Standard Policar meeting 30th October 2021
Big thanks to our meeting sponsors who added so much to the day:
Jeff Norton was the lucky winner of the new Policar raffle prize.
As a member of the Hawthorne Park slot car club I would like to thank you and your company for sponsoring the Copper Braid Cup. We finally managed to run the last round of the event last night and after some very close racing the overall winner was Ted Martin. Pete Crane will be sending you a report and pictures of the evening but I just wanted to say my personal thank you. Malcolm Walker
Round 4 – 14th February 2020 – report
Using all the racers skills – especially chocolate and flowers – most members of Hawthorne Park Slot Car Club were able to attend round 4 of the Copper Braid Products sponsored 1/24th scale BRM Touring Car event held on the evening of 14th Feb 2020. Sadly a few doe eyed romantics preferred to spend time with loved ones….so the number of entrants was lower than usual at round 4 of this event.
Notable races during the night began in heat 2 – where Mike Guy and Ted Martin – both driving Escorts – engaged in a terrific race long battle for the lead – door handle to door handle – both lapping at record pace around the track. Eventually Ted was able to take the win, with both drivers earning a well-deserved round of applause from the spectators who enjoy watching such skilful and exciting slot car dices.
Mike Guy and his stable of 1/24th scale BRM Touring Cars
White Escort, Blue Kadett and Yellow Mini
As well as being one of the top racers at Hawthorne Park slot car club Mike has also been a key person in helping to develop and use the electronic lap timing and scoring system that underpins all of the races and results we are now able to produce – thanks to his skill and knowledge around computer systems.
Heat 3 saw Pete Wright running his Mini which was proving exceptionally fast on the straights – blasting past his competitors – only to struggle through the corners…setting up any race car – real or model – is always about finding the best ‘set up’ – and clearly Pete had the straights sorted but needed more work on quick times through the twiddly bits of the track…..
The connection between the model car on the track and the driver is via the ‘controller’ – an electronic device that enables the speed of the car to be varied – it also has an electronic brake to slow the model car down on demand. A modern slot car controller as used at Hawthorne Park slot car club is a sophisticated and expensive piece of kit – often with different and complex electronic aids which can be used to develop ‘feel’ and ‘harmony’ with the model car as it races around the track.
Unfortunately Mike Broadbent was having controller trouble during heat 4 – no brakes ! – but still enjoyed a good race with his Renault Gordini as evidenced by his smile in this pic.
Mike is well known around the Liverpool area for his skill and expertise in model engineering – not just slot cars – but model aircraft and model power boats – but the great atmosphere and competitive racing at Hawthorne Park slot car club are presently enthusing Mike to the extent that slot cars are now his primary interest. Mike is also developing a reputation as someone who has a keen eye for finding slot car bargains – often causing huge envy at the club by showing off his latest purchase of a rare and/or very fast slot car….at an incredible bargain price…..quickly building up a personal collection of top notch slot cars.
Heat 6 saw another great race between Ted Martin – this time driving his Mini Cooper– and Mike Guy – now driving his Opel Kadett – again racing side by side but this time both flat out and each taking turns at leading by an inch or two – the battle was so intense that both drivers set personal lap records …
8.758 for Ted
8.745 for Mike
I hope that shows how close this race was….Mike was fractionally quicker but Ted just got his car in front to take another great win – again both drivers getting a huge round of applause from the spectators.
The Ted Martin Mini Cooper cooling down after winning heat 6
Heat 7 saw another exhibition of skilful driving as Phil Clayton drove his pretty – but tricky to drive – Renault Gordini to a close second just behind the Escort of Pete Crane.
Phil has a long history of supporting and leading Hawthorne Park slot car club and is the person club members turn to for help and advice regarding anything to do with slot cars, Phil was also instrumental in bringing the BRM Touring Car Class to fruition within the club and has helped many club members to tune up their cars.
The last heat of the night saw a truly great drive by Ted Martin who managed to snatch the overall win on the night by a 7 foot margin along with a new outright lap record for this class – 8.5 seconds.
Ted Martin total laps …..78.499
Pete Crane total laps…..78.222
Paul Minnis may not have had the best night in terms of his race results, but all members of the club complemented him on his choice of colour scheme for his Mini Cooper which looked stunning on the track – Paul is a regular class winner at other Hawthorne Park slot car events and hopefully will get his Mini sorted ready for the next round of the Copper Braid Products Ltd sponsored series.
After another great nights racing, it looks like Ted Martin is starting to look like the favourite to take the magnificent Copper Braids Trophy home , but with 2 rounds still to take place nothing is yet certain…..
Round 5 will take place on Friday 17th April (since postponed due to virus restrictions) at Hawthorne Park slot car club, and a full entry is expected……
The magnificent Copper Braids Products Trophy
Sponsored by Copper Braid Products Ltd
August 2019 – after months of expectation a real buzz existed in the clubroom of the Hawthorne Park Slot Car Club as everyone had a new 1/24th scale BRM historic touring car model to race and enjoy – all enabled by the generosity of our long term club sponsor Copper Braid Products Ltd.
Our sponsor had both funded a magnificent trophy to be awarded at the end of the racing series and contributed toward the cost of the new car that every club member was now lucky enough to own, enjoy and race.
All of the slot cars were manufactured by BRM and were complete models in every detail of the real racing cars that pounded the race tracks of Europe back in the 1970’s…..but these models were built to race ….not to stand silent on a shelf and collect dust.
Friday night – August 16th 2019 and after all the discussion about which car to choose – Ford Escort ?.. Mini ? ..NSU TT ?.. Fiat Abarth ? ..Renault ?… at last racing would happen and some winners be declared.
Heat 1 – the cars all look and sound fantastic racing around the track – Ted Martin wins with 2 Mini’s close behind – his best lap of 9.0 seconds sets the first lap record in this class.
Heat 2 sees Escorts first and second – this time with Geoff Taylor and Pete Crane driving – while the Renault of Phil Clayton and Mini of Paul Minnis give spirited chase – but none come close to the time set by Ted Martin in heat 1.
Heat 3 – Barry Friess is the holder of the outright lap record at Hawthorne Park Slot Car Club (7.1 seconds !) and is well known for being an expert tuner of Mini slot cars – so it was no surprise that he both won this heat and set a new lap record of 8.9 seconds during a great dice with an Escort beautifully driven by Mike Guy.
Heat 4 – Geoff Taylor and Pete Crane driving identical red and gold Escorts race together swapping places – but neither is quick enough because…..
Heat 5 – Ted Martin unleashed his fearsome flying Fiat – perfectly set up and well run in – Ted pilots it to perfection setting a new 8.6 second lap record on the way to being the first driver to record over 20 laps in a heat.
Heat 6 – Phil Clayton driving a Renault Gordini and Pete Wright driving a Mini Cooper S enjoy a good panel bashing dice together – but the formation flying of the red and gold Escort team of Pete Crane and Geoff Taylor sees them hold on for another win.
Heat 7 – the best race of the evening – Barry Friess driving his Mini Cooper S, Mike Guy his Escort, Pete Wright his Mini and Ted Martin back with his Escort – all lead the race at one time or another – Ted just takes the win by inches.
Heat 8 – Paul Minnis has his Mini Cooper working well and looks set for the heat win until a small off allows Pete Crane to sneak through with Phil Clayton and Geoff Taylor squabbling over 3rd place.
Everyone agrees that the racing has been really enjoyable and that the new class is already a big hit…… good looking cars that drive well and are all evenly matched equals great racing and a good night out at the Hawthorne Park Slot Car Club.
Ted Martin is a key member of the Hawthorne Park slot car club and was instrumental in bringing this new class to life – so it seems fitting that he ends up winning the first round of racing – well done Ted.
The magnificent Copper Braid Products Trophy will be awarded at the end of the series – Ted Martin presently in the lead.
Copper Braid Products sponsor the national TransAm event at Hawthorne Park Slot Car Club in Liverpool. www.slotforum.com/forums
This event is the fourth in a series with Gainsborough Slot Car Club, Rockingham Slot Car Club and Pendle Slot Car and attracts slot car enthusiasts from all round the country.
Copper braid products supply slot car braids https://www.copperbraid.co.uk/slot-car-braids/
which are available at our online shop, for car, for track.
