Qualifying. New for '06 was a change of scenery for the opening round of the National Championship, with the Super Mod circus rolling into Shakespeare County Raceway for the Power Nationals. 5 entries were present, with Rob Smallworth making a much welcomed return to action, as well as a fully repaired Highlander machine of the Marshall family. On the subject of the Highlander Camaro, it was now sporting a Pro Stock-style hoodscoop and wing as the team continue there endevour to coax the slick machine into the sevens. Sporting a completely new look was the Kirk Motorsport Rat Fink™ Camaro, resplendant in it's new hues the '67 was also carrying a swoopy new hoodscoop. Despite a decidedly "character building" experience whilst preparing the car, the 509ci powerplant was finally fired at lunchtime on the Saturday. With the menacing Ellis Racing Cutlass and the post-diet mkIII Cortina of Tim Garlick also in attendance, things were set to be tough right from the off. Tim Garlick and Ian Marshall were first on to the strip for their maiden competitive runs of '06. Pre-season testing with the Rehm Welding Technologies Ford paid immediate dividends for Tim and team, as the reworked Rover mill powered the little Cortina to a scorching 7.834 @ 174.82 mph. In the other lane, Ian had the normally-aspirated Camaro in checkout mode as a 127.70 mph trap speed indicated an early shutoff 8.844. Next up were Kev Perkins and Andy Kirk. With plenty of feverish pitside activity evident in the Ellis Racing pit, Kev, Rob and Gareth were rewarded by the Olds with an easy 7.822 @ 179.20 mph, despite plenty of tyre-spin on the relatively virgin startline. With what proved to be a highly important last minute call to hit the staging lanes for the first session, in the opposite lane Andy Kirk lined up in his new look Camaro. With the unknown quantity of new tyres and a radically different induction setup, the call was made to take things easy, but despite a hefty amount of tyrespin the heavyweight Chevy motored to a 7.916 at a PB speed of 177.44 mph. Rounding out the session was Rob Smallworth. With a brand new nitrous-fed Chevy between the frame rails of the gorgeous shoebox, taking it easy was also the order of the day for the team's opening run. a silky smooth 8.036 @ 172.28 mph blast was the result and unfortunately that was that for qualifying! With mother nature flexing her considerable muscle throughout the remainder of qualifying, one session was all the teams were able to get under their belts before hitting the elimination trail on Sunday. Final qualifying positions were as follows: .
Eliminations Round 1 The opening run for eliminations was Kev Perkins in the killer Cutlass on a bye. Granted a bye by virtue of his number one qaulifying effort, there was drama for Kev before the tree had dropped. With strong winds present throughout the event, a particularly strong gust fetched the driver's door clean of the Oldsmobile's hinges whilst going through it's post burnout routine. As Crew Chief Rob hurried to fetch the errant door, Kev sat patiently behind the startline until it could be reunited with the car. Despite this, there was little effect on the cars performance as a low ET for the weekend lap of 7.691 @ 180.12mph proved. Next up were Ian Marshall and Tim Garlick. With the unknown quantity of Ian's 555ci normally aspirated combination and the proven potency of Tim's car, this was all set to be an exciting race. Unfortunately for Tim however, the Cortina had other ideas. On witnessing the door-shedding incident of Kev Perkins unfold before him, Tim decided to kill the engine to prevent any excess heat building up, unfortunately a failed battery prevented a re-start and gifted a semi-final appearance to the Highlander. Ian Marshall utilised his pass to good effect as an improved 8.812 @ 154.23 mph lit up the score board. The final match up was always going to be tough as Rob Smallworth and Andy Kirk took to the strip. With both teams having breathed on the combinations slightly it could've been anyones. At the hit it was Andy with the slight advantage, one that was carried to the stripe as his 7.791 @ 178.48 mph was too much this time for the Bel Air's game 7.91 lap. Unfortunately, that was all she wrote once more, as rain curtailed precedings for the second year running at SCR. With a short break before the event, next up it's off to Santa Pod for the Easter Thunderball. With a return to competition for Nigel Payne and Steve Rawlings, a potent new mill under the hood of the Gibbs family's Obsession Camaro , as well as the debut of Paul Mander's new ride the competition is set to really heat up. Stay tuned........... |
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