[woodcote]

   

Our first AFX race of 2026 takes place on a rather rapid track, first used for our Mod & Tuners nights...

   

These F1 races are supported by AFX and hopefully soon by their European distributor. From a first batch of merch, we have three AFX hats left... It's strictly one each - so would new race or junior winners take a hat home?

   

[Gareth]

Race Report

March is not only the start of the real F1 season but also WHO’s F1 season.  We’d be racing on a track that more than a passing resemblance to Oulton Park with some very fast straights, a tricky hairpin and some esses to negotiate.  It was fast and fun. 

Adam the Elder was off cheering on Brighton at the Amex so Oliver had his dad Joe racing with him tonight.  Due to some technical issues with race control and laps not being counted they certainly got their money’s worth as they got to run the first heat 3 times! 

It was a real pleasure to welcome Duncan back to HO racing after a prolonged absence.  Of course he has been doing Digital but it was great to see him back with a brand new Bulldog F1 car with his legendary Tyco now parked up for good.  

Consistency was key across four pretty even lanes throughout qualifying.  Some drivers did complain of some power issues in white lane but I think the issue was potentially more due to car setup than anything.  

At the half way stage, Terry was on provisional pole ahead of Keith, Oliver, Pete and Andy.

   

But it was Oliver’s Super G who dominated qualifying for his second pole position in a row.  Keith just behind with his Mega G+ in front of the trio of Terry, Pete and Andy all with Super Gs.  Matthew was the first of the Bulldog runners, his blue lane run looking very impressive indeed and not far off the Super Gs.  Could the tide be turning in favour of the Bulldog?  We’ll have to see. 

   

[Gareth]

Finals

F Final

   

Duncan’s Bulldog was fresh out of the packet and a new car is often difficult to adapt to.  After some late advice on tyre height, Duncan comfortably beat James in this two car race.   James’ Super G looked to be very ill handling and unpredictable despite some tweaking throughout the evening. 

   

[Gareth]

E Final

   

Rob (blue) and Duncan (yellow) put on a very entertaining first 3 laps before Duncan crashed in the hairpin.  Several more crashes dropped him into a battle with Tracy (white) promoting Stephen (red) briefly to 2nd.  Duncan would haul himself back into contention for 2nd but in a tight race with Tracy and Stephen but it would be Tracy finishing in 2nd, Duncan 3rd and Stephen 4th while Rob cruised to a comfortable win.

   

[Gareth]

D Final

   

Matthew was quick to coin this race the Battle of Bean Cann as we had two McCanns and two Beans in the race with Rob unbelievably stepping up to blue, Ollie in red, pole man Stephen in yellow and Mike in white.  The McCann Formula Ns had looked pretty tough to drive all night but Ollie had been struggling too and had claimed that the red lane was the only nice lane for him.  He must have been delighted to hear Stephen pick yellow and Ollie led from the lights going green. Mike did a good job to shadow him on the same lap for half the race till a crash in the esses ended his challenge.  Several more crashes put him firmly out of contention but he hung on for a great p2.  Stephen only managed 2 laps before a crash and after a good battle with Rob, fell to p4 where he would finish with Rob the last drive on the podium.

   

[Gareth]

C Final

   

Isaac (red) had been looking rapid all night as had dad Kev (white) once his early car troubles had been sorted.  Such a shame to see him have a disaster in his first qualifying run.  

   

But it was Ollie (yellow) who led the first 3 laps before crashing and handing the lead to pole man Isaac who was being hounded by Gareth (blue) who was a little slower on the straight but more confident in the corners.  The tense battle only lasted 2 more laps before Isaac crashed on lap 7 which promoted Gareth into the lead.  Kev had crashed on lap 2 so he was on a recovery drive but a very lengthy crash that needed repairs on lap 10 doomed his race.  Everyone got collected by a crashed car on the main straight which put Isaac back on the lead lap.  But then another crash to the floor occured and as he rocketed away from the hairpin, his body flew off the car meaning he had to stop for it to be refitted.  It was a catastrophe for our January winner and Ollie’s race was going no better as he only lasted 11 laps.  

   

In the end it was Gareth who cruised to the win ahead of Isaac, Kev and Ollie.

   

[Gareth]

B Final

   

Pete (blue) had been struggling with his Super G throughout the heats but was happy with it by the finals. He led from the line but Gareth (yellow) was in 2nd place.  The Bulldog looked good but not quite as quick as the SG+.  Gareth crashed in the esses on lap 6 which allowed Pete some clear air and Andy (red) and Matthew (white) through to 2nd and 3rd.  Both cars looked good but not on the same terms as Pete.  Matthew had had a lengthy crash on lap 4 so he was always playing catch up whereas Andy had a solid race to finish on the same lap as Pete but dropping a tenth or two per lap almost every lap was the story of his race.

Behind the two Super Gs, Matthew managed a good 20 laps to finish 3rd while Gareth was being ridiculous trying to get a fastest lap, drove like a tool bag and crashed a lot on his way to last. 

   

[Gareth]

A Final

   

We’ve had some wild A Finals this year so this could have been a very interesting race. Oliver had picked red with Keith on blue, Terry on white and Pete stepping up to yellow.  wins easily from Keith.  

   

As it was, it was a super clinical affair.  Oliver crushed the field from pole leading every lap.  Keith was in 2nd for the opening laps before Pete swept past on lap 3 while Terry had a single off on lap 8 to relegate him to 4th.  And that was the order until the dying seconds when Pete crashed and Keith snuck back through into 2nd place.  

   

So Oliver converted his pole into a brilliant win with Keith in 2nd, Pete 3rd and Terry 4th.  

   

Once again a great night of HO racing and it really feels like the Bulldog is in its ascendancy especially with the Super Gs only getting a run out every 3 months.  When will they fall off the performance cliff and who will keep them in tip-top condition.  We’ll find out in June.