[woodcote]

Carrera Classic Nascar

There was a full 12-car grid for this one - very encouraging for a new class - and we'll have to tweak the format next year to accommodate a bigger grid...

   

Ten early-70s models were joined by Jeremy's Fury and Andy's Bel-Air, both earlier models built to our Goodwood St Mary's Trophy regs with skinny tyres.

A pair of two-minute qualifying heats would split the field into two 20-lap races - the feature race for the fastest six and a consolation race for the rest. These big, heavy Carrera cars certainly made a change from the Scalextric BTCC action - times were a second a lap slower and everything rather more sideways!

   

Oliver put his Torino on pole with a 13:801 lap, everyone else in the 14s and 15s apart from Isaac and Rob who had car issues. The crucial sixth and seventh place cut-off saw the two St Mary's car battle it out - Andy shading Jeremy by 0.463 of a second to grab the final place in the feature race.

   

Jeremy started from pole in the consolation race and drove a near-perfect 20 laps as carnage ensued behind him. By half distance, the Richard Petty Fury had lapped everyone, with the McCann Roadrunner ahead of Rob's rejuvenated Charger in second and third. Isaac led Simon and Ollie. The two youngsters were heavy on the gas and needed to pit twice - both their cars also had trips to the parquet flooring, hopefully without too much damage. Jeremy cruised home, a lap ahead of Rob, two ahead of Stephen & Daniel, three ahead of Isaac and four laps ahead Ollie and Simon.

   

The feature race promised to be quicker and closer. Oliver and Mike lined up on the first row, followed by Alex and Dean, then Terry and Andy...

   

The pole-sitter was fairly quickly shuffled through the pack, leaving Dean to take control at the front. Five laps in, Dean led Mike and they were followed by Alex, Andy, Terry and Oliver was already a lap back. It was an exciting race, the occasional error proving costly, but Dean, Mike, Alex and the recovering Oliver certainly put on a great show with the big cars. A second pit stop for Mike dropped him out of contention and it looked like Dean's Torino had the race under control with just two laps to go...

   

However, disaster struck on the final time round, as Dean dropped from first to third - Alex grabbing the win and Oliver second. Bad luck for Dean, but Alex was delighted to get his first win of the day...

   

Here are the stats...

   

And that left us the small matter of our BTCC championship decider...