2012

REMEMBER THERE IS NO RACING ON XMAS OR NEW YEARS DAY 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our members, 2013 will start with the final round of the 2012 autumn league on January 8th.  The Christmas break should provide time to get your mardave cars in great shape for which I am sure will be a very exciting and competitive years racing. 

XMAS Fun night – Tuesday 18th December

This was a great evening being a little different from the normal race night’s, the emphasis being on having fun. The projector racing was new to several members who soon found out it would test their driving skills to the max and having a brightly coloured car especially when towing an illuminated caravan is an advantage.  Daniel Williams was the top driver in the cars only races with Darren Ford a close second and Richard Parker two laps down. This no doubt made Daniels birthday cake taste even better especially after blowing out all eighteen candles in one go!

Christmas traditionally also means caravans, only four this year but they still produced exciting racing, Mike Simpson was the winner and Alwyn Hodges second.

Next up was car football, it provided a frantic twenty minutes with the two sides trying to knock the ball into the opposing teams goal. The result was 2 goals to 1 with some of the cars sustaining a little minor damage along the way.

To finish off the evening the track was reset for musical boxes, the rules being similar to musical chairs but with the drivers having to park their cars into an ever diminishing number of cardboard boxes when the music stops, Jenson Butlin was the eventual winner.

Prizes were presented for the following:-

Fastest Caravan                   Winner       Mike Simpson

Second     Alwyn Hodges

Best Presented Caravan      Winner       Alwyn Hodges

Second      Michelle Flamson

Musical Boxes                      Winner       Jenson Butlin

Tuesday 11th December – Super League Final Round 6

This was the final round of the league that has been run throughout the year on alternate months with drivers best five from a possible six round scores to count.

It was to be Darren Fords evening after being fastest qualifier and winning a close fought “A” final closely followed by James Hart and Mike Simpson.  The league leader David Simpson in 13th place but won the “B” final to be fourth fastest.  Alex Barry was top qualifier in division 2 with Michelle Snowden second and Louis Parker third.  Louis had the upper hand in the final though, Michelle was second and Tom Wright third.  Shane Stones was unstoppable in division 3 taking maximum points from the evening.  Jenson Butlin and Jack Cook were second and third qualifiers with the positions being reversed in the final.

Tuesday 4th December – Autumn League Round 9

The penultimate round of the league this week so a good result was important to challenge for a trophy.  Jack Cook yet again drove well all evening to take another maximum points in division 3, Alwyn Hodges continued to close in on Courtney Orme who is now only 1 point ahead in second place.  Look out for a fight to the finish in the final round.

Louis Parker was fastest qualifier in division 2, but technical problems in the final meant that Alex Barry won with Michelle Snowden second.

Things were tight in division 1, David Simpson was fastest qualifier with Daniel Williams second.  In the final however the positions were reversed giving Daniel a single point advantage for the evening.

We will have to wait for the new year to see the final positions after the last round on 8th January 2013. 

Tuesday 27th November – Autumn League Round 8

Another great evenings racing, Richard Parker was in top form in the qualifying rounds to take pole position in the “A” final.  Darren Ford won the “A” final yet again; he is becoming a final specialist! Lee Bishop was second and Richard third.

Fastest qualifier in division 2 was Alex Barry and this was good enough to make the “A” final in which he achieved 4th place – well done Alex, a super performance.

In division 3 there was some excellent racing again this week, Shane Stones took maximum points with Jack Cook on 38.  Courtney lost 1 point to Alwyn in their battle for second place in the league.

Just two rounds left now so the pressure is on the drivers. 

Tuesday 20th November – Autumn League Round 7

Some excellent racing again this week, 28 drivers and their Mardave cars were competing in round 7 of the league. Only three rounds left after this one and things are very close as the cars are all similar a premium is placed on driving skills.

After a weeks break Daniel Williams proved once again to be the person to beat taking the fastest qualifier spot with Darren Ford second and David Simpson third.  In division 2 Alex Barry was fastest, Michelle Snowden second and a great performance from Mathew Stones secured him third place.  Jack Cook continued to dominate division 3, Alwyn Hodges was second and Courtney Orme third.

So it was time for the finals, Jack Cook was again unbeatable in division 3 and Courtney finished ahead of Alywn to keep the race for second place in the league very much alive.  Louis Parker after an indifferent qualifying came good in the final to win, Michelle was second and Alex Barry third.

The last race of the evening was the “A” final and it was certainly worth waiting for!  Daniel Williams was on pole and had a disastrous first lap dropping down to last place, Darren Ford seized the opportunity to take the lead which he held to the end of the race.  Daniel made his way through the field and in one of the closest finishes for some time crossed the line 5/100th second ahead of David Simpson to claim second place.  What a finish! 

Tuesday 13th November – Lee triumphs at AGM night

The evenings racing after the meeting consisted of just three six minute long qualifying rounds due to the restricted time available.  Darren Ford won the first two rounds but Lee Bishop came good in the final race to win and be the top driver of the evening with 31 laps with Darren and Mike Simpson second and third respectively on 30 laps.

There were also good performances in division 2 from Louis Parker 29 laps – two seconds quicker than his dad again and in division 3 Shane Stones 22 laps.

Back to round 7 of the league next week! 

Tuesday 6th November – Autumn League Round 6 – Darren wins from 5th place on grid yet again.

Jack Cook was in sparkling form in division 3 and was the only driver to take maximum 41 points during the evening. Courtney Orme and Roy Matthews were joint second with 37 points each.

Louis Parker could not beat his dad Richard this week but still has a commanding lead in division 2.  Watch out for Alex Barry in the remaining rounds as his car is really flying.

Division 1 was very competitive with Daniel Williams being the fastest qualifier, Richard Parker put in some very quick laps but eventually had to settle for third place qualifier behind David Simpson.  The 8 minute final was run at a very fast pace, Daniel got off to a good start but David Simpson took the lead after about 2 minutes, then 1 minute from the end Darren Ford went into the lead after starting in fifth place on the grid and was first over the line. Great race! 

Tuesday 30th October – Alwyn and Courtney shine in the dark

A bit of fun racing for a change this week with the main lights off proved to be a great hit, many drivers had spent a lot of time fitting lights to their cars prior to the event and the results were spectacular.  Everyone had a great time and Alwyn Hodges won the prize for the best prepared car with Courtney Orme the runner up.  Back to the autumn league next week. 

Tuesday 23rd October – Superleague Round 5 – Fantastic racing!

This was the penultimate round of this years superleague and it did not disappoint with some incredibly close racing.  Alwyn Hodges was in good form in division 3 extending his second place lead over Courtney Orme with Roy Matthews finishing behind Alwyn in both the qualifiers and finals.  They all lost ground however on Jenson Butlin who took another maximum points so have the league title in the bag before the final round.

Louis Parker confirmed his position as the number 1 team Parker driver with another  stunning performance to beat his dad in the “A” final for the second week running.  Well done Louis, was it a long walk home?  Alex Barry was the other division 2 driver driving quickly and taking second place overall.

The last race of the evening was the “A” final which provided the most exciting and closest finish seen for many months.  Darren Ford started from pole position but David Simpson won with the first four drivers all on 47 laps, Darren Ford second, Lee Bishop third and Mike Simpson fourth.  Crossing the finishing line only 0.7 seconds separated the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place cars – that was close! 

Tuesday 16th October – Autumn League Round 5 – Louis is No 1 team Parker Driver

A larger than usual track being an extra 2 metres wide with a tricky chicane section proved very challenging to the drivers.  Daniel Williams was in unstoppable form taking his second maximum points in the league and extending his lead, can anyone catch him now?

Lee Bishop had a good drive in the final to finish third behind David Simpson, which makes Lee Daniel’s closest league challenger in second place.  The highlight of the evening was a very impressive drive by Louis Parker to finish ahead of his dad Richard in the “A” final.  Better check your car over Louis before each race in case your pit crew leaves a wheel nut loose – team orders!

Jenson Butlin moves up into second place in division 2 following an excellent drive and finishing third in the “B” final.

Jack Cook moves further into the lead in division 3 with another maximum points, Shane Stones retained his position as the top team Stones driver beating Mathew yet again.

Don’t forget it is superleague next week and “racing in the dark” on 30th October, you will need lights on your car to see where it is going. 

Tuesday 9th October – Autumn League Round 4 – The three D’s dominate

Jack Cook extended his lead in division 3 scoring a maximum 41 points with some very impressive driving and finishing second in the “B” final – well done Jack!

Louis Parker retained his hold on the division 2 lead by also scoring a maximum points with Michelle second fastest in both qualifying and the final.  Shane Stones also had a great final beating his son Mathew by three laps.  Come on Mathew you can’t let your dad beat you again.

Great excitement in division 1 with Darren Ford winning the first qualifying heat then Daniel Williams won both the remaining heats to take pole position in the “A” final.  The final was raced at a fast and furious pace with Daniel, Darren and David Simpson challenging for the lead.  Daniel seemed to have the race in the bag but an incident right near the end let David through to take the chequered flag with Daniel second and Darren third.  A great race, it doesn’t get much better than this.  Next week will be the halfway point in the league, remember it is the best 8 from a possible 10 round scores to count. 

Tuesday 2nd October – Autumn League Round 3

Another very competitive evenings racing on a fast flowing track design saw David Simpson being the fastest qualifier closely followed by Daniel Williams.  Darren Ford reserved his best performance for the “A” final and for the second week running came through from 5th place on the grid to win, second was Daniel and David third.

Louis Parker once again scored maximum points in division 2 with Michelle Snowden second and Alex Barry third in both the qualifiers and the final.

Excellent driving from division 3 drivers Shane Stones who was fastest and Jack Cook resulted in them both making the “B” final.   The positions were reversed in the finals, which also saw Courtney Orme have a great drive to be third. 

Tuesday 25th September – Autumn League Round 2

Following the three qualifying rounds Mike Simpson was fastest and started on pole for the “A” final, however Darren Ford had a great drive to win the final after starting back in 5th place on the grid.  Daniel Williams was also very quick, taking second place with Mike third.

In division 2 Louis Parker qualified fastest to gain a place in the “A” final, Michelle Snowden was second and Alex Barry third.  In the finals Louis again put in a fine performance to be the top division 2 driver ahead of Alex Barry and Lewis Burman. Michelle’s challenge was again struck by technical problems, burning out her motor.

Alfie Tomlinson was top qualifier in division 3, closely followed by Jack Cook and Courtney Orme.

Robert Hambridge presented the trophies to the top three drivers in each division of the Summer League. 

Friday 21st September – Darren takes Daniels crown

For one week only racing was on Friday evening, the driver on form was Darren Ford who won all three qualifying heats and also the “A” final.  Richard Parker was also going well finishing second in all the qualifiers but Daniel Williams beat him in the final.  Glyn Butlin was the winner in the “B” final with Alex Barry second and Jack Cook third.  Shane Stones was the top driver in the Stones family winning the “C” final, Alywn Hodges came second and Courtney Orme third.

Back to the usual Tuesday evening next week, for week two of the autumn league. 

Tuesday 11th September – Daniel is king of the Gresley track

The first of ten rounds of the autumn league saw Daniel Williams get off to a great start setting the best qualifying time ahead of Richard Parker and also winning the final with Lee Bishop taking second place and Richard third.

In division 2 Michelle Snowden and Louis Parker continued their contest to take the top spot, Michelle was fastest qualifier but Louis got the upper hand in the final to give him a one point advantage overall. Newly promoted Jenson Butlin also drove well and will no doubt be challenging for the leading positions.

Jack Cook took maximum points in division 3 and is the early favourite to take the league title. Alwyn Hodges was second overall ahead of Courtney Orme in third place. 

Tuesday 4th September – Daniel forges ahead

It was just an ordinary clubnight this week as a break before the start of the autumn league on 11th September.  Richard Parker got off to a flying start, setting the pace in the first round followed by Daniel Williams and Darren Ford. He continued his good form in all his races but the evening belonged to Daniel who won the second qualifying round and then the final by two laps.  Division 2 was extremely competitive with Louis Parker, Michelle Snowden and Chris Hollyhead very evenly matched.  Louis was the fastest qualifier just 0.46 seconds faster than Chris and Michelle third all on the same lap.  In the finals Michelle put in a superb performance to win the “B” final with 43 laps, Louis and Chris were only separated by 0.09 seconds this time with Louis gaining the upper hand.  Shane Stones was the top division 3 qualifier but technical problems meant that he did not finish the finals.  Mathew Stones kept the Stones team in the running by winning the “C” final and Courtney Orme had an outstanding drive to take second place ahead of Kevin Flamson. 

Tuesday 28th August – Summer League Final Round 10

This was the last round of the current league and several of the trophy positions would be decided, so everyone wanted to put in their best performance.

In division 1 Darren Ford was fastest qualifier but an uncharacteristic error in the final gave David Simpson a comfortable win with Lee Bishop finishing in second place.

Division 2 was very close, Louis Parker was at full speed and took the fastest qualifier spot ahead of Michelle Snowden.  The positions were reversed in the final with Michelle winning.

In division 3 there was excitement right to the very end of the racing, Jenson Butlin was the fastest during qualifying but Shane Stones had a great drive in the final to win, ahead of Alfie Tomlinson.  Alwyn Hodges and Courtney yet again scored equal points to tie them for second place in the league.

The final leading league positions were:-

Division 1                      Division 2                               Division 3

David Simpson   323   Louis Parker            317   Jenson Butlin     317

Daniel Williams   292  Michelle Snowden    313   Alwyn Hodges    272 Tied

Mike Simpson     282  Alun Williams           259   Courtney Orme  272 Tied

Tuesday 21st August – Summer League Round 9

Another maximum points for David Simpson means that he has won division 1, Darren Ford finished a close second place both in qualifying and the final where he just beat Daniel Williams to the finishing line.  Daniel looks the favourite to take second place in the league but it is still mathematically possible for him to be caught.

Louis Parker dominated division 2 also taking a maximum 41 points to Michelle Snowden’s 38.

Shane Stones was fastest qualifier in division 3 but Jack Cook had a tremendous drive in the final to take first place. Jenson has the division 3 title sewn up but Alwyn Hodges and Courtney Orme still remain on the same total score in joint second place so everything will be decided next week in the final round. Remember it is each drivers eight best scores from a possible ten that count. 

Tuesday 14th August – Anticlockwise

Opposite way round the track for a change this week, Darren Ford was the fastest qualifier a full lap ahead of everyone else.  When it came to the final however Daniel Williams showed Darren a clean pair of heels to get revenge and win the race.  In the “B” final Jenson Butlin won from Jack Cook in second place both drivers having an excellent race.  The “C” final saw Alfie Tomlinson win, four laps ahead of Alwyn Hodges who was second. 

Tuesday 7th August – Super League Round 4

Daniel Williams was fastest qualifier once again three seconds ahead of David Simpson with Darren Ford third.  In the “A” final Daniel built up a good lead and stayed ahead a long time despite a few grip rolls. Then disaster struck letting David and Darren by where they stayed to the finish.  In division 2 Louis Parker returned to form to take maximum points, birthday girl Michelle Snowden was second in the qualifying but had a very poor final finishing last in the division.  Alfie Tomlinson had some sparkling drives in the division 3 qualifying, beating all the other drivers.  Jenson Butlin got his revenge in the final pushing Alfie down into second place.  See the results page for the latest positions, there are just the October and December rounds remaining. 

Tuesday 31st July – Summer league Round 8 – The Simpson’s on top form

A fast track provided some very entertaining racing, Richard Parker got off to a flying start in the qualifying heats only to see David Simpson put in the fastest time to take pole in the “A” final.  Lee Bishop and Mike Simpson raced wheel to wheel in round 2 to an incredible finish for a dead heat on 34 laps, 365.66 seconds, the first time I can remember this happening.  David duly won the “A” final with Mike Second and Lee Bishop third. In division 2 there was no holding Michelle Snowden as yet again she was fastest qualifier and went on to win the “B” final.  Louis Parker had better watch out as after leading the league for several weeks he is in danger of being overtaken by Shelley. Jenson Butlin coasted to maximum points again in division 3, Alywn Hodges is now 2 points clear of Courtney Orme in the race for second place.  Congratulations to Alfie Tomlinson who also put in a fine performance. 

Tuesday 24th July – Summer league Round 7

Another evening of very close racing with David Simpson taking a maximum 41 points in division 1 and Daniel Williams second with 38.  Division 2 drivers Jason Reed and Louis Parker battled it out in the qualifying with Jason coming out on top by just 0.34 seconds.  The positions were reversed in the final with Louis winning and scoring 1 point more overall than Jason.  Jenson Butlin had yet another maximum points in division 3 with Jack Cook putting in a fine performance to be second in both qualifying and final.  Alwyn Hodges and Courtney Orme remain locked in a tie for second place after both scoring 35 points. 

Tuesday 17th July – Summer league Round 6 – Shelley and Jenson get max points

Jenson Butlin had another great evenings racing being the division 3 fastest qualifier and also top finalist. He is running away with the division but things are hotting up for second place with Alwyn Hodges and Courtney Orme both tied on the same points after Alwyn was two point better that Courtney in this round. The “C” final had a truly international flavour with Ignacio Barron – Viela winning by a lap from Alwyn.  Michelle Snowden continues her great run, also getting maximum points in division 2 and in doing so reduced Louis Parker’s lead by yet another four points to just six.  Daniel Willliams, after only managing fourth place in the qualifying stormed through in the “A” final to win just four seconds ahead of David Simpson.  There are only four more rounds left in the league, remember it is the driver’s eight best scores that count. 

Tuesday 10th July – Summer league Round 5 – Daniel wins again

Daniel Willliams won the “A” final with another superb drive, David Simpson taking second place.  In division 2 Michelle Snowden was again in great form taking another maximum points after being fastest qualifier and winning the “B” final. For the second week running she closer the gap on league leader Louis Parkers by another 5 points.  Shane Stones was the best placed division 3 driver in the finals, a much improved performance by Courtney Orme saw him take over second place in division 3, displacing Alwyn Hodges down into third. 

Tuesday 3rd July – Summer league Round 4 – Super Chelley!

Louis Parkers lead in division 2 was reduced by four points following stunning performances by Michelle Snowden in both the qualifying heats and the final. Neither Louis of Chris Hollyhead could match her pace and had to settle for 37 points each to Michelle’s 41.

Division 1 David Simpson took maximum points with his dad Mike second on 37.

Tuesday 26th June – Summer league Round 3 – Daniel Williams dominates

After having technical problems with his car last week Daniel Williams had a tremendous evenings racing, winning all but the first round to take a maximum 41 points to move into second position in division 1 just three points behind the leader Colin Butlin.

Louis Parker also scored a maximum in division 2, Chris Hollyhead was the second place qualifier and Michelle Snowden came second in the final so they both got 37 points.  Louis now had a 19 point over Michelle in division 2.

Jenson Butlin continued his run of good form being fastest qualifier in division 3, in the final though he could not hold off Chris Mason who won.  Jenson still retains his ten point lead over Shane Stones.

Tuesday 19th June – Super league Round 3

A smaller than usual number of drivers were racing this week due to a clash with the England football match on the television. Division 1 saw David Simpson his second maximum points this year ahead of Mike Simpson and Colin Butlin.  Daniel Williams despite lapping very quickly had reliability problems with his car all evening.  However Alun Williams won the “C” final less than a second ahead of Jenson Butlin, Jack Cook taking third place.  Chris Hollyhead was the best placed division 2 driver being third in the “B” final with Louis parker second on the same lap.

So mid way through the league things are very close, David Simpson leads division 1 with Mike Simpson second, Michelle Snowden heads division 2 with Louis Parker in second place. Jenson Butlin is in first place in division 3 with Alwyn Hodges second.

Remember there are a total of six rounds during 2012 with the five best scores to count. 

Tuesday 12th June – Superstar Louis has a dazzling league performance

Round two of the summer league this week saw an outstanding performance from Louis Parker, who after qualifying in seventh place on the grid went on to take fourth place in the “A” final beating his dad Richard by a full two laps.  After the race Richard was heard to say I tried my very best but just could not beat him!  We will wait with interest to see what happens next week, will there be any team orders on the night?

It was another very competitive evening in division 1 with David Simpson, Colin Butlin and Daniel Williams putting in some very impressive lap times.  In the end David took maximum points being fastest qualifier and winning the final from Colin in second place.

Louis Parker also had maximum points, good driving from Jason Reed and Zach Clements was rewarded with second and third places respectively.

The division 3 top qualifier was Ben Moon with the ever improving Jenson Butlin second, in the finals Chris Mason had a great drive to take the top spot with Ben second and Jenson third.

Leading positions after two rounds are:-

 

Division 1                               Division 2                               Division 3

Colin Butlin         78            Louis Parker       81               Jenson Butlin     74

Mike Simpson     70            Jason Reed        77               Ben Moon          72

Richard Parker   69            Zach Clements   70               Shane Stones    68 

Tuesday 5th June – Diamond Jubilee Team Event

Six teams took part in the event, two races each being 60 minutes duration with two cars from each team on the track at a time made an exciting spectacle.  Two transponders were issued to each team and these had to be transferred between cars, a pit lane enabled drivers to stop and restart the racing safely.

As usual in these races there was a great team spirit and with free racing next week for the winning and runner-up teams everyone was keen to do well.  After the first 60 minutes team 3 comprising of Richard Parker, Louis Parker, Tom Moon and Ben Moon led the way with 489 laps, followed by team 4 Mike Simpson, Zach Clements, Mathew Stones and Shane Stones in second place with 451 laps.

In the short break between races the judging for the best dressed drivers in jubilee theme took place, Louis Parker was the winner in the junior section with his dad Richard winning in the seniors. Robert Hambridge was second (nice shorts Rob!) and Mike Simpson third.

Time to get back to the racing and with everything to race for the drivers were off again at a fast and furious pace.  A few breakdowns now as the long races took their toll on the cars so many unplanned driver and car changes added to the excitement.

Team 3 were now in sparkling form and built up a commanding lead which they sustained to the finish.

Final results were a win for Richard, Louis, Tom and Ben, Second Mike, Zach, Mathew and Shane, third Robert Hambridge, Jason Reed, Grant Jones and Alwyn Hodges.

A good evening for the Parker family as they won everything – well done!

Tuesday 29nd May – Team Butlin off to a storming start in the summer league

What a great evening for the Butlin family, Colin was the top driver in qualifying and after a disastrous start on the first bend from pole position, fought his way back through the field to win the “A” final with Richard Parker second and Mike Simpson in third place. A great start to the new league for Colin with a maximum 41 points.

The “B” final saw Michelle Snowden on pole position followed by Chris Hollyhead and Zach Clements.  As the race progressed these three drivers got a couple of laps clear of everyone else, it proved to be a very close race with Zach winning, Chris second and Michelle third, all on the same lap.

Congratulations to Jenson Butlin, who starting from fifth place on the grid in the “C” final had a magnificent drive to win the race, with Grant Jones in second place a lap down along with pole position driver David Snowden.  Whilst these three drivers were fighting for the lead, the ever improving Marsha Ross put in her best performance to date to claim fourth place, well done.

Tuesday 22nd May – Clubnight

As a break between competitions this was just an ordinary clubnight but turned out to be very keenly contested and produced some of the most exciting racing of the year.

Daniel Williams took the qualifying by storm with some very fast driving to take pole position in the “A” final on 36 laps, a clear lap ahead of Mike Simpson and Dave Tomlinson Snr.

Jason Reed was also in good form and was the best placed division 2 driver scoring 33 laps, Louis Parker and Zach Clements were second and third respectively. There were also some sparkling performances from the division 3 drivers, the best was Ben Moon 29 laps, Jack Cook 26 and Chris Mason 24.  It is good to see the newer members improving so much each week, I am sure that they will be challenging hard in the next league.

This was the final round of the first league held at the new venue and it finished in some style.

In the break whilst the finals were being sorted, Vice Chairman Robert Hambridge presented the trophies for the leading drivers in the recent winter and spring leagues – no trophy for Rob this time though!

Eight minute long finals were again the order of the day, the “C” final saw a great drive from Grant Jones to win on 35 laps, there was a good duel for second place with Cameron Summers 30 laps and Chris Mason 29.

“B” final next and what a race it was, Louis Parker and Jason Reed soon got away from the rest of the field and were going head to head for the lead.  Fortunes changed throughout the race with first one driver then the other gaining the lead. Tension was high and all the other members were treated to an enthralling eight minutes, cheering the drivers on to the finish when Louis crossed the line first with an incredible 44 laps to take the chequered flag.

Could anything follow this? The answer was soon revealed when the “A” final got away with Daniel Williams leading off from pole position on the grid.  The pace was fast and there was no margin for error, Daniel stormed away and seemed to have the race wrapped up after 6 minutes but then disaster struck in a coming together with Mike Simpson, which unfortunately detached Daniels bodyshell.  The race continued at a frantic pace and Mike was first over the line, Richard Parker second and David Simpson third.

Wow, what an evenings racing.

Tuesday 15th May – Spring league 2012 Final Round

This was the final round of the first league held at the new venue and it finished in some style.  Dave Tomlinson Snr was again in tremendous form in the qualifying setting the best qualifying time with Mike Simpson second after overcoming a few mechanical problems with his car, David Simpson also put in a strong performance to take the third spot.

Jason Reed was also flying and was second fastest in division 2, ahead of Louis Parker and Chris Hollyhead.

Cameron Summers was the highest placed division 3 driver, Chris Mason second and Jack Cook third.

The finals were soon underway, eight minutes duration as last week meant that positions could change dramatically throughout the races.  Jack Cook won the “C” final with 33 laps after a close race with Shane Stones 31 and Alwyn Hodges 28.

The “B” final saw Louis Parker driving at his best to win with 40 laps, Chris Hollyhead was close on his heels just one lap down along with Matthew Stones.  Well done to Louis as this clinched him the second place in division 2.

Eight cars lined up for the “A” final which was run at a fast and furious pace with very few mistakes being made by the drivers. Jason Reed retired after 10 laps and Colin Butlin a further 12 laps later.  This left only six cars left, all of them lapping within a couple of tenths of a second per lap.  Dave Tomlinson looked to have the race in the bag after 6 minutes but a mistake let David Simpson into the lead, which he held to the finish.  What a race! Only 5 seconds separated the first four drivers, all with 46 laps.  In the end Mike Simpson was second, Dave Tomlinson third – also getting promotion to division 1 and Daniel Williams fourth.

It is good to see such competitive racing and also many of the newer members improving so much each week.  The trophies will be presented on the 22nd May.

Final leading League positions were:-

Division 1                      Division 2                               Division 3

David Simpson (312)  Dave Tomlinson Snr (327)   Alywn Hodges (290)

Lee Bishop (296)        Louis Parker (289)              Cameron Summers (273)

Mike Simpson (290)    Michelle Snowden (285)      Jenson Butlin (270) 

Tuesday 8th May – Spring league Round 9 – David Simpson on top form

The penultimate round of the spring league saw Lee Bishop’s grip on the division 1 title slacken after indifferent performances in both the qualifying and final. David Simpson after fitting a new set of tyres on his car following round 1 dominated the proceedings winning all his remaining races.  This leaves the position at the top of division 1 very close with David having 302 points and Lee 295. We look forward to the final round next week, which will decide the result.

Dave Tomlinson Snr has the division 2 title in the bag with another great week being third fastest overall and third in the “A” final.  The second and third places have yet to be decided between Louis Parker 283 and Michelle Snowden 282.

Alwyn Hodges is assured of first place in division 3 but second and third places are still between Jenson Butlin 242 and Cameron Summers 234.

The scene is set for an interesting and entertaining final round next week, remember it is the best eight rounds scores from a possible ten to count for each driver.

Tuesday 1st May – Spring league Round 8 – Lee wins the “A” final 

The opportunity was taken to modify the perimeter to extend the track length by a couple of metres, which gives extra space for the infield and a longer, faster main straight of course!

The result was another tremendous evenings racing with 9 or 10 cars in each heat and very little difference between them, just down to the driving.

Mike Simpson was fastest qualifier with Richard Parker just over a second behind, Dave Tomlinson the fastest in division 2 and Cameron Summers division 3.

Eight minute long finals again this week and team Williams got off to a flying start with Alun winning the “C” final ahead of Grant Jones and Jenson Butlin.

The “B” final was an absolute thriller with Louis Parker leading for most of the race until Glyn Butlin got past him, but Louis was not to be beaten easily and with an incredible overtaking manoeuvre retook the lead and won the race – what a super performance!

Just the “A” final left and as expected it was extremely close with any mistakes being very costly.  The ever consistent driving of Lee Bishop won the day with Mike Simpson second and Dave Tomlinson Snr third, the first six drivers all finishing on the same lap.  This now makes Lee the favourite to win the league division 1 title, but it will be down to the wire in the last two rounds as several drivers still have a chance.

Tuesday 24th April – Spring league Round 7

An extra tight track design this week but also with some fast sections set the scene for some very close results with precision driving required to overtake safely.  After the three qualifying rounds there were no less than six drivers on 36 laps with Lee Bishop being fastest closely followed by Colin Butlin and Daniel Williams.  Fine performances from division 2 drivers Dave Tomlinson Snr and Zach Clements secured them both a place in the “A” final.  Ben Moon was again fastest in division 3, Craig Timbrell was second and new member Chris Mason third.

Another evening of 8 minute long finals followed which really do put the drivers to the test.

Ben Moon duly won the “C” final yet again and Alun Williams was second, Craig Timbrell third.  There were many fine performances including those of Chris Mason and fast improving Marsha Ross.

In the “B” final the two division 1 drivers Richard Parker and Rob Hambridge battled for the lead, Louis Parker was also going well and determined to beat his dad, however disaster struck half way through the race when he retired with a broken wishbone.  At the finish Richard won, Rob was second and Michelle Snowden third.

Lee Bishop led the drivers off from pole position in the “A” final which was run at a very fast pace with little separating all the drivers lap times. It was tremendously exciting to watch with the race order continuously changing after Lee lost the lead to David Simpson on lap 13.  The final result was a win for David, Colin Butlin was second with a great drive, Lee Bishop just 1/10th of a second behind in third spot.

Well it does not get much better than this! The cars being evenly matched means that driving skills are at a premium to achieve a good result whilst dicing with the other cars at speed.  Most of the league positions remain very close and with just three rounds remaining there is everything to race for.

Tuesday 17th April – “Design a track Dave” triumphs in the superleague Round 2

Having designed and set out the evening’s track it was fitting that Dave Tomlinson Snr won the “A” final with a tremendous display of driving beating all of the division 1 drivers. With eight minute duration finals sustained concentration was required, Colin Butlin took second place with Mike Simpson third.  An evening where experience won through with the two most senior members of the club in the top three places! Come on you youngsters you better buck up for next week!

In the “B” final Louis Parker and Michelle Snowden had a very close race from start to finish, Louis winning with Michelle just four seconds behind. Jason Reed was third a further two laps down.

Craig Timbrell had a comfortable win in the “C” final, Shane Stones put in a good performance to take second place and Jenson Butlin was third.

Tuesday 10th April – David Simpson wins again and is the new league leader

In division 1 David Simpson retained his winning form by setting the best qualifying score of 39 laps and winning the “A” final with 45 laps.  Dave Tomlinson took second place both times with Daniel Williams the third place qualifier (setting the fastest lap) and Lee Bishop third in the final.

It was a good day for team Tomlinson with Dave Tomlinson Snr being both the fastest qualifier in division 2 and best placed in the finals a full three laps better than the rest of the field.  Good performances from Louis Parker got him the second place in qualifying just ahead of Jason Reed and third in the finals with Zach Clements second ahead of him by 1 second.

Division 3 was dominated by the Moon family, Ben was fastest qualifier with 28 laps, Mike second on 24 and Alywn Hodges third also with 24 laps.  In the “C” final the finishing positions were the same.

This all means that with the exception of division 2 where Dave Tomlinson Snr has a commanding lead, all of the league positions are now very close.  Remember it is the best 8 weeks scores out of a possible 10 that count towards the overall score. 

Tuesday 3rd April – David Simpson returns to form

After failing to get into the “A” final for two consecutive weeks David Simpson won each of the three qualifying heats to take pole in the “A” final.  Richard Parker was also going well and qualified second.  In division 2 a stunning drive by Sam Woollett in round 3 propelled him into the “A” final as 7th fastest qualifier ahead of Dave Tomlinson Snr.  Division 3 saw Cameron Summers take the fastest qualifier spot for the third week running with Alwyn Hodges second.

In the “C” final Tom Moon had a runaway victory, Alwyn was second a full four laps down, closely followed by Alun Williams.

The “B” final was close, Zach Clements winning with Jason Reed second and Michelle Snowden third.

Just to “A” final left and after a clean start David Simpson had a comfortable win two laps ahead of Lee Bishop who got past Richard Parker on lap 5, Mike Simpson was third.

A change in the league positions with David Simpson moving up to second place in division 1 just three points behind his dad Mike.

Tuesday 27th March – Lee back on top but Daniel on a charge

Dave Tomlinson was the fastest qualifier just ahead of Lee Bishop, but it was not to be a win in the final for Dave as Lee took the lead on lap 1 and remained there all of the race. However he was nearly caught on the finish line by Daniel Williams who set the fastest lap time and was really flying towards the end of the race. Congratulations also to Louis Parker who made it through to join his dad in the A final

The B final saw an easy win for out of form division 1 driver David Simpson with Michelle Snowden second and Zach Clements third.

Alwyn Hodges won the C final ahead of Mike Moon and Tom Ford.

Things are still close in the league, Lee Bishop took 6 points off the leader Mike Simpson in division 1, Dave Tomlinson Senior now is 6 points clear of Michelle Snowden in division 2.  Alwyn Hodges still leads division 3 with Jenson Butlin second, however Cameron Summers has taken maximum points from the two rounds entered and remains the favourite for the league title. 

Tuesday 20th March – Mike steals king Lee’s crown to be top of the league

After again setting the fastest qualifying time to take pole position in the “A” final the pressure finally took its toll on Lee Bishop with Mike Simpson having a runaway victory by two clear laps in the final – no age allowance necessary this time!.  Lee managed to hold on to second place just one second in front of Richard Parker with Dave Tomlinson a further three second behind also on the same lap.  Dave Tomlinson Snr also had a great final scoring 33 laps, being the only division 2 driver in the “A” final. This gave him the lead in division 2 by one point over Michelle Snowden.

The “B” final was very close, Louis Parker was the winner with 31 laps, Zach Clements second also 31 laps and Michelle Snowden third with 30.

Mathew Stones won the “C” final with 27 laps, beating his dad Shane by four laps – it’s a long walk home Mathew! Alun Williams was third a further two laps down. 

Tuesday 13th March – Lee is king of the new Gresley Old Hall track

The first evenings racing was a great success with 28 drivers taking part, the track is larger than at Stanton and the facilities are excellent.

The racing was very competitive, the nine cars in the top heat set a fast pace with Lee Bishop on top form taking the fastest qualifier spot with David Simpson and Dave Tomlinson in close pursuit.  In division 2 Louis Parker was fastest qualifier with some excellent driving to keep ahead of Sam Woollett and Michelle Snowden.  Division 3 saw Ben Moon put in a fine performance to be quickest just ahead of Craig Timbrell and Cameron Summers.

There were four finals, in the “D” Alwyn Hodges with some tidy driving won with 19 laps followed by Jenson Butlin 18 and Kevin Flamson 17.

The “C” final pace was faster, Zach Clements led from start to finish with a very creditable 27 laps, Craig Timbrell was second with 26 and Ben Moon third on 24.

Dave Tomlinson Snr had an incredible race in the “B” final to win with 30 laps pushing division 1 drivers Colin Butlin and Robert Hambridge down to second and third places – well done Dave.

Just the “A” final left and everyone got off to a flying start, Lee Bishop set a blistering pace from pole position, closely pursued by Daniel Williams, Dave Tomlinson and David Simpson.  The racing was very close but in the end Lee Bishop pulled clear to win with Daniel Williams again having an excellent drive to take second place a few seconds ahead of Dave Tomlinson.

What a great nights racing, the larger venue allows much more varied track designs and a great pitting area so everyone is looking forward to some exciting racing. Don’t forget that next week is week 3 of the spring league. 

Moving to Gresley Old Hall on Tuesday 13th March

Everything is now ready for the first meeting at the new venue Gresley Old Hall, many thanks to the members who helped move all the equipment during the past week.  There is considerably more space both for the track and pitting, I am sure that it will prove to be very popular and provide both exciting and competitive racing.

 Spring League Round 2 – Tuesday 6th March – Daniel rises to the top

Daniel Williams continued his good form with a dazzling display of driving to win the “A” final, Lee Bishop just beat David Simpson for second place in a very close race.  Dave Tomlinson was the victor in the “B” final with Colin Butlin and Michelle Snowden finishing two laps down.  Sam Woollett took the “C” final three laps ahead of new member Chris Hollyhead with Ben Moon third, Craig Timbrell failed to start with a transmitter problem.  Jack Cook won the “D” final just one lap in front of Alwyn Hodges with Courtney Orme in third place. 

Spring League Round 1 – Tuesday 28th February

After his “B” final win last week Daniel Williams got off to a flying start, setting the pace after round 1 two laps ahead of anyone else.  David Simpson improved on this in round 2 taking pole position in the final ahead of Daniel.  In division 2 Dave Tomlinson Snr was fastest with Michelle Snowden second.  Alwyn Hodges headed the division 3 qualifying, Jenson Button being second.

Ben Moon won the “D” final with Craig Timbrell taking second place, in the “C” final Sam Woollett and Louis Parker got away from the rest of the field with Sam winning in impressive style.  After the race Chris Hollyhead was seen to be inspecting the paintwork (or lack of) on his new bodyshell.

The last two races were always going to be fast and Robert Hambridge set a blistering pace to achieved 52 laps to beat Glyn Butlin on 50.

After the fantastic “A final last week this one was even better, the fight for the lead was between David Simpson and Daniel Williams, they both finished with 54 laps with David winning.  See the results page for the results, there is a long way to go yet in the league as there will be ten rounds.

February Trophy Meeting – a Williams and Simpson bonanza

A Robert Hambridge design track layout proved to be very tricky for most although Rob did very well with some sparkling driving.

Three rounds of 6 minute qualifying heats were very close, in the end David Simpson was fastest with 49 laps and Mike Simpson got the upper hand over Lee Bishop and Rob in the last qualifier.

The “C” final was soon underway, the driving was sometimes a little erratic on the tight track and after there were several changes in lead, Alun Williams came through to win from Cameron Summers and new member Shane Matthews.

The pace in the “B” final was much faster, the competition at present is so high that there are about 10 drivers fighting to get into the “A” final each week.  Daniel Williams set a pace that nobody else could match to produce the second Williams win of the evening. Michelle Snowden took a fine second place keeping Glyn Butlin at bay by a full lap.

The “A” final was an eventful race, despite a high speed crash between David and Mike Simpson midway through the race David won through with another 49 lap performance. The battle for second and third places was intense, the two yellow cars of Mike Simpson and Lee Bishop were very close with Mike eventually taking second place on 47 laps just a few seconds ahead of Lee.

The evening ended with Chairman Stacey Atterbury presenting the trophies to the first three drivers in each final.

Valentines Team event

Five teams competed for the first prize of a week’s free racing, the format was three qualifying rounds with each drivers best score to count followed by a final round with all scores to count.

After the qualifying things were very close – David Simpson, Dave Tomlinson, Louis Parker and Jenson Butlin leading with 157 laps. Just one lap down on 156 was Richard Parker, Robert Hambridge, Alun Williams and Alfie Tomlinson.

So it came down to the finals where the usual team rivalry added that little extra incentive to win.  David Simpson was fastest achieving 48 laps and Louis Parker had a great drive to score 41 laps which sealed victory for the evening from Richard Parker’s team in second place.

Tuesday 7th February – Super League 2012 gets off to a flying start

An excellent attendance for the start of the first league competition of 2012 set the scene for the evening.  A track layout with a very tight section in the middle called for precision driving to avoid losing a lot of time on the corners and overtaking also proved to be difficult.

We have experienced some fantastic racing during the past months but this evening was the most competitive for several years with only a few seconds separating the top ten drivers.

After the three qualifying rounds David Simpson was fastest in division 1 with Dave Tomlinson second.  Dave Tomlinson Snr was the leading division 2 driver followed by Michelle Snowden.  Craig Timbrell was quickest in division 3 with Cameron Summers second.

Alun Williams led from pole position in the “D” final, Jenson Butlin took the lead after six laps only to retire on lap nine with a mechanical failure. Alun went on to win by three clear laps from Alwyn Hodges in second place.

The “C” final saw a fierce battle between Louis Parker, Cameron Summers and Lewis Burman.  Louis managed to hold onto the lead throughout the race whilst the positions changed frequently behind him.  A good spell in the middle of the race put Cameron clear of Lewis and he retained second place to the finish.

The “B” final race was next and what a race it proved to be, Daniel Williams got away to a good start from pole position with all the other drivers in hot pursuit.  Both Robert Hambridge and Glyn Butlin challenged hard for the lead but Daniel had a faultless drive to score an incredible 41 laps which would prove to be the third best performance of the evening to make it two wins in the evening for team Williams. Robert finished second and Glyn third closely followed by the rest of the field.

Just when everyone thought things could not get any more exciting on came the “A” final.  The drivers were all very evenly matched and lapping at under seven seconds just inches apart any slight mistake was punished very severely.  Nearly everyone held the lead at some stage during the race, positions were still changing during the closing few seconds. In the end David Simpson crossed the finish line first with Lee Bishop taking second place after coming through from fifth place on the grid. What a race! Surely it cannot get any better than this.

For the league positions see the results page, this league runs alternate months throughout the year with the best five from a possible six round scores to count.

Winter League Final Round Tuesday 31st January

David Simpson achieved maximum points for the second consecutive week to win division 1, Lee Bishop was also in top form finishing second in both qualifying and the final, but Dave Tomlinson took the league division 1 second place.

Division 2 driver of the evening was Colin Butlin who was in the “A” final after the qualifying rounds and was fastest in the final.  The league division 2 results went down to the wire with Glyn Butlin eventually winning from Michelle Snowden.

Cameron Summers was the fastest qualifier in division 3 but Alwyn Hodges was the highest place division 3 driver in the “C” final which was won by Louis Parker.

Final League Positions were:-

Division 1                               Division 2                               Division 3

323  David Simpson             309  Glyn Butlin                     324  Cameron Summers

292  Dave Tomlinson           303  Michelle Snowden          303  Alwyn Hodges

288  Mike Simpson               282  Louis Parker                  288  Jenson Butlin

Winter League Round 9 Tuesday 24th January – new leader in Division 1

David Simpson displaced Dave Tomlinson from the top spot in division 1 after being the evening’s fastest qualifier and also winning the “A” final.  It was a good night for team Simpson with Mike taking second place in both cases.  The outstanding performance of the evening came from Michelle Snowden who after a tremendous drive in round 3 made it into the “A” final.  It all went wrong in the final however when the wheels came off (a tyre actually) resulting in the loss of several laps and her lead in division 2.  Will she be looking for a new pit crew before the final round of the current league next week?

Cameron Summers had yet another maximum points in division 3.

Next week will be the final round so I am sure that we will be in for a very exciting evening.

Winter League Round 8 Tuesday 17th January

Things are getting really exciting in the league, Division 1 leader Dave Tomlinson had his lead reduced to just three points after a succession of problems with his car compounded by an uncharacteristic failure of his transponder.  David Simpson was fastest qualifier and seemed to have the A final in the bag when Lee Bishop came through to win in the last minute. Another great performance from Robert Hambridge in the B final made him third fastest division 1 driver in the finals.

Division 2 was very tight, Colin Butlin took maximum points, being fastest qualifier and winning the B final.  Glyn Butlin starting from second place on the grid could only manage fourth place in the final behind Michelle Snowden and Louis Parker. This means that Glyn and Michelle are now tied for the division 2 lead on 302 points.

Cameron Summers sealed the Division 3 winners spot by taking maximum points.

With two more rounds remaining this is the closest league for several years, drivers scores in the last two rounds will decide the winning positions in both Division 1 and Division 2.

Winter League Round 7 Tuesday 10th January

Dave Tomlinson was the driver in form being fastest qualifier and going on to win a closely contested final to take maximum points for the evening hence extending his lead in division 1 to eight points.

Glyn Butlin had a similar result in division 2, which means he is the new leader in that division displacing Michelle Snowden down to second place just a single point behind.

Cameron Summers was fastest qualifier in division 3, in the final a great performance by new member Craig Timbrell put him three laps ahead of the field.  Cameron still retains the leading place in the division.

Winter League Round 6 Tuesday 3rd January – Rob’s Revival

After several weeks of trying Robert Hambridge was back in the “A” final with much improved form. Could it be a coincidence that he with borrowed some batteries of Richard Parker, maybe Santa needs to make a late delivery before next week!

Another very competitive evening, Colin Butlin had a storming race in round 1 to be second fastest qualifier behind David Simpson.  Dave Tomlinson was also on top form and after the three rounds of qualifying took second place on the “A” final grid just 0.68 seconds slower than David.

Division 2 qualifying was dominated by team Butlin with Glyn bettering Colins time by 0.67 seconds, the ever consistent Michelle Snowden was not far off the pace to take third position on the grid.

Cameron Summers was fastest qualifier in division 3 by a good margin with Jenson Butlin second.

A mechanical problem meant that Cameron was not able to line up for the “C” final which was easily won by Louis Parker followed by Mathew Stones three laps down, Jenson Butlin was the best placed division 3 driver.

In the “B” final slowest qualifier Sam Woollett had a stunning drive to win, Colin Butlin was second and Michelle third. Glyn Butlin finished in last place following technical difficulties early in the race.

A clean start in the “A” final by David Simpson put him in a commanding lead and the race was really for second place between Dave Tomlinson, Mike Simpson and Richard Parker who had to make a quick motor change before the race. David won with 58 laps but behind him it could not have been much closer, the lead changed hands several times with Mike crossing the line first ahead of Dave, both drivers with 56 laps and Richard 55.

See the results page for the latest league positions, remember it is the best eight from a possible ten round scores to count.