This weekend was the BRCA British Winter Open Championship held by Silverstone Model Car Club, host of the popular Silverstone indoor winter series. For this one off event the club had gone all out, purchasing new AstroTurf so that the track was equally fresh to all competitors, and laying one of the best indoor tracks around. The presentation was excellent, giving a true professional feel to the event, and with many features the track was sure to challenge even the top drivers, without being too difficult for everyone. The club had chosen to go for a 100% AstroTurf track with carpet covered features, a good decision as it meant tyres were good from new and tyre wear wasn’t high. So the stage was set for some great racing, and the crowd wasn’t to be disappointed. Using the usual BRCA national format which see’s 2wd run on Saturday and 4wd Sunday, 240+ entries over the weekend.
2wd qualifying kicked off Saturday morning after the drivers had their normal 2x 3 minute practice to get used to the fresh layout and fresh AstroTurf. Tom Yardy kicked off qualifying with intent, after winning the last round of the winter series here, taking the first round ahead of the Schumacher’s of Nathan Waters and Lloyd Storey. Round two saw the Schumacher of Simon Moss rise to the top of the time sheets and Tom Cockerill showed his pace going top of the pile with the quickest time after round 3. Going into the final round several drivers could still line up pole for the finals, and it was a new name to the top, with Lee Martin coming good to take the round and overall TQ, Simon Moss lined up second and Tom Cockerill third. Schumacher were well represented at their home event, with 4 Cougar KF’s in the top 10 and 10 of the top 20. Hybrid/forward Motor car’s would also show dominance for the first time at a BRCA event, taking 8 of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 spots, but not the vital top spot.
2wd Qualifying
Lee Martin – Yokomo
Simon Moss – Cougar KF
Tock Cockerill – Cougar KF
Tom Yardy – Associated/CML
Nathan Waters – Cougar KF
Richard Lowe – Hot Bodies
Lloyd Storey – Cougar KF
Kevin Lee – Team C
Iain Mellish – Xray
Ellis Stafford – TLR
The finals were, as expected, very fast on the high grip flowing track. The racing was super close throughout, but also very clean, something that has to be put down to the great layout and features. Lee Martin capitalized on the number 1 spot to take the win in leg 1. Leg 2 saw a great drive from Tom Cockerill to take the win in Leg 2 setting up a leg 3 show down. Unfortunately Tom wasn’t able to repeat his leg 2 performance, getting through to second and starting to chase down Lee, he made a mistake and eventually a DNF. This left Lee out front to take the leg win and overall meeting victory, Tom Yardy would follow him home in second to take third overall, behind Tom Cockerill in second overall.
Sunday morning would see the change to 4wd cars. With a few less entries the drivers were given an extra 1 minute of practice, much appreciated by many drivers. Simon Moss looked like he had come back to make amends for 2wd’s poor finals, with his car looking very good in practice he put in two very controlled runs to take rounds 1 & 2 of qualifying ahead of team mate Tom Cockerill. Round 3 was seemingly the round everyone wanted to throw away, whilst many drivers were making mistakes Tom Yardy put in a clean consistent run to take the round, starting his meeting there. The final round again would see a new name to the top, and like 2wd it was Lee Martin, putting in the quickest time of the day, but it was only enough to secure second on the grid behind the CAT K1 Aero of Simon Moss.
4WD Qualifying
Simon Moss – CAT K1 Aero
Lee Martin – Yokomo
Tom Cockerill – CAT K1 Aero
Danny Mcgee – CAT K1 Aero
Richard Lowe – Hot Bodies
Ellis Stafford – TLR
Lloyd Storey – CAT K1 Aero
Kevin Lee – Team C
Nathan Waters – CAT K1 Aero
Tom Yardy – Associated
If the crowd thought the 2wd racing was close, they were in for a treat in 4wd. Simon Moss led leg 1 away and it was a superb display of defensive, composed driving. Sticking to his line he would not leave a gap anywhere for the hard charging Lee Martin behind him. Eventually Lee made a mistake and dropped down the field. This left a Schumacher battle of pride, with Moss out front, Danny McGee, Lloyd Storey and Tom Cockerill would put on a great display of driving, eventually finishing 2-4 in that order. Leg 2 saw an excellent pass over the rhythm jump section, allowing Lee through to take a comfortable leg win and setting up another exciting leg 3 showdown. Leg 3 saw a superb drive from Simon Moss, keeping his composure throughout the race after great pressure from Lee, Tom and again by Lee in the closing laps to take the leg and overall meeting victory.
A massive thanks to Silverstone club, a brilliant track, presented perfectly and a superbly run meeting by the BRCA and club. Hopefully an event that stays on the calendar for years to come.’
