In another direction Moby had a few nice recent acquisitions, but by far the nicest was a beautiful 1/24 scale Carrera Auto Union ‘Avus’ model with fully fared body. Mmmmmmmmm ! How long do we wait for this to come in 1/32 ?? To long no doubt, but have I seen this in the Tertre Rouge catalogue recently?? No matter, some very nice models for those in full time employment!!
The afternoon moved on and soon enough practice was coming to an end and first class for the afternoon was Classic rally Group 1 (NC1/8) with a very loose year cut off point. The main thing was that all present had something to put on the track. This event showed up some hitherto unknown track faults. Both Norm and myself were subject to outbursts of speed on the flyover section, accountable only perhaps to a voltage spike on the bridge itself…..who knows, but unfortunately, the result was that on a couple of occasions some well meaning braking manoeuvres saw cars unfairly ‘jousted’ into the hand rails by innocent following cars. We might get John to look into this, eh Eggy?
I had a good heat against Paul where we traded places a couple of times and a silly mistake left me behind a little. I pulled back the gap and with barely a couple of laps to go was ready for a passing manoeuvre when my spur gear came loose on the axle. A case of screws not gripping on the drill blank steel!! No matter, a good win for Paul and a lesson learned by me. John F tried hard with Eggy’s detuned Spirit Peugeot and was in a commanding position when age overcame him. Two marshalls were there to help him, unfortunately neither could do the job properly and John became an also ran. No names….no pack drill guys…..
One of the most gripping stories was heat ten when Eggy and Paul traded places to the end of the race and Eggy finally taking the flag with inches to spare. And a short while later the race was over and the computer spat out the results whether you liked them or not!!
Next up, Classic trans Am……….and a Dodge? Yes I know, I know! It was just there, alright!! So what was it to be this week. It seems the Pioneers are slowly fading into the background as people are returning to their favourite Scaleys once again with the Mustangs proving ever hard to beat. A stiff heat with three guns as opposition could see your knitting come undone with only your next heat to look forward to. And then there wasn’t anything to say that you wouldn’t have another stiff heat……and another!
Heat three saw me field my trusty Jim Hall Camaro and it went well. Biggest surprise was Moby driving to a very close second pace with an unimproved SCX Plymouth. I thought it might be a soft heat for me and I would need to apply some self inflicted pressure, but Moby was on my case the whole heat distance. Even Bob showed how it was done in one of his heats with a 'Cuda. Best lap was the Barracuda at 6.385 sec. Well done Moby.
Paul’s next heat saw him put in a relatively quick 6.375 sec lap and a race average of 6.6 made sure he was in the results. Heat nine… again another close heat between myself and Paul and again only tenths separating us this time in Paul’s favour. As always with the faster models, marshalling was a priority and I’m sure some of the guys have been practicing since our last meeting!
The computer took to telling bedtime stories and the results were just another fairy tale for some!. And for others there was no Snow White.... but plenty of slotcar dwarves!!
Last up was the next round of the Classic Can Am. The subtle difference was that this was to be the first round where the cars were to be scrutineered. I had decided to impose light scrutineering on this event because with some previous trophy events several people had been concerned with the compliance of some models with the class. So, in an effort to show some sort of control and to give the group B drivers a fair chance in the event I sat down and cast a cursory eye over each model to be raced. It came as a revelation to me that the offenders I was trying to catch were the same people I was trying to help!! All group B drivers!!! Why did I bother you might ask?? I wonder myself!
After yet another sumptuous feast laid on by Eggy and Kim, the Can AM heats got under way and as with all race meetings, by this time of the afternoon the standard of driving was getting better and better. A good job too in one respect as the marshalls were becoming less and less attentive!! A couple of guys decide to race their illegal models to which I turned a blind eye. After all, I dread to think how far back down the pack they would have finished with box standard models!!!
There were some definitely quick models and Norm chopped between a potentially quick Vanquish model and another car. Allan must have tried nearly every model in his box but it wasn’t going to change his fortunes. Paul had two or three very nice, very quiet models, as always, and was whittling down the field in each heat. There was a period for two or three heats where there were longer than expected track incidents and it was difficult for me to keep a mental trace on who was doing well from heat to heat. Was it going to be Paul, or Norm, or Gary first past the post?? I was just going to have to wait and see.
Results were posted and for the first time that afternoon the computer didn’t play up, and got the results the right way round…..for me anyway!
Once again a fabulous afternoon’s racing at the Eggdome. A great track, a great venue, and great hosts. Many thanks to Kim and her helpers for some very delicious cakes and baked stuff which seemed to arrive at a steady trickle, and many thanks to mein host…the Eggmeister for a great day. And a special thanks to Allan who drove my car home so I could have a nap in the back, a happy little vegemite indeed!
If you would like to join in the racing in S E Queensland, drop me a PM this board, or email me at pwix@yahoo.com
