S.T.C.C ROUND ONE RESULTS AND RACE REPORT.

We popped down to SRCCC yesterday to watch a bit of racing and see some friends.
The weather was very nice and a lot warmer than it was last year at Round 1 of the STCC which is always at Southend.
They had a good turn out of drivers even if a few were missing due to the prospect of rain and a few with hangovers lol.
Southends pits was always a bit shabby with gravel getting everywhere but they now have a freshly tarmaced car park which makes so much difference.
There were many familiar faces about the pits and some indoor only drivers having their first ever outdoors race which was good to see.
We were only there for an hour or so but the atmosphere was good and the pits were buzzing with people disscussing the if's, but's and maybe's of where they had qualified.
As Southend is one of the only remaining off road tracks in Essex which was tarmaced several years ago it keeps some of the off road track features, such as the rising hill upto the rostrum followed by the decending sweeper back down to ground level, more tracks should have great features like this. (it is touring car racing and not F1).
But due to its similarity to Monaco, Southend's track means you have to have 100% concentration for the whole race, one mistake and your in the wall or flying through the air. This is probably why the local drivers who know every inch of the track allways do so well and some others don't.
Well that's it for now. Good luck to all at the following rounds. Me and Dani will be at rounds 3 and 4 at Brooklands and WLRC and possibly some more, cya trackside.

Round 1: Southend.....







2008 Corally/STCC Round 1: Southend.....
with a lot of eager drivers all arriving in what can only be described
as quite damp and dismal conditions, the race meeting got off to a wet
start, but just as the weather forcasters had predicated, the rain soon
abated and by mid/late morning the track was starting to show dry
lines. By the time the finals started it was a full dry track, and with
the sun eventually burning through the cloud cover it remained a dry,
bright and quite warm afternoon. The new classes resulted some very
fast and impressive performances as people quickly got to grip with the
conditions. Southend has always been regarded as a challenging track.
both for the drivers and their cars, so with a new outright track
record being set by Mark Fuller in the third, and only final he
completed, the STCC tradition of seting new tracks records stated early
this year! Well done to everyone attending, with 10 heats it was great
to see so many smiling and happy people around the track, both first
thing in the morning and just the same at the end of the day, for the
first big outdoor meeting of the 2008 season. And a big thanks to all
the people work worked behind the scenes, and the Southend members for
the support services.

TC1 A-final winners


2nd: Phil Ravenshear 1st: Jason Moggridge 3rd: Dave Ringsall

Well done to Mark Bonny on winning the TC2 (19t/10.5 BL) Class A Final.
Must be the practice he gets when visting G.M.C.C.