NIF2.com - 2012 - #26 – Tullyroan Oval

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Added: 25 Jul 2012	Category: 2012 Oval Racing
2012 - #26 – Tullyroan Oval – 21/7/12
Another weekend, another stock car meeting, but this weekend was no ordinary weekend and it was no ordinary stock car meeting, this weekend it was Speedweekend 1 at Tullyroan Oval. As with the Nuttscorner Oval speedweekends in recent years, it all starts for me weeks ahead of the weekend with prepping artwork, programmes, mail outs and collating all sorts of information and bits and pieces, under the watchful eye of Darren Black (who writes most of the programme). With my good camera still sitting on a repair bench in Glasgow, I had to buy another one during the week, which wasn’t a good start. As I back up I took my spare camera which I duly left switched on when I put the battery in and arrived at Tullyroan to find the battery already flat, which wasn’t the best of starts. The new camera doesn’t like playing ball with my flash and so the second batch of problems arose when I nearly blinded myself with it, let alone Haley, Paula and Shane McMillan who were in front of me at the time. More work is needed on that. The Saturday night featured some great racing in the 2 Litres, with thirty six cars in action trying to get through a two from three heat format to make it to the European grid. Andrew Murray took heat one which featured a good dice for second between Adam Hylands and Glenn Bell and a good dice for fourth between Shane Murray and Wayne Woolsey. Damon Wellman became the only visiting winner in the 2 litres for the weekend when he won heat two, but the third heat was one of the races of the night as Mark Madill took the honours while the rest of the field tried to battle past Davy Potter, who had the race of his life to take second. The Lightning Rods too had a thirty six car turnout with David Hearst taking heat one, Stephen Emerson was awarded heat two after Tim Hazelett was removed for a technical issue and the third heat went to Brendan McConnell. The National Hot Rods had two qualifying heats for the Irish Masters championship on the Saturday night in a change of format from their normal World Qualifying round on the Saturday night. After a presentation to Glenn Bell (who had no engine and couldn’t race), John Christie won the opening heat before Dave Casey took heat two. The ProStocks Irish Open on the Saturday night of last years Speedweekend was one of the races of the weekend last year, if not one of the races of the season. While the racing was still good, it didn’t really live up to last year’s highs. Dave Morrison and Stefan McClelland shared the heat wins with McClelland leading home Steven Haugh and Adrian McKinstry in the Irish Open final. In the Juniors there was a heat win for Dan Campbell who went on to take the Golden Helmet, with Stuart Cochrane the other heat winner and runner up in the final. The Robins looked for most of the night to be a demonstration run for Rab Stewart after he took the opening heat, but in the end it was Billy McLean who took the honours in the final, catching Stewart in the closing laps of the final and just making a pass at the right time to take the win. Saturday over, it was time to get back down the road, charge the batteries, clear the memory cards and prepare for day two. Approx Car turnout: 127 Cars (36 2.0 Hot Rods, 36 Lightning Rods, 30 ProStocks, 11 Robins, 10 Junior Productions, 14 National Hot Rods)
F2's are next week!
Chaos in the ProStocks
National Heat 1 grid
The new gold roof
#9 World Champion
Junior action
Lightning Rods Line up
Tea anyone?
Nationals around turn 1
Martin and Christie in action
Juniors line up
Lightning Rods ready to go
Lightning Rods round turn 1
Lightning rods again
Robins Line up

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