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The third running of our WHO Spring stages saw 21 drivers and 56 cars take to four stages, three of which were familiar and the other - Burpham & Wepham - was built from scratch during set-up...

1. Friston Forest: SCX and Scalextric Classic
2. Jupp's Farm: Ninco off-road (updated for 2026)
3. Burpham & Wepham: Ninco tarmac
4: Johnny's Workshop (anti-clockwise): 3D printed and braid

Johnny's Workshop (clockwise) was run as the shakedown stage, with direction changed for the timed runs.

Chad joined us for his first taste of slot rally action, running a borrowed Avant Slot Toyota Yaris WRC2 and the club cars. Newer racers with only one car are now permitted to also run in the club car category. Simon M was the other contender - running his Scalextric Impreza WRX alongside the club cars.

   

Otherwise, the line up was the usual mix of stock Scalextric and SCX cars, lots of Nincos, a few 3D printed chassis conversions and some high-end SRC, Scaleauto and NSR monsters. With shakedown over and groups ready to go, it was time to get the 2026 WHO Spring Stages underway...

   

Although Farmer Jupp's cows would cause mischief all evening.

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Stage One: Friston Forest

Stage winner: Mike Dadson, SRC Peugeot 205 T16

   

First through Friston Forest were Group A, Jeremy's TR7 V8 setting the early pace with a 46.82. Three Ninco WRC cars followed - the C4s of Rob B and Jeremy and then Stephen A showing excellent pace with his new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Chas did better with the Scalextric Lancer club car than the Avant Yaris.

   

Next on the stage were Group D. Kevin and Simon were struggling to get in a rhythm with new machinery and Steve's Subaru was not quite right after a heavy drop to the floor on Johnny's workshop. His Audi Quattro went better and Phil's SRC Escort was rapid, but all were eclipsed by Andy's three cars - the Subaru Impreza going ahead of Jeremy's TR7by one hundredth of a second.

   

That stage lead didn't last long as Oliver's Porsche 914 went top from Group C. His time of 46.38 looked very good. There were five SRC 914s in this group - Terry was four and a half seconds slower than Oliver, but ahead of James T, Matthew and Rob A. 

   

All those times were beaten as Group B went through the stage. Mike D went top with a 45.62 for his SRC Peugeot 205 T16, just a few tenths quicker than his SRC Porsche 914. Scott's trio of Ninco contenders looked good - his Subaru Impreza going fourth, a tenth quicker than Andy's Subaru.

   
(you'll need to click on these tables to enlarge them)

An excellent start for Mike with a 1-2, but only ninth for his NSR Abarth. Top SCX runner was Andy's Fiat 124 Spyder, John's Puma was quickest Scalextric car and Simon had a two-second advantage over Chas in the club car competition.

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Stage Two: Jupp's Farm

Winner: Mike Dadson, NSR Abarth Punto S2000

Jupp's Farm has been tweaked slightly for 2026, with the Ninco off-road track now extending almost all the way round from loop to loop, including a 90-degree R1 section. Jeremy was given the task of building Jupp's Barn this time and with the sort of flair and lateral thinking you'd expect from his professional background, he made the track go through the building and the dairy herd became an integral part of the stage...

   

First across the rough stuff were Group B. Mike D was unsurprisingly quick - his NSR Abarth S2000 fastest through the 5 laps with a 39.57 time and his SRC Porsche 914 second. This is a great stage for the Ninco cars with their suspension and sprung guides. Scott's Porsche 911SC was three seconds off Mike's best time and Ollie's Subaru another second back. Isaac's best was his Teamslot Alpine and Mike Mc has one of a handful of Raid cars - his SCX Touareg 7 seconds quicker than his little MGA.

   

Group A's run saw Rob B bang in an impressive 42.88 with his Citroën C4 to go fourth. Jeremy's C4 was nowhere near as good, but his TR7 was up with the best for a second stage in a row and sat seventh. James B's Ninco 911SC was next, followed by John's SCX Escort RS1800 and Stephen with his Ninco Focus.

   

Group D were next, fresh from Friston Forest. Kevin was getting to know his Ninco Lancer Evo - and this was the perfect stage to push hard. A 50.42 put him comfortably in the top 20 with one group to go. His borrowed Lancia Stratos wasn't so great (needs some weight at the front), but looked amazing...

   

Andy's Subaru (41.06) and Lancia 037 (45.24) were fastest of the group and the Impreza slotted into second place behind Mike D. Kevin's Evo was next, then Andy's SCX Fiat. Simon bashed the SCX Seat Ibiza club car round quicker than all the others. This really is a nasty stage if your car isn't up to it...

   

Finally, Group C finished their evening on the farm. Oliver was quickest of his group with the SRC Porsche 914, but couldn't trouble the top 5 overall. Second quickest was James T's Ninco Lancia 037 and then Terry's Scaleauto Ford RS200. Matthew's best was also with the Lancia 037.

   

Another stage win for Mike, but the rally standings after two stages looked like this...

1. Mike Dadson - Porsche 914/6 GT - 87.76 seconds
2. Andy Player - Subaru Impreza - 87.87
3. Mike Dadson - Abarth Punto S2000 - 88.81
4. Mike Dadson - Peugeot 205 T16 - 90.42
5. Oliver Walker - Porsche 914/6 GT - 90.94
6. Jeremy Belcher - TR7 V8 - 92.74
7. Andy Player - Lancia 037 - 93.04
8. Rob Bean - Citroën C4 - 93.82
9. Scott Brownlee - Porsche 911SC - 94.5
10. Scott Brownlee - Subaru Impreza - 94.6

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Stage Three: Burpham & Wepham

Winner: Oliver Walker, Porsche 934 (3D chassis)

This is a new stage, designed and built on the day and only had twelve test laps (by Mike D) with a Renault 5 club car prior to first timed run. It is loosely based on the fabulous, mostly single-track roads in and around the villages of Burpham, Wepham and Warningcamp on the Duke of Norfolk's estate near Arundel - not far from the Barn. An ideal real-life rally stage. The roads are fast, but rarely straight, and have interesting cambers, elevations, ditches and walls. I forgot my box of R1s, but was pleased with the end result, both how it looked and how it drove...

   

The first drivers to tackle the stage were Rob A, Terry, Oliver, Matthew and James T. Oliver managed a blistering run with his new Porsche 934 fitted with a 3D-printed chassis. After a lot of tweaking during shakedown on Johnny's Workshop, the car went like a rocket, setting a stage time of 53.65 seconds over the five laps. Terry's SRC 914/6 was just over a second behind, followed by Oliver's 914, Terry's Ford RS200 and Rob's 914. Matthew and James got off to a more cautious start on the new stage.

   

Next were Group B - the two Mikes, Scott, Isaac and Ollie. Mike D set the fastest three times of the group, but could not match Oliver and Terry - his SRC Peugeot slotting in to third on the stage so far. Ollie's Ninco Subaru wasn't far behind, followed by Scott's similar Impreza and his Porsche 911SC. Isaac's SCX Escort Cosworth was the fastest of his three cars, beating Scott's Stratos.

   

Group A were next in line to tackle the new stage. Jeremy nailed it from the off, his TR7 falling just a second short of Oliver's best time. It was a good run for his 3D chassied SCX Lancia Delta Integrale, which had struggle a bit on the other stages. James drove the Ninco Porsche well and Stephen had another excellent stage with his new Ninco Ford Focus...

   

Rob and John were a bit off the pace on this one, but Chas was getting the hang of slot rally and the Avant Slot Yaris, beating five other cars in the group.

   

Last through Burpham & Wepham were Phil, Kevin, Simon, Steve and Andy. Phil started well with his SRC Peugeot 205 T16, just sneaking into the top ten in the stage. Andy soon bumped him out, his Subaru going third and just a hundredth of a second behind Jeremy's TR7. Kevin went very well again with the Ninco Lancer Evo and this definitely looks like a top twenty combination next time out. Steve's classic Scalextric Subaru was still suffering, but did finish the rally. Simon's more recent Scalextric Subaru model did better on this stage, although he beat its time with the SCX club car...

   

So that was the end of Stage Three and a win for Oliver...

   

The overall standings looked like this, with one stage to go...

1. Andy Player - Subaru Impreza - 142.65 seconds
2. Mike Dadson - Porsche 914/6 GT - 145.06
3. Mike Dadson - Abarth Punto S2000 - 146.50
4. Mike Dadson - Peugeot 205 T16 - 146.54
5. Jeremy Belcher - Triumph TR7 V8 - 147.51
6. Oliver Walker - Porsche 914/6 GT - 148.61
7. Andy Player - Lancia 037 - 151.94
8. Oliver Walker - Porsche 934 - 152.18
9. Terry Peters - Porsche 914/6 GT - 152.48
10. Scott Brownlee - Subaru Impreza - 153.92

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Stage Four: Johnny's Workshop

Winner: Mike Dadson, NSR Abarth Punto S2000

Jean kindly donated this little test track to the club last year and it serves as our regular shakedown stage and occasionally for competitive runs. The track, surround and infield are all 3D-printed and power is delivered via braid. There's a built-in version of his Johnny's Workshop rally timer, using a deadstrip. It really is plug-and-play.

   

Group D started their evening on Johnny's Workshop. Phil was first up, but it took a while to get the track running after the direction change. Phil just had two cars this time (although maybe a dozen of his on loan) and it was the SRC Ford Capri RS2600 that went quickest with a 49.87 second run over 15 laps. That was the time to beat. Kevin got going well with his Ninco Lancer Evo and Steve's Classic Scalextric Audi Quattro was running nicely. Last was Andy, who put his Subaru and Lancia 037 top and separated by a hundredth of a second.

   

Next were Group C. Terry leapfrogged Andy's Nincos with both his SRC Porsche 914 and Scaleauto RS200 clocking 47.22 seconds. Oliver's Porsche 934 was just 0.66 behind, but sat fifth - making it incredibly close at the top. Rob A, Matthew and James set similar times to each other, but were about 7-8 seconds off the leading pack.

   

Could Mike D find a couple of seconds with one of his three cars and grab the win from Andy? His Porsche 914 and Peugeot 205 T16 were both slower than the Subaru, but the NSR Abarth had a sensational 15 laps to jump to the top of the stage timing boards with a 45.97. Would it be enough? Meanwhile, Scott's Ninco challenge hit a bump as his best car - the Subaru - was 13 seconds slower than the Porsche and Stratos. That was in the territory of Ollie's Scalextric Mini Cooper S - and it's always a delight to see this little car being driven to the limit (and often beyond) on our rally stages!

   

Finishing their evening on Johnny's Workshop were Jeremy, Stephen A, John, Rob, James B and Chas. It was another strong showing for Jeremy's TR7 - and his Citroën didn't do badly either. James was right up there with the 3D-chassied Ferrari 308 GTB, as were the Nincos of Rob and Stephen. John was in the race for Scalextric and SCX honours - his Puma took some crucial time out of Rob A's RS200, but would it be enough for the class win?

   

Three stage wins for Mike D - two for the Abarth, one for the Peugeot. Where would that leave him on the podium?

That was it for the action, it was now down to Rally HQ to input and crunch the data. There would be some nervous moments ahead...

   

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WHO Spring Stages Results

   

Over the four stages, the gap between first place and runner-up was just 2.23 seconds...

   

Congrats to Andy, Mike, Jeremy and top junior Isaac!

   

SCX and Scalextric Championships

   

John and Rob were separated by just a quarter of a second for the Scalextric win...

   

The gap was more comfortable for Andy in SCX, with John second and Isaac the third-placed driver...

   

Championship tables will follow.

Class classification

   

This time it was the modern cars at the top of the standings, Rob joining Andy and Mike on the podium...

   

80s/90s saw the top two reversed and Oliver joining them for third...

   

Finally, Mike was the quickest SRC Porsche 914/6 GT, but Jeremy put his Scalextric / Amato Triumph TR7 V8 into a sensational second place, ahead of another trio of 914s headed by Oliver...

   

Chas beat Simon to club car honours, but dodged the camera by leaving early.

Huge thanks to everyone who came along for an excellent evening of WHO Slot Rally action. Special thanks goes to Jeremy, Andy and Terry who brought the stages, to the set up and Rally HQ crews and to all those who stayed behind to pack away.

There's a wait to July for more rally action, but then we have three events at the Barn in six weeks!

Starting with a return visit of the Slot Rally GB series on Saturday 18 July...

   

Followed by the WHO Summer stages 11 days later...

   

And our first Dakar Rally-Raid event on Wednesday 26 August...