With the first two rounds of the series completed at EARCC in Norwich and SRCCC in Essex, we now travelled North for the last two Rounds of the season.
MB Raceway in Leeds was the venue for what was now known by many as "The MB Weekender" with Round 3 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. There was much anticipation already for what was originally to be just 1 round on the Sunday.
Due to Covid and the cancellation of some rounds MB kindly agreed to hold 2 rounds to make it the biggest ever MTC race weekend ever seen.
MB Raceway is a permanent indoor venue which combines track, pitting area, cafe and of course the home of MB Models itself, what more could you want.
MB Raceway in Leeds was the venue for what was now known by many as "The MB Weekender" with Round 3 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. There was much anticipation already for what was originally to be just 1 round on the Sunday.
Due to Covid and the cancellation of some rounds MB kindly agreed to hold 2 rounds to make it the biggest ever MTC race weekend ever seen.
MB Raceway is a permanent indoor venue which combines track, pitting area, cafe and of course the home of MB Models itself, what more could you want.
With the top three places in both classes still up for grabs it was going to be a great weekend of racing. The TC Support Class also being well attended both days gave the racing an even better atmosphere.
The Foam class proving to be more popular this year had been extremely close up to this point, with 4 contenders for the top spots.
The Rubber class had so far been pretty much dominated by Stu Rand, but at the half way point anything could happen and with your best five out of eight scores to count from the two leg finals.
Both days would see one practice session run in heat order, followed by 4 qualifying rounds and two leg finals. It was at this point the drivers found how good the Lindau carpet was. It was 4 years old but looked brand new. Not one tear or crease and more grip than you would ever expect. This did through a curve ball to a few drivers, many trying a mix of compounds in the rubber class to balance the cars. Gluing the side walls was also seen in both classes to reduce grip roll with many chassis setups being tried.
The Foam class proving to be more popular this year had been extremely close up to this point, with 4 contenders for the top spots.
The Rubber class had so far been pretty much dominated by Stu Rand, but at the half way point anything could happen and with your best five out of eight scores to count from the two leg finals.
Both days would see one practice session run in heat order, followed by 4 qualifying rounds and two leg finals. It was at this point the drivers found how good the Lindau carpet was. It was 4 years old but looked brand new. Not one tear or crease and more grip than you would ever expect. This did through a curve ball to a few drivers, many trying a mix of compounds in the rubber class to balance the cars. Gluing the side walls was also seen in both classes to reduce grip roll with many chassis setups being tried.
Saturday Round 3. 19/09/2020.
Doors opened at 8.30am and we were greeted by a perfectly set up venue for the day.
There was a welcome to the weekend from the MTC Organisers and a thank you to Michael Ball and the MB Raceway Staff. After a short drivers briefing with the rules for both days explained practice in heat order got underway.
There was a welcome to the weekend from the MTC Organisers and a thank you to Michael Ball and the MB Raceway Staff. After a short drivers briefing with the rules for both days explained practice in heat order got underway.
MTC Foam Class
Qualifying for the top spot was the Dave Rand and Mark Barford show, with both drivers being the only ones to hit a 28 lapper and separated by a few seconds with Mark Young rounding out the top 3.
Leg 1.
After a blistering start for Dave Rand his luck ran out on lap 6 clipping a corner and popping a link. Mark Barford took over the lead followed by Mark Young and Andy Plimmer. Dave rejoined the track with help from brother Stu which would prove vital later. But it was Mark B who took victory in leg 1 nearly a lap from Mark Y and Andy 4 seconds adrift in 3rd.
Leg 2.
Saw an even better start for Dave who pulled a big gap on Mark B. Meanwhile Mark Y was having a great scrap for 3rd place with a hard chasing Andy. At the front there was nothing between Dave and Mark B. Try as he might Dave could not shake him off and they crossed the finish line less than a second apart.
With 3 points the winner was Mark Barford. Dave took 2nd place being joint on points with Mark Young. Dave's persistence from leg 1 paying off in the end to snatch 2nd on the podium.
Qualifying for the top spot was the Dave Rand and Mark Barford show, with both drivers being the only ones to hit a 28 lapper and separated by a few seconds with Mark Young rounding out the top 3.
Leg 1.
After a blistering start for Dave Rand his luck ran out on lap 6 clipping a corner and popping a link. Mark Barford took over the lead followed by Mark Young and Andy Plimmer. Dave rejoined the track with help from brother Stu which would prove vital later. But it was Mark B who took victory in leg 1 nearly a lap from Mark Y and Andy 4 seconds adrift in 3rd.
Leg 2.
Saw an even better start for Dave who pulled a big gap on Mark B. Meanwhile Mark Y was having a great scrap for 3rd place with a hard chasing Andy. At the front there was nothing between Dave and Mark B. Try as he might Dave could not shake him off and they crossed the finish line less than a second apart.
With 3 points the winner was Mark Barford. Dave took 2nd place being joint on points with Mark Young. Dave's persistence from leg 1 paying off in the end to snatch 2nd on the podium.
TC Support Class
With 6 drivers in attendance for the TC Support class all racing 13.5 Blinky. There was some great racing to watch throughout the days and the 1/10 TCs looked huge on track compared to the MTCs.
Leg 1.
Gabriel Henson lead the field away from his FTQ pole position from Jay Kay and Ryan Godbehere. A few mishaps from Ryan saw Martin Sharp move into 3rd which he held until the end, but he could not reel the hard charging Jay Kay who finished 2nd just missing the extra lap the Gabriel managed to take along with the leg 1 win.
Leg 2.
This was almost a repeat of leg 1 with Gabriel further improving on his leg 1 time by 5 seconds and taking another fine win from Jay Kay who this time had to hold off Ryan Godbehere.
Gabriel Henson was the overall winner, 2nd place going to Jay Kay and 3rd Martin Sharp.
With 6 drivers in attendance for the TC Support class all racing 13.5 Blinky. There was some great racing to watch throughout the days and the 1/10 TCs looked huge on track compared to the MTCs.
Leg 1.
Gabriel Henson lead the field away from his FTQ pole position from Jay Kay and Ryan Godbehere. A few mishaps from Ryan saw Martin Sharp move into 3rd which he held until the end, but he could not reel the hard charging Jay Kay who finished 2nd just missing the extra lap the Gabriel managed to take along with the leg 1 win.
Leg 2.
This was almost a repeat of leg 1 with Gabriel further improving on his leg 1 time by 5 seconds and taking another fine win from Jay Kay who this time had to hold off Ryan Godbehere.
Gabriel Henson was the overall winner, 2nd place going to Jay Kay and 3rd Martin Sharp.
MTC Rubber Class
Throughout the four qualifying runs Stu Rand tried to match his brothers FTQ run but in the end just missed out on a 28 lap run. The high grip conditions keep the Rubber Class cars slightly slower than the Foam class cars who had a lot less issues in the high grip conditions.
Leg 1.
Stu Rand launched of off his pole position grid slot and pulled a lead on Darren Russell. Laps 4 and 5 were not kind to Stu and we had Darren take the lead. By lap 24 Stu had caught him back up but clipped a corner. This gave Darren a well deserved breather and he crossed the line 3 laps later with Stu charging up behind him just over half a second behind. Michael Chapman had a great run from 5th on the grid to take 3rd in the first leg, keeping his chance of a podium alive.
Leg 2.
Another perfect start for Stu in leg 2 and no mistakes this time would see him take a flag to flag win and back on his dominate qualifying pace. Darren with a clean run brought his car home in 2nd place ahead of Michael Chapman, who after a bad start still managed to take 3rd place again.
Overall our winner was Stuart Rand joint on points with Darren Russell but took the win with his fastest final time. Michael Chapman picking up a fine 3rd overall with 2 great runs from 5th on the grid.
Throughout the four qualifying runs Stu Rand tried to match his brothers FTQ run but in the end just missed out on a 28 lap run. The high grip conditions keep the Rubber Class cars slightly slower than the Foam class cars who had a lot less issues in the high grip conditions.
Leg 1.
Stu Rand launched of off his pole position grid slot and pulled a lead on Darren Russell. Laps 4 and 5 were not kind to Stu and we had Darren take the lead. By lap 24 Stu had caught him back up but clipped a corner. This gave Darren a well deserved breather and he crossed the line 3 laps later with Stu charging up behind him just over half a second behind. Michael Chapman had a great run from 5th on the grid to take 3rd in the first leg, keeping his chance of a podium alive.
Leg 2.
Another perfect start for Stu in leg 2 and no mistakes this time would see him take a flag to flag win and back on his dominate qualifying pace. Darren with a clean run brought his car home in 2nd place ahead of Michael Chapman, who after a bad start still managed to take 3rd place again.
Overall our winner was Stuart Rand joint on points with Darren Russell but took the win with his fastest final time. Michael Chapman picking up a fine 3rd overall with 2 great runs from 5th on the grid.
Click on the button below to view videos of all the MTC National Finals.
Our thanks to Stuart Rand of E.B. Security for filming all of the finals for the 2020 MTC Nationals.
Concourse De Elegance
New for 2020 was the Concourse De Elegance contest. Similar to Miss World but for the best looking Bodyshell.
The winning shell was this very nice bright design. Driven by Michael Chapman and sprayed by Colin Webb, Michael gave the trophy to Colin for all his hard work.
With Saturday's Round 3 in the bag it was back to the hotels for the racers to regroup for the following day's racing. An evening meal and car wrenching for some overnight in their rooms and an early night. Whilst a few others took advantage of the night away in the bar, with a later than normal start to the racing being only a mile or so from the track.
Sunday Round 4. 20/09/2020.
Doors again opened at 8.30am to the smell of breakfast on the go from the onsite cafe. The pits were filling up with everyone wanting to get out to practice.
We had some new faces for Round 4 that couldn't make the previous days racing. It was good to see the drivers all sharing their findings on set up with these drivers so they had some great information for a starting setup and what to expect throughout the day with track conditions. After practice another drivers briefing and racing began.
We had some new faces for Round 4 that couldn't make the previous days racing. It was good to see the drivers all sharing their findings on set up with these drivers so they had some great information for a starting setup and what to expect throughout the day with track conditions. After practice another drivers briefing and racing began.
MTC Foam Class
It was a reset to where we left off on Saturday in the Foam class and business as usual. Dave Rand was chasing a 29 lap run all day. He came very close in R2 and R3. We were all sure it was possible, even Stu Rand. R4 and Dave did it, the first 29 lap run of the weekend with a MTC. Mark Barford was again 2nd on the grid for the A Final but 5 secs off a 29 lap and Mark Young 3rd a further 5 seconds adrift. It is interesting that all three had very similar fastest laps which shows the consistency of Dave's FTQ run.
Leg 1.
After missing out on the Saturday win Dave Rand was determined to set things straight. With a near perfect run with only the odd 11 sec lap Dave took the leg 1 win and the only one to get through for the elusive 29 lap run. Mark Barford crossed the line in 2nd place only 2 seconds off a 29 lap run and Mark Young crused home to take an easy 3rd place.
Leg 2.
We saw Dave make another stellar start ahead of Mark Barford, the 2 were never far apart for the full race duration but again Dave rin out the winner to make another 29 lap run. Mark B missing the 29 by four tenths, so near, yet so far. Mark Young again took another easy 3rd access the finish line.
The overall result was 1st for Dave Rand, 2nd Mark Barford, 3rd Mark Young.
It was a reset to where we left off on Saturday in the Foam class and business as usual. Dave Rand was chasing a 29 lap run all day. He came very close in R2 and R3. We were all sure it was possible, even Stu Rand. R4 and Dave did it, the first 29 lap run of the weekend with a MTC. Mark Barford was again 2nd on the grid for the A Final but 5 secs off a 29 lap and Mark Young 3rd a further 5 seconds adrift. It is interesting that all three had very similar fastest laps which shows the consistency of Dave's FTQ run.
Leg 1.
After missing out on the Saturday win Dave Rand was determined to set things straight. With a near perfect run with only the odd 11 sec lap Dave took the leg 1 win and the only one to get through for the elusive 29 lap run. Mark Barford crossed the line in 2nd place only 2 seconds off a 29 lap run and Mark Young crused home to take an easy 3rd place.
Leg 2.
We saw Dave make another stellar start ahead of Mark Barford, the 2 were never far apart for the full race duration but again Dave rin out the winner to make another 29 lap run. Mark B missing the 29 by four tenths, so near, yet so far. Mark Young again took another easy 3rd access the finish line.
The overall result was 1st for Dave Rand, 2nd Mark Barford, 3rd Mark Young.
TC Support Class
We had a few drivers drop put of the support class for Sunday. But that didn't stop the 3 left from enjoying their days racing, after all we were at MB Raceway.
Jay Kay upped his game and got the better of Gabriel who had dominated the previous days racing. Jay Kay taking the FTQ and poke position for the finals.
Christopher Spurr rounded out the top three.
Leg 1.
The first 2 laps were nail biting for Jay Kay with Gabriel Henson hot on his bumper. That was until 3 laps in and Gabriel made a mistake which gave Jay Kay all the breathing space he needed. The pair were evenly matching each others lap times so the gap stayed the same until the finish line, with Jay Kay 2 seconds clear of Gabriel in 2nd and Christopher Spurr came home in 3rd place.
Leg 2.
Jay Kay was on fine form again in leg 2 and never looked back to take a flag to flag win. Gabriel had to retire after lap 18 which moved Christopher up into 2nd place by the end of the race. Jay Kay was the overall winner of the A Final. 2nd went to Christopher Spurr joint on points with Gabriel Henson.
We had a few drivers drop put of the support class for Sunday. But that didn't stop the 3 left from enjoying their days racing, after all we were at MB Raceway.
Jay Kay upped his game and got the better of Gabriel who had dominated the previous days racing. Jay Kay taking the FTQ and poke position for the finals.
Christopher Spurr rounded out the top three.
Leg 1.
The first 2 laps were nail biting for Jay Kay with Gabriel Henson hot on his bumper. That was until 3 laps in and Gabriel made a mistake which gave Jay Kay all the breathing space he needed. The pair were evenly matching each others lap times so the gap stayed the same until the finish line, with Jay Kay 2 seconds clear of Gabriel in 2nd and Christopher Spurr came home in 3rd place.
Leg 2.
Jay Kay was on fine form again in leg 2 and never looked back to take a flag to flag win. Gabriel had to retire after lap 18 which moved Christopher up into 2nd place by the end of the race. Jay Kay was the overall winner of the A Final. 2nd went to Christopher Spurr joint on points with Gabriel Henson.
MTC Rubber Class.
Day 2 and Stu Rand was on a mission for a perfect run in qualifying but in R3 pulled off as the track had changed and no improvement predicted. R4 so him improve by the slightest of margins to take the FTQ for the day. Darren Russell lined up 2nd overall and Michael Chapman after his great finish on Saturday had got to grips with the track to take the 3rd spot. There was nothing in it between 2nd to 7th on the grid, so we were in for some great finals.
Leg 1.
Stu Rand set off at a blistering pace at the start if leg 1. He built up a 3 second lead before the rest of the field crossed the loop. Darren Russell was keeping Stu in touch with the pair matching fastest lap times throughout the final. Andy Plimmer had a storming run from 5th on the grid moving into 3rd place which he held until the end. Stu had leg 1 in the bag finishing 4 seconds ahead of Darren.
Leg 2.
Stu Rand lead the chasing pack away again and put a succession of fastest lap in to pull nearly a lap lead over 2nd placed Darren Russell by the end of the race. Michael Chapman found his qualifying pace and had more luck this time and crossed the line 2 seconds behind Darren.
The overall winner was Stu Rand, 2nd went to Darren Russell and 3rd Andy Plimmer who was joint on points with Mark Young and Richard Ingham.
Day 2 and Stu Rand was on a mission for a perfect run in qualifying but in R3 pulled off as the track had changed and no improvement predicted. R4 so him improve by the slightest of margins to take the FTQ for the day. Darren Russell lined up 2nd overall and Michael Chapman after his great finish on Saturday had got to grips with the track to take the 3rd spot. There was nothing in it between 2nd to 7th on the grid, so we were in for some great finals.
Leg 1.
Stu Rand set off at a blistering pace at the start if leg 1. He built up a 3 second lead before the rest of the field crossed the loop. Darren Russell was keeping Stu in touch with the pair matching fastest lap times throughout the final. Andy Plimmer had a storming run from 5th on the grid moving into 3rd place which he held until the end. Stu had leg 1 in the bag finishing 4 seconds ahead of Darren.
Leg 2.
Stu Rand lead the chasing pack away again and put a succession of fastest lap in to pull nearly a lap lead over 2nd placed Darren Russell by the end of the race. Michael Chapman found his qualifying pace and had more luck this time and crossed the line 2 seconds behind Darren.
The overall winner was Stu Rand, 2nd went to Darren Russell and 3rd Andy Plimmer who was joint on points with Mark Young and Richard Ingham.
Click on the button below to view videos of all the MTC National Finals.
Our thanks to Stuart Rand of E.B. Security for filming all of the finals for the 2020 MTC Nationals.
Concourse De Elegance
The winning shell was again another very nice bright design which was driven by Ben Webb and sprayed by brother Colin Webb. Ben gave the trophy to Colin, making it his second win for this weekend in the Concourse.
Congratulations Colin Webb.
Congratulations Colin Webb.
So after what was a fantastic shortened season comes to an end, we can now congratulate our 2
MTC National Champions and the runners up.
MTC National Champions and the runners up.
MTC Nationals Foam Class Championship 2020
3rd Mark Young, MTC Foam Class National Champion Dave Rand, 2nd Mark Barford
MTC Nationals Rubber Class Championship 2020
3rd Michael Chapman, Rubber Class National Champion Stuart Rand, 2nd Mark Young
MTC Nationals 2020 Top Ten Foam Class
MTC Nationals 2020 Top Ten Rubber Class
MTC Nationals 2020 Top 3 Junior Class
To encourage the Junior racers at the MTC Nationals this year we had 3 special prizes for the top 3.
- 1st Prize Team Zombie MTC Clubman 17.5 motor, donated by Torque R/C
- 2nd Prize Basil Airbrush designed and sprayed Blitz Cruze bodyshell.
- 3rd Prize Custom designed pit towel, donated by Positive Perspective.
3rd Liam Fenn, 1st Bryce Little MTC Junior Champion 2020, 2nd Jacob Genner
MTC Nationals 2020
Club Championship
Club Championship
This year we had a Club Championship running alongside the main Championship.
Dave Rand collected the Club Championship Trophy on behalf of the West Kent Club.
1st Place West Kent Model Car Club.
2nd Place Basildon Buggy Club.
3rd Place G.M.C.C.
Dave Rand collected the Club Championship Trophy on behalf of the West Kent Club.
1st Place West Kent Model Car Club.
2nd Place Basildon Buggy Club.
3rd Place G.M.C.C.
The MTC Nationals Organisers would like to thank all of the racers who competed this year, all of those who supported the series, from the clubs and venues, to the Sponsors and all the unsung heroes, thank you all.
We look forward to next year which will be our third year of running the series. Hopefully things will be a lot less chaotic than this year and racing will be back to normal.
We are already working on the details for next year and more improvements.
See you all at the MTC Nationals 2021.
We look forward to next year which will be our third year of running the series. Hopefully things will be a lot less chaotic than this year and racing will be back to normal.
We are already working on the details for next year and more improvements.
See you all at the MTC Nationals 2021.