BRCA 1/8th Circuit National Champs Rd3 – Report
The 3rd round of the BRCA 1/8th Circuit Championship was held at the Wombwell circuit in South Yorkshire. This track was one of the first in this country to race 1/8th scale cars with many drivers saying it is one of the best drivers tracks around and once the grip is high and you have a confident setup, then it is a dream to drive and very rewarding after you have produced a good run. The track contains a narrow infield with a long straight and flowing sweepers which allows the car to change gear at least 3 times per lap. With the cancelation of last year’s event due to bad weather, it was the first time for many at this track and what also greeted the regulars were a new rostrum and race control cabin which has made a massive difference to the club setup and increased the visibility. With the weather forecast being sunny all weekend, it would be the first race of the year that rain would not play any part during the day.
Into heat 4 and it was Motonica driver Daniel Bancroft with his new CBR Picco engines that hit the 17 lap bracket with Ashley Gouveia back in second but recording a good 17 lapper in the process. In heat 5, the first casualty was Green with a loose pulley so it was left to Wood, North and Carr to take the first round spoils with Wood coming out on top by a second with Carr and North 0.5 seconds behind.
Heat 4 and it was Bancroft who got the better of King to record a time which put him in the top 3 overall. Heat 5 and it was Green who recorded the first and only 18 lapper of the day to basically secure TQ. Carr and Wood had a tight battle with Carr coming out on top this time.
Heat 4 was soon up with King winning the round but with only a 16 lap result which was almost a lap shy of the last heat. Heat 5 and it was Green who showed good consistency to record another 18 lapper but ran out of fuel on the last lap so remained on 17 laps. Wood and North both improved to guarantee a decent grid position for the final.
In heat 4 Bancroft again showed very good pace to record a quick 17 lapper which would leave him in 5th overall. In heat 5, Green did not complete a full lap so it was Wood who took full advantage and just missed out on 18 laps to place him 2nd overall.
Qualifying top 10:
1. Mark Green – Serpent/Novarossi – 17 Laps 313 secs
2. Tim Wood – Serpent/OS– 17 Laps 300 secs
3. John Carr – Serpent/OS – 17 Laps 302 secs
4. Andy North – Mugen/Sirio – 17 Laps 303 secs
5. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica/CBR Picco – 17 Laps 305 secs
6. Andrew Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 Laps 307 secs
7. Neal King – Capricorn/XRD – 17 Laps 307 secs
8. Jason Frost – Serpent/Sirio – 17 Laps 309 secs
9. Pete Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 Laps 310 secs
10.Ashley Gouveia – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 Laps 314 secs
The main final blasted away in grid order with the first casualty being John Carr who did not make the start due to a transmission issue. King however made a rapid start and moved his way up to second and with Green pulling away upfront, the gap between King, Wood, North and Frost was consistent up to the second round of pit stops. Back in 6th was Bancroft who was steady applying pressure to the lead runners and after a few driving errors by North mid race, allowed him to catch up to Frost and apply some pressure. Upfront Green had a comfortable lead from Wood since King started to struggle with low tires and soon came under pressure from Frost in the closing stages but he held onto third.
Top 10 result:
1. Mark Green – Serpent/Novarossi – 100 Laps 1816 secs
2. Tim Wood – Serpent/OS – 98 Laps 1816 secs
3. Neal King – Capricorn/XRD – 97 Laps 1800 secs
4. Jason Frost – Serpent/Sirio – 97 Laps 1801 secs
5. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica/CBR Picco – 97 Laps 1814 secs
6. Andy North – Mugen/Sirio – 94 Laps 1764 secs
7. Ashley Gouveia – Shepherd/Sonic – 89 Laps 1806 secs
8. Andrew Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 85 Laps 1805 secs
9. Pete Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 80 Laps 1805 secs
10.John Carr – Serpent/OS – 68 Laps 1817 secs
The next round will be at Adur track in Brighton in 2 weeks time.
Thanks to Andrew North for sending the report.
