[woodcote]

Gen6 Cup Championship Shoot-Out

Our Gen6 Cup subclass for AFX Mega-G+ cars fitted with a Gen6 body has its own winner-takes-all shoot-out at the final race of our November meeting. It's a format devised by Keith and Andy back in 2015 that pays homage to the Nascar Playoffs and 'Championship 4' race - which takes place this Sunday in Phoenix. WHO racers qualify for the shoot-out by either winning a Gen6 race or finishing high up in the Gen6 points table. With Deborah's win, this was the line-up...

   

These were the four cars...

   

And these the four drivers, one of them just two minutes away from championship glory...

   


Top seeds Kev and Ash had gone for the outer two lanes, Deborah being brave and choosing yellow. Rob was happy with red... The first lap saw Deborah, Ash and Kev glued together in close formation, Rob just hanging back. The adrenaline boost of a championship showdown proved a bit too much - Ash crashed on lap 2, Kev on laps 3 and 4. That left Deborah out front and Rob keeping watch a few yards back...

   

Deborah was focused on that tricky inside lane and driving it beautifully. Each lap saw another tenth of a second or more added to her lead over Rob in red lane. Yet all Rob needed was for Deborah to make an error - or get caught up in someone else's crash - and he could grab the win. But when the gap went out to a lap - and then two laps - Rob needed more. And Deborah wasn't making any mistakes!

   

With just one Nascar appearance this year, Deborah brushed off the cobwebs and executed a magnificent smash-and-grab for the Gen6 Cup! Rob was a fine second place, getting through with no offs - Ash was third and pole-man Kev fourth. Championship dreams were shattered...

   

That gave us the final piece of the 2023 WHO Nascar Championship jigsaw - congrats to Deborah, Ollie and Terry...

   

And here are those all-important Nascar championship tables...

   

   

Next month is the final HO race of the year - we'll be racing F1 on a layout  inspired by the Macao street circuit. There'll be a whole raft of champions crowned, including our 2023 WHO Club Champion. Terry looks like he's in pole position for that one...

   

A very big thank you to everyone who came along and made Wednesday evening another cracking three hours at the Barn. Special thanks for to the set-up crew, the race control team and to those who braved the storm to stay and pack away. Keith is coming up with four Nascar layouts for 2024 - we'll post them when we have them.