[woodcote]

   

Our May HO Nascar race fell on the eve of the 80th anniversary of VE Day - a time to remember grandparents and parents who lived through the last world war and the 20 million people who lost their lives in Europe.

   

We raced on a Mexican Nascar layout, the Mexico City track being prepared for a real-life Nascar Cup race next month. As with all our Nascar road courses, the 4-lane AFX version is short, simplified and fast. This one proved a challenge. but was immensely quick if hooked up correctly...

   

Eighteen lined up for the heats. It should have been 19, but James only got the go-ahead to stay at about 7.15. Very generously, he stayed to marshal and loaned Stephen his Bulldog to drive. That bolstered the Bulldog contingent to five - Stephen, Steve P, Kev, Kevin and Andy running the new chassis on a layout that really shouldn't have suited the low-downforce set-up. Apart from Keith and Deborah, everyone else was giving their Super-G+ cars one last thrash on a WHO Nascar road course.

Right from the first heat, there were some big scores and fast time. Terry's 28.55 in Heat One was soon eclipsed by Keith's Gen6 Mega-G+ with a 29.8. Keith and Deborah's rapid Mega-G+ cars were comfortably sub-4 seconds, along with the Super-G+ runners. The Bulldogs needed more care and were lapping half a second or so slower.

   

Ollie was the first racer to break the 30 lap mark - his 31.05 in yellow was the best run of anyone in the first pair of heats. However, it was Keith's Mega-G+ who was in provisional pole position at half way, 0.9 of a lap ahead of the chasing pack, led by Terry and Pete's Super-Gs and Deborah's Mega-G+. Andy was the first Bulldog in sixth, after two steady, error-free heats. Ollie was fifth and top junior, Stephen in twelfth and the only rookie - he'd raced a Mega-G+ in red and James' Bulldog in white...

   

As usual, the pace increased across the board during the second pair of heats, but that didn't necessarily translate into improved scores. There were enough challenges around the 55-foot track to punish over-exuberance. Pete and Terry pushed each other to a 32.05 and a 31.25 in Heat 13 and looked to have shaken off the Mega-G+ cars - Keith could only manage a 29.65 two heats later, followed immediately by a disastrous 23.9. In that heat, Andy placed his Bulldog provisionally in the B Final having pushed hard for a 27.55 in red - the best score for the new chassis.

   


However, there were still two heats to go and Oliver, John and Rob all leapfrogged the leading Bulldog, giving us an A Final trio of Pete, Terry and Keith, a B Final of Deborah, Oliver and John, with Rob, Andy and Gareth lining-up in the C...

   

Before the finals, a track clean took place. The grime and rubber of 15 years was mopped up, but would we be looking at more grip or less in the finals?