State of Racing

Reflecting on 2022, we see some encouraging green shoots that could blossom in 2023.

We will all remember the year 2020. Everything changed, and all that we knew for certain became the past. Everything we’d endured then slowly petered out in 2021, and 2022 was supposed to be the return to normal. Instead, everything started to crack and crumble. If it didn’t break in 2022, it would become more expensive and hard to get hold of, continuing the feeling left by COVID-19 that normality can leave us at any time and faster than we think.  

That said, in our corner of the motorsport world, 1:10th electric on-road, it’s been hard to know what normal looks like in recent years.

A new BRCA section committee took charge in 2022, and wholesale changes took place in the classes. The Clubman's touring car series was replaced with a new two-wheel drive National series, dividing 10EC along similar lines to electric off-road, giving the F1 and the Front Wheel Drive touring car classes a home. 

The roll-out of the new series caused tensions between some host clubs and the section, especially amongst clubs feeling more financially vulnerable to losing a big meeting - the 2WD class numbers having been historically low.

The change also meant the popular 17.5 blinky class had a new home, joining 13.5 blinky and modified touring cars to make a new three-class National 4WD series.

This new normal presented questions for the King of Clubs. 2021 was a great season in our regional series, with Oli Jefferies, Chris Grainger and Harley Eldridge leading a group of the country's elite racers joining KOC21. Initially, perhaps looking for extra practice races at Eastbourne and Colchester, but ultimately committing to the full series. With no overlapping tracks and dates and the mainstay 17.5 class joining the National series, people were still trying to figure out what would happen in 2022.

In 2018 the main summer series was the BRCA Nationals and Clubmans, with championships for modified, 13.5 open, 13.5 blinky, 17.5 blinky, and F1. 211 racers competed in the Clubmans and 170 in the Nationals. The Schumacher BTCC series that year had 151 racing, but almost all were also racing Nationals giving a total of 338 individual racers. The 13.5 open class was dropped for 2019, and the total number of racers across BTCC, Clubmans and Nationals fell to 315. There were no BRCA or BTCC events in 2020, thanks to the pandemic, and the FWD class was introduced to the Clubmans in 2021 in place of 13.5 blinky. BTCC never came back. The total number of racers at BRCA events fell to 215. 

But in 2022, the new 2WD & 4WD format attracted 249 racers, a decent growth from the previous season.

168 racers had turned out for the second King of Clubs series in 2021, with around 40% overlap to BRCA events. In 2022, 171 racers turned out for KOC with hardly any overlap, just under 10%, leaving 403 racers across KOC and BRCA events  - 20% more than the 2018 number. 

This analysis is not definitive of course. We haven't collected data on the numbers of 10EC drivers at clubs who don’t attend these series. But whilst the feeling of dysfunction surrounds us and everything we rely on seeming to be either on strike or not working, there is cause for optimism in our hobby.

Underneath the numbers, another story is the fluctuating fortunes of the different classes. A criticism often aimed at 10th electric on-road is “too many classes”, but there are undoubtedly different needs within the section, met by different class formulas. 

The front-wheel drive touring car class numbers in sanctioned events grew on the back of an innovative incentive scheme from the new section committee. The realistic look of the bodyshells, the treaded tyres and spoked wheels, and close stock racing all add to the appeal. One hundred drivers frontie in the 2WD National made FWD the biggest drivers championship at any of the series, and by some margin. But as the adage goes, one swallow doesn’t make a summer. Critics questioned who the class was for and whether or not a class could grow without a strong following at the club level. It is well known, however, that the manufacturers are keen to see the class expand. 2023 will be the all-important second album, with the prospects for continued success looking good.

The other 2WD class, F1, appears to be at a different crossroads. The class has a small but dedicated following, with regular F1 races at several clubs. But the numbers for the new National series were very small, with less than one full heat of drivers at some meetings, with just 15 names in total on the championship table at the end of the season. The KOC series also had 15 F1 drivers, with 6 doing both series.  Arguments about foam tyres continue to divide the group; some are passionate and committed to the scale realism of rubber, while others believe the performance of foam tyres to be a better bet. The group of F1 drivers are highly valued members of the 10EC community, but 2023 will be a critical season for the future of the class at major events.

The actual  F1 of RC racing is the modified touring car class. The Ashes, the Superbowl, the Heavyweight title. The toughest race engineering and driving challenge in RC. The one every driver would aspire to master, but only a handful can. 

Olly Jefferies won 4 straight championships before retiring as the National and KOC champion at the end of 2021. A young man still in his early 30’s going out on top. Kyle Branson taking the mantle with a dominant championship win in 2022. To make a point, if only to himself, Jefferies turned up for a one-off appearance in the Nationals at Cotswolds and won with a box standard car. 

Sixty racers competed in the mod National in 2017. 69 in 2019. Then 40 in 2021 and 38 in 2022. Ask around at the clubs, and mod racing is a rare sight, nonexistent at the grassroots level. The format has been fiddled with before to make the class more accessible - a 10.5 turn ‘pro-stock’ about ten years ago led to a stellar turnout of 100 drivers for one season. The same handful of drivers winning by the same margin killed the experiment.

The performance of modified touring cars is, some say, simply too much. The car, tyre and aero technology conspire to create the breathtaking performance. In other forms of motorsport, the safety factor somewhat regulates performance. The risk increases when the cars get too fast, and regulations peg it back. MotoGP is a good example. RC doesn’t have that element of danger and therefore doesn’t have those boundaries. 

A rule proposal at this years section conference suggested reducing performance by limiting the motor specification and introducing stock electronics, which begs the question: what is the point of modified racing? Do we need it?

It certainly creates a challenge that only the best can master and pushes the race engineering task to a higher level with the electronic tuning of excessive power. A relevant skill across all motorsport and the wider data-driven hi-tech world. While Olly Jefferies et al. have outstanding ability, we last had a British world touring car champion in Andy Moore in 2006, who was the first since David Spashett won the inaugural worlds in 1998. In other words, the ability levels in modified racing just now aren't alien.  The need for a lifetime of dedication and single-minded focus to reach their level is typical of any elite sport. Out of the 400 or so touring car racers we counted, if it is just the top 1% who can get there, isn’t that about right? 

2023 might not be a make-or-break season for modified racing, but the emergence of a future-focused plan to strengthen the class would undoubtedly benefit the sport.

Also included in the 400 mentioned are 58 junior drivers. A few teenagers have raced for a while (Charlie Colby, Daniel Robbins and Ethan Southall all exciting prospects). Still, most are boys and girls under 12 getting started in touring car racing with Junior-E and the FWD class at the 2WD Nationals. 

While our section isn’t booming, it isn’t bust either. Some encouraging green shoots could blossom in 2023. 

2022 Top 10 KOC Racers

1. Marcus Askell

The factory X-Ray driver won 7/10 races in the fastest KOC class of 2022. He was second in all the others. The best in a small but undoubtedly fast class, Askell welcomed professionalism on and off the track. Overseas factory sponsors might usually be interested in the Nationals only. Still, X-Ray boss Martin Hudy signed off on his driver building his season around the KOC, citing the media management as a rationale. The number of Junior drivers influenced by the representation and the open door for friendly encouragement, advice, and guidance will also pay back for the brand. 

2. Billy Fletcher

Like Askell, Fletcher took a dominant championship win in his class, wrapping it up before the final round at home club Eastbourne. It was typical of the man to move class for the final round to help his club team secure their comeback win in the team championship. The resulting match-up with Askell in the final races was eagerly anticipated, the two separated by a ‘three-tenths in the qualifying tiebreak. Askell took the race wins, but Eastbourne secured the team's title. In his first year with the Schumacher team, Fletcher showed an ability to win with any chassis. An impressive feat, given the time spent supporting son Frankie in Junior-E on race days.

3. Andy Travis

Travis' championship win in the KOC GT class was truly impressive - developing a Tamiya TC01 chassis to race-winning performance was no small task. Pick up a TT02, and there is a well-trodden path to getting the best performance from the chassis. With the TC01 Travis was ploughing his furrow. A couple of racers had tried the chassis in 2021 and given up on it. The lack of droop from horizontally mounted shocks appears to be one reason for the lack of mechanical traction. Winning the early season battles with Tim Harrop and Craig Hook ultimately secured Travis the championship. His driving and engineering ability is beyond doubt.

4. Stu Rand

A late preseason move from touring car to GT left a few scratching their heads, but Rand’s racing in the GT class was often the highlight of race day. Championship hopes were dashed by a poor start at Aldershot as family commitments meant Rand was absent from Round 2. Still, from then on, Rand won every race; the battle between his TT02 and Travis TC01 highlighted the chassis' relative strengths and weaknesses.  Rand will no doubt be looking to reverse the charges in 2023. 

5. James Snashall

It takes a special talent to rise above the maelstrom and raw excitement of the Junior-E class. A season-long battle with Xavi Tribo showed the likeable 12-year-old has the ability. Holding his nerve in the final races at Eastbourne to win the championship demonstrated a cool head too. Graduating to the Touring Car Talent Cup next year, Snashall is undoubtedly one to watch.

6. Paul Ellis

The West London club team would be in trouble without Ellis and his continued success in the F1 class. He took his third championship win in a row in 2022. A popular presence in the paddock, his affable manner conceals a ruthlessness on track. The final races at Eastbourne a classic example. Only the factory driver Michael Lee has been able to beat Ellis in the last couple of seasons; looking ahead, son Jonathan looks increasingly likely to be the next driver to do so.

7. Harry Jefferies

To say young Harry Jefferies has large shoes to fill is an understatement. But the fact he is already showing the potential to do so is not an exaggeration. The 10-year-old from Glouchester would have won the inaugural Touring Car Talent Cup but for a washout at Adur (with the youngsters agreeing to split the points and call it a day) and a family holiday clashing with the final round. He won 4 of the other 6 races, beaten just once by another driver - Harry Honsa, coming out on top in one of two race-long battles at West London. A crash breakage in his other race was the only blemish on a season of outstanding progress. 

8. Xavi Tribo

Another young talent, Xavi’s championship rivalry in the Junior-E went down to the final two races. Sadly for Tribo, his absence left the championship in the hands of the other drivers. After winning the first three races, Tribo was the driver to beat. Only the champion could do so until Evan Hellyer podium in race 8. That one extra point was perhaps crucial, giving Snashall the tiniest breathing room in the title calculations. The rivalry between the two looks set to carry on for some time.

9. Ash Wiffen

Wiffen started the season with a win in 13.5 Blinky and kept Askell honest, pushing for a second win until it came in race one at West London in June. It was the last we saw of Ash, sudden serious illness forcing him out. Racing carried on but felt less important; his absence keenly felt on and off track for the rest of the season. Thankfully as the winter season got underway, Wiffen was able to return. It will be good to see the West London ace pushing for wins again in 2023.

10. Chloe Snashall

The younger Snashall made noteworthy progress during 2022, putting together consistent lap times and ending the season leading races. Chloe can jump into touring cars already. She will start the new season as a championship favourite if she stays in Junior-E.