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Eighteen racers took part in the first of two Tin Top Saturdays that bring our Scalextric digital season to a close. We welcomed back Matthew's brother Daniel for his first taste of our digital format, which he seemed to pick up quickly in the practice session.

   

Simon had designed us another whopper of a layout, taking up most of the length of the Barn and posing a challenge for the more myopic amongst us. It was certainly fun to drive, with good overtaking opportunities and enough Radius 2 corners to keep us on our toes.

The day would start with a 30 minute Sierra - BMW - Commodore team race to get us warmed up and familiar with the track. Then the BTCC weekend simulation - qualifying plus three races - would play out, with lunch and a Carrera Classic Nascar race interspersed. The day would end with our Muscle Car Mondiale format - a nice leisurely climax to a Saturday of saloon car action.

Race One: Group A Team Race

   

Seventeen racers were divided into five teams of three and one pair - bothers Simon and Mark sharing Alex's BMW. Dean's VL Commodore returned, shared with Ash & Terry, but the remaining four cars were all Sierras. No qualifying this time - we were straight into a dry race...

   

The similar machinery always gives us a pretty close race and the start of this one couldn't have been tighter. Simon took the lone BMW into the lead of a six-car snake. Driving well in the middle of the pack, newcomer Daniel got a fine Tin Top welcome, being punted off the bridge and onto the floor - rear axle and gearing repairs dropping him well back and leaving five cars battling for the lead...

   

Drivers changed every ten minutes, apart from the Coombes brothers who'd swap over at half way. At ten minutes, Simon didn't need to pit and that gave the BMW a nice advantage over the chasing pack. Matthew had work to do to close a 12 lap gap at the back. Simon handed the BMW to Mark and they still looked good going into the final driver change - although he'd be up against a very strong bunch of drivers on the final leg...

   

It was incredibly close at the front with three cars in with a shout of the win. The BMW was out of sequence on pit stops and Mark dropped off the lead in the pits - but the others - Mike and Alex's Sierras - would need to stop too. The Commodore had dropped off the lead pace and Terry had Oliver closing in fast. It did eventually come down pit stops. The red Sierra of Mike, Rob & Daniel spent 16 seconds less in the pits and finished on the same laps and just ahead of Alex, Ollie & Stephen's blue car. Mark & Simon came in a lap behind, Mark just couldn't match the pace of Mike and Alex in the closing stages...

   

Behind, Oliver pipped Terry to fourth place, both cars finishing on the same lap after a frantic battle through the final ten minutes. The Écurie Escargot Sierra - last December's winner - came home 15 laps off the lead, having eventually recovered from that early crash damage.

   

Here are the results and stats from the opening race...

   
You can click on the image to make it bigger.

Congratulations to our winners - Mike, Rob & Daniel - and to all our teams on a scintillating start to the day...

         

         

         

Some of these Group A cars might appear later in the Muscle Car Mondiale race, but now we would focus on BTCC...

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BTCC Qualifying

   

Our WHO BTCC weekend simulation has become finely tuned in the five seasons since it all began in 2018. We've kept the option tyre and all drivers have to run the RCS64 Soft tyre in one nominated race. This time, six chose Race One, three Race Two and the remaining nine in the final race. With James joining us, we had eighteen cars lining up for the three qualifying sessions...

   

The make up of the grid was three old-style Civics, two new Civics, three MGs, no Passats, two new 330i BMWs and eight of the original 125i BMW models. Andy had an unwelcome surprise when his Civic was ID-ed incorrectly (the first of an on-going bug during the day), but he returned to track for the final minute to set the fastest time of the first group. Alex beat that time by 0.419 of a second in group two, with Oliver slotting into second spot by setting the fastest time in the third group. Dean would join Alex, Oliver and Andy in the A Final, with two step-up spots available in each of the finals...

   

The slowest six qualifiers would race first...

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BTCC Race One

   

The D Final was a close one, with four drivers battling hard for those two step-ups. Kev lead at half-distance, ahead of Rob, Ollie and Daniel Mc - Isaac and James having dropped off the lead lap. 

   

The pace ramped in the final eight laps and Ollie managed to haul himself into the lead. Daniel couldn't match the pace of the top three and it was Rob who eventually dispatched Kev to grab the second step-up spot. James ran well in his first ever BTCC race, finishing fifth. Isaac's car didn't make it to the end.

   

Ollie was looking to recover from an awful qualifying session and got off to a great start in the C Final. At half distance he was battling Simon for the win, although he had Mark and Stephen right behind him. Daniel E and Rob had dropped off the lead lap. A couple of errors saw Ollie's hopes of a second step-up evaporate. Both Mark and Stephen got past - and the outcome of their tussle saw Mark join his brother in the B Final...

   

Mike didn't have the best of starts, but he played the long-game and was up to second after 8 laps and closing in on leader Terry. Those two had a small gap over the chasing bunch of Ash, Simon, Matthew and Mark. They were all on the same lap, so any slip-ups would be costly. Mike was soon past Terry and controlled the race until the chequered flag - Mike, Terry, Simon and Matthew  finishing on the same lap.

Could Mike and Terry take advantage of their extra 16 laps of racing and cause an upset in the A Final? However, Alex and Andy got away cleanly and had pulled a gap on the rest, until Andy slipped up and found himself last. Mike, Terry and Dean did the same, leaving Alex, Oliver and Andy the top three at halfway - with the others not far behind. Mike and Andy got past Oliver - and while Alex was out front, he wasn't too far away as he was carefully preserving his Soft tyres. Late race drama saw Mike and then Alex get caught up in lapping traffic - and Andy was through into the lead...

   

As the chequered flag fell, Andy's Civic was first, followed by Alex, Mike, Oliver, Terry and Dean. Andy got the bonus point for fastest lap and Alex one for his pole position...

   

   

After a cracking first BTCC race, we took a well-earned lunch break and talked Porsche 911 liveries and LMDh options in the run-up to our brand new American SpeedFest Saturday in February.

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BTCC Race Two

The grid for this second race was set by the result of Race One, so Andy would start from pole. He'd also have to manage a big power reduction to simulate success ballast - the top five cars all receiving 'ballast' of gradually decreasing amounts. Again, there were two step-ups from each final.

   

Daniel E started from pole in the D Final, with Rob's MG6 sitting just a few centimetres behind on the grid. With James held up elsewhere, there were only five in this race. The two Daniels had dropped to the back at half distance, with Kev leading Rob and Isaac...

   

Isaac's BMW was working nicely again and he pushed hard for a step-up place. However, Kev lapped him late on and Rob grabbed that all-important second spot. Daniel Eaton beat Daniel McCann to fourth place, although both would miss out on championship points.

   

Ash's MG6 led the C Final field away. Stephen moved into the lead at halfway, with Ollie second, Ash third, Rob fourth and Kev fifth. The top five were covered by less than a lap, so this promised to be a nail-biting final eight laps... And it was. Stephen lost the lead to a hard-charging Ollie - who set an 11.528 fastest lap - and then came under pressure from Ash. Meanwhile, Rob's rough-sounding MG6 dropped away and was caught by Kev. The battle for step-up places went down to the wire - Ash finally pipping an unlucky Stephen for the runner-up spot.

   

An ultra-competitive B Final line-up suggested any two could step-up. It would depend on pace and keeping errors to a minimum. Simon got the better of Terry in the early stages - and they had Ash and Dean for company after 8 laps, Matthew and Ollie having dropped back, Matthew with car issues and Ollie getting a bit crashy...

   

Terry passed Simon for the lead and the two of them eased away, lapping the rest of the field at least once to clinch the step-up spots. Dean beat Ash for fourth and Matthew's power issues let Ollie moved up to fifth.

The A Final was an exciting watch, dominated by the top two from Race One...

   

Andy held the lead in the early stages, but Alex's BMW regularly appeared alongside the Civic - each preferring the lane they were in. The two leaders opened a gap to Oliver in third and Mike in fourth. Then Andy got a breather when Alex crashed, albeit returning to the fray very quickly. A few laps later, Andy would also crash, retaining the lead just a couple of feet ahead of Alex. The battle ensued, with Alex looking on slightly better form. The two cars passed the start line side-by-side and remained so until the corner before the pits. The two cars touched, Andy's Civic spinning out from the inside and handing Alex a very handy advantage. The two continued at pace to the chequered flag, Andy closing the gap slightly, but not enough to make an all-or-nothing lunge for the line. Mike was third and took the bonus point for fastest lap.

   

   

That put Alex and Andy equal on 38 points for the championship, Mike with 31 and Oliver 26.

Next, the BTCC cars would make way for the Carrera Classic Nascars.

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Carrera Classic Nascar

   

We had eleven cars for this individual race - ten 1970s Fords and Plymouths, plus a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air which won September's St Mary's Trophy at the WHO Goodwood Revival. Most had run at last year's Tin Top Saturdays, but Simon's Roadrunner was a new addition to the grid...

   

The field was split into two groups for qualifying, the slowest six would battle it out in a 10-lap B Final for one step-up into the 20-lap feature race. Mike's Roadrunner was the fastest of the first group with a 11:923 second lap, Alex the best of group two clocking a 12:392 to join Mike on the front row. But before that, we had the B Final...

   

Six cars - two Fords and four Plymouths (one a winged Superbird) - lined up for a ten-lap sprint. Dean grabbed the lead early on and his #17 Torino Talledega comfortably led Kev's Torino and Rob's Roadrunner at half distance. Simon's Plymouth had lost touch with the top three, with Ollie and Isaac struggling with the big, heavy cars - Isaac's Superbird losing its wing in a big impact...

   

The momentum stayed with Dean, but the others got into a better groove - apart from Simon, whose new car sounded a bit rough by the end. Rob pipped Kev to runner-up spot, Isaac found both pace and consistency to finish fourth, Simon was fifth and Ollie sixth.

   

Mike & Alex lined-up on the front row for the feature race, with Oliver & Andy on row two and Terry & Dean at the back. As usual, it was a very tight pack early on, until Mike de-slotted and collected Alex & Oliver and Andy's '57 Chevy slipped through into the lead. It was a slender advantage, Alex close behind with the winged Superbird. After 5 laps it was Andy, Alex, Oliver, Dean, Terry and Mike - all on the same lap. Alex had a bit of a wobble and that took some of the pressure off Andy, who was keeping things very smooth with the narrower fifties Chevy. At half distance the top three remained the same, but Mike had moved up to fourth, ahead of Terry and Dean.

Fuel consumption would become an issue towards the end - Oliver, Mike and Alex had tanks under 50% after ten laps. Alex decided to conserve, but the other two pushed on. A six-second pit stop dropped Oliver behind Terry, but he could now push hard to the line. Pole-sitter Mike had to stop from fifth, but ran out of fuel before he got there and found himself dead last. Meanwhile, Andy continued to stroke the car round and avoided any dramas. Alex wasn't able to push,which gave hope to both Terry and Oliver. In the end, Oliver overtook both Terry and Alex to finish runner-up, with Terry grabbing the final place on the podium - but it was the 1950s Nascar that crossed the line first for a most surprising victory...

         

         

Next... BTCC Race Three - the reverse grid.

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BTCC Race Three - Reverse Grid

Our WHO BTCC reverse grid race starts with a ping-pong ball being picked out of a hat. Ten balls are numbered 5 to 14 and refer to placings in Race Two. Ball #10 was drawn and that put Matthew on pole for race three, with ninth placed driver Ollie alongside him on the A Final grid. Andy and Alex found themselves down in the C Final.

   

The D Final would see who would join them and whether Daniel Mc and James could score their first championship points of the day. It was Mark and Isaac who took control of this one - Rob and the two Daniels running them very close in the early stages. James couldn't quite keep up, but had - across qualifying and two races - done a decent job on his BTCC debut. Mark and Isaac held their nerve to finish in the top two positions, Rob and Daniel E disappointed not to profit from a lapse of concentration. Daniel Mc missed out on championship points in fifth.

   

Our joint championship leaders started from the front row in the C Final. Alex had maximum success ballast, with Andy also on a big power reduction. As they gradually pulled away, Stephen managed to keep in touch and was right up behind Andy when the grey Civic had an early off. At half way, Alex led Andy and Stephen, with Mark, Kev and Isaac a lap back. Having looked after his Soft tyres in the middle of the race, Andy pushed hard to catch Alex towards the end. The final two laps saw Andy close right up and a lunge to the line was just a little to late - Alex won by a nose.

   

That put all the Race Two A Finalist in the B Final - just two step-ups available to access the big points. Alex gradually moved up through the field, but Andy got caught behind Terry and a coming-together saw both de-slot and lose ground. After 8 laps, Oliver led Alex, followed by Mike, Simon, Andy and Terry - all still on the same lap. Alex moved past Oliver into the lead, meaning Andy had a lot to do to stay in touch with Alex in the championship. Another strong finish saw Andy move past Mike and Simon, but Oliver's advantage was too much to close down in the final two laps. Alex and Oliver stepped up, Andy was stranded on 9 points for seventh place.

   

Matthew had pole for the A Final, but his car ended Race Two with problems. Repairs in between and a brief test on track suggested things were good again for the Colin Turkington BMW. In fact Matthew led early on, battling hard with Dean as Alex gradually climbed up the order. The C and B Final winner was up to third on lap 4 and dispatched Dean and Matthew to take the lead on lap 7. Matthew was still looking strong in second, although Dean and Oliver weren't far behind. At half distance it was Alex, Matthew, Dean, Oliver, Ollie and Ash. Dean was putting pressure on Matthew and took second place on lap 11. Alex was controlling the race at the front, but any mistakes could still be costly. A scrappy ending for Matthew saw a podium place slip away and Oliver take full advantage.

Here's some of that A Final action...



And this is how Race Three ended...

   

Huge congrats to Alex on achieving a potential championship-winning double step-up and A Final win!

   

However, there are still three races next month - and anything can happen...

   

Next... An 18-car Muscle Car Mondiale race.

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Muscle Car Mondiale Report

   

Another full grid of eighteen cars for this one, the 10-minute heats giving us a longer-format vibe to end the day. As usual, it was an eclectic field including lots of Trans-Ams, a matching pair of 80s Nascar, two Porsche 911 RSRs, an Aussie Falcon XB (driven by an Aussie), a Corvette L88 and a Mk1 Escort. We'd run three heats of six with the top two in each going through to a quick-fire 5-minute shoot-out.

   

Heat One was a perfect example of the variety on show - a Nascar Monte Carlo, Plymouth Hemicuda, Corvette L88, Porsche 911 RSR, a Camaro IROC and a Mercury Cougar. None of those will be eligible for next season's Euro Saloons class, which replaces Muscle Car Mondiale at the Tin Top Saturdays. As for the racing, this heat was close. Oliver got in front with the big Monte Carlo and stayed there, having a lap advantage over Terry at 5 minutes. Terry's Hemicuda was closely followed by Daniel Mc's Corvette, Kev's Cougar and Isaac's Camaro IROC. Dean's Porsche was quick, but inconsistent and sat in sixth place.

   

Oliver increased his lead, completing 44 laps in the ten minutes. Behind, Terry and Daniel were having a great scrap. Terry was a bit quicker over a lap, but Daniel was more economical on fuel. Had Daniel been able to manage a single stop, he would definitely have grabbed the runner-up spot - in the end it was close, but Terry's Plymouth crossed the line ahead of the Corvette. Isaac was fourth, Dean fifth and Kev sixth.

   

Heat Two was another American-dominated race - even the one exception - Simon's Porsche - had a Stars & Stripes livery. Ollie and Rob had the best of the early running with their '71 Camaro and AMC Javelin, while Mike was getting to know his big Monte Carlo in third. That's how it stood at 5-minutes, with Daniel E fourth in a '65 Mustang, Simon in fifth and James sixth with Andy's '69 Camaro.

   

Ollie was having his best race of the day, keeping out front while Rob and Mike scrapped for the runner-up spot. The Monte Carlo was very thirsty and Rob managed to single-stop the ten minutes, but it was Mike who finished second - Ollie scoring 44, Mike 43 and Rob 42 laps. Daniel held on to fourth place - pleased that he'd finally cracked this digital racing thing. Simon was fifth and James sixth after another valuable ten minutes on track.

   

   

Heat Three featured the top two drivers of the day - Alex racing his 1980 Bastos Camaro and Andy's dusting down his old and slightly battered AMC Javelin. Ash was also in this heat, racing his rapid and rather ravishing Andy Pipe Ford Escort. Mark's Aussie Ford, Stephen's Cougar and Matthew's Camaro rounded of the grid. Alex was quick off the line and Andy simply couldn't keep up. In fact, the Javelin had Ash's Escort for company in the early stages, its high-revving slim can motor giving it awesome straight-line speed and decent fuel economy. The Javelin proved thirsty, stopping first of the six cars and gave Alex a two-lap advantage. Alex was looking to single-stop the ten-minutes, but misjudged it, ran out of fuel and lost a lap. Briefly, Andy was on the same lap again, but then he had to stop for more fuel.

   

Alex cruised to a massive 46 lap score (it would have been 47) by the end of the ten minutes, Andy stopping three times for his 44 laps. Ash was third on 41, just ahead of Stephen - and Mark and Matthew both took the chequered flag on 36 laps.

   

The five-minute shoot-out was the final action of the day. Alex surprised everyone by entering the pits early on and topping off his tank. That meant he could go to the end and it placed his Camaro in some free air. And there was quite a squabble for position in what was a frantic opening. At halfway, Oliver led Mike in a Chevy Monte Carlo 1-2. Terry was third with his Hemicuda and Alex was back up to fourth, ahead of Andy and Ollie. When everyone else had to pit for fuel, Alex swept into the lead. He ended up completing 24 laps in five minutes - a huge score. Mike won the battle for second, finishing a lap behind Alex and a lap ahead of Oliver and Terry. Andy and Ollie were a further lap behind after scrappy races.

   

Our final podium of the day looked like this...

   

Huge congrats to all the day's winners and big thanks to everyone who came along and made it such an enjoyable and exciting Saturday at the Barn. Special thanks goes to the set-up team who arrived very early and to all those who stayed at the end to help pack away. Thanks also to the race control & scrutineering team for keeping everything ticking over nicely. We were packed up and gone by 5pm.

We do it all again in December...

   

And don't forget the 2026 dates, formats and build regs are available as a pdf here. If you need any advice on cars (especially for the new Can-Am class) please ask.