The 2015 season of the ACU Championships reached its halfway stage at the Summernationals at Santa Pod. There were many personal bests recorded at the event and a new ACU et record set in Super Street Bike. On Saturday the weather conditions were hot and sunny, but on Sunday rain delayed the start of the eliminations which finally got started in the afternoon and the track crew did a superb job to clean up a couple of oil downs and get the event completed before the curfew.
Funny bike.
There was a healthy turn out for Funny bike, which saw Stuart Crane record a personal best of 7.198 to top the field in qualifying. Filippous Papafilippou debut his new Funny bike and qualified in number two spot 7.409-185.80 top speed of the meet (with a soft set up). Bob Brooks fitted a bigger fuel pump for this meeting and was rewarded with 7.464. just edging Eric Richard 7.468.
The number one and two in the championship Dave Peters and Allan Davies were both knocked out in round one of the eliminations. In the first semi-final Dale Leeks red lit against Bob Brooks. Warpspeed team mate of Leeks, Stuart Crane beat Richard in the other semi-final. Brooks turned the wick up for the final and stormed down the track to take the win 7.356-178.50 against Crane who got close to the centre line 7.694-169.81.
The win for Brooks was his first for a very long time and moves him into second place behind Peters.
Comp Bike.
The field was not decided until the last pair of qualifiers went down the track and what a race it was. Paul Hambridge just edged Kevin Osman 7.847-179.25 to 7.853 –189.63 top speed of the meet. The next four riders were separated by 38/100ths, Eddy Smiley 8.110, Mick Winyard 8.115, Dave Smart 8.120 p/b and newcomer to the class Sam Sykes 8.148 p/b.
Smart ran another p/b 8.019 to knock out points leader Winyard in round one. There was another shock when Sykes beat Smiley 8.211 to 8.277. First round losers Dave Batcheler ran his best for a while 8.837 and newcomer Tanya Hardy dipped into the eights 8.808.
Smart once again ran a p/b with his first seven-second pass of 7.929, but couldn’t hold off Hambridge 7.835. In the other semi Osman ran a p/b of 7.746 to beat Sykes troubled 11.397.
The final was the best race of the day and Osman reversed the result of qualifying the day before with a 7.913 to Hambridge 7.935. It was Osman first ACU win and that moves him on top of the table ahead of Winyard and Smiley who are tied in second with Hambridge 60 points behind them.
Super Street Bike.
Garry Bowe ran under the ACU et record (7.142) 7.139 in qualifying. Shawn Buttigieg using a Rock Solid clutch and being tuned by Walter Sprout qualified 7.150. Pete Field recorded a personal best of 7.181 at 201.54. Rick Stubbins was next 7.212 followed by reigning champion Steve Venables. Jemma Venables had a con rod let go and oil was sprayed over her legs and there was a fire when she was testing the day before the event. Jemma was ok.
Round one and Field red lit against points leader Alex Hope who had a electrical problem during qualifying. Stephen Mead debut his new bike and had Walter Sprout tuning the bike and Mead ran a career personal best of 7.375 at 190.50. Another rider to record a p/b was Peter Granica 7.598-187.42. Summernationals also saw the first meeting for father and daughter Steve and Jemma Venables with Steve taking the win.
Round two and Granica had a bye run to the semis Venables was a no show. Hope won on a holeshot 7.499 against Mead’s quicker but losing p/b figures 7.372-192.22. There was a shock when Buttiegieg red lit against Chris Reed.
Hope through away 7.477 when he red lit against Reed. Bowe ended Granica day with a 7.713 to 8.164 in the semis. Reed knew he had a job on his hands against Bowe and went for the xmas tree, pulling a red light, as for Bowe he stormed down the track and ran a p/b 7.129 which set a new ACU et record.
The win and the extra points for the record sees Bowe have a 310 points lead over Reed and Hope a further 10 points behind.
Report by Steven Moxley.