Tim Wood wins BRCA 1/8th Rd2

The second round of the BRCA 1/8th national took place yesterday at the Halifax track. The weather forcast was for rain showers all weekend so the track became very busy when dry patches formed between the showers. On Saturday, it was Mark Green setting the pace followed by Neil Diver, Pete Hastings and Richard Hicklin, while on Sunday it was bright and the track was almost dry for heat practice. Rain then started to fall but soon stopped and for the final heat, it was 90% dry. Mark Green in this heat set TQ and in doing so, the cars behind him put in good banker times for if the rain came again. In Round 2, it was fully dry and a good time would secure a main final position. All the top drivers improved to into the 20 lap bracket, apart from Tim Wood, who ran out of fuel, but was on for a good 20 lap result. Up front however, Mark Green continued his recent dominance at the Dutch GP by setting TQ and a new lap record of 21 laps in 310 seconds. This result being a clear 3/4 of a lap clear of Richard Hicklin. Round 3, and Mark Green did not improve on his previous time, but heat 4 saw improvements to bump Adam Catchpole, Andy Hastings, and Dan Bancroft into the top 10. Round 4 was a washout, since a big rain shower returned.

The top 10 Qualifiers were as follows:
1. Mark Green – Serpent/Novarossi – 21 Laps 310 secs
2. Richard Hicklin – Serpent/Mega – 20 Laps 306 secs
3. Neil Diver – Shepherd/Sirio – 20 Laps 309 secs
4. Pete Hastings – Serpent/IDM – 20 Laps 311 secs
5. Adam Catchpole – Kyosho/JP – 20 Laps 312 secs
6. Chris Heath – Mugen/Sirio – 20 Laps 312 secs
7. Andy Hastings – Serpent/IDM – 20 Laps 313 secs
8. Andy North – Mugen/Siro/Novarossi – 20 Laps 315 secs
9. Tim Wood – Serpent/Mega MF – 19 Laps 288 secs
10. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica/Max – 19 Laps 301 secs

The main final started in damp conditions, and all the cars went out on dry tires to prevent loosing too much time having to change tires. The grip was very low and if you went off line, the cars would spin. After 5 minutes, it was Mark Green with a 1/2 lap lead over Tim Wood who loves the wet conditions. Andy Hastings was third at this point followed by Pete Hastings. The cars were getting faster and faster with every lap but the track did not seem to become fully dry. At the 20 minute point, Mark Green hit a back marker on the straight, which totally shattered his rear wheel and he was out. This then left Tim Wood to coast to a easy win, followed by Andy Hastings and round 1 winner Pete Hastings.

The final results are as follows:
1. Tim Wood – Serpent/Mega MF – 95 Laps
2. Andy Hastings – Serpent/IDM – 89 Laps
3. Pete Hastings – Serpent/IDM – 88 Laps
4. Neil Diver – Shepherd/Sirio – 86 laps
5. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica/Max – 80 Laps
6. Andy North – Mugen/Siro/Novarossi – 76 Laps
7. Richard Hicklin – Serpent/Mega – 74 laps
8. Adam Catchpole – Kyosho/JP – 66 Laps
9. Mark Green – Serpent/Novarossi – 65 Laps
10. Chris Heath – Mugen/Sirio – 50 Laps

The next round is at the Wombwell Circuit in South Yorkshire. A drivers track in which every driver likes very much.

Thanks to Andy North for the report.