Our first WHO/digital Wednesday after the Coronavirus break saw twenty-four people
take to the grid for a Nascar club car team race and a Pioneer Legends pairs race.
The results, RCS64 stats and some pictures are on the right, plus there’s a video
over on YouTube. Championship tables are on the 2020-22 season page.
Race Report
After a long 25 months, Scalextric digital racing returned to the Barn for an evening
of old and new. Our Nascar team race goes right back to the very beginning of WHO/digital
in 2014, whereas the Pioneer Legends was a brand new class for 2022 and featured
a tweaked pairs format.
WHO/digital first-timers Isaac and Kevin graduated through Mike D’s Digital Driving
School and a few others took the opportunity for a refresher session. Twenty-four
people were divided into six teams of four to start the Nascar race at 7pm – Jeremy
walking through the door just in time to join teammates Keith, Dean and captain Ryan.
As usual, all the teams were led by a junior (or recently ex-junior) racer, including
a baptism of fire for Isaac!
Nascar Team Race
The Nascar race is split into three 20-minute stages, with each team running three
of the six matching Scalextric Ford Taurus club cars. From the start, three teams
showed plenty of excellent form – those were the quartets led by Ryan, Oliver and
Isaac. Getting back into the swing of pit stops was a struggle for everyone – but
some more than others. For this stage, only the fuel simulation was used, making
things a little easier. At the end of 20 minutes, Ryan’s team were ahead on 85 laps,
followed by Oliver, Jean, Duncan and Kevin on 83 and Isaac, Alex, Peter and Terry
on 80. Jerome and Daniel’s teams were level on 76 – and Harry’s team of Mike D, Simon
and Matthew were back on 65 laps after a tricky return to the Barn.
At the end of the stage, cars are swapped – first with sixth, second with fifth and
third with fourth. In theory, that evens out any car issues. Although inheriting
the last placed car from stage 1, Ryan, Dean, Keith and Jeremy continued their great
form and won stage 2 by a lap. We now had both fuel and tyres to sort out at each
pit stop, so the lap scores did fall a little – the winners hitting 81, with Oliver’s
team and a resurgent Harry & Co level on 80 laps. Jerome, Andy, Ash and Alan came
in fourth (again) with 77, Isaac’s team with 76 and Daniel, Oli, Ed and Mike McCann
completed 73 laps. That left the top two – Ryan and Oliver’s teams – separated by
just three laps going into the final 20-minute stage…
With those two focusing on each other, Jerome’s team leapt into the lead. They went
all-out for the stage win and successfully put in a big 84-lap score, the second
best of the night. Behind, Ryan’s team seemed to have Oliver, Jean, Duncan and Kevin
covered. That was until an innocuous off in the final five minutes dislodged the
guide on their white UPS Taurus… and it didn’t go back in easily. Oliver’s team got
ahead in the stage, but still had a three lap deficit to overcome to win the race.
Mike has been busy over the past couple of years preparing three sets of matched
club cars – and that’s partly for this eventuality. When the UPS car required more
than routine repair, the marshals called for the substitute white Taurus. It probably
went a bit quicker than the original too – and not only did they defend the 3-lap
cushion, Ryan & Co managed to pull level on laps and finish just ahead of Oliver’s
blue car by the end of the race. That was a nervous end to a great race for Ryan,
Dean, Keith and Jeremy – and there were big smiles behind those masks on the podium.
Oliver’s team were second, mulling over what could have been… Jerome, Andy, Ash and
Alan had leapfrogged up to third with that big final stage win.
Fourth were Isaac, Alex, Pete and Terry – a great performance and very nearly a podium
finish. Harry, Mike D, Simon and Matthew had given themselves a mountain to climb
after that first stage, but they managed a third and a fourth to end the race edging
ahead of Daniel, Oli, Ed and Mike by one lap! An excellent start 2022 – although
the points will be added to the three Nascar races carried over from 2020 to give
us a seven-event 2020-2 Nascar team race championship.
In a pause between the races, we presented the only 2020 WHO/digital trophies to
Oliver and Ryan, who won the Trans-Am championship. Trans-Am is now part of the new
Muscle Car Mondiale class and will run at our Digital Saturdays. Our new Wednesday
evening class is Pioneer Legends…
Pioneer Legends Pairs Race
Everyone was pretty excited by these new cars. There were a couple of assembled and
decorated kits, but most were ‘paint defect’ bargains from Inaslots. No-one was expecting
these short-wheelbase cars to be pristine by the end of the night! Eleven cars turned
up, although Oliver and Ryan’s was running backwards – and no-one had a soldering
iron at the Barn to swap the wires on the motor. Thankfully, Terry loaned the brothers
a spare car. Of those ten cars, seven failed scrutineering – too wide at the back
or too light on the scales. With the promise of sorting it out before next time,
the offending pairs were given a one-lap penalty in the heats… which wouldn’t matter
too much as there’s now a step-up from the semi-final to the feature race.
Five cars ran in each of the two five-minute qualifying heats, with a driver change
(in the pits, of course) at half way. Simon and Duncan’s #25 Festive Chevy didn’t
get off the line – another retirement… and we were now down to nine cars. The remaining
cars – and their drivers – put on quite a show! Alex and Ed landed their #30 Ford
Coupe top of the qualifying times – despite a one-lap penalty. Second – also with
a penalty – was Jean and Oli’s yellow #52 Ford. To round out the top three – and
the automatic qualifiers for the feature race – were Jerome and Pete with their re-numbered
Gulf Chevy Sedan.
The other six fought out a close and – at times – crazy five minutes in the semi-final.
It is brilliant to see these short, stubby cars running nose to tail, deftly overtaking
and tank-slapping down the straight. There was plenty of all that in the semi. A
false start – and subsequent stop-go – for Terry and Keith’s #44 Ford put them on
the back foot, as did a power issue for Daniel and Mike’s #69 Gulf Chevy. Ahead,
four cars fought hard for the three step-up places. Ryan and Oliver were really going
for it with Terry’s ‘Gold Chromie’ Ford Coupe, but they couldn’t quite keep up with
the trio in front. Those three pairs weren’t to know and a splendid battle ended
with Dean and Matthew’s #44 Ford taking first, followed by Andy and Ash – and then
Mike and Jeremy.
The length of the feature race was extended to eight minutes – making it a three
or four stop race, unless you really drove conservatively… which is missing the point
of these cars! Despite missing out on the extra practice of the semi, it was the
top two qualifiers who led early on – although Ash took the lead with some clean
driving and slicker pit stops. Handing over the #55 Perrier Dodge Coupe to Andy at
half-distance, it looked a straight battle with Alex and Ed’s Ford. It all came down
to pit strategy – the Ford tumbling down the standings after a fourth stop. That
left the Dodge a lap up – although a miscommunication raised heart rates significantly…
It seemed Mike’s red #2 Chevy was closing fast – and he passed on the last lap when
Andy was caught in a three-car pile-up… but it turned out he had only un-lapped himself.
The top three – Andy & Ash, Mike & Jeremy and Jean & Oli – all finished on the same
lap, with Jerome and Pete a lap behind. That late pit stop drama dropped Alex and
Ed to fifth, with Dean and Matthew just behind them. It was a great debut for these
super little cars – although drivers will need to go away to tweak rear width, weight
and tidy up their braids… we had two big shorts that interrupted practice and the
second qualifying heat, but it was worth it. And that didn’t stop us finishing on
time.
Congratulations to our winners and a big thank you to everyone who came along and
took part. That includes Deborah, who decided to chill out and help with the marshalling,
rather than race this time. Special thanks goes to the superbly-efficient set-up,
race control and tear-down crews who helped make the evening run very smoothly indeed
– not many signs of rustiness after two year away. We’re back for more Nascar and
Legends racing next month.
- Andy P
