The BRCA National Touring Car Championships got underway at the weekend with round one at the Aldershot track in Hampshire, representing Muchmore UK was a strong team of modified drivers including reigning national champ Chris Grainger, hoping to take the challenge to Chris was Hot Bodies team driver Olly Jefferies and X-Ray’s Ben Cosgrove, Stu Noble was also on hand to back up Olly with Andy Moore missing out on round one due to international commitments. 

Chris had posted his intensions early with a dominating win at a club meeting the previous week before the national, and he continued that form into round one of qualifying for the national taking the fastest time, now using the format of round by round qualifying at BRCA nationals Chris strengthened his position in round two when Olly’s car failed to leave the start line, after finishing second in round one but now counting a DNS Olly plummeted to bottom end of the modified order. The pressure was now on Olly to get back into the meeting and he responded by winning the next round. 

After three rounds of qualifying on Saturday and two in Sunday it was Olly and his Hot Bodies Cyclone that took FTD, Olly put in some storming runs to haul himself back up the leader board to top the lists with Chris’s Yokomo lining up behind him, behind these two was young rising star Elliott Harper and then another Muchmore driver in the form of Ben Cosgrove. 

The first A final went the way of Chris after a brave decision to run on slicks while everyone else went out on intermediates on a fast drying track, the rain played a part in the second final when a light shower of rain fell as the cars sat on the grid, the first few laps were almost comical as the cars slid around on the greasy track, then midway into the race the grip came back and the pace picked up, Chris had done enough in the slippery stage to pull a gap on Olly and despite some quick laps from Olly he could not do enough to close back the gap. 

With two wins from two Chris had now effectively won the meeting, two second places for Olly meant he was confirmed as runner up, but with the meeting decided this did distract from the last final which was a real speed fest. Both Chris and Olly blasted away off the grid with Olly leading from pole, one mistake from either would have handed victory to the other driver, the two of them lapped at a frantic rate leaving the rest of the field well behind, they both worked through traffic with no mistakes and Olly came out on top to take an exciting leg three win. 

After a consistent run behind the blindingly fast top two Ben Cosgrove emerged to take the final podium place for X-Ray. 

So a round one win to Chris on what is considered his home track, now perhaps the advantage moves to Olly as the series moves onto to his local track at Cotswolds.

Andy Moore re joins the fray for round two so an exciting three way battle looks on the cards, add into the mix a fast improving Elliott Harper and we should have quite a weekend in store for modified racers…