The Batley supercup is an annual event held at the beginning of the year in the Batley Buggy Clubs indoor venue - the Batley sports and tennis centre. With a high number of top-level drivers in attendance it is one of the largest and most exciting indoor buggy events in the UK.
Doors opened early on, well before 8am, and practice was in Heat order starting at around 815am. This was a change from previous years where a ticket system was used – one practice per class entered, which still lead to long queues and congestion around the rostrum.
CML Distribution were sponsoring the event as they have the past few years, and supplied a range of 'goodies' which were raffled off during the day (A fairer way than as prizes for racing, where all the top drivers could get them).
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The heat order practice also gave people chance to get their position on the rostrum and get and crystal conflicts out of the way before the qualifying started.
Racing got underway at around 9:30 am. Two wheel drive was up first, and comprised 6 heats, followed by 5 heats of four wheel drive buggies.
The track was slightly less technical than last year and easier to drive - grip levels were ok up until the final round of qualifying and finals when the grip dropped off suddenly and cars struggles on the polished floor.
The track consisted of polished floor which was variable but mostly quite slippy. Mats which are laid on top of each other to create a really awkward surface to drive on. Carpet, which of course is quite high traction. The tyres of choice were mostly Schumacher Mini Pins - with a lot of people also using Schumacher mini spikes - both in 'Yellow' compound.
A lap of the track is as follows:
1: Starting down the main straight at the back of the hall the cars rapidly run out of carpet before the large sweeping corner 2 at the end on polished floor. It's best to brake whilst on the carpet before turning in and sliding it round. Miss the carpet braking and you end up in the wall.
Coming around to the bottom left corner as you pass race control and over the loop to count your lap - and its straight into a small chicane on the polished floor. Here you get a few feet of carpet to accelerate on before a left hand hairpin toward the double jump 3 in the middle of the track.
Clearing the double on the down slope you have a 90 degree left onto staggered mats 4 - slowly does it around the sweeping corner as any real power can really unsettle the car.
Coming right under the front of the rostrum you have a small jump 5 which most people took at medium speed to set them up for the hairpin corner a few feet in ahead.
A quick dash up to the next corner and slowly over the small wooden jump 6 - too far and you don't make the turn right after.
A shallow chicane with and equally shallow jump are next 7 and pose no real problems but still need to be taken with car to set you up for the next few corners. Coming back toward the straight there is yet another chichane on the polished floor 8 - this is hard to see from the rostrum and it is narrow so needed care. Sliding around the right hand hairpin on the polished stuff and the tyres can at last grab some carpet again and back around for another lap. |
Neil Cragg came to defend his 2WD trophy and set about the job in style – taking the first round by 4 seconds from JConcepts team driver Richard Lowe. These two were the only ones on 13 laps.
Four wheel drive was taken by Ellis Stafford driving the Xfactory X-5 in round one – 8 seconds in front of Tom Cockerills XX4.
Neil went on to win every round of qualifying – though only by the slimmest of margains by the final round, barely half a second in front of fellow AE driver, Paul Bradby.
Ellis Stafford meanwhile was getting to grips with his new 2WD steed, the X-6, and placed 3rd in the final round of qualifying, enough to put him 6th on the grid.
So the top 10 in 2WD qualifying looked as follows:
1 |
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Neil Cragg |
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2 [(1) 1 1 (1)] |
2 |
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Paul Bradby |
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4 [(6) (7) 2 2] |
3 |
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Danny McGee |
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5 [3 2 (8) (14)] |
4 |
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Richard Lowe |
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5 [2 3 (12) (29)] |
5 |
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Richard Taylor |
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7 [(47) (8) 3 4] |
6 |
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Ellis Stafford |
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7 [(7) (9) 4 3] |
7 |
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Tom Cockerill |
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8 [4 4 (6) (10)] |
8 |
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Craig Collinson |
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10 [5 (6) 5 (25)] |
9 |
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Stephen Lawson |
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14 [9 5 (53) (11)] |
10 |
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Phil Sleigh |
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15 [10 (15) (11) 5] |
Interviews:
Ellis Stafford
What do you think was the best aspect of the Supercup event?
There’s a good atmosphere, I enjoy racing indoors and we don’t have any facilities like this down south, we’re out in the cold.
Do you feel that you have driven well today?
Yes although it’s a struggle racing both 2wd and 4wd.
How would you describe the track?
The track is good, a bit tight but has a flow to it. Could do with less mats.
If you could make any changes to the track, add or remove any features, what would they be?
Remove the chicane coming onto the straight, and take away some of the mats underneath the rostrum. |
Jamie Booth
What do you think was the best aspect of the Supercup event?
Seeing a load of old friends.
Do you feel that you have driven well today?
(Laughs) Drove OK in the last run, although the first two rounds were no good.
If you could be any piece of agricultural machinery, what would you be?
A tractor, could just cruise around fields all day with nothing to do, no-body bothering me. I like peace and quiet.
How would you describe the track?
Challenging.
If you could make any changes to the track, add or remove any features, what would they be?
Make it more open, it is too twisty and Mickey Mousey in sections.
What car are you driving today?
I’m driving Neils old RC10 B4, everything being used is Team Neil Cragg. |
Like Neil in 2WD, the Four wheel drive class was dominated by Ellis Stafford driving his Nosram powered XFactory X-5. There were plenty around to challenge Ellis but no one could catch him.
1 |
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Ellis Stafford |
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2 [(1) 1 1 (1)] |
2 |
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Richard Taylor |
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5 [(8) 3 2 (4)] |
3 |
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Craig Collinson |
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5 [3 2 (5) (50)] |
4 |
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Tom Cockerill |
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6 [2 (8) 4 (50)] |
5 |
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Stephen Lawson |
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6 [(6) (4) 3 3] |
6 |
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Phil Sleigh |
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7 [(5) 5 (6) 2] |
7 |
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Adam Skelding |
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11 [(11) 6 (18) 5] |
8 |
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Chris Long |
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13 [(14) (7) 7 6] |
9 |
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Dan Greenwood |
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15 [(9) (44) 8 7] |
10 |
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Damian Whittle |
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16 [7 (10) 9 (13)] |
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Jamie Booth made his annual 10th off road appearance |
I was a bit busy testing cars in the oOple area |
Interviews:
Danny McGee and Jane
What do you think was the best aspect of the Supercup event?
(Jane) Solitaire.
(Danny) The track.
Do you feel that you have driven well today?
(Danny) Yes, currently second in round
(Jane) Yes, Danny has driven well.
If you could be any piece of agricultural machinery, what would you be?
(Jane) A Combined Harvester
(Danny) A cow inseminator (machinery)
How would you describe the track?
(Danny) Like an obstacle course, and very challenging to drive.
Do you prefer chips or fries?
(Both) Fries, McDonalds.
If you could make any changes to the track, add or remove any features, what would they be?
Make the track wider and easier to overtake.
What are your thoughts on third world debt?
(Danny) Should make it easier for 3rd world countries to pay back the debt.
(Jane) The debt should be cancelled. |
Connor Cocker - Youngest driver at Supercup 2007.
What do you think was the best aspect of the Supercup event?
The racing and the trophies.
Do you feel that you have driven well today?
Yes, I’d like to make the E or D final.
If you could be any piece of agricultural machinery, what would you be?
Tractor.
How would you describe the track?
It is challenging and very slippery.
Do you prefer chips or fries?
Fries, McDonalds.
If you could make any changes to the track, add or remove any features, what would they be?
Would like more jumps, likes the mats.
What are your thoughts on third world debt?
Unsure. |
The 2WD A final was up first - and Paul Bradby took the lead for a couple of laps until Neil got past with Danny McGee in second sporting an unusually large front 'wing' thing - it didn't help too much and he quickly lost the plot. Neil pulled a gap on the others and a battle ensued for 2nd place between Richard Taylor - Ellis Stafford - Paul Bradby. Over the last couple of laps there was some really close battle between these three, closely followed by Tom Cockerill.
The last lap turned into a real fight between Ellis Stafford in 2nd and Richard Taylor in 3rd - looking for any way he could to get past Ellis' X-6. Ellis held on for the 2nd place whilst also posting the single fastest lap in the final - richard got 3rd and Neil was already picking up his trophy for the second time in a row. |
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The 4WD A final was a walk for Ellis Stafford - well, not quite a walk since he was pressed hard all the way. Craig Collinson and Phil Sleigh were 2nd and 3rd respectively and these two also provided the best 4 laps times in the race between them.
So at the end of the day - Neil won all his qualifiers and the final - whilst Ellis did the same in 4wd.
Big thanks to all those who helped set up the track saturday - put it away on sunday. And of course Dianne and everyone who helped run the meeting in any way. And lastly to CML who provided a lot of great prizes and helped make the day great. |
photos by jimmy oOple and guest appearance by Stu Wood and Stu Evans. Interviews by Vicky oOple and Stu Evans // Northernracer.com |