Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Points
*Just a bit of fun & team groupings may be adjusted when we see what liveries drivers turn up with this series.
The newly formed team of McLaren/Eurobrun might be the team to watch this year, but defending constructor titleholders Larrousse will be very hard to beat with Ferrari & Brabham pushing the top teams hard.
The newly formed team of McLaren/Eurobrun might be the team to watch this year, but defending constructor titleholders Larrousse will be very hard to beat with Ferrari & Brabham pushing the top teams hard.
Round 1- Mornington Park- 21/5/24
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Adrian Gray
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Adrian Gray
Race Report - Round 1
Following the Historic Cartrix Grand Prix cars with the new NSR F1 series on the same night was always going to be interesting, and even in practice (with track voltage turned down to 10) there were some drivers who were insisting that it be turned down even further. Co-incidentally it was mainly the driver without any ability to adjust his controller (Callan) who was most vocal about this proposal….which was routinely ignored by all those drivers with adjustable controllers…ie everyone else. And so, it was at a nice round 10 volts track power that we commenced racing for this exciting & long anticipated series in 2024.
Callan managed to adjust his driving instead of his controller however, and adapted his driving style perfectly to cope with the speed of these cars on track. His lap total of 128 laps was again on par with Phil, and for the 2nd time tonight just ahead enough on track position to take out the place (in this case 1st) from the unfortunate Phil in 2nd. A win for the Ferrari team first up then, with the McLaren in 2nd.
Rounding out the top 3 on 127 laps, after a bitter fight between Larrousse teamates Adrian & Bruce, was finally decided in Adrians favour taking out 3rd by the barest of margins from Bruce in 4th. However, a good solid point result overall for the Larrousse F1 team in round 1.
5th in the round in the only Brabham on the grid this week, Rob Golley on 124 laps scored much needed individual points while team member JB was missing. Brabham-Olivetti will be looking forward to having a full driver complement next week. In 6th & notching up 123 laps in the 2nd Ferrari was yours truly, and a result that will have to be improved if the Ferrari team are to fight for overall honours in the series this year.
Rhys was next in line in 7th on 122 laps with the Jagermeister-Eurobrun livery, and being the only driver in this team, Rhys looks to be in for tough time of it in the constructors title this series.
Another individual car in a new team this year was the lovely looking livery of the Rothmans-Williams driven by Schoee. His total of 113 laps for 8th place was impacted by an unlucky result in lane 3, however his first two heats proved that this new car does have great potential to push into the top part the field.
Only 1 lap back in 9th was the Camel- Lotus of Dave Gray on 112 laps for the night.
Overall, it was great to be back running this series, and as fast & fragile looking as these cars are, there was remarkably little in the way of debris around the track post racing. As a driver, they are great fun to drive, but takes another level of pace to be competitive at the top end.
Following the Historic Cartrix Grand Prix cars with the new NSR F1 series on the same night was always going to be interesting, and even in practice (with track voltage turned down to 10) there were some drivers who were insisting that it be turned down even further. Co-incidentally it was mainly the driver without any ability to adjust his controller (Callan) who was most vocal about this proposal….which was routinely ignored by all those drivers with adjustable controllers…ie everyone else. And so, it was at a nice round 10 volts track power that we commenced racing for this exciting & long anticipated series in 2024.
Callan managed to adjust his driving instead of his controller however, and adapted his driving style perfectly to cope with the speed of these cars on track. His lap total of 128 laps was again on par with Phil, and for the 2nd time tonight just ahead enough on track position to take out the place (in this case 1st) from the unfortunate Phil in 2nd. A win for the Ferrari team first up then, with the McLaren in 2nd.
Rounding out the top 3 on 127 laps, after a bitter fight between Larrousse teamates Adrian & Bruce, was finally decided in Adrians favour taking out 3rd by the barest of margins from Bruce in 4th. However, a good solid point result overall for the Larrousse F1 team in round 1.
5th in the round in the only Brabham on the grid this week, Rob Golley on 124 laps scored much needed individual points while team member JB was missing. Brabham-Olivetti will be looking forward to having a full driver complement next week. In 6th & notching up 123 laps in the 2nd Ferrari was yours truly, and a result that will have to be improved if the Ferrari team are to fight for overall honours in the series this year.
Rhys was next in line in 7th on 122 laps with the Jagermeister-Eurobrun livery, and being the only driver in this team, Rhys looks to be in for tough time of it in the constructors title this series.
Another individual car in a new team this year was the lovely looking livery of the Rothmans-Williams driven by Schoee. His total of 113 laps for 8th place was impacted by an unlucky result in lane 3, however his first two heats proved that this new car does have great potential to push into the top part the field.
Only 1 lap back in 9th was the Camel- Lotus of Dave Gray on 112 laps for the night.
Overall, it was great to be back running this series, and as fast & fragile looking as these cars are, there was remarkably little in the way of debris around the track post racing. As a driver, they are great fun to drive, but takes another level of pace to be competitive at the top end.
Round 2 - Gotham Park- 28/5/24
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Mal O'May
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Mal O'May
Race Report - Round 2
Onto the Gotham Park circuit for round 2 of the NSR 86-89 F1 series, and it was a chance for these cars to stretch their legs this week after the tight confines of Mornington Park in round 1.
The faster flowing track of Gotham would surely lead to more free flowing racing & minimise the possibility of car to car incidents that are sometimes a feature of this rapid class.
And in the early heats things looked to be going smoothly, nothing untoward in the way of collisions at all. However, as the night progressed this early optimism was short-lived, and the level of carnage ramped up significantly, coming to a head around heats 5 & 6, whereupon the sight on track at one stage resembled something looking like this:
Onto the Gotham Park circuit for round 2 of the NSR 86-89 F1 series, and it was a chance for these cars to stretch their legs this week after the tight confines of Mornington Park in round 1.
The faster flowing track of Gotham would surely lead to more free flowing racing & minimise the possibility of car to car incidents that are sometimes a feature of this rapid class.
And in the early heats things looked to be going smoothly, nothing untoward in the way of collisions at all. However, as the night progressed this early optimism was short-lived, and the level of carnage ramped up significantly, coming to a head around heats 5 & 6, whereupon the sight on track at one stage resembled something looking like this:
*Note, this picture is quite an accurate depiction too, as you can see clearly in this photo that the Ferrari (Callan) has already lost his rear wing, an occurrence that is fast becoming a tradition.
So, for the remainder of one heat not only did we have a throw back to 1967 with Callans car running no rear wing, but the Brabham of Rob Golley took on the retro look of the BT49 from 1980 and dispensed with his front spoiler altogether…..
So, for the remainder of one heat not only did we have a throw back to 1967 with Callans car running no rear wing, but the Brabham of Rob Golley took on the retro look of the BT49 from 1980 and dispensed with his front spoiler altogether…..
Anyway, despite all this the round was finally completed, and in a surprise result the Ferrari of Callan Thomas seemed to run quite well enough without the rear downforce & took out the round with a total of 114 laps. In 2nd spot & just 1 lap back (113) was the McLaren of Phil who seemed to manage to avoid most of the on/off track “action”. Another 2 laps back was the writers Ferrari taking out the final podium position on 111 laps total.
JB found that the strategy of not getting involved in many of the multiple car incidents paid off handsomely & his total of 107 laps was good enough to grab his Brabham 4th place. In comparison, the quicker Larrousse of Bruce found exactly the opposite, and his round was kyboshed somewhat by a few more off track excursions that he would have liked. Bruce ended up 5th on 106 laps.
Rhys battled well in the EuroBrun this evening & took out 7th with a competitive 104 laps, well clear of Rob in the 2nd Brabham in 7th on 99 laps.
Adrian’s Larrousse was the car of the round time wise & his 5.4 second fastest lap was 1/10th quicker than the next best. However he had some very untimely de-slots into the off track areas, and at Gotham Park these usually have a drastic effect on tyre grip. Adrians 97 laps got him an 8th spot finish.
Dave Schofield spent much of his time slowing to avoid crashes, or being involved in ones that seemed to happen right in front of him on far too many occasions. Consequently, he did his best in the Williams, but 96 laps was only good enough for 9th this week.
Dave Grays Lotus/Camel livery notched up 95 laps to round out the top 10.
In the constructors championship, the Brabham team relished the participation of both of their drivers this week & scored some good points (4th & 7th), while early season favorites Larrousse had a round they'd rather forget (5th & 8th) and will be hoping that they can drop this result when it comes to the pointy end of the season. Another strong performance from the McLaren/Eurobrun team (2nd & 6th) has seen them push up into 2nd place currently, but it was team Ferrari who really racked up some good points with a 1st & 3rd to take 6 point lead after round 2. Mind you, with #2 driver for Ferrari to miss round 3 it's likely that this lead won't last for long.
Also, in a slight change to the fantasy team line-ups, given the likely absence of Dave Bantoft for much of the series, I've altered "The Daves" team to include Dave Gray & Dave Schofield in an all British Lotus/Williams team. This gives them the opportunity to earn points from all rounds so far, and has seen them push up into 4th in the points table already.
JB found that the strategy of not getting involved in many of the multiple car incidents paid off handsomely & his total of 107 laps was good enough to grab his Brabham 4th place. In comparison, the quicker Larrousse of Bruce found exactly the opposite, and his round was kyboshed somewhat by a few more off track excursions that he would have liked. Bruce ended up 5th on 106 laps.
Rhys battled well in the EuroBrun this evening & took out 7th with a competitive 104 laps, well clear of Rob in the 2nd Brabham in 7th on 99 laps.
Adrian’s Larrousse was the car of the round time wise & his 5.4 second fastest lap was 1/10th quicker than the next best. However he had some very untimely de-slots into the off track areas, and at Gotham Park these usually have a drastic effect on tyre grip. Adrians 97 laps got him an 8th spot finish.
Dave Schofield spent much of his time slowing to avoid crashes, or being involved in ones that seemed to happen right in front of him on far too many occasions. Consequently, he did his best in the Williams, but 96 laps was only good enough for 9th this week.
Dave Grays Lotus/Camel livery notched up 95 laps to round out the top 10.
In the constructors championship, the Brabham team relished the participation of both of their drivers this week & scored some good points (4th & 7th), while early season favorites Larrousse had a round they'd rather forget (5th & 8th) and will be hoping that they can drop this result when it comes to the pointy end of the season. Another strong performance from the McLaren/Eurobrun team (2nd & 6th) has seen them push up into 2nd place currently, but it was team Ferrari who really racked up some good points with a 1st & 3rd to take 6 point lead after round 2. Mind you, with #2 driver for Ferrari to miss round 3 it's likely that this lead won't last for long.
Also, in a slight change to the fantasy team line-ups, given the likely absence of Dave Bantoft for much of the series, I've altered "The Daves" team to include Dave Gray & Dave Schofield in an all British Lotus/Williams team. This gives them the opportunity to earn points from all rounds so far, and has seen them push up into 4th in the points table already.
Race 3 - Stratton Valley 4/6/34
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Bruce Thomas
3rd - John Batich
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - Bruce Thomas
3rd - John Batich
Round 4 - Gotham Park- 25/6/24
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Adrian Gray
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Adrian Gray
Race Report - Round 4
Well, it’s getting into the business end of the NSR F1 series this year, and after a temporary disaster last round for the Ferrari team leader (Callan Thomas) it was back to business this week notching up series win number 3. It really was a case of racking up enough laps in 3 of his heats to ensure a win even allowing for a minor setback (and the usual disappearance of his rear wing) in heat 3 (Lane 4). His total of 113 laps was 2 laps clear of 2 drivers fighting over the minor placings on 11 laps. Of these two it was Phil who snuck that bit further around the track to take 2nd from Adrian Gray in a titanic battle. A battle that at one stage saw all 3 placegetters courting disaster & driving on the edge going 3 wide for at least a couple of laps. Great to watch, if you weren’t a marshall!
1 lap back from this excitement (on 110 laps), and ending up 4th this week was the writer in the 2nd of the team Ferrari cars, thus ensuring that the Scuderia Ferrari team remained in contention for the overall constructors title after last rounds horrible showing.
This group of 4 got away from the rest of the pack by a considerable margin, and it was another 5 laps back before 5th place getter, Bruce Thomas on 105 laps came into the picture. Still it was good solid points for the Larousse team as usual. 2 laps back & in 6th, Rhys Filbee in the Eurobrun also contributed points to the Kalbfell/Filbee team who might just be pushing toward constructors title leader at the round 4 mark.
In 7th & on 101 laps, was the only Brabham team member represented this week, JB missing teammate Rob Golleys points contribution at an inopportune time for the historic team.
In 8th, and the first of the Daves, was Dave Schofield on 100 laps, with 2nd Dave, Gray, in 9th on 95 laps on the night.
Thomas Males made his first appearance for the series to notch up 88 laps & take out 10th spot on the results.
Next round will be all important for the overall look of the constructors title, as teams get to drop their worst round of the series so far. This will have major implications for each of the top 3 teams in current contention.
Well, it’s getting into the business end of the NSR F1 series this year, and after a temporary disaster last round for the Ferrari team leader (Callan Thomas) it was back to business this week notching up series win number 3. It really was a case of racking up enough laps in 3 of his heats to ensure a win even allowing for a minor setback (and the usual disappearance of his rear wing) in heat 3 (Lane 4). His total of 113 laps was 2 laps clear of 2 drivers fighting over the minor placings on 11 laps. Of these two it was Phil who snuck that bit further around the track to take 2nd from Adrian Gray in a titanic battle. A battle that at one stage saw all 3 placegetters courting disaster & driving on the edge going 3 wide for at least a couple of laps. Great to watch, if you weren’t a marshall!
1 lap back from this excitement (on 110 laps), and ending up 4th this week was the writer in the 2nd of the team Ferrari cars, thus ensuring that the Scuderia Ferrari team remained in contention for the overall constructors title after last rounds horrible showing.
This group of 4 got away from the rest of the pack by a considerable margin, and it was another 5 laps back before 5th place getter, Bruce Thomas on 105 laps came into the picture. Still it was good solid points for the Larousse team as usual. 2 laps back & in 6th, Rhys Filbee in the Eurobrun also contributed points to the Kalbfell/Filbee team who might just be pushing toward constructors title leader at the round 4 mark.
In 7th & on 101 laps, was the only Brabham team member represented this week, JB missing teammate Rob Golleys points contribution at an inopportune time for the historic team.
In 8th, and the first of the Daves, was Dave Schofield on 100 laps, with 2nd Dave, Gray, in 9th on 95 laps on the night.
Thomas Males made his first appearance for the series to notch up 88 laps & take out 10th spot on the results.
Next round will be all important for the overall look of the constructors title, as teams get to drop their worst round of the series so far. This will have major implications for each of the top 3 teams in current contention.
Round 5 - Stratton Valley - 2/7/24
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Mal O'May
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Mal O'May
Round 6 - Mornington Park- 9/6/24
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Rob Golley
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - Rob Golley
Race Report - Round 6
The penultimate round of the NSF F1 series has been run…and the past 6 rounds seem to have flown by almost as quickly as these cars ! In the blink of an eye we approach the final round of this series, which means a final drive of these brilliant models for 2 years….which is a huge shame. But one of the great things about this racing club is the variety of cars that are run, and it is impossible to fit all of them into a 1 year rotation.
Anyway, this round was run at the tight & technical Mornington Park circuit, which certainly suited some cars more than others and was made even more challenging once a timing system issue meant that we were unable to run the round at the usual lower voltage. Those drivers without a voltage adjustment on their controller had to deal with running these rockets on almost the full 12v power, which made for the fast & exciting racing.
It certainly didn’t seem to worry series leading Ferrari driver Callan though. His outright pace was blinding & he managed to negotiate the full track power with ease as he logged up 129 laps to finish some 3 laps clear of 2nd place. In 2nd on 126 laps, Phil in the McLaren had great runs on lane 1 & 2 to set himself up for the win, but a reduced total on lane 3 put paid to any thought of that challenge.
Back in 3rd & his 1st podium for the series with a great drive was the Brabham of Rob G on a very consistent 123 laps. A very tight tussle for 4th ended up not being resolved and both Rhys & the writers cars ended up finishing on the same corner on 121 laps each & so the place was shared.
Nest in lane was the rapid Larousse of Adrian, and a huge 44 lap total in lane 1 promised a good result for the night. However, despite his sheer pace a series of de-slots I the next two heats had a major effect on his overall results. Despite a slashing laps in the 3.5s on lane 3, his toital of 115 laps meant an overall 6th place on the night.
1 lap back on 114, was the 2nd Brabham of John Batich in 7th, and in 8th a good consistent performance from Tom saw him rackup 108 laps for his best finish of the series. In 9th this week on 106 laps, the Camel/Lotus of Dave Gray ended up on 106 laps total.
1 Round to go, and with the prospect of the leading constructor at the moment (Ferrari) losing their #1 driver for the final round, the constructors championship is still wide open. The writers early prediction of a dark horse win from the McLaren/Eurobrun team could be a distinct possibility.
The penultimate round of the NSF F1 series has been run…and the past 6 rounds seem to have flown by almost as quickly as these cars ! In the blink of an eye we approach the final round of this series, which means a final drive of these brilliant models for 2 years….which is a huge shame. But one of the great things about this racing club is the variety of cars that are run, and it is impossible to fit all of them into a 1 year rotation.
Anyway, this round was run at the tight & technical Mornington Park circuit, which certainly suited some cars more than others and was made even more challenging once a timing system issue meant that we were unable to run the round at the usual lower voltage. Those drivers without a voltage adjustment on their controller had to deal with running these rockets on almost the full 12v power, which made for the fast & exciting racing.
It certainly didn’t seem to worry series leading Ferrari driver Callan though. His outright pace was blinding & he managed to negotiate the full track power with ease as he logged up 129 laps to finish some 3 laps clear of 2nd place. In 2nd on 126 laps, Phil in the McLaren had great runs on lane 1 & 2 to set himself up for the win, but a reduced total on lane 3 put paid to any thought of that challenge.
Back in 3rd & his 1st podium for the series with a great drive was the Brabham of Rob G on a very consistent 123 laps. A very tight tussle for 4th ended up not being resolved and both Rhys & the writers cars ended up finishing on the same corner on 121 laps each & so the place was shared.
Nest in lane was the rapid Larousse of Adrian, and a huge 44 lap total in lane 1 promised a good result for the night. However, despite his sheer pace a series of de-slots I the next two heats had a major effect on his overall results. Despite a slashing laps in the 3.5s on lane 3, his toital of 115 laps meant an overall 6th place on the night.
1 lap back on 114, was the 2nd Brabham of John Batich in 7th, and in 8th a good consistent performance from Tom saw him rackup 108 laps for his best finish of the series. In 9th this week on 106 laps, the Camel/Lotus of Dave Gray ended up on 106 laps total.
1 Round to go, and with the prospect of the leading constructor at the moment (Ferrari) losing their #1 driver for the final round, the constructors championship is still wide open. The writers early prediction of a dark horse win from the McLaren/Eurobrun team could be a distinct possibility.
Race 7 - Stratton Valley 23/7/24
1st - Bruce Thomas
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
1st - Bruce Thomas
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
Overall Series results -
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - John Batich
1st - Callan Thomas
2nd - Phil Kalbfell
3rd - John Batich
Race Report - Round 7
Time for the final round of the NSR F1 86-89 series for this year, and with the series already wrapped up, leading driver Callan Thomas decided to not even bother wasting his time showing up, leaving the rest of the drivers to squabble over the minor placings. In actual fact there was only 1 minor placing left to squabble over as Phil had also well & truly wrapped up 2nd place before this heat was run. So the battle was on for the final & lowest podium position.
But, first to the rounds winner, and in a showing of form that had us wondering what might have been if he hadn’t missed 2 complete rounds, it was Bruce who took the win on 86 laps in a titanic battle with JB. JB, also on 86 laps, grabbed 2nd, but was another driver ruing his 1 missed round and the implications of having a big 0 points for his dropped round.
In a solid 3rd & with yet another top 3 result in the series, Phil Kalbfell on 84 laps was just 1 lap ahead of a flying Adrian Gray in 4th. In 5th, in a welcome return (for some ), was DB with an 80 lap total and matching the lap number of the writer but selfishly finishing a half a lap further round the track. Which pushed yours truly down to 6th…..that battle for 3rd place overall was looking a little more interesting.
Anyway, back to the racing & it was Rhys next in line in 7th with a 77 lap haul ahead of Schoee in 8th (72) , Dave Gray in 9th on 70 & Thomas Males in 10th this week on 62 laps.
In the series, as we’ve mentioned, the top 2 spots were done & dusted, however, in a come from behind performance it was JB & Adrian who leapfrogged myself up into contention…..by 1 point. Thanks DB, great to see you back.
That wasn’t the end of the story though, as both drivers ended up tied on 131 points for the series and it required a countback to decide the final 3rd position. This eventually went to JB with his 2 x 2nd place finishes just pipping Adrian overall, and a well deserved result really as JB has been the more consistent driver out of all 3 of those of us fighting over 3rd this series.
In the final washup of the Contructors Championship, it was a win for Ferrari despite a poor final round performance from their #2 driver & the complete absence of the #1. The closest rival team, that of McLaren/Eurobrun, pushed hard & ended up a close 2nd. In 3rd & 4th the Larrousse & Brabhams teams could have provided a severe challenge but for a few missed rounds costing them both dearly.
Time for the final round of the NSR F1 86-89 series for this year, and with the series already wrapped up, leading driver Callan Thomas decided to not even bother wasting his time showing up, leaving the rest of the drivers to squabble over the minor placings. In actual fact there was only 1 minor placing left to squabble over as Phil had also well & truly wrapped up 2nd place before this heat was run. So the battle was on for the final & lowest podium position.
But, first to the rounds winner, and in a showing of form that had us wondering what might have been if he hadn’t missed 2 complete rounds, it was Bruce who took the win on 86 laps in a titanic battle with JB. JB, also on 86 laps, grabbed 2nd, but was another driver ruing his 1 missed round and the implications of having a big 0 points for his dropped round.
In a solid 3rd & with yet another top 3 result in the series, Phil Kalbfell on 84 laps was just 1 lap ahead of a flying Adrian Gray in 4th. In 5th, in a welcome return (for some ), was DB with an 80 lap total and matching the lap number of the writer but selfishly finishing a half a lap further round the track. Which pushed yours truly down to 6th…..that battle for 3rd place overall was looking a little more interesting.
Anyway, back to the racing & it was Rhys next in line in 7th with a 77 lap haul ahead of Schoee in 8th (72) , Dave Gray in 9th on 70 & Thomas Males in 10th this week on 62 laps.
In the series, as we’ve mentioned, the top 2 spots were done & dusted, however, in a come from behind performance it was JB & Adrian who leapfrogged myself up into contention…..by 1 point. Thanks DB, great to see you back.
That wasn’t the end of the story though, as both drivers ended up tied on 131 points for the series and it required a countback to decide the final 3rd position. This eventually went to JB with his 2 x 2nd place finishes just pipping Adrian overall, and a well deserved result really as JB has been the more consistent driver out of all 3 of those of us fighting over 3rd this series.
In the final washup of the Contructors Championship, it was a win for Ferrari despite a poor final round performance from their #2 driver & the complete absence of the #1. The closest rival team, that of McLaren/Eurobrun, pushed hard & ended up a close 2nd. In 3rd & 4th the Larrousse & Brabhams teams could have provided a severe challenge but for a few missed rounds costing them both dearly.