22/07/21: NSR Classic – Four Wide

Four Wide.

Not so long ago, when the world wasn’t preoccupied with airborne baddies, a turnout of just eight drivers would have been considered poor, but not this time. No, this time eight was a crowd, and very nice it was too. With marshals at every corner and cars four-wide on the grid, it was almost like a proper slot car race of old. And, as usual, NSR Classics provided some great racing.

Out front, little had changed. Josh was quickest over a single lap and won Heat 1 quite comfortably, but Julian’s better consistency saw him take a narrow lead in Heat 2 and hold it all the way to race end.

Newcomer Baz had returned for his second visit to Molesey, abandoning his previous never-brake-at-the-same-place-twice driving style in favour of a never-accelerate-at-the-same-place-twice version. It shouldn’t have worked, but it was surprisingly effective, his lap times improving throughout the evening. It was either a mystery technique that nobody else had thought of before, or he was getting progressively more stoned on the marijuana fumes that were wafting through the open windows into the clubroom all evening. The Government’s encouraging us to keep indoor spaces well ventilated, but I don’t think that’s quite what they had in mind. “Hands, space, off your face.”

The midfield was a battle royal between Ed, Terry, David and Neil. Ed led the quartet initially, then David took over until a dire Heat 5 dropped him to sixth, while Terry fought back from an early sixth to finish fourth, with Neil, fast but crash-prone, losing fifth in the last heat to a recovering David.

This was excellent close racing, just as we’ve come to expect from NSR Classics.

NSR F1 next week. Can’t wait.