[woodcote]

Race Four - Richmond Trophy

Even with a couple of absentees, this class for 1950s front-engined 2.5-litre Grand Prix cars continues to grow. We had eight cars on the grid this time - four Cartrix and four Scalextric, five British models and two Italian...

   

The format saw 2-minute qualifying sessions set the grid - the top two going straight through to the 15-lap Feature race and the other six competing in a 10-lap Semi-final for the remaining places. Those top two places were grabbed by defending champion Mike with his BRM P25 and Alex's Aston Martin DBR4, both Cartrix...

   

The others battled it out over ten chaotic laps in the Semi, Terry the only racer to really get into a decent rhythm with his yellow Cartrix Lancia D50. He crossed the line two laps ahead of the squabbling pack - a veritable thrashing. Dean pipped Simon and Duncan to second, those three the best of the Scalextric runners with a Ferrari, Maserati and Vanwall. The order didn't matter much - they were all through to the Feature. Missing out was last year's fourth-placed finisher Pete, whose Cartrix Vanwall suffered a mishap after qualifying third. Also out was Isaac and his 1980s Scalextric Vanwall - it didn't get off the line and will receive extensive work and new wheels ready for next year.

       

The Feature race was entertaining - these cars are always good to watch. Alex kept Mike honest in the early stages, with everyone else having benefitted from those extra laps of the Semi and giving the marshals an easy ride to begin with. By five laps of the 15, Mike had pulled a useful gap on Alex and was beginning to relax. Terry was not too far behind in third, but the three Scalextric runners were already a lap down - Duncan leading Simon and Dean...

   

Mike continued to take a couple of tenths each lap and there wasn't much Alex could do. As the laps counted down, everyone apart from Alex had to visit the pits for a splash & dash. Mike executed his stop perfectly and still had most of a lap advantage. That turned to a whole lap when Alex got caught in a last-corner pile-up right at the end - Mike picked his way through and took victory before the stricken Aston Martin was returned to the track. Terry - who has been a lap behind Alex - came through in third, now on the same lap as the runner-up. Duncan finished a lap clear of his fellow Scalextric runners...

   

Congrats to Mike for his win and first winners' medal of the day! He led in a Cartrix 1-2-3...

   

Here are some video highlights...



Next was the turn of the 1950s World Championship sports cars in the Sussex Trophy...