[Kevan]

Race report and results - 27th August 2026 - 

• NSR Mosler ‘Club Challenge 2026 #7’ + NSR Moslers
  
• Saloons + Small Saloons + Group 5 Saloons
  
• SRF F1 Sidecars
  

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NSR Mosler ‘Club Challenge 2026 #7’ + NSR Moslers

   
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Seven club members tonight, six ‘Club Challenge’ cars plus the club Mosler.
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There were a few missed laps due to ‘incidents’ on the last corner:
Brian L missed 1 lap in Red
Geoff missed 2 laps in Yellow
Those laps didn’t affect Brian but did promote Geoff in front of Chris.
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Lots of really fast laps tonight, four of us getting round under 6 seconds, Chris with a 6.0 and Brian H & Ed with 6.2’s.
Watching the video, they’re all quick! 

   
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Saloons + Small Saloons + Group 5 Saloons

   
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Three classes of cars were represented tonight.

• Ed & Kev in ‘Modified Saloon’
  
• Brian H, Chris & Geoff in ‘Prostock Saloon’
  
• Andy & Brian L in ‘Open Saloon’
  

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Chris started with a Nissan Skyline Group 5 and had to quickly swap to his trusty Honda Civic due to problems with the Nissan.  This cost him four laps and opened the door for Brian H to snatch the class win with the NSR Abarth 500.
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Ed, Brian H & Geoff raced each other for the three heats and gave the watching marshals some great racing as they were really close.
Although Brian’s Abarth won his three races, Ed ran him close in Heat #3 as his Ninco Calibra was only 4 or 5 car lengths behind and closing as they crossed the line.
Geoff’s Scooby was the quickest of the three cars but not as predictable.
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Andy’s closest race was Heat #6, his Spirit Peugeot 406 crossing the line one lap ahead of Kev’s MRRC Toyota Celica.

   
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SRF F1 SIDECARS

   
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• Seven SRF F1 Sidecars
  

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Firstly let’s get my scrutineers head on…
We are seeing screws falling out during racing, this is because 3D printed plastic isn’t solid like an injection molded part and the screws don’t grab the plastic.  You can mitigate this by smearing a bit of superglue round the inside of the threaded hole then letting it cure for a few minutes, then the screws will hold much tighter. It also helps greatly if you use long screws.
…which means from now on ALL Sidecars must have tape over the screws.
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Brian H was involved in the closest race for the win, Heat #5, Andy in Blue lane finishing just over two seconds ahead.  Brian ended up second overall which pleased him greatly.
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We had a couple of DNS/DNF’s tonight, Brian L with a detached guide block and Andy with a detached passenger still clinging onto the section of the sidecar that sits over the left rear wheel! after Ed’s black Sidecar slid off Yellow lane onto Blue lane just as Andy was flying round the corner behind with the inevitable collision.
Ultimately this meant a DNF for Brian in Heat #4 and a DNS in Heat #5
…and a DNF for Andy in Heat #6 after trying to race a limping Sidecar for a few laps
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Incidents and jeopardy aplenty… that’s Sidecar racing, but they’ll be back, patched up and ready for next time.
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A mention for the other outfits:

• Kev was racing the green ‘thing’ this week, not as quick as last time out but probably got top spot due to Andy’s incident.
  
• Geoff has a nice smooth consistent runner but it needs gearing up as it’s lacking top speed.
  
• Chris had a few ‘offs’ in Red lane but a great run in Yellow lane in Heat #6.
  
• Ed was off the pace tonight with a best run in Blue lane in Heat #1.
  

   
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Here’s a reminder of the setups that seem to work well:

• Gearing - 3:1 or thereabouts, i.e. 11/34, 12/34 or 12/36.  This gives plenty of acceleration and brakes and more than enough top speed.
  
• 10mm wide tyres gives a great selection of tyre choices, tried and tested compounds in this size on BallaYorkley are NSR Alan Mann Untragrips, Thunderslot 002 or 004’s…(or NSR Zero graining tyres if you have the patience to true them as they take ages!)
  
• A good chunk of ballast down the centre of the chassis seems to work well.
  
• A small diameter front tyre so it doesn’t foul the chassis or touch the bodywork.
  
• How tight the bodyshell fixing screws are seems to have a big effect on handling, trial & error here.
  
• N.B. control in corners, trying to keep both rear tyres either side of the slot/braid to prevent tyre degradation on the drivers side wheel.
  

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A ‘gentleman's agreement’ formulated after a discussion with the SRF design team to keep the racing close for everyone:

• Slotcarmann Harrier 26k handout motors
  
• 10mm wide tyres
  
• No tyre treatment once Sidecar racing starts
  
• Ballast inside the outfit only please
  
• TAPE OVER THE SCREWS UNDER THE CHASSIS PLEASE
  

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Three videos this week…enjoy!

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Next week at the Manx Scalextric & Slot Car Club…

• Targa Florio on all four club tracks!
  
• SRF F1 Sidecars
  

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I was asked what kind of cars can we race in the Targa Florio… so here’s a few cars we have seen on our tracks that you can use:
Alfa Romeo TZ2, Alfa Romeo T33, Aston Martin DBR1, Austin Mini Cooper, Austin Healey 3000, Cooper Monaco T61 (King Cobra), De Tomaso Pantera, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari 250 GTO 64, Ferrari 275 P2, Ferrari 312 PB, Ferrari 412 P,  Ferrari 512 S, Fiat 124 Spider, Ford GT40, Jaguar C-type, Jaguar E-type, Jaguar XK120, Lancia Fulvia HF, Lola T70 Mk.3 GT, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, Porsche 356, Porsche 904, Porsche 908/02, Porsche 908/03, Porsche 911, Shelby Cobra…
The list is much longer than this but they’re all cars that raced in the Targa Florio before 1974

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