Impressions of the Blackpool (Thornton) BOC race 4/5th May 2002

This was an ambitious project which the Fylde team approached with vigour and enthusiasm. The track is designed to an excellent layout with a great combination of fast and slow(ish) corners plus a straight which lets a quick motor show what it can do. Certainly my F1 car made me gasp the first time it went past! I was onto the brakes far too early.

There were some problems with the running of the meeting but as a BOC organiser myself I can only sympathise. These things can go wrong anywhere and none of us can afford to imagine it won't happen to us. Lessons were learned and I for one will look forward to racing on the track again at the BSL Finals later in the year. The venue was more than satisfactory and Janet Sargent's catering helped make the weekend more pleasant too. OK so I like to eat...

As the track has 6 lanes and needs a lot of marshalls it needs a larger entry than the BOC tends to attract - but there were some disappointing absentees. Another half dozen would have made a big difference to the 'feel' of the meeting. No surprise to see Mr Cleave in winning form as usual, but Neil Obee spoiled James' clean sweep and David Sargent proved that he has 'arrived' as a serious competitor in top level racing with an EXCELLENT 4th place in F1. That was a real highlight. Well done to Team SDS!

On a personal level (ie running around in mid-field) I enjoyed some good close racing with those in my ability range and occasionally surprised myself by going a bit faster than usual. Mainly in practice when it doesn't count unfortunately. However, I took a few pics and I thought I would post them here chiefly as they show the true potential of the track. (Also I quite like the artistic and moodily lit shot of George K. Yes, honestly.)

British Open Championship Round 2. Held at Gainsborough 23/24 March 2002

This series, for expert slot racers, visited our track for the first time ever in March and an excellent weekend was enjoyed by all. The atmosphere was competitive but friendly throughout and feedback from the competitors was highly positive.

This race gave many Gainsborough members their first sight of the 'aces' in action - and it was impressive. Our track record was utterly demolished by ex-single seater racer Brian Saunders of Milton Keynes in only the second heat of the Sports Car class and by the Final it was beginning to look as though anything below our old record was slow!

We also saw a new record for Formula One cars by Paul Harwood (North London) whilst the Touring Car best fell to ex-World Champion and fellow Londoner James Cleave, who attends the Vauxhall club in Luton. James is the reigning British Open Champion and he seems determined to hold on to his title. Despite possibly not having the quickest cars overall he treated us to a stunning display of concentration and focus to win all three classes. Just the sort of performance he is famous for; ever since his amazing debut on the National scene in 1995 when he won 4 of the 5 classes (and was narrowly 2nd in the other) at the UK National Finals meeting. This is a feat which will probably never be repeated, since 2 of the events are only open to Novice drivers….

The awards for Sportsmanship and Car Presentation went to Brian Saunders and Neil Obee (Ipswich) respectively.

Scenes from the weekend: