:: Race Reports - Hereford Micro Open '09 : Race Report ::
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:: The Track ::
Sunday 16th August would be that time again for the annual Hereford Micro Open held at Hereford Radio Car Club's Bridge Street Sports Centre venue in Leominster, Herefordshire. The friendly club greeted drivers and spectators alike with a tremendous looking track with a wide selection of features in place to test and challenge drivers, yet still allow for some close racing. Always viewed as the warm-up race to the BRCA Micro Nationals it would be an opportunity to see who was hot and what the in products for the new season would be.
The track design it's self was very flowing and wide in all the right places allowing for multiple lines to be taken. A mixture of surfaces from grippy carpet and textured floor to slippy lino drift sections kept things interesting along with a well sized wall ride, big table top jump, camel humps and various ramps. Another year, another top track, some things never change at Hereford !
The track design it's self was very flowing and wide in all the right places allowing for multiple lines to be taken. A mixture of surfaces from grippy carpet and textured floor to slippy lino drift sections kept things interesting along with a well sized wall ride, big table top jump, camel humps and various ramps. Another year, another top track, some things never change at Hereford !
:: 2WD Qualifying ::
A variety of different 2WD micros were on display with Stephen Davies and Gavin Stephenson both racing one of a kind prototype buggys, John Timberlake and his Losi Mini-T Pro now running the slightly longer chassis borrowed from the Losi Mini-Desert Truck for increased stability over the jumps, and Stuart MacDonald with a converted 4WD LRP Shark ST FT, along with a host of Thunder Tiger ZT-2 drivers. These included Ursula Wilson-Jones plus the Hereford posse of Andrew Vincent, Stuart MacDonald, James C - Worrall, Ricky MacGough who finished third in last seasons BRCA micro nats and Mark Williamson with an Exotek MXB-Pro shortened from 190mm to 185mm to fit within the wheelbase length rules.
After two rounds of practise qualifying got underway and last years Hereford Open winner Stephen Davies was on fine form from the off taking the first leg with a speedy 14 laps in 5 minutes 16.32 seconds. Next along were Gavin Stephenson (13 laps / 305.55 sec), John Timberlake (12 laps / 323.75 sec) and Stuart MacDonald (11 laps / 331.52 sec). After looking so good in practice Mark Williamson's Exotek MXB-Pro retired from the event with some fettling work still needing to be done by it's owner.
Stephen (14 laps / 320.60 sec) was at the top again in round two but failed to improve upon his earlier time, whilst Gavin (304.76 sec) scraped 0.79 sec from his previous and John (306.98 sec) knocked 16.77 seconds off his but was annoyed at himself for making a costly error on the final lap which cost him over seven seconds and a 13 lap run. Stuart MacDonald (322.46 sec) again on 11 laps whilst Ricky MacGough (331.46 sec) moved up to 10 laps in fifth.
Running to the new round by round BRCA rules rather than FTD with the best two to count the order would now start to appear. Everyone improved in round three as the grip began to noticeably rise with the exception of Steve who retired after the first lap with a broken stub axle. Gavin Stephenson (320.29 sec) was now in the flow with a cracking 14 lap drive whilst John (12 laps / 306.88 sec) again improved but only by a tenth of a second. Having felt like his car was dialled in the first two rounds but hampered by the odd mistake John was a little bewildered into why with a completely clean run he was no faster, perhaps the rising grip levels moving things from his Losi Mini-T's favour into the charging pack of Thunder Tiger ZT-2s was to blame. Leading this ever improving charge was Andrew Vincent (325.01 sec) with 11 laps, James C - Worrall (308.26 sec) and Ricky MacGough (330.55 sec) recording 10 laps and Ursula Wilson-Jones (305.29 sec) on 8 laps.
Fourth and final round of qualifying for the 2WDs and Stephen Davies (13 laps / 304.55 sec) made amends for his earlier break down by topping the timing sheets again but still relying on his first two rounds to gain TQ and pole position in the finals. John (12 laps / 303.02 sec) again crossed the line in second and improving by 3.86 seconds. Andrew Vincent (320.98 sec) made a leap forward into 12 laps territory with his Losi Xcelorin powered ZT-2 whilst a consistent Stuart MacDonald (11 laps / 306.15 sec) and Ricky MacGough (10 laps / 318.98 sec) again improved upon there earlier times.
The end result was predictably Steve Davies on top with 2 points, Gavin Stephenson second with 3 points and John Timberlake third with 4 points. Andrew Vincent and Stuart MacDonald were drawn with 7 points apiece for fourth but with the position going to the former due to this faster fourth round time. Andrew had been steadily improving through out the day after some technical niggles earlier on slowing him down and could quite easily become a strong threat for rostrum positions in the final.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4
After two rounds of practise qualifying got underway and last years Hereford Open winner Stephen Davies was on fine form from the off taking the first leg with a speedy 14 laps in 5 minutes 16.32 seconds. Next along were Gavin Stephenson (13 laps / 305.55 sec), John Timberlake (12 laps / 323.75 sec) and Stuart MacDonald (11 laps / 331.52 sec). After looking so good in practice Mark Williamson's Exotek MXB-Pro retired from the event with some fettling work still needing to be done by it's owner.
Stephen (14 laps / 320.60 sec) was at the top again in round two but failed to improve upon his earlier time, whilst Gavin (304.76 sec) scraped 0.79 sec from his previous and John (306.98 sec) knocked 16.77 seconds off his but was annoyed at himself for making a costly error on the final lap which cost him over seven seconds and a 13 lap run. Stuart MacDonald (322.46 sec) again on 11 laps whilst Ricky MacGough (331.46 sec) moved up to 10 laps in fifth.
Running to the new round by round BRCA rules rather than FTD with the best two to count the order would now start to appear. Everyone improved in round three as the grip began to noticeably rise with the exception of Steve who retired after the first lap with a broken stub axle. Gavin Stephenson (320.29 sec) was now in the flow with a cracking 14 lap drive whilst John (12 laps / 306.88 sec) again improved but only by a tenth of a second. Having felt like his car was dialled in the first two rounds but hampered by the odd mistake John was a little bewildered into why with a completely clean run he was no faster, perhaps the rising grip levels moving things from his Losi Mini-T's favour into the charging pack of Thunder Tiger ZT-2s was to blame. Leading this ever improving charge was Andrew Vincent (325.01 sec) with 11 laps, James C - Worrall (308.26 sec) and Ricky MacGough (330.55 sec) recording 10 laps and Ursula Wilson-Jones (305.29 sec) on 8 laps.
Fourth and final round of qualifying for the 2WDs and Stephen Davies (13 laps / 304.55 sec) made amends for his earlier break down by topping the timing sheets again but still relying on his first two rounds to gain TQ and pole position in the finals. John (12 laps / 303.02 sec) again crossed the line in second and improving by 3.86 seconds. Andrew Vincent (320.98 sec) made a leap forward into 12 laps territory with his Losi Xcelorin powered ZT-2 whilst a consistent Stuart MacDonald (11 laps / 306.15 sec) and Ricky MacGough (10 laps / 318.98 sec) again improved upon there earlier times.
The end result was predictably Steve Davies on top with 2 points, Gavin Stephenson second with 3 points and John Timberlake third with 4 points. Andrew Vincent and Stuart MacDonald were drawn with 7 points apiece for fourth but with the position going to the former due to this faster fourth round time. Andrew had been steadily improving through out the day after some technical niggles earlier on slowing him down and could quite easily become a strong threat for rostrum positions in the final.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4
| Pos | Name | Chassis | Tie Break | Points | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 |
| 1 | Stephen Davies | Losi Mini-X6 Prototype | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 2 | Gavin Stephenson | Bitsa Prototype | - | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | John Timberlake | Losi Mini-T Pro | - | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Andrew Vincent | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | 12 / 320.98 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Stuart MacDonald | LRP Shark ST FT | 11 / 309.79 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | Ricky MacGough | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | - | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | James C - Worrall | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | - | 11 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | Ursula Wilson-Jones | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | - | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | Mark Williamson | Exotek MXB-Pro | - | DNS | - | - | - | - |
:: 4WD Qualifying ::
28 of the UK's finest micro off-road drivers would be taking part in the 4WD class and all with one target to topple, Hereford's Steve Davies, who dominated last years event with TQ's and wins in both classes. The man touted most to give Steve a run for his money is fellow CML team driver and MicroTech Racing employee Keith Robertson, returning to micro racing after a year out racing other classes, and in the process swapping his trusty Team Associated RC18T for the now dominant FTX Blaze in widened 'ST' specification.
Round one started off well with Bede 'The Professor' Constantinides leading the first heat with 13 laps in 302.32 seconds. Swindon's John Toman (304.40 sec) in heat two, Simon Osborne (314.15 sec) plus Ben Turner (319.76 sec) in heat four and Andrew Vincent 13 / 311.91 in heat five also all managed 13 laps, but Cris Oxley (313.42 sec), Mark Williamson (312.21 sec), Dan Harding (311.97 sec) and Gavin Stephenson (310.48 sec) all went one faster with 14 laps.
If this early pace wasn't enough four remarkable drivers all achieved yet another lap again, consisting of Dan Osborne (318.87 sec), Stephen Davies (315.39 sec), Chris Bottle (314.45 sec) and a quite astonishing Keith Robertson way out in front and setting TQ with 15 laps in 5 minutes 2.02 seconds.
In round two Bede Constantinides (321.63 sec) moved up a gear into the 14 lap territory whilst in heat two Steve Hawkins (310.98 sec) and Paul Hammond (316.39 sec) both cracked the 13 lap barrier. Ben Turner (13 laps / 317.68 sec), Rychard Brind (13 laps / 314.95 sec), Simon Osborne (13 laps / 308.20 sec), Andrew Vincent (14 laps / 318.36 sec) and Mark Williamson (14 laps / 307.10 sec) all improved on there previous round times and out front Hereford boys Chris Bottle (312.93 sec) and Stephen Davies (306.89 sec) were still gathering momentum with 15 laps apiece. Any other day a fast 15 laps would almost certainly guarantee you pole but for Keith Robertson this wasn't enough as he went one better with 16 laps in 5 minutes 19.39 seconds.
Tim Byles (13 laps / 311.67 sec), Simon Osborne (13 laps / 303.07 sec), John Toman (13 laps / 300.02 sec), Ben Turner (14 laps / 323.01 sec), Bede Constantinides (14 laps / 321.18 sec), Andrew Vincent (14 laps / 308.93 sec), Gavin Stephenson (14 laps / 302.45 sec) and Dan Osborne (15 laps / 315.72 sec) were the most impressive round three improvers but again Keith Robertson led the field with 16 laps in 310.57 seconds. Noticeably Keith was kept honest for the first time all day this time round by Stephen Davies (312.46 sec), only 1.89 seconds behind and also the only other driver all day in qualifying to hit 16 laps.
In round four with the grip now really becoming high some people were finding it hard to go faster without making mistakes but there were still some worthy improvers out there trying to bump there way up the qualifying rankings. Progressively getting quicker Robert Hillman (13 laps / 330.21 sec), Stuart MacDonald (13 laps / 321.79 sec), Rychard Brind (13 laps / 310.71 sec), Ben Turner (14 laps / 321.64 sec), Bede Constantinides (14 laps / 319.81 sec), Paul Hammond (14 laps / 318.22 sec), Simon Osborne (14 laps / 313.92 sec), Cris Oxley (14 laps / 306.05 sec), Gavin Stephenson (15 laps / 318.71 sec), Dan Osborne (15 laps / 311.98 sec) and Chris Bottle (15 laps / 307.07 sec) all looked good and while Stephen Davies went ever so slightly slower than in the last round, his 16 laps in 315.43 seconds time was mightily good.
So with qualifying over Keith Robertson and Stephen Davies were the real stand out drivers from a strong group of racers with a lot of talent on show. Chris Bottle also looked incredibly consistent along with impressive drives from Dan Osborne, Gavin Stephenson, Mark Williamson, Dan Harding, Cris Oxley and Andrew Vincent who would join them on the A-final grid.
Round 1 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 2 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 3 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 4 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round one started off well with Bede 'The Professor' Constantinides leading the first heat with 13 laps in 302.32 seconds. Swindon's John Toman (304.40 sec) in heat two, Simon Osborne (314.15 sec) plus Ben Turner (319.76 sec) in heat four and Andrew Vincent 13 / 311.91 in heat five also all managed 13 laps, but Cris Oxley (313.42 sec), Mark Williamson (312.21 sec), Dan Harding (311.97 sec) and Gavin Stephenson (310.48 sec) all went one faster with 14 laps.
If this early pace wasn't enough four remarkable drivers all achieved yet another lap again, consisting of Dan Osborne (318.87 sec), Stephen Davies (315.39 sec), Chris Bottle (314.45 sec) and a quite astonishing Keith Robertson way out in front and setting TQ with 15 laps in 5 minutes 2.02 seconds.
In round two Bede Constantinides (321.63 sec) moved up a gear into the 14 lap territory whilst in heat two Steve Hawkins (310.98 sec) and Paul Hammond (316.39 sec) both cracked the 13 lap barrier. Ben Turner (13 laps / 317.68 sec), Rychard Brind (13 laps / 314.95 sec), Simon Osborne (13 laps / 308.20 sec), Andrew Vincent (14 laps / 318.36 sec) and Mark Williamson (14 laps / 307.10 sec) all improved on there previous round times and out front Hereford boys Chris Bottle (312.93 sec) and Stephen Davies (306.89 sec) were still gathering momentum with 15 laps apiece. Any other day a fast 15 laps would almost certainly guarantee you pole but for Keith Robertson this wasn't enough as he went one better with 16 laps in 5 minutes 19.39 seconds.
Tim Byles (13 laps / 311.67 sec), Simon Osborne (13 laps / 303.07 sec), John Toman (13 laps / 300.02 sec), Ben Turner (14 laps / 323.01 sec), Bede Constantinides (14 laps / 321.18 sec), Andrew Vincent (14 laps / 308.93 sec), Gavin Stephenson (14 laps / 302.45 sec) and Dan Osborne (15 laps / 315.72 sec) were the most impressive round three improvers but again Keith Robertson led the field with 16 laps in 310.57 seconds. Noticeably Keith was kept honest for the first time all day this time round by Stephen Davies (312.46 sec), only 1.89 seconds behind and also the only other driver all day in qualifying to hit 16 laps.
In round four with the grip now really becoming high some people were finding it hard to go faster without making mistakes but there were still some worthy improvers out there trying to bump there way up the qualifying rankings. Progressively getting quicker Robert Hillman (13 laps / 330.21 sec), Stuart MacDonald (13 laps / 321.79 sec), Rychard Brind (13 laps / 310.71 sec), Ben Turner (14 laps / 321.64 sec), Bede Constantinides (14 laps / 319.81 sec), Paul Hammond (14 laps / 318.22 sec), Simon Osborne (14 laps / 313.92 sec), Cris Oxley (14 laps / 306.05 sec), Gavin Stephenson (15 laps / 318.71 sec), Dan Osborne (15 laps / 311.98 sec) and Chris Bottle (15 laps / 307.07 sec) all looked good and while Stephen Davies went ever so slightly slower than in the last round, his 16 laps in 315.43 seconds time was mightily good.
So with qualifying over Keith Robertson and Stephen Davies were the real stand out drivers from a strong group of racers with a lot of talent on show. Chris Bottle also looked incredibly consistent along with impressive drives from Dan Osborne, Gavin Stephenson, Mark Williamson, Dan Harding, Cris Oxley and Andrew Vincent who would join them on the A-final grid.
Round 1 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 2 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 3 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
Round 4 : Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 | Overalls
| Pos | Name | Chassis | Points | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 |
| 1 | Keith Robertson | FTX Blaze ST | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Stephen Davies | FTX Blaze ST | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Chris Bottle | FTX Blaze ST | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | Dan Osborne | LRP Shark ST FT | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | Gavin Stephenson | Duratrax Vendetta ST | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Mark Williamson | FTX Blaze ST | 11 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 23 |
| 7 | Dan Harding | FTX Blaze ST | 12 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 8 | Cris Oxley | LRP Shark ST FT | 14 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 6 |
| 9 | Andrew Vincent | FTX Blaze ST | 15 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| 10 | Simon Osborne | LRP Shark ST FT | 18 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 7 |
| 11 | Bede Constantinides | FTX Blaze ST | 18 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| 12 | Ben Turner | FTX Blaze ST | 20 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| 13 | John Toman | LRP Shark ST FT | 21 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 26 |
| 14 | Paul Hammond | LRP Shark ST FT | 22 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 8 |
| 15 | Steve Hawkins | Duratrax Vendetta ST | 26 | 16 | 12 | 22 | 14 |
| 16 | Rychard Brind | FTX Blaze ST | 26 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| 17 | Stuart MacDonald | LRP Shark ST FT | 29 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| 18 | Tim Byles | FTX Blaze ST | 30 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 16 |
| 19 | Kieran MacGough | FTX Blaze ST | 34 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
| 20 | Robert Hillman | FTX Blaze ST | 37 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 17 |
| 21 | John Howe | LRP Shark ST FT | 38 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
| 22 | James C - Worrall | FTX Blaze ST | 40 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 19 |
| 23 | Ben Clifton | LRP Shark ST FT | 42 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| 24 | James Arnold | AE RC18T | 48 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 22 |
| 25 | Mike Gray | AE RC18B | 48 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | Paul Perry | FTX Blaze ST | 49 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
| 27 | Adrian Bagley | FTX Blaze | 54 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| 28 | Harvey Hillman | FTX Blaze | 56 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
:: In The Pits ::
With the tyre rule change in the 2WD class for the 2009/'10 season it would be interesting to see how the various cars faired. For those not in the know the rule change basically limits cars to 18th micro sized wheels and rubber tyres in a bid to level the playing field after several competitors chose to run converted LRP Shark ST Factory Team micros in the 2WD class last season. The larger 10th touring car size wheels and low profile race spec foam tyres gave them a huge performance advantage over the smaller 2WD micros with there small wheels and high-profile rubber tyres so wasn't really within the spirit of the class.
The good news is the change has worked, neither the converted 4WDs or regular 2WDs appeared to have a distinct advantage over each other which gave the desired effect of close fair racing. The softer grippy Losi tyres were the way to go in qualifying, but when the grip had really come up for the finals the firmer Associated and Thunder Tiger tyres had a distinct edge. Rib front and mini-pin rear were the favoured tread pattern combination.
Still with the 2WD theme prototypes were the main subject of talk at the meeting with some impressive finely crafted machines on display. TQ man Stephen Davies had built a truly stunning micro based upon the Losi Mini-T but with a custom made carbon fibre main chassis with the motor placed in-board X-6 style. Going a step further he even added a fourth gear to the transmission to maximise traction along with various other carbon and aluminium machined components to tune the suspension to the optimum set-up. With a buggy bodyshell and wing fitted it looks just like a smaller version of the new Atomic Carbon CR2 which is based upon the Losi XXX-CR and creating quite a stir in the 10th off-road scene with national TQ's and wins.
Gavin Stephenson was running an unusual looking buggy, designed by his Dad Stuart, featuring components from a multitude of Losi, Duratrax, Team Associated and most likely other brands micros. A one-off custom made carbon fibre chassis mates all these parts together and the finished product is huge in size compared to most 2WD 18th micros. The added length and width certainly makes the buggy appear to be very stable on track, and with the added benefit of a larger inboard mounted Novak Three80 sensored brushless motor it's seriously fast down the straights too. Could be a contender for the 2009/'10 BRCA micro nationals series title and is sure to be copied ! A Mk.2 version is also rumoured to be under construction.
In-board motor appears to be the way forward if your after maximising wheelbase to the 185mm limit within the BRCA rules. For those running a conventional rear motor 2WD the 164mm wheelbase Losi Mini-Desert Truck or 167mm Exotek Racing MXT chassis are the best solution from recent race results and testing.
A few new brushless speed controllers on display, firstly Cris Oxley returning to micro racing after a lay-off due to injury and university commitments had a 10th LRP SPX speedo fitted to his Shark ST. Whilst having a very large footprint the lack of a chunky heatsink meant this ESC could just about be squeezed into the car and under the bodyshell.
Secondly, John Timberlake trying out the Castle Creations Mamba Micro Pro in his Losi Mini-T for the first time was super impressed with how smooth it is, especially when you consider it's sensorless. Castle were the first to introduce programmable micro brushless systems to 18th scale racing so have a wealth of experience, and this their latest offering has a 35amp rating and is capable of running brushed and brushless motors plus accepting upto 3-cell LiPo or 12-cell NiMh batteries. The top choice for sensorless micro racers and now exclusively distributed to these shores by Horizon Hobby UK so supply and back-up should be equally great.
The good news is the change has worked, neither the converted 4WDs or regular 2WDs appeared to have a distinct advantage over each other which gave the desired effect of close fair racing. The softer grippy Losi tyres were the way to go in qualifying, but when the grip had really come up for the finals the firmer Associated and Thunder Tiger tyres had a distinct edge. Rib front and mini-pin rear were the favoured tread pattern combination.
Still with the 2WD theme prototypes were the main subject of talk at the meeting with some impressive finely crafted machines on display. TQ man Stephen Davies had built a truly stunning micro based upon the Losi Mini-T but with a custom made carbon fibre main chassis with the motor placed in-board X-6 style. Going a step further he even added a fourth gear to the transmission to maximise traction along with various other carbon and aluminium machined components to tune the suspension to the optimum set-up. With a buggy bodyshell and wing fitted it looks just like a smaller version of the new Atomic Carbon CR2 which is based upon the Losi XXX-CR and creating quite a stir in the 10th off-road scene with national TQ's and wins.
Gavin Stephenson was running an unusual looking buggy, designed by his Dad Stuart, featuring components from a multitude of Losi, Duratrax, Team Associated and most likely other brands micros. A one-off custom made carbon fibre chassis mates all these parts together and the finished product is huge in size compared to most 2WD 18th micros. The added length and width certainly makes the buggy appear to be very stable on track, and with the added benefit of a larger inboard mounted Novak Three80 sensored brushless motor it's seriously fast down the straights too. Could be a contender for the 2009/'10 BRCA micro nationals series title and is sure to be copied ! A Mk.2 version is also rumoured to be under construction.
In-board motor appears to be the way forward if your after maximising wheelbase to the 185mm limit within the BRCA rules. For those running a conventional rear motor 2WD the 164mm wheelbase Losi Mini-Desert Truck or 167mm Exotek Racing MXT chassis are the best solution from recent race results and testing.
A few new brushless speed controllers on display, firstly Cris Oxley returning to micro racing after a lay-off due to injury and university commitments had a 10th LRP SPX speedo fitted to his Shark ST. Whilst having a very large footprint the lack of a chunky heatsink meant this ESC could just about be squeezed into the car and under the bodyshell.
Secondly, John Timberlake trying out the Castle Creations Mamba Micro Pro in his Losi Mini-T for the first time was super impressed with how smooth it is, especially when you consider it's sensorless. Castle were the first to introduce programmable micro brushless systems to 18th scale racing so have a wealth of experience, and this their latest offering has a 35amp rating and is capable of running brushed and brushless motors plus accepting upto 3-cell LiPo or 12-cell NiMh batteries. The top choice for sensorless micro racers and now exclusively distributed to these shores by Horizon Hobby UK so supply and back-up should be equally great.
:: 2WD A-Final ::
The grid line up for the 2WD A-final consisted of CML Racing's Stephen Davies and his Losi Mini-X6 Prototype on pole, Gavin Stephenson's 'Bitsa' Prototype in second, Horizon hobby's John Timberlake with his Losi Mini-T Pro in third, Hereford's Andrew Vincent (Thunder Tiger ZT-2) fourth, Stuart 'Magic Brush' MacDonald (LRP Shark ST FT) fifth, Ricky MacGough (TT ZT-2) sixth, James C-Worrall (TT ZT-2) seventh and Ursula Wilson-Jones-Oxley (TT ZT-2) eighth.
Pole man Stephen got a lightening start and was almost around the first corner before the others had even moved. John also got a clean get-away as the rest of the pack jostled for positions during the first few laps. Ursula retired after three laps with a chewed-up spur gear ending her ZT-2's race.
Mid pack things were very close and after a poor start Gavin was slicing his way past the other cars with Andrew Vincent and Stuart MacDonald in toe. Around a third into the race Gavin caught up to John and after a couple of challenges made his way through and into hot pursuit of Steve. Andrew also capitalised upon the fight ahead for second and momentarily overtook John on the camel humps just before the start finish straight only to be retaken and gapped as John pushed his Mini-T hard to escape.
Steve was still controlling the race up-front and only pushing as hard as he needed to leaving a comfortable cushion between himself and Gavin now in a very secure looking second. The two would remain in these positions until the flag with Steve achieving a fantastic win with 14 laps in 5 minutes 14.41 seconds. Gavin's (317.54 sec) run was equally outstanding finishing only 3.13 seconds behind Steve proving his 'Bitsa' prototypes worth and his status in the 2WD class.
With only a minute or so to go John's Mini-T started to make some horrific noises as his spur was slowly being chomped away after the motor moved slightly when landing off a jump. John managed to nurse his car over the line in third with 13 laps in 319.33 sec ahead of Andrew Vincent (305.48 sec) not far behind in fourth with 12 laps and Stuart MacDonald (323.68 sec) fifth on 11 laps.
The battle for sixth place looked like it could go either way all race until a bad last two laps by Ricky MacGough (330.68 sec) handed it to Hereford club mate James C - Worrall (315.98 sec), both collecting 10 laps in the process.
Worthy of a mention is the ladies joining in the fun! Ursula Wilson-Jones at her first big meeting not only loved the days racing but also won the concourse trophy with her pink 'Hello Kitty' inspired Thunder Tiger ZT-2. Stuart MacDonald also enjoyed the 2WD class so much that he's now gone and ordered a proper 2WD, a Losi Mini-T Pro, to race with at the BRCA micro nationals. Top fella !
Leg 1, 2WD A-Final
Pole man Stephen got a lightening start and was almost around the first corner before the others had even moved. John also got a clean get-away as the rest of the pack jostled for positions during the first few laps. Ursula retired after three laps with a chewed-up spur gear ending her ZT-2's race.
Mid pack things were very close and after a poor start Gavin was slicing his way past the other cars with Andrew Vincent and Stuart MacDonald in toe. Around a third into the race Gavin caught up to John and after a couple of challenges made his way through and into hot pursuit of Steve. Andrew also capitalised upon the fight ahead for second and momentarily overtook John on the camel humps just before the start finish straight only to be retaken and gapped as John pushed his Mini-T hard to escape.
Steve was still controlling the race up-front and only pushing as hard as he needed to leaving a comfortable cushion between himself and Gavin now in a very secure looking second. The two would remain in these positions until the flag with Steve achieving a fantastic win with 14 laps in 5 minutes 14.41 seconds. Gavin's (317.54 sec) run was equally outstanding finishing only 3.13 seconds behind Steve proving his 'Bitsa' prototypes worth and his status in the 2WD class.
With only a minute or so to go John's Mini-T started to make some horrific noises as his spur was slowly being chomped away after the motor moved slightly when landing off a jump. John managed to nurse his car over the line in third with 13 laps in 319.33 sec ahead of Andrew Vincent (305.48 sec) not far behind in fourth with 12 laps and Stuart MacDonald (323.68 sec) fifth on 11 laps.
The battle for sixth place looked like it could go either way all race until a bad last two laps by Ricky MacGough (330.68 sec) handed it to Hereford club mate James C - Worrall (315.98 sec), both collecting 10 laps in the process.
Worthy of a mention is the ladies joining in the fun! Ursula Wilson-Jones at her first big meeting not only loved the days racing but also won the concourse trophy with her pink 'Hello Kitty' inspired Thunder Tiger ZT-2. Stuart MacDonald also enjoyed the 2WD class so much that he's now gone and ordered a proper 2WD, a Losi Mini-T Pro, to race with at the BRCA micro nationals. Top fella !
Leg 1, 2WD A-Final
| Pos | Car No. | Name | Chassis | Result | Avrg Lap | Best Lap |
| 1 | 1 | Stephen Davies | Losi Mini-X6 Prototype | 14 / 314.41 | 22.45 | 16.38 |
| 2 | 2 | Gavin Stephenson | Bitsa Prototype | 14 / 317.54 | 22.68 | 21.04 |
| 3 | 3 | John Timberlake | Losi Mini-T Pro | 13 / 319.33 | 24.56 | 19.95 |
| 4 | 4 | Andrew Vincent | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | 12 / 305.48 | 25.45 | 23.14 |
| 5 | 5 | Stuart MacDonald | LRP Shark ST FT | 11 / 323.68 | 29.42 | 21.46 |
| 6 | 7 | James C - Worrall | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | 10 / 315.98 | 31.59 | 25.33 |
| 7 | 6 | Ricky MacGough | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | 10 / 330.68 | 33.06 | 25.94 |
| 8 | 8 | Ursula Wilson-Jones | Thunder Tiger ZT-2 | 3 / 116.32 | 38.77 | 34.91 |
:: 4WD C-Final ::
John Howe lined up first on the 4WD C-final grid followed by Hereford's James C - Worrall in second, Ben 'BRCA' Clifton third, James Arnold and Mike Gray a pair of Gloucester racers both running RC18's in fourth and fifth respectively, Paul Perry sixth, Adrian Bagley seventh and young Harvey Hillman in eighth.
A cracking start by the top three really distanced themselves from the rest going into the second lap splitting the race into two distinct groups and making life difficult for anyone wanting to challenge the podium trio. James Arnold and Paul Perry were looking promising and gapping the others in a battle for fourth until an unlucky sixth lap for Paul threw his micro down the order behind the two Gloucester club RC18 runners. Great to see some different cars mixing it with the FTX Blaze/Vendetta STs and James put in a great performance on his RC18T's maiden outing to finish fourth with 11 laps in 303.12 seconds.
Even more impressive was Mike Gray (9 laps / 270.61 sec) who before the meeting commenced had never even driven a micro before, being more used to 10th tourers and minis. Mike came to the event as a spectator but James' spare RC18B was quickly prepped in practise so he could join in the fun. A big thanks goes to all those who helped to cobble the car together, and Mike enjoyed things that much he's going to buy a micro to race with at the nationals.
Up front James C - Worrall (12 laps / 304.01 sec) was driving super consistent after passing John Howe (12 laps / 316.19 sec) looking good in a very secure third but Ben Clifton just had the edge on the day, lapping faster than his fellow racers and managing to scrape an extra lap in the dieing moments to finish with a more than commendable and deserved 13 laps in 5 minutes 26.08 seconds.
Leg 1, 4WD C-Final
A cracking start by the top three really distanced themselves from the rest going into the second lap splitting the race into two distinct groups and making life difficult for anyone wanting to challenge the podium trio. James Arnold and Paul Perry were looking promising and gapping the others in a battle for fourth until an unlucky sixth lap for Paul threw his micro down the order behind the two Gloucester club RC18 runners. Great to see some different cars mixing it with the FTX Blaze/Vendetta STs and James put in a great performance on his RC18T's maiden outing to finish fourth with 11 laps in 303.12 seconds.
Even more impressive was Mike Gray (9 laps / 270.61 sec) who before the meeting commenced had never even driven a micro before, being more used to 10th tourers and minis. Mike came to the event as a spectator but James' spare RC18B was quickly prepped in practise so he could join in the fun. A big thanks goes to all those who helped to cobble the car together, and Mike enjoyed things that much he's going to buy a micro to race with at the nationals.
Up front James C - Worrall (12 laps / 304.01 sec) was driving super consistent after passing John Howe (12 laps / 316.19 sec) looking good in a very secure third but Ben Clifton just had the edge on the day, lapping faster than his fellow racers and managing to scrape an extra lap in the dieing moments to finish with a more than commendable and deserved 13 laps in 5 minutes 26.08 seconds.
Leg 1, 4WD C-Final
| Pos | Car No. | Name | Chassis | Result | Avrg Lap | Best Lap |
| 1 | 3 | Ben Clifton | LRP Shark ST FT | 13 / 326.08 | 25.08 | 18.23 |
| 2 | 2 | James C - Worrall | FTX Blaze ST | 12 / 304.01 | 25.33 | 19.21 |
| 3 | 1 | John Howe | LRP Shark ST FT | 12 / 316.19 | 26.34 | 18.97 |
| 4 | 4 | James Arnold | AE RC18T | 11 / 303.12 | 27.55 | 25.19 |
| 5 | 5 | Mike Gray | AE RC18B | 9 / 270.61 | 30.06 | 27.06 |
| 6 | 6 | Paul Perry | FTX Blaze ST | 9 / 287.38 | 31.93 | 23.47 |
| 7 | 8 | Harvey Hillman | FTX Blaze | 8 / 317.48 | 39.68 | 23.90 |
| 8 | 7 | Adrian Bagley | FTX Blaze | 1 / 31.11 | 31.11 | 31.11 |
:: 4WD B-Final ::
Bede Constantinides, who was very unlucky to just miss out on the A-final lined up his FTX Blaze ST in pole position on the 4WD B-final grid ahead of Ben Turner in second, John Toman third, Paul Hammond fourth, Steve Hawkins, fifth, WORM's Rychard Brind sixth, Stuart MacDonald seventh, Tim Byles eighth, Kieran MacGough ninth and Robert Hillman in tenth.
Paul Hammond, Ben Turner, Stuart MacDonald and Kieran MacGough made the most of a rocket speed start and first lap with pole man Bede Constantinides only two seconds behind. The whole grid for this final was very close and even the slightest mistake could prove to be very costly increasing the pressure on the drivers.
Ben was going great up front but a stonking lap five and six by Paul Hammond reeled him in and gave Paul the lead. Bede was also working hard to close the gap on the top two as the three of them were making a break from the main pack. The fight for fourth was immense, Stuart MacDonald (12 laps / 300.34 sec) initially having the position before passing it on to Steve Hawkins (13 laps / 325.24 sec) followed by Kieran MacGough (13 laps / 322.07 sec), who would revel in the pressure and eventually hold the position to the line with some exceptional driving.
On lap 12 Bede Constantinides (13 laps / 301.05 sec) made an awesome pass on Ben Turner (13 laps / 302.05 sec) to take second place, exactly one second apart when they collected the chequered flag a lap later. Whilst this was going on Paul Hammond had a sketchy penultimate lap but had done so much work earlier on he still finished the race with a comfortable lead and 14 laps in 5 minutes 16.61 seconds. Another well earned victory and a great lead-up to the A-final coming along next. Photo finish of the day was the battle for seventh taken by John Toman (12 laps/ 307.11 sec) by only 0.43 seconds from Rychard Brind (12 laps / 307.54 sec). A good national level micro racing debut for John and someone to watch out for at future meetings.
Leg 1, 4WD B-Final
Paul Hammond, Ben Turner, Stuart MacDonald and Kieran MacGough made the most of a rocket speed start and first lap with pole man Bede Constantinides only two seconds behind. The whole grid for this final was very close and even the slightest mistake could prove to be very costly increasing the pressure on the drivers.
Ben was going great up front but a stonking lap five and six by Paul Hammond reeled him in and gave Paul the lead. Bede was also working hard to close the gap on the top two as the three of them were making a break from the main pack. The fight for fourth was immense, Stuart MacDonald (12 laps / 300.34 sec) initially having the position before passing it on to Steve Hawkins (13 laps / 325.24 sec) followed by Kieran MacGough (13 laps / 322.07 sec), who would revel in the pressure and eventually hold the position to the line with some exceptional driving.
On lap 12 Bede Constantinides (13 laps / 301.05 sec) made an awesome pass on Ben Turner (13 laps / 302.05 sec) to take second place, exactly one second apart when they collected the chequered flag a lap later. Whilst this was going on Paul Hammond had a sketchy penultimate lap but had done so much work earlier on he still finished the race with a comfortable lead and 14 laps in 5 minutes 16.61 seconds. Another well earned victory and a great lead-up to the A-final coming along next. Photo finish of the day was the battle for seventh taken by John Toman (12 laps/ 307.11 sec) by only 0.43 seconds from Rychard Brind (12 laps / 307.54 sec). A good national level micro racing debut for John and someone to watch out for at future meetings.
Leg 1, 4WD B-Final
| Pos | Car No. | Name | Chassis | Result | Avrg Lap | Best Lap |
| 1 | 4 | Paul Hammond | LRP Shark ST FT | 14 / 316.61 | 22.61 | 20.50 |
| 2 | 1 | Bede Constantinides | FTX Blaze ST | 13 / 301.05 | 23.15 | 20.62 |
| 3 | 2 | Ben Turner | FTX Blaze ST | 13 / 302.05 | 23.23 | 20.89 |
| 4 | 9 | Kieran MacGough | FTX Blaze ST | 13 / 322.07 | 24.77 | 21.80 |
| 5 | 5 | Steve Hawkins | Duratrax Vendetta ST | 13 / 325.24 | 25.01 | 22.35 |
| 6 | 7 | Stuart MacDonald | LRP Shark ST FT | 12 / 300.34 | 25.02 | 22.84 |
| 7 | 3 | John Toman | LRP Shark ST FT | 12 / 307.11 | 25.59 | 21.48 |
| 8 | 6 | Rychard Brind | FTX Blaze ST | 12 / 307.54 | 25.62 | 21.64 |
| 9 | 10 | Robert Hillman | FTX Blaze ST | 12 / 310.71 | 25.89 | 21.79 |
| 10 | 8 | Tim Byles | FTX Blaze ST | 10 / 321.00 | 32.10 | 22.88 |
:: 4WD A-Final ::
Microtech Racing's Keith Robertson and his FTX Blaze ST sat with a clear view ahead on the A-Final grid with CML Racing's Stephen Davies second, Ade's Cakes's Chris Bottle third, Tekin's Dan Osborne fourth, Gavin Stephenson fifth, Mark Williamson sixth, Dan Harding seventh, UKMRC's Cris Oxley eighth, Andrew Vincent ninth and Phat Bodies' Simon Osborne in tenth.
The top three led by Keith looked like their micros were glued together from the very start - amazing driving, and being able to run so close without making a mistake proves just how exceptionally skilled these guys are. To cut a long story short they all drove a pretty much prefect race finishing in grid order with Chris Bottle (16 laps / 320.44 sec) third, Stephen Davies (16 laps / 316.02 sec) second and Keith Robertson (16 laps / 311.09 sec) taking the win in first. Whilst it may sound a little F1 with neither of the top three making a pass on each other, all race long the driving standard was just so high that none of them put a foot long to create an opportunity for the others.
Fourth place was much harder fought, with Cris Oxley looking good earlier on until he faded slightly and was passed by a hard charging Gavin Stephenson, having a great day after his second place in 2WD. Gavin (15 laps / 317.50 sec) looked almost certain to remain in fourth until on lap 13 he gave Dan Osborne (15 laps / 316.87 sec) just the opening he was looking for, finishing 0.63 seconds in front of Gavin in fifth.
Simon Osborne (14 laps / 321.11 sec) ended up seventh behind Cris (14 laps / 312.03 sec) in sixth whilst Hereford local Andrew Vincent (13 laps / 302.49 sec) finished just up the road from Dan Harding (13 laps / 307.83 sec) in ninth. Mark Williamson was unfortunate to retire after only eight laps but making the A-final at this level is an achievement in it's self so well done to all those who did so !
Looking forward to the soon to commence micro national series Chris Bootle and Steve Davis, both runners up for the past two years, are still on top form but for last season's 4WD winner Mark Stiles, Keith Robertson's performance today in his first big race meeting with the FTX Blaze ST will be giving him many sleepless nights if he hopes to retain his title.
Leg 1, 4WD A-Final
The top three led by Keith looked like their micros were glued together from the very start - amazing driving, and being able to run so close without making a mistake proves just how exceptionally skilled these guys are. To cut a long story short they all drove a pretty much prefect race finishing in grid order with Chris Bottle (16 laps / 320.44 sec) third, Stephen Davies (16 laps / 316.02 sec) second and Keith Robertson (16 laps / 311.09 sec) taking the win in first. Whilst it may sound a little F1 with neither of the top three making a pass on each other, all race long the driving standard was just so high that none of them put a foot long to create an opportunity for the others.
Fourth place was much harder fought, with Cris Oxley looking good earlier on until he faded slightly and was passed by a hard charging Gavin Stephenson, having a great day after his second place in 2WD. Gavin (15 laps / 317.50 sec) looked almost certain to remain in fourth until on lap 13 he gave Dan Osborne (15 laps / 316.87 sec) just the opening he was looking for, finishing 0.63 seconds in front of Gavin in fifth.
Simon Osborne (14 laps / 321.11 sec) ended up seventh behind Cris (14 laps / 312.03 sec) in sixth whilst Hereford local Andrew Vincent (13 laps / 302.49 sec) finished just up the road from Dan Harding (13 laps / 307.83 sec) in ninth. Mark Williamson was unfortunate to retire after only eight laps but making the A-final at this level is an achievement in it's self so well done to all those who did so !
Looking forward to the soon to commence micro national series Chris Bootle and Steve Davis, both runners up for the past two years, are still on top form but for last season's 4WD winner Mark Stiles, Keith Robertson's performance today in his first big race meeting with the FTX Blaze ST will be giving him many sleepless nights if he hopes to retain his title.
Leg 1, 4WD A-Final
| Pos | Car No. | Name | Chassis | Result | Avrg Lap | Best Lap |
| 1 | 1 | Keith Robertson | FTX Blaze ST | 16 / 311.09 | 19.44 | 15.34 |
| 2 | 2 | Stephen Davies | FTX Blaze ST | 16 / 316.02 | 19.75 | 15.56 |
| 3 | 3 | Chris Bottle | FTX Blaze ST | 16 / 320.44 | 20.02 | 15.89 |
| 4 | 4 | Dan Osborne | LRP Shark ST FT | 15 / 316.87 | 21.12 | 16.66 |
| 5 | 5 | Gavin Stephenson | Duratrax Vendetta ST | 15 / 317.50 | 21.16 | 19.19 |
| 6 | 8 | Cris Oxley | LRP Shark ST FT | 14 / 312.03 | 22.28 | 20.27 |
| 7 | 10 | Simon Osborne | LRP Shark ST FT | 14 / 321.11 | 22.93 | 21.45 |
| 8 | 9 | Andrew Vincent | FTX Blaze ST | 13 / 302.49 | 23.26 | 20.13 |
| 9 | 7 | Dan Harding | FTX Blaze ST | 13 / 307.83 | 23.67 | 19.88 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Williamson | FTX Blaze ST | 8 / 203.16 | 25.39 | 21.37 |
So another absolutely fantastic micro open meeting comes to an end at Hereford Radio Car Club. The whole Hereford team including chairman Steve Davis, vice chairman Chris Bootle and James Anderson on race control did an awesome job as usual, with the meeting running smoothly with no hitches and on-time.
The club will be running there traditional final round of the BRCA Micro National Series on Sunday 21st March '10, whilst the series it's self starts on 04th October '09 this year at Leighton Buzzard Model Car Club. Further details and entry forms can be found at www.brcamicro.org and www.mini-jt.co.uk.
The club will be running there traditional final round of the BRCA Micro National Series on Sunday 21st March '10, whilst the series it's self starts on 04th October '09 this year at Leighton Buzzard Model Car Club. Further details and entry forms can be found at www.brcamicro.org and www.mini-jt.co.uk.
:: Further Information ::
• Hereford Radio Car Club, www.1st-hrcc.co.uk
• Bridge Street Sports Centre, Leominster, Herefordshire. HR6 8EA.
• Hereford Radio Car Club, www.1st-hrcc.co.uk
• Bridge Street Sports Centre, Leominster, Herefordshire. HR6 8EA.
