HEAT 1
This track was situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District and because of the 8 hour journey to get to the circuit I had never driven there before, so I was looking forward to learning a new challenging race track. After a succesful two days of testing (apart from a snapped seat stay!) everything was looking set for a competitive race day.
For heat 1 I started way down in 17th out of 20 and had to fight my way as far up the field as possible, as the track didn't have very many passing places I had to calculate exactly where I was faster than the driver in front and then pounce! After the 8 lap heat was over I had finished in a fairly acceptable 15th although I was expecting more due to the effort and prep put into the test days.
HEAT 2
This heat turned everything around, I started in 10th and managed to take advantage of a few scrappy battles going on ahead of me and power into 8th position. The front bunch of seven karts had pulled off into the distance but wasn't about to give up there I pushed myself and the kart to the limit and within 3 laps I was on the bumper of the racer in front. With just a lap to go I dived up the inside and promoted myself to 7th giving me a good handful of points.
HEAT 3
In this heat I started slightly further up the grid in 8th which was perfect for me as I knew I was faster than the majority of the karts in front. I had a battle on my hands from lap one and it took a lot to out smart the driver in front. I finaly managed to pull off an overtaking manouvre and moved up into 7th, It should have been 6th as I crossed the line side by side with the next competitor.
FINAL
For the final my points gained in the heats had placed me 8th on the grid with 12 eager karts behind me. Everytime I came to a Super One race I always wanted to get in the top 6 at least and I knew this would be hard due to the higher standard of drivers competing....but this was far from impossible. I was pumped up and ready to go and as the lights flashed green I charged through the first corner trying to make up as many places as I could. I got up to 6th and unfortunatly never could quite get past the driver in 5th. It was a case of stick in 6th or risk the whole race and crash out trying to gain one more point. I decided to stick with the safest option and went away completly chuffed with the performance finally coming together, and me setting the 4th fastest lap time! Me and team TT had everything to smile about.
HEAT 1
With an almost full grid of 24 I felt slightly under pressure and even though I had a string of unlucky races I turned up as usual to this one full of confidence and ready to kick ass! I started 4th on the grid and because of going to the test day the day before we knew we had the right set up for a good position. From the word go I could feel the difference in the kart and myself, I vaulted into 2nd place and managed to hold off the opposition for 6 of the 12 laps until I made a slight mistake at the boot and went wide letting two karts past! When the last lap board came out I knew I couldn't let them get away so I took a calculated lunge and finished the race in 4th the best result of the year! So i was oozing confidence.
HEAT 2
In this heat I started a little further back in 15th position and knew I had a lot of work on my hands to get past as many people as possible. By the first corner I knew what I wanted to do and powered into 11th, however I remained stuck behind a driver that used his kart as one BIG bumper car! I gave him some of his own medicine (in a subtle way!) and crossed the line in 10th.
HEAT 3
This heat position was slightly unfair as I was placed last (24th!) and had to battle my way up the field for a decent finish....but nothing is impossible. I focused completly on my start and it paid off by the time I got to christmas corner I was up to 18th. I knew I had to use my head on this one and really focus, each lap I aimed to pass at least one person and this plan worked! As I crossed the finish line I was a creditable (AND HARD WORKED!) 11th.
FINAL
For the final I had qualified in 6th which was just perfect for me as I had the inside line into the first corner and no silly bumper cars in the way! Unfortunatly as I entered the first corner there was an almighty THUD and the driver behind me sent me into a huge 360 spin. Luckily my engine didnt stall but I lost loads of places and rejoined the grid in 12th. With an 18lap final I knew that I could make it up to a podium spot if i focused and didn't get too wound up about the crash that had just occured. By lap 10 I had snuck my way back into 6th with a massive gap to the group of 5 drivers ahead. On the last lap I had finally caught up with the leading bunch and was ready to make a move into 5th, i dedicated myself and....5th was mine on the last corner!
All in all a great day and really gave me an insight into what might have been but more importantly I had achieved and shown the rest of the grid what I'm capable of....BRING ON S1!
HEAT 1
In this heat I started 4th out of 22 drivers on the grid but didn't expect to make up any spaces due to the fact that we had the wrong jet and unfortunatly left the right one at home!! At the start of the race I moved to the right to defend my position but was aggresively barged to the left and unfortunalty by the time i got back to the defensive line I had already dropped down to 7th! Just as I predicted the kart had absolutly no power through zulus and practically EVERY corner due to the jet. I finished a depressing 13th but at least we knew the reason behind the problem....but could do nothing about it.
HEAT 2
I started at the back of the grid in 17th and the only solution me and my mechanic had was to change the sprocket and tyre pressures in an attempt to get a bit more power through the corners and make up some spaces! I managed to make a brilliant start and moved up to 12th on the first corner, but once again this burst of speed could not be maintained for the whole 8 laps and even though I blocked as much as I could I finished in 15th place!
HEAT 3
I was placed 20th on the grid this time but with still no solution to the jetting problem I was still not optimistic but on the plus side at least I hadn't received any DNF's! For some strange reason the kart seemed to come on towards the end of the race and because of this I jumped from 20th to 15th. Which placed me a mediocre 14th out of 22 on the grid for the final.
FINAL
For the final we had found a very generous person to lend us the jet we needed! (If only we could of got it earlier!) Feeling confident and positive about the final I went out for a good points position. The lights went green and as I reached the top of the hill I had already moved up to 10th....then DISASTER I reached the hairpin and was greeted with a 7 kart pile up the only thing i could do was slam on the brakes and pray the kart didn't stall, unfortunatly it did! Along with 9 other hopeful competitors. The marshalls stopped the race as one of the drivers was injured but to our surprise we weren't allowed to restart even though half the grid was gone!! I was throughly dissapointed and furious because once again I couldn't prove my worth and once again lady luck was NOT on my side!
QUALIFYING
Unfortunatly qualifying took place on a very greasy wet track. The rain only started to pour down just as we were waiting on the dummy grid....ON SLICKS! Luckily we had just enough time to put on the wet weather tyres but frustratingly the set up of the kart was all wrong, as we predicted a dry track! The result from qualifying was quite depressing due to having to grip whatsoever! I qualified 17th out of 22 but for some reason I was disqualified for "being underweight" which was a false accusation because I was actually a kilo over! Once this was rectified I had been promoted up to 14th on the grid due to other karts being disqualified.
HEAT 1
The start was manic and I just managed to avoid a massive crash into the 1st chicane where two karts gained a DNF. After a lap or so my tyres were grippier and faster, I moved up to 13th. The bunch in 12th,11th,and 10th were at least 3 corners ahead of me but to my surprise within only 2 laps I had taken chunks out of this group and was in a position to overtake. As I levelled side by side with the kart in 12th i managed to get the line, but this driver would not give up and as a result we both ended up in the tyre wall. The race was red flagged and luckily neither me or the kart had any damage, I also got to keep the place I was in and didn't receive a DNF!
HEAT 2
I made another excellent start and within the first two corners I had reached 10th. For a couple of laps I was trying to make a move on the driver in front (Lee Sherwin), but these attempts were failing. Suddenly Lee slammed on his brakes very early into a corner and took me completly by surprise, as a result I flew over the top of his kart and landed sideways half on half off his kart. Luckily my engine was still running and I was kindly helped by Lee back onto the track. By the time I rejoined I was already a lap behind, but at least I received some (if very few!) points.
FINAL
For the final I qualified 17th due to the unlucky positions in the heats. I was determined to get into at least the top 10 so as to get some good solid points. As a result of another good start I had overtaken three people into the second corner, this promoted me to 14th. Within another 3 laps I was up to 12th, but annoyingly stuck behind a slow batteling trio that I just couldnt find a way around! Ironicly the driver that I was attempting to overtake was the one that drove me off the track in the first heat! I tried for the last 4 laps to get past him but each time he swerved and almost knocked me out of the race. I crossed the line in 12th, but looking at the best lap times technically I should have finished 8th!
HEAT 1
This round was at possibly one of my most hated circuits, Buckmore park! For this heat I started 7th out of 23 starters, the track was still greasy from a recent drizzle but just dry enough for slicks. As the lights went green I made up two places and was in 5th by the second corner. Then for some unknown reason my engine just cut out and that was the end of my race!
HEAT 2
This heat I started 12th and within a lap I had promoted myself up to 9th, all was going well until the engine made a familiar sound and....CUT OUT!Once again another unfortunate DNF added to the list.
FINAL
For the final we managed to find out what the problem had been and just as we thought it was the ignition switch turning the engine off! Once we got this sorted I of course was starting at the back for the final. I made a great start and plowed from 23rd to 19th by turn 2. Unfortunatly towards the end of the final my tyres began to lose grip and I fell from a hard fought 10th place to 20th!! All in all a pretty dissapointing day but it showed I had the pace when I have the luck.
QUALIFYING
For qualifying I made sure that I started near the front of the grid behind drivers that I know are front runners. However even though I started near the front through out the seven minutes of qualifying I became stuck behind backmarker after backmarker! I tried to hold back and get in at least one flying lap but sadly i never got in one fast lap without getting stuck behind another competitor. (there were 22 clogging up the track!) I ended up qualifying 10th out of 22, but to show you how close it all was the driver in 6th place was only a tenth off my time and the driver in 9th had just 1 100th of second difference between my time! I was highly dissapointed with the qualifying position as I knew if i hadn't gotten stuck behind certain drivers I would have been at least on the 3rd row of the grid.
HEAT 1
As I went out for heat 1 I realised I was the only one of very few drivers that had one race old tyres, but I was determined this wouldn't make too much of a difference. Sadly three rolling starts had to be done as the two front drivers refused to stay in line. When the lights finally turned green I made an excellent start and nipped quickly to the inside of the track to block any further drivers that wanted to overtake. In the first two corners I had already made up 6 places and was in 4th place, as I was approaching the 4th corner hairpin two karts spun in my path, I tried to avoid the crash but as I moved to go round them another kart slammed into my path causing me no damage but about 8 places!! I was now in 12th position and was desperate to catch up with chris charlton in 11th as I knew I was quicker than him. Within 2 laps I had caught up a huge amount and was now glued to his rear bumper, with just 5 laps to go I knew I had to make a quick desive move to get past him. Sadly he proved to good a blocker and every attempt I made to pass him ended up with me almost crashing out due to some very silly moves by chris! Even though I finished 12th after looking at the best lap time I was 6tenths quicker than chris charlton and 2tenths quicker than the driver in 8th!
HEAT 2
For this heat yet more rolling starts were done, which distracted my attention from the start. However I did make another excellent start and managed to avoid a 6 kart pile up on the first corner, I was now in 4th again but as I was approaching the seond corner I received a massive hit on the left hand side of my bumper which sent me spinning and inevitably my engine stalled which gave me a DNF! Perhaps the most frustrating part of the race was that the 6 drivers that crashed out (and stalled) all got started up again and managed to get a few crucial points whereas I received none!
FINAL
For the final I knew I would be starting somewhere near the back, I qualified 20th out of 22 which was pretty dissapointing but in a way I knew that I would be able to carve my way through the grid and prove the speed of the kart and me. On the first two corners there was complete carnage at least 3 karts crashed out in the first corner and as i completed the 2nd lap another 2 karts had joined them. This automatically bumped me up to 15th position but i was determined to get this into single figures. The karts in 14th and 13th seemed miles away but within no more than 3 laps I had caught up with them and in just 4 corners had past them both. My attention was now on the driver in 12th I knew that getting past him as soon as possible was the key to getting in the top 10. I managed to get past this competitor and another one in 11th. I was now in 10th but sadly didnt have enough time to catch Chris charlton in 9th.
This race full of exceedingly bad luck for me (bayford is cursed!) but I came away knowing that the kart and I have the speed to carve through more than half the field in lighting speed. With this boost of confidence I am fully looking forward to the F6 O plate in a weeks time at buckmore park.
HEAT 1
For this heat I started 3rd on the grid out of 25 hard competitors. Everyone had brand new tyres including me which made it difficult to find any decent grip. As the grid roared out for the rolling lap I tried to get as much heat in the tyres as possible in order to avoid understeering into the first corner, I stuck to the kart in front and as the lights went green I nipped to the right to block anyone from overtaking me. Sadly it was obvious from the start of the heat that the sprocket I had chosen was the wrong one and steadily I began to slip further and further behind the field. The tyres didn't warm up quick enough and the speed was being lost on all the main sections of the track. I finished a very dissapointing 16th and from this result I knew major changes had to be made in order to be competitive.
HEAT 2
For this heat I started 18th on the grid, I felt increasingly more confident as I knew I had the right sprocket on to compete well and also the tyre pressures were correct in order to get as much heat in them as possible. As the lights changed for the second time I managed to luckily avoid Richard Biroths spin on the first corner, but the effort I had made to avoid him caused me to go wide and lose at least 4 spaces in the first corner. In a desperate attempt to get my spaces back I pushed hard and braked later than I had ever done, fortunantly it all paid off and i managed to get back 5 spaces to make it back up to 18th sadly I didn't have enough time to pass the drivers in front of me even though I was significantly faster than them. Through out the race however the kart had been difficult to control going down the hill and therefore was losing me a massive amount of time.
HEAT 3
For this heat slight alterations had been made to the karts handling to improve its control on the fast downhill sections. I started 22nd on the grid for this heat, and once again Richard Biroth spun on the first corner I was so close behind him that I couldn't avoid hitting into the side of his kart which lost me more spaces. As I was detaching myself from his kart and starting to make up time another competitor stalled in front of me causing me to hit his kart and making me lose all the time I had just made up! After the side hit with Biroth my brakes began to lock up into each corner which therefore caused my lap times to be slower. Even though I had this set back I still managed within 2 laps to catch up and pass 9 backmarkers I was now up to 16th unfortunatly with just 2 laps left I was struggling to get past two unbelievably slow competitors that were both fighting for positions, I tried on many occasions to pass them both but in the end I just didn't have enough laps to do it in, so finished 16th again.
FINAL
For the final the brakes had been sorted out so that there would be no unfortunate cases of locking up! I qualified a dissapointing 19th on the grid but seeing as this was only my second race in the new kart I was feeling relief at the fact I wasn't last. As the race started I was half expecting there to be another spin but luckily nothing of the occured! Within two corners I had already made up 2 places and avoided a few major crashes that ruled out some of the top competitors. As the laps went on I began to catch up with the main group of runners, this was a long line of 8 top drivers and I was at the back but significantly quicker than the 2 drivers in front of me. I passed the two drivers in front of me and made it up to 15th right on the tail of the 6 drivers in front of me. Unfortunatly with just 3 laps to go one of the drivers i'd just past overtook me and once again i didn't have enough laps to get him back. Finished the final in 16th place but as the lap times were put up on the notice board i discovered I was quicker than the tal-ko team driver that achieved 11th!
The results perhaps weren't what I'd wanted but for the next super 1 round I now know what to expect and I feel a lot more confident with the kart. I'm throughly looking forward to the first round of F6 on Saturday March 18th and I'm aiming for a podium position!
I entered this final round of the bayford club meeting in order to get some racing practise done in my new kart before the first round of super one at buckmore park. The race was full of highs and lows and consisted of qualifying one heat and a final. Sadly the grid was rather small, just 10 competitors!!
QUALIFYING
The weather was overcast and the wind chill factor was reaching a bitterly cold -2!! As I went out for my first lap the understeer was immense and hail stones began to hit my visor, but luckily the weather calmed down a bit and after a couple of laps I had regained a good amount of grip. I had started qualifying from the back in order to get a free run and not get stuck behind anyone, this idea worked and I had at least 10 flying laps clear of any obstructions. I was confident that i had a good lap time and luckily i was correct! I qualified 4th only 2tenths behind the 3rd placed driver Richard Biroth. This gave me a massive boost of confidence as i hadn't been racing since October and had never raced in my new senior tkm 4 stroke kart.
HEAT 1
The rolling up lap proved vital as i needed to get as much heat in the tyres as possible to prevent understeering into the first corner. Sadly i was starting on the outside of the track and therefore technically would be slower out of the first corner. As the lights turned green I stayed glued to Wayne Close in the kart in front and made up one place before the first corner, unfortunatly the driver next to me, Richard Biroth, spun his kart into mine which caused a mini pile up! Luckily my kart didn't stall but i was already a good 6 seconds behind the leaders and I was at the back. Steadily i managed to catch up with the backmarkers and pick them off one by one, after 2 laps I had already made it up to 6th but the gap to 5th seemed almost impossible to close in on. With just 2 laps to go i found myself on the tail of the driver in 5th Richard Biroth he made a slight mistake and went wide into the first corner which then allowed me to nip up the inside and take his place. The last lap board was now being shown and I knew I had to at least get 4th place in order to get a good grid position for the final, I made a calculated lunge up the inside of Lee Close in 4th and managed to maintain this position and catch up with Robert Sadler in 3rd, unfortunatly I didn't have the time to pass him and crossed the line in 4th.
FINAL
Starting once again in 4th on the outiside of the track i knew i had to plan my passing manouvers in advance in order to make up as many places as possible. Sadly ONCE AGAIN the driver next to me (Richard Biroth!) in 3rd place spun and took me clean out, my kart stalled and by the time it was started up again I was almost a lap behind the leaders and miles away from the back markers! I tried to keep a calm head and decided to see if I could keep up with the front runners as they came round to lap me. To my surprise I was on their tail for more than 8 laps, but then my front left wheel started to bounce around and become harder and harder to keep in a straight line, my lap times began to become slower and slower and I knew there was something severly wrong. (A week before during testing the stub axle bearing had collapsed but this was slightly different. Worringly we still don't know the cause of the problem!) I crossed the line a disspointing last place but as I came into the parc ferme I was congratualted on the impression I had made and encouraged about what might have been.
During the race I had a few interested people come to watch my racing and despite the crashes and so on I was talent spotted by an endurance racing team manager and i'll be competing in one of the bayford 500 championships, as it'll be hard to juggle super 1 and F6 as well.