Race Report – Round 1, British National Championships
Introduction
A full meeting kicked off Round 1 of the BRCA National Championships, with a strong turnout and plenty of new racers joining the grid. The depth of the field was clear from the outset, with fresh talent mixing it up alongside established names.
Qualifying
After five rounds of mixed weather qualifying on both Saturday and Sunday, Xrays Jonathan Skidmore took TQ followed by Erik Lykke (Agama) in 2nd and Elliott Boots (Sworks) in third.
Semi Final B
Erik dominated Semi B, leading from start to finish and taking the win by an impressive 18 seconds. It was also a milestone race for Oliver Nattress and Daniel Thorne, both reaching their first-ever national semi-finals.
The fight for the remaining transfer spots was intense, with positions 4th to 7th covered by just nine seconds. James Le Pavoux and Tommy Hall delivered one of the closest finishes of the race, crossing the line separated by just 0.3 seconds. The top 7 bumping up to the main were 1st Erik Lykke, 2nd William Skidmore, 3rd Lee Martin, 4th James Le Pavoux, 5th Tommy Hall, 6th Ben Simpson and 7th Simon Reeves.
Semi Final A
Drama struck early when Jonis suffered a wheel failure in the opening corners, ending his chances prematurely. Elliott Boots capitalized immediately, pulling away to establish a commanding lead.
Meanwhile, Holger Lykke had an electronics issue meaning that he missed the first 4 minutes of the race, a disappointing end after showing strong pace in qualifying that suggested a likely A-main appearance!
Rounding out the top 7 was 1st Elliott Boots, 2nd Billy Grindley, 3rd Lewis Jones, 4th Dom Nunn, 5th Graham Alsop, 6th Zak Edwards and 7th Jamie Hall. Well done to Zak Edwards for making his first ever National A final appearance too!
Main Final
The 45-minute final delivered plenty of action and changing conditions. Erik initially led the race but suffered a breakage following a heavy landing. After a quick repair in the pits, he rejoined around the 18-minute mark and produced an incredible recovery drive to finish 4th by the end.
Weather played a decisive role, with rain beginning around the 33-minute mark and intensifying by 38 minutes. Grip levels dropped due to the part oiled surface at HNMC which tightened some of the on track battles.
On the final lap, a close battle unfolded between Will Skidmore and Lewis Jones, finishing the 45 minute A main with less than 3 seconds between them
Out front, Elliott Boots built a substantial lead, and ultimately cruising to victory to take Round 1 of the championship in style.
Lower final bump ups:
B. 1/64
1. Ian Gillespie
2. Colin Davies
3. Andy Pierce
4. Stewart Baldridge
A. 1/64
1. Clive Maland
2. Andy Beaumont
3. James Mulkerrin
4. Josh Knight
B. 1/32
1. Dave Williams
2. William Paul
3. Craig Russell
4. Ian Gillespie
A.1/32
1. Jamie Chappell
2. Sam Cobley
3. Mick Townsend
4. Jacob Nicholas
A.1/16
1. Matt Alcock
2. Peter Van Tonder
3. Lee Maggs
4. William Paul
B.1/16
1. Ben Davidson
2. Ashley Pattison
3. Jason Ferguson
4. Mike Daniel
A.1/8
1. Harry Weymouth
2. Liam Brocklehurst
3. Robson White
4. Darren Warburton
B.1/8
1. Westley Jolly
2. Ben Billing
3. Chris Grimes
4. Reuben Shakespeare
B.1/4
1. Daniel Thorne
2. Kieran Cox
3. James Le Pavoux
4. Max McDonnell
B.1/4
1. Dom Nunn
2. Zak Edwards
3. Freddie Thompson
4. Kyle Boon
National Championship:
1st Place Finish – Elliott Boots (SWORKZ) 🥇
2nd Place Finish – William Skidmore (XRAY)🥈
3rd Place Finish – Lewis Jones (WIRC)🥉
Junior Championship:
1st Place Finish – Billy Grindley (WIRC)🥇
2nd Place Finish – Zak Edwards (XRAY)🥈
3rd Place Finish – Oliver Natress (Kyosho)🥉
40+ Championship:
1st Place Finish – Graham Alsop (SWORKZ)🥇
2nd Place Finish – Simon Reeves (SWORKZ)🥈
3rd Place Finish – Lee Martin (XRAY)🥉
Clubman Championship:
1st Place Finish – Cayden Stenhouse (WIRC)🥇
2nd Place Finish – Oliver Natress (KYOSHO)🥈
3rd Place Finish – Freddie Thompson (WIRC)🥉
A big thank you to the team at HNMC for all the work put into the venue and the track to make a great first round. In addition thank you to all the members of the BRCA committee and all the drivers that took part across the weekend.
We look forward to seeing you all at round 2 of the RallyXNational Championship at NWN on the 17th May!
