Mini Astroturf Masters - Round 1

Despite severe over night weather the Astroturf track was made driveable by the club and committee members and racing was under way bang on schedule. The far right banked hairpin was cut off but otherwise the little 1/12th Truggies wee running the full circuit that is a challenge even for 1/8th Buggies and truggies! The speed of the little beasts impressed everyone, as did their ability to soak up enormous crashes in very cold conditions, a sign of the quality construction and component materials incorporated in the design of the HoBao Mini ST. A cracking day was had by all, and it was good to see some smiling faces, RC cars generating a friendly and fun atmosphere even in cold, windy conditions. After the four rounds of 6 minute qualifying heats, all the finals were 20 minutes duration which proved a test of reliability and concentration. Plenty of track time for everybody! In the Mini Truggy class, top marks went to the unstoppable Mark Hall for taking all four heat wins to set pole position, and he duly charged off to win the A Final. Dez took second with his Mini ST after a failed fuel strategy cost him dearly, recovering only just enough to beat Chris Morral to second spot by the end. Mark Ashforth had a run away in warm up, so didn't make the grid, which denied us of another potentially close battle, leaving Tony Jephcott to claim 4th place. Truggy A Final 1st Mark Hall 2nd Dez Chand 3rd Chris Morral In the Truggy B final it was the Mini ST of Michael Shorey that took the top spot ahead of Leon Goode and Arron Rutland, leaving Chris Adams and David stone to enjoy a close fight over fourth with their new Mini ST's which were seeing the track for the first time. Truggy B Final 1st Michael Shorey 2nd Leon Goode 3rd Arron Rutland Leon Goode set the fastest time of anyone in the finals with a cracking 30.84 secs which many 1/8th Buggy drivers would have been proud of in the wet conditions. The formula insists on Ballistic Buggy tyres (almost everyone was on Soft "Pinks" but a few medium "Greens" in use) which were the perfect choice, hooking into the damp surface and making the circuit really enjoyable. In the 1/10th Support class it was Paul Dickens and his RC10GT2 that cleaned up, after pole man Rich Chillingsworth succumed to water ingress half way through the race, leaving Steve Bearman and Callum Chand to complete the rostrum. Truck Final 1st Paul Dickens 2nd Steve Bearman 3rd Callum Chand We look forward to seeing everyone for round 2, on December 14th. Full results, more pics, race calendar and forum chat at www.cmcc-online.com