This would be the last ACU Championship round held at this event. 2017 sees the final round of the ACU Championships moving to the National Finals and another round moving to the Race, Rock n Ride meeting in May at Santa Pod.
As for this meeting a full days qualifying was completed and race day was delayed by rain, eliminations got underway just after 2.00pm.
Funny Bike
Lorcan Parnell dominated qualifying with back to back six-second passes with a best of 6.890-192mph. Allan Davies was his nearest challenger 7.491-179.18mph. Bob Brooks 7.592 and Dave Buttery 7.617. Filippos Papafilippou riding Glenn Borg bike was on the bump spot of the seven-second field 7.766.
Parnell transmission locked up after his burnout and that put him out of the competition, when he was on a bye run. 2016 ACU Funny Bike Champion Phil Crossley won the first round eliminator, but was a no show in the semi-finals. It was a bizarre final with Buttery having a problem when he tried to do a burnout. Davies was given the signal for a bye run, but he got as far as the 100ft mark and stopped. But he claimed the event win.
Comp Bike
Sean Mills had a problem with bearing in the opening qualifying session and in the final session he went straight to number one qualifier 7.786-192.05. Championship contenders Eddy Smiley 7.934 and Mick Winyard 8.042 were next. Martin Walker was back on form 8.094 and newcomer from 8.50 Bike Margot Schmidt 8.362.
Mills ran a low et of 7.660 in round one and reached the final. The other side of the ladder saw Smiley and Winyard face each other in the semi-final with Smiley taking a start to finish win 7.841 to Winyard 8.162. Mills beat Smiley in the final 7.814 to 7.928. Smiley is the 2016 ACU Comp Bike Champion.
Super Street Bike
There were five overseas riders competing at the event and four of them ran personal bests. Sweden’s Robert Nilsson 7.264-200.65mph (first 200mph plus), Holland’s Rudolfo Maduro 7.315-188.15mph, Sweden’s Mathias Borlin 7.540 and Denmark’s Allen Jensen 7.758. But it was outgoing champion Garry Bowe who stole the show 7.079-203mph. Bowe ran 206.23mph in an earlier session (top speed of the meet)
Jensen came in as first alternate for Chris Reed and Charly Anasgasti second alternate for Pete Field. Nilsson ran back to back p/bs 7.243 and 7.219 in the eliminations. 2016 ACU Super Street Bike Champion Steve Venables red lit in the semi-finals against teammate Graham Balchin. Bowe won the final event of the season beating Balchin 7.092 to 7.824.
Neil Midgley was doing licence runs on Chris Hannam blown V Twin over the weekend and ran a best of 7.441-141.23mph.
ACU congratulates the following champions.
Top Fuel Bike. Steve Woollatt.
Funny Bike. Phil Crossley.
Pro Stock Bike. Alex Hope.
Comp Bike Eddy Smiley.
Super Street Bike. Steve Venables.
Report By Steven Moxley.