burnout, but there was then smoke billowing out of the headers, and they were told to shut down. So unfortunately that was it for their weekend. And even worse, on investigation at home they discovered the block was trashed! Such a shame! But they are working hard on installing a spare Chevy to make it to the next event! Good luck guys!! |
| WB 91 | Bob Hawkins had rebuilt and installed the smaller spare engine in his 'Time Traveller II' blown slingshot, after damage to the newer one at Springspeed. Fair play to Bob on another engine swap! He began the day with the team predicting runs in the mid 7's, which instantly materialised to a 7.514 at 178.56mph. Bob followed this with a 7.443 at 179.73mph and a 7.481 at 167.86mph. The team were pretty happy with the setup, then dialled in at 7.48 for Sunday's rounds. However, just on warmup before the first round, they discovered a problem with a small part. They changed the starter motor, but eventually had to miss the first round, such a shame! Bob then went on to run great passes of 7.432 at 179.74mph in the first round, 7.524 at 177.32mph in the second, and 7.499 at 178.15mph in the third with a Wild Bunch 'Best Reaction' of .037! In fact these 3 runs had the best three reaction times of the day! And with runs so close to Dial, Bob would have proved hard to beat!! Better luck next time Bob! He was awarded the 'Best Burnout' Spot Prize by the commentators for his smokers! |
| WB 112 | Matt Fuller was out early in the season for his first Wild Bunch round of the year with the 'Oblivion' funny car. He made three runs on the Saturday, an 18.598 at 85.18mph, a 12.137 at 75.22mph and an 11.753 at 84.12mph, going in the right direction. The team dialled in at 12.00 even for the rounds on Sunday. Matt began with a 12.410 at 118.81mph, then took a second off to post an 11.461 at 99.41mph in the second round. He then had a great run of 10.559 at 123.86mph in the third and the team did not mind the huge breakout one bit! His fourth round run was an 11.235 at 109.19mph and he finished in 9th place for the weekend. Good to have the team making progress during the weekend. And Very Best Wishes to Jan and Claire back home. |
| In all it was a really great event, with good weather and loads of track time. There were some great matchups and runs and individual highlights! Big Congratulations to Bob and the B-Sting team on the win! This was accompanied by a £40 prize from Bob Hawkins and Springbridge Direct Ltd, so many thanks to them for this sponsorship, as they also sponsored the £30 2nd place prize, which went to Keith, the £20 3rd place prize for Tom and the £10 4th place prize for Sag. A very big well done to all of the Wild Bunch teams who put on a great show throughout the weekend! Many thanks to all the marshals and officials and fire and track crews at Shakey for their hard work all weekend as always. Very much appreciated!
We are now really looking forward to the second Wild Bunch Series round and fourth Spirit of Nostalgia Series round, at the 'Spring Nationals' at Shakey on May 28th - 30th! We hope to see an even bigger field of Wild Bunch and good weather again for this one!! | |