Stotfold is a full astroturf track and very high grip when dry. It has a various features which allow for a wide range of track layouts. Saturday’s layout for the 2wd National was something new from the Stotfold team and seemed to be something that was popular with the racers. The track and pitting area were well prepared and it was easy to see the efforts made by the club.
2wd practice started a little damp from the overnight dew, but the forecast was dry for the day so it was just a matter of getting some track time in with the Tekin RS Pro Redline Gen2 Powered RB6 in the first practice. In the second practice it had dried completely and I wasn’t happy with the feel of my car as it was very edgy on the high grip choppy surface. I was running Ballistic Buggy white rear and Schumacher low profile staggers up front. My car felt very fast but it didn’t feel like I would be able to hang on to it for the duration of a run, so I needed to calm it down. I opted to increase the weight under the shorty Lipo to 80g and also changed front tyres to some scrubbed staggers rather than the new ones used previously.
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| pic courtesy of Racer Mag |
My car felt loads better in the first qualifier and was able to get a pretty clean run, taking second place just behind Danny Mcgee, and in front of Lloyd Storey. Lloyd, Danny and myself were actually only split by 0.16 seconds and it was close all the way through the field. In the second leg I managed to take tq, so in the third I decided to try yellow Mini-spikes on the rear as I had two good runs in the bag. Mini spikes felt more balanced through the turns but they did not seem to absorb the bumps and landings as well, so in the 4th I returned to BB whites.
Qualifying done and tq achieved it was all about finals now… Unfortunately in the first leg I didn’t get a clean start – popping a wheelie and leaving Neil to take up the lead into the first corner. After this I made a couple of errors which dropped me down to 9th. I managed to recover to some degree and finish in 3rd, but it wasn’t the first leg I was hoping for. In the second leg (and a better start) Neil and I pulled away slightly from the field for the first few laps, everything felt comfortable until I grip rolled at the start of the straight (something I’d not done there all day) and Neil and Danny went through. This is how it finished after a good battle for the last few laps with Danny. Neil had done what he needed now and took the meeting with a win in the first 2 legs so it was all about 2nd place! I drove this as I should have driven the first two, I finished just ahead of Neil and took the fastest time of the finals which made for a nice consolation.
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| pic courtesy of Racer Mag |
Very happy with the result and am extremely grateful to my sponsors for all the support.
Team Tekin
Team Kyosho
Spektrum
Team Orion
Rudebits
Inside Line Racing
RCS Graphic Works
Answer RC