Clubman Series
Stage 1 Rally
Stage 2 Hillclimb
Stage 3 Rally
Stage 4 Hillclimb
Stage 5
Stage 6
Stage 7 combined
Final Points
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* In the absence of a full field photo taken this week, please accept my apologies & peruse the full field shot from 2019. Taken at some track, somewhere never to be seen again. (Although there were rumors that some of the scenery from the aforementioned track was spotted recently)
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Podium Photos & Race Reports
Round 1 - Rally - 15/2/23
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Callan Thomas
3rd - John Batich
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Callan Thomas
3rd - John Batich
Round 2 - Hillclimb- 15/2/23
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Callan Thomas
3rd - Bruce Thomas
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Callan Thomas
3rd - Bruce Thomas
Round 1 & 2
I was always told by my Mum & Dad….and many other adults when I was a young lad, that there was a golden rule. Well, one of the golden rules anyway, there seemed to be many many golden rules, however I digress. The Golden rule in question in this case was the one that went like this:
“If you haven’t got anything nice to say….don’t say anything at all.”
And so, having tried very hard to keep this in mind my entire life, The summary of the new Clubman racing series this evening is as follows:
Race 1 – Rally Stage
1st – Phil Kalbfell
2nd – Callan Thomas
3rd – John Batich
4th – Dave Schofield
5th - Scott Wyman
6th – Bruce Thomas
7th – Adrian Gray
8th – Rhys Filbee
9th – Mal O’May
10th – Dave Bantoft
11th – Dave Gray
12th – Rob Golley
13th – Thomas Males
Race 2 – Hillclimb stage
1st – Phil Kalbfell
2nd – Callan Thomas
3rd – Bruce Thomas
4th – Rob Golley
5th – John Batich
6th – Adrian Gray
7th – Dave Schofield
8th – Scott Wyman
9th – Rhys Filbee
10th – Dave Bantoft
11th – Dave Gray
12th – Thomas Males
13th – Mal O’May
…….Just joking, but seriously, the rally stages are the hardest classes to report on, mostly because the writer doesn’t actually get to see most of the stages or drivers. You only tend to see your own stage, or a few others if you happen to be marshalling one of the tracks. Keeping this in mind though, judging from the results, there were some good drives on the night. Phil, as usual, cleaned up on his favored tracks with two wins, but it was Callan Thomas who also excelled over both stages with a pair of 2nds. 3rd place was split between JB on the rally stage & Bruce Thomas on the hillclimb. JB managed 5th on the hillclimb & Bruce 6th on the rally to show good consistency across the board.
Others to perform well over both stages were Schoee (4th & 7th), Scott (5th & 8th) & Adrian Gray (7th & 6th).
Rob Golley’s threatened boycott of the event didn’t eventuate with the availability of a borrowed car, however after his first run on the rally stage he might have been re-evaluating his decision to run……..but in a huge reversal of form, he jumped the rankings from 12th to 4th on the Hillclimb. Great comeback Rob.
For the rest of us poor sods, there was little to write about….and so I won’t!
I was always told by my Mum & Dad….and many other adults when I was a young lad, that there was a golden rule. Well, one of the golden rules anyway, there seemed to be many many golden rules, however I digress. The Golden rule in question in this case was the one that went like this:
“If you haven’t got anything nice to say….don’t say anything at all.”
And so, having tried very hard to keep this in mind my entire life, The summary of the new Clubman racing series this evening is as follows:
Race 1 – Rally Stage
1st – Phil Kalbfell
2nd – Callan Thomas
3rd – John Batich
4th – Dave Schofield
5th - Scott Wyman
6th – Bruce Thomas
7th – Adrian Gray
8th – Rhys Filbee
9th – Mal O’May
10th – Dave Bantoft
11th – Dave Gray
12th – Rob Golley
13th – Thomas Males
Race 2 – Hillclimb stage
1st – Phil Kalbfell
2nd – Callan Thomas
3rd – Bruce Thomas
4th – Rob Golley
5th – John Batich
6th – Adrian Gray
7th – Dave Schofield
8th – Scott Wyman
9th – Rhys Filbee
10th – Dave Bantoft
11th – Dave Gray
12th – Thomas Males
13th – Mal O’May
…….Just joking, but seriously, the rally stages are the hardest classes to report on, mostly because the writer doesn’t actually get to see most of the stages or drivers. You only tend to see your own stage, or a few others if you happen to be marshalling one of the tracks. Keeping this in mind though, judging from the results, there were some good drives on the night. Phil, as usual, cleaned up on his favored tracks with two wins, but it was Callan Thomas who also excelled over both stages with a pair of 2nds. 3rd place was split between JB on the rally stage & Bruce Thomas on the hillclimb. JB managed 5th on the hillclimb & Bruce 6th on the rally to show good consistency across the board.
Others to perform well over both stages were Schoee (4th & 7th), Scott (5th & 8th) & Adrian Gray (7th & 6th).
Rob Golley’s threatened boycott of the event didn’t eventuate with the availability of a borrowed car, however after his first run on the rally stage he might have been re-evaluating his decision to run……..but in a huge reversal of form, he jumped the rankings from 12th to 4th on the Hillclimb. Great comeback Rob.
For the rest of us poor sods, there was little to write about….and so I won’t!
Round 3 - Rally - 14/3/23
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Rhys Filbee
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Rhys Filbee
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Round 4 - Hillclimb- 14/3/23
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Rob Golley
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Rob Golley
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Round 5 - Bat Florio 25/6/23
1st - Bruce Thomas
2nd - Adrian Gray
3rd - John Batich
Round 5
Race Report
Some horrid little cars went around a very windy track very slowly, and fell off....some more than others. Those that fell off less did better than those who fell off more.
Well, slightly more than this happened, but due to the rather limited viewing options available at the Bat Florio stage, this is about all the commentary I can give on the weeks stage.
According to results however, Bruce unsurprisingly took out his own stage this week by some considerable margin (10 seconds !) from Adrian Gray in 2nd Adrian did very well to come as close as anyone else came to mastering this track after the long layoff. In 3rd, another 10 seconds adrift was JB in a good result and pipping DB by 3 seconds into 4th. DB returned the favour to myself however, grabbing 4th by the matter of .3 of a second………co-incidentally DB was responsible for marshaling my car at one point on the top of the track. It is so high up there & out of view, that I was unable to see how exactly efficient his marshaling was. Just saying….
In 6th was Phil Kalbfell, which I must admit to feeling slightly guilty about given that I was running a borrowed car generously provided by Phil himself.
7th place went to Tom, and was a great result & reward for a good solid drive on this the trickiest of tracks. In 8th, Rob Golley, 9th Rhys Filbee 10th Dave Gray & 11th Scott Wyman.
Good to see not much has changed on this stage in the long years since we last ran here, apart from the very scenic addition of some decorative spider webs
Race Report
Some horrid little cars went around a very windy track very slowly, and fell off....some more than others. Those that fell off less did better than those who fell off more.
Well, slightly more than this happened, but due to the rather limited viewing options available at the Bat Florio stage, this is about all the commentary I can give on the weeks stage.
According to results however, Bruce unsurprisingly took out his own stage this week by some considerable margin (10 seconds !) from Adrian Gray in 2nd Adrian did very well to come as close as anyone else came to mastering this track after the long layoff. In 3rd, another 10 seconds adrift was JB in a good result and pipping DB by 3 seconds into 4th. DB returned the favour to myself however, grabbing 4th by the matter of .3 of a second………co-incidentally DB was responsible for marshaling my car at one point on the top of the track. It is so high up there & out of view, that I was unable to see how exactly efficient his marshaling was. Just saying….
In 6th was Phil Kalbfell, which I must admit to feeling slightly guilty about given that I was running a borrowed car generously provided by Phil himself.
7th place went to Tom, and was a great result & reward for a good solid drive on this the trickiest of tracks. In 8th, Rob Golley, 9th Rhys Filbee 10th Dave Gray & 11th Scott Wyman.
Good to see not much has changed on this stage in the long years since we last ran here, apart from the very scenic addition of some decorative spider webs
Round 6 - Bat Florio 25/7/23
1st - Bruce Thomas
2nd - Callan Thomas
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
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'Round 6
Race Report
This week we were at Gotham Park Bat Florio Hillclimb not a venue know for it reliability over the years but with Bruce's investment in braid and the effort of laying it the problem of track breaks has gone. But so far since our return other problems have managed to disrupt our race nights.
Power failure, glue in the slots and not to mention the dust blower used to "Vacuum" the track.
Well last night did not disappoint? Rhys's Revo Alfa not being able to complete a lap owing to the front spoiler sitting on the raised braid in sereral places on the Gotham Park track, solution: remove the front spoiler!.
So on to the Clubman stage on the Bat Florio Hillclimb all seemed great during practice, BUT Callan had no sooner started his time run and disaster struck,no power!
After some frantic problem solving Bruce managed to determine that the rather ancient power board used to power the track,computer and sensors had given up!
Once another power board was installed all was go.
When all the dust settled it was Bruce with the fastest time from Callan with myself close behind.JB followed with Adrian and Rob. The two Daves Rhys and Thomas rounded out the field.
I think like the Ninco Porsches most are happy that there is only one round to go in two weeks time at Shelmore Park.
Round 7 - Shelmore Park combined tracks - 8/8/23
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Bruce Thomas
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Bruce Thomas
Round 7
Race Report
The final round of the Clubman series was run this week (insert sounds of cheering & joyous celebration) and to wrap the series up Phil decided that the two rally stages would be combined into 1 overall result for round 7. This decision would have heartbreaking consequences by the time the round finished.
The first stage on the Rally track was not without issues form the start. Some pre-round testing uncovered the first track break of the evening, which was dealt with promptly by track owner. However, only a few drivers in and there were murmurings of another similar issue and the fatal words “kit kat’ were being muttered under certain drivers breaths.
Luckily one certain driver who experienced this first hand was able to re-commence his heat & produced the quickest time for part one. Bruce managed to be sitting on top spot after the rally stage, followed by Phil & John Batich close behind. Others within striking distance of the top 3 after stage 1 were Callan Thomas, myself & Dave Gray and it was with great interest that the field moved onto the hillclimb track for stage 2 and the final push for the climax of the series. The excitement was electric & Bruce, who was marshalling at the time, was seen to be literally propping his eyes open with matchsticks he was that excited.
However, nothing could prepare us for what was about to occur. Having struggled to negotiate the rally stage Thomas Males produced a stunning turnabout in form on the hill climb, and in an immaculate error free drive set an early target time that was the one to beat. And driver after driver came & went……
Bruce tried first, found the pressure too much & fell short, which Callan found very amusing…until he too was put to the sword by Toms time. Myself, Dave Gray, Dave Bantoft, Rhys & Adrian all came, tried & failed to topple the mighty performance of Thomas Males. Until there were but 2 drivers only left to challenge for the stage. It was looking like a momentous first up stage win for Tom and all the impartial drivers left were barracking hard for this outcome.
Sadly, in the best tradition of the classic villains, those evil pair of John Batich & Phil Kalbfell hatched their dastardly plot to ruin Toms momentous occasion. Firstly, John deliberately produced a mistake free drive to relegate Tom down to 2nd quickest on the stage, and then to top it all off the track owner, with a huge home track advantage, comes in for the final run & produces a time 6 seconds quicker than any other driver. So fast in fact that investigations must surely be undertaken. There have apparently been photos circulating of this final pair plotting Toms demise…….
Race Report
The final round of the Clubman series was run this week (insert sounds of cheering & joyous celebration) and to wrap the series up Phil decided that the two rally stages would be combined into 1 overall result for round 7. This decision would have heartbreaking consequences by the time the round finished.
The first stage on the Rally track was not without issues form the start. Some pre-round testing uncovered the first track break of the evening, which was dealt with promptly by track owner. However, only a few drivers in and there were murmurings of another similar issue and the fatal words “kit kat’ were being muttered under certain drivers breaths.
Luckily one certain driver who experienced this first hand was able to re-commence his heat & produced the quickest time for part one. Bruce managed to be sitting on top spot after the rally stage, followed by Phil & John Batich close behind. Others within striking distance of the top 3 after stage 1 were Callan Thomas, myself & Dave Gray and it was with great interest that the field moved onto the hillclimb track for stage 2 and the final push for the climax of the series. The excitement was electric & Bruce, who was marshalling at the time, was seen to be literally propping his eyes open with matchsticks he was that excited.
However, nothing could prepare us for what was about to occur. Having struggled to negotiate the rally stage Thomas Males produced a stunning turnabout in form on the hill climb, and in an immaculate error free drive set an early target time that was the one to beat. And driver after driver came & went……
Bruce tried first, found the pressure too much & fell short, which Callan found very amusing…until he too was put to the sword by Toms time. Myself, Dave Gray, Dave Bantoft, Rhys & Adrian all came, tried & failed to topple the mighty performance of Thomas Males. Until there were but 2 drivers only left to challenge for the stage. It was looking like a momentous first up stage win for Tom and all the impartial drivers left were barracking hard for this outcome.
Sadly, in the best tradition of the classic villains, those evil pair of John Batich & Phil Kalbfell hatched their dastardly plot to ruin Toms momentous occasion. Firstly, John deliberately produced a mistake free drive to relegate Tom down to 2nd quickest on the stage, and then to top it all off the track owner, with a huge home track advantage, comes in for the final run & produces a time 6 seconds quicker than any other driver. So fast in fact that investigations must surely be undertaken. There have apparently been photos circulating of this final pair plotting Toms demise…….
Overall this round – Phil, JB & Bruce filled the top 3 with Callan, myself & the very unlucky Tom in spots 4-6, followed by Dave Gray, DB, Rhys & Adrian (whose enjoyment for this series was obvious, and who will no doubt be highly anticipating the next time these little cars are run)
In the overall series its self.....exactly the same top 3 as above !
In the overall series its self.....exactly the same top 3 as above !
