2WD Photos

4WD Photos

Saturday 23rd August 2008 - 2WD
The final round of the 2008 BRCA 1/10th off-road National championship fell to the Stotfold club as it had in 2007. The 2WD title was already done and dusted by the previous round at Southport, Ellis Stafford taking the win with his Nosram powered XFactory X6 - so it was to be a fight for the runner up spot.

The day started off with some welcome sun after a week of poor weather leading up to the meeting. The track is 100% astro but features some newer astro at the back since last years event.

Dan Greenwood from the XFactory team was sporting the new Azarashi shell for the X6, which really updates the look of the car. Dan couldn't remember the name of the Azarashi shell but eventually produced the name "Vykal" - look out for it. Dan is a general all-round super hero and everyone at oOple thinks he's ace! We also LOVE Azarashi.

After round one of qualifying, Chris Doughty told Dan Greenwood that the new Azarashi shell for the X6 made his car look "the coolest car in that heat" - FACT

Neil Cragg was quickest in round one of qualifying with 12 laps in 305.22 seconds - Ellis Stafford was right behind on 305.64 with local hero John Spencer putting in a heroic run to take third in round on 307.02.

Neil Cragg again took the win in round two, getting onto 13 lap pace at the start but making a mistake and having to settle for a fast 12 lapper on 12/301.14 - Darren Bloomfield came in second on 302.10 and Ellis Stafford third in round on 303.94.

Stu Evans lends some advice to Mike Bradbury

Stu is a well respected racer - sort of.

We got some of the new O'Donnell 'Speed Wash' - it's the quick and easy car cleaner, apparently. The colour doesn't quite come out on the photo - this is a vivid wild pink colour, but how does it work?

The Speed Wash is designed to..... Speed up the washing of R/C vehicles, especially those bad-boy 8th scale things. The bio degradeable juice within is safe for the environment too.
The label says to avoid prolonged exposure to polycarbonate bodies - this sounded a little worrying but we tried it on a test piece and nothing happened whatsoever, no explosion, no cracking, no cloudyness - don't soak it for a month tho.

Moody was moody after we snook the Speed Wash onto his beer collection - took him 20 minutes to realise - poor fool thought he had one big bright BEER.

Vicky compares the colour to her hair - MATCH!

The Speed Wash comes with a lockable spray nozzle

The large 946ml (32 fl oz) bottle is too large to make it thru Chris Longs belt - lucky for us.

Stu Evans wanted to see if the ODonnell 'Speed Wash' would clean up a pringle - it did, but the taste was VERY BAD
Please note - this is possibly dangerous and this was a stunt performed for the Camera - Stu didn't really eat the cleaned pringle but a different normal one.
We'll have a slightly more sensible 'review' of the O'Donnell Speed Wash at a later date - for no other reason than we like the colour.

Trish Neal, the genius engineer from TrishBits(.com) was showing us his new creation - the unnamed car we'll call the Trish-4 is based on the Hot Bodies D4, but with the weight moved around a lot. The car has a custom made alloy tub chassis. This chassis is made from angled flat plate but Trish plans to machine a chassis from billet alloy for added strength.

The cell layout is 4+2 and has room to shift cells fore & aft for balance. The motor is shifted forward and now uses a custom made super short CVD to the front gearbox. Trishbits also made several other custom parts for the car, including the alloy shock spacers and battery thumb screws.

Alloy chassis is a looker - next revision will be milled from solid alloy billet.

Trish used a short KO low profile servo in the car - this is the same servo used by Lee Martin to win the 2007 championship.

Interview with newly crowned 2WD National Champion, Ellis 'Big E' Stafford.

Vicky poses with Ellis and his lil lad Logan

Congratulations on your 2wd national championship win, how does it feel to be racing at the last national championship event knowing that you have already won the series?
It's weird, I still want to go well but then I don't really give a damn.

How come you were using a yellow wing at Southport?
Unlike people thought that it was for the shade on the Southport track, it was because I knew after the second leg that  I had already won. I had been watching Tour De France that week so it was a bit like my yellow jacket.

How much do you get paid for each national win?
I can't tell you that. I get a 'well done'.
Dan Greenwood added 'Not as much as some people have heard.'

Do you have any other hobbies?
No, I don't have any time. I like motorsport, such as bikes, and go to watch that when I do have the time.

Has your son Logan started racing yet? Do you aspire for him to race as well as you do?
No, haha, he has an R/C from Toystory that he plays with.  I don't aspire to it, if he wants to then I guess he can.

What do you think makes a good driver – nature or nurture?
Nature; there are a few drivers who get it through hard work, but I would have said that most of the top drivers are naturally faster.

What future plans do you have for your racing career, what's the next step?
I don't know, just to keep racing. As long as I can feel that I am quick and still competitive, I'll keep racing. I never thought when I was 20 that I'd still be racing when I was 34.

You have signed up with X-Factory for another season, what are the big plans for X-Factory over the coming year?
We have a truck coming out which will be good for racers in America. There are going to be a few refinements coming out, and then maybe eventually a new car.

Ellis and his support team

What has been the most exciting race or event that you have ever competed in?
I liked it in 1995 when I went to Florida to do the winter nationals, I was like an unknown out there and I finished 2nd, that was good, especially when Brian Kinwald let me go in the third leg, when he knew he couldn't win any more.

After a competitive day at the track, how do you like to unwind and relax?
Get back to the hotel, have a shower, then go out for a meal. I like curry or Chinese the most (sausage and mash flavour).

Which winter events do you plan to attend this year?
I'll probably do the Stotfold and Eden Park winter series, and then I might do a couple of the Worksop series, after I have taken a month off following this meeting.

Did you take the flag?
No! (laughs). And I don't know who did.

What is your favourite beer?
I like a Boddingtons, but if I am having a curry then it has to be a Cobra. At home I'm a Stella man.

Do you have any further comments to add to this interview?
Thanks to Chaz (beacuase he's ace). Bring on next year!.
Thanks also of course to my kids for the car set up advice, and Jo for looking after the kids when they are here.

THANKS Ellis - well done on your win here and overall in the championship!

Kevin Lee was the first one to get 13 laps, with 13 in 322.37 in round four, but Ellis Stafford wasn't to be out done, and went out in the last heat of qualifying to put down and even faster time of 13 laps in 321.54!

With his two round wins, Neil Cragg took pole for the 2WD event, the rest of the A final looked like this:

A FINAL LEG ONE
Neil Cragg led them around the first lap - Kevin Lee from fourth on the grid got into second place and looked good. Coming around the start of lap two and Kev got a nudge from Bloomfield coming ovet the corner double at the top left of the track - causing utter chaos as several other drivers joined in the pile up. Neil Cragg extended his lead in the chaos as Bloomfield came out into second place.

Coming around to start lap 4 Cragg made a mistake over the series of jumps after the wall ride - allowing Bloomfield past followed by Lee Martin just squeezing past Cragg at the start of the straight as Cragg got back on his way. Lee Martin slowly closed in on Bloomfield over the next few laps as Cragg fell back a little. Kevin Lee was pushing up the field and took advantage of a roll by Cragg to take up the number 3 spot - putting in the fastest lap of the race to close in on the two leaders as Cragg made more errors to drop back even further.

Bloomfield lead with Lee Martin closing quickly

Cragg rolled allowing Kev Lee to come through for third	which ones carl?

Neil didn't have a great run in leg one	Lee chased Bloomers to the end

Kev Lee and Lee Martin traded places a couple of times as Bloomfield extended his lead out front, eventually taking the win, Lee Martin second and Kev Lee third.

Interview with Simon Bettens & Wouter Wynen from Belgium

For the first time that I can remember, we had some guests from Belgium over to race at the last round of the National series. Simon Bettens and Wouter Wynen came over with Simons dad (who distributes Red Bull - awesome) and managed to squeeze an entry for both classes. First up, we got an interview with the guys:

Vicky interviews Wouter (left) and Simon (right)

Welcome to the UK, Did you have a nice journey here?
Yes, the traffic jam was in Belgium. We came over on the ferry from Calais to Dover. The train was much more expensive. It's only 2.5 hours from Calais back to home.

How long have you been in the UK – are you here for a holiday or  just for this weekend?
Just this weekend, we arrived Friday and go home on Sunday evening.

Belgium is famous for nice chocolate, Stu has kindly provided some fine quality English chocolate biscuits, what are your first thoughts of these -  are they as nice as Belgian Chocolates?
It's like a fake Twix or something. The caramel covers the bad taste of the chocolate. When you are hungry though you'll eat anything.

How does the track here at Stotfold compare to the track at 'Kampenhout'?
It's different, but the car set ups are the same. Our track is more flat and smooth (pronounced  shhmooothe). At home we run staggers. We only run spikes on grass tracks.

Ex team X-factory driver Chris Long says that the Belgian women are particularly nice,  is this true? And what do you think of English girls?
I haven't seen many English women here. Yes, about the girls at home this is true.

At oOple.com we all think that Redbull is ace, is it true that it makes you drive R/C cars like a total warrior, and please would Redbull like to sponsor the website?
I don't think you drive faster if you drink red bull. You would need to talk to my Dad about sponsorship. (I think that is a yes-lol).

Simon Bettens prepares to eat some fine English chocolate

The UK national championship series is well known for glorious weather such as you have  witnessed today at Stotfold. What are the racing conditions usually like in Belgium?
Very good,. We are always lucky, every national has nice weather. Sometimes it is raining all week and then Sunday it is sunny for the racing.

Have you raced on many astroturf tracks before coming to Stotfold, what track surface do you usually race on?
We race on two astro tracks in Belgium, one on real grass, and three on dirt.

The UK nationals are considered to be one of the worlds premier series, what do you think of the level of competition here?
It's very hard, more difficult than the Euros.
Wouter won the C final at the Euros, and here he is in the F final. We are not used to only having two small three minute practice time. In Belgium we can practice all day before a national.

Do you race much indoors, and will you be travelling over here to attend any of the Worksop indoor race meetings?
We race in Germany in winter, Joern Neuman usually wins there. It's an all carpet track. We will look at the Worksop dates and see what racing is on. We've seen photos of the track on the oOple website.

Have you needed to borrow any racing equipment for the BRCA regulations or is everything that you race with at home acceptable over here?
We had to buy a motor to race, we race a German brand at home but it isn't on the list for here. - Wouter Wynen had many problems with his 4WD car and borrowed Stu Evans Losi XX4 for the final.

Please can Northy have a RedBull T-shirt because he thinks it's ace.
Yes, errr, well, maybe, I'll ask my dad. We're not really allowed to give T-shirts away.

Belgium is famous for a very good range of Beer, have you ever tried English real ale?
I'm not sure, I did the Euros here in Tiverton. Not sure what I drank there. I'm not really fond of the dark beers.

What is your all time favourite track?
Simon – last year Euros in Finland, the track was very good, it changed each day due to the overnight moisture, so was slippery in the morning and then towards the end of the day there would be blue groove.

Thanks guys for coming to the UK to sample our great BRCA-run meetings - come back soon!

Above, many racers signed the 'get well' card for Mike Williams - the father of Grant Williams, who had a nasty fall at the Stotfold track a couple of weeks prior to the National and wasn't able to spend the whole weekend here. Get well soon Mike!

Mr.O Foams had their new prototype foams in the hands of some top drivers. The new foams feature two densities and in the capable hands of Ellis Stafford took the win here at Stotfold. Mr.O should have the foams out soon.

A FINAL LEG TWO
Cragg lead Ellis and Bloomfield round the first five laps - these three pulling away from the rest nicely. Coming round for lap 3 Cragg went wide and Ellis saw his oportunity - taking the inside line for the lead. It only lasted for a brief moment as Cragg went back inside Ellis on the next corner. By lap 6, the trio were still very close together when Bloomfield made a mistake and slid on his roof - meanwhile Cragg out front crashed over the tabletop in front of the rostrum and lost vauable seconds as Ellis sailed past to take a nice lead.

Cragg, Ellis and Bloomfield were well matched....	....And provided some very close racing

Marshalling the mid-field chaos!	Kev Lee was impressively quick all weekend

Ellis went 'balls out' with no other way to win	it didn't work - and the crowd knew it

The order stayed the same as the pair started lap 13 with Ellis looking sure to win - with only half a lap to go, Ellis clipped a corner too tightly and stopped dead, collecting Cragg and taking an impact that saw him facing the wrong way. Cragg didn't lose much momentum and went through to take the win with Ellis second after a desperate last corner move on Neil didn't pay off, and Bloomfield some way back in third place.

Above: Cragg leads them round

Bloomfield on his roof

Neil Cragg went on to win leg two

Pos

Car

Name

Result

1

1

Neil Cragg

13/ 322.89

2

2

Ellis Stafford

13/ 324.80

3

3

Darren Bloomfield

12/ 306.32

4

5

Lee Martin

12/ 307.74

5

7

Simon Reeves

12/ 309.19

6

6

Grant Williams

12/ 311.47

7

9

Tom Yardy

12/ 312.59

8

4

Kevin Lee

12/ 318.58

9

10

Simon Moss

12/ 320.86

10

8

Jonathan Palmer

11/ 300.31

A FINAL LEG THREE
Ellis was all over Neil from the start and made a pass half way through the first lap to take the lead. Cragg fought back for a couple of laps but made a mistake coming onto the straight whick saw Kev Lees X6 briefly up to second before clipping a corner and collecting Bloomfield, sending Cragg back up to second place. Ellis now had a good lead back to Cragg and kept the distance between them - Neil just didn't have enough laps to catch the 2008 2WD Champion.

Kev Lee got the fastest lap of the race

More spectators than the Euros!

With a win and second, Cragg was looking good for the win - Ellis would have to win the last leg in a faster time than Neils 13/322.89 to take the meeting. As Ellis came around the final lap no one knew if he was going to do it - The pressure was really on to go fast but not make a mistake. Ellis didn't hold back, thrashing his X6 around to come through with a 13/320.49 to beat Neils fastest time and take the meeting.

Pos

Car

Name

Result

1

2

Ellis Stafford

13/ 320.49

2

1

Neil Cragg

13/ 324.14

3

5

Lee Martin

12/ 303.70

4

3

Darren Bloomfield

12/ 304.67

5

9

Tom Yardy

12/ 308.86

6

4

Kevin Lee

12/ 311.43

7

10

Simon Moss

12/ 314.59

8

7

Simon Reeves

12/ 314.74

9

6

Grant Williams

11/ 304.19

10

8

Jonathan Palmer

7/ 184.06

Pos

Car

Name

Result

1

2

Ellis Stafford

3 [ 5 2 1]

2

1

Neil Cragg

3 [ 6 1 2]

3

3

Darren Bloomfield

4 [ 1 3 4]

4

5

Lee Martin

5 [ 2 4 3]

5

4

Kevin Lee

9 [ 3 8 6]

6

9

Tom Yardy

9 [ 4 7 5]

7

7

Simon Reeves

13 [ 9 5 8]

8

6

Grant Williams

14 [ 8 6 9]

9

10

Simon Moss

16 [ 10 9 7]

10

8

Jonathan Palmer

17 [ 7 10 10]

After a successful season, Ellis Stafford was happy to add another win to back up his overall victory - the first for XFactory in the UK.

The Associated B4 is as popular as ever, taking the second and third places (and many more) in the championship - but XFactory definitely ruled 2008 and the cars seem to be gaining populariy with a new distributor promoting them as well.

Tom Cockerill just missed out on a top ten finish in the 2WD championship after an incident in his final - poor luck Tom.

Left: Championship top three - Lee Martin thirds, Ellis Stafford first, Neil Cragg second.

Rain greeted the racers early in the morning of 4WD - the first practice had heavy rain toward the end and in some heats no cars finished. Dan Greenwood did one corner of practice in heat 10 before his car shut down from the water! Drivers briefing was held early before the second practice round, and it was discussed that with this being the final deciding round of the 4WD championship, that if anything is to be dropped because of rain, it will be qualifying - so finals will be run.

It rained heavily early in the morning - but these people hadn't shrunk, they were kids!	The rain caused a little chaos with grip levels well below the previous day

Coming into the last race of the season, unlike the 2WD title, the 4WD title chase was still very much open. Lee Martin was leading the championship and had a decent lead. Both Chris Doughty and Ellis Stafford had the possibility of winning but would need to TQ and win the meeting - along with Lee Martin not improving on his low score - complicated. To put it simply, if either Chris or Ellis didn't TQ then Lee Martin was 4WD Champion again - even before the finals started.

The rain stopped before the second practice round and the skies got a little brighter in time for the first round of qualifying.

Round one
Ellis had a good run in heat 11, taking the provisional TQ but it was Darren Bloomfield in the last heat of round one that scuppered his plans to take TQ over three seconds clear of Ellis. Cragg took an early lead in heat 12 but made an error coming over the corner double, losing lots of ground in the process.

Doughtys Atomised B44

Bloomfields vintage ride took round one

Position

Driver

Time

1

Darren Bloomfield

14/316.87

2

Ellis Stafford

14/319.98

3

Lee Martin

13/300.42

4

Tony Truman

13/301.30

5

Paul Bradby

13/302.33

6

Neil Cragg

13/304.62

7

Kevin Lee

13/305.65

8

Simon Moss

13/306.12

9

Simon Reeves

13/306.52

10

Chris Doughty

13/306.73

Round Two
The sun came out for round two to start the long process of drying the soaked track. Lee Martin put in the quickest time so far to take the second round of qualifying - getting very close to securing his title victory in the process. Five drivers in total reached the 14 lap mark, with Kevin Lee coming in second followed by Neil Cragg with the new Yokomo BMax not quite on the same pace as he'd acheived at the Euros and previous National round - but still a threat.

Chris Doughty could only manage 4th in round but Ellis was nowhere to be seen Having broken his car on the practice lap and fixing it before the start of the race, Ellis wasn't allowed onto the rostrum to start the race and an official complaint was put in. Really bad luck for the newly crowned 2WD champion as this will leave him with needing to win legs 3 & 4 to have a chance at the 4WD title - as will Chris Doughty of course.

Position

Driver

Time

1

Lee Martin

14/315.01

2

Kevin Lee

14/319.76

3

Neil Cragg

14/321.51

4

Chris Doughty

14/321.69

5

Tony Truman

14/322.86

6

Simon Moss

13/300.53

7

Simon Reeves

13/302.42

8

Tom Cockerill

13/304.76

9

Paul Robinson

13/305.11

10

Tom Yardy

13/305.15

Round three of qualifying saw Darren Bloomfield put in a storming run to end the title chase once and for all by taking TQ - with no one else now able to take the title away from Lee Martin. Darrens time was some 7 seconds quicker than second place man Ellis, and was the quickest time of the day by far.

Position

Driver

Time

1

Darren Bloomfield

14/306.53

2

Ellis Stafford

14/313.41

3

Neil Cragg

14/314.97

4

Lee Martin

14/316.62

5

Kevin Lee

14/316.85

6

Tony Truman

14/317.13

7

Tom Yardy

14/319.25

8

Paul Bradby

14/320.21

9

Chris Doughty

14/320.37

10

Simon Reeves

14/322.20

Stu Hurlys wing is very strong - it needs to be!

In a male dominated sport like R/C racing, it's nice to have a bird involved

Matt Dodd comes round the outside - laying the smackdown on Steve Lawson

Jim Dixon simply can't believe how much hair Tom Cockerill has!

Great informative commentating from the legend - Brian Harris. This is his last National, so thanks Brian.

Simon Bettens left, and Wouter on the right - face off for the choc-off race

We weren't quite done with our new Belgian friends, Simon and Wouter, and the previous days chocolate sampling gave us an idea - how about a race? how fast could two Belgian 'chocolate connoisseurs' devour one of Great Britains finest chocolate treats - a Cadburys Creme Egg bar!
The race was ON!

The scene was set, both guys would have to eat the Creme Egg and the first one to finish and shout 'oOple' would win - but who would it be? The Red-Bull powered Simon Bettens, or the calm and collected Wouter?

Things started well for Wouter, Simon looked to struggle in the early stages - possibly not even enjoying the rich taste of the fake-egg goodness. Wouter was first to pull the remains into his mouth but really looked quite ill and Simon was catching fast - Simon pulled an upset at the last second and managed to shout out first to take the victory.

Well done to both competitors for being great sports and allowing us to bring you entertainment of the highest order.

Left: Simon and Wouter (respectively) after the first ever unofficial BRCA chocolate race.

Neil Cragg set the fastest time of the day to take round four - a little late perhaps but maybe he'd be a bigger threat in the finals.

Position

Driver

Time

1

Neil Cragg

14/304.83

2

Lee Martin

14/306.21

3

Simon Moss

14/307.62

4

Paul Bradby

14/312.21

5

Darren Bloomfield

14/312.32

6

Ellis Stafford

14/314.21

7

Kevin Lee

14/315.85

8

Tom Yardy

14/316.25

9

Simon Reeves

14/317.50

10

Grant Williams

14/319.04

Position

Driver

1

Darren Bloomfield

2

Lee Martin

3

Neil Cragg

4

Ellis Stafford

5

Kevin Lee

6

Simon Moss

7

Paul Bradby

8

Tony Truman

9

Chris Doughty

10

Tom Yardy

A FINAL LEG ONE
Bloomfield went round the first corner with Lee Martin tucking in right behind on the tight inside line - Ellis Stafford went wide and kept the hammer down to sweep past Lee for second. Lee was down to third but clipped a corner which held up the chasing pack and allowed Bloomfield and Ellis Stafford a little breathing room out front.

4WD A final grid	First corner action

Bloomfield rolled but was quickly back on his wheels - Ellis was straight through for first and trying to make up for his mistake Bloomfield was on his roof again by the next corner. Coming around to complete lap one it was Ellis Stafford with a little gap back to Lee Martin and Neil Cragg in third.

Bloomfield in second begins to roll

Ellis had a poor couple of corners and Lee Martin was now right on his tail. The pair fought for the next few laps but half way round lap four Lee made a mistake and lost a lot of time, not dropping any positions but allowing Ellis a long lead.

Tony Trumans HotBodies D4 Worlds

Lee Martin had a lot of work to do, but gradually reeled in Ellis until the pair were right together again. Ellis was clipping corners under the pressure but it was Lee Martin that rolled coming onto the straight - losing all the ground he'd just won back.
Lee was on fire and wasn't about to give up - gradually reeling in Ellis with only 2 laps to go, it was going to be tight. Ellis felt the pressure and cracked - clipping a corner too tightly and rolling as Lee went through finally for the win.

We decided to cover the bottom 4WD final for a change - and thought these drivers might appreciate the coverage that they don't often get.

Dan Hardstaff lined up pole in the L final just ahead of Alan Hart and wild oOple man Shane Foot 3rd on the grid. Andrew Jones had managed to qualify dead last in the bottom final but being a very good level driver he'd be the one to watch, driving the Associated B4 in the 4WD class no less.

From the start Alan Hart came around the outside of Dan Hardstaff to take the lead but it only lasted a few seconds as Alan rolled on the table top after the straight - putting Dan back up to first whilst Shane Foot was now into second.

Dan Hardstaff - pole in the L final

Shane Foot lined up third	Alan Hart takes the outside line for the lead

Alan hart in the number two car wasn't having any of this madness, and t-boned Shane through the S's, coming off worst but allowing Dan to pull away from a chasing Shane. By half a lap it was Dan with a couple of meters gap over Shane in second, with a fast approaching Andrew Jones already up to third and Alan Hart now down to fourth.

Alan drives over Shane but it doesn't work	Dan out front, chased by Shane, Andy & Alan

Dan coming over the table top - about to crash	Shane takes the inside on a tumbling Dan Hardstaff

These four came onto the straight to start lap two together - Alan Hart at the back of the pack went so wide many people thought he'd lost his marbles, but at the last second he railed round the curbing like a nutter and was back in the race. Dan Hardstaff meanwhile was coming around the first corner and over the table top - making the same error as the first laps leader Alan had made and rolling it. Team Xtreme driver Shane Foot was now up to first place to the delight of many.

Callum Hodges

Shane was closely followed by Andrew Jones and the pressure told after only half a lap as Shane mysteriously went wide on a corner and Andrew nipped inside to take the lead. Half way round lap three Shane made another mistake and was down to fourth with Alan Hart now mixing it up with the big dogs in second place.

Shane was carving his way back through the field, taking pole man Dan Hardstaff on the inside through the S's - this lad wasn't finished, not by a long way. Alan Hart was much the same - a mistake from Andrew Jones saw Alan nip through for first again - this race was non-stop action.

Alan was leading	.....but a collision with Callum saw his chances fade.

Gareth Edwards takes the first tabletop	Shane lead but couldn't hold back Andy Jones.

Young up and coming Callum Hodges driving the Tamiya DB01 was having a bad time of it at the back and as the Alan and Andy train came through, Alan got caught up and rolled. SHANE FOOT was back to second - and on fire! The pressure was too much for Andy Jones and Shane FORCED the error, back into the lead for the X11 of this Hull-based hero. It was now all about this pair - no one could touch the pace of Shane and Andy, and they continued to trade places. Andy got clear over the last few laps to win, Shane threw the X11 down a gear to ensure a comfortable second, with Dan Hardstaff taking third.

The 'L' finalists doing their thing.

Interview with L final winner Andrew Jones.
Age 26 and a half
Years racing: Just completed 18 years.

Is todays result your proudest ever achievement?
Uhm, not my proudest ever result, but it is up there. We used to have a motto of always stay out of the bottom final, but I didn't quite make it today. I would say I was close but I wasn't really.

Best race result:
Probably when I TQ'd the F2s in 2004 at Telford, and making the B final at tiveton national in 2004 – that was with a fireblade, so it's a special achievement.

Were you nervous up on the rostrum?
I was nervous because there was a lot of expectation, even driving a 2wd car, plus I needed to beat whyman. I'd like to add that I lapped Whyman 3 times during the final.

How do you plan to improve for the next season? How do you plan to get out of the bottom finals next year?
I plan to get rid of the BJ4 in 4wd, I've had two poor seasons, it's a dated car now.
I'm open to offers for my next drive, there is a potential in the pipeline.
A bit more practice, and a bit more hard work and dedication to the sport, because I really let myself down here.

Do you plan to get Danielle a car of her own?
Haha, yeah I will do, but if she ever beats me then I will definitely retire. I'm trying to get her Mum into racing too but she wont have any of it.

Flavourite pie?
Definitely steak pie normally, but chicken balti if I go to a football game. It would be great if it was with gravy because I love gravy.

Favourite thing to watch on tv?
I don't watch much TV believe it or not. Probably Eastenders if anything, that's the only thing I really like to watch.

Football team:
Chester city. I support chester but I like  football in general, I have about 50 different football shirts, showing the love!

Something else about the final:
I was under a lot of pressure because a lot of people were rooting for me. Then I kept crashing and getting into second place, but so did Footy. That's definitely the best I have done today, and I was using a 2wd car.

Are you racing a winter series?
I'm looking  to do the midlands astro masters and some of the Worksop series.
Next year my aim is to get into the top 8 in both classes in the midwest series (the best region) and gain the f1 license at nationals – which I have never had.

Favourite track to race on?
Probably at the moment Southport, because I had my best national results this year there, but I'm more of an old school guy and prefer grass tracks. Not flat, but I'm not into really big jumps. Southport result was C final in 2wd and D final in 4wd. That was with the BJ4.

Jaquie Rowcliffe

During Sundays drivers briefing, Paul Worsley announced that Jaquie Rowcliffe would be leaving her role as national timekeeper, with this weekends race at Stotfold being her final meeting in the role. Instead Jaquie is taking over the role of membership secretary within the BRCA.
Paul thanked Jaquie for all her hard work over the 9 years that she has undertaken the role, and presented her with a gift from the BRCA section. Tom Yardy, drivers representative, delivered a very nice speech on behalf of all the racers past and present, thanking Jaquie for greeting us with a smile at every meeting, and for being professional at all times.

Some questions for Jaquie.

When did you first become involved with the BRCA and how?
I first became involved in the BRCA in about 1998, when the (then) chairman Brian Duggan asked if I would take on the role of timekeeper.

What enticed you agree to take on the glamorous role of  timekeeping, and do you ever wish you had opted for an easier role within the section?
The boys were racing at the time, so as a family we used to come along, but I got bored occasionally and I thought I'd find something to do. As an easier role, I think all the roles are similar actually, there isn't an easy one or a difficult one, they're all very much the same and everyone does their bit within the team.

Will you be applying for a job at timekeeping for the 2012 Olympics?
(Laughs) That's highly unlikely.

If you did, which event would you choose?
Something to do with horses, because I don't think they do model cars at the Olympics.

Do you think that model cars should be included in the Olympics?
I think it should be recognised as a sport more than it is.

What have been the greatest challenges during your time spent in this role?
I think moving from the DOS computer system to the Windows system, with new computers and technology. You've got digital transponders, personal transponders, from desktop computers you have laptop computers, it's all been challenging to adapt to.

What do you think has been the most positive improvement within 10th scale electric off-road racing over the last 12 months?
For me, and I'm not a racer, but in this role it has been the Windows race program, that makes it so much easier than working the DOS system - once you've got the hang of it that is. To the racers brushless motors I suppose. I won't say 2.4ghz because I think there are still problems there, it still requires some development.

Now that you are moving on from the time keeping role, will you still attend any national events?
I would like to yes, the ones closest to me like Kidderminster.

Will you be standing on the sidelines cheering loudly for the racers?
I'll be cheering on the drivers, come and see how my boys are doing.

Congratulations on the recent birth of your granddaughter, as well as spending time with her and the rest of your family, what other priorities do you have now that you'll have more time to spare at weekends?
Gosh, what can I say here. Since we closed the shop I have got a full-time job which does take up a lot of my time. So with work and the family at weekends, that has filled my time. And of course I will continue to be membership secretary for the BRCA, so will keep in touch with you all.

What granny things do you do? Such as bingo/knitting/countdown?
Just baby-sitting at the moment! I can type but I can't knit or cook, we have to share that between us.

As boss of the Tiverton Club, what plans do you have over the next 12 months?
Tiverton has suffered a little bit because of the timekeeping role in the national events, so next year we have planned for April to September, twice a month racing. That will be set in stone really.

Over recent years the numbers of attendees at the end of season junior finals has dropped considerably. How do you think that this can be improved, how can new drivers be encouraged to take up the hobby?
That's a difficult one. It's the down to the regional representatives trying to get as many people as possible to take part in the end of season finals;, they are so much fun, and that is the point that we are trying to get across.
We've got to get back to club level, we have got to get clubs being prosperous again. Like Batley club and Tiverton club, we have to help the clubs to go out there and get the kids into the sport.

 What will you miss the most about the role that you are leaving?
The people. The people that I work with, the drivers, their families. It was very difficult this morning standing on the rostrum for drivers briefing, very emotional.

You were kissed by many of the drivers receiving trophies at Saturdays event, who's the best kisser?
Gosh, how can I single out one of those. They're all alike. Stubble is always nice isn't it, a bit of rough.

What's the largest bribe you've ever been offered?
I am a chocoholic, so it's probably galaxy bar, but I'm not a big enough chocoholic to accept such bribery.

Which is your favourite race control?
Gosh, I've been to so many. Batley is special because that is where I started my role, that was the first national that I did in 1998. Places like Oswestry and Southport are more difficult because you cant leave the equipment out, you have to dismantle everything each evening. Bury Metro is nice, they're all very much the same really. But Batley is the one that's a bit special, and of course Stotfold as well now because it's my last one.

Who is taking over as timekeeper?
That would be the AGM to decider in October. There are a couple of interested parties, but my lips are sealed (And will remain so at the trophy ceremony later on)

You've been national timekeeper for 9 years, did you think you would do this role for so long, and where do you see yourself in another 9 years time?
No, when I took it on I didn't think I would do it for so long, in another 9 years who knows – who knows where the sport will be.

Are you not going for the role of chairperson then?
Nooo!

When many people count sheep to go to sleep, do you count toy cars?
Beeps, I count beeps 'on the beep, go to sleep'.

Any other comments to add to this interview?
I'd like to say a BIG thank you to everyone over the last 9 years, for being  a very interesting and enjoyable part of my life.

A FINAL LEG TWO
Our new method of writing for the A finals (and bottom final, as is the case today) is to video the race to give the best chance of writing an accurate and comprehensive blow-by-blow recount of the race, using the video for reference. Sadly Vicky, who takes the videos, had seen a pretty butterfly and had gone chasing it across a field, so Stu Evans had to step up to recall the second leg of the A final from his memory as Jimmy had been concentrating on taking pretty photos and not watching the actual race! oOps. So here's a recount from the big man himself - over to Stu Evans;

Leg 2 of the A set off in regulation order, until Ellis turned it over soon after the start. Darren pulled a move out of Lee and pulled away a little for several laps, really dishing out the cheese. New 4wd champion Lee Martin laid down some E's & Wizz on the rest for the remainder of the race, stamping his authority on proceedings, and bringing home the bacon. The fastest laps of the final went to Mr Neil Cragg, with an awesome best of 20.92, but consistancy was lacking. Kev Lee, with the Aero car, completed 5 laps, just losing out to the others who all did 14's.

Bloomfield leads them round	Bloomers and Lee Martin broke away from the rest

Lee took the lead on lap 10	Bloomfield makes an error

4-5-6 - Doughty-Moss-Stafford	Lee took a comfortable win to take the meeting

A FINAL LEG THREE
At the start, Lee Martin hit a bump on the straight which had plagued some racers during the day - it sent him off at a crazy angle and he and Ellis were sent to the back of the pack as Bloomfield out front was being chased by Neil Cragg, with Kevin Lee third with the Aero.

First lap action	Cragg chasing

Kev Lees AERO	Cragg took the third leg

Cragg was all over Bloomfield and looking to pass, after several laps Cragg came onto the straight immediately after and went wide - at the end of the straight Neil just kept the throttle down longer to pass Bloomfield for the lead. The fight between these two had seen Simon Moss with the Schumacher SX move up to third right behind the leading pair.

All three drivers took tumbles but the order stayed the same over the course of the race, so it was Neil Cragg, Darren Bloomfield and Simon Moss.

Lee Martin had already technically retained the 4wd championship title by the end of the third round of qualifying but with his two leg wins ended the season in style by taking the last meeting.

2WD Photos

4WD Photos