2014 FIA European Championships Round 1

It will always be The Main Event to us and a fair few others I should think too! Anyhow, after the success of last meeting, Team Rampage knew we had to keep the momentum going for this weekend to keep our championship hopes alive; fair to say we sort of did and sort of didn't!

The midweek forecast for the long weekend was against us racers with only two of the days looking relatively settled (emphasis on the relatively) and so it struck us that we needed to qualify well to secure as many points as possible in case rain put a stop to eliminations. After the previous meeting, we felt that an 8.00 dial in would always be a good starting point for us as the dragster had the tendency to always run an 8.0 something. Running through with an 8.05 in round 1 of qualifying on the Friday did indeed confirm what we already knew. It wasn't bad, not at all, but it could certainly be better!

As Friday went by, numerous stoppages on the track for a number of reasons meant that we would only get one more run in so we tried to narrow it down a little more and shoot for an 8.02. The dragster hooked so hard, wheels higher than they have ever been, that it was a little unsettled when coming back down again, resulting in a few hundredths lost in the 60ft time. This in turn meant running through with a slightly off pace 8.08, not improving on our previous 8.05. After the end of that session, we were down in 15th. Not good!

Saturday arrived and pretty much everyone knew that the weather was supposed to be at it's worst and it didn't fail to deliver, although nothing compared to the test and tune on Thursday! Time went past midday and it was still raining, resulting in us all doubting whether we would see any racing at all. By some miracle however, the rain did eventually stop and it all dried up rather quickly in time for another round of qualifying; we could see some racing happening after all! Knowing that the track had been soaked for many hours meant it would be a little 'green' so we knocked down the dial in by a hundredth to 8.03 and to our delight she ran through with an 8.04, moving us up to 3rd, narrowly missing out on 2nd by just 2 ten thousandths of a second!

After a few pro sessions on Sunday, it was time for round 1 of eliminations and we were due to race 'that' monster of a pickup truck from the Netherlands. Unfortunately Reinier Van Schelt had informed us that he was out due to a breakage, so we were paired with one of the 4 first alternates Frank Esjkoot. We went for an 8.02 to Frank's 8.55. Knowing we had a slight advantage when it came to running our numbers, Dave tried to consciously not pull a red light...which in turn meant he pulled a -.03 cherry. Gutted was an understatement, but hey ho, the old saying of "if you never pull a red, you're not trying hard enough" definitely came into play. Frank running an 8.54 breakout to our 8.10 added insult to injury, but we were a little off our time as it was. After talking to Felicity and Ian, who were on the startline, they came back and said that it had never been so sticky so we think the track may have been too sticky for the amount of power we have compared to the Pro classes, holding us down enough to make a difference. Fortunately for us however, was that the other championship contenders also went out in the first round so it wasn't as bad, as well as the advantage of having qualified higher in the first place.

We now look forward to the Summer Nationals where we can hopefully go a couple more rounds and keep the points coming in. See you all there!

2014 Festival of Power Race Report

Wow...yet another year of racing is upon us and still we never ask ourselves, why we still do it? Well, for us it's always an obvious answer: for the love, excitement and sheer uniqueness that Drag Racing is! There is nothing quite like the noise, the power, the "feel" that these cars produce for both the drivers and fans alike. Once the last meeting of the year is done, it seems to be an absolute eternity until the next one in the new year comes around; that is of course until it actually does come around and you think - bloody hell, it's been six months already?!

I'm sure everyone remembers last year's Festival of Power, in that it was basically arctic conditions with snow showers in between rounds. Well this year the weather couldn't have been anymore different, with a beautiful array of sunshine covering the vast majority of the meeting which gave us all the best possible start to the new season.

Team Rampage were all geared up and ready to go after a very quiet off season in terms of maintenance to the dragster, with only a bit of welding needed to the chassis. We got to the track Friday morning and couldn't wait to get going for the first round of qualifying. After a small conversation with Geof Hauser, we decided that we would try running slightly higher tyre pressures and see what would happen to our consistency. After going through previous runs and weather conditions, we chose to dial in an 8.00 so we could at least get a number on the board and a decent one at that. Once the burnout had been completed, it was immediately obvious that it was way better than it used to be thanks to the higher tyre pressures, which then made us think "oh bugger, we're going to break out".
The car hooked really hard, which made us doubt ourselves even more, but fortunately we ran through the traps with an 8.003 to go number one qualifier. Brilliant! That set the tone for the rest of the weekend, but did make us ponder: what do we do now?!

It was now the case of trying to beat ourselves and somehow trying to get even closer. Naturally we went for the same dial in for the second run which wasn't until the evening, after what seemed like numerous incidents on the track throughout the day, but it was to no avail as we ran through with a 7.991 break out, still close though right?

Saturday morning was upon us and had really good air conditions, something these naturally aspirated machines thrive upon, so we mutually agreed to go with an 7.99 dial in. In some ways, running through with an 8.002 was both good and bad: good because it was still a competitive run close to our dial in, but bad because leaving it with an 8.00 dial in would have beaten our 8.003, but it's always about the what ifs after it's happened! This did however make us feel a bit more confident that what we were doing was working and at this time the rest of the Super Pro field were catching so it was good to know we were consistent. Again, it wasn't until the evening that we got our second run of the day, which by then was changed from being a qualifying round to the first round of eliminations. As there were an odd number of cars qualified, we were given a bye run through to round 2. An average 60ft meant that we ran through with an 8.03 on our 8.00 dial in, still not bad when you look at it but an off run compared to our other runs!

Round 2 of Eliminations was Sunday morning and we were to race Phil Toppin in his altered. We would have been stupid not to go for an 8.00 so that's what we done, Phil going for an 8.97 giving the Rampage dragster nearly a seconds wait on the startline. Both drivers knew they had to cut a good light against one another and unfortunately for Phil, he tried a bit too hard cutting a -0.1 cherry to our +0.1. It wouldn't have made any difference as he ran through with a PB 8.69, completely annihilating his dial in! We ran through with an 8.02; confirming that an 8.00 was indeed our ideal dial in.

Sadly, before we could race Pete Walters in the quarter finals, on and off rain put an end to the weekend, which in a way was advantageous for us as it meant we left the event sitting 1st in the championship, even though we would have preferred racing to the end. Taking the runs over the three days meant we had averaged 8.009 on our 8.00 dial ins, which when you take a step back and look at it, is incredibly difficult to do. Trying to strategically predict what you will run over a 1/4 of a mile, trying to factor in so many variables, especially when these cars are as fast as they are, is really difficult so we think it's a hats off to all us sportsman racers who do it so well!

A huge thanks for our sponsors for this year: Mini Gears - who are a specialist gear manufacturing company based in Stockport that manufacture many types of high precision multi surface machine components and high quality gears - who have decided to remain with us for the fourth year running and to All Aces Couriers (01295 274050) - who can deliver your reputation for incredible prices - who have also decided to support us for the second year running. Also a thanks to the Walters for organising the sponsorship scheme again this year after it's success last year!

2013 National Finals Race Report and Season Review

After what was a hectic European Finals in Super Pro (in a good way mind!) it was time for the last event of the year and it soon sunk in that another race season had passed already; the years seem to go by quicker and quicker as we get older (and I'm only 18!). For Team Rampage it has been a fairly decent season overall, winning both the closest to dial in and random qualifier award in the Super Pro sponsorship scheme, which has been a fantastic addition to the class this year, combined with having a consistent race car has meant that the year has been another good'n for us. Indeed we have had a few howlers along the way, normally due to the odd dodgy prediction and not the car, but at the end of the day, we still love racing and are already looking ahead to 2014!

Right then, the National Finals...

It was absolutely beautiful weather on the Friday which set up the weekend perfectly. Saturday morning was again a gorgeous day and the air was near perfect, so being that we only had 3 qualifying sessions scheduled, we knew we had to make every run count. An 8.00 was the dial in for the first run and having looked over the history of all our runs, we had never run quicker than an 8.04 off of the trailer so we felt that number would be a good starting point, not wanting to breakout either. After a fairly average 60ft time, the dragster soon 'gobbled' in the good air and went on to an 8.018 straight into number 1. Not bad at all! However this was Super Pro, one of the most competitive classes ever, so once the session had finished we were 2nd. Being a couple of tenths down in the 60ft and still running an 8.01 was a good indicator that the air was as good as expected so it was good to know that we were right in that department. It wasn't until late afternoon that the 2nd round was upon us, due to the rather horrific crash Graham suffered, and according to said data, conditions were as near as makes no difference the same as they were in the morning... or so we were led to believe! We decided to leave the number were it was and see what would happen. Running through with an 8.04 wasn't too bad in the grand scale of things, even though it meant no improvement in our position; it would still be a reasonably difficult time to beat in racing. We would end the day in 4th position.

Eliminations weren't as good as we were hoping for on the Sunday. The car was performing consistently up to Round 1, so it would be a no brainer to go for the same 8.00. Up against Thomas Haas who had travelled a real long way from Switzerland with Natalie, meant Dave would be playing catch up to Thomas's 8.18 dial in. For reasons unknown, the transbrake wouldn't hold the dragster dead still on the line and was rolling slightly. At this time, Dave had noticed this but the lights were already half way down and all of a sudden the light was green and the race had already started! This meant a .115 reaction time to Thomas's .05 which in turn decided the outcome of the race as we went through with an 8.08 to Thomas's 8.29, so we were closer to our dial in but lost a tenth at the start. Being that our 60ft time was 7 hundredths off of what we normally run was a clear indicator that the car wasn’t quite right! Nevermind! After our mandatory fried breakfast, we packed up, watched another round of Super Pro and called it a day, which was also the end of the meeting, which was also the end of the season!

A big well done to Scott and Geoff on winning the double championship this year and Barry Giles on the SPRC championship. Thanks to the Walters family for organising the sponsorship scheme and Giles&Hartley Racing for providing the trophies. 

And last but most certainly not least a massive thanks to our sponsors:

• Mini Gears/Components Worldwide - www.minigears.co.uk - the complete supply package for all your metal components, whether it be gears, racks or machined parts at very competitive prices. They have been with us for 3 years now so an extra thanks to them.
• All Aces Couriers - 01295 275049 - delivering your reputation at incredible prices!
• Payday UK - www.paydayuk.co.uk - offering quick and super easy loans at the most competitive prices.

Winter is going to be, as always, a long one!

2013 FIA European Finals Race Report

Now, The Euro Finals has always been a personal favourite for both racers and fans alike, and this was no different for Team Rampage. Mixed weather reports for the 4 day drag racing extravaganza meant that we were feeling fairly optimistic, considering how well the Summer Nationals had went for us.

It was Thursday morning, and a rather pleasant one at that. It was the main day for Sportsman qualifying and knowing full well that Friday's forecast was not a good one, we knew we had to hit the nail on the head today. It was a unanimous decision that we would go for an 8.05 dial in for the first run, based on the fact that it was the first run off the trailer, however the air was fairly good. It was quite annoying when an 8.044 appeared on the board though, damn! Never mind, we weren't too far off of our prediction so that was the positive that could be taken from it.
We looked to give the Rampage dragster an oil change after we had got back from our run and had breakfast as it was long overdue one, but just as we had finished topping up the 540ci motor we were called, so it was into a small panic mode at this time as the car was still in pieces! Luckily, it was the biggest ever field entry for Super Pro so we had more than enough time to get it all back together. The conditions hadn't changed too much compared to when we had our first run, albeit a lot warmer and so with the breakout in mind and the fact that we had to get a number on the board, we went for an 8.02 dial in. Only a couple of pairs before we were due to run, and straight after our routine fire up in the pairing lanes, my leg decided that it would come into contact with the scorching hot headers and boy did I feel it! This meant a trip to the medical centre for me and missing out on our run, to which I was told when I got back that we had run another 8.04, this time an 8.045. At least the car was consistent and we had improved on our position, just not our predictions!
3rd round proved to be an additional improvement, going for the obvious 8.04 dial in subject to our two previous runs and running through with an 8.051 meant that we would finish the day in 9th place out of some 50 odd cars, not bad! A transbrake issue meant that our 4th run was wasted and so we looked onto next day, praying that the weather Gods would be on our side!

Fair to say they were with us! The majority of forecasts the evening before had stated that it would be a wash out for Friday, but what did they know? This was the Pod after all! We knew that any window of opportunity for the track to be in action today would be for the Pro classes so we had our fingers crossed that the weather would remain overcast, at least so we could have another shot at nailing our dial in before the first round of eliminations the next day. After the odd shower or two throughout the day, we had our wishes granted with one more round and so going into the early evening we felt that an 8.03 dial in would suffice. Hoping the transbrake issue was resolved, Dave came to the line, the lights went down and off he went, onto an 8.039, which got us back up the field to only the number 10 spot; goes to show just how good all these other guys in our class are! This meant that we were paired to race Alan Didwell in the 1st round Saturday morning.

We were only half way through the meeting and it was already time for eliminations, due to the huge amount of Super Pro cars that had managed to qualify. Commiserations to those who had breakages and couldn't fix in time, hopefully see you at the National Finals!
Seeing that the conditions were very similar to the 1st round of qualifying on the Thursday morning, we decided to stick an 8.03 on the board despite the number of breakouts before us. Well it was to our dismay when Dave went through running a 7.98 AND coming off of the loud pedal way before the gantry. Going over the data after the run, we were 8 hundredths quicker at 1000ft compared to what we normally run and so after a few calculations we would have run a 7.8 second pass, which would have been the quickest we had ever run in the car by quite a chunk. What was different about that run in relation to Q1 we had no idea, and it seemed that quite a few others didn't either! The dragster just picked up a big amount of speed and time after 60ft that came out of nowhere, which no-one could have predicted!

Sadly that was our weekend done and dusted already, and it wasn't even 11 o'clock yet of the 3rd day! After entertaining our brilliant sponsors from All Aces Couriers, who after coming drag racing for the first time now want to come again, we packed up, watched our guys in Super Pro run and made off for home, after we had gone to the pub of course!
Thanks again to this years fantastic sponsors, whose support is always very much appreciated:

• Mini Gears/Components Worldwide - www.minigears.co.uk - the complete supply package for all your metal components, whether it be gears, racks or machined parts at very competitive prices.
• All Aces Couriers - 01295 275049 - delivering your reputation at incredible prices!
• Payday UK - www.paydayuk.co.uk - offering quick and super easy loans at the most competitive prices.

See you at all The National Finals!

2013 Main Event Race Report

Let's be honest, Easter was bloody freezing and we couldn't wait to see a warmer Santa Pod for this years Main Event. In some ways we got what we wished for and in some ways we didn't!

It all started with taking the dragster over on Thursday afternoon, where the weather (as usual) was all over the place, one minute the Sun was shining and the next there were hail stones. Unfortunately due to lack of availability in Team Rampage that day, it was just the case of leaving the truck and trailer where it was and having to set up and take the car to scrutineering the following day.

Friday morning was upon us and we got to the track as early as we could knowing that we would (potentially) be starting just after Pro ET at 9am. The forecast looked dreadful for the day but at around 8am the Sun was just peeping through the clouds, which was a bit of a tease and gave us false hope really! It wasn't long after we had got the car back from scrutineering that it started to drizzle, which then turned to rain, which then turned to heavy rain before eventually becoming stormy weather. Cold. Wet. Windy. It was on and off all day before it got to around 3pm when the Race Director decided to call it and so we looked to Saturday with more promise.

Saturday was a vast improvement. It was almost like being in a different country with how the weather had changed. For the first run, we had all mutually decided to wack a number on the board and go from there, so an 8.00 dial in was the target. Running an 8.06 left us in 3rd place after the first session, knowing full well that that number wasn't going to keep us there long! After the two scheduled Pro sessions, it was already quite late in the day but either way we thought leaving the dial in where it was, was a good move. We ran an 8.02, narrowing down the gap however we weren't the only ones nailing our dial ins, pair after pair and numbers were flying left right and centre eventually leaving us in the number 4 position. Not too shabby.

It was already Sunday and it had  been rumoured the night before that we would have just one more qualifier in the morning before going into eliminations. This proved to be the case and so with that in mind we went for the same 8.00 dial in hoping to narrow it down just a little more. Unfortunately, we ended up waiting on the line for longer than usual and the car had got hot enough that the temperature had gone off of the gauge. In the past the car had shown to run quicker when hot and this wasn't about to change, running through with a 7.97 breakout. Not improving on our time meant that we were going into eliminations in 9th place, which out of 40 odd cars could still be seen as fairly decent!

We were paired to race Noah Stutz from Switzerland in his gorgeous looking dragster. He had dialed in a 7.84 and we an 8.00 so we would marginally be leaving first. As all racers will know, they say if you never red light, you're not trying hard enough and on this occasion Dave tried a bit too hard, cutting a -0.007 red to Noah's -0.003 red which was a little aggravating considering we ran through with another 8.02, proving the car was running consistently. Never mind! This meant that our weekend had come to a premature end but it did mean that we could return Monday to watch all the brilliant racing from the Pro classes which ended up being worth it.

Despite going out early, Team Rampage can look forward to the Summer Nationals, especially with the dragster running its numbers. Congratulations to eventual winner Barry Giles and Vince Gibbs for running the perfect number, top stuff guys!

As always massive thanks to our sponsors for this year: Mini Gears UK who  provide a wide range of CNC machining and CNC gear grinding services, Payday Loans UK who can offer quick and hassle-free loans and All Aces Couriers who can provide super-quick and efficient delivering services at a fair price.