Round 6 of the BRCA National Series saw the drivers return from the European Championships to the superb Sussex RC Club. With its ultra-high grip astro surface, practice was all about readjusting. Some struggled early on, but as the laps ticked by, the pace rose – and by qualifying, it was game on across all classes.

4WD – Oddie on Top

Qualifying in 4WD belonged to one man – Ian Oddie. He stamped his authority on the field by taking all three rounds and locking in pole position. Behind him, Karl Norris showed strong form with second on the grid, while Andy Spence impressed the paddock with his VR Phoenix to secure third.

The finals saw drama from the very first tone. Stavros Costas, Kevin Sexton and Mark McCabe all battled their way up from the C to the B final – a brilliant effort from all three. In the B, the fight for promotion was fierce, with four drivers pushing to the limit. Stavros narrowly missed out by just 7 seconds, but Jake Faulkner, Stephen Hunt, and Andy Knight earned their spots in the main event.

The A Final was a true endurance test. Over 30 minutes, mechanical failures, DNFs, and wheel-to-wheel scraps kept everyone on edge. But at the front, Oddie was untouchable. From lights to flag, his Elcon Fourtexx 2.0 never put a wheel wrong. Karl Norris chased hard in second, while Leon Satchell brought his MCD RR5 home in third after some brilliant mid-race battles.

Final Top 3 – 4WD:
🏆 1st – Ian Oddie (Elcon Fourtexx 2.0)
🥈 2nd – Karl Norris (Traxx 4WD)
🥉 3rd – Leon Satchell (MCD RR5)

2WD – Whittleston Fights Back

The 2WD class belonged to Oliver Whittleston in qualifying. He was simply on another level, taking TQ in all three rounds with a huge gap to the rest of the field. Craig Chilvers lined up second, with Andy Blackburn third.

With no B final, the entire 2WD field went straight into a gruelling main. The opening laps were clean with Oliver, Craig and Andy setting the pace. But the blistering heat soon caused chaos – tyre failures hit Oliver, Andy, and Saul Morris. Oliver lost 1½ laps in the pits while changing rubber, while Andy and Saul were forced to retire.

What followed was the drive of the day. With a fresh set bolted on, Oliver pushed flat-out for over 20 minutes, clawing back time and finally regaining the lead. In a stunning recovery, he crossed the line 13 seconds clear to take a memorable victory. Behind him, Craig held strong for second, while Mark Higgins moved through to claim a well-earned podium.

Special mention goes to Neil Young, who impressed in his first ever national off-road 2WD race, finishing a brilliant 4th.

Final Top 3 – 2WD:
🏆 1st – Oliver Whittleston (Traxx 2.0)
🥈 2nd – Craig Chilvers (Traxx 2.0)
🥉 3rd – Mark Higgins (Traxx 2.0)

Short Course – A Junior Makes History

Short Course racing brought its own fireworks. In qualifying, Dave Parish took TQ with two round wins, while Alfie-Jack Shilcock and Matt Stokes lined up right behind him.

The B-final was hotly contested with Patrick Vice, Zach Whittleston, and Gavin Kettlety at the sharp end. After 20 minutes of elbows-out racing, Zach, Jack Keatley, and Gavin secured their bump-ups into the A.

The A Final was a classic. The top three were never more than a few seconds apart, with Alfie-Jack, Dave, and Matt trading blows throughout. After half an hour of relentless action, it was Alfie-Jack who kept his cool and brought his Losi 5T 2.0 home for a famous win. Just three seconds separated him from Parish at the line, while Stokes completed the podium.

And what a result – Alfie-Jack becomes the second junior ever, and the youngest in history, to win a National Series round! A sensational achievement.

Final Top 3 – Short Course:
🏆 1st – Alfie-Jack Shilcock (Losi 5T 2.0)
🥈 2nd – Dave Parish (Losi 5T 2.0)
🥉 3rd – Matt Stokes (VR Phoenix SC Version)

Closing Thoughts

Round 6 at Sussex had it all – high grip, high drama, and high emotion. From Oddie’s flawless 4WD victory, to Whittleston’s heroic comeback in 2WD, and Alfie-Jack’s history-making win in Short Course, this was racing at its finest.

Bring on Round 7 – the championship fight is far from over!