Bolwextric Slot Car Racing Club, Racing at MFR with Bolwextric supplied cars picked on the night. Options

[Wambulance]

R4 saw us welcome 2 new racers in the form of Toby and Paul, welcome to the mad house chaps. Both of them had done minimal racing so we started with the easy going SCX DTM. Wez got off to a flying start with 4 wins to take this class, Tony did poorly by any standard and finished next to last.

Chris picked Pro Trucks and it did him no good, Rich went for Skylines - they didn't do him any good either, but I thought them OK and managed 4 second places - which is excellent for me. Keith won this class with 33.

During the break Jim sorted out a motley selection of Ninco GTs' from the end cupboard, these went better than they looked, on my practise lap I my white lane example seemed a bit special and so I took a chance and went for an early lead which worked and I went on to win the race, I wish more of my plans would work out like that. Tony at last worked out that his highly expensive controller was rubbish and he started winning with an el cheapo model, he looked set to take the class but then got an embarrassing "1" in the last race which sent the toys flying yet again. This left Keith to take the class.

In the last class Keith decided Ninco F1 were what was needed to keep his only challenger for the night, Jim, at bay. A successful ploy, Keith won the class and Jim did badly, even letting Wez through for a surprising second place for the night, well done Wez. But I was having my own battle as I started the final class 1 point ahead of Chris, to beat him would be a real feather in my cap. I started my defence well with a couple of second places but then Chris fought back "as he always does" and we ended up with a race each to go on level points. The money was on me as I had the potentially winning red car and I was soon doing well running comfortably in second place but I knew I needed the win so went for it, but it ended in tears as I crashed out for 2, Chris ended his night with a 5 to seal his place over me - curses!

New boy Paul started the last class with a win, which had us all cheering. In fact both Paul and Toby did pretty well and were starting to amass some useful marks by the end of the night.

Yet another entertaining night with some surprise results - I might even revisit that white Ninco GT to see how it works as an open car, though I am not sure how well it would cope with no barriers to lean on.

Bolwextric Racing results

[Wambulance]

Round 6 of the Spring Championship and time to welcome THREE new racers: Chris, Russ and Richard. Welcome Guys. Aha, bit of a clash of names, so for now the new Chris will be known as Khris and little Richard will now be known as Dicky.

Bit of a change from the expected was "no change of direction" so this means that we should finish the series with 2 rounds in reverse direction, this was caused by the unavailability of suitably qualified staff.

New Khris was helped with his choice of Puntos' and he got a win in his 4th race. Wez took the class with 32 with Keith and Jim both on 30. I found the Puntos' far more tricky to drive than I remembered but I managed to start with a 5 and totalled 25 which is a good score for me.

Dicky went for Enzos', these can be "Tricky" but they proved good for him with a win and a class of 21. New Richard got a second place and 16 total in this class. Chris did well with two wins to be runner up with 30. Somehow I managed a couple of wins and general kept my nose clean and I finished the class with a record (for me) 31 - and it put me in the lead at that stage of the night - WOW. As Wez said "Will's on fire tonight!".

Russ chose Bentleys, these looked a bit dusty and rusty, surely a gift to Jim but it was not to be as he crashed to unbelievable 22. Russ had pickers good luck his 16 was his best class. Keith was class victor on 29 with Wez and me on 26. This meant at the break I was still leading the night. Double WOW!

Ninco 911s' were Ruben's pick, he started with a win and went on to 28 enough for a class 3rd, these faster cars saw Jim up to usual speed to take the class with 35 and Keith on 30.

The final round was Jim's pick, SCX GTs', and off he went to win the evening on 143. Keith was runner up with 137. Wez finished the evening by winning 2 races netting class runner up. New Richard did well with 15 to give him a nights total of 70. I had had another "good" round and it was close for 3rd place between Wez and me.

Jim checked and rechecked the scores largely because like most of us - he couldn't believe it - I had finished in THIRD place and on the nights virtual podium - Hooray.

I think the real winner of the night was the Bolwextric series, running club cars and some reverse direction running it provides a more level playing field to give numpties like me a chance. Looking at the evening from my eyes there was a vast range of racers from beginners to highly experienced, all having a good time and with a bit of luck and a level head the opportunity to sometimes run with the big boys.

With just 2 round to go and both should be reverse direction (we need to train up a reverse direction technician), the main Championship is pretty well sorted. But in the Clubmans class, given more rounds like this - anything could happen. Except for the winner, with 2 rounds of reverse action I think that is already sorted.

Bolwextric Racing results so far, next round on March 19th.

[Wambulance]

Round 7 saw us racing with the hard core of 8 drivers and in reverse direction.

Jim started us off with Carrera Muscle, he only scored just 31 but this was enough for him to take the class easily with everyone else in low 20s'. Amazingly it was I that lead the stragglers home with a lucky 24.

Mk 2 Escorts were Keith's choice and they brought him no luck and he was on his way to a grim night by his standards. Jim was now off into the sunset without even looking behind at us strung out behind, only Chris was near him with a 26 being 3 behind J.

Tony wheeled out the Nissan Skylines, these free running and tail swinging hipsters are tricky to drive but always make for good racing. It was a good choice for Tony and he dominated the class on 34 with Jim a massive 8 behind. Perhaps Mr T would give the big man a run for his money - did we have a race on?

And the answer was NO. Chris picked the Scalee F1, not a good draw for Tony and it wasn't long before the Bolwextric toys started to fly. Mind you it was a bad pick for Chris too with him, Tony and me finishing the class on 20. Wez and Ruben had their best rounds on 25 and 24 respectively, no need to record who scored the class winning 30.

Wez decided to finish the night with the "new" SCX DTM set. He needed a good score as he was in the middle of a close spaced clump including Keith, Chris, Ruben and myself. It wasn't a good round for Wez and he slipped below "the clump". I had my second lump of luck with a good run including a win. It was Jim that took the class and night with Tony 17 behind - still spitting out bits of rattle to the end.

Another night of enjoyable racing I did well more by luck and definitely not by pace. And my good luck was to continue see below.

You will see on other threads how Jim has been showing me how to run a double check on scores before I publish them on-line, he can't sleep if he knows they are RONG. So I was a bit miffed when I typed the scores in and the spreadsheet said NO, this meant I would have to check to find the error. But my tears of miff turned to joy as it turned out Wez had been allocated a tasty 10 additional points in error, and so I had beaten him on the night. YES! Wez you only scored 14 in your class pick, hard luck mate

Bolwextric Racing results so far, next and last round on April 2nd.

[Wambulance]

The final round and a night of average scores with Jim getting the best class score of a lowish 31 in the Modern F1.
Tony and Jim had some good races, which Tony seemed to win most. But towards the end it was clear Jim had the advantage and Tony's toys were starting to fly.
I had a terrible night and after 4 rounds I was clearly last, I had the pick and went for Accords, although I managed a win and my best class score it was the culmination of a dismal performance and I ended up tail end Charlie.
Jim won the evening with Chris a fair way behind. But that second place and Keith finishing the evening 2 places behind him was enough to get Chris the runner up place in the Championship. Chris also easily won the Clubman Championship and has now earned his place racing with the big boys.

I will put the Championship winning tables on the web site later but the corrected podiums are thus:
1st Jim 98
2nd Chris 72
3rd Keith 70

and the Clubmans:
1st Chris 96
2nd Wez 84
3rd Will 76

Bolwextric Racing results are on line and the next Championship will start on April 16th.

[Wambulance]

As promised - threatened the web site has now been updated with the championship final outcome - and it is a confirmed three cheers or jeers for Jim and Chris for winning their championships.

Some/one of you will be delighted to see the spreadsheet for the series is available to peruse, this is a pretty strange affair as it is purely for my benefit to provide a feed table for the web site software, it now also features a crude total points checker and a record of Clubmans upgrade status. Remember I only provide the link and file, you do not have to click the link - only click if you really want to.

All the score sheets for each round and a printout of the spreadsheet are deposited with Mr T at the end of each Championship, please ask him if you want to eyeball them.

For the next series the clubmans looks like a straight fight between Wez, Dicky and myself - Hey ho!

Clock that archive

[Wambulance]

Round 3 already - and complaints about no forum reports - point taken, here we go.

Firstly a big welcome to two new racers, Colin and Mick. They seemed to enjoy racing each other and finished just 2 points apart. They are to join the Manor Farm Racers as well.

Chris got things going with his pick of Modern F1, and with so many racers without their own controllers, Bolwextric controllers were allocated to each lane, so for many of us the diverse characteristics of the the cars was compounded by the spread of controllers, all great fun as far as I was concerned and a bit of a leveller. Tony got off to a good start, 31 was a clear class win followed by by Jim, Keith and Chris clustered in the mid 20s.
Keith went for American Muscle, I was starting my class in the yellow lane and I shot off into a comfortable lead. Instead of getting overexcited and throwing it away I "managed my lead" just like Jim does and got me a real live win - no kidding folks. The pick was good for Chris and he finished the class 2 behind the winner Jim who got 30.
Colin was helped to chose the diverse SCX DTMs where having 3 tyres makes you one of the quickest cars? Only Tony came anywhere near Jim's winning 32.
During the break I helped Mick with his choice of Accords, now I know what you are thinking but my advice was they would give him and Colin a chance to blossom. I was right they both scored 17 buy far their best class scores. OK so I did get my best score, but I should have done even better as I threw away a near certain 6. But my class leveller advice had and even greater affect than I could have anticipated as Chris won it on a low 28 while Ruben's and Dickies 15s was enough to put them last in class.
Tony picked the juddery Skylines to end the evening, these jumpy little beggars are more tenacious than they appear and this led to the best racing of the night with Jim coming up smelling of roses (we wish) on 33.
A good natured night, where after a slow start I finished pretty well, Dicky started matching me point for point and I thought we were in for a Clubmans upset, Wez was not arround. But then Dicky went a bit crashy n smashy and threw it away. Near the end Dicky did get a big cheer when he raced Tony closely for several laps till Tony and a pram full of toys got thrown away. Come on Dicky - you CAN do it.

Another winning night for Jim with 149, Tony 10 behind and Chris 3rd on 131. I took the Clubman's honours with 106. Next round will be a direction reverse on May 28th. Wez though I love you, don't come back too soon!

Bolwextric Racing results

[Wambulance]

Round 4 saw just 7 racers to take the challenge forward, could be the heat got the better of others, though it must be said the MFR stadium is always delightfully cool whatever the weather

After I put some cars on the track facing the wrong way for the Nth time Jim said how sad I was and I must be losing it. Well get this folks - I can remember at one stage saying "that's something for the blog" - I can't remember what it was - help me out guys. And of course that means that Jim was absolutely right again!

So reverse racing - a Chris speciality. And he was going for it, as soon as he was in the door it was a quick hello and then he was on the track and flying, in no time at all he had 115 laps of reverse direction under his belt and his massive data base stuffed full of track detail. But fate dealt him a cruel blow when Dickies number came up next to his and he had to spend the first laps of each race trying to avoid "The Dicky chang".

And so to race, Jim went for SCX Touring (SCX DTM?), this class levels the scores as some cars are much quicker. And straight away Dicky showed his spots, but in his enthusiasm and due to Chris's foresight his missile missed its intended target and took out the next WHICH WAS ME! And of course Chris sailed off to win the race and Dicky got the first of his 1s. Tony also had a couple of 1s, so he managed 3rd in class but up front with 3 wins and 29 was enough for Jim to take the honours followed by Chris. Ruben clocked 16 together with me to prop up the bottom.

Tony went for Skylines, these wobbly jellies are an acquired taste, I love them not because I do well but because they make for some close racing. Up front the Jim n Chris show was in full swing, Jim was the star with 32 with a great supporting act on 31. Dicky was back row of the chorus has antics did him no favours as he crashed in last, which was to become the story of his evening.

The little Ninco F1s were Ruben's choice, these are great fun but didn't work for Ruben as he didn't do well, but neither did Jim. So who did well? Chris did, with a couple of wins he clocked a winning 26, BUT SO DID I - somehow I had managed a rash of runner up action. We were followed OH SO CLOSELY with Tony and Keith both on 25. Not only did Jim have a surprisingly poor round on 22 this was added in to the sub totals a 23, an error that was picked up by the spread sheet, surprised you didn't clock that Jim?

So as we stopped for the break it was all about Jim on 83 and Chris on 82, were we heading for a big upset?

Keith got us started again with Pajaros, and for some reason I seemed right on the pace and started my first 3 races in the lead, but I failed to accept I was punching above my station and stupidly finished those three races with a total of 5 and went on to have my worst round. Up front the show continued with both "Stars" winning on 28. Could this be Chris's night?

I thought Escorts would provide some good sport and they did, but not for Chris as he had his only 1 of the night, though he managed second in class just ahead of Keith, it was another Moy's munch up as Jim took the class and night with 31 and a total of 142.

Now listen to me Dicky - you are faster than me, but I finished the night with nearly twice your points and I threw away 10 points trying to hang on the lead with the Pajaros. When Chris looked over the score sheet he didn't point to his 12 wins, what he noted was his only 1. You have to cut down on those dastardly ones!

Bolwextric Racing results

Now, what was that thing I wanted to put in this blog?

[Wambulance]

We had eight of us for round 5, which is the minimum to have time for some serous biscuit action. Wez had been on a sun bathing trip to Devon (sic) and came back with some Saga Lout beer mats, one of which he presented to me, I shed a tear but avoided an Osca style speech.

Ruben started us with a real curved ball, Ninco Porsche GT. Betting on the outcome of the night based on this class would have lined you up for ran upset, after some excellent racing the class worked out like this Tony 26, Wes 26, Keith 22, Chris 21, Ruben 20, Will 20, Dicky 18 and bringing up the rear was Jim with 14, yep FOURTEEN! In fairness to Jim he may have been distracted by an ample supply of MILK chocolate devils. In real fairness it seemed Jim's controller was going home, releasing the trigger did not always mean no power.

Keith picked Scalee Indy, Jim was now sporting a Bolwextric "party time" controller and started off with 3 wins, but this was another round of close racing which Jim won on a lowly 28. After 2 classes Ruben and Dicky propped up the mid 30s' while the rest of us ended clustered in the mid 40s', with only Wez with his head above the clouds on 52.

The score sheet said we had Honda Civics next, but in reality Chris had picked ACCORDS, which should have been a gift for me - it wasn't and I crashed to my worst score of the night. So did Wes who could only manage an embarrassing 14. Buy the break it was Tony and Chris up front on 70 each with most of us close behind. One sad thing to report is one of the dependable Accords had shredded a drive gear and had to be replaced with a Volvo - I expect someone will fall on their sword for that.

Jim went for SCX saloons and he ended the class well clear with the highest score of the night, 33. In this round I collected a bit of a coup (by my standards):
Soon after the start of a race I realised I was last and some way behind Tony and Chris who were in lanes either side of me and were going nip and tuck for a victory. My last position was also 3rd as everyone else was off. Slowly my bird brain worked out I had nothing to loose, so I went for it. For some unaccountable reason I was far quicker that the battling giants and quickly caught and passed them for a famous victory. With them racing side by side I had no choice but to "just pass the buggers" but couldn't understand why one of them didn't take me off. Turns out Chris had thought Tony would knock me off, while Tony had been so surprised to see me going at speed that I past before he realised what was going on. I recon Tony had been like a rabbit caught in my headlights

I had the last pick and much to most peoples annoyance (we had already had open wheelers) I went for Modern F1, I often do well with them - I didn't. By now the Moy's Magic was well up to speed as Jim took the class from Wez.

If, at the end of class 1 you had put money on Jim you would have done well as he won the night by a huge margin on 133. Dicky came last, but he had been working on NO ONES and he did clock up a reasonable 82.

The next round is a reverse direction, Chris has come close to winning one of these perhaps it will be his night?

Bolwextric Racing results

[Wambulance]

Sadly no Ruben or Wes, so just 6 racers who ran 6 classes on 5 lanes (black out) in reverse direction.

Keith, had been laid up for a week with a ferocious summer flue, but he managed to leave his bed to come racing - what dedication. AND he got the first pick, Pajaro. Chris was straight out of the reverse direction box with a win on 25 followed by Jim with 23, Dicky won the first race but it ended with EVERYONE ELSE TIED on 18 - WOW!

I went for the Ninco DTMs, these have got to be a grizzled bunch of growlers, Tony had 3 wins and the class on 27, which left Jim on top.

Scalee F1 were up next, Tony's pick which we ran on 9 volts, personally I prefer them on the full Monty, so they are more like real F1s, it doesn't make any difference to my final result which as ever is dire. Tony managed 3 wins but they were not enough to out smart Jim for a class win.

We sneaked in an extra class before the break, Dicky plumped for Austin Healey, despite a last place it was another big J win, Keith had a good round with 5 2nd places putting in a class 2nd with 22 points. So with 2 classes left it was a widely spaced Jim 101, then Tony and Chris with the rest of us all around 70.

Chris thought Pro Trucks would be good, they were, but not for him. This was by far my best round and in the last race a chance for my only win of the night. The race quickly came down to Jim and I alone in a bit of a tussle for the win, Jim was just a little in front but I quickly ascertained he was not just cruising and I was in with a chance of victory. I gradually reeled him in and came level - and came off still with a lap to go, ah well, another one given away. AND I gifted Jim the only 30 of the night, my 22 was a commanding runner up with everyone else in the teens.

Jim had the last pick, these were DTMs, it goes without saying of the SCX variety, but what can be said was "Jim had a rubbish round" with 2 last places, most wins going to Keith and Chris.

So not a round win for Chris yet, but to be in with a chance against Jim and Tony has to be impressive form and I am sure that story has not ended yet. So with 2 rounds left Jim has things pretty well in hand, he has won every night. But runner up is very tight between Chris and Tony. With Wes missing rounds I would have to really mess up not to take the Clubmans - but messing up is a speciality of mine.

Bolwextric Racing results

[Wambulance]

With Tony flue bound and Ruben still away it was just 6 racers for round 7, Jim soon whipped us into shape and we opted to use the 4 middle lanes and focus on getting in as many classes as possible.

I started with the Scalee modern F1, still on 12v we had some good races. Good racing was to be the order of the night, true some races should have been put forward to the Guinness Book of Records for shortest race ever, but many went the full distance and with a lot of close racing about. Keith and Jim shared the honours for this first round.
Jim won his pick of NC1 Touring but I was a close second, my best round of the night and meant I was in 3rd spot after these two rounds. Wes set his form for most of the night by clocking the worst class score of just 5, never mind Wes it could have been worse - just!
Pajaro were Keith's choice and he shared a win with Chris.
We encouraged Dicky to go for 2cv, I think we wanted him to get the coveted "4 in class" award, he didn't. Keith won with 14, Dicky was last but his 6 was a score that could easily happen with this class.
Wes thought SCX Touring might save his skin, they netted him 11 points but that was not enough to save his bacon, Jim won while Keith's 8 whas by far his worst and got him a class last, it also meant at the break Jim had just overhauled Keith for the lead.
Chris went for Pro Trucks, these gave us some of the best racing of the night with the scores clustered between Keith on 13 and Wes on 7.
I got a second choice, as SCX 4x4 had been picked for another night Jim suggested I go for them. We managed to find/make 4 fairly even cars. More close racing ending with Jim on 12, 8 being the lowest.
Saxo didn't prove winning for Jim, Keith took the honours with 13 and it was again close with three others on 10.
Keith had the last pick, and he needed to pick well as he was just a point behind Jim and this was to be the final round. The race for last place was also close with Dicky just 4 behind Wes there was a shock last place in the offing. Keith went for more open wheel action with Indy Car, and jolly good they were to. Many races with a close four to the finish. But there was no upset, Jim's 15 was the best score of the night and Wes had his joint best of 11 to keep him out of Dicky's clutches.

So with a round to go, Jim cannot be beat but it is very close for runner up between Keith and Chris, Chris is to miss the final round but Keith will need to drop a score so it will be close. I was best Clubman on this night and means I will be Clubman Champ.

Final race is is on July 23rd, and with Chris away we might be struggling for numbers, so turn up if you can please.

Bolwextric Racing results.

[Wambulance]

We managed 7 racers for the final round, after a short wait while troops mustered we ran through the full 5 classes and finished well before 10pm.

Picks were: Police Golf (with full on Blues), Pajaro, Austin Healey, Ninco DTM and Ninco F1. Racing was hot with lots of out of slot action, I didn't start well so after the first class of many 1s' I decided to take it easy, tending to hang back for a couple of laps while I got the feel of each car and kept clear of early chang action, then just tried to pick off any stragglers I thought were catchable. This worked pretty well as well as I netted a few 5s' I also lucked into a win With Tony, Jim and Ruben well up to speed in reverse direction there was no way I was going to get a "good finish", all very boring but I nearly beat Keith which would have been a bit of a scalp.

The spreadsheet threw up a glitch in the total marks allocated, this was down to Tony adding up himself an error of 10 marks in the 4th class. Before you rise up with a chorus of "cheat" he had actually done himself out of the points, it made no difference to the final placings.


Results are on the web site along with the final corrected Championship outcome and the master spread sheet. The series was comprehensively won by Jim who scored the max poss., followed Tony then Chris just 2 points apart, a good result as they both missed 2 rounds. In the Clubmans I was 30 points clear from Dicky, with Wez 3rd (he missed 3 rounds). As this was my second Clubmans win in the Bolwextric Clubmans - I have been upgraded - which just shows what you can do with an ambulance!

The next Championship starts on August 6th, it will be called "2012 Autumn".

We are a bit short on numbers so if you know anyone else who would like to join us, get them to come along, remember they do not need their own cars so this is an ideal starters series.

[Wambulance]

We settle into the Autumn Champs with R2 (I missed doing a blog for R1, due to pressure of work! - well it sounds good).

Robin went for Ford Focus and they did him all right with an equal 3rd with me on 21. I started with two 5s' and this raised my hopes for the night as I had also done comparatively well against Chris in our warm ups. Four 6s' and 27 saw Jim in front with Chris snapping at his heels.

Jim picked Pajaro and for him it was service as usual with another quad 6 and a 29. This time Keith joined Chris for the "just a point behind" snapping. For me it was hopes dashed as two 1s' and a miserable 12 saw me crash out with the equal lowest class score of the night - huh!

I went for Scalex Indy, because I had a bit of luck with them on a recent Jim's night. Jim again won on 29, this time it was Tony following with and unimpressive 25. My 17 was only good enough to prop up the round equal with Robin.

At the break Jim was the only one with his head above the clouds, everyone else was in the gloom and I was crashed in the bog, Wez and Robin were nearby but I was in the deepest with 50. (Sorry about this cloudy stuff, I saw my brother in law do his birthday treat "glide" at Lasham at the weekend.)

Keith had been restoring some of the Go Karts and we managed a full set and we raced Go Karts for the first time in ages. They were a variable bunch but provided some excellent racing and a real spin of the dice. Jim finished off with a "rare 1" and this let Wez get an equal win with him both on 25. Tony did all the crashing with a tail end 16. Keith is going to try and get an even set of Karts together - that should be fun.

With a round to go Mr M was off into the distance, while I was last just a point behind Robin - huh! Chris played the Pro Truck card trick, I have done OK with these and thought perhaps I could stave off my first "last" for a long time. Jim got into the thirties for the first time, but all of a sudden Tony was HOT and just pipped that with a 32. Back in the bog it was another "HUH" for me as I equalled my previous evenings record low of 12.

At the end of a great evenings racing it was U NO WHO up top on 141, Chris had just kept in front of Tony on 114. Wez took Clubmans (he is the only one at the moment). And guess who came last - double huh!

Bolwextric Racing results

[Wambulance]

Round 3 and with several regulars away it was a surprise to to use all lanes, this was because of two new racers in the form of Bill and Dan. I think Bill races at Milland and Dan runs a rig on the Radio Control Track. A BIG WELCOME to them both.

Jim started us off with Healeys, and the curse was upon him, his 24 included the first of his two 1s' of the evening. But it was smiles from Wez and a very surprised me, both on 27 joint winners and this was a start of an evening of tussling between us.

Bill went for SCX Touring, this motley bunch is made up of 4 Orange Focuses and a couple of wild cards (BMW & Volvo?). One interesting thing about these newish Orange Focuses is when we go to use them one always has a front tyre missing - WHY? Bill's pick got him a class of 15 and Dan got a 5 and totalled 14, good steady work from these rookies. Up front is was business as usual as three wins and 31 for the class got Jim up to speed with Keith on 27.

Dan went for Pro Truck, I guess they must be the nearest to the Buggies and Truggies we get to. Now it was Keith with three wins and 30 to win the class.

At the break it was nothing between Jim and Keith on 80 apiece, Wez was just 5 behind them but sadly 5 above me, damn it!

I have done OK with Indy in the past so that was my choice for the 4th class, a just about OK choice and I did pull a measly 1 back on Wez. Jim had his other 1 and Keith took the class with 31. Dan got two 5s' and beat both Bill and Dicky it was a case of steady rather than speed.

Dicky thought Karts would be a good way to end the night. They were, Keith has been working on getting an even set of these slow but entertaining rigs and hasn't got far to go. Keith has removed ballast from those that had it, this make them spin out in a realistic manner, Keith thinks perhaps they all should carry weight to be easier to drive, personally I think different/tricky is good for us but maybe not for parties. Jim just took the class on 31 but Keith was only 2 behind. Wez started the class with a win and I got two last places so I was surprised to finish this class only a point behind him.

A most enjoyable evening with some good racing mainly down to the low incidence of changs, and those were mainly dealt by Dicky. Keith managed to steal the night from Jim 140 to 137, Wez pipped me for third 119 to 114. Then it was Dicky in no mans land. Bill faded in the later rounds with a rash of 1s' so Dan was best of the newbies with 74 - a decent score for a beginner. Nearly half way in this Championship and Jim is edging a slender lead on Keith. In the Clubmans Wez is clear in front but now has some competition, that may prove interesting later.

R4 is on Sept 17th when we will be running in REVERSE direction, this can often prove a fertile ground for beginners, so an upset perhaps? + The thing is: if all regulars and newbies turn up we will have a pretty full evening - bring it on!

Bolwextric Racing scores so far.

[Wambulance]

Round 4 saw us indulging in some reverse direction racing, this was a baptism of fire for two new racers to the club, father and son Terry and Greg. They had some arrive and drive experience and did well with the challenge of racing the "wrong way" for the first time. Welcome Guys.

So with 9 racers we started with Chris's pick of Escorts. After some close racing these ended with Tony on 27, Jim 26, Chris and Dicky 25, Keith 24 ....

Tony went for Skylines, his 25 was well beaten by Chris's 33 and Jim's winning 34. Wez had his worst round with 15. I usually do well with Skylines but blotted my copy book when I charged in to the first corner in my 2nd race and went off taking Dicky with me, this was the chang of the night as he was 3 lanes away, what goes around comes back around eh Dicky !

Terry was helped to choose Cobras, which Jim won from Chris. Keith had a dire round with a mere 11, while new boy Greg notched up an impressive 20 in this class.

At the break Jim was in charge with 92, only Chris was close 4 behind.

Keith thought that Pro Trucks would change his luck - they didn't. Jim was a clear winner from Chris. I had my best round with 25 getting me 3rd spot.

We all groaned as Dicky went for 2CVs', these have a terrible reputation as being real bleeders to keep on the track, but thay have been worked on and didn't seem so bad. Chris really mastered them with some good racing against Tony and just took the class with 29. Jim had a poor class by his standards with a low 22.

But Jim still took the evening in a commanding style on 152, Mr reverse direction Chris was Jim's only close competition ending with 144. Some of the chat during the break was about my potential trip to the Silverstone F1 next year. Jim recommended the Spa round in Belgium would be a better bet, cheaper, good dramatic racing and scenery, and also not far to drive. Silverstone did not come out of the conversation well, a general impression of limited racing for a lot of money and facilities struggling to cope. You will be able to see more about this in this thread where I will let you know what we decide.

The spreadsheet flagged an error with the totals, that's why Jim ended up even more in front than was first thought as he had been totalled 2 points short in the Pro Trucks.

Bolwextric Racing results are here, and then next meeting in this series is on 1st of October when the direction will be back to normal.

[Wambulance]

This is the right place for this - I think!

We had 8 racers for Round 5 which was a normal direction event.

Tony picked Puntos', it wasn't too much of a curse and his 28 got him 2nd in class just 2 behind Jim. It was a very even scoring class with Chris getting a sore score of 18 which he managed without a single 1.

Austin Healey was Greg's pick and they served him well, some sensible driving got him a 5 and 18 all told, beating both Ruben and myself. Jim was in a class of his own with 34, just missing out on a full house in his last race. Keith was on 24 but everyone else clustered below 20.

I went for Pajaro as I had been practising with them, I wasn't doing too well so I needed all the help I could get. I managed a couple of 5s' but also a dreaded 1, it only added up to 19. Mind you that was easily enough to stuff Tony whose three 1s' lead him towards an "only" 16 total. Jim "only" scored 27 but that was enough to take the class - a very close class of good racing with a spread of only 11 points first to last. Newbie Greg had a brilliant round, 22 got him 4th in class - well done!

At the break Jim was in clear air, Keith lead the rabble a long way behind.

Dicky went for Ninco Porsche GT, but they let him down badly, up top Jim and Tony shared 29 points each.

In the final round Jim went for a cobble of SCX Tourings', he could win the night easily by now. The line up included 3 each of Accords and BMWs. One of the BMeems was quick along with 2 of the Hondas. Despite a Honda win I also collected a couple of 1's so not a good round for me. Chris was happy to see the line up and his 25 got him runner up behind Tony on 29. Keith had a grotty round with only 14 - ugh.

So at the end it was Sir Moys collecting the gold, so no change there, Tony was runner up a long way behind. The last round really put a spin on 3rd spot which went to Chris - just! Wez was away so Clubman cheers went to Dicky with Greg runner up.

Another night of close racing, not that I was involved with much of that. I was drawn next to Dicky and spent much of my night trying to sneak safely by him, but in the end he changed me one too many times and so towards the end of the night I was forced to give the cub a "clip round the ear" by changing him several times. Of course I should not treat the lad thus, but I did get a few cheers

Bolwextric Racing results

Next round on the 15th which will be a reversio.