FOLLOWING a very successful Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod, Little Dunmow’s Team Gridlock headed to Shakespeare Raceway in Stratford upon Avon for the Spring-speed Nationals.

Drag Racing

FOLLOWING a very successful Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod, Little Dunmow’s Team Gridlock headed to Shakespeare Raceway in Stratford upon Avon for the Spring-speed Nationals.

In qualifying one, driver Adam Price was against the legendary Dorset Horn. Giving away a half second start, he released the transbrake for a 0.251 second reaction time but the car launched hard right and Price found himself facing the barrier at 45 degrees with photographers diving for cover. He corrected and aborted the run to qualify last.

The second session produced some exciting racing on a staggered start tree. Giving away nearly a four-second start down the quarter mile, the car again lurched right but holding his nerve Price powered through the tyre shake to take the win by 2.52 seconds on a dial in of 9.29.

Qualifying three was delayed until the Sunday due to rain allowing the team extra preparation time and they broke out just three hundredths of a second off a personal best.

The eliminations saw Gridlock paired with one of the fastest cars in the class. After one of the longest and smokiest burnouts of the day, Price clocked a reaction time of 0.065 seconds and a wheelie to well over the 60ft mark, the car bounced badly before heading for the finish line, and they lost by four thousandths of a second, just a mere 9 foot over the quarter mile. It was described by the tower as the race of the weekend.

Although bowing out in the first round of eliminations Price was awarded trophies for the best and most exciting burnout and for the best reaction time of the weekend.