2025


Slotstox

On 4 April, current and former Slotstox drivers (as well as a few to watch) came together at the Rushmere Village Hall in Ipswich to race at 2nd the Jim Glading memorial meeting hosted by the Foxhall Foxes Slotstox Club. The meeting was limited to 36 drivers with once again the format being slightly different and whilst heats would remain 1 race per lane and 6 laps, drivers in lanes 1 and 2 would start from red grade, lanes 3 and 4 blue grade, and lanes 5 and 6 white grade. I hadn't raced plastic Slotstox since May 2024 and raced my newest plastic Slotstox which was one of, if not the final Slotstox that Jim built. The highest 12 points scorers would qualify for the semi-finals based on cumulative points for all races - 5 for a win, 4 for 2nd etc.  Heat 1 - 22 (5 2nds and 1 3rd), heat 2 - 16 (2 race wins - double the number of wins I achieved during all the heats in 2024, 2 3rds and 2 non-finishes), and heat 3 - 15 (1 2nd, 3 3rds, 1 4th and 1 non-finish. The 2nd in heat 3 was in the last race after another driver did an extra lap meaning that I appropriately finished  with 53 points given that Jim's number was 253. I qualified for the semi-finals as the 9th highest points scorer with the cut-off being 44 points. The semi-final was 1 race per lane over 8 laps. Drivers in lanes 1, 2 and 3 would start from blue grade whilst drivers in lanes 4, 5 and 6 would start from yellow grade. I scored 16 point (1 2nd, 3 3rds, 1 4th and 1 5th) and finished equal 3rd with one other driver so we went into a run-off which I lost 10-4 (2nd followed by a non-finish being de-slotted when slowing up on the other driver) and so missed out on the final. The final was 2 races per lane and 10 laps per race. The eventual winner was Noel Whinney a long time friend of Jim and his son Paul with Paul finishing as runner-up after a run-off. Most importantly £300 was donated to St Elizabeth Hospice in Jim’s name.

On 6 June, I raced at the Foxhall Foxes Slotstox Club hosted Slotstox British Open Championship meeting with 20 drivers including a few visitors from the Wisbech Fen Tigers Slotstox Club. All drivers would race in three heats of 6 races over 6 laps and the highest 12 points scorers would qualify for the semi-finals based on cumulative points for all races - 5 for a win, 4 for 2nd etc. I raced my newer Slotstox and with the Championship being all run from grades, all my races would be from blue grade - heat 1 - 9, heat 2 - 21, including two race wins, and heat 3 - 25, again including two race wins. My heats points score of 55 was sufficient to qualify for the semi-finals as 5th highest scorer (the same position as 2024!) Semi-final - top 3 qualifying to the final - 2nd with 21 (1st scored 22) - so it was on to the Final. The final was 10 laps, 2 races per lane - 3rd - 32 whilst 2nd scored 33 and 4th 30.

With trophies for the top 3, it was another one for the collection! Not bad considering I almost didn't make it due to working late and then on the way, there was a car facing the wrong direction along the waterfront one-way system!


Parmastox

With little enthusiasm for racing, I decided to take an extended break from the end of the 2024 season. I did visit the Anglian Racewall Metal Slotstox Club (ARC) on each of 27 January (season opening Winternationals Championship) and 17 March (points round 4 and Gold Top Qualifying Round 2) to meet up with fellow racers and see if there was a bug to race again and the answer each time was 'No'!

31 March - having won the ARC Team Championship each of the past two seasons, I booked in on the basis that I'd race if it helped make the numbers work. So having attended the Ipswich JAFFA Running Club 6pm Track session, I drove over and ended up being needed as I made up a field of eight drivers for a 2-aside Team Meeting (rather than the usual 3-aside Team Meeting). I was paired with Jack Parker and each team would race against each other once - the two with the most raw points would race in the Final and the two with the least raw points would race in a B-Final. I raced my blue Parmastox. In our first heat, we scored 73 to their 43 and I scored 24. In our second heat, we scored 75 to their 50 and I scored 29. In our third heat, we scored 39 to their 55 and I scored 24. Our raw points total of 187 meant we were the highest point scorers. The final was super close all the way through and a costly non-finish from me, when I crashed watching the battle ahead, proved costly as we lost by 1 point - 53 to 54 and I scored 29, so there was to be no hattrick!

I did continue to visit the Anglian Racewall Metal Slotstox Club (ARC) to meet up:

  • 14 April for points round 5;
  • 28 April for points round 6 and Gold Top Qualifying Round 3;
  • These were each on my way home after the JAFFA Ipswich Running Club Track session.
  • Tuesday 6 May, I walked there and back for points round 7
  • 9 June for points round 9 on my way home after the JAFFA Ipswich Running Club Track session.

I missed points round 8 which doubled up as the East Anglian Championship on 12 May as I attended the later JAFFA Ipswich Running Club Track session due to being delayed working and for a slightly cooler 1k Time Trial than at the earlier session!