Scalex BTCC Race Series 2019

Pleased to announce there will be a new CUP up for grabs starting with the BTCC Series

Independents Cup will be open to all members that haven't won a series before (since the introduction of the AGM trophy, so excludes Andy, Chris, Alan).

Going forward each Season the INDY CUP will be awarded against the most appropriate of the four series.

Be excellent to one another.

Round 1

Heat 1 First to crash in this much anticipated new series was Chris...at the very first corner. Andy led and pulled away from Gordon for 6 laps then went off. Gordon took over up front with Andy and Chris gradually making up ground. On lap 18 Gordon had an off and unfortunately lost a whole lap in the process. Andy then led with Chris now in 2nd and Gordon close behind in 3rd. Andy made sure of the win though.

Heat 2 Les showed his pace quite obviously by winning by an enormous 6 laps ahead of Alastair.

Heat 3 Les and Chris tore round at a fantastic pace side by side for 20 laps until a small off from Chris sealed the result. Les cruised to the finish after that.

Heat 4 Andy led all the way to win. The interest was behind as Benjamin reeled off excellent laps to be 2nd just a few laps behind.

Heat 5 Chris took the lead early on but Gordon got on the pace and closed the gap. The two were very close until lap 17 when Gordon had another time consuming off. He rejoined a lap down and matched Chris's pace to the end.

Heat 6 Les was quickest away but Andy was on his tail and matching him. Mistakes on Lap 7 and 8 done for Andy though. Les went on mistake free to win and set FL of the night 6.652 in the process.

Heat 7 Les again led all the way. Chris was off the pace and finished a lap behind in 2nd.

Heat 8 Andy led early on but a couple of mistakes let Gordon through. Gordon then drove perfectly all the way to win 2 laps ahead of Andy.

Comprehensive kudos to Les then with a maximum score in the heats translating to 1st place for the Round. The rest of the drivers have much to think about but mainly they should be delighted that the cars looked superb and got round the track with only a little fettling required.

BTCC rd1 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Rd 2

Heat 1 Les took the lead from the start and had a 0.5s lead after 2 laps. Chris was matching his pace till halfway but went off. Les continued at unabated pace to win by a lap.

Heat 2 Andy led Gordon early on and so it continued with mistakes from the latter widening the gap to the end.

Heat 3 Alastair led away from the start but early offs put Andy2 in the lead. Alastair gave chase and got back ahead for good with just 4 laps to go when Andy2 spun out.

Heat 4 Les made the best start with Chris just behind. Andy had the best pace though and soon passed Chris and then Les by halfway. Chris took 2nd when Les went off. Thereafter Andy gradually pulled away to win. Les set the fastest lap of the series so far with 6.617s on lap 15.

Heat 5 Alastair was untroubled and won by 4 laps. Benjamin was in a fine 2nd until an off on the penultimate lap let Andy2 through to be runner-up. Trai had a rotten time with his car grounding on the rails.

Heat 6 Andy led away at the start but went off putting Chris in the lead. Chris kept in that position to the end while Andy finished 2 laps down but set a new fastest lap of the series of 6.612s on lap 17.

Heat 7 Trai took the lead from the start and was quickly pulling away from the rest until he went off on lap 5. Gordon then led with Les half a lap down. Les was faster but made mistakes. Gordon went off on lap 21 allowing Les to close right up and move ahead. Meanwhile Trai had been driving very well and was only a few seconds behind. Gordon was right with Les over the final few laps but went off on the last tour. Trai finished just behind in 3rd.

Heat 8 Chris led from the start and won by 3 laps. Andy2 finished clear in 2nd. Gordon2 took 3rd when the pinion shredded on Benjamin's car.

Heat 9 Les took the lead from the start with Andy in 2nd. Les pulled away with Andy having a few mistakes. Evan finished 3rd just 0.7s ahead of Trai.

Heat 10 Gordon took the lead and built a gap to the rest. Benjamin was 2nd and going very well until a couple of mistakes just after halfway let Alastair through. Gordon won by 2 laps ahead of Alastair with Benjamin just a further 0.3s behind in 3rd.

With 3 wins and a 3rd Les just takes the Round with Andy and Chris tied for 2nd. Andy gets the bonus point for fastest lap.

BTCC rd2 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Round 3

Heat 1 Series leader Les showed no signs of letting up his relentless domination by leading from the start and completing the race without incident. Gordon was 2 laps down in second place. Benjamin was a futher 3 laps behind in 3rd with Trai another 4 laps back.

Heat 2 Looked like being a great battle as the first 3 cars crossed the line after one lap side by side by side. Alastair soon went off though and then gave up altogether. Chris and Andy continued to exchange door handles till lap 8 when Andy went off. Chris kept the pace up all the way to the finish to win. Evan was 3rd.

Heat 3 Les clearly led at the end of the first lap with Alastair and Chris side by side again. Alastair went off on lap 3 and promptly gave up again. Shockingly Les went off on lap 5. Chris took the lead but Les had more pace and reeled him in within 10 laps. Les won again with Chris a few seconds back and Trai taking 3rd 5 laps down.

Heat 4 Andy and Benjamin and Gordon were level for 2 laps until a minor mistake form Benjamin put him 1 second behind. Andy and Gordon were very close till lap 8 when Gordon went off. Benjamin was then back in 2nd place but nearly a lap down. When Andy set the best lap of the series (6.538) whilst lapping Benjamin, the youngster bettered that with a 6.536! Andy went on to win and Benjamin finished on the same lap. Gordon was just behind in 3rd with Evan 2 laps down in 4th.

Heat 5 Les romped this heat winning by 5 clear laps and setting a new fastest lap of the series with 6.509. Alastair , Benjamin and Trai finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Heat 6 Chris led from the start and was handed a big lead when Andy went off twice in the first 5 laps. Andy was marginally quicker though and had made a dent in the lead until lap 17 when he went off again. Thereafter the places stayed the same with Chris winning by half a lap over Andy and Gordon one lap down taking 3rd. Evan was 4th.

Heat 7 Chris sped off and built up a good lead quickly. By Lap 21 he was a lap ahead and drove steadily to the finish. Evan came through for a good 2nd ahead of Alastair and Trai.

Heat 8 Les barely pulled away from Andy over the first 5 laps but then Andy had 2 bad laps putting Gordon up into 2nd. Andy had more pace though and by halfway through the race he had re-taken 2nd. Les went on to win again to give him a maximum score for the night. Andy was 2nd and Gordon 3rd. Benjamin was a distant 4th.

Les appears unstoppable at the moment with a clear car/driver performance advantage over everybody.

Benjamin had some fantastic pace with his repaired but noisy Passat and seems to be improving week on week.

BTCC rd3 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Round 4

Heat 1 Chris led the first lap but from then on Andy set the pace and won by over a lap. Gordon was a few laps down in 3rd with Andy2 4th.

Heat 2 Championship leader Les led all the way and won by some margin ahead of Alastair. Trai was 3rd ahead of Evan.

Heat 3 Chris again led the first lap with Andy behind and again Andy then went on to win by a lap. Evan was 3rd. Alastair gave up after 5 laps.

Heat 4 Les again led all the way with consummate ease. Gordon drove well but was still a lap down. Andy2 was 3rd with Trai 4th.

Heat 5 Andy jumped the start taking Andy2 and Evan with him. Chris started at the appropriate time and immediately inherited a 1 lap lead. Andy then set about trying to catch up. Such was Andy's pace that by lap 22 he had overtaken Chris. There were a few offs thereafter and a missed lap to confuse things. The race was declared a draw. Evan was 3rd with Andy2 4th.

Heat 6 Les yet again destroyed the field lapping nearly 1 second a lap faster than Gordon in 2nd. Trai was 3rd with Alastair 4th.

Heat 7 Chris led all the way for his first win of the night. Evan took 2nd ahead of Trai. Alastair also attended.

Heat 8 Finally there was a race for the lead. Les and Andy were side by side for most of the race. Unfortunately missed laps interfered and confused. Les won with Andy 2nd. Along the way there was a multi car pile up which resulted in Gordon's car breaking down. Andy2 went on to be 3rd.

Les is dominating the series but Andy is at least matching his pace.

BTCC rd4 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Round 5

Heat 1 Championship leader Les went ridiculously fast and won by 5 laps. Trai drove very well and held 2nd until a disastrous last lap which let Evan through. Alastair was 4th.

Heat 2 Andy led all the way and finished 2 laps clear. Evan was fast again and finished 2nd with Andy2 and Brian battling over 3rd.

Heat 3 Andy and Les were side by side for much of the race with the odd off being countered by the other. Andy was rapid though and Les made more mistakes so Andy won. Gordon was 2 laps down in 3rd with Trai a distant 4th.

Heat 4 Chris ran mistake free all the way to win by a couple of laps. Brian and Trai were going well but both had lengthy offs while Andy2 had handling issues. Brian took 2nd ahead of Andy2 and Trai.

Heat 5 Les led all the way with Gordon and Andy2 trading 2nd and 3rd places. Andy2 was quicker but more off prone. Gordon finished 2nd but only by a second after Andy2 put in a string of fast laps at the end. Alastair was 4th.

Heat 6 Chris led from the start as Les went off on lap 2. They were similar on pace but by half way Chris was nearly a lap up as Les had handling problems. It stayed thus till the finish. Evan was 3rd with Brian 4th.

Heat 7 Once in to the lead Andy was gone. He set 28 laps faster than Gordon in 2nd place. Brian was 3rd just ahead of Alastair but both 4 laps down.

Heat 8 Chris was first round at the end of lap 1 but Evan was just behind. It was close for 5 laps until Evan went off. Chris reeled off 25 more laps within 0.2s of each other to win. Evan just beat Gordon for 2nd who in turn only just beat Trai for 3rd.

Heat 9 Andy and Chris went off at a good pace until Andy went off on lap 6. Chris continued to put fast laps in but by lap 15 Andy had caught back up. The pair were side by side with Andy just edging away until lap 27 when he went off again. Chris then took it steady to the finish to win and win the Round.

Les's domination is finally halted but is it just an interruption? Andy and Les appear to have more raw pace than anybody else but Chris is maybe more consistent?

BTCC rd5 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC round 6

Heat 1 Chris led Les for 13 laps until the barrier in front of his rostrum point was destroyed by Alastair and sent across his lane. An unforced error due to this distraction let Les through. Chris lost nearly a lap. By the end of the race the gap was back down to just 2 seconds with Les still ahead. Andy2 was 3rd and Alastair 4th.

Heat 2 An exceptionally consistent drive from Evan seen him come through against the faster lapping opposition of Benjamin and Trai. Tetley was 4th.

Heat 3 Halfway through the race Chris had over a lap lead but two offs and a lack of pace thereafter let Evan get closer and closer. Chris finished a much relieved 1 second ahead. Andy2 and Trai were very close too with an off by Trai on the penultimate lap deciding it.

Heat 4 Les avoided the first lap carnage and went on to win by 3 laps. Alastair trudged his way to 2nd with Benjamin 3rd and Tetley 4th.

Heat 5 All four drivers were side by side for the opening 5 laps of this race. Evan was first to falter. Then Chris. Then after a further 8 laps Andy2 eventually let Les off the hook. At that point Andy2 rejoined with Chris alongside again. The two battled for 7 laps until Andy2 deslotted. Les won by a lap ahead of Chris. Andy2 was just behind with Evan 4th.

Heat 6 Benjamin was again on top form and dominated proceedings in this heat. Blistering pace and a comprehensive win. Alastair was 2 laps behind in 2nd ahead of Trai and Tetley.

Heat 7 Andy2 edged away from the start and put in a a long series of fast laps to win. Behind though there was nothing to chose between Evan and Benjamin. Evan made a mistake on the penultimate lap which allowed Benjamin to be alongside as the started the final circuit. 7 seconds later it was Benjamin who crossed the line ahead by 0.1s to take 2nd place ahead of Evan. Trai was 4th.

Heat 8 Les was going away and Chris had no answer. But he didnt need to as Les got held up for 2 seconds by a wayward Alastair on lap 4. Chris was ahead but inevitably Les went ahead and away until on lap 17 he got held up again...for 3 seconds. Again Chris went ahead. Les set about closing the gap with astonishing laps including a new Series record of 6.46s, and by the penultimate lap Chris was within reach...only for a further off to settle the race. Chris won with Les second. Alastair was 9 laps down in 3rd with Tetley 4th.

Les won the Round and thus increases his already huge lead in the Series. Chris was second but Benjamin strung together several super drives to be third.

BTCC rd6 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Round 7

Heat 1 A couple of mistakes early on from Les let Chris into the lead. Les set a new FL of the Series with 6.226s in his pursuit. A mistake on Lap 14 by Chris let Les go ahead. Les then pulled away gradually to the end. Such was the pace of the front two that Andy2 and Trai were over 5 laps behind.

Heat 2 Andy eased away from Gordon and the rest from the start to win. Evan was a few laps down in 3rd having problems with his car. Alastair gave up almost before he started.

Heat 3 Evan led the first 4 laps but then made a mistake and so did Chris. Andy then took the lead and kept away till the end to win by a few seconds ahead of Chris. Evan was a lap down in 3rd with Trai several laps down.

Heat 4 Les was again in top form and led all the way to win. Chris only just stayed on the same lap. Andy2 was 5 laps down but several laps ahead of Trai.

Heat 5 Chris led early on but Trai was very close behind. These two were just seconds apart for the majority of the race but it was Evan who was fastest and, after losing ground early he on, unlapped himself and got back up to second as Trai faltered. Andy2 was 4th.

Heat 6 Les and Andy set a blistering pace from the start and were side by side until a mistake by Andy and lap 9. From then on it was Les all the way. Andy kept close and was very fast but couldn't challenge. Gordon was 3rd and Alastair again gave up.

Heat 7 Andy, Evan and Chris were away quickly but mistakes by the latter two let Andy go clear. A mistake by Andy on lap 24 let Chris back through to the lead. Andy tried to close but made another mistake. Chris won ahead of Andy with Evan coming through in the last few laps to get 3rd ahead of Gordon.

Heat 8 Les strolled to another win. Andy2 had a good race to take 2nd clearly ahead of Alastair and Trai.

Les continues to have an edge over his closest opposition.

BTCC rd7 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

BTCC Round 8

Heat 1 Series leader Les disappeared up the road as expected and won by 4 laps. Benjamin was easily best of the rest with a fine 2nd place clearly ahead of Brian and Fraser.

Heat 2 Chris led with Trai right behind, beside and ahead for 3 laps. Trai went off on lap 4. Chris went off on lap 6. Gordon then led for many laps but went off on lap 18 putting Evan in the lead. A few mistakes lats in the race let Chris through to lead again and hold on to the finish. Trai was 3rd with Gordon 4th.

Heat 3 Andy led early on and all the way to the finish despite a number of offs and incidents. Benjamin came through again for another excellent 2nd place. Alastair was 3rd with Fraser 4th.

Heat 4 Les scorched through the laps without error to win by 2 laps. Gordon done the same consistent job but was just a touch slower to finish 2nd. Trai was 3rd with Brian 4th.

Heat 5 Chris and Evan were side by side for 6 laps until Chris went off. From then on Evan was superb and dominated the heat. Chris was 2nd 1 lap down. Fraser was 3rd with Alastair choosing to lean against the pit wall instead of race.

Heat 6 Andy led from the start but not without being pressed all the way by Gordon. Brian was 3rd with Benjamin having difficulties in 4th.

Heat 7 Les is always full on with these cars and this was no exception setting the fastest lap of the series of 6.427s on the Blue lane. He won by 3 laps ahead of Evan. Trai was several laps further back in 3rd with Alastair setting new records for excuse making.

Heat 8 Andy led away and was pulling clear from Chris but went off on lap 6. Andy pursued and set a new Green lane lap record of 6.445s as was closing but went off again on lap 19. Chris kept on track whilst Andy had a number of mishaps. Brain was 3rd with Fraser 4th.

heat 9 Les again dominated and won. Gordon and Evan battled hard all the way but it was Evan who took 2nd with Gordon 3rd. Benjamin was 4th.

Heat 10 Andy and Chris were fast and clean and side by side until lap 11 when Chris went off. Andy done enough from then on to keep a closing Chris behind. Trai was 3rd. Alastair...

So finally, after many many years of slot car racing at Dundee Slot Car Club, Les has won a Series. With two rounds to go he cannot be beaten. Utterly bewildering pace and consistency throughout the Series make him a worthy winner.

The fight for second place is well and truly on but prodigious pace from Evan and Gordon and Andy2 will make sure that it isn't just each other that Andy and Chris have to worry about.

BTCC rd8 by Chris Russell P.o.D., on Flickr

Amazing work Les well deserved & overdue you've been a force in this series.

I dislike my MG & All those VW things

Looks to be a great race series What cars did well on the track?

Our club is running The same series in 2020 with similar rules to yourselves except ours will be magless and digital. We are all looking forward to it!

Thanks Andy

Mike