22nd-Feb-24, 11:52 AM
Race Report Part Two - Pioneer Legends Pairs Race
A few departures after the team race left us with eleven pairs for some Pioneer Legends mayhem...
Two 8-minute qualifying heats would decide the top 5 for the feature race - and then the remaining six pairs would battle for one step-up spot to join them. The first five cars got stuck in good and proper. It was extremely close, although Rob & Ollie's Chevy sustained major damage and it would be touch and go whether they'd reappear for the semi. In the end, Alex & Dean romped home with a huge 40 lap score. Simon & Ryan were second with 36 laps, Mike P & Russell finishing on 35 laps and an excellent third in Terry's gold Ford. Andy & Scott managed 34 laps in fourth and would likely race again in the semi...
The six pairs in the second heat knew what they had to do - a target of 35 laps seemed realistic to make the feature. Mike & Ash looked on target from the early stages, but it was chaotic behind them...
Duncan & Tim in the yellow & red Dodge gradually emerged from the pack and looked likely to qualify. However, like many of the pairs in this race, dramas around pit stops robbed them in the closing stages - remarkably no-one apart from Mike & Ash bettering the top four from heat one. The heat two winners slotted in to the second qualifying spot... The rest of the pairs would run again, along with Rob & Ollie in their hastily repaired car...
The 8-minute semi was seriously hectic - lots of action for the marshals and lots of drama. It was too close to call at the driver change, Rob handing over the green McDonalds Chevy to Ollie with a small advantage...
Ollie drove the car brilliantly to pull out a lap advantage over Terry & Oliver, with the rest not far behind. But then disaster struck - he wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last, but Ollie's over-enthusiastic pit entry failed to register, leaving him out on track and out of fuel. His advantage evaporated and by the time the pit stop was successfully executed, he'd dropped right to the back...
Ollie's misfortune was a huge slice of luck for Oliver & Terry, who took full advantage and got to the finish two laps ahead of Duncan & Tim and Isaac & Kev. Mike & Daniel were fourth, Steve & Jez fifth and the unlucky Rob & Ollie sixth. Oliver & Terry would step up to the feature race...
Alex & Dean blasted off from pole in their white Total Ford. It was another close race - the lead swapping on pit stops and seeing Oliver & Terry the closest challengers to the pole-sitters for the win. That battle ebbed and flowed, but in the end Alex & Dean came out on top. Behind the top two, it looked like Andy & Scott were set for the final podium place - that was until Andy made a complete hash of his final pit stop, giving Mike the opportunity to make up two laps and grab third place. The #55 Perrier Dodge still held on to finish fourth...
Simon & Ryan were fifth, recovering from an early re-programme and setting a very rapid sub 9-second lap. Mike & Russell finished sixth and securing an excellent championship points haul for a pair of rookies...
Congrats to Alex & Dean on their win and to all our top three pairs...
The Legends championship is ridiculously close at the top after the first two rounds...
And the Nascar team race championship - where laps = points - is also very tight...
A very big thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a fun evening at the Barn. Special thanks goes to the set-up crew, to the Race Control team and to all those who stayed behind to pack away. Ten years on, Mike's enthusiasm and generosity is still much appreciated - there would be no digital racing at the Barn without him.
Our 2024 WHO/digital season now moves on to a four-race GT Championship. We start with two-hour team endurance races in March, April and May, finishing with a four-hour race at our Digital Saturday in June. The six Gold-rated drivers will lead the Pro-Am teams and supply the cars. Everyone attending the races will be allocated to a team.
Before all that, we're back at the Barn on Wednesday 6 March for our first HO F1 race of the year.
A few departures after the team race left us with eleven pairs for some Pioneer Legends mayhem...
Two 8-minute qualifying heats would decide the top 5 for the feature race - and then the remaining six pairs would battle for one step-up spot to join them. The first five cars got stuck in good and proper. It was extremely close, although Rob & Ollie's Chevy sustained major damage and it would be touch and go whether they'd reappear for the semi. In the end, Alex & Dean romped home with a huge 40 lap score. Simon & Ryan were second with 36 laps, Mike P & Russell finishing on 35 laps and an excellent third in Terry's gold Ford. Andy & Scott managed 34 laps in fourth and would likely race again in the semi...
The six pairs in the second heat knew what they had to do - a target of 35 laps seemed realistic to make the feature. Mike & Ash looked on target from the early stages, but it was chaotic behind them...
Duncan & Tim in the yellow & red Dodge gradually emerged from the pack and looked likely to qualify. However, like many of the pairs in this race, dramas around pit stops robbed them in the closing stages - remarkably no-one apart from Mike & Ash bettering the top four from heat one. The heat two winners slotted in to the second qualifying spot... The rest of the pairs would run again, along with Rob & Ollie in their hastily repaired car...
The 8-minute semi was seriously hectic - lots of action for the marshals and lots of drama. It was too close to call at the driver change, Rob handing over the green McDonalds Chevy to Ollie with a small advantage...
Ollie drove the car brilliantly to pull out a lap advantage over Terry & Oliver, with the rest not far behind. But then disaster struck - he wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last, but Ollie's over-enthusiastic pit entry failed to register, leaving him out on track and out of fuel. His advantage evaporated and by the time the pit stop was successfully executed, he'd dropped right to the back...
Ollie's misfortune was a huge slice of luck for Oliver & Terry, who took full advantage and got to the finish two laps ahead of Duncan & Tim and Isaac & Kev. Mike & Daniel were fourth, Steve & Jez fifth and the unlucky Rob & Ollie sixth. Oliver & Terry would step up to the feature race...
Alex & Dean blasted off from pole in their white Total Ford. It was another close race - the lead swapping on pit stops and seeing Oliver & Terry the closest challengers to the pole-sitters for the win. That battle ebbed and flowed, but in the end Alex & Dean came out on top. Behind the top two, it looked like Andy & Scott were set for the final podium place - that was until Andy made a complete hash of his final pit stop, giving Mike the opportunity to make up two laps and grab third place. The #55 Perrier Dodge still held on to finish fourth...
Simon & Ryan were fifth, recovering from an early re-programme and setting a very rapid sub 9-second lap. Mike & Russell finished sixth and securing an excellent championship points haul for a pair of rookies...
Congrats to Alex & Dean on their win and to all our top three pairs...
The Legends championship is ridiculously close at the top after the first two rounds...
And the Nascar team race championship - where laps = points - is also very tight...
A very big thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a fun evening at the Barn. Special thanks goes to the set-up crew, to the Race Control team and to all those who stayed behind to pack away. Ten years on, Mike's enthusiasm and generosity is still much appreciated - there would be no digital racing at the Barn without him.
Our 2024 WHO/digital season now moves on to a four-race GT Championship. We start with two-hour team endurance races in March, April and May, finishing with a four-hour race at our Digital Saturday in June. The six Gold-rated drivers will lead the Pro-Am teams and supply the cars. Everyone attending the races will be allocated to a team.
Before all that, we're back at the Barn on Wednesday 6 March for our first HO F1 race of the year.
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