The 2014 ACU Championships for drag bike racing season kicks off at Santa Pod Raceway with the Festival of Power. This year will be a three-day meeting kicking off on Good Friday with qualifying on Friday and Saturday and Sunday sees the eliminations. Super Street Bike will be a double header with the ACU Championship and the first round of the European FIM Cup for Super Street Bike.
Top Fuel Bike.
The 2012 European FIM SuperTwins runner up Germany’s Christian Jager will be hoping for a better year. Last year the team changed the fuel and clutch management systems from mechanical to electrical and with help from Johnny Vickers of Hawaya Racing. Jager suffered from tyre shake and wheelspin for most of the season. Multi-time ACU Top Fuel Bike Champion Steve Woollatt suffered clutch and traction problems last year has fitted a BDK valve and Phil Baimbridge designed air operated clutch set up to control the operation. Rene Van Den Berg has had a spare motor built over the winter after recording a personal best of 6.54sec last year he will be hoping for further improvements in 2014.
Funnybike.
Reigning champion Stuart Crane is aiming to run in the six-second zone. He has a new 1640cc motor with a Vortex cylinder head bolted on. Dale Leeks will be hoping to continue the form he shown at the end of last season’s championship. He has a Hayabusa bodywork fitted to his bike for 2014. Dave Peters will be hoping better luck after suffering clutch issues for most of 2013. Peters has fitted a new heavy-duty gearbox. 2012 champion Maarten Zijlstra and last year’s runner up may not have the quickest bike but he has one the consistent bikes. 2005 ACU Comp Bike champion Gary Jones is the only rider entered that has run a six second pass (6.99). Another rider to look out for is Bob Brookes on his stunning bike (take a close look at the engineering that has been done to the bike when you are in the pits).
Pro Stock Bike.
Mark Smith became ACU Pro Stock Bike Champion for the first time last year and will be hoping to improve his performance in 2014. Newcomer to the class will be Alex Hope son of former Pro Stock bike rider Chris Hope. Alex has been competing in 9.50 and will be riding his fathers Pro Stocker in the class. Chris and his other son Mark will crew for Alex, they have two motors 1655cc and 1640cc. Three time ACU Pro Stock Bike Champion Len Paget is hoping for a better season (engine breakages) which kept him out of the winners circle the later half of last season.
Comp Bike.
Last years champion Lizz McCarthy is having her bike updated and is aiming for a mid-season debut. Jemma Venables who finished runner up last year is competing in Super Street Bike in 2014. So who are the leading contenders this season? Allan Davies has repaired his motor that broke in the final round of last year’s championship and has run 7.606. Tony Clark is another rider who has run 7.6 second bracket (7.668). Phil Crossley reached his first ACU final last year and has best et of 7.687. Other riders to look out for are Harold Wolfenden and Kevin Osman.
Super Street Bike ACU.
Graham Balchin starts his defence of his ACU Super Street Bike title and he is also racing in the FIM Cup as is his teammate Steve Venables who recorded the quickest time in UK and Europe of 7.188. Last years number three finisher of the ACU Championship Chris Reed is only doing the ACU championship and might be the one to look out for come the final round. As mentioned in Comp Bike Jemma Venables makes her debut in Super Street Bike and will be competing in both ACU and FIM classes. Richard Hann could be a dark horse for a top five finish, after reaching his first ACU final at the Extreme Performance Bike Weekend. Another who could move in the top five is Pete Field who ran a career personal best in testing at the end of 2013 of 7.297sec.
Super Street Bike FIM.
With three of the four rounds of the European FIM Cup being run at Santa Pod Raceway. Garry Bowe won the European FIM Cup (his first major title) last year will be aiming to retain it in 2014. Over the winter break Bowe has bought NLR side mounting turbo and intercooler kit, NLR air clutch system and has had the bike completely rewired by Brad O’Connor. Last year’s runner up to Bowe was Dave Holland who led the points coming into the final round, only to lose to Bowe, when they met in the eliminations. Holland did set both et and speed records for the class with 7.199-206.05 at last year’s Main Event meeting at Santa Pod. Danish rider Mogens Lund will focus on the FIM Cup this year, starting at Festival of Power after finishing in third place last year for the second time (2011) and will be hoping to do even better in 2014.
Report by Steven Moxley.