Vibe TC Challenge Round 5 Debrief - Tom

Tom Berry has been part of Sheffield RC Racing for many years and is without doubt one of the most active racers in the team. Regularly travelling around the country, Tom does a brilliant job of spreading the word about the club wherever he races.

Competing across multiple classes, Tom’s real passion lies in the retro scene — both on-road and off-road. He is the current Iconic Cup 2025 Open TC Champion, so it’s fair to say he knows his way around a touring car.

For the past two seasons, Tom has been racing a vintage Schumacher Axis in the FPL. Despite its age, the car has consistently punched above its weight and even helped Tom earn promotion into the Elite League.

Off the track, Tom is a huge asset to the club. He’s always the first to welcome and help new racers, never shies away from pitching in when jobs need doing, and regularly supports club posts and planning behind the scenes. In many ways, this challenge felt tailor-made for him.

 
About the Vibe TC Challenge

Thanks to the support of Schumacher RC, the club received a brand-new Schumacher Vibe Touring Car to test over five consecutive rounds at our Killamarsh track.

Each week, a different SRC driver takes the wheel, pushing the Vibe to its limits and reporting back on performance, handling, and durability under real race conditions.

 
Tom’s Meeting

Tom started the evening showing excellent one-lap pace, matching his usual Axis times straight out of the box. However, maintaining that pace over the full five minutes proved more challenging, as the car didn’t initially feel stable enough for his driving style.

In the second run, Tom made some small setup tweaks which helped settle the car, but this run also saw the Vibe suffer its first mechanical issue when a ball joint popped off. The cause was quickly identified as a loose screw and resolved without further trouble.

More changes followed for the final qualifier, and this time Tom found a much better balance. The improvement was clear, earning him a solid mid-pack starting position in the B Final at a highly competitive round.

 
The Final – No Punches Held

The final itself was a tough but rewarding race. Starting from 6th on the grid, Tom made a great launch and quickly worked his way into a race-long battle for second place. At this point, the Vibe looked the best it had all evening.

In the latter stages, the car took a few heavier hits and began to struggle slightly, but Tom managed the situation well and nursed it home to an impressive 3rd place finish. A result that showed both driver skill and the car’s underlying potential.

 
Driver Feedback

Once the dust had settled, we put the standard Vibe Challenge questions to Tom.

How was the meeting for you?

Exciting. This was always going to be an exercise in new-generation TC for me. I’m all for budget-biased racing, so testing Schumacher’s latest budget car was right up my street.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Vibe?

The base setup isn’t really aimed at high grip. Copying some setup ideas from the Neon paid off as the night went on. I did notice the lower arms starting to deform slightly, which affected the geometry once the car really came alive. That said, Schumacher already offer a carbon upgrade from F2, and it’s very affordable.

How does it compare to your current car?

Worlds apart — but you have to remember my usual racer is a 30-year-old Axis. The difference in handling feel is night and day compared to the trusty old car.

What would you do differently?

Time. There’s a lot of pressure to find a competitive setup in a single race meeting, but every member of our team who’s run the Vibe has managed it. That’s a testament to the design — simple, reliable, and built on Schumacher’s experience.

How do you think others will find it?

Tricky at first. The car hasn’t been on the market long, so there’s limited setup information online. But it responds well to changes — just make one adjustment at a time so it’s easy to revert if needed. The geometry is more traditional than something like Awesomatix, making it very user-friendly. In my opinion, it can genuinely compete at the sharp end — so much so that after this ‘test race’, I’ve gone and ordered one.

Member Ratings

Our members once again cast their votes on Tom’s performance. Here are the averaged scores:

Member Comments

Once again the Vibe showed how capable this budget setup really is. Great work by Tom achieving such a strong result with his own setup.

Tom’s understanding of car setup really showed. The car improved round by round, and a B Final podium with limited setup time is hugely impressive. A real testament to the value this car offers.

Steady improvements heat after heat, proving just how good the kit can become with fine adjustments.

Tom had a tough meeting but handled it well. The car looked excellent in the final.

The Vibe’s Final Test

The Schumacher Vibe will make one final appearance before being sold to a lucky racer. The last driver to put it through its paces will be Dave Underwood, our most experienced racer.

With Dave at the controls, the challenge is set for an exciting and fitting finale.