3.5cc – 2017 champion Mark Wraight

In the 3.5cc class, 2017 iMBRA European Champion Zack Humphries is untouchable, but the NDC is not his priority – He has eyes on bigger prizes at international level. 2017 3.5 NDC winner Mark Wraight is both fast and reliable, but he is also in the world championships team which may open the door for others if he doesn’t attend all the races. Alongside Mark, we would consider Dave Hole, Geoff Parmenter and Andrew Aykroyd in with a shout and we haven’t yet seen the best of Ian Folksons Ikarus. We’d probably make Dave the favourite but Andrew can win it if he goes to most of the meetings. Battle for the King of Speed will probably be fought out between Dave Marles and Dave Pillman, but we suspect neither of them will do enough events to win the title and those last few km/h of speed usually come at the expense of occasional reliability issues. Keith Burgess also has great speed but has been thwarted by reliability in recent seasons.

7.5cc – 2017 champion Mick Szebeko

The 7.5 should be interesting this season as we have another top racer in Andrew Aykroyd joining the class. Gary Wraight will be looking to return to the podium with his 8 Ball after extensive modifications. Gary will be determined to make 2018 a success after scuppering his chances of the 2017 title by attempting major changes mid-season only for it to backfire spectacularly. Everyone is looking forward to the first glimpse of 2014 World Champion Martin Fields new self-designed 7.5. Martin will be hoping the new boat is as good or better than his superb Pegasus Evo that he sold after the GB International win. Martin will no doubt putting most effort into the internationals so he’s not really a UK title contender. In no particular order, we would say that Mick Szebeko, Gary Wraight and Andrew Aykroyd are the front runners. Julian and Ross Waumsley are also strong in 7.5 and Julian’s average of 26 points per race would have been enough to take the title last year had he competed in every event. Ross may be looking for some wins to make up for the disappointment of missing the eliminators having contracted a serious infection in 2017 which almost cost him his leg.Dave Pillmans new Pegasus Evo may give everyone a fright (Video), but will he do enough races?

15cc – 2017 champion Terry Holmes

The best 15cc boat in the UK is Phill Fields Tornado T7, but like other top racers he will be considering potential damage in a world championship year so Mark Wraight will be looking to put right the disappointment of missing out on an 8th title in 2017. Facebook users will have seen the progress of his all-new Seljak design 15cc boat. We will shortly bring you a build masterclass of this boat. However, we hear he may have to contend with James Taylor who is rumoured to be returning to the 15cc class with a new Tornado T7. James is arguably (With Zack) the best driver in the UK, so Mark will have his hands full if James gets his boat built. James/Mark 2017 champion Terry Holmes will also be a strong contender as he only had one DNF all season last year on his way to the title. 2015/2016 champion Sam Lincoln would normally be considered one of the favourites, but is almost certainly focused on the world championships. We would also back Mikey Hillstead if he can keep the consistency he showed in the latter part of 2017.

27cc – 2017 champion James Taylor

27cc is a straight fight between Ian Folkson and James Taylor in our eyes. Or CMB vs Tiger King! James average 35 points per race in last years championship was simply phenomenal and if he carries that form into 2018 he will be unstoppable. The other contenders would be Steve Baxter and Mick Pain who is ultra reliable, but not on the pace of Ian, James and Steve. All 4 are qualified for the world championships, so this may let in Terry Holmes.

Coming to the business end of the season with 3 to go, it’s still wide open in all classes except 3.5 where Mark Wraight has now established a big lead equivalent to a whole race win.

3.5cc – It’s clear that the fight for the title is being taken seriously as a few of the racers went testing on Saturday before the race. The intense rivalry between Mr #boughtnotbuilt Mark Wraight and Andrew Aykroyd continued to produce the goods with only 1 lap separating them at the end. Dave Hole completed the podium in 3rd. It now looks like the 3.5 title is Mark’s to lose. (No pressure Mark!)

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7.5cc – Peterborough member Mick Szebeko took the win with his Pegasus Evo, putting him 11 points clear at the top of the table. Julian Waumsley took 2nd and climbs to 2nd spot in the table after a disappointed Gary Wraight was just edged out to 3rd having struck bottom left buoy whilst leading with only a minute or so to go! Gary is showing good consistency with his #boughtnotbuilt 8 Ball and is determined to fight for the title until the last race.

15cc – Terry Holmes extended his lead at the top of the 15cc table with the win. Returning after a year off, Mikey Hillstead grabbed 2nd, and Mike Holiday took 3rd. Mark Wraight (4th) is keen to point out that as only 8 of the 9 races count towards the title, he is actually only 14 points behind Terry and is still gunning for the title!

27cc – James Taylor took the win with the highest laps of the day (73), making it 3 in a row and is in great form in this World Championship eliminator year. Another good performance from Terry Holmes, taking 2nd spot means he stays overall top in the table. He will have a tough fight holding off James who is in devastating form. Mick Pain returned after a 2 race absence to take 3rd place.

As we enter mid-season, every class is wide open with the only significant gap of 12 points being held by new 3.5cc leader Mark Wraight. As usual, full heat and lap breakdown available. Additional photos in our Google Gallery

3.5cc – The airwaves of the internet were chocka with friendly (And not so friendly) banter durng the week and ‘DNF’ Dave Pillman overcame his usual reliability problems to take the win. No TowRope or GPS required. Mr #boughtnotbuilt Mark Wraight was hot on his heels in 2nd and Colin Croxford (No nickname as far as we know) took 3rd.

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7.5cc – A superb maiden win with his #boughtnotbuilt 8 Ball for Gary Wraight sees him climb the table after his 3rd in the first outing at the Masters. Steve Clements took a solid 2nd and Martin Fields came in 3rd after only fuelling for 18 minutes instead of 20!

15cc – 2 in a row for Dave Marles following his victory at the Masters in June. Dave has his Tornado T7 really flying and reliable. Terry Holmes grabbed 2nd, sending him to the top of the 15cc table, replacing previous joint leaders Mark Wraight and Mike Holiday who took 3rd.

27cc – James Taylor took the win, making it 2 in a row and is in great form in this World Championship eliminator year. Steve Baxter took second, underlining his consistency with his new boat. Another good performance from Terry Holmes, taking 3rd spot means he’s overall top in the 27cc, replacing Mick Pain who has now missed a few races after a strong start.

Juniors – Thomas and Miha both put on good performances and are now tied for the Championship lead. They’ll soon be beating the seniors!