[woodcote]

The May 2021 WHO Newsletter has just been sent out. This is most of what's in it...

Back to the Barn? The prospects of getting back to the Barn are certainly looking much brighter! However, it is still relatively early days and we need to be patient. Lifting lockdown is all about the ‘bigger picture’ – the overall infection rates, getting children back to school and the economy back on its feet. But the virus is still here and – especially for those of us who are more vulnerable – the personal risks remain, even with the vaccine roll-out.

Last year, we decided not to return until a WHO night would be almost entirely restriction-free and only when all of us could safely return together. That is what we will do this time – we won’t be rushing back. We have something very special at WHO that I don’t want to put at risk. The past year has been tough – particularly for those who have been ill and those who have lost loved ones, whether from Covid or something else. Returning to the Barn together and enjoying each others’ company will be part of putting the pandemic behind us – but that won’t happen quite yet.

Preparation… Simon and I will be looking in at the Barn this month and will start the process of checking, cleaning and sort the equipment there. We have a bag of HO controllers to make sure no-one will need to share and are planning some upgrades to modernise race control at both our HO and WHO/digital events. Mike D has done an utterly fabulous job updating the digital club car fleet during lockdown and is tweaking the track and equipment he has at his home.

In the meantime… We can’t put an exact date on when we will return, so we do need to be patient. There are Covid-safe racing alternatives including the HO proxy drag races, various 1/32 scale proxy events and Gareth’s fabulous ‘Limit of Adhesion’ i-Racing group. Many of us have been having slot car fun at home and I am sure there will be plenty of home racing happening this summer. Perhaps outdoors?

Outdoor events are much safer. There are regular outdoor Toy & Train Fairs just up the A24 at Ashington and over at Ardingly near Haywards Heath. These take place on Sunday mornings. Local retailer Weevils Slot Cars are there with new and used cars, sets and accessories – and there are often other second-hand cars for sale on other people’s tables. Perhaps some of us can meet up there for some retail therapy and a catch-up over the summer? I intend to be at as many as possible. Keep an eye on the WHO Facebook page. A list of events can be found here: https://www.modeltoyauctions.co.uk/news/...838269BB6/

2022 WHO Winter Rally-Sprint. Whether we are racing at the Barn or taking a brief winter break, the second WHO Rally-Sprint proxy event will be held next January and February. If you’re interested in hosting a stage – or helping with one – do let me know asap. The plan is to publish rules & regs for entrants towards the end of the summer. To get a flavour, there’s a short report of the 2021 event on the Jadlam blog: https://blog.jadlamracingmodels.com/2021...ly-sprint/

We're getting closer, but...