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Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator were back at Santa Pod on 23rd-25th July for the 24th Bug Jam. The entry list boasted the second “ricer” powered car in the class in the form of the returning Mats Andersson’s little Opel GT. The big block Chevy motor has been sold on and a “cut-out” Lexus six dropped in its place. Mats wants to show that you can go fast without spending a fortune – the engine is bone stock (the head hasn’t even been removed!) and was delivered to his door for just £120. He has added his own management and injection systems with extra urge coming from an e-Bay sourced Chinese “GT45” turbocharger and a 50hp nitrous shot.
Qualifying was again topped by Steve Pateman (7.94) followed by Brian Payne with a NPB from the turbo ‘Stang of 8.10. Richard Billings also set a NPB both for himself and the car with an 8.16 but in the final qualifying session suffered a huge wheelie at mid track. The front came down hard and smashing the suspension and radiator, the ensuing water causing Billings to lose control and hit the wall hard.
Happily he wasn’t seriously hurt, just a little bruised and battered – the car on the other hand will certainly not see action again this year, if at all, having suffered massive chassis damage. As always, the important thing is that the driver emerged unscathed – cars can be replaced, people cannot. Richard, we wish you all the best and look forward to a speedy return to the track.
In eliminations Pateman again departed in the first round – this time a blue line violation the cause, seriously denting his tilt at a sixth championship and allowing a wounded Alan Williamson (only two gears in his TH400) through to round 2. Also exiting this round was Mats Andersson but, unlike the Calibra driver, the ex-pat Swede had a huge smile on his face as his low buck combo had produced a 9.3 – quicker than he’d ever gone with his big-block! Hook, Payne, Webster and McIntosh joined Williamson in progressing.
Round 2 and Hook faced McIntosh, his first round 8.70 providing no cushion compared to the 8.80 produced by the silver Mustang. And things looked worse when McIntosh strapped a big holeshot on the championship leader. But Hook braced himself and kept his foot down in the ill-handling hotrod to record a season-best and winning 8.08. Payne meanwhile produced an 8.45 to dispose of Webster, in the process garnering enough points to move into second place in the championship and Williamson (on a bye) gently drove his truck up the track to progress to his first SE semi final.
The track had “gone away” for the semi-final as Hook was on and off the throttle several times to achieve an 8.87 and finally put the wounded Williamson back on the trailer. And Payne had exactly the same problem in his Mustang, spinning the tyres and then coasting through to a 10 second pass on his bye.
For the second meeting in succession Hook and Payne faced each other in a final. The sudden fall off in track quality meant that both drivers had to take power out – but how much? Too much and the car would be too slow, too little and the tyres would fry Tuning decisions made and implemented the drivers pulled around to the start line, Hook again putting Payne in the left hand lane. The Mustang unleashed a sizeable burnout on its Sportsman Pros, the hot rod giving its radials just a mild work out. Through the drifting smoke the two black Fords pulled towards the line, a single plume of nitrous issuing from the ’34 coupe’s scuttle panel as the first stage light came on. On the green Hook’s .03 light meant he was out first, the suspension hitting the track hard and giving him a near 2 tenths lead at the 60-foot mark as the sleek Mustang struggled for traction. By the 330-foot beams the lead had been stretched to 3 tenths. Payne got the Mustang under control and closed on Hook over the last half of the track but it was the hot rod driver from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire that won an exciting race with an 8.27 @ 167 to his rival’s 8.53 @ 174.
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Payne’s second final appearance in as many meetings moves him up to within 10 points of second place in the championship, but Hook’s lead is now such that he can afford to back off a little – and the handling exhibited by his car this year suggests that it might be a good idea! Next round is over the August Bank Holiday weekend where SE will be part of the line up for Shakespeare County Raceway’s Open Sport Nationals.
Pictures are taken from the 2010 Street Eliminator DVD ‘Hardcore Street’ available now from www.quartermilehigh.com
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