Phew! Well the 2011 D3 World Championship (and Kent) is over for another month, and what an event! I believe all present substantially improved their World ratings, and once again (brief trumpet fanfare from the Band of the Queen's Own Slot Racing Hussars) an ALL BRITISH Final.
As a trial run for next year's Olympics, Boris Johnson and Seb Coe will be delighted that the infrastructure of North Finchley stood up well to the influx of visitors, and police presence was absolutely minimal for once. No trouble at all was reported, despite an extended hold-up during the heats while facilities for filming were discussed. Some of the participants, keyed up after several minutes of intense training over the past year, began to feel the tension building inside the Finchley Slotdrome as the start was frustratingly delayed by the media. The film crews were eventually guided out in good order, and some of the leading competitors issued official apologies for the interruptions brought about by their increasing celebrity status. It's something we at North London will just have to learn to deal with over the coming months.
In the racing, untrammelled (and unslotted) ACTION was the order of the day, with some spectacular car-on-car violence, due no doubt to the unprecedented excitement over this World event. Two similar cars both painted eye-scarring luminous yellow, were repeatedly mistaken for each other as the drivers happily piled each other's racers into the walls while wondering why their own was being so unresponsive to the controller. Racing eventually settled down to a high speed rhythm to which your correspondent is totally unable to settle, and was put out of the heady heights of the 'C' final, either by a sudden loss of brakes on his throttle, or just a sudden loss of bottle. Fortunately it meant he was able to pack away his slot box in good time to secure the best table at the Crown and Pinion before the departing crowds made service at the bar impossible. This is certainly something that Boris and Seb need to deal with for 2012.
As it turned out, it was an All North London final, while the hairy-knuckled interlopers from the rest of the world were crushed out of existence one by one, and their crumpled and vanquished bodies turfed out into the night. Do come again guys. Secchi, Kempson and Musto claimed the top three steps of the podium, and their choice from Boris Johnson's official Olympic Escort Agency for the night (thanks Boris!- like your style!)
Surprises in the new World Rankings with Allan 'Chopper' Feldman in at no.12 with 0 points, Lord Velcro up to no.11 with 1 1/2 pints, other placings to be confirmed.
As a trial run for next year's Olympics, Boris Johnson and Seb Coe will be delighted that the infrastructure of North Finchley stood up well to the influx of visitors, and police presence was absolutely minimal for once. No trouble at all was reported, despite an extended hold-up during the heats while facilities for filming were discussed. Some of the participants, keyed up after several minutes of intense training over the past year, began to feel the tension building inside the Finchley Slotdrome as the start was frustratingly delayed by the media. The film crews were eventually guided out in good order, and some of the leading competitors issued official apologies for the interruptions brought about by their increasing celebrity status. It's something we at North London will just have to learn to deal with over the coming months.
In the racing, untrammelled (and unslotted) ACTION was the order of the day, with some spectacular car-on-car violence, due no doubt to the unprecedented excitement over this World event. Two similar cars both painted eye-scarring luminous yellow, were repeatedly mistaken for each other as the drivers happily piled each other's racers into the walls while wondering why their own was being so unresponsive to the controller. Racing eventually settled down to a high speed rhythm to which your correspondent is totally unable to settle, and was put out of the heady heights of the 'C' final, either by a sudden loss of brakes on his throttle, or just a sudden loss of bottle. Fortunately it meant he was able to pack away his slot box in good time to secure the best table at the Crown and Pinion before the departing crowds made service at the bar impossible. This is certainly something that Boris and Seb need to deal with for 2012.
As it turned out, it was an All North London final, while the hairy-knuckled interlopers from the rest of the world were crushed out of existence one by one, and their crumpled and vanquished bodies turfed out into the night. Do come again guys. Secchi, Kempson and Musto claimed the top three steps of the podium, and their choice from Boris Johnson's official Olympic Escort Agency for the night (thanks Boris!- like your style!)
Surprises in the new World Rankings with Allan 'Chopper' Feldman in at no.12 with 0 points, Lord Velcro up to no.11 with 1 1/2 pints, other placings to be confirmed.
