[woodcote]

There are 65 cars in the paddock...

   

...plus a big tub of medals and other goodies. Thank you to everyone who entered cars and contributed to the tub.

I shall introduce the cars in a moment, but first the plan for the weekend...

Saturday
Street Stock Qualifying
Nostalgia T-Jet Qualifying & Eliminators
Nostalgia Funny Car Qualifying & Eliminators
IFA Match Racing - Round 1
Super Stock Qualifying
NHRA Top Fuel Qualifying & Eliminators

Sunday
NHRA 4-Gear Qualifying & Eliminators
Nostalgia Pro Stock Qualifying & Eliminators
IFA Match Racing - Round 2
Nostalgia Micro 2019 Qualifying & Eliminators
Super Stock Eliminators
IFA Match Racing - Round 3
Street Stock Eliminators

Timings tbc - but hopefully a gently flow through each day.

[woodcote]

Last to arrive - but first to show - are Jeremy and Jane's cars...

   

Bill's cars have been here for the duration, but received a little pep-up this week...

   

Andy Phillips' Mini has also been a long-term resident...

   

It's great to have Clive back racing!

   

Kev has added to his HO fleet - surely he'll get a medal this time?

   

Iain's OutLaw survived the trip this time! Can't wait to see it in action on the strip...

   

The Burley contingent has been swelled by the return of Anna and the debut of Freddie in Street Stock...

   

It's also brilliant to have Nico's car back in Brighton...

   

These are my no-hopers...

   

More hope for Rebecca's cars, I reckon...

   

And Rose is back to close-out a 16-car ladder in Street Stock and an 8-car field in Nostalgia Funny Car...

   

Looking forward to the morning

[nkarres]

Impressive cars!!!! Good luck to each and everyone, let's have some fun on the track!!!

Have to work tomorrow, so I guess I need a powerbank for my mobile, I'll be looking all the time.......

Nico

[BAracer]

Glad ours got there OK!

[woodcote]

Micro Scalextric Street Stock Qualifying

   

Street Stock scrutineering and qualifying is probably the longest slog of the weekend. All but one car passed tech - and that required a tyre change to drop down from 0.500" to the class maximum of 0.476". And then every car got three qualifying runs - at least one on each lane...

   

Our TQ at the first race in June 2020 was Alan with a 0.636, which he beat two months later with a 0.573 - our only sub-0.600 second qualifying time for Street Stock. But - as a group - that top six has definitely got faster.

   

Congrats to Jane on another TQ performance - I should really count up the stats sometime.

I'll take a break and then enjoy some pancake racing through the afternoon.

[woodcote]

Nostalgia T-Jet Qualifying

   

The six T-Jets all sounded good on warm-up... and they gave us one of the quickest qualifying sessions yet...

   

It was Bill's Torino that was the class act and took the TQ spot, 026 ahead of Nico's bug...

   

The T-Jet Eliminators will follow very soon...

[woodcote]

Nostalgia T-Jet Eliminators

Round One began with a re-run of last time's semi...

   

Bill's Torino was in devastating form and beat Rebecca's Dodge by 0.178 seconds - the ETs 0.626 to 0.786. Bill would have a bye next round and proceeded directly to the final.

   

Nico vs Andy was closer, although the speed of the VW bug meant a 0.088 winning margin at the finish line - the ETs 0.694 to 0.760. Nico booked his place in the semi-final.

   

The third first round race saw third and fourth qualifiers Clive and Iain scrap it out to meet Nico. Iain's Willys van struggled on the start during qualifying and gave Clive 0.018 on reaction time in the this race. Clive finished 0.032 seconds ahead, but the Willys should have been closer. Their ETs were 0.745 and 0.759.

   

Nico faced Clive in the only semi - to decide who'd line up against Bill in the final. It was great to see Clive's once-dominant T-bolt back on the strip - but the classic Super Stocker was no match for Nico's VW bug. A win by 0.051 seconds looks close on this strip - the ETs 0.676 and 0.716, both quicker than their first rounds.

T-Jet Final

   

The top two qualifier lined up... and this is what happened...




An incredibly close start...

   

..with the cars running side-by-side down the strip... until a small gap was created in the run-up to the line...

   

It was the closest T-Jet final we've seen in ages!

   

But the congratulations and the winner's medal go to Bill...

   

Here's the ladder...

   

And all the T-Jet data...

   

A short break - and there'll be all the Nostalgia 4-Gear Funny Car action...

[nkarres]

That was real close!!!! Congrats to Bill!!!!!!!

Nico

[woodcote]

Nostalgia 4-Gear Funny Car Qualifying

   

Eight Funny Cars, two of them very quick and most of them averagely good...

   

Nico pushed him hard, but Iain takes the TQ...

   

The elimination rounds promise to be nail-biting. They are coming up soon...

[woodcote]

Nostalgia 4-Gear Funny Car Elimination Race

A nice full 8-car elimination ladder started with first vs last qualifiers...

   

Kev's 'Cuda seems to have power, but has way too much wheelspin off the line. Until that's sorted, Iain was always going to win this by a big margin - 0.519 of a second, as it turned out. The ETs 0.745 and 1.172.

   

Rebecca and Rose had qualified fourth and fifth. Rose should have fancied a win here, but the Camaro had a poor run and lost by 0.081 - the ETs 0.827 and 0.891. Rose was in fact sleeping off a morning stalking a stranded herring gull. Despite being 3 times bigger than the mini-panther, the gull was utterly terrified and human intervention was required... much to Rose's disgust.

   

Back to the racing... and Nico comfortably dispatched Jerome's Dodge Challenger by 0.124 seconds. Nico's ET was just a fraction slower than Iain's at 0.748. Jerome's time was 0.859.

   

The fourth first-round race saw the smallest margin of victory, as Bill beat Andy by 0.068 of a second to reach the semis. Their ETs were 0.801 and 0.848.

Funny Car Semi-Finals

   

There was a full tenth of second at the finish line in the first semi-final - Iain and Rebecca's ETs 0.737 and 0.829. Iain was warmed up nicely for the final.

   

Nico also breezed through his race - beating Bill by 0.067 in the battle of the Vegas. Nico clocked 0.749 and Bill 0.810.

4-Gear Funny Car Final

   

Both cars had been quick, Iain's slightly faster. When the lights went green, this is what happened...




Was Iain slow off the line? Or did Nico get a brilliant start? It didn't matter - Nico's Vega had a decent early lead...

   

But then Iain's 'Cuda started reeling him in - with a pass happening somewhere around the finish line...

   

Nico had held on - the pass was after the line!

   

Massive congratulations to Nico on his win - and for breaking Iain's stranglehold on Nostalgia 4-Gear Funny car...

   

Here's the ladder...

   

And all the date from the elimination rounds...

   

That's been a super afternoon of racing so far. I reckon it's match-racing next. Looks like we're still on schedule, with a planned finish of around 8.30-9pm this evening.