Pete Hastings wins Rd4 of 1/8th BRCA nats

The 4th round of this years BRCA 1/8th on road championships was held at the Halifax circuit, the home of Serpent UK and with a turn out of over 50 drivers, it was yet another well attended meeting and with the competition at the top getting closer. Notable absentees on Saturday were Richard Hicklin and Andy North who attended the marriage of Chris Heath who is now taking a break from racing but intends to be back next season but congratulations to both Chris and Hayley from the 1/8th section.

With all the usual drivers present to find that illusive car and engine setup, It was clear that after Mark Green had run in some new engines, that he would again be the main man to beat. He was lapping in the 14.8 second bracket which was the base for all the rest to gauge themselves against. Tim Wood was not far adrift of that target on a track which he always excels on. Pete Hastings however was back on the pace following his good qualification position in the previous round and was no more than 0.1 second behind the leaders all day which was a timely confidence boost. The remaining DH Modelsport cars of Neil Diver and Andy Hastings all using the new IDM Evo 4 engine were also in with a real chance of a good result.

Sunday was greeted with warm weather and the prospect of a very competitive race day. A round of practice was provided to allow all the drivers to check their cars. In round 1, it was Tim Wood who secured TQ just missing out on a 21 lapper. A close second was Mark Green, followed by Pete Hastings with only 2 seconds separating them. In round 2, Pete Hastings was on for a 21 lap run, but a little mistake cost him dear, but Andy North capitalised on a clear track ahead to record a time which would more or less secure a final position since the track was getting slower due to the increase in track temperature. Mark Green on the other hand, claimed TQ by 0.2 seconds. In the remaining rounds, Mark Green produced two 21 lap runs to cement TQ. Improvements from Richard Hicklin, Neil Diver and John Carr also booked final places. The remaining drivers had to wait nervously to see if they would make it or not, with Mike Walton securing the last position by 1.3 seconds.

The top 10 were as follows:
1. Mark Green – Serpent – Novarossi – 21 Laps 312 secs
2. Tim Wood – Serpent – Mega – 20 Laps 300 secs
3. Pete Hastings – Shepherd – IDM – 20 Laps 302 secs
4. Neil Diver – Shepherd – IDM – 20 Laps 304 secs
5. Andy North – Mugen – Sirio – 20 Laps 305 secs
6. John Carr – Serpent – Mega – 20 Laps 306 secs
7. Richard Hicklin – Serpent – Mega – 20 Laps 308 secs
8. Andy Hastings – Shepherd – IDM – 20 Laps 308 secs
9. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica – Max – 20 Laps 309 secs
10.Mike Walton – Mugen – IDM – 20 Laps 310 secs

The action started before the actual start of the final, with Tim Wood not present due to his transponder refusing to register any laps, so he would take no part in the race. Up front, it was Mark Green, closely followed by Pete Hastings who was really enjoying a very good handling car and engine performance to not be too far behind Mark at the first pit stop. The fight for third was intense with Andy North losing that position due to engine problems which would end his race early. Up front, Mark Green started to stretch out a lead but Pete was still applying a bit of pressure to keep him on his toes. With 4 minutes remaining, Mark’s car came to a stop and he decided to not continue due to feeling it was an engine problem which was diagnosed to be an empty fuel tank. This promoted Pete into first position after a faultless drive and a well deserved win after a difficult season to date. In Second was Andy Hastings making it a DH Modelsport first and second in only their 4th race as an official racing team. John Carr took the final step on the podium to underline his impressive start to the season.

The final results were as follows:
1. Pete Hastings – Shepherd – IDM – 115 Laps
2. Andy Hastings – Shepherd – IDM – 111 Laps
3. John Carr – Serpent – Mega – 110 Laps
4. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica – Max – 108 Laps
5. Mark Green – Serpent – Novarossi – 102 Laps
6. Richard Hicklin – Serpent – Mega – 64 Laps
7. Neil Diver – Shepherd – IDM – 64 Laps
8. Mike Walton – Mugen – IDM – 40 Laps
9. Andy North – Mugen – Sirio – 38 Laps
10.Tim Wood – Serpent – Mega – 0 Laps

The next round is at the Adur circuit in Brighton on the 12th July 2010. See you all there.

Thanks to Andy North for the report.