Welcome to our Bank Holiday Monday updates from Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne, where from 2pm we will bring you live updates from today's event featuring the Big Van National Bangers, sponsored by Building Trade Skills Centres, plus the 1300cc Stock Cars in another Spedeworth Motorsports Series round, and also the Rookie Rods.....
Big Vans
Heat 1 (1/2 vans) - 310 Mark Longhurst, 525, 475, 395, 585, 521, 57, NOF.
20 vans for heat 1 and it's a lively start, vans all over the place including 460 Lewis Barber's huge GMC rolling onto its side, and 388 Taylor Sowter's Bedford Ice Cream Van losing most of his bodywork!! 521 Ash Riley was probably the star in this one damage wise but it's 310 Mark Longhurst who weaves his little Transit through the carnage to take the win!!
Heat 2 (1/2 vans) - 182 Michael Maggs, 728, 225, 710, 422, NOF.
25 vans for this one and if race 1 was carnage this one beat it!! A big pile up on turn three took out a few, 728 Spike and 182 Mad Mike ramming their way through the chaos!! Mad Mike takes the win in his Mercedes Bus!!
Heat 3 - 221 Justin Riley, 894, NOF.
The first all-in race of the day for the Big Vans, and we have 32 vans on track, CARNAGE is definitely the word with just the 2 finishers!! Spike's bus loses all it's bodywork and Mad Mike's similar machine is also falling apart, 200 Dean Archer's Ambulance needs one itself now as it also falls apart spectacularly as does 910 Calvin Baldwin's mk.1 Transit hi-top!! Seems a shame not to mention everyone as they all played their part in a quite superb 'race'!!
Final - 728 Tim Dray, 885 Ashlee Hanby, 894 Mark Almeida, NOF.
It's all available vans for their Final, including Spike minus his bodywork but with full roll cage! 27 vans starting, or perhaps 26 and a half if we count Spike! Again there are bits of van everywhere you look as Mad Mike loses what's left of his, far too much to detail here - buy the DVD! Spike takes the win with Ashlee Hanby and Mark Almeida the only other finishers! DD to come if we can find any vans for it!!
DD - 10 Shaun Proudlock from 885 Ashlee Hanby.
13 vans still standing, soon it will be 1! After the opening hits there's 1 Bear, Shaun Proudlock, against a few Surrey Street Squad, but he manages to outlast them and finishes off 885 Ashlee Hanby for the win as Spike's bus finally gives up the ghost! Spike wins the £50 entertainer of the meeting award - thanks to Building Trade Skills Centres for putting up £350 in prize money for the Vans today!
1300cc Stock Cars
Heat 1 - 750 Leighann Bond, 418, 79, 23, 39, 46, 686, 40, 88 27.
24 cars for a heavy first Stock Cars race including a huge barrel roll for 463 Chris Woods, Leighann Bond takes a great win!
Heat 2 - 79 Barry Radcliffe, 371, 183, 23, 27, 686, 46, 232, 88, 415.
The first race takes its toll on this one as we're down to 20 cars, though clearing the debris from the vans gives them a little more time! Another fast and hard race from the Stock Car boys (and girl!), yellows out on the penultimate lap to see to Leighann Bond who hits the wall hard, all OK though and the restart sees 27 Sam Edwards ahead of 79 Barry Radcliffe to try and survive the last 2 laps, but he can't and Barry eases through tot ake the chequered - unlucky for white-grader Edwards who may well have held on but for the stoppage.
Final - 39 Andrew Marten, 371 Mark Bloss, 79 Barry Radcliffe, 124, 23, 686, 46, 171, 514, 232.
20 again for the Final, and it's another good race with a win from white grade for 39 Andrew Marten who holds off the challenge from Bloss!
Rookie Rods
Heat 1 - 28 Leon Paine, 121, 196, 174, 506, 86, 646, 118, 278, 277.
26 Rookie Rods for heat 1 and an early yellow flag as 311 Mikey Fitzsimmons hits the fence, another crash as 5 cars go in on the Hailsham turn including 114 Ryan Sinclair + 747 Matt Farren and more yellows, eventually Leon Paine leads the field home!
Heat 2 - 28 Leon Paine, 135, 326, 382, 86, 506, 174, 50, 747, 650.
26 again for heat two, some great racing for the lower places but Leon Paine is away for the win, the top 3 well clear of the rest but 382 and 86 are both docked for contact. Paine will have to try to get his hat-trick up a grade from blue!
Final - 135 Dan Knight, 86 Stuart Cope, 144 Lee Evans, 174, 747, 28, 506, 89, 278, 326.
It's Dan Knight's final as he sees off the challenge of 86 and 144 to take the win in bright sunshine!
Thanks for joining us for the live updates, we hope you have enjoyed them but you DEFINITELY should have been here to see one of the best Van meetings in history!! |