BRCA R3 Boughton – 4wd Qualifying Round 1

Blazing sunshine was evident as drivers arrived in cars and emerged from tents this morning at the Boughton Raceway for the 4wd section of the meeting – one camper commenting that it was about forty degrees in his tent at 5am! Thankfully we were staying at a local budget hotel as we need to be well rested to keep up with todays non-stop racing action.

The track…..

Actions speak louder than words…. here’s the trackwalk video for 4wd.

2022 BRCA 1/10th Offroad National Championships

Round 3 – Boughton – 11/12 June 2022

Practice….

Practice got underway after a short drivers briefing which honed down on some basic dicipline from racers. Placing your numbers correctly on the car and minding your manners on the rostrum were some of the subjects highlighted. The BRCA has a world renowned tradition for orderly racing and these subjects must be broached now and again to ensure those high standards remain.

The good/bad news is that the track is still very loose, even for 4wd. Many of the cars broad sliding across the track whilst trying to power down onto the straight. Some drivers are able to find an advantage in these conditions which is good news, but lots struggle all day which is not so good.

At the sharp end, many of the drivers disregarded putting in an overall time, many stopping to make radio and setup adjustments during the run. Michal Orlowski and Tommy Hall were an exception to this as they put in the top overall times. Lee Martin put in the fastest lap of 25.71

4wd Qualifying Round 1

The conditions had been consistently inconsistent here at Boughton Raceway over the weekend – sunshine, overcast, high wind, low breeze and every combination of these. 4wd Qualifying Round 1 got underway in windy sunshine, the air temperature cold enough to warrant a light jacket, yet the track temperature very warm to the touch. All drivers are suffering from a lack of feel from the cars as they squirm and move around the loose surface.

The first driver to top the table in Round 1 was Dylan Richardson from Heat 1. The heat is like a nursery of potential as we are hopefully looking at the stars of tomorrow. The times tumbled through the early to mid heats and as per 2wd it was yesterday’s Top F5 driver and overall winner, Michal Orlowski who was first to make a significant indent into the times from Heat 6 with a 12/313.90 – nearly lapping the field.

Orlowski’s first challenger was Paul Crompton from Heat 8 – the second from top heat. Crompton attacked the track like a scalded cat with plenty of bobbles and mistakes and even a champions roll – but still managed to pip Orlowski’s time with a 12/311.62. The pace is hot, but Paul’s attacking style is not compatible the other drivers potentially on the A Final grid. Neil Cragg was the lead driver in heat 9 which ran just as the wind dipped and the sun came out again – Neil’s car visibly moving around more as the heat went on and he only managed 12/315.05 leaving him third in round.

Overall top 10 after 4wd Qualifying Round 1