After taking a full month off to get the rules and BOP, balance of performance, sorted out the club was ready to hold the first round of the Goodwood Tourist Trophy. The race ended up being lots of fun and very enlightening.
BOP Ruling
Just in case you are not one to read the rules or attend club meetings the BOP stated that if the rear track on your car is 55mm or less you were allowed to run 10mm width rear wheels and tires. If you rear track was wider than 55mm you had to run 9mm rear tires.
The starting grid was easily one of the most expensive we have ever had. It was more like the real thing with so many $180 plus cars on the grid. Racer cars were the choice of the field followed by a mix of Fly Ferrari 250GT’s. The unique ones were the very well prepared Shelby Daytona Cobra and the soon to be prepared Chevrolet Corvette Gran Sport. In all eleven racers brought out the shelf queens to do battle.
The highlights of the race
Ary’s Fly Ferrari 250GTO was the fastest thing on wheels. No one would have believed the sale Fly Ferrari could be that fast – amazing. Ary worked his magic and then backed up a well prepared car by driving within the limits and setting fast lap of 3.974 and laying down 215 laps when all was said and done.
David and Marty were running nearly identical Racer Ferrari racing kit 250LM’s. Both cars were running lexan interiors but that is where the similarities ended. Marty chose to run an in-line set up with a NSR Shark 25K motor while David kept the sidewinder set up with a 21.5K Slot It motor. David’s car also used CB Design wheels where Marty stuck with the stock Racer wire wheels. Both were running 30 shore tires and both were red. What was the result of having so many similarities? Both cars finished with 211 laps with Marty’s car getting a quarter of a lap more out of his to take second place while David’s nearly identical car took third. David did have the faster fast lap with a time of 4.023 to Marty’s 4.038.
Russell’s Monogram Shelby Daytona Cobra was another highlight. Like all cars Russell runs, this one was immaculately prepared, Penske-ish. He used his custom building magic to rework the existing chassis and build in a pod to provide some float. He also made a custom interior with super lightweight parts that made the Daytona a car to contend with. At the end of the day Russell ended up in fourth place with a total of 209 laps and a fast lap of 4.061.
Roy was in fifth place overall running another beautifully prepared Fly Ferrari 250GTO in green and yellow from Russell’s collection. Roy’s nearly year absence has not seemed to affect his driving as he kept the Fly Ferrari in the slot for most of the laps. The car was not the fastest but was consistent. Roy finished with 197.86 laps and a fast lap of 4.296. It was great to see a Ferrari in a color other than red!
Jordan did a great job to finish in sixth with a Racer Ferrari that looked more like a bucking bronco than slot car. He used all of his driving skills to keep the car in the slot and upright – not an easy thing to do. He was running the full Racer resin interior and I am sure the weight of this played a role in his car handling. I am sure his racing team mechanic will get the car in order for the next race which, due to the delay in getting the series started, is just one week away. I am betting Jordan will be much faster for the next rounds.
Mark was seventh overall and first in the B Group with a lap total of 192.02. Mark did not have the fastest B Group car with a fast lap of 4.418 but his controlled driving kept his car in the slot and out of trouble – one of the big keys to winning. His Fly Ferrari 250GTO was another great runner.
Mark was chased for the whole race by John and his Racer Silver Line Ferrari 250GTO. John’s Ferrari was slightly faster but had a few more de-slots that kept John from taking the top spot for the B Group racers. John finished with a lap total of 189.05 but had a fast lap of 4.377, the best of the B Group racers.
Third place in the B Group was Randy and his beautiful Racer Silver Line 275GTB. Randy had a good run after a last minute tire change. The tires that came on the Racer were Firestone tires that were too wide and were not approved by the scrutineers. These were quickly replaced with newly trued BF Goodrich Racer TT tires. Randy had a solid race and was getting better heat by heat. He finished with a total of 180.35 laps and a fast lap time of 4.536.
Brett and his blue Fly Ferrari 250GTO was another victim of mechanical and controller issues. Brett’s car seemed to have a mind of its own as it became difficult for Brett to drive coming out of the turns. The race was stopped at one point just to have a quick look at the difficult Ferrari but no obvious things were discovered. The sensitivity on the controller was adjusted down from 11 to 4 and the car became a little more manageable. Brett finished with 171.85 lap and a fast lap of 4.46.
The last place car was the Monogram Corvette Gran Sport of Hello Kitty Racing. Rich and his straight from the box, well there were some rear tires thrown on at the last minute, had quite the race. Rich bumped around the track for 156 laps and tried to just keep his car out of everyone’s way. With little time to prepare a car Rich went with what he had. Prop’s to Rich for entering the race and just running. His fast lap of 4.868 was the slowest but it was the fastest for a completely stock car. Good luck getting your car ready for the next round.
The next round of the series is February 11th. Check back and see how all your favorite racers managed. We are looking forward to running again so soon.
