BRCA LMP12 Nationals Rd 5 & 6 – Report

The concluding rounds of the 2023 BRCA LMP12 nationals took place last weekend at the new venue of the Chesterfield club in Alfreton. The Chesterfield club have been hosting 12th circuit nationals for many years, so it was great to be able to visit the club in their new venue following the redevelopment of their previous home.  Stock and modified classes were on track with around 75 drivers competing at the event. This weekend’s racing would see the conclusion of the Stock national championship which was the closest fought competition, having had four winners from four rounds up to this point. Going into the final two rounds the championship was tied between Andy Smith and Mark Stiles, with a further four drivers having the potential to win the championship.  The Chesterfield club now have a smaller track area than previously but laid a technical track that was all about carrying corner speed to maximise lap time. It was a track that rewarded the best drivers and perfect for the championship battle.

Round 5 on Saturday would start with the closest of qualifying races with Andy Smith taking the early lead from Ollie Payne by one hundredth of a second over the eight minute run. Ollie would then lead the remaining rounds and would line up in pole position. Ollie had competed in the modified class at previous rounds and won this championship, meaning that he could not achieve a championship score in the stock class. Behind him the battle for championship was in full flight with Mark Stiles, Andy Murray, Adam Mackman, Andy Smith and Sam Coult swapping places at the top of the list. At the end of qualifying Mark would line up in second ahead of Andy Murray and Adam Mackman.  In modified Dan Robins would qualify in pole position ahead of Nathan Goodban and Michael Lee.

In the stock A final Ollie would lead away from the front and establish a lead of a few seconds and whilst the chasing pack kept him in view, he would be unchallenged on his way to the win. The racing behind was of the best quality and one of the closest races of the season. Mark Stiles would have Andy Murray glued to the back of his car for the whole eight minutes. Andy able to put Mark under pressure but unable to find enough space to be able to make a pass. Mark drove well under pressure and brought his car home in second place, 14 hundredths of a second ahead of Andy, it was very close at the line. The drivers competing for 4th,5th and 6th were only a second behind and would finish with half a second covering these three positions. Andy Smith was at the head of the train to finish fourth with Adam Mackman in fifth and Sam Coult in sixth.

A thrilling race that would put Mark Stiles into the overnight lead in the championship however there were multiple permutations that could unfold at round 6 that meant several drivers were still in contention for the championship.

Stock A Final RD 5 Result
1 Ollie Payne – Schumacher
2 Mark Stiles – Awesomatix
3 Andy Murray – Schumacher
4 Andrew Smith – Schumacher
5 Sam Coult – Schumacher
6 Adam Mackman – Schumacher
7 Michael Bolt – Awesomatix
8 Morgan Williams – Schumacher
9 Ben Vincent – Schumacher
10 Mark Jewitt – Destiny

In modified Dan Robins took the win ahead of Nathan Goodban and Michael Lee.

Modified A Final Rd 5 Result
1 Daniel Robins – Schumacher
2 Nathanael Goodban – Schumacher
3 Michael Lee – Schumacher
4 Mang Cheng
5 Richard Parker – Schumacher

Sunday would see drivers compete in round 6. The track layout remained the same but continued to evolve and we would see faster times posted by the majority of drivers as they adapted to the higher grip levels.

Ollie Payne would continue where he left off the day before and topped the timesheets in all four rounds of qualifying. In the championship battle Sam Coult and Andy Murray had found more pace overnight and put their cars in second and third ahead of Mark Stiles and Andy Smith.  In Modified, Nathan Goodban would line up ahead of Dan Robins and Michael Lee.

The stock A final to decide the championship got underway with Ollie Payne tapping the first corner and pulling his car out of the way of the following cars in a display of very sporting driving to make sure he didn’t interfere with the championship battle. This promoted Sam to the lead with Andy Murray and Mark Stiles close behind. It was fast and furious racing and Andy Smith would unfortunately retire in the opening laps after a stripped spur would scupper his championship chances. Shortly after Sam Coult would also retire after the marshall recovering Andy’s car would accidently clip his car while crossing the track. This put Andy Murray into second place with Mark following shortly behind. The cars would then space out and would finish with Ollie Payne in first with Andy Murray second and Mark Stiles in third.

Stock A Final RD 6 Result
1 Ollie Payne – Schumacher
2 Andy Murray – Schumacher
3 Mark Stiles – Awesomatix
4 Adam Mackman – Schumacher
5 Morgan Williams – Schumacher
6 Aaron Morley – Awesomatix
7 Mark Jewitt – Destiny
8 Michael Bolt – Awesomatix
9 Sam Coult – Schumacher
10 Andrew Smith – Schumacher

In modified Dan Robins took the win ahead of Nathan Goodban and Michael Lee.

Modified A Final Rd 6 Result
1 Daniel Robins – Schumacher
2 Nathanael Goodban – Schumacher
3 Michael Lee – Schumacher

Once the racing had concluded we were able to work out the Stock Championship finishing positions and by claiming his often favoured third place in the last final of the season Mark Stiles would win the championship by one point from Andy Smith with Adam Mackman in third ahead of Andy Murray who tied Adam on points.

Congratulations to Mark Stiles, 2023 BRCA LMP12 Stock National Champion.

In the F2 Stock Championship, Finley Whitelock took a perfect score and made two A finals along the way.  Congratulations Finley Whitelock, 2023 BRCA LMP12 F2 Stock National Champion.

Ollie Payne would also achieve a perfect score in the Modified championship. Congratulations Ollie Payne, 2023 BRCA LMP12 Modified National Champion.

Thanks to the Chesterfield club for a fantastic event and all the volunteers who helped to put on a smooth running and fun weekend.

A great weekend’s racing concluded our 2023 season. A big thank you to all the organisers and clubs who helped put on a fantastic series. Well done to all the drivers that took part and helped to produce what has to be one of the most competitive championships for many a year.

Next stop the European Championships that are taking place in Eastbourne in April.

Report by Kenneth Rogers