Stu Evans thought it would be a jolly good idea to come to the final three rounds of the Schumacher Worksop winter series - to get me back into producing stupid reports after a such a long layoff from being poory / feeling sorry for myself. Man bra's are ace! I got one yesterday which pulls my shoulders back - apparently all these mad diseases and crazy drugs that ruin 2013 for me for all for naught - since it's just my posture. No idea how long I have to wear the special man bra but it feels more an instrument of torture than one of relief. Anyway so after an evening meal with 'the lads' and a sofa at Farmer Helliwell's - we just about got enough sleep for the day ahead after 5 or so minute dash to the track which was already heaving packed with sardine-like-humans. Such a strange atmosphere when the only life I've seen for quite a while is the dust on my work room floor as I slowly get back into my vast workload. 10th and 8th brca national jockeys hate me so much that I thought there might be a lynching but it was only a stareing match in the end. The hateful states forcing me to look down at my computer. And then the pain drugs wore off. The toilet area at Worksop has always been a disgrace - so much that a camera wasn't able to handle it - and we never got photos of the true turdy horror - with holes in the floor and stains upon stains - upon whatever bodyly artifacts. BizWOW - with the vast piles of cash these guys rape out of us year after year - the corruption has finally ceased and the toilets have been given a total refresh. Some have enterred and assumed wrongly that it must be either staff or ladies toilets so have left their expulsions in the hallway outside. Barry Williams wants a mirror, we don't know why, it's quite clear he has not seen one for a number of years.
Not everyone was 100% happy with the refurbushed poo-house, many racers have been coming to the venue for 20 years and had grown to like the facilities as they were. These guys have a facebook campaign to un-refurbish them to their pervious state, please visit www.facebook.com/iwannafuckadog The racing got underway a little after 9am with 2WD on the track first of all.
Richard Lowe and Neil Cragg battled for position but it was Neil Cragg running the all not-new Centro 2WD buggy that put in some fast laps toward the end to take the overall victory. Local hero and former touring car special boy Leon Morrell finished dead last in round one. 4WD class round one came around and the oOple favourite for the win, Chris Doughty, didn't disappoint. Neil Cragg had a few errors. Greg Williams briefly took up the lead - then Richard lowe had a punt. After it was all done and Chris had a clear track he took the win by two seconds over Cragg, with Craig Collinson
After a decent start in 2WD - Neil Cragg backed it up with a real dominaor of a performance - Cragg kick in the head of his previous time - putting in a 17 lap run with Craig Collinson just 2 seconds off the extra lap and Richard Lowe approximately 2.5 further back.
With a victory already under his belt - the Doughtynator was too relaxed in round two - or to be more exact, Neil Cragg's ass was on fire as he put in consistent 17 second laps until the very last one. Doughty looked good in second but some errors dropped him to 4th. Greg Williams took up the chase but no one was going to get close to Cragg who blitzed it and once again was the only driver to steal an extra (18th) lap. Greg was 7.65 seconds off the extra lap with Craig Collinson just a second further back.
Send Stu Evans - oOple man in the extreme - on a mission to get some mad shots with the fish eye cam, this is what you get.
Stu loves to sniff things - a brand new TLR 22-4 (XX4) was handed over so we could get to enjoy the new car close up and personal. After a good sniff as he carefully manipulated the blade I 'pumped' the box to give him a real good dose of the gas coming off the new super car. Left: DOG MILK is coming Me - I'm a taster - I had to get my face into the kit and whilst I enjoy a good sniff there's nothing better than getting a new kit in your hands and licking and chewing all the parts. This is racing - this is how we roll, because we love it.
And it wasn't even our car. Thanks Shane for the lend!
Neil Cragg again was the only one to make it through for the 17th lap - shaving a second off his previous time. Nathan waters was 5 seconds off 17 laps in second place - Cragg is on fire.
Cragg once again took the 4WD win with another untouched 18 lap run, Chris Doughty put in his best run a couple of seconds off the extrra lap. Craig Collinson took third in round wltih Nathan Waters just behind.
Cragg made a mistake in the final round of 4WD and his new team mate Greg Williams took the close fought round tq. Cragg finished less than a second behind with Nathan Waters 4 seconds back on the AE pair.
2WD A Final After a great start - Neil Cragg took off from pole on the grid for a nice clean run to the next corner - the other drivers having pretty much an extra corner to negotiate. Cragg made an error at the other side of the track from me (remind me to get someone to help out properly next time :)
Nathan Waters - gone now from Durango and racing for Schumacher. Nathan took the lead on the first lap and despite some back and forth action - Nathan crossed the line in the lead for all 17 of his laps for the win. Mistakes from Cragg moved him all round the running order but he was clearly quicker than anyone else - he just didn't have the luck as he put in the only sub 18 second lap.
Craig Collinson and Cragg had a big battle for second place but it was Collinson that hung on for the win after some close racing. Cragg dropped down to 4th after another mistake but passed Paul Fox for third and that's how it ended, 5 seconds adrift of Collinson who was a couple of seconds off the extra lap claimed by winner Nathan Waters of HPI fame.
After a bit of a disappointment in 2WD that was nearly too much to bear - Neil got his thinking cap on for the 4WD final and concluded it would be unwise to crash and even better to drive the nubs off his B44.2. Neil quickly built up a lead over Greg Williams since Greg was down to 8th after lap one. So it was the mighty Chris Doughty chasing in second and Craig Collinson and "a white car" driven by Nathan Waters did battle just behind.
Things weren't moving much in the top 5 - but by half race distance Cragg had already lapped several cars that the chasing pack (well spaced pack) were yet to reach. When they did there was some frantic wheel-to-wheel action. Craig Collinson got a big shunt and Nathan was past - Collinson dropped another position as Rochard Lowe took up 4th.
In the end however it was all for naught - Craggy was in the groove and when he's like that it's all but over for anyone else.
First report in quite a while as I've slowly recovered from my shoulder pain, so please forgive if it's a bit naff. Huge appologies for all the late reports I've yet to finish, but they will be done. 2014 is when oOple gets better than ever :) |