Sandown State Round July 21-22 2012

Super-good times at the 
Sandown Statie

Pics courtesy Phil Wisewould. Words Chris Ralph

Here’s a brief bit to go with the pictures, from a combination of my recollections of the Saturday and an aide de memoire from our good friends at Natsoft.

Twenty three cars rolled out for qualifying at 9.30 on Saturday July 21, not a bad field considering the time of year and the prevailing economic emotions.

Leading the fat end of town was Darren Collins in the Camaro, complete with an expensive new front suspension re-do to work better with the radials. He was to go on and smash the outright HTC record previously held by Paul Stubber’s Camaro, leaving it at 1 min 20.3 seconds.

This was set on an old set of 60 series tyres to help the gearing, had there been a suitable size of 50 series the team claim he would have nailed a 1.19… (That seems more than likely, at the subsequent meeting both Michael Hibbert and Leo Tobin each clipped two seconds off using 50 series tyres in the last race.)

Rod Hotchkin was the next big banger featuring in the results with John Alessi third in the Monaro.

Under 5 litres Nc was dominated by Leo Tobin in the Mustang with Craig Miles, Keven Stoopman and James Frolley waiting to take his points should anything go wrong. The Torana class was populated by Tim Fettell, Alan McKelvie, Stephen Pillekers and David Landry, making his debut in his neat new white device. John Smallman was the only small capacity Nc car to run. Two non-Club Mazdas were also entered, one being Mark Barbour’s old device that now lives in SA.

In Nb David Moran held sway in the Mustang heading Brent Trengrove’s similar car, while Len Read’s efforts to rally the smaller Nb cars in the Appendix J challenge bore fruit with seven Club starters including Mick Stupka’s Citroen and Paul Trevethan’s Lotus. Brian Deveson’s Cortina retired before qualifying with engine problems. Anthony Ramadge’s Mini was quicker in qualifying than Len Read’s and Ted Brewster’s while Fast Johnny Luxmoore’s Cortina and Stephen Watt’s EH were travelling companions.

Qualifying ended with Collins, Tobin, Hotchkin and Miles filling the first two rows.

Race One saw Collins head Hotchkin home by two seconds with Stoopman in third ahead of Tobin, Miles, Fettell, Moran, McKelvie, Alessi, Trengrove, Pillekers, Crouch’s Mazda, Smallman and Landry in his first race in the car. Anthony Ramadge lead the Nbs home ahead of Read, Brewster, Luxmoore, Watt and Stupka. Frolley and Trevethan retired.  

Race Two saw Collins set that new outright record, coming home ahead of Tobin, Hotchkin, Stoopman, Moran, Frolley from the back of the grid, Fettell, Trengrove, Alessi, McKelvie, Smallman and the Crouch Mazda.

This time it was Len Read leading the Nb pack with Ramadge retiring, pulling out a ripping 1.32.1 in the process. Brewster was next with Luxmoore with a PB 1.35.8 holding off Watt and Stupka who set a PB at 1.40.5. Ramadge, Miles, Trevethan and Pillekers were retirements.

Race Three and Collins took the trifecta again over Tobin and Hotchkin  ahead of Stoopman, Miles, Moran, Frolley, Trengrove, Crouch, Smallman, Alessi and McKelvie. Anthony Ramadge again DNFd and it was Read who led home Brewster and Luxmoore in the Appendix J Challenge ahead of Mick Stupka who lowered his new PB to blast into the 1.30s at last with a 1.39.9895. Way to go!
See Len Read’s Appendix J report for more on this meeting.