Oakington F2C Centralised Event - March 15th

This was the first FAI Team Race event on the 1998 Calendar and we were, for a change in March, blessed with good racing weather albeit a bit on the cool side. There was no measurable wind during the day and temperature remained pretty constant throughout. One of the real benefits of a calm day is that the three teams involved in a race do not have to squeeze into half of the circle for pitting thus causing more problems when landing and taking off. With no wind the teams can spread themselves around the circle and keep out of each others way.

Performances during the day were not terrifically impressive but this can be expected at the first outing of the year when teams are shaking off the winter cobwebs and trying to remember what it is all about. Dave Rudd had, yet again, volunteered to run the event and racing got underway at around 11:00 am.

The first race of the day displayed just how much we were all out of practice with three of our most experienced teams all failing to get inside 4:30. Langworth/Campbell recorded 4:33.0 and Fry/Whorton 4:40.0 with Ross/Turner abandoning their attempt at 87 laps. The only team who managed to put in a half sensible time in the first round were Fitzgerald/Thomason with a 3:36.8.

Round two was fairly similar and the first round time of Fitzgerald/Thomason was still leading with Ross/Turner putting a 3:40.1 in for second spot and Langworth/Campbell a 3:45.7 for third.

After a break for lunch the teams at last started to get it together – the third round providing the four fastest times of the day. Ross/Turner put in a 3:30.2, Fry/Whorton a 3:32.6, Langworth/Campbell a 3:33.9 and Radcliffe/Yeldham a 3:36.4.

Round 4 saw Fitzgerald/Thomason make a strong effort to get into the frame for the final but, unfortunately, their time of 3:33.2 (which would have moved them up to third place) had to be disallowed due to the jettisoning of the fin unit at their second pit stop. No other times were to press the first three places so this left the same three teams in the final who had competed against each other in the first race of the day.

In the final all three teams were away and looking strong but all suffered temperature problems between the 30 and 60 lap mark and it became a case of "who can find a setting the quickest ?". In the end Fry/Whorton were to benefit from the fact that they did not have to do any extra pit-stops and a quick opening of the needle was to sort their problems out. They were lucky to escape disaster at 163 laps when all three pilots were getting knotted up in the middle but finished with a 7:32.2. Ross/Turner were just 11 seconds behind on 7:43.2. Langworth/Campbell cruised home in 9:11.5 to complete the days racing

Our thanks must go again to Dave Rudd for all his help with running the event – without his help the days would be far more complicated to organize – and also to Ralph Curry for providing the venue.