The Redneck Express of Chris Hand was 0 from 2 coming into the final qualifier, but a carded a strong 6.039/210 (Hand’s second best ET in a long career in the Top Fuel Bike ranks) to take second spot and get what might have been considered the easier side of the ladder. Hand progressed past fellow veteran Sam Wills when the Nitro Conspiracy bike went up in smoke off the line, and benefitted from his semifinal solo as a cylinder dropping eight second pass would have left him as a sitting duck in a competitive match. The team had to swap motors after the semis, but this would prove to be to no avail as the pipes started going wet and chucking both blower and drive belt before the 300 foot mark.

Well it had to end sometime. McBride had a winning streak running back to the inception of the Manufacturers’ Cup series in late 2010 and quickly took the low qualifying spot with a swift 5.799/225 under the comparatively cool conditions on Friday night, a figure he almost matched with a low 5.8 during the Saturday night session. Blitzing the slick during the heat of the day in qualifying and his first round bye indicated some vulnerability if the conditions weren’t optimal and this would prove to be Spiderman’s undoing in the semi-final against King; McBride proved to be a class act in defeat “I’m so pleased for Ian as he works so hard at this” and has a new adventure to look forward to after Easter as he starts shaking down the new fuel scooter that has been put together in his and brother Steve’s Cycle Specialist shop over the past couple of years.