BOAC 500
"Probably the best days racing you will ever have"
Why BOAC 500 ?
The idea came about after we ran a race day for one of our club members Mike Thomas (more commonly known as Birdseed) who is suffering from PSP (google it, its too complex to explain here!). This very rare disease is slowly taking away his ability to race or even walk, so we organised a race day whereby he would still be able to drive (we made a special "grandstand" for him) and meet up with the many friends he has made during the years he has raced at various clubs in the south east.
The day was based around our own 1/24 club cars, so all anyone had to do was turn up with a controller and race. The result was a great days racing by all those who attended with Mike going home a very happy man. And from this idea the BOAC 500 Charity race was born.
Please note that you must pre register for this event. This allows us to pre program your names and much of the days racing into the computer, allowing us all a lot more racing, so dont leave it too late, as we do have a number limit.
The Charity you will be raising money for is the PSPA which is a national charity offering support and information to people living with PSP and CBD, while supporting research into treatments and ultimately a cure. They rely entirely on voluntary donations. PSPA is a registered charity in England and Wales (1037087) and in Scotland (SC041199). Click here for a direct link to their website.
We are most grateful to both Superstars.co.uk and Autographs.co.uk who have very kindly agreed to cover the full cost of the event including the days racing and maintenance of the cars, so 100% of the entry fees and any money raised on the day via raffles etc will go to the Charity that is providing the supporting care for Mike.
The Event
"Just bring yourself and your controller for an exciting full days racing and some great prizes"
The BOAC 500
The date is now confirmed as Sunday 3rd July 2022. This will be a PRE ENTRY race only as this allows us to arrange the qualifying and some of the racing before the event so saving time on the day and allowing you more track time. Just click on the ENTER NOW button below to make your entry today. Unless you have paid the entry fee your entry will not be accepted. 100% of the entry fees plus any monies raised on the day will go to charity. Drivers only need bring a controller as we will provide the cars and all servicing and maintenance throughout the day. It is anticipated that there will be qualifying, plus heats, semi finals and finals with many and varied prizes for as many places as possible.
- Date: 03/07/2022 10:00 AM
- Location: Coulsdon Club. Bletchingly. RH1 4PE (Map)
- More Info: Grange Meadow playing fields are located directly opposite the Bletchingly Arms Pub on the A25, Junction 6 of the M25. Our club is at the end of the drive on the left hand side, parking is right outside.
The Prizes!
We can now reveal two fabulous prizes that have been donated by the Ferrari Owners Club of Kent. The first one we will keep secret for now and you will understand why later, but the second one is an experience for two people, so we will work out some kind of team race for this prize. The team prize will need to be based around the racing that we have arranged for the day, rather than a separate team event. So what is most likely is that drivers will simply team up with another driver (perhaps one home and one away driver) and their total combined laps for the day will be taken as their score, highest score wins, but we are open to suggestions for this so if you have any ideas do please let us know.
The prize is for two people (and you can bring wife/girlriend/husband/friend) and you will get to be a passenger in a full race prepared Ferrari 488 Challenge at race speed at either Brands Hatch or Silverstone (subject of course to weather etc), and in both cases this will be on the full circuit. You will of course be given race overalls and helmet to wear (with intercom to the driver) and will experince what its like to be driven on a race circuit at race speeds in a car capable of over 200mph and with almost 700 hp behind you! If you have never experienced being driven at speed on a circuit in a race car before, then you are in for a very exciting day.
There will be other prizes as well, but rather than list a few items now we will wait until we know exactly what we have, but we are sure you will not go home disappointed after the days racing.
sign up now!
Enter Now
MOST POPULAR- Simply click the ENTER NOW button and pay the fee direct to the charity, and if you are a UK tax payer they then benefit from gift aid as well.
The Cars
Motors are Pro Slot Euros with Puppy Dog arms, and drivers will only be allowed to adjust braids as the maintenance is taken care of during racing by our resident expert mechanic Mike Read. We will have six of these cars available and they will be swapped around during the day to ensure that one car has no real advantage. All 6 cars will be fully race prepped and ready to go on the day.
Bodies for the BOAC 500 will be supplied by Trevor Crout at CAT and painted and lettered by Eddie McDonald (Sprays by Mac).
The Track
As with so many club tracks we are limited by space so we have tried to get as much track into the space we have. Lap length is 123 feet fully braided and colour coded all the way round. Pit space will be allocated on the day to sponsors only.
We have recently spent time adding new carpet to the floor and re painting the entire clubroom. We also have a kitchen for tea/coffee etc and we even have toilets for both ladies and gents too! Food and hot drinks will be available on the day.
Parking is not an issue as we have free parking on the grass outside for more than enough cars at any meeting, although the grass can get a bit damp during the rainy season! There is also a pub a short walk across the main road.
The Team
Garry King
Event Organiser
Garry has been racing since he was 14 and for many years ran One-O-One with Dave Harvey. He has organised many events and charity functions, has been an International judge for the F1 in schools events supported by Ross Brawn and F1 teams, and also runs this website.
Keith Wale
Event director
Keith is directing the event and has a lifetime of experience in model cars both slot and R/C. Both Garry and Keith raced at Eltham and other clubs in the late 60's early 70's and Keith's enthusiasm for slot racing is undiminished. Keith's background is in telecoms and computing.
Mike Read
Race Director
Mike is the lead man at Coulsdon and runs the club almost single handedly. He is also the chief mechanic and builder for our club cars which will be used for the BOAC 500. Mike runs every club night and will have a firm hand on race control on the day.
Les May
Graphics & Social Media
Les has been a member of many clubs and has raced at Coulsdon for the last ten years after starting his slot race career with a tinplate Scalex set! Les is our graphics man having trained at the same art college as Ian Barker, and will take charge of race control when Mike is busy having a coffee!
F.A.Q
Contact
- Coulsdon Club. Bletchingly. RH1 4PE
- Club house is opposite the Bletchingley Arms, with ample free parking.
- 01634 830062
- garry@garryking.co.uk
- Our Club night is a Thursday, with club car racing on the first Thursday of each month.
Confirmed race date now Sunday 3rd July 2022. If you wish to attend this exciting charity event please request an entry form by phone or email.
