Next Championship Round Preview - 2011

Round 5:  Santa Pod Raceway – VP National Finals - 24-25 September 2011

This year the MSA British Drag Racing Championship looks set to end up for the first time in Essex. But will Chelmsford or Westcliff-on-Sea be its destination?

Westcliff’s claim looks the stronger. Graham Ellis holds a 22-point lead over Chelmsford’s Roger Moore, who could yet overtake his Westcliff rival by qualifying well ahead and advancing a round further in eliminations. A two-round gap would suit the Moore Brothers and their nitrous Dodge Viper better still.

Ellis hopes his supercharged Plymouth Barracuda will give him a winning final fling before it departs to a new owner. Ellis will resume driving his Plymouth Superbird next season after its development work by Silverstone’s ICE Automotive is completed. Development driver Nick Davies takes the wheel for the last time this weekend and will do Ellis a favour if he happens to meet and beat Moore along the way.

The all-Swedish final round tussle at the European Finals (MSA Rnd.4) a fortnight earlier propelled Urban Johansson and Johan Lindberg into third and fourth places. In their absence from this race, Yorkshire’s Wayne Nicholson will hope to bypass them from fifth. Jean Dulamon provides the weekend’s continental interest before making the long haul back to south-west France.

British absentees this weekend are Andy Robinson and Andy Frost. Robinson had hoped to end his Studebaker’s retirement season with a flourish, but rear axle damage at the European Finals dashed his hopes. Robinson will concentrate now on building the ’69 Camaro planned for 2012.

After suffering major engine damage at the Main Event (MSA Rnd.2), Frost’s street-legal Vauxhall came through its second ‘debut’ unscathed at the European Finals. Having achieved Frost’s initial aims, the car will now be prepped for next season.