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WHO Digital Saturday October 2022
#1

   

We're back racing Scalextric digital at the Barn on Saturday 15 October, 10am to 5pm. Ignore the 'Evening' bit on the poster - it's just morning and afternoon sessions.

This is a 'standard' Digital Saturday, beginning with practice at 10am, a club car rotation starting sharp at 10.30 - and then the second part of the BTCC day we started in June. The afternoon will feature the second GT team race of 2022 championship, a Slot.it Group C race and finishing with our Muscle Car Mondiale format.

Complete beginners are always welcome at our events - there will be a WHO Digital Driving School for any newcomers at 10am, plus the club car rotation is a perfect introduction to the dark arts of digital racing. We also have an introduction to our RCS64 software and Truspeed controllers - including factsheets and a video - on the club website here: http://www.whoracing.org.uk/rcs64.html

The track layout will be new for all of us - I'll post a diagram on this thread in the week before the event.

Lunch will be around 12.30-ish - please bring your own food and snacks. There's a fridge, microwave and hot water boiler in the kitchen. You could also plan a quick dash to the Tesco, Spar or chippy that are all around 5 minutes walk away.

Covid precautions: There's a big wave coming... so we will continue with our common-sense precautions. Please don't come along if you are feeling unwell or think you might have Covid. Inside the Barn, wearing a face covering, giving others a bit of space and exercising good hand hygiene are all non-negotiable requirements. Face masks and hand-sanitiser are available. We will keep outside doors open to create some ventilation through the 18th century building - so warm clothing isn't a bad idea.

Any questions, just ask.
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#2

Tres bien!

I love puttering with gears
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#3

Here's Simon's track plan for Saturday...

   

Looking forward to racing on that Thumbup
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#4

The schedule for the day will go something like this...

10AM - Doors open & practice
10.30AM  - GT Club Car Rotation
MIDDAY - BTCC Race Two - grid set from June's race
12.45PM  - Lunch break & practice
1.30PM  - GT Championship team race (45 minutes)
2.45PM  - Slot.it Group C
3.45PM  - Muscle Car Mondiale
4.45PM  - Prizegiving

With Gary and Ed racing elsewhere on Saturday, only three racers will have to cope with a 'success ballast' power reduction in the BTCC race...

   

There's also British GT-style success penalties in the team race, with the top three from last time having 30, 20 and 10 seconds added to their pit stops. This is the line-up...

   

Additional drivers will be added to the teams on Saturday - as always, everyone will get to race.

Finally, we've had a couple of questions about what to do if someone gets Covid. This is bound to be an issue over the next couple of months as the UK goes through another big wave of cases. The official NHS advice is reasonably clear, although not that easy to find: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronaviru...hat-to-do/

The two recommendations most relevant to our precautions at the Barn are:
  • Stay at home and away from others if you have Coronavirus symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19
  • Avoiding meeting people at higher risk from COVID-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 (even if they are vaccinated)
Put simply - don't come to the Barn for at least 10 days after your first symptoms or your first positive test.

Of course, if you are still ill or still testing positive at ten days, please stay away until you're feeling much better. Wearing masks, good hand hygiene and providing ventilation are all there to deal with asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases - when people show no signs of being ill, but are still able to infect others.

I hope we can be savvy this winter - and during future waves of the virus - and perhaps we can look at pausing mask-wearing during times of low infection rates. This will be part of 'living with Covid' over the next couple of years, especially as our club is committed to being a safe venue for those who are at higher risk from the virus or have vulnerable family members.
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#5

There are no gimmies in the GT Championship... Wham! Racing needs to strike whilst others are elsewhere.

No pressure Mr (Gold driver) Woodcote!

I love puttering with gears
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#6

Race Report Part One - Morning Session

Nineteen of us turned up for the morning's club car rotation and BTCC race, with Oli joining us in the afternoon. It was a fabulous day of racing - a nice distraction from everything that was going on outside. We welcomed Ollie B for a first taste of digital racing - and  both Rob and Dexter made their long-awaited WHO debuts.

   

Simon's track was awesome to drive and suggested some very close racing later in the day - a combination of fast straights and some unusually tight corners would mean a slightly different driving style to our usual flowing layouts...

   

The GT club cars came out for the rotation, when we'd all learn the track - and Rob, Ollie and Dexter would be thrown in the deep end! Two-minute runs with each of the six club cars would prove a close and nail-biting hour and a half of racing. The first three through their allotted six heats were Andy, Duncan and Mike - Mike leading the way with a total of 34.00 laps. Good scores were 5s and 6s, depending on the car - but Ryan somehow found a 7 with the green BMW Z4... an absolutely cracking run to give the youngster an unassailable total of 36.00 laps.

   

Our new racers did a spectacular job too, Rob finishing in ninth and although Ollie and Dexter were down the bottom, they were on similar scores to old-timers like Matthew, Jeremy and Isaac - really impressive debuts all round. In fact, the gap from first to last was a mere 8.75 laps...

   

Big congrats to Ryan on a superb rotation win, having been there or there abouts on numerous occasions. Isaac picked up the junior medal and looks ready to start working his way up the table next time...

   

The dust was still settling from the rotation when the cars were lined up for Race Two of our June-October-November BTCC format. The grid over the three step-up finals was set from the Race One result in June. Dexter took over his dad's car and Ollie and Jeremy filled the back of the grid in the C Final, not having been at the June race...

   

Dean took this 16-lap race by the scruff if its neck, not only keeping the chasing pack at bay, but lapping them all - the single step-up was his. The battle for second was exciting - Duncan and Jeremy having a memorable scrap with Jeremy eventually prevailing. Isaac was next, with Ollie fifth and Dexter learning loads in sixth...

   

There was a fine selection of cars in the B Final - two MGs, a VW, two BMW 125s and Dean's Civic. It was a cracking race, Simon leading the way in his Passat, but the others followed close behind. Dean took the lead on lap six and hung on to a small advantage over Simon, Matthew and the others - still all on the same lap at half distance. Simon kept pushing and was back in the lead with five laps left - and he held on to take a hard-won victory and step-up to the A Final. Stephen was the only driver to be lapped in an incredibly tight race...

   

Mike was off and away from second on the grid in the A Final. He was racing with 85% power, with pole-sitter Alex handicapped with only 75% - and that was noticeable on the long straights. Alex battled hard with Simon in the early stages - and they were joined by Andy, who'd been punted off by Oliver on the first lap. Those three swapped places, recovered from offs and served up an enthralling race. With a couple of laps left, Simon and Alex had a coming together, allowing Andy to zip through and claim second place - Mike was long gone, winning the race by half a lap...

   

Congrats to Mike on his BTCC win - the first for a while. Andy was delighted with second - and Alex was pretty chuffed with third, considering having to deal with maximum success ballast. Next month, they'll be starting at the back of the lowest final, when we enjoy the spectacle of a reverse grid!

   

And that was the morning done, ending slightly ahead of schedule too. The afternoon report will follow Sunday evening / Monday morning.
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#7

Race Report Part Two - GT Championship team race

Kevin, Dexter and Bobby all had to head home at lunchtime, but Oli joined us for the afternoon. With 17 drivers left for the six-car GT team race, we asked Stephen to race a stint for two teams - Johnny's Workshop and WHAM! Racing. This was the line-up, with a couple of last-minute car changes...

   

The first action was the 2-minute Super Pole shoot-out - the drivers who'd race the first stint competing for pole position, a clear track and an bonus championship point. For the second race running, Ryan put the Sports Carazing SunEnergy1 AMG top of the charts in a fully-wet session...

   

Those drivers then kicked off the race, which immediately had a very different feel to the frantic cut-and-thrust of the morning. Tyre choices were interesting on a damp, but drying track. Four of the teams went with the sensible option - Intermediates - but if the track did dry quickly, a lengthy pit stop would be required to change them. On that basis, Fundamentally Barley gave Rob a set of Soft tyres and Jeremy went for Hards to give him a tricky opening session, but a gamble that might swing his team's way as the race went on...

   

The first five minutes were super-smooth and the hall remained hushed with fully-focussed teams and drivers. All six cars circulated on the same lap, Rob doing a magnificent job on the Soft tyres to keep the Fundamentally Barley Mercedes out front. AST One were second with Ash enjoying the Corvette, Duncan had the AST Better McLaren in third, Stephen in fourth for Johnny's Workshop and Jeremy fifth with the WHAM! Bentley. Ryan was recovering from the first of three 10-second stop-go penalties that would make up Sports Carazing's 30-second success penalty - one after the start and one after each of the driver change pit stops. Halfway through that first 15-minute stint and Ryan was up to third, behind Rob and Ash - the entire field now separated by two and half laps.

It took Ryan twelve minutes to get into the lead - and soon after, it was time for the first pit stops. Ryan jumped in early, changing to hard tyres on the still damp, but almost dry track. Ash had also pitted for Soft tyres. Fundamentally Barley were the first to make their driver change stop, fitting Hard tyres and filling up with fuel and Simon taking over. AST Better pitted next, Isaac going out on Hard tyres and a full tank of fuel. Both AST One and Sports Carazing pitted for their driver change and to top off with fuel - Ollie and Matthew their new drivers. Oli took over the Johnny's Workshop AMG, didn't refuel, but did change to Hards. WHAM! Racing just changed driver, Andy going out on the same Hard tyres and the remaining fuel.

The result of those pit stop shenanigans - Fundamentally Barley led Sports Carazing by a lap, with WHAM! leapfrogging AST One and Johnny's Workshop into third, and AST Better three laps a drift in sixth. Of course, Sport Carazing, Fundamentally Barley and AST One all had 10-second penalty stops. By mid-stint, rear wing issues for the Sports Carazing Mercedes dropped them back to third - WHAM! rising to second place. However, the big Bentley would need to stop to change tyres and refuel - that happened with five minutes remaining of the stint, the painfully slow refuelling speed letting the now repaired Sports Carazing car and Johnny's Workshop to get back up into the podium places...

   

The final 15-minutes began with the order the same - AST One dropping behind AST Better on account of pitting first. That would soon change back, but Alex had work to do... At the front, Mike was just about holding off Oliver and Stephen had the WHAM! Bentley third - three laps behind - after another quick driver-change-only stop. Jean was breathing down the Bentley's neck and Alex was just a lap adrift - Dean was five laps back in the McLaren.

The battle at the front was thrilling. Mike wasn't firing on all cylinders and Oliver got past with eight minutes to go, but the gap remained feet rather than laps. Behind, Jean had got past Stephen, but Alex had faltered slightly after the Corvette made a unplanned trip to the parquet flooring. At the back, the McLaren retired with five minutes to go. However, the mechanical issue that decided the race happened with just three minutes to go - an extreme body rub on a rear tyre forced the Fundamentally Barley car to drop off the pace. Mike wasn't finished, but Oliver had the win in the bag if he could see out the final few seconds. And he did - finishing three laps ahead of Mike, with Johnny's Workshop making it a Mercedes 1-2-3. Alex overhauled Stephen right at the last for fourth place - the five finishers covered by 11 laps...

   

Congrats to Ryan, Matthew and Oliver on a great win, keeping up the championship momentum in the absence of Sports Carazing's team manager - that's two out of two for poles and wins, with just two races to go...

   

That's it for now. The Group C and Muscle Car Mondiale reports will follow tomorrow.
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#8

Historically, the famous racing announcement goes...

"Gentlemen...start your engines!"

At Worthing on Saturday, this was suitably tweaked for some of us prior to the start of the GT race...

"Gentlemen...each drivers stint is 15 minutes. If you think you might need the loo first, go now!"

I love puttering with gears
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#9

Your status!! Legends champ. Brilliant.
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#10

Race Report Part Three - Slot.it Group C

   

Nine Group C cars this time - and that would make a nice 6 + 3 pair of step-up finals. First was qualifying - to fill the three automatic spots in the A Final and earn the pole-sitter an bonus point for the championship...

   

Nicely done by Alex, but a great performance by Stephen to get up in the top 3, just ahead of Oli - and they were the three to sit out the typically frantic 5-minute B Final...

   

Typically frantic? Pretty much - a 5-minute dash, but mostly a smooth, focussed performance from those at the front. At half way, Simon led Dean and Jeremy in a Toyota-Lancia-Sauber train. there was a gap of almost a lap to Oliver, who - like Dean - had made his pit stop early. Jean and Matthew brought up the rear - Jean retiring his car at half distance. As the pit stops cycled through, Dean had the lead over Simon and Jeremy - Oliver was now back on the same lap. It was closing in to be a frantic last few seconds - four cars in close formation, all desperate for one of the three step-up spots. Unfortunately, Dean's Lancia lost a body screw, which got lodged in the slot and shorted out the powerbase. As there were only a few seconds to go, race control red flagged the heat. Counting back to the last time through the line, the result was Simon, Jeremy, Oliver and then the unfortunate Dean.

   

Could the B Final three make the most of their extra time on track? Alex did get away well and made the most of the clear track, but Stephen was passed by Simon and Oliver. Jeremy had lost touch slightly by half distance and the first round of pit stops, whereas Oli was having a few problems and found himself nearly three laps adrift. The race turned out not to be a comfortable one-stop race - and the result would come to how drivers managed their fuel and tyres. Those who'd stopped early - Stephen, Simon, Jeremy and Oliver - would definitely need to stop again. Running out of fuel or tyre condition dropping to zero means no more laps are counted - and no-one wants that to happen... This had all the makings of a race to be won by expert fuel-saving strategy.

As it turned out, everyone stopped at least once again - apart from Alex, who finished with his fuel tank at 1% after stroking the Porsche round the final couple of laps. Jeremy - who'd benefited from others making a third pit stop to move up to second - crossed the line on the same lap as Alex, with his tyres just dropping to zero as he did so. Behind them, Oliver ended up third after his three pit stops, Simon right behind, Stephen fifth and Oli sixth - all had stopped three times...

   

Congrats to Alex on a perfectly-judged ten minutes! Jeremy's second place was perhaps a little more luck than judgement - but maybe not? Here's the podium...

   

The last action - Muscle Car Mondiale will follow later.
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