NE regionals 2017 - Pre Batley.

NE BRCA outdoor regionals 2017 ............. here we go!

Batley, 23rd April 2017

Batley, once a UK national track that admitedly has seen better days, has been a big part of our RC history in the UK.... and maybe further than that (cast your mind back to the secret Losi test days in 2005 with the USA team.)

 ... it's all to play for and every one of the 68 pre booked in competitors will be arriving with prepped cars and hopes of a sunny dry Batley track ...... unlike last year:

 ........ 2016 flashback: 

"With F1 Craig Collinson already regional champion, he watched from the sidelines as the rest of the region battled for the Batley spoils.

The Batley track varied between wet and damp all day, with frequent rain showers. Schumacher Silver Minipins seemed to be the tyre of choice for the rear, with Schumacher silver wide stagger ribs on the front for most. "

TQ was taken by Schumacher driver Neil Adamson, taking 3 of the 4 rounds of qualifying.

The final remained a slippery affair, and a few position changes took place, with the final result:

1 - Chris Pattinson - Schumacher K2
2 - Jeff Steele - Schumacher K2 (and fastest lap)
3 & TQ - Neil Adamson - Schumacher K2
4 - Chris Clarke - Schumacher K2 (Top Vet)
5 - Phillip Carrick
6 - Neil Hamilton
7 - Richard Coates - Schumacher K2
8 - Kevin Brewer
9 - Lee Talbot
10 - Jack Hirst

In the damp:

And from the year before, in the dry:

Onto 2017

Tyre change for 2017:

A decision was taken to limit the number of tyre tread patterns allowed for 2017. This was an effort to limit the cost and quantity of tyres purchased by our racers. And so, for the whole NE regional series, tyres are limited to Schumacher Minispikes or Schumacher MiniDarts, and Ballistic Buggy Spikes.

http://www.racing-cars.com/

This in effect means no one needs to buy Minipin tyres for the series.
Feedback has been positive, to the point where for 2018, it has been suggested only two tyre types be allowed.

Shop:
Mike Parker will be there with his model shop, for all of your tyre and other needs.
http://number5rc.co.uk/


Booking in:

Seeded (on F rating) booking in closed on Thursday, and so 68 drivers will be seeded, this is up from 2016 Batley 4wd entry of 50 drivers (incl non regional).

Unseeded booking in will be open on the day.


Drivers listing observations:

Nice to see a few regional aces from the past booked in, Ben Riley, Graham North, Arslaan Butt, Greg Williams. Should be an entertaining meeting. Also a great entry from NEAM on there, hope we all have a good away day!

4wd chassis:
Nice to see a good mix of 4wd cars out there this year, PR Racing, Team C, Serpent, Kyosho, Schumacher, Xray all well supported.

Nice to see some of the lads are ready to roll already:

If you need any help with your cars,  there'll be plenty of support available. Just pull someone aside that has the T shirt on, or is running your brand of car, and I'm sure you'll get a lot of help and advice.

Regional novices:
Its a fun day out racing at a different track, against members from other clubs. That's all. A chance to race against different people. The main thing is, enjoy it, and don't be shy in asking for help from your fellow club members. If you're stuck for anything, having travelled all that way, just ask someone for a bit of help.

If you're racing outdoor compared to indoor, you may want to raise the rideheight of your car up a bit (19mm / 20mm as a guide), and walk around the track to familiarise yourself with the bumps and layout before you drive.

Track information:
Location:
Spenborough address:
Spenborough Sports Centre & Pool Complex
Bradford Rd,
Liversedge
WF15 6LW

Lets get it on:
Hopefully, I'll have time to take some pictures and get some notes made, and get a race report up following the meeting.

Regional information:

BRCA North East Regionals Dates 2017

Sunday 23rd April 4wd Rnd 1 Batley
Saturday 26th May 2wd Rnd 1 RHR
Sunday 27th May 4wd Rnd 2 RHR
Saturday 25th June 4wd Rnd 3 South Shields
Sunday 26th June 2wd Rnd 2 South Shields
Saturday 22nd July 2wd Rnd 3 Teesside
Sunday 23rd July 4wd Rnd 4 Teesside
Saturday 19th Aug 4wd Rnd 5 Bury
Sunday 20th Aug 2wd Rnd 4 Bury
Sunday 3rd Sep 2wd Rnd 5 Batley

As always, for all your RC needs:
Schumacher Racing