Mendip Foam 2008

B.R.C.A. 1/10th I.C. 200mm Foam National
Round 3 At Mendip Club on 18th May 2008

This circuit near Weston-super-Mare is one where you don’t want to hit the kerbs, speeds are high with a fast back straight but fast flowing infield.

Saturday
With overnight rain the track was damp, but soon the track was drying out and we had a full rostrum most of the morning. The hills around Mendip were full of rain and Taunton had thunder storms and heavy rain, but somehow we escaped any rain, and everyone had a good practice.
Sunday
With a dry circuit and a dry forecast Vice Chairman Wayne Lander called a drivers briefing just before 9:00am and reminded everybody about the rules and the penalties for breaking them, reinforced by race director Malcolm Norwood and Kevin Kennedy from the Mendip club.
Qualifying
Everyone went for the softer foam tyres to start the first round, and Kyle Branson found the right set-up to put in a blistering run with 18 laps in 310, so then Mark Green went and did the same yes 18 laps in 310 while Darren Johnson had a few problems with his XRay NT1 front diff. By the time round three started the sun was shining, but some drivers were struggling for grip down the back straight and into the right hand sweeper. Darren Johnson the only improver here with 18 laps in 316.
Qualifying complete saw many comment on the lack of grip on the now completely dry track, very strange indeed!

Finals Top Three
E Final
1st Hayley Baker
2nd Les Mainwaring
3rd Andy Hill

A Special mention for new comer Hayley Baker who started racing 7 years ago with a Tamiya TL0, but wishes she had started earlier. She would like to see more girls/ladies take up the sport and she is very pleased with her XRay NT1 to take her first in an E Final. She has also secured some sponsorship from Mirage Racing via Galaxy Models & Hobbies of Ipswich and Mum & Dad, keep up the good work Hayley!

The talk all day was that this final was going to be tight but no one expected to see certain names in the retirement list but that’s racing. The start was clean with all cars in grid formation for the first lap and then Darren Johnson started to have problems with his rear belt, then Chris Slater lost a wheel nut. Kyle Branson led from Mark Green and Stephen Brown, until lap 18 brought problems for Stephen and Mark Gilliland now took 3rd. Mark Green took the lead from Kyle Branson and held it going into the pit stops. Lap 22 saw Darren retire as the rear belt finally gave up the ghost, and at the first fuel stop Mark Gilliland stalled and found he had stripped his spur gear. Swift pit work got him back out but obviously way down. Mark Green still led Kyle Branson with Robin Hammett in 3rd. Johnathan Dobney retired on lap 49 with radio interference, while Mark Green came in for fuel and his car stalled again. Stephen Brown retired on lap 56 also with radio interference, while up front Kyle was back in the lead, ahead of Robin Hammett and Gareth Bell. On lap 60 Simon Wood passed Gareth and took 3rd place. On lap 71 Mark Green lost control and kept spinning in circles so that was Marks race over and Mark Gilliland retired with another stripped spur gear to leave just five cars running!
Kyle Branson took his first ever British National Championship win, at 14-years old the little ace took his Serpent 720 to a 2 lap winning margin over Robin Hammett, Gareth Bell, Simon Wood and Chris Slater 5th.
Many thanks from the BRCA 1/10TH IC Section to Mendip Club and Kevin Kennedy and our own Malcolm Norwood for a very smooth run meeting.