The third round of the Championship was held at the Wombwell circuit in south Yorkshire. This track was one of the first in this country to race 1:8 scale cars with many drivers saying it is one of the best drivers tracks around and once the grip is high and you have a confident set-up, then it is a dream to drive and very rewarding after you have produced a good run. The track contains a narrow infield with a long straight and flowing sweepers which allows the car to change gear at least three times per lap. With the cancelation of last year’s event due to bad weather, it was the first time for many at this track and what also greeted the regulars were a new rostrum and race control cabin which has made a massive difference to the club’s set-up and increased the visibility. With the weather forecast being sunny all weekend, it would be the first race of the year that rain would not play any part during the day. Into heat four and it was Motonica driver Daniel Bancroft with his new CBR Picco engine that hit the 17 lap bracket with Ashley Gouveia back in second but recording a good 17 lapper in the process. In heat five, the first casualty was Mark Green with a loose pulley so it was left to Tim Wood, Andy North and John Carr to take the first round spoils with Tim coming out on top by a second with John and Andy half a second behind. The new round and heat four saw Daniel Bancroft get the better or Neal King to record a time which put him in the top three overall. Heat five and it was Mark Green who recorded the first and only 18 lapper of the day to secure TQ. John Carr and Tim Wood had a tight battle with the former coming out on top this time. The third round was won by Neal King winning the round but with only a 16 lap result – almost a lap shy of the last heat. Heat five and it was Mark Green who showed good consistency to record another 18 lapper, but ran out of fuel on the last lap so remained on 17 laps. Tim Wood and Andy North both improved to guarantee a decent grid position for the final. The final round and in heat four Daniel Bancroft again showed very good pace to record a quick 17 lapper that would leave him fifth overall. In heat five Mark Green did not complete a full lap so it was Tim Wood who took full advantage and just missed out on 18 laps to place him second overall.
Result – Qualifying
1. Mark Green – Serpent/Novarossi/Exceed – 17 laps 313 seconds
2. Tim Wood – Serpent/OS/Savox/Blue Lightning – 17 laps 300 seconds
3. John Carr – Serpent/OS/Blue Lightning – 17 laps 302 seconds
4. Andy North – Mugen/Sirio/Contact – 17 laps 303 seconds
5. Daniel Bancroft – Motonica/CBR Picco – 17 laps 305 seconds
6. Andrew Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 laps 307 seconds
7. Neal King – Capricorn/XRD/Contact/Runner Time – 17 laps 307 seconds
8. Jason Frost – Serpent/Sirio – 17 laps 309 seconds
9. Pete Hastings – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 laps 310 seconds
10. Ashley Gouveia – Shepherd/Sonic – 17 laps 314 seconds
A Final
The main final blasted away in grid order with the first casualty being John Carr who did not make the start due to a transmission issue. Neal King however, made a rapid start and moved his way up to second and with Mark Green pulling away upfront. The gap between Neal King, Tim Wood, Andy North and Jason Frost was consistent up to the second round of pit stops. Back in sixth was Daniel Bancroft who was steady applying pressure to the lead runners and after a few driving errors by Andy North mid race, allowed him to catch up to Jason Frost and apply some pressure. Upfront Mark Green had a comfortable lead from Tim Wood since Neal King started to struggle with low tyres and soon came under pressure from Jason Frost in the closing stages, but he held onto third.
Result – A Final
1. Mark Green – 100 laps 1816 seconds
2. Tim Wood – 98 laps 1816 seconds
3. Neal King – 97 laps 1800 seconds
4. Jason Frost – 97 laps 1801 seconds
}5. Daniel Bancroft – 97 laps 1814 seconds
6. Andy North – 94 laps 1764 seconds
}7. Ashley Gouveia – 89 laps 1806 seconds
8. Andrew Hastings – 85 laps 1805 seconds
9. Pete Hastings – 80 laps 1805 seconds
10. John Carr – 68 laps 1817 seconds
The next round will be at Adur track in Brighton in two weeks time.
