[woodcote]

   

It is always satisfying to get everyone on the pairs race grid. Thanks to some generous loaning of cars, we did it this time. Twenty-two racers meant eleven cars, two heats and a step-up for the winner of the Semi final to the Feature race.

   

The heats were preceded by a one-minute shake-down, which was helpful for the new drivers - the Trans-Ams are much more lively than the Nascars. Heat One had five cars and more experienced drivers. Oliver & Ash demolished the field, setting a massive 45 lap score in the eight minutes with Oliver's new '71 Camaro. Ollie & Rob were four laps back in similar machinery. Two '69 Camaros followed on 40 laps - Simon & Duncan leading Matthew & Rob to the chequered flag. Dean coached Tom well to bring their '71 Camaro home with a very decent 37 laps.

   

Heat Two was more chaotic - six cars, less experienced drivers and one very hard-to-handle AMC Hornet. Andy & Jeremy did their best to keep their AMC Javelin out of trouble and finished first with 40 laps, enough for Feature race qualification. Behind them, Stephen & Mike grabbed runner-up spot for the McCann Cougar- a nice drive, but their 38 laps only put them in pole for the Semi. Mike D & Steve would be right behind them in Mike's '71 Camaro, having picked up 37 laps and a faster best lap than Dean & Tom. Jaxson & Mike A were next - 34 laps was a great result for two first-time racers and tribute to Dean's team management skills. Andrew & James completed 30 laps for fifth place and they would race again with Simon's '71 Camaro. Finally, the Hornet rounded out the qualifying order, Simon M & Kevin managing 22 laps.

   

The six-car Semi followed on from the second heat - making it very exciting! Mike D took the first stint, handing over a one lap lead to Steve. Dean had kept his Camaro close, but Tom dropped back after a pit-entry tangle with Steve... When we move on to the GT Championship, such shenanigans might be worthy of a stop-go penalty. That left Stephen & Mike Mc the only realistic challengers for the step-up - at one point the Cougar got on the same lap as the leading Camaro, but the final pit stops gave Steve some breathing space...

   

So Mike D & Steve were safely in the Feature. Stephen & Mike were second, Dean & Tom third and then Andrew & James added a whopping four laps to their heat score to finish fourth. Without Dean's coaching, Jaxson & Mike dropped a lap, but 34 and 33 laps were excellent scores on debut. Simon & Kevin seemed to enjoy their race to finish sixth, but that Hornet will need some tweaking before next time!

   

The feature race started with Ash and Ollie in a battle of the top two Camaros. Mike made it a three-way battle as he quickly got his Camaro through the field. At the driver change, Ash had a lap lead over Mike with Ollie right behind. Jeremy, Matthew and Duncan were a further lap back, but certainly not out of it.

   

Oliver took over the lead Camaro and set a rapid pace. Rob followed, but Steve couldn't keep up - and he would soon drop behind Andy's Javelin. There were no errors from the leaders, either on the track or in the pits, meaning those gaps stayed pretty static - a lap between Oliver and Rob and another lap between Rob and Andy. Behind, Steve defended fourth place admirably, staying ahead of two more experienced drivers in quick cars. In the end, it was Rob A who finished fifth, Duncan making an extra pit stop...

   

Huge congratulations to Oliver & Ash on their win - Ash was unbeatable tonight! Here's the Trans-Am podium...

   

A big thank you to everyone who came along and helped make it a very enjoyable evening to start our 2026 WHO Digital season. Special thanks goes to the highly-efficient set-up and race control crews and to all those who stayed behind to pack away. Racing was over by 9.30 and the door locked by 10.

Our second Nascar & Trans-Am Wednesday is next month (11 February), followed by the new American SpeedFest all-dayer on Saturday 21 Feb. Remember, to enjoy our Digital Saturdays and GT Championship events, newer drivers need to get as many Nascar & Trans-Am evenings under their belts as possible! The minimum requirement is successfully completing one Nascar & Trans-Am event.

Before all that, we're back for the WHO Winter Stages on Wednesday - our first slot rally event of the year.