VTEC Challenge Mid-Year Review

[Jonathan F]

VTEC Challenge – Mid Season Review

The VTEC Challenge came about as a result of a vision by Mike Clarke and Kris Dunlop from Honda tuner “R-Motion”.

Seasoned and successful Honda racers in their own right, the pair had seen a gap in the market for a Honda specific race series, and set about putting the wheels in motion for an exciting proposition to join the 2011 season calendar.

With an immense amount of work ahead of them, the pair began enlisting help and looking for sponsorship to help run the series, which included huge support from the established Honda forum community.

Silverstone: April 2nd/3rd 2011 (Rounds 1 & 2 of VTEC Challenge)

After all the planning, headaches and sleepless nights, it had all come down to this. The time to stop talking and get down to racing had finally arrived, and with every class represented, it was sure to be something special.


Qualifying:

From a potential disaster came triumph for racer Mark Chese. His Civic Type “R” failed scrutineering due to an issue with his roll cage. With the end to his race debut in sight, up stepped “RedBrick Racing” with a huge gesture of good will and offered Mark their spare BTCC spec Civic as a replacement!

It was a trouble free qualifying session and all cars came home in one piece in readiness for racing.

For the first race of the season, it was Richard Voaden in his H22 powered Integra that took set the fastest time for the number 1 grid slot.


Race 1:

With the lights out it was series organiser Kris Dunlop in his lightweight Class D 1600cc Civic EG that made a storming start and took an early lead. However he was unable to build on his initial progress and the more powerful Class “A” Integra of Voaden, and “Tuner” Class Civic driven by Charlie Butler-Henderson came through.

Stewart Hutchinson in his Class “C” Integra came through from the 3rd row, and mounted an attack which saw him take 3rd place from Dunlop.

For the next 2 or 3 laps the pair tussled for the same piece of tarmac, which ended with Dunlop back up to 2nd place overall, with Hutchinson in 4th following the stricken Civic of CBH.

1st: Rich Voaden
2nd: Kris Dunlop
3rd: Charlie Butler Henderson

Fastest lap: Rich Voaden 1:07.264 sec on lap 3 of 14


Race 2:

A better start for the number 24 car of Voaden saw the driver from Highworth lead from lights to flag. The Civic driven by CBH had been repaired in between race’s, which meant it was capable of running to it’s full potential, but it was still unable to match the pace of the Performance Autoworks prepared JDM Integra.

A fantastic start by Hutchinson meant he got the upper hand over the “RedBrick Racing” Civics of CBH and team owner Robin Duxbury. However a fast recovering Butler-Henderson meant Stewart and his blue Integra found themselves being sandwiched between the pit wall and the day glow orange bodywork of the ex Halfords/Racing Dynamics BTCC Civic. Not wanting to suffer any damage from either side, Hutchinson backed out and lived to fight on.

Battles took place throughout the grid, with home built race cars racing for position alongside works built touring cars.



With Voaden taking the top step, it was a pair of “RedBrick Racing” Civics driven by CBH and Duxbury who took 2nd and 3rd respectively.

1st: Rich Voaden
2nd: Charlie Butler Henderson
3rd: Robin Duxbury

Fastest lap: Rich Voaden 1:07.341 sec on lap 3 of 14

Mallory Park: May 1st 2011 (Rounds 3 & 4 of VTEC Challenge)

Moving on a month and the VTEC Challenge rolled into a gloriously sunny Mallory Park for the next event on the 2011 calendar.

Providing a more “intimate” setting, the circuit at Mallory would be a good circuit to allow the less powerful class C and D class cars to shine. With only a number of drivers having raced here before, it was anyone’s guess as to what would happen.

Following on from his brace of wins at Silverstone, Richard Voaden and his Integra would be the ones others would be aiming to beat.

New entrants Andy Smith and his class A “vtecdirect.com” ATR, Richard Chilton and his class C ITR and seasoned racer Nigel Ainge and his DC5 ITR used Mallory to make their first appearance in the VTEC Challenge.


Qualifying

Known for their reliability, the qualifying and races tend to be trouble free in terms of mechanical issues.

However for the “R-Motion” Civic of Kris Dunlop failed to read the reliability memo and decided to spill the contents of the cars sump all along the passenger side of the car, which earned the pair a black flag for their troubles.

Nigel Ainge in his DC5 Integra secured pole, by over half a second from previous winner Voaden.

Race 1:

With two quick Integra’s lining up on the first row, it would be a challenge from the off to get into “Gerrards” first. With the lightweight and quick EG Civic in 3rd, driver Kris Dunlop would be looking for a way through to the front as well.

With lights out, it was Ainge who capitalised leaving the rest of the grid to give chase.

Despite a huge valiant team effort to fix the problem, it soon became apparent that the R-Motion Civic’s troubles had returned, and put an end to their days racing.

Gareth Broadbent in his CRX sat comfortably in 3rd for the remainder of the race, with Hutchinson in 4th in his DC2 ITR.

Voaden had chipped away at the distance separating himself from Ainge until he was close enough to contemplate a challenge to take the lead.

Around Gerrards, Ainge moved to the outside of the circuit, and Rich took the inside line and held on to exit the corner in front.

1st: Rich Voaden
2nd: Nigel Ainge
3rd: Gareth Broadbent

Fastest lap: Rich Voaden 52.583 sec on lap 9 of 23


Race 2:

With the DC5 of Ainge absent from the grid, Voaden and his DC2 Integra was left to lead the charge on lap one and stayed there until the race finished.

Very quickly the winner of race 1 extended his lead from the CRX of Broadbent and the Integra of Hutchinson. The top three soon extended their lead over the rest of the field and continued to the end of the race without any issues.

Andy Smith showed signs early on of closing in on 3rd place Hutchinson in his JDM DC2 Integra, but later dropped back and was passed by Mark Chese, dropping him back to 5th.

1st: Rich Voaden
2nd: Gareth Broadbent
3rd: Stewart Hutchinson

Fastest lap: Rich Voaden 52.825 sec on lap 22 of 23

Oulton Park: May 28th 2011 (Rounds 5 & 6 of VTEC Challenge)

Four weeks later and the VTEC Challenge arrived at Oulton Park. Oulton Park's combination of stunning scenery and spectacular racing make it one of the most picturesque and cherished circuits available in the UK.

On home soil was Stewart Hutchinson with his Integra DC2 and the Accord Type R of Andy Smith, both looking to capitalise with local knowledge.

Making a welcome return was Rick Rowles with his FN2 “Mugen” powered Civic Type R, who had made the journey up from Swindon.


Qualifying

With Smith and Hutchinson having lapped Oulton more times than Kris has had “Rocky” chocolate bars ;o), some of the fellow racers used their track experience to help them learn the best lines.

Gareth was showing that his Class D CRX was capable of setting quick times, but didn’t quite have the legs over the likes of Voaden on the circuit’s fast sectors.

Following qualifying, the result showed that Voaden had done enough to secure his 3rd pole position of the season ahead of Gareth Broadbent and Stewart Hutchinson in a group C JDM Integra.

Pole: Rich Voaden
2nd: Gareth Broadbent
3rd: Stewart Hutchinson


Race 1:

Lining up on the grid alongside Gareth with Stewart and Andy on the 2nd row, Rich Voaden in the Integra needed a text book start so as not to give the guys any advantage.

With the red lights out, Rich and Gareth were alongside each other, but on a gear change Voaden suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure and lost all drive, which made him a sitting duck in the path of a charging Mark Chese.

With Voaden’s race over, the CRX driver from Farnham took charge of the race and lead Stewart Hutchinson in 2nd all the way to the flag.

Starting from 6th place, Richard Chilton in the UK spec DC2 Integra got a great start and jumped to 4th place, passing Mark Chese and holding off Rick’s Civic in the process. 4th became 3rd for Chilton when Andy Smith left the circuit at “Island Bend” to avoid hitting Hutchinson.

1st: Gareth Broadbent
2nd: Stewart Hutchinson
3rd: Richard Chilton

Fastest lap: Gareth Broadbent 1:40.027 sec on lap 8 of 9


Race 2:

Following a mammoth rebuild in-between race’s meant Richard Voaden and his Integra were back on track for race 2.

Hoping the car would hold together for the start, Voaden judged the lights to perfection and got clean away and past the first corner still in the lead.

Gareth came from the second row to squeeze inside Hutchinson and by the exit of “Old Hall” bend he was in 2nd place and setting his sights on Voaden.

Hutchinson was now holding 3rd comfortably and Smith had to settle for 4th place.

Mark Chese had a comfortable 5th ahead of the battling duo of “Rowles” and “Chilton”. Both drivers had a great race, with honest clean driving, showing that you don’t have to “Rub” to race!

With the flag dropped, Richard Voaden had returned to form to take the second race win of the day.

1st: Rich Voaden
2nd: Gareth Broadbent
3rd: Stewart Hutchinson

Fastest lap: Rich Voaden 1:39.808 sec on lap 8 of 9

Anglesey: July 2nd/3rd (Rounds 7 and 8 of VTEC Challenge)

For the mid season event, the VTEC Challenge was over the border and into North Wales. In particular it was the island of Anglesey and its famous coastal circuit that would be home to 2011 VTEC Challenge.

Perched high on the cliff tops of Anglesey and overlooking the Irish Sea, the circuit provided a breathtaking backdrop for the VTEC racers and fans alike.


Qualifying Race 1:

For the weekend’s events, the “VTEC Challenge” had been joined with the “CNC Heads Sports Saloon Championship” which would pit the Honda guys against some of the quickest cars in the UK, some with double the horsepower!

Following qualifying, the result showed that Chilton had done enough to secure his 1st VTEC Challenge pole position of the season ahead of Andy Smith and Mark Chese.

Pole: Richard Chilton – 1.21.296
2nd: Andy Smith – 1.23.017
3rd: Mark Chese – 1.23.353


Race 1:

With the red lights out, Chilton got a clean start, but Smith in the “vtecdirect.com” Accord Type R hooked up to get a flyer and came through from two row’s back to get up alongside Chilton and take an early lead by the end of lap 1.

The duo of Smith and Chilton battled for 5 laps until the Integra got the upper hand and re-took the lead of the VTEC race and held off Smith until the chequered flag dropped.

Mark in his black and green EP3 CTR battled with the rest of the pack and came home unscathed in 3rd.

1st: Richard Chilton
2nd: Andy Smith
3rd: Mark Chese

Fastest lap: Richard Chilton 1:20.967 sec on lap 13


Qualifying Race 2:

With a switch to the “International” circuit, it was time to qualify again, and it was Chilton who put his red Integra ahead of Smith and Chese for the start of race 2.

Pole: Richard Chilton – 1.45.595
2nd: Andy Smith – 1.48.187
3rd: Mark Chese – 1.48.782


Race 2:

With the red lights out, Chilton got a good start and held position to lead the VTEC charge. Chese in the black and green EP3 Civic pulled ahead of Smith and one of the other CNC cars by corner 1.

Andy was soon in contention with Chese, and all over the rear of his Civic, forcing Mark to defend for position. Lap after lap Smith looked for a way through but was denied any chance. Only in the later stages did Mark manage to shake off the Accord and pulled out a 4 second gap by the time the flag dropped.

Chilton had pulled out a considerable lead during the race and finished race 2 at the head of the pack.

1st: Richard Chilton
2nd: Mark Chese
3rd: Andy Smith

Fastest lap: Richard Chilton 1:46.068 sec on lap 11

Summary:

Already we are half way through the first season of the VTEC Challenge, and the support for this growing series has been phenomenal!

You’ll never meet a friendlier bunch of like minded individuals who enjoy racing and the camaraderie is second to none.

Rounds 9 & 10 take part at “Croft” in North Yorkshire over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th of July.

Come on, what are you waiting for!

See you at the track.

[historic racer]

PHENOMENAL ???
Silverstone 9 starters
Mallory 9 starters
Oulton 8 starters
Anglesey 3 starters
Not even good in the real world, when Kris mentioned this series to me at Lydden I said that there were already enough places to run a Honda , why dilute an already thin degree of racers. Sure enough it has gone that way, shame really as the concept was good but you have to offer something exceptional to tempt people away from what they are already doing and that hasn't happened. We for example, are happy running in the CSCC Future Classics and can see no gain in moving and at the last meeting there were 8 Hondas running in the Tin Tops alone . So off with the rose tinted and look towards running it in conjunction with another series until it reaches a stand alone figure or the BARC will surely bin it.

[G.Walker]

There is also the Nippon championship for Hondas, so many places to run these cars

The fords series ran within classic thunder before grids were strong enough to have own race. This approach should have adopted imho

[mig]

I think that the championship could work ok and get half decent grids but as historic racer said there needs to be something to attract racers away from their championships.I run in Classic Thunder and would like to have a go at some of the Vtec challenge races this season the only bug bear for me is I have to get a minimum of 4 Yokohama road tyres as my slicks are not allowed. So more expense

[VTC]

Only 3 racers who are currently running in the VTEC Challenge have raced before. The majority are new racers (off the top of my head about 8) mainly from the Honda Community who wanted to race with other like minded Honda owners (one of the aims of the VTC) so I dont think it can be seen to be diluting other series but rather encouraging new racers which is a good thing.

Yes grids are low but given we are getting new racers pretty much each round we are heading in the right direction - particularly when some other series grids are reducing. We had 9/10 for silverstone which included the three RBR BTCC cars. Due to that RBR are now running a Ginneta we lost those 3 which was a blow. But we gained 2 new racers for Mallory, one for Oulton and now two for Croft. But we have to work with the law of averages and racers can't make every round.

As for tyres being a prohibitive factor, we opened up one of the classes so that any semi slick tyre could be run to allow people to come and try out (and also no BARC or VTC registration fee for the first round!!). The control tyre issue and BARC membership was one of the sticky issues for several interested parties including users Mig and Historic Racer. However since we opened up the class, no one has taken up the opportunity - but at least the moaning on the VTC forum (if not this forum) has reduced!!

BARC have been VERY supportive of our series and understand it is early days. We are in their hands as to whether they wanted/want us to run with other series - sometimes we do, sometimes we dont.

Speak to any VTC racers and they will tell you that the paddock atmosphere (including hospitality) is excellent - quite important as it comprises 95% of a racing weekend. The camaraderie is fantastic and most people that race with us dont want to go anywhere else including someone who has come from Tin Tops!! This atmosphere couldnt have been generated by joining another series.

I also think the VTC attracts one of the largest number of spectators - at each round we have had several Honda owners clubs joining us in the paddock.

So essentially, yes its very easy to sit back and criticise, but we had the enthusiasm and vision to try something new and it is working.

Until people try it, they wont know what they are missing!!

[Buzzin VTEC]

Very well put Mike
I for one have a firm belief that the series will flourish given more time, just a shame that some people are oh so very quick to knock a new series simply because its rules don't exactly meet their requirements for their own car/engine of choice.....their loss in my opinion.

I only ever intended to enter Silverstone and Croft rounds due to work commitments and limited budget but was suckered in by the massively enjoyable and friendly nature of everyone involved.....to that end I have up till now only had to miss the Anglesey round which I was gutted about.

The series deserves support and time to grow, it does not deserve some of the negative put downs that people seem all to eager to blurt out.

Well done Mike and Kris, see you at Snett