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Berri's hometown heroes look the goods, Barnhard in Championship lead
8th December 2009
A busy day at the office for team 'Bondage' was enough to please the home crowd at Martin's Bend in Berri, which competed in both the Premier and Modified division races.
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| 3 from 3 - Chris Philp in 'Bondage' |
Brian Jeffrey was first up in race 1 with the BAD Boats and he wasted no time putting the 6 litre injected engine through it's paces. With Agent Orange and 'Totally X-Static' out for the count it left only 'Tuff'E'Nuff' a few boat lengths ahead. Another few boat lengths behind Jeffrey was Ken Arnott in 'Insanity' who could not catch the flying 18 foot Everingham.
Race 3 on the program and it was back on the river for race 2 in the Modified division, this time pedalled by Chris Philp who came up against arch rivals Tom Barnhard and John Warren. The three 6 litre boats were neck and neck on the starting straight. Formula Stock entrant Chris Wellington was included with the Modified class but his boat 'JAC Racing' encountered a minor problem and was unable to finish.
Barnhard drove 'Bite Me' hard through the turn attempting to run wide with Philp in 'Bondage' and it was a close battle. Meanwhile Warren in 'Balls n All' made a switchback from pole 3 to the inside of the front runners, making the most of his Everhingham's turning ability. A hard run down the straight saw Barnhard slip back to third place while Warren drove with precision to hold second for most of the race, only to be pipped by 'Bite Me' on the final straight. Philp took an easy first place ahead of the carby boats.
"That was only half throttle" boasted a cheery Philp who no doubt was enjoying himself ahead of his home crowd.
Another driver change and "BJ" was back on course against a full field of blown boats. There was no doubting he was full throttle as the 6 litre screamed around the course in 3 very consistent laps. to take third out of a field of 5.
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| John Warren was quick in the turns in "Balls 'N' All' |
Race 7 on the program produced one of the best races of the day with all 6 litre boats neck and neck into turn one. Out of the spray emerged Warren who momentarily seemed to disappear and suddenly found himself behind the capsule boat 'Bite Me'. Philp again took first while Wellington took an uncontested win for his division, rounding out the Modified field in fourth.
In the fifth race for the day for 'Bondage', BJ drove a faultless 3 laps to again take third place in a Premier Division race, very closely behind a troubled Trevor Stanley in 'Agent Orange'. Despite finishing behind the Aussie champ, Jeffrey took overall second for the Division and again showed that our 6 litre competitors have what it takes to mix it with the BAD Boats.
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| A class of his own - Chris Wellington in 'JAC Racing' |
Race 3 in the Modified Division saw the second red flag for the day, this time Wellington was left stranded in 'JAC'. 'Balls n All' was a non starter but did not get a second chance in the re-run due to officials calling the race as it stood when red flagged- Philp with another first making it 3 from 3, levelling the team on points with Terry Smith who was unable to compete due to his boat undergoing repair.
Barnhard took yet another second and scored enough points to put him on top of the Championship table- the very same type of consistency that saw him take the title last season.
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| Mr. consistent - Tom Barnhard in 'Bite Me' |
As the series takes a break for teams to focus on the Riverland Spectacular in January, the Division is shaping up to be a close one. If Warren can keep Barnhard in his wake while Smith & Jeffrey battle out for first place, all four boats could be level pegging for the Championship lead.
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