The Summernationals is the halfway point of the season and the racers faced a stiff headwind during qualifying and rain fell midway in the second of the three planned qualifying sessions. It meant only two sessions were completed, but after the Santa Pod track crew did a superb job drying and preparing, which saw track records and personal bests set at the end of the day.
Top Fuel Bike.
Rene Van Den Berg has been running well this season and after the rain he ran a jaw dropping 6.055-246.37. The first 240mph plus recorded in an ACU Championship event. Berg also ran under the ACU ET record of 6.062. Points leader Steve Woollatt had a difficult qualifying. In the first session he broke a sprag in the transmission and with the rain delaying the session, the team had the extra time for the repair and made the second session. But there was more in store for the team, after 6.136-216.15 run. The rear brake disc broke in the shutdown area. Fortunately there was no further damage to the bike or the rider. Al Smith was the number one qualifier in session one 6.154-196.28. Throttle cable broke in the next run. Neil Midgley had oil pressure issue in qualifying 12.373.
Midgley got out the gate first against Berg and took the win light 6.162-188.22. Berg ran 6.211-239.79 to set a new ACU speed record of 239.79 with the faster 246.37 backing it up. Smith smoked the tyre at the 100ft mark against Woollatt who ran 6.231-226.77. In the final Midgley left first (rt115 to149) but drifted to the centre line and had to ease off at ¾ track, while Woollatt ran in the groove to take the win and extend his points lead with a 6.229-219.18 to Midgley 6.439-173.04.
Funny Bike.
Lorcan Parnell has had so much bad luck, it looked like this meeting could go the same, after power issues with the motor during testing. But Parnell found the problem and ran a personal best of 6.549 at 207.20. Louis Davies damaged piston and crankshaft during qualifying after 7.029-184.38. Eric Richard debut a new bike and had tested 6.96 before this event. Team were learning about the bike and ran 7.216-186.57. Dave Peters damaged a clutch and changed his motor 8.052-166.67 a wire broke on the nitrous system. Maarten Zijlstra the 2012 ACU Funny Bike Champion was competing for the first time since 2018 and ran 8.243-165.53. Roger Moore was on the bump spot 8.416-156.34.
Round one and Moore had a fluid leak in the burnout box and was shutdown, while Parnell could not get his motor started. Davies beat Zijlstra 7.040-183.62 to 8.748-163.16. Peters clutch dragged and red lit against Richard 7.238-187.29. Davies had a solo when Richards was a no show in the semi-final and then Davies also soloed in the final to take over the points lead of the championship.
Comp Bike.
Graham Dance led the field with 7.444-194.63. Paul Hambridge made his first appearance of the season 7.663-170.45. Chris Neary had a spare cylinder head and new clutch for this event and was looking for a baseline and ran 7.914-179.97. Next up Mick Winyard 8.030-177.09. Shawn Buttigieg fitted a new transmission and cases for this event and damaged the transmission in the first session 8.159-114.49 and was out of the show. Len Paget just edged Leo Lester for sixth spot 8.322-137.39 to 8.339-175.08. Lester had a new motor and clutch. John McLean Sr had changed the gearing and fuel, but still had wheelie problems down track 8.631-154.68. Jordan Kenway was having issues 9.275-162.51. Aswin Le Noble was another riding having problems 25.215.
Dance had a problem off the start line, McLean took the win 8.709. Kenway came in as first alternate for Buttigieg against Winyard who took the win light 7.982 to Kenway 8.693. Lester broke on the start line against Hambridge who ran personal best figures of 7.302-189.78. Neary red lit against Paget.
Semi-finals and Winyard led from start to finish 7.972 against McLean 8.639. In the other semi Hambridge glanced the wall at mid-track against Paget who ran a p/b 187.26. Winyard red lit in the final against Paget who ran a p/b 7.908.
Super Street Bike.
Daniel Lencses was on record setting pace during the Summernationals, 6.721-223.31 in qualifying against Steve Venables 6.780-221.44 making it the quickest and fastest side by side in the UK and Europe. Personal best ET for Venables. Jake Mechaell had a new boost and ignition set up for this event and ran 6.865 with a p/b speed of 221.81. Garry Bowe is making good headway with his new bike 7.012-182.14. Ross Morrison had a throttle senor break, but ran 7.099 at a p/b speed of 203.50. Mark Dainty was still having handling and wheelie issues and ran 7.147-200.77. Dave Smith ran personal best figures of 7.161-203.46. Alan Morrison Jr ran 7.226-195.35 but damaged the cylinder head and was out of the show. Mark Hope is now running on E85 fuel with mechanical fuel pump, but had a late night changing a camshaft 7.312-198.81. Stephen Mead is still trying to find a combination 7.422-174.40. Rudolfo Maduro has not raced since 2020 and has a new motor and an air clutch set up, so he was looking for a baseline 8.056-143.84. He made some changes for the eliminations. Thurnty Martina has gone onto E85 fuel but he was a contender for the high altitude award of the meeting with a couple of big wheelies 9.924-120.43. Steve Wood was trying a different clutch setup and struggled 11..058. Margot Schmidt had entered the event, but had oiling problem during testing the day before the event.
Lencses had a bye run in the opening round of the eliminations. Smith also had a bye and ran another p/b 7.070. Bowe’s motor was not sounding good on the start line , but managed to beat Maduro 8.561 to a troubled 11.892. R Morrison had a shift problem in third gear and slowed against Mead who got close to the centre line 7.692. Venables beat Wood who ran his best of the w/end 8.102-173.06. Mechaell ran another p/b speed 211.87 against Martina who struggled to get off the start line. Hope won on a holeshot 7.422 against Dainty 7.371. Round two and Venables set a new ACU speed record 223.28 on a bye run. That did not last two minutes, when Lencses turned the wick up and ran a jaw dropping 6.642-224.52 to set both ACU ET and Speed records of 6.721-224.52. Bowe recorded his first six-second pass on the new bike 6.982 against Mead. Hope broke in the burnout box, fluid leak and Mechaell ran another p/b speed 213.81 with a 6.825. Lencses went even quicker to reset the ACU ET record 6.620 at 224.50. Bowe eased off. In the other semi Mechaell edged Venables 6.878 to 6.979. A lot of riders and crew were looking to see if Mechaell could beat Lencses in the final. The last race of the day and the riders did not disappoint. Mechaell put a (rt065to 165) holeshot over Lencses who turned the wick more and ran 6.596 at 226.67 to reset both ACU ET and Speed records yet again. Mechaell was not hanging around either 6.823 (best of the w/end) at 213.08. What a great way to end a fantastic w/end in Super Street Bike.
Report by Steven Moxley.