[BAracer]

Jane says thank you and that she is "totally amazed" with the recognition!

[woodcote]

Qualifying is now over for the first event. Each car had three timed runs, with at least one on each lane. Cars were run on 9 volts beforehand to get a steady motor tone and then were revved at 12volts immediately before each run. Tyres were also cleaned on masking tape. A couple of cars did need a little TLC to get them running smoothly down the strip.

First up was Micro Scalextric Street Stock.

After the first run-through, Alan's Mercedes held top spot by 0.021 of second from Jeremy's Veyron and Rebecca's Porsche not far behind. The second round saw Alan shave 0.006 off his best to record the first sub 0.650 second pass. Jeremy bettered his first round time by 0.002s and Gareth leapt up to third, just 0.002 behind Jeremy. Alan broke clear of the chasing pack with a sensational 0.636 in the final qualifying round - topping out at 7.792 mph. Dylan W also found his best form, finishing second with a 0.666 second pass. Jeremy's second round score of 0.670s kept him third, but with three times covered by just 0.006s he looks to have a very consistent car. Gareth was fourth, Terry fifth, Rebecca sixth, Noah seventh and David eighth. The top eleven all beat the 0.700 second mark - second to eleventh covered by just 0.033 of a second.

Here are all the times...


   

The bottom five will have another inspection tomorrow to see if times can be improved before the eliminations. They might have a few spares included in their return boxes.

Micro Scalextric Super Stock qualifying followed, with both Terry and Leo's spare cars included - running on the higher tyres.

Alan's first round run was only 0.002s quicker than his Street Stock car - but it was quick enough to finish top. Andy got within 0.001 of a second in his final pass and Rebecca's Nissan was a further 0.006s behind in third. All of Andy's three runs were sub 0.650s, which no-one else achieved - so the eliminators will be exciting. Rob's Focus was just ahead of Clive's Nissan - and Terry's hatchback beat Leo's Jaguar in the battle of the spare cars. Leo's car was certainly running better with the big tyres. Best top speed was shared by Rebecca and Andy with 8.091 mph recorded at the finish line.

   

Finally, the Nostalgia T-Jets had their qualifying session. As expected, there were some inconsistent times with most of the cars suffering a little with front end lift off the line. The Chesterfield trio required a lot of coaxing! Alan's Camaro topped the first session with a 0.746, just 0.009 ahead of Andy's Thunderbolt and Clive's Thunderbolt third. Rebecca's AMX jumped into the lead with a 0.743 in the second round, but Alan's final run saw him smash in a 0.706 with a blistering 8.503 mph top speed. That Camaro is so smooth and runs like an arrow down the strip - all the other have some work to do for next month. However, it not over until after the elimination rounds - Alan did have a poor run in the second round, so there is hope. Rebecca came in second, with times all over the place. The Thunderbolts were more consistent...

   

Huge congratulations to Alan for a clinical clean sweep of qualifying. It goes to show that preparation is key - Alan cars look fabulous, sound incredibly smooth and run really quick. Here are the three top qualifiers...

   

Tomorrow, Alan's cars have the upper hand - but anything can happen in eliminators! Expect the first results around 6.30pm.

[woodcote]

Race One - T-Jet Nostalgia Super Stock

The T-Jets had the honour of taking to the strip for the first elimination race of the Summer Series. The Quarter Finals went to form, with the top four qualifiers comfortably through. In the top half of the ladder, Clive smashed his best qualifying time, getting into the .600s - a first for stock T-Jets on the Eighth Mile. In the bottom half of the ladder, Gareth improved his best time, but was no match for Andy. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s AMX had a slow run, but comfortably beat Dylan in one of the two Willys Coupes.

       


All the excitement came in the Semi Finals - and the crowd enjoyed those two passes immensely. First up was top qualifier Alan and fourth qualifier Clive. Despite Alan’s sensational run in the final round of qualifying, Clive’s Thunderbolt has come alive in the eliminators. It was anyone’s race. Clive beat Alan off the line by eighth thousandths of a second - and that gap opened up as the Ford pulled away. Although Alan turned a time that beat Clive’s landmark in the Quarters, Clive had gone even quicker in the Semis - a new class record of 0.676 seconds. The most important time was the winning margin - 0.021 seconds.

       

The second Semi saw another upset, although it wasn’t such a big surprise. Andy’s Thunderbolt put in its best time of 0.743 and although Rebecca improved on her poor Quarter Final run, the second place qualifier was eliminated by 0.019 seconds...

   

The two Ford Thunderbolts faced off in the Final...

   

On form, Clive’s Tasca Ford did the job. With the added bonus of a slightly better getaway, the brown and gold car eased further ahead down the seven feet of the strip to beat the Georgia Shaker by a comfortable 0.083 seconds...

       

The first medal of the event goes to Clive 

Here's the T-Jet eliminations ladder...

   

And the full stats from all seven races...

   

Finally, for the T-Jets, some video action of the Semis and the Final...




The report of the Micro Scalextric Super Stock action will follow about 7.30pm.

[woodcote]

It was a shame there was no video of Doug's Ford Coupe - all over the place coming off the line and then blisteringly fast. His speed at the end was not too far shy of 10mph - close to the track record. If the launch can be tamed quite a bit more, the non-magnet Aurora T-Jet platform might be an interesting option!

[JasonB]

Great suff Andy.
I'm watching this like it was the FA cup final.  

I'm cheering on Rebecca.

[Mazda]

Some good races there Andy and more to look forward to. This looks like a good start for the season. Good luck everyone. 

[woodcote]

Race Two - Micro Scalextric Super Stock

Qualifying was close at the front for the Micro Scalextric Super Stock cars - only 0.001 of a second separated top qualifier Alan from Andy in second, with Rebecca not far behind. Despite a warm-up and practice run for each of the cars, the pace of qualifying wasn’t matched in the eliminators. In the seven car field, Alan got a bye through the Quarter Finals. Clive caused a minor upset by beating Rob’s Focus, which had qualified one place higher. The winning margin of 0.012 was close. The other two Quarters were routine - the Nissans of Andy and Rebecca beating Leo and Terry quite comfortably.

   

The first Semi Final looked a formality. Clive’s times had not been close to the top three cars and Alan’s Hot Mustard Jaguar held the course record after qualifying. However, elimination races can be unpredictable and after leaving the line together - and to the crowd’s astonishment -  Clive had nosed ahead by halfway.

   

Everyone expected the Hot Mustard Jag to turn on the afterburners and overhaul the Nissan… but it didn’t happen. Clive crossed the line a comfortable car length ahead. Absolutely no-one saw that coming.

   

The second Semi looked very close on paper - and so it proved on the track. Andy was first out of the blocks with an RT 0.004 of a second quicker.

   

Rebecca’s silver Nissan accelerated better in the early stages and that advantage was the difference at the finish line - 0.014 of a second...

   

For the second race running, the top two qualifiers had been eliminated and Clive was in another Final. The green Pioneer Nissan 350Z had beaten two quicker cars by being consistent - the wheelie bar had probably helped with that, minimising front-end lift. Rebecca’s silver Sanditon Motorsport Nissan had been consistent and shown explosive acceleration off the line - even without a wheelie bar.

   


The two finalists crossed the start sensors together, but that awesome acceleration gave Rebecca a lead of a car length at halfway. The acceleration continued and the silver car crossed the finish line two car lengths or 0.089 of a second ahead...

   

A great win to round off an exciting competition.

   

Here's the Micro Scalextric Super Stock Ladder...

   

And the full stats from all six races...

   

Not forgetting video action of both Semis and the Final...




Expect coverage of the big race - Micro Scalextric Street Stock - about 9 o'clock...

[Mazda]

Congratulations Rebecca. A well deserved win.

[woodcote]

Race Three - Micro Scalextric Street Stock

Sixteen entrants in Street Stock meant four full elimination rounds and fifteen races to enjoy before we’d know the winner. Alan started as top qualifier and favourite - although that billing hadn’t brought him any success in the earlier races.

Round One gave us some sensational races. Alan dispatched Leo in the first race, but David and Dylan P ran a tie in the second. As they crossed the line together, the race was re-run. This time Dylan pipped his father by a mere 0.001 of a second - David was leading until just before the line!

       

Gareth comfortably beat Peter, before another ridiculously close finish - Jane just failing to close down Terry at the line. The gap was again 0.001 of second. The big upset of the round was second qualifier Dylan W getting a poor start and Clive picking up the pieces with his best time. Tough luck on Dylan, but Clive seems to keep his performances for when it matters. Another close one was Noah’s Ford beating Andy’s Alfa by 0.003 seconds - seventh place qualifier beating tenth. Like most cars, Jeremy’s Veyron was slower today, but a 0.700 dead was enough to beat Jerome’s Audi TT. Finally, Doug gave Rebecca a scare, but the Porsche beat Lightning McQueen by 0.006 of a second.

       

Here are the Round One stats...

   

The Quarter Finals promised upsets, but failed to deliver. Alan breathed a sigh of relief to get through against Dylan P with a very quick 0.634 - beating his qualifying best, setting a new class record and equalling the course record.  Gareth had qualified one place ahead of WHO club mate Terry, but it was Terry who turned the tables in the heads-up race, winning by 0.069 seconds. Noah halted Clive’s unlikely progress with a 0.022 second win.  The closest race - and another upset - was Rebecca’s win over Jeremy. The Veyron looked odds-on to reach at least the semi finals, but the Porsche hit the finish sensors 0.005 second ahead.

All the quarter final stats are here...

   


Semi Finals. Terry’s times were heading in the right direction, but he’d need a big injection of pace to beat Alan’s in-form Mercedes. The two cars left the line together, but Alan quickly pulled away and finished a couple of car lengths ahead - the gap timed at 0.039 seconds. Alan’s ET of 0.655 was a very solid run.

       

Who would meet Alan in the final? Neither Rebecca or Noah were fancied to make it to the semis, so to have a shot at a final place was a prize in itself. Rebecca’s Porsche was through the start sensors 0.005 seconds faster and powered down the first half of the strip. The gap at halfway was pretty much the gap at the end, timed at 0.043 of a second. Neither ET was anything special - but getting to the semi finals was.

       

It's the final next...

[woodcote]

...That left Rebecca - the sixth place qualifier - up against Alan in the Final.

   

The Porsche driver had to hope that Alan’s Street Stock car would have a poor run, otherwise it would be a formality. Off the line, Alan was straight into the lead. Although Rebecca picked up some pace towards the end, the yellow Mercedes crossed the finish line a comfortable 0.055 of a second ahead...

   

After being eliminated in the two earlier races, Alan finally had the win his immense qualifying performances had promised. Street Stock was the biggest field and toughest challenge, so it is the medal to treasure...

   

This is how it happened...




Here are the full stats for the semis and final...

   

And the Street Stock Elimination Ladder...

   

That is it for tonight. The match racing got 'rained-off', but the 4-Gears may well get a run out tomorrow evening - and there'll be coverage here.