Reedy Power does it again at BRCA 1/12th National R3

Round 3 of the 2014/15 BRCA 1/12 Scale Nationals took place at Tamworth near Birmingham last weekend. The flowing track layout provided some excellent racing across the field throughout the 2-day event. There was additional coverage of the event in the form of a live radio broadcast provided by Downforce Radio (www.downforce-radio.co.uk). The race commentary can be played back by following the links on their homepage or downloaded as a podcast by searching for ‘downforce radio’.

The weekend is split into two separate race meetings, with classes for 13.5 and 10.5 stock on Saturday and 10.5 and open modified on Sunday.

Saturday
In the 10.5 stock class, Olly Jefferies was in his usual form driving his Reedy powered chassis. However, a new challenger came to this event in the form of German driver and current European 1/12 stock champion Markus Mobers. Markus drove to an impressive TQ which brought to an end Olly’s run which has seen him display the number 1 on his car for a continuous period of well over a year. David Spashett would line up 3rd for the A-final ahead of Mark Stiles, who completed the second row with his Reedy powered Yokomo chassis.

The A-final was a gripping spectacle for those watching and a brilliant race for those taking part in it. Beforehand the question was asked could Olly race closely with other cars in a heads up race, mainly due to the fact that he has completely dominated the season so far and in most of the races has been way out ahead on his own and under minimal pressure. The answer came in the form of a breath taking pass for the lead which drew a gasp from the watching crowd. Markus ran ever so slightly wide exiting a chicane, and Olly capitalised on what may have been his only opportunity to get into the lead to position his car inch perfectly and squeeze though a gap of barely 2 car widths wide. A better pass you are unlikely to see anywhere; it required surgical precision and mutual respect between the two drivers. The pair raced closely for the entire 8 minute race and crossed the finishing line a fraction of a second apart. Elsewhere in the race there were other battles raging, including that between Mark Stiles and Chris Kerswell for 3rd place. Mark managed to keep his cool despite sustained pressure from Chris and they finished 3rd and 4th respectively ahead of David Spashett, who dropped to 5th following an earlier mistake.

In the 13.5 class, Keith Robertson was top qualifier driving his Reedy/Viper powered Associated 12R5.2 and converted that to the class win after working back through the field following an incident in the opening laps.  This moves Keith to the top of the championship after the three rounds.

Sunday
After the superb racing on Saturday’s event, everyone was looking forward to faster motors and more grip on Sunday. There were a few bleary eyed races in the pits on Sunday morning following the annual BRCA 1/12 section Christmas party where several of the revellers remained in a cocktail bar until the early hours of the morning!

In open modified battle was once again waged between Jefferies and Mobers, but this time it was Olly who came out on top and would line up at the front of the A-final grid. Markus was 2nd ahead of Adam Walker-Catchpole. Mark Stiles was 4th on the grid again ahead of the guy he’s spent most of this season racing with, David Spashett.

The A-final was once again a cracker, with Jefferies and Mobers pulling away from the field and totally dominating the race. Despite a few minor errors and having a car that by his own admission was not as good as he’d had in qualifying, Olly held on to take the win. Markus remained close enough for a last gasp attempt at passing Olly into the last corner, but he was unsuccessful and had to settle for 2nd place. David Spashett was and excellent 3rd ahead of Mark Stiles, who was running strongly and had pressure David for a large portion of the race before falling back after a mistake in the closing stages.

The sport class was dominated by an in-form Jim Spencer. He drove his Reedy powered chassis to a comfortable TQ over the Associated of David Gale, and then the A final win. A solid run from another Reedy powered driver Tim Wood saw him finish 2nd ahead of championship leader Keith Robertson.

So 3 TQ’s, all 4 A-final wins and more than half of the podium places filled by Reedy powered cars!

A massive thank you to all of the Tamworth club officials and members who helped to organise and run the meeting, including the catering staff who worked tirelessly throughout the two days. In recent years this has become the benchmark event on the calendar and that trend looks set to continue. Round 4 takes place at Crewe in January.

More info & full results; http://www.brca.org/sections/subsections/pages/brca-lmp12-nationals/24542