Last weekend saw the second round of the popular Silverstone Winter Series. With 15 heats it was sure to be a busy day and there were 100 plus drivers in the 2WD class alone. Competition was very high with several regular national A finalists in attendance along with some good 1:8 off-road drivers who enjoy a bit of electric in the warmth during winter. The club had laid an excellent track with plenty of jumps creating the off-road feeling, a “love it or hate it” slippery section, tight twisty parts as well as some nice flowing fast corners.
The 4WD class would be a close run battle between Lee Martin and Schumacher’s Tom Cockerill. Qualifying was very fast and frantic with all the top drivers grouped in the same heat. The results were split with Tom and Lee taking two rounds each, mistakes being the defining factor to each drivers fortunes on this high-grip, high-speed track. Lee would come out on top, taking pole by virtue of the faster time in the final round. In the final Tom tried all he could to take the win, posting the fastest laps of the race, but a few little mistakes allowed Lee to take the win with Tom second and Chris Bowater not far behind in third.
The 2WD category was very much the blue ribbon class of the day with all the top drivers and sure to be a close fought affair. A few changes had happened since the opening round last month. Kev Lee had moved on to a new team and a pre-production batch of the new Schumacher Cougar KFs were now out so the drivers had time to get their car’s dialled in to the unique track. There was a real buzz around the track to see how the day would pan out.
The top drivers were spread over three heats in qualifying, meaning that the top ten wouldn’t get to race each other until the end of the day. Qualifying was again split between two drivers, but in reality was much closer than it looked on paper with Simon Moss very quick with his KF. Kev Lee started the day strongest taking the two opening rounds. However, Tom Cockerill would find pace in the third round to take the win and a new fastest time of the day. The showdown was set for the fourth and final round of qualifying and Tom came out on top again, but not quite as quick as round three, but fast enough to ensure he lined up on pole for the single A final. Simon Moss would take fourth on the grid with his Schumacher car and was joined in the final by Lloyd Storey and Nathan Waters both running the new 2WD.
The final was action packed with close racing throughout the field. Tom led from tone to finish and a very controlled drive, keeping the gap to second between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds throughout the race. Behind the front two, a couple of early mistakes shook up the race order, then followed 5 mins of great racing, with the KF cars coming through to take the next three spots, giving two on the podium and four in the top five – a great result for the new car!
2WD A Final
1. Tom Cockerill (Schumacher Cougar KF)
2. Kevin Lee
3. Simon Moss (Schumacher Cougar KF)
4. Lloyd Storey (Schumacher Cougar KF)
5. Nathan Waters (Schumacher Cougar KF)
6. Lee Martin
7. Richard Barton
8. Tom Yardy
9. David Burton
10. Elliott Boots
Once again, thanks to the Silverstone club for a great days racing on a very good track – we hope to see you all there in a month for round three.
Source: Schumacher
