26th-Sep-24, 09:16 AM
We're back at the Barn on Wednesday for the finale of our 2024 WHO Mod and WHO Tuners championships.
We also round off our retrospective of Simon's 2018 Mod tracks, finishing with his July 2018 layout.
WHO Racing Modified - October 2024
We're back at the Barn on Wednesday for the finale of our 2024 WHO Mod and WHO Tuners championships.
We also round off our retrospective of Simon's 2018 Mod tracks, finishing with his July 2018 layout.
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2nd-Oct-24, 09:04 AM
This is how the WHO Mod championship table looks going into the final round...
Pete still has some work to do.
Pete still has some work to do.
3rd-Oct-24, 06:50 AM
Race Report
Just 14 of us for this race - returns to university, family birthdays and last-minute holidays partly accounting for a below-par turnout. However, we had a cracking evening of racing - made special by Hayley, Jason and Neal joining us to present the newly re-named Tony Morris Memorial Trophy to whoever would finish top of the WHO Mod championship tables tonight.
Tony was a very important part of WHO Racing for five years before health issues intervened. He kept in touch, but sadly passed away earlier this year. Tonight is exactly ten years since Tony won his first WHO A Final. He'd go on to win the 2015 WHO Mod Championship and the track chosen for tonight's race was the last one Tony raced on in July 2018. Many of Tony's cars still race at the club, including probably around half of the Vipers. So naming our WHO Mod trophy after him made absolute sense.
The layout is an unusual one for us at the Barn, with the drivers positioned in the centre of the space...
The track is spread out along the length of the hall and there are two fly-overs - making it one of Simon's most memorable Mod tracks...
It is certainly very fast - with Ryan and Frankie wide-eyed at their first experience of seeing the Mod cars in action. They had new Bulldog cars set up in WHO Mod spec with lexan bodies - definitely a nod to the future. Our championship leader Pete had taken a last-minute holiday to Italy, leaving the door open to either Oliver or reigning champion Terry to grab the trophy. But they were up against some pretty rapid opposition - Andy and Isaac leading the way after everyone had completed a first pair of heats...
John was also looking on excellent form - the four-time WHO Mod champion really enjoying the wide-open track. And the two championship contenders were also under pressure from Rob and Ollie, both with Morris-built Vipers...
In Tuners, Gareth was given a last hurrah to his wonderful Life Like Porsche - a champion locally and nationally. A couple of dodgy heats meant both Kev and Hayley would be in close attendance for the finals...
However, when all was done an dusted, the order looked like this...
Andy and John at the top made it look like a throwback to the 2010s, but Isaac brought a very youthful feel to the automatic A Final qualifiers - a superb performance after stepping up to the A in July. Behind, Terry and Oliver would fight for a potential championship-winning step-up from the B Final, although no-one quite got their heads around what Terry needed to do to overhaul Oliver's 65 point advantage. One thing was sure, Pete's Italian journey had lost him the title.
Just 14 of us for this race - returns to university, family birthdays and last-minute holidays partly accounting for a below-par turnout. However, we had a cracking evening of racing - made special by Hayley, Jason and Neal joining us to present the newly re-named Tony Morris Memorial Trophy to whoever would finish top of the WHO Mod championship tables tonight.
Tony was a very important part of WHO Racing for five years before health issues intervened. He kept in touch, but sadly passed away earlier this year. Tonight is exactly ten years since Tony won his first WHO A Final. He'd go on to win the 2015 WHO Mod Championship and the track chosen for tonight's race was the last one Tony raced on in July 2018. Many of Tony's cars still race at the club, including probably around half of the Vipers. So naming our WHO Mod trophy after him made absolute sense.
The layout is an unusual one for us at the Barn, with the drivers positioned in the centre of the space...
The track is spread out along the length of the hall and there are two fly-overs - making it one of Simon's most memorable Mod tracks...
It is certainly very fast - with Ryan and Frankie wide-eyed at their first experience of seeing the Mod cars in action. They had new Bulldog cars set up in WHO Mod spec with lexan bodies - definitely a nod to the future. Our championship leader Pete had taken a last-minute holiday to Italy, leaving the door open to either Oliver or reigning champion Terry to grab the trophy. But they were up against some pretty rapid opposition - Andy and Isaac leading the way after everyone had completed a first pair of heats...
John was also looking on excellent form - the four-time WHO Mod champion really enjoying the wide-open track. And the two championship contenders were also under pressure from Rob and Ollie, both with Morris-built Vipers...
In Tuners, Gareth was given a last hurrah to his wonderful Life Like Porsche - a champion locally and nationally. A couple of dodgy heats meant both Kev and Hayley would be in close attendance for the finals...
However, when all was done an dusted, the order looked like this...
Andy and John at the top made it look like a throwback to the 2010s, but Isaac brought a very youthful feel to the automatic A Final qualifiers - a superb performance after stepping up to the A in July. Behind, Terry and Oliver would fight for a potential championship-winning step-up from the B Final, although no-one quite got their heads around what Terry needed to do to overhaul Oliver's 65 point advantage. One thing was sure, Pete's Italian journey had lost him the title.
3rd-Oct-24, 08:45 AM
A lot of hard work has gone into our attendances over the past 15 years. We've averaged just over 20 people per event in that time (25 this year), almost all from the Worthing / Littlehampton area (pop c.125k) and many living within a mile or two. When you look at UK clubs with attendances of 20+ (eg Derby HO, Nascot Wood, WHO) there are definitely things in common to learn from.
3rd-Oct-24, 10:57 AM
Race Report - Finals
A mere five finals this time, with only two in the E Final - Nathan lining up in red and Kevin in blue, both racing their Mega-G+ cars...
After a restart, Kevin led the first three laps, but he was delayed the longest when both cars crashed on lap 4, handing Nathan almost a two lap advantage. Nathan crashed just once more on the way to the finish, Kevin having five more offs and ending up five laps behind...
Nathan stepped up to white lane in the D Final where he'd meet a trio of Bulldogs - Ryan choosing yellow, Hayley red and Frankie blue...
It was great to see Hayley racing again and her experience told from the start - leading the first lap and keeping on going. Nathan was off almost straight away, Frankie holding second place from his dad. The two lexan-clad Bulldogs had a great battle in the early stages until Frankie crashed on lap 8 and both came a cropper the following time round. That left Hayley leading Ryan, with Frankie a lap behind. Nathan was having a final to forget back in fourth...
Although Hayley was driving very smoothly, Ryan had the quicker car and started to close in. His hard work seemed lost when an off at half way put him a lap down. He eased off a little and kept going. Late drama saw Hayley crash with five laps to go. That knocked the leader off her stride and Ryan was suddenly closing in. Last time through the line, the gap was just half a second - Hayley coming to a halt just 0.05 of a lap ahead of Ryan! Frankie came in third, less than two laps off the winner. Ryan and Frankie finished the top two rookies of the evening.
Hayley stepped up into the C Final and a three-way battle for WHO Tuners honours. Rob was the only Mod (red lane), Gareth in blue and Kev in white...
Rob blasted off the line with Gareth in hot pursuit, leaving both Kev and Hayley struggling to keep up. Gareth's Tuners Life Like is an HO classic and amazingly kept pace with Rob's very decent Viper in the early stages. Hayley settled into a steady pace, almost two seconds slower than the leaders, whereas Kev pushed but crashed...
Rob held the lead, but he couldn't shake off Gareth's orange Porsche. In fact, Gareth started to gain by about a tenth of a second a lap - that's until an off on lap 15 and a slow recovery dropped him a lap behind. Rob immediately eased off - showing what a humdinger of a battle we'd witnessed...
The closing stages saw Rob and Gareth minimise risk and bring their cars home a lap apart, Gareth comfortably finishing top Tuner. Meanwhile, Hayley's steady approach just failed to hold of Kev for third, the Mega-G+ runner stringing together a good run to the line, finishing a third of a lap ahead.
Rob's step-up to white lane in the B Final made it an all-Viper line-up - Terry in red, Oliver in blue and Ollie in yellow...
This was a very tense two minutes - Oliver could win the championship by finishing ahead of Terry, but if Terry stepped up to the A Final, the title would be decided in the last race of the night. Oliver got the best of starts and - for the first time tonight - looked quicker than Terry. He built an early lead, just ahead of Ollie and Rob, with Terry back in fourth. It was incredibly close. After his uncharacteristically slow start, Terry began to up the pace, matching the times of those ahead and moving into second place when Ollie and Rob had offs just before half way...
Oliver had a decent lead, which he then threw away with a costly crash on lap 18. Terry was through, but only just. Oliver fought back, banging in some extremely rapid laps. Miraculously he regained the lead in the dying seconds, only to bin it again on his final lap! Terry slipped through, taking the B Final win and - quit possibly - the championship. Oliver was devastated, but Terry still had work to do.
Oliver's fears were well-founded as Terry stepped-up into the tasty blue lane for the A Final. Andy had chosen red, John yellow and Isaac white...
Pole-sitter Andy was first round the first lap and first to go sub-four seconds. Isaac got ahead of Terry to go second, with the championship contender left to battle John for third. John and Andy were stranded with a track break on lap 9, letting Isaac and Terry through before the race was paused and the track quickly repaired. From the restart, all four were soon back on the pace...
Isaac crashed out of the lead on lap 12, by which time Andy had got past Terry. Did Terry need a win for the championship - or was second enough? In any event, Andy was disappearing up the track and an off for Terry put Isaac back into second place. John was right behind in fourth, having recovered steadily from his delay when the track broke. Then, on lap 20, everything changed again with Isaac crashing and dislodging his rear axle. It was a relatively innocuous off, but wrecked his chances of a best ever result.
Andy was comfortable out front, but there was a late battle for second - Terry eventually getting the better of John by half a lap. Isaac was back underway, but five laps adrift at the chequered flag...
That was a first HO win of 2024 for Andy and another junior medal for Isaac, who's now also contending for A Final victories...
And another win for the Wendell Scott tribute Ford Fusion - very timely for the start of Black History Month...
Here are the stats for all five finals...
Putting the points into the table gives us this...
Second wasn't enough for Terry - a delighted Oliver winning his first HO championship and receiving the Tony Morris Memorial Trophy from Tony's daughter Hayley and her husband Neal...
Congrats also to Isaac on picking up his first Junior WHO Mod title and an excellent sixth overall...
Gareth's WHO Tuners championship win still needs the July results to be verified. The updated WHO club championship tables will follow.
A big thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a special night at the Barn. We couldn't have done it without the set-up trio and race control duo (and Hayley making a brief cameo appearance), plus everyone who stayed behind to pack away.
We have some significant changes to come to the HO classes over the next 2-3 seasons - for those who missed the half-time briefing, a pdf document will be circulated soon.
A mere five finals this time, with only two in the E Final - Nathan lining up in red and Kevin in blue, both racing their Mega-G+ cars...
After a restart, Kevin led the first three laps, but he was delayed the longest when both cars crashed on lap 4, handing Nathan almost a two lap advantage. Nathan crashed just once more on the way to the finish, Kevin having five more offs and ending up five laps behind...
Nathan stepped up to white lane in the D Final where he'd meet a trio of Bulldogs - Ryan choosing yellow, Hayley red and Frankie blue...
It was great to see Hayley racing again and her experience told from the start - leading the first lap and keeping on going. Nathan was off almost straight away, Frankie holding second place from his dad. The two lexan-clad Bulldogs had a great battle in the early stages until Frankie crashed on lap 8 and both came a cropper the following time round. That left Hayley leading Ryan, with Frankie a lap behind. Nathan was having a final to forget back in fourth...
Although Hayley was driving very smoothly, Ryan had the quicker car and started to close in. His hard work seemed lost when an off at half way put him a lap down. He eased off a little and kept going. Late drama saw Hayley crash with five laps to go. That knocked the leader off her stride and Ryan was suddenly closing in. Last time through the line, the gap was just half a second - Hayley coming to a halt just 0.05 of a lap ahead of Ryan! Frankie came in third, less than two laps off the winner. Ryan and Frankie finished the top two rookies of the evening.
Hayley stepped up into the C Final and a three-way battle for WHO Tuners honours. Rob was the only Mod (red lane), Gareth in blue and Kev in white...
Rob blasted off the line with Gareth in hot pursuit, leaving both Kev and Hayley struggling to keep up. Gareth's Tuners Life Like is an HO classic and amazingly kept pace with Rob's very decent Viper in the early stages. Hayley settled into a steady pace, almost two seconds slower than the leaders, whereas Kev pushed but crashed...
Rob held the lead, but he couldn't shake off Gareth's orange Porsche. In fact, Gareth started to gain by about a tenth of a second a lap - that's until an off on lap 15 and a slow recovery dropped him a lap behind. Rob immediately eased off - showing what a humdinger of a battle we'd witnessed...
The closing stages saw Rob and Gareth minimise risk and bring their cars home a lap apart, Gareth comfortably finishing top Tuner. Meanwhile, Hayley's steady approach just failed to hold of Kev for third, the Mega-G+ runner stringing together a good run to the line, finishing a third of a lap ahead.
Rob's step-up to white lane in the B Final made it an all-Viper line-up - Terry in red, Oliver in blue and Ollie in yellow...
This was a very tense two minutes - Oliver could win the championship by finishing ahead of Terry, but if Terry stepped up to the A Final, the title would be decided in the last race of the night. Oliver got the best of starts and - for the first time tonight - looked quicker than Terry. He built an early lead, just ahead of Ollie and Rob, with Terry back in fourth. It was incredibly close. After his uncharacteristically slow start, Terry began to up the pace, matching the times of those ahead and moving into second place when Ollie and Rob had offs just before half way...
Oliver had a decent lead, which he then threw away with a costly crash on lap 18. Terry was through, but only just. Oliver fought back, banging in some extremely rapid laps. Miraculously he regained the lead in the dying seconds, only to bin it again on his final lap! Terry slipped through, taking the B Final win and - quit possibly - the championship. Oliver was devastated, but Terry still had work to do.
Oliver's fears were well-founded as Terry stepped-up into the tasty blue lane for the A Final. Andy had chosen red, John yellow and Isaac white...
Pole-sitter Andy was first round the first lap and first to go sub-four seconds. Isaac got ahead of Terry to go second, with the championship contender left to battle John for third. John and Andy were stranded with a track break on lap 9, letting Isaac and Terry through before the race was paused and the track quickly repaired. From the restart, all four were soon back on the pace...
Isaac crashed out of the lead on lap 12, by which time Andy had got past Terry. Did Terry need a win for the championship - or was second enough? In any event, Andy was disappearing up the track and an off for Terry put Isaac back into second place. John was right behind in fourth, having recovered steadily from his delay when the track broke. Then, on lap 20, everything changed again with Isaac crashing and dislodging his rear axle. It was a relatively innocuous off, but wrecked his chances of a best ever result.
Andy was comfortable out front, but there was a late battle for second - Terry eventually getting the better of John by half a lap. Isaac was back underway, but five laps adrift at the chequered flag...
That was a first HO win of 2024 for Andy and another junior medal for Isaac, who's now also contending for A Final victories...
And another win for the Wendell Scott tribute Ford Fusion - very timely for the start of Black History Month...
Here are the stats for all five finals...
Putting the points into the table gives us this...
Second wasn't enough for Terry - a delighted Oliver winning his first HO championship and receiving the Tony Morris Memorial Trophy from Tony's daughter Hayley and her husband Neal...
Congrats also to Isaac on picking up his first Junior WHO Mod title and an excellent sixth overall...
Gareth's WHO Tuners championship win still needs the July results to be verified. The updated WHO club championship tables will follow.
A big thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a special night at the Barn. We couldn't have done it without the set-up trio and race control duo (and Hayley making a brief cameo appearance), plus everyone who stayed behind to pack away.
We have some significant changes to come to the HO classes over the next 2-3 seasons - for those who missed the half-time briefing, a pdf document will be circulated soon.
3rd-Oct-24, 11:44 AM
Another superb race evening at the Barn. I'll miss racing the Lifelike but that chassis has definitely earned shelf queen status. Especially with how worn the rear axle slots are!
Looking forward to the new challenge of Mod and Tuners ahead. I'm still undecided on which class to campaign next year. First thing though is to prep some fresh new #83 bodies.
I didn't realise the significance of your Mod body. Really like your choice and reasoning for it. Very nice.
Looking forward to the new challenge of Mod and Tuners ahead. I'm still undecided on which class to campaign next year. First thing though is to prep some fresh new #83 bodies.
I didn't realise the significance of your Mod body. Really like your choice and reasoning for it. Very nice.
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