MSA - Reports - Round 2 2007

Championship Rounds Race Reports

Round 2: Santa Pod Raceway - The Main Event - 25/28 May 2007

Rain. It blights cricket, lawn tennis and drag racing alike. Over Spring Bank Holiday weekend it blighted the efforts of Europe’s top Pro Modified teams to make progress in three competitions when Round 2 of the MSA British Drag Racing Championship was combined with the opening rounds of the FIA European Championship and the Scandinavian-based NDRS Bilsport Pro Mod Series.

23 Pro Mod teams arrived at Santa Pod Raceway from as far afield as Finland and Switzerland for the contest. Saturday’s two qualifying sessions whetted the appetite with some blazing performances but it all proved in vain when rain stopped play.

Of Saturday’s afternoon session, Eurodragster.com wrote: “Was that the best-ever European Pro Mod qualifying session? You better believe it!”

Essex’s Danny Cockerill became the first Pro Mod driver in Europe to crack the 230mph barrier. Cockerill hit 230.73mph on a 6.176-second pass that fell just .002sec. short of the European elapsed time record and set him at the head of the provisional qualifying list.

Cockerill’s reign as Europe’s fastest was short-lived, however. In the very next pair, Dutchman Robert Joosten clocked 232.93mph, though his 6.214 ET, also a career best, left him just 4th qualifier. Cockerill will always retain the distinction of being first past the 230mph post and his figures were both British bests, though the weather robbed him of the chance to back them up within the one per cent necessary for official record purposes. Cockerill’s elapsed time survived as Low ET of the foreshortened Meet.

The two qualifying sessions produced several career-best performances:

Danny Cockerill (UK): 6.176 / 230.73
Robert Joosten (Netherlands): 6.214 / 232.93
Michael Gullqvist (Sweden): 6.245
Gordon Appleton (UK): 6.308
Per-Olaf Eriksson (Sweden): 6.784
Ian Bishop (UK): 7.174
Ray White (UK): 7.391 / 190.92
Kevin Slyfield (UK): 7.783 / 170.49

The 7.012 bump spot left some potential heavy hitters on the outside keenly awaiting Sunday’s scheduled sessions. Then the rain came. The two Sunday sessions and Monday’s elimination rounds were all cancelled.

But for the change in the weather, what a race it might have been! Action resumes when MSA Round 3 takes place during Santa Pod’s Summer Nationals, 16-17 June.

1.     Danny Cockerill (UK): 6.176 / 230.73
2.     Urban Johansson (Sweden): 6.191 / 220.52
3.     Andy Robinson (UK): 6.206 / 226.33
4.     Robert Joosten (Netherlands): 6.214 / 232.93
5.     Michael Gullqvist (Sweden): 6.245 / 223.74
6.     Mats Eriksson (Sweden): 6.267 / 221.73
7.     Gordon Appleton (UK): 6.308 / 222.64
8.     Marc Meihuizen (Netherlands): 6.465 / 219.4

Points standings after Championship Round 2:

Po	No	Driver	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	T
1st	4038	Robert Joosten	98	35				133
2nd	4	Andy Robinson	56	36				92
3rd	3614	Gordon Appleton	37	33				70
4th	38	Phillip Englefield	35	32				67
5th	3666	Ray White	34	10				44
6th	3606	Danny Cockerill	0	38				38
7th	1	Urban Johansson	0	37				37
8th	2	Michael Gullqvist	0	34				34
8th	6	Mats Eriksson	0	34				34
10th	8	Marc Meihuizen	0	33				33
11th	832	Bruno Bader	0	32				32
11th	3	Seppo Saapola	0	32				32
11th	9	Marko Lantto	0	32				32
14th	1341	Per-Olof Eriksson	0	31				31
14th	3623	Robert Koper	0	31				31
14th	3625	Henri Joosten	0	31				31
14th	3738	Rolf Ammann	0	31				31
18th	387	Ian Bishop	0	10				10
18th	60	Paul Brander	0	10				10
18th	934	Mikael Lindahl	0	10				10
18th	7	Roger Johansson	0	10				10
-	10	Norbert Kuno	0	0				0
-	606	Kev Slyfield	0	0				0

The 2007 Season Standings are on the Rounds & Points page.