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Keep up-to-date with what's happening in the sport in our news section. Full articles are shown below, for a summary of the news be sure to start at the main index page of UK Karting. General news and press releases can be emailed to us at newsdesk@karting.co.uk, although please note that a charge is made for the publication of press releases and promotional news items. Please note that the following are the views of the contributors and not necessarily those of UK Karting. All information is published in good faith.
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Current News & Press Releases:
MSA/TKM Kart Championship (21/05)
The
British Championship with the ABkC National TKM Championships started later than
usual this year, but any expectation of good weather was dashed on Saturday when
all track activities had to stop for two hours due to the heavy rain. Sunday was
better, once the early drizzle had cleared up and everyone got onto slicks for
the finals.
KZ1 MSA British Kart
Championship:
The
premier class for the British title has moved to the gearbox, or shifter 125cc
class as the original KF2 failed to attract enough entries. Henry Easthope, the
CIK-FIA U18 World Champion, stunned the 125cc regulars by dominating the new
class, with fastest time in qualifying, over KZ2 champion Matt Dittman and
Daniel Borton. Easthope had only sat in the kart for the first time two
weeks earlier. He and Borton shared the heat wins on the very wet Saturday.
Easthope had slid off the track in a heat and only started fourth for the first
final. He reeled in the hefty gap to poleman Daniel Borton to relieve him
of the lead mid-race. Super One Max 177 champion Lucas Orrock has changed
disciplines and came fourth behind Dittman. In the second final Easthope
enjoyed a lights to flag victory, with Borton a distant second whilst James Mudd
stormed up to third after suffering a fie place penalty in the first final which
had dropped him from fourth to ninth.
Results Final 1: 1 Henry Easthope Sodi/TM, 2 Daniel Borton
BRM/TM, 3 Matt Dittman Tonykart/Vortex, 4 Lucas Orrock Tonykart/Vortex, 5 Joe
Charlton CRG/TM
Results Final 2:
1 Easthope, 2 Borton, 3 James Mudd Energy/TM, 4 Dittman, 5 Orrock
Provisional Championship Points: 1 Daniel Borton 154, 2
Henry Easthope 152, 3 Lucas Orrock 142, 4 Matt Dittmann 137, 5 Joe Charlton 134,
6 Jamie Rush 131
MSA
British Junior Kart Championship KF Junior:
The Sahara Force India supported Jehan Daruvala topped
qualifying over the newcomer to the series, the Thai driver Sasakom Chaimongkol.
The latter came off in the first heat and although he came second to Daruvala in
the second, he started grid 8 and never really recovered. He whilst
Daruvala won the first final from pole. The rest strung out behind Daniel
Ticktum and Philip Rawson. In the second final Daruvala was pushed into a
spin at the start, but stormed back to finish fourth. Chaimongkol
was excluded from that final for driving standards. All that had left Rawson out
on his own until his engine lost all its coolant. He just survived for the
win, Ticktum dropping to third on the last lap in favour of Harrison Newey, son
of the Red Bull Racing F1 designer, after Ticktum had tried for a pass for the
win.
Results Final 1 : 1 Jehan Daruvala Alonso, 2 Daniel Ticktum Alonso, 3 Philip
Rawson Tonykart, 4 Daniel McAuley Alonso, 5 Dean MacDonald ART
Results Final 2: 1 Rawson, 2 Harrison Newey Wright, 3
Ticktum, 4 Daruvala, 5 Charlie Barlow Zanardi
Provisional Championship Points: 1 Jehan Daruvala 154, 2
Daniel Ticktum 149, 3 Philip Rawson 140, 4 Harrison Newey 140, 5 Dean MacDonald
133, 6 Ross Martin 125
MSA
British Cadet Kart Championship for IAME Cadet:
Oliver York set down his marker for the British title
amongst the forty hopefuls, taking both final wins. William Pettit and
Oliver York had topped their respective qualifying sessions, Pettit just getting
the verdict overall. Alex Quinn and York took the heat wins, York both of
his. In the first final, Teddy Wilson slotted into second as they all fought
round the first few corners but he succumbed to Lewis Thompson and fell back to
an eventual seventh. Thompson got alongside York over the line, the
official gap was 0.01s. Kiern Jewiss stormed up to third after poor heats, over
Matthew Graham and Jonny Edgar. In the second final Edgar relieved York of
the lead on the first lap, but York found a gap in his defences mid-race.
William Pettitt and Alex Quinn stormed through from their start positions of
tenth and fourteenth respectively to finish third and fourth, the top four all
closing up at the end.
Results Final 1: 1 Oliver York Zip, 2 Lewis Thompson Zip,
3 Kiern Jewiss Zip, 4 Matthew Graham Zip, 5 Jonny Edgar Zip
Results Final 2: 1 York, 2 Edgar, 3 William Pettitt Zip, 4
Alex Quinn Zip, 5 Jewiss
Provisional Championship Points: 1 Oliver York 160, 2 Lewis Thompson 146, 3
Jonny Edgar 144, 4 Kiern Jewiss 137, 5 Alex Quinn 137, 6 Matthew Graham 134
Formula
KGP National Championship:
Mark Litchfield and Bobby Game shared the wins but only
after a penalty had been applied. Luca Hirst had topped the qualifying over Game
and Danny Keirle on the very wet Saturday, whilst Litchfield had a fuelling
problem and didn't set a representative time. He soon stormed through the
second heat to sixth after another problem in the first. The heats were won by
Game and Joe Porter, so Hirst and Game shared the front row and soon a five way
battle commenced with Litchfield slicing through to the front over Hirst and
Game after Keirle dropped out with an electrical problem. Porter had
slotted into second but gradually slipped down the order. In the second
final, Hirst fell out of the lead battle with a spin at the second hairpin
leaving Game and Litchfield duelling hard for the win. A tiny mistake by Game
was capitalised on by Litchfield with a chop into Pits corner, then Game took a
wide line to run out of hairpin 2 side by side, Litchfield just getting the
verdict only to receive a 5 place penalty for contact, so leaving Game the
winner over Phil Smith. Keirle had stormed up from the back to fifth, just
behind Ryan Green.
Final 1: 1 Mark Litchfield CRG, 2 Luca Hirst Birel, 3
Bobby Game Alonso, 4 Josh Waring Tonykart, 5 Denis Gorman Maranello
Final 2: 1 Game, 2 Phil SmithTonykart, 3 Toby Sowery
Tonykart, 4 Ryan Green DR, 5 Danny Keirle Jade
Provisional Championship Points: 1 Bobby Game 153, 2 Phil
Smith 138, 3 Josh Waring 134, 4 Luca Hirst 134, 5 Toby Sowery 133, 6 Mark
Litchfield 130
Junior
TKM ABkC National Championship:
Matt Davies dominated the junior economy class in both wet
and dry conditions, and took home a full points tally. Daniel Baybutt had been
nearest in the wet qualifying, then Jake Campbell-Mills and Jak Watson were the
heat runner-ups. Campbell-Mills retired after the start of the second heat so
only started the first final on grid 11 whilst Baybutt shared the front row.
Baybutt managed to get into second at the start, but was usurped by Alex
Forward, and later by Alex McRoberts whilst Campbell-Mills only reached seventh.
In the second final Davies nearly doubled his early winning gap to 8s, this time
Letts waiting until mid-race to regain third from McRoberts then vault over
Forward to take second.
Final 1: 1 Matt Davies Tonykart, 2 Alex Forward DSG, 3
Alex McRoberts Jade, 4 Daniel Baybutt Jade, 5 Stephen Letts Tonykart
Final 2: 1 Davies, 2 Letts, 3 Kyle Hornby DSG, 4 Dino Lee
Tonykart, 5 Cameron Clarke TKM
Provisional Championship Points: 1 Matt Davies 160, 2 Alex Forweard 142, 3
Daniel Baybutt 136, 4 Stephen Letts 135, 5 Shea Pearce 130, 6 Tom Owen 126
TKM
Extreme ABkC National Championship:
Although Will van Es topped the timed qualifying sheets
over Charlie Bruce-White, he didn't fare so well in the heats, with only a third
and fourth, as Bruce-White claimed both wins. Luke Graver from grid 3 took
advantage of both at the start of the first final, but was soon relieved of the
lead by Bruce-White. He and Van Es traded the lead a few times until Van
Es settled into first, challenged to within 0.01s over the finish line.
Graver had fallen away by some 6s, holding off Andrew Lawrence and a train of
karts at the finish. Joe Forsdyke was not scored at all as his transponder
was missing and he only reached eighth from the back in the second final.
Van Es enjoyed a lights to flag victory in the second final with Graver and
Bruce-White swapping second at the end for exactly the same top five as in the
first one. This year points are awarded in the heats, and this has enabled
Bruce-White to take the championship lead by a point over finals winner Van Es.
Final 1: 1 Will van Es Tonykart, 2
Charlie Bruce-White Tonykart, 3 Luke Graver Tonykart, 4 Andrew Lawrence
Tonykart, 5 Ryan Stronach Tonykart
Final 2: 1 Van Es, 2 Bruce-White, 3 Graver, 4 Lawrence, 5
Stronach
Provisional
Championship Points: 1 Charlie Bruce-White 156, 2 Will Van Es 155, 3 Luke Graver
146, 4 Paul Monks 136, 5 Andrew Lawrence 134, 6 Ryan Stronach 131
For more
information on the championship visit
http://superoneseries.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
BUKC Season Update (20/05)
The
2013 British Universities Karting Championship continued during March as student
teams from across the UK battled it out both on track and with the weather to
compete for the coveted 2013 Champions title.
With
the snow and freezing weather playing a part once again, Rounds 5 and 6 were
held on 13 March at Buckmore Park. Race day saw some impressive driving from
many drivers having to deal with challenging track conditions. Hertfordshire A
took the overall win for Round 5 and Southampton finished 2nd, while Swansea
Metropolitan had their best result of the championship so far by finishing 3rd.
Round 6 saw Durham A step up and take first place in the Endurance races,
followed closely by Oxford Brookes A in 2nd.
The action then headed South to Jenson Buttons' home track
at Clay Pigeon in Dorset on 22nd and 23rd March. Round 2 of the Rookie
Championship was held on the Friday where once again the weather wasn't being
too kind. The Rookie teams seemed to cope admirably as they drove their hearts
out whilst dealing with the freezing conditions. Cranfield A took the podium,
followed by Coventry D in 2nd and Bristol B in 3rd.
Saturday's
racing saw the drivers compete in Rounds 7 & 8 of the main national Championship
and luckily, despite a damp morning session, the track dried up throughout the
day. With Southampton A, Hertfordshire A and Oxford Brookes technically able to
secure a season victory on the day, it was always going to be a frantic day of
racing. After Round 7, Southampton took 1st place on the podium and it looked
like they were going to wrap the title up on the day in the afternoon. However,
they needed a win to secure the title in Round 8 and it went down to the last
race where they were pipped to the post by both rivals Hertfordshire A (1st) and
Swansea Met A (2nd). This meant that although Southampton ended up 3rd and at
the top of the overall table by 1 point at the end of Round 8 leaving
Hertfordshire A as the only other team able to challenge them for the title.
The BUKC
2013 will therefore go down to the wire this year at the fabulous Whilton Mill
circuit near Silverstone on Monday 24th June, where both Southampton A and
Hertfordshire A teams will be battling it out for the 2013 title.
"The racing in March has continued to
impress me," comments BUKC organiser, Will Tew, "And now we have the 2013
Championship being decided on the very last day of the season near the home of
British motor racing. It's going to be an epic finale and one that I know I'm
looking forward to watch."
The 2013 BUKC Finals are being held on Monday 24th and
Tuesday 25th June at the Whilton Mill circuit, Northamptonshire.
The BUKC
2013 - March results:
Round
5 winners - Buckmore Park / 13 March:
1st - Hertfordshire A
2nd - Southampton A
3rd - Swansea Met A
Round 6 winners - Buckmore Park / 13 March:
1st - Durham A
2nd - Oxford Brookes A
3rd - Plymouth A
Rookie
Championship Round 2, Clay Pigeon, Dorset / 22 March:
1st - Cranfield A
2nd - Coventry D
3rd - Bristol B
Round 7 winners - Clay Pigeon, Dorset / 23 March:
1st - Southampton A
2nd - Warwick A
3rd - Durham A
Round
8 winners - Clay Pigeon, Dorset / 23 March:
1st - Hertfordshire A
2nd - Swansea Met A
3rd - Southampton A
2013 remaining Championship dates are 24 June at Whilton
Mill (Round 9 + Graduates Champs + Drivers Champs) and 25 June at Whilton Mill
(Drivers Champs + Rookies Champs Finals).
For more information on the BUKC
championship visit our website at
www.bukc.co.uk, find us on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/britishuniversitieskartingchampionship,
our YouTube channel is
www.youtube.com/user/3tracing
and you can follow us on Twitter
@karting_bukc.
[ Top ]
Three Sisters Race Circuit (16/05)
Three
Sisters' Race Circuit, located in Wigan, Lancashire, has launched an Independent
Kart Racing championship designed for owner drivers of 2 stroke karts who want
to race competitively but don't hold an MSA licence. Open to anyone from
age 6 years upwards, the next race is scheduled for Sunday 19th May. Entry to a
race is £45 in advance and £50 on the day, with gates open from 7am. The
circuit's café will be open all day and the bar will open in the afternoon. Four
race categories are available; Bambino, Cadet, Junior and Adults.
Three Sisters is the North West's premier kart circuit, with a variety of
different track configurations being used over the course of the championship.
At the end of the season the winner of each category will not only receive a
trophy but also enjoy a fantastic prize, one prize being an Intensive Race
Training course worth £495. Provided by The Racing School, this is a full
day of 1-to-1 coaching from professional instructors in a saloon and a
single-seater racing car. Drivers are sure to develop their skills, increase
confidence and improve their speed.
For more
information please visit
www.three-sisters.co.uk/karting/owner_driver.asp.
[ Top ]
RL Drivers Bounce Back (16/05)

Following
a frustrating second round of the Super One championship at Rowrah, RL Racing
Department's talented young squad returned to form in Wales (12 May), with
victory for Junior star Luke Knott and a podium for Mini Max front-runner Sandy
Mitchell.
In the Mini Max class's timed qualifying session, Jack McCarthy set the
second-fastest lap, whilst Mitchell and Hugo Bentley-Ellis also made it into the
top ten, finishing 7th and 8th respectively.
The opening heat saw Hugo lead Sandy home for a team 3-4,
with Jack 9th and the inexperienced Jack Martin progressing to 12th at the
chequered flag.
McCarthy romped to the win in the second race, with
Bentley-Ellis' metronomic consistency yielding another 3rd and subsequently pole
position for the final. Martin again claimed 12th but Mitchell was unfortunate
not to finish, following a minor crash.

Hugo
was cruising to victory in the final until, just three laps from home, his kart
suddenly stopped out on the circuit. Having started mid-pack, Sandy picked his
up to 2nd but a mistake cost him several places and he had it all to do again.
He was rewarded for his efforts with an eventual 3rd. Jack McCarthy also enjoyed
an exciting encounter to hang on to his 4th place, while Jack Martin's day
concluded with his third, straight 12th place finish of the day.
Fresh from taking an electrifying 3rd
at Rowrah the week before, Luke Knott showed that the slightest mistake can
prove costly. After forgetting to fit his transponder to his Tony Kart EVK
chassis, he was adjudged not to have set a lap time and so was made to start
from the back of the grid in each of his two heats.
Unfazed, he finished 2nd in both races to earn pole
position for the final. A near textbook lights-to-flag victory followed, with
the RL driver underlining his domination of the race by setting the fastest lap
and taking the chequered flag nearly two seconds clear of the next driver.

"This
weekend revealed that we can shrug off a difficult event, galvanize ourselves
and deliver the right sort of results," said RL Racing's Steve Armstrong. "Luke
walked away in the Junior Max final which is indicative of his confidence right
now. The way he carved his way from the back of the grid at Rowrah and at Glan Y
Gors, also shows what a cracking driver he is."
Reviewing his Mini Max drivers' performances, Steve said:
"McCarthy made mincemeat of the opposition in his second heat, whilst Hugo
showed this incredible consistency to put himself at the front of the field when
it really mattered. Had it not been for his spark plug failing, he would have
won comfortably. Sandy made some small mistakes that may have cost him a higher
place on the podium but he deserved his trophy. Jack's pace in the wet didn't
quite match that in the dry, so 4th was a positive result for him. Jack Martin
is gaining experience all the time and learned a great deal, so all in all this
was a beneficial weekend, in terms of our preparation for the Super One round
here."
For more information about racing with RL Racing
Department, call Steve today on 07843 586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
FEKC Southern Championship (15/05)
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Forest
Edge Kart Club will be hosting the 2013 Southern Championship event at the
popular Barton Stacey circuit. This will be a 2 day event run over the weekend
of the 1st & 2nd June with the SC trophies will be awarded for the best aggregate result over the 2
finals, plus 3 trophies for each class with the winner of each class
receiving the SC plate for the year.
The format will be... Saturday: normal session practice
until midday followed by 3 laps official practice, 2 heats and a final, followed
on Sunday by 3 laps official practice, 3 heats and a final. This is a great
circuit offering Friday night access with camping and good tarmac pit facilities
along with trade shops and plenty of good food for an excellent weekend racing.
FEKC have the
largest entries in the country offering full grids and fantastic competitive
racing, online entries available. Entry fees - £75 members and £95 non members
for the whole weekend including practice and both days racing - visit
www.fekc.co.uk.
Alternatively you can contact Carole
Parsons who is the competition secretary on 01258 451097 - but no calls after
9pm please!
If you haven't raced at Forest Edge before you need to
come along to this premier event and enjoy racing with the biggest grids in the
country!
[ Top ]
Super One MSA/TKM (15/05)
A
new era of MSA British Championship racing commences at Rowrah this weekend, for
the first round of the MSA/TKM Super One Series. The most prestigious title in
British karting has transferred to the gearbox, or shifter, class of KZ1 which
in the past has produced such illustrious drivers as Frank Wrathall, Dean
Stoneman, Nigel Moore and Jack Hawksworth. Wrathall, a former Ginetta G50
champion, is now a British Touring Car Independent winner and podium finisher.
Stoneman won the Formula 2 series and now races Porsche Cup. Nigel Moore is also
a Ginetta champion and the youngest driver to race at Le Mans whilst Hawksworth
is the current Star Mazda champion and now races in Indy Lights. For this
weekend 15 KZ1 karts, capable of 90mph, will line up headed by KZ2 ABkC Super 4
champion Matt Dittman, with runner-up James Mudd expected to press him hard.
Multiple Super One Max 177 champion Lucas Orrock has transferred disciplines to
the shifter classes, whilst Under 18 CIK-FIA World Champion Henry Easthope is
also on the list. It will be mega-exciting to see just who comes out top
at the twisty Cumbrian track. The attached image shows Dean Stoneman and Frank
Wrathall battling it out at Rowrah in the past.
For
the MSA British Junior Kart Championship, 18 young hopefuls are down to compete
for the chase to the junior title. Jamie Caroline comes fresh from winning the
ABkC O Plate title the previous weekend, but will face stiff competition, not
least from Asia Pacific KF3 Cup winner Jehan Daruvala, the Indian driver
supported by Sahara Force India Formula 1 team. Another with strong connections
to F1 is Harrison Newey, son of the famed Red Bull Racing designer and Chief
Technical Officer. Many of the direct drive senior aces have turned to the
Formula KGP class, including former British champions Mark Litchfield and Bobby
Game. Current champion Jonathan Davis has moved teams to Praga whilst
Stefan Di Resta, brother to Sahara Force India driver Paul Di Resta has recently
won the O Plate at the same circuit, and is very much on form. Forty
youngsters from age 9 to 13 will compete for the inaugural MSA British Cadet
Championship using the new IAME Parilla Gazelle UK motor. It's anyone's
guess who will come out on top but Oliver York and local driver Jonny Edgar,
scion of the title sponsors, have both had strong results at the track. The line
up is completed by the senior TKM Extreme and Junior TKM classes competing for
the ABkC National Championships.
It's an event not to be missed and
everyone can follow the action on the TAG Heuer live timing at
www.tagheuer-timing.co.uk/s1livetiming.
Entry lists and
timetables are available on the Super One website at
superoneseries.com/race_entries_msa_tkm/
For circuit details go to
superoneseries.com/locations/rowrah-lakeland-stadium/
or to
www.cumbriakrc.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Strawberry Racing Dominates (15/05)

The
Tony Kart EVK chassis and Cream-prepared engines are proving to be the perfect
combination, as Strawberry Racing's Connor Hall, Guan Yu Zhou and Charlie
Eastwood demonstrated at Rowrah (4/5 May).
The trio monopolised the top step of the Super One podium
in their respective classes, putting Strawberry Racing firmly on top of the
Mini, Junior and Senior Max point's tables.
Connor Hall proved too hot to handle
in Mini Max, winning both finals in emphatic style. Having taken back-to-back
wins in his two heats, he started the pre-final from pole position. From the
start he made a clean getaway, leaving his rivals to dispute who would be the
first of the runners-up, as he opened an unassailable 11-seconds lead.
Another great start, aided by crashes
behind him, put Hall in charge of the main final. His winning margin was cut to
a shade over four seconds, but it was an indication of the maturity and
professionalism Connor is driving with, that he conserved his equipment and
brought it home without unnecessarily pushing it.
Darren Keane battled gamely in the midfield to earn a top
twenty finish on only his second visit to the Lakeland venue, whilst Finlay
Hutchinson's first race with the team was rewarded with a thoroughly-deserved
9th.
"Connor
is in top form at the moment," said Strawberry's team manager Warwick Ringham.
"He seems to have everything under control, whether it is in wet or dry
conditions. Darren flew in from the USA midweek and did not really get going
until the final, when he showed the same speed he had at last month's club
event. Finlay did far better than we could have hoped for. He had a few setbacks
over the weekend but enjoyed a fantastic final."
In the Junior Max class, Guan Yu 'Joe'
Zhou and Ben Hingeley claimed 1st and 3rd place starting positions for the
pre-final. Their team-mates Max Aitken and Omar Ismail also qualified directly
into the race, avoiding the repecharge, to line up on p18 and p23 respectively.
'Joe' held his advantage as the
30-strong field streamed into the tight, first corner with Ben following him to
make it a Strawberry one-two in the race's early stages. The pair then thrilled
the crowd - whilst putting their team's collective heart in its mouth - by
dicing for the lead. They passed and re-passed each other with Ben finally
settling matters in his favour and Guan Yu dropping to 3rd. Max took the
chequered in 19th with Omar 24th.
A series of pile-ups during the opening lap brought the
second final to a stop. At the re-start, Zhou deftly out-smarted Hingeley and
soaked up the relentless pressure to take the win and the narrowest of leads
over his team-mate in the championship table. In contrast to Guan Yu and Ben's
delight, there was frustration and disappointment for Max and Omar, with both
reduced to spectating by crashes.
"Ben
and Joe are proving hard to beat at the moment and it's great to see them both
at the front, racing for the win. Max and Omar struggled a little, mainly due to
a lack of track time at Rowrah, whereas the other two have more experience of
the circuit," explained Ringham.
Having started from 3rd in the Senior pre-final, reigning
world number one and Florida Winter Tour champion Charlie Eastwood scythed his
way past the pole-sitter, with fellow Strawberry driver Kyle Fowlie slotting in
behind him. Their positions remained unchanged. Current Junior Grand Finals and
Euro Max Challenge champion Harry Webb fought his way from an 8th-row start to
11th, whilst Sweden's Andreas and Jessica Backman finished 21st and 28th.
Fowlie turned the
tables on Eastwood in the early moments of the main final to head the squabbling
pack for the first seven laps. Having dropped to 4th, Charlie quickly regained
his composure and the ground he'd initially lost to pick his way up to 2nd by
lap five. After catching and passing his team-mate, he then opened a commanding,
3-seconds gap over Kyle, who in turn had a healthy margin over the driver in
3rd. Harry improved to 8th, with Jessica also making ground to cross the line in
18th spot, ahead of Andreas in 21st.
"Since the World Finals, Charlie has
been pretty-much unstoppable in the major races," asserted Warwick. "He keeps
coming up with the big race wins and is driving really well. Kyle had a torrid
time at Round One, so to come away with two 2nd-place finishes was great for him
and the team."
For more information about OTK
products and Cream's preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk. Or call 0114 269
6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Shwartzman On The Podium (15/05)

The
third and penultimate round of the WSK Masters series (4/5 May) saw Forza
Racing's Robert Shwartzman carry his successful form from Sarno to Precenicco
and take another KFJ podium.
Just as he had done in his previous race with Jamie
Croxford's Forza Racing team, Robert went straight into the Super Pole
shoot-out, ultimately placing 9th overall in a close and tense session.
Bouncing back from a time penalty in
the opening heat - for what the officials judged as a 'bad manoeuvre'- Robert
finished 9th in the second heat and 6th in the last of the preliminary races
before Sunday's all-important finals.
"With a reduced entry, the organisers changed the format
of the racing to three heats and two finals. With no separate groups, this
effectively made each race a final," explained Forza team owner, Jamie Croxford.
"Consequently, that made the racing aggressive and quite frenetic because, to
qualify for the pre-final, you had to improve throughout the meeting. In
the cut and thrust of the opening heat, Robert was a little too 'enthusiastic'."
Despite his earlier transgression,
the Russian youngster had done more than enough to earn himself a fourth row
start in the pre-final. A solid drive in the 17-lap encounter netted a fine 5th
place at the chequered flag and the vital inside line of row three on the grid
for the main final.
"We
were unlucky not to have finished higher. Before the pre-final started, the wind
got up and made the track really dusty and slippery. The bigger drivers could
use their weight to generate more mechanical grip, and so coped better in the
conditions but the lighter ones were hindered," said Croxford.
As the leading pair duelled over the
lead, Robert made the most of his lightning start to carve his way through the
traffic into 3rd place.
"Throughout the race Robert was under a lot of pressure
from the drivers behind him. He did really well and didn't succumb to it. He was
by far the best of the smaller drivers, and I've said for the past four months
that it was only a matter of time before he had a podium. I knew that once he'd
achieved that then more would come, and this latest success shows that he's
thrown the psychological monkey off his back. His speed was never an issue but
his racecraft and confidence needed to improve. Now he knows that he is capable
of achieving top six finishes in every race, or at least top eight, I think
we'll see him flourish."
The result moves Robert from 10th to 7th place in the
championship with one round remaining.
In
the KF class, Poland's Igor Walilko recorded the 17th-fastest time in qualifying
and finished in the same position in the first heat. He improved on this
with 14th in the following heat, but suffered a DNF in the last; compromising
his chances of qualifying higher up the order for the pre-final.
Undaunted, Igor
delivered another solid performance that saw him move up the order to claim a
respectable 14th place.
Starting the final from the outside row in the heart of
the midfield didn't faze him. In fact, quite the opposite and he enjoyed his
best race of the WSK season to date. Igor charged up into the top ten and from
there picked his way forward to 7th place, delighting his team boss: "Igor
enjoyed his best ever performance. He made some mistakes in the heats but drove
really well in the main final. He absorbed everything he experienced in
qualifying and the heats, learned from it and then came through to 7th. I was as
pleased with that, as Robert's podium. Like Robert, Igor will hopefully go on
and improve from there."
For more
information and to discuss a race seat with the team or arrange a test day,
compete in a club meeting or have a day of one-to-one driver coaching, please
contact Jamie on +44 7921 393 940. Alternatively, visit
www.forza-racing.co.uk.
Photographs courtesy of Joan
Codina/Foto Formula K.
[ Top ]
IAME Cadet
'O' Plate
(14/05)
Trent
Valley Kart Club are pleased to officially announce the date for the first
ever... ABkC IAME Cadet 'O' Plate!
This inaugural title will be decided
on Sunday 3rd November 2013 at the legendary PF International kart circuit -
IAME's UK home.
With more details to follow in the
coming weeks, you can be assured that the 2013 ABkC IAME Cadet 'O' Plate will
make its debut with a bang.
To guarantee your entry at this
premier race meeting register your interest today by emailing our Competition
Secretary, Danielle Short, at
compsec@tvkc.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Eastwood Rules At Rowrah (14/05)

Charlie
Eastwood dominated the second round (4/5 May) of the UK's most prestigious
karting championship - the appropriately named Super One - to put himself 34
points clear at the top of the table.
The reigning world number one and
current European championship points leader had travelled to the dramatic Rowrah
circuit in Cumbria and was immediately one of the pacesetters.
In timed qualifying - in which the
top 26 competitors were separated by no more than eight tenths of a second -
Eastwood recorded the 4th-fastest lap time.
The Strawberry Racing star old then signaled his intent in
the opening heat with a close-fought win over James Singleton. However, he
suffered something of a reversal of fortune in the following race, when he
crossed the finishing line 8th:"I started 3rd but was on slick tyres on a drying
track, like the rest of the field. That meant that there was just one line
through the corners and, just after the start, I arrived at the first chicane
with the other top six drivers and we were all pushed off the track by the guys
behind. I was able to come back through from the back of the field to salvage
8th," explained Charlie.
Nevertheless, his combined results were sufficient to give
him 4th position on the grid for Sunday's first final.
The
Rowrah track presents drivers with a series of high speed uphill and downhill
sections, interspersed with challenging hairpin corners and chicanes. It is a
place that rewards bravery, but punishes mistakes severely.
Eastwood delivered a perfect
demonstration of how to attack the historic venue and burst through to take the
lead on lap 5: "I'd been squeezed off the circuit at the start and had lost
ground, but picked my way up into the lead quite quickly. I led for the last 10
laps and was keeping it calm but my Strawberry Racing team-mate, Kyle Fowlie,
had reeled me in. So I got the signal to 'push, push, push'. I managed to
re-open the gap to about a second, but Kyle took a big chunk out of it, so I
pushed again and then stayed relaxed to the chequered flag."
If he had been impressive in the
first final, Eastwood was imperious in the second. Although, he suffered an
anxious get away from the start-line: "You'd think from my eventual winning
margin that I'd breezed it, but it was quite the opposite. As the lights flicked
to green my engine spluttered and I came out of the first corner in 4th place. I
managed to move up to 3rd and caught the front pair pretty quickly. Having moved
into 2nd, Kyle was leading but I chased him down and once I was past, edged
away. He put me under pressure but during the last two laps came under attack
from behind, so had to defend and that gave me the gap I needed."
Having arrived in 3rd place overall in the points, after
the championship's opening round at Three Sisters in Greater Manchester last
month, Charlie was delighted to return to Belfast as the points leader: "My aim
is to try and stay on top in both championships now. I'm going to take it track
by track, race by race, as so much can happen. Of course, I'd like to win every
race, but a more technical approach is needed now."
The Super One series next moves to the
stunning Glan Y Gors circuit in North Wales in June (15/16). Before then,
Charlie will fly out to Italy, hoping to increase his points advantage at the
Pista Sette Laghi, Castelletto, near the ancient city of Pavia, on 25/26 May.
Keep up to speed with Charlie by
following him on twitter -
@ce_racing_ncc - and via his Facebook page -
Charlie Eastwood.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Spring Offers From IPK (13/05)
IPK
are pleased to announce our latest offers on our World, European and British
Championship winning karts.
Complete OK1 Cruiser Rolling Chassis - from £1500 + VAT.
Complete Praga Dragon Rolling Chassis - from £1995 + VAT.
Complete karts ready to race in Rotax - from £3400 + VAT.
If you are
interested in testing one of our products then please feel free to give us a
call and this can be arranged. For more information on our offers please feel
free to call us on 01133 222795 or send us an email
info@ipkarting.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Vision Motorsport On Form (13/05)
The
newly appointed South West Kosmic Agent, Vision Motorsport, is enjoying a solid
start to the season as a new team in the paddock. Although it is early days for
this fledgling team, the hard work and effort has started to deliver good
performances and consistent results.
April saw team drivers' Fletcher
Trueman and Harry Carter take a great one-two for the team in Minimax at Clay
Pigeon. The team then moved onto Dunkeswell where Ryan Luscombe, Brandon Patrick
and Harry Carter in Minimax, and Ash Reeves in Senior Rotax all showed great
pace, but race misfortunes prevented any podiums.
The May meeting at PFI saw Junior Max
driver Pete Griffin put in a great performance claiming 3 out of 4 fastest laps,
only to be robbed of a 2nd place in the final, but he still held on to a strong
5th.
May's
meeting at Clay Pigeon produced more good results with Minimax driver Harry
Carter putting in a cracking performance, claiming all three heats and
delivering his first Minimax victory in the final. Harry's brother Jamie also
put in a great drive in the competitive Honda cadet class to get his first
podium since moving from novice plates at the start of the year.
The Team would like to thank Aim
Motorsport and Robinson Sport for their continued support.
For information
about joining the team or any queries regarding the Kosmic chassis please
contact Daryl Burgess on 07792 749566 or email
Dazkartburgess@hotmail.com.
[ Top ]
BPKC Summer Champs (10/05)
The
second round of the BPKC summer championships takes place on Sunday 19th May
with practice available on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May.
This meeting incorporates round 2 of
the Kent Kart Championships which attracted record entries at round 1. All non
gearbox ABkC classes are welcome, including Junior Subaru and Bambino. Overnight
parking is available.
This meeting also offers the ideal opportunity for LGM
competitors to practice and race at Buckmore before their round visits the
circuit in July.
For further details contact Sheila at
Buckmore Park Kart Club on
sheila@buckmore.co.uk or on
01634 201562 ext 210.
[ Top ]
It's Here... (10/05)

Ambition
are pleased to announce the welcoming of the OTK Tonykart/Kosmic and FA Alonso
Brand to the Honda Cadet Class. After its maiden visit to Forest Edge this
weekend for all to see, the kart was fast from Saturday morning. Easy to set up,
user friendly and proved to be a race winner on Sunday with Ryan Truman at the
wheel.
Team Manager Paul Janes commented "We tested the kart for the first time last
year with some amendments to be made, Its now come along at a great time and has
already turned heads with its pace, Even beter with a Final Win on its first
official race event in the Honda Cadet Category. The whole package is appealable
to new and more experienced drivers and we welcome drivers to sample the kart to
understand how good it is".![]()
Ambition
would like to thank Warwick and the team at Strawberry Racing and look forward
to working with the Kart for many outings during the 2013 season.
The Tonykart/Kosmic/FA Alonso is
available to test and buy now. Please contact Strawberry Racing, Ambition
Motorsport or The Kart Shop @ Buckmore to arrange your test soon.
Strawberry Racing - 0114 269 6215
Ambition Motorsport - 07951 831236
Kart Shop @ Buckmore - 01634 672256
Ambition
Motorsport are Southern distributers for the FA Alonso Brand of Kart by OTK,
Bambino, Honda and All Rotax Class Karts available to buy new or used. Please
contact us at
info@ambitionmotorsport.com
or telephone +44 7951 831236 for more details.
[ Top ]
Ambition Dominate (10/05)

Ambition
Motorsport UK have started 2013 with a bang. The team have taken time out from
the British Championship this year to concentrate on the next generation of
drivers starting karting at the young age of 6 onwards and helping them progress
throughout our race schools in Bambino and Honda Cadet. The winter training
programme is now earning its rewards leading into the start of this years Summer
Championships at Buckmore Park, Bayford Meadows, Forest Edge and Lydd with Wins
at all 4 circuits in continuous weeks in various classes.
Zach Ripley took the spoils within
the Bambino Category at Lydd in April with a fine win with newcomer to the
circuit Tristan Thorpe taking the final podium place in 3rd, Ambition driver
Ollie Marsh also took a great Pole position in Qualifying in Honda Cadet Clubman
and 5th in the final with Fastest Lap to his name also.
Rubin Stanilaus took a clean sweep of
wins at Buckmore Park on his first race meeting in Honda Cadet Clubman, Ronnie
Foster has also progressed very well throughout the winter period taking a
strong 2nd place finish in the final the month before.
Rubin was also victorious again in
Honda Cadet Clubman at Bayford Meadows with a strong showing from his other team
mates of Owen Tolley, Alfie Prince and Ronnie Foster. Ollie Marsh and Zak Rogers
improved strongly and set great times too be as fast as the front guys but both
were unlucky in the final otherwise they would of been challenging the more
experienced guys at the front.
Tyler
Sullivan took his first final victory at Forest Edge in Minimax on his 3rd visit
to the circuit and his 2nd meeting of Novice Plates. Tyler started grid 9 and
took the lead on the last lap after making some fantastic moves throughout, Also
taking fastest lap to round up a great day for the young 12 year old. It wasn't
just Minimax, The Honda Cadet Final was won by a new driver to the team for the
weekend Ryan Truman. After consistent results in his 3 heats to grid p3, Ryan
won the final on the last corner of the last lap on his Tonykart Mounted Honda
Cadet Kart celebrating not only his first win with the team but also first win
on the new 2013 Tonykart (See separate news bulletin)
Ambition now turn there attention to
the month of May and helping 6 drivers graduate from Bambino Karting into Honda
Cadet with Zach Ripley, George Oxford, Theo Marsh, Max Merritt, Drew Davidson,
Bradley Spickett and Jack Spickett all taking to the track in there new outfits.
The
team would like to congratulate all of the teams drivers, mechanics and tutors
for all there hard work over the cold winter and look to building a strong line
up for the 2013 season.
Team places are available in all classes from Bambino to
Senior Max and One to One Tuition is also available after school for hour or two
hour sessions at our base at Bayford Meadows Kart Circuit, Sittingbourne, Kent,
Throughout the Summer Months during 2013 for Bambino and Honda Drivers looking
for that extra edge on the competition.
Visit our website at
www.ambitionmotorsport.com, or contact us to
book your day/weekend with the team by email to
info@ambitionmotorsport.com or telephone +44
7951 831236.
Ambition Motorsport will be attending all Southern
Circuits throughout 2013 and are FA Alonso Southern Distributers for all
Bambino, Honda and Rotax Class Karts with New or Used Equipment available for
all.
[ Top ]
Exclusive TKM Test Day (10/05)
Formula
TKM has teamed up with Whilton Mill to host a special test day at the
Northamptonshire circuit catering exclusively for drivers of TKM 2-stroke class
karts and those looking to move up into the class from Cadets and other classes.
The event will take place on Friday
July 26 - the first day of the school holidays for many - making it a great way
to kick off the summer break. It will include support from Tal-Ko, organisers of
the TKM classes, as well as other top TKM class trade teams and manufacturers.
No MSA licence is required to take
part in the test day which will provide a unique opportunity for drivers to hone
their skills, test equipment, and for potential newcomers, to try a TKM kart for
the first time.
TKM boss Alan Turney explains: "We have so many new
drivers coming into the class that we felt a special day like this would benefit
everyone and provide great value testing."
The day will run from 10am to 5pm on the Whilton Mill
International circuit which has recently undergone a number of changes to
barriers, run off areas and kerbing as part of a program of improvements at the
track.
Normally a full day's testing at the track costs £50 per kart but for this event
it will be just £30. Sessions will be split into Juniors, Seniors and newcomers
allowing for all experience levels. Newcomers sampling a kart will pay just £10.
With Whilton Mill hosting the last
round of the TKM Club Championship it will provide an important opportunity to
test before that double header race meeting in September.
Whilton Mill manager Graeme Smith
explained: "We are very keen to rebuild our TKM grids and wanted a way to give
all TKM drivers the best opportunity to sample and learn the circuit. We are
confident the day will be well received and the attendance levels healthy."
Aside from allowing existing TKM
drivers test time, special efforts are being made to help potential new drivers
to the TKM classes whether currently in Cadets or any other class. Says Alan
Turney: "This is the perfect chance for new drivers to try out TKM karting. So
long as they have full safety equipment and at least some karting experience we
will get them out in a kart."
Further details of traders taking
part and more detailed information will be made over the next few weeks. In the
meantime any driver interested in taking part should email
testday@tkmdriversclub.com to apply for an entry
sheet.
[ Top ]
Tooley Motorsport Trio (09/05)

After
narrowly missing out on the O plate last year in both Mini Max and Junior Max,
the team were aiming for both titles this year. To push this title hope the team
had 5 Mini Max out but only one Junior Max, these consisted of Dan Zelos, Jordan
Brown-Nutley, Josh Skelton, Cameron Roberts, Michael Macpherson and Nathan
Aston. The testing went well in the dry with Jordan heading the pace for the
team in mini max, battling for the top few places in each race. Aston qualified
in the top 5 as well.
Come race day the weather changed and the testing was out
the window, it was wet and after practice all looked well. Aston was 5 tenths
clear of the field and Zelos was in the top few quickest. Zelos won the pre
final with ease, pulling away from the field and winning by a huge gap. Going
into the final Zelos knew he was the quickest and he just had to control the
main final at his own pace, he did just this. Keeping the gap constant he held
the lead from start to finish, a very convincing win! Macphereson had a crash at
the start after finishing a great 12th in the pre final, showing a massive
improvement. Whilst Skelton put in a good performance for 5th, Roberts was 9th,
and Brown Nutley 10th.
The
team have now completed the trio in Mini Max - number 1, GP, and the O plate!
S1 Rowrah
After the 1st round at Wigan there was room for
improvement from all, after a lot of testing team principal Andrew Tooley
commented "I think from a team point of view, we have moved forward massively
from Wigan, and I'm positive we can have good results all round".
After a good week at the O plate 1
week prior to the S1, this proved a good test for this event.
Zelos was supporting his O, Roberts
had thought about his mistakes, Skelton felt on good form after a solid 5th and
Brown Nutley again on good form especially in the dry. The mini outing was
looking quite strong. This was backed up in qualifying when Zelos went 2nd in
group, Roberts went 3rd and Jordan went 4th. Skelton was unlucky to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time and never managed to put a time in so ended up
14th. Come the finals some had work to do, Jordan set off near the back and made
a good start, but to then be knocked clean off on the 2nd hairpin putting him
straight to the back, this put him on the back foot for the main final and was
then taken out in that again causing him not to finish. Skelton was also
unfortunate and was knocked off at the top corner causing him to drop to the
back of the field after battling for 10th. Roberts and Zelos performed
stunningly filling out the podium in the pre-final, and again for the main
final. Where they swapped positions and were only margins off halls pace,
proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
The Junior side of the team Consisted
of Greg Mckenzie and Nathan Aston, who were both quick throughout the whole
weekend. Qualifying 2nd and 5th they were off to a flying start, only narrowly
missing out on pole by hundredths! Leading up to the finals Aston had a few
battles and ended up mid pack, but Mckenzie had a 9th and a heat win, after
beating other contenders convincingly. The finals brought miss fortunes once
again; the pre finals were good with Aston getting a great 2nd place and
Mckenzie getting 6th. But in the main final once again the crashes at the start
claimed both of them!
Aston still lies 8th in the championship, Zelos is a good
2nd, Roberts is 4th and the others are mid pack and are hoping for better
results in the future. Consistency is proving to be the key!
For more
information visit
www.Tooleymotorsport.com.
[ Top ]
Super One Rotax Series (09/05)
Round
2 of the Edgar's Hyundai Super One Rotax Series took place at Rowrah on 4th &
5th May 2013.
Domination
held sway in senior Max, MiniMax and Honda Cadet with the weather leaving
something to be desired, wet for much of the finals day and cold for the second
round of the Rotax - Honda - Comer series. Exactly the same number raced
as at the first round - 171 drivers for Britain's ABkC national championships.
But the driving standards in some classes were not always good, with much
loading into the first corner and the Clerks were busy giving out penalties.
Honda Cadet:
Kiern
Jewiss is on a great winning streak at the moment, and although timed qualifying
didn't go quite to plan, by Heat 3 he was on top of things. He did enough for
the first final pole, with Charlie Lamb alongside, Morgan Porter and Rory Hudson
behind. Jewiss duly took the lead, with Porter leapfrogging Lamb on the first
lap until Hudson stormed by both. The wet track was helping Myles Apps up from
his row 4 start to find more speed, and soon into second. Matthew Hayden reached
fourth but spun back in the tricky conditions and Jewiss just held off
Apps with Hudson close behind. Lamb successfully defended fourth from Matthew
Hopcraft and Morgan Porter. A get well message goes out to Shaun Proudlock who
broke his leg scrambling down to attend his son's crash. Jewiss was quick to
relieve Apps of the lead in the second final, going on to pull a 6s lead on a
drying track with everyone still using wet weather tyres. Hudson pipped Apps
down the hill but they both fell back as Porter and Hayden came through, the
latter prevailing for second. Lamb just nicked third from Porter on the line,
with Mark Kimber overhauling Apps for fifth.
Comer
Cadet:
Second in timed
qualifying to Tom Wood, Alex Quinn was the more consistent to earn the first
final pole position from Wood, Oliver York and Jonny Edgar and they set off much
in that order but Tom Wood crashed down to the back. Edgar, who only lives a
short distance from the track and scored his first big championship title the
weekend before taking the O Plate title, soon burst through to lead over Quinn.
Lewis Thompson was making good progress, relieving Quinn for second whilst Matty
Easton did the same to York. Wood came back to ninth. The top drivers
mostly chose slicks for the second final, but nothing could help first final
winner Edgar when his engine stopped on the formation lap. York and Quinn traded
the lead as Matthew Graham fell away, soon to succumb to Wood for third. Losing
the lead when he put a wheel on the grass, York managed to regain it for the win
over Quinn.
MiniMax:
Connor Hall is another driver on top of his game at the
moment, and he kept up the momentum at the twisty Cumbrian track, built in an
old quarry. Hall was quickest over Sandy Mitchell and Josh Smith, and fastest
overall with Alex Stott topping the other session. Heat wins went the way of
Hall twice and Harrison Thomas but it was the more consistent Dan Zelos who
lined up alongside Hall on the first final front row, Smith and Stott behind. As
Hall disappeared into the distance, by the flag he was 11s ahead, Zelos newly
crowned with the O Plate, tried in vain to catch up and indeed came under
pressure from Cameron Roberts at the end. Alex Sedgwick stormed up to fourth as
Smith succumbed, Thomas next. For the second final all the karts were on slicks
and yet again Hall made a great start whilst others crashed, Jack McCarthy
spinning into the first corner. Zelos eventually got the upper hand on Roberts
and Thomas battled in a train of karts, finishing fourth on the track but
suffering a five place penalty. That elevated Tom Gamble, Alex Sedgwick and
Smith.
Junior
Max:
Ben Hingeley and
Luke Knott were each quickest in the their timed sessions but both suffered 5
place penalties relegating Hingeley to the second row for the first final behind
'Joe' Zhou and Tom Harvey. Knott was mid grid but failed to start when his
engine oiled up. Hingeley, Jake Walker and Greg McKenzie took the heat wins.
Zhou leapt into the lead with a handy gap over Hingeley as Nathan Aston
leapfrogged Jai Nijjar for third. Harvey was battling hard to keep fourth from
Jack Bartholomew. But the latter was flagged in for a bent sidepod,
emerging a lap down. Hingeley had caught and even passed Zhou, they swapped
again and again but Hingeley had the win. Josh Price came all the way from
fourth last and a repechage win to fourth place. There was so much carnage at
the start of the second final that it was stopped to lecture the drivers. Zhou
slipped past Hingeley to lead after the restart and just held onto the advantage
throughout, everyone on slicks but damp off line. Robbie Lightfoot wore down
Walker's defence of third, but fell back mid race to ninth, Walker soon to
follow but to fifteenth. Philip Rawson took up the position but overshot the
hairpin and had to settle for fifth as Knott stormed up from the back to the
podium. Harvey had been forced to start from the back after damage at the first
start, and he made it to eighth but was then excluded for driving standards.
Bartholomew was another slicing through the field from near last to fourth.
Rotax
Max:
Adam Glear and
James Singleton were at the top of their respective timed qualifying sessions,
but Charlie Eastwood, Oliver Hodgson and Josh Collings took the heat wins.
However it was rookie Adam Glear who snatched pole for the first final off
Philip Morin, Eastwood and Charlie Turner, whilst Singleton was on grid 7 and
the champion Sean Babington languished on the ninth row after a series of heat
clashes and he never really recovered. Eastwood wasted little time in jumping
Glear, the latter succumbing to Kyle Fowlie as well. John Stewart, having
regained his O Plate the previous weekend had fallen to last, but would finish
19th in the first and 14th in the second. Singleton was another in the
wars, he only made 16th. Luke Hughes made steady progress and nabbed third from
Glear on the last lap. Eastwood was out-gunned at the start by Fowlie, Myers
-from fifth on the grid - and Hughes, but picked his way back to the front and
pulled a 3s gap over Fowlie. Hodgson, another one in the final one incidents
finishing tenth, stormed back into contention to pressure Fowlie after passing
Connor Jupp. Jupp had to win the repechage for his place in the finals,
reaching ninth in the first one so was very happy with fourth. Eastwood,
who has already sealed a place in the Max Challenge Grand Finals, now
comfortably leads this qualifying series as well.
Results
Honda Cadet
Final 1: 1 Kiern Jewiss (Project One) 15 laps in
16m56.55s; 2 Myles Apps (BRK) +00.11s; 3 Rory Hudson (Project One); 4 Charlie
Lamb (BRK); 5 Matthew Hopcraft (Zip); 6 Morgan Porter (BRK). Fastest lap
Apps 1m03.73s (40.72mph).
Final
2: 1 Jewiss 17 laps in 16m56.28s; 2 Matthew Hayden (BRK) +05.69s; 3 Lamb; 4
Porter; 5 Mark Kimber (BRK); 6 Apps. Fastest lap Hayden 0m58.79s
(44.14mph).
Comer Cadet
Final 1: 1 Jonny Edgar (Zip) 15 laps in 16m07.58s; 2 Lewis
Thompson (Zip) +02.72s; 3 Alex Quinn (Zip); 4 Matty Easton (Shark); 5 Oliver
York (Zip); 6 Matthew Graham (Zip). Fastest lap Edgar 1m03.82s (40.66mph).
Final 2: 1 York 17 laps in 16m37.21s; 2 Quinn +01.12s; 3
Tom Wood (Zip); 4 Graham; 5 William Pettitt (Zip); 6 Zachary Robertson (Zip).
Fastest lap Wood 0m57.21s (45.36mph).
MiniMax
Final 1: 1 Connor Hall (Tonykart) 17 laps in 16m33.79s; 2 Dan Zelos (Tonykart)
+10.87s; 3 Cameron Roberts (Tonykart); 4 Alex Sedgwick (Kosmic); 5 Josh Smith
(ART); 6 Harrison Thomas (Tonykart). Fastest lap Hall 58.07s (44.69mph).
Final 2: 1 Hall 19 laps in 16m11.21s; 2 Zelos +04.65s; 3
Roberts; 4 Tom Gamble (Tonykart); 5 Sedgwick; 6 Smith. Fastest lap Hall
0m50.24s (51.66mph).
Junior
Max
Final 1: 1 Ben Hingeley
(Tonykart) 17 laps in 16m22.88s; 2 Nathan Aston (Tonykart) +00.80s; 3 Guan Yu
Zhou (Tonykart); 4 Tom Harvey (Tonykart); 5 Josh Price (Tonykart); 6 Jake Walker
(Kosmic). Fastest lap Walker 0m57.02s (45.51mph).
Final 2: 1 Zhou 20 laps in 16m12.46s; 2 Hingeley +01.98s;
3 Luke Knott (Tonykart); 4 Jack Bartholomew (Tonykart); 5 Philip Rawson
(Alonso); 6 Brett Ward (Kosmic). Fastest lap Zhou 0m47.97s (54.10mph).
Rotax Max
Final 1: 1 Charlie Eastwood (Tonykart) 18 laps in
16m49.31s; 2 Kyle Fowlie (Tonykart) +01.30s; 3 Luke Hughes (Tonykart); 4 Adam
Glear (Kosmic); 5 Oliver Myers (Tonykart); 6 Philip Morin (Alonso).
Fastest lap Eastwood 0m54.16s (47.92mph).
Final 2: 1 Eastwood 21 laps in 16m31.47s; 2 Fowlie
+02.90s; 3 Oliver Hodgson (Tonykart); 4 Connor Jupp (Alonso); 5 Glear; 6 Hughes.
Fastest lap Hodgson 0m46.47s (55.85mph).
For more information on the
championship visit
www.superoneseries.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Calling All Novice Cadets (09/05)
The
June meeting, held on the weekend of the 1st (practice) and 2nd (race) will have
a very special trophy up for grabs.
As many of you are aware last year the
karting world lost a very special lady Marge Klaassen, after long discussions
with Piet we have come up with the Marge Klassen Memorial Cup for Cadet Novices.
Rissington Kart Club would like to invite as many novices as possible there will
be trophies and prizes.This will become a annual event with perpetual trophy as
well.
We
would love to get a good number of drivers any cadet engine allowed (Comer,
IAME, Honda and WTP) If we get a large number of drivers will give them their
own races and final.
You may even get some coaching from a former Rissington
Champion!
More details of this event will shortly be available on the
Rissington web site at
www.rissykartclub.com.
[ Top ]
And The Winner Is... (09/05)
Rissington
On Line entry system had it's first prize draw winner, Cadet regular Tyler Read
won himself a set of tyres just for entering on line. Tyler's Mum was overjoyed
at the result, we needed a new set so this is great news and all I did was enter
Tyler online.
For our next meeting in June we have another great prize
kindly donated by Alan from MK racewear - a voucher worth £150 to spend at the
shop that's enough for a new race suit!
Alan said "I am happy to help
Rissington, its a great track great people". The voucher can be used any time so
if someone wins and want to wait to spend it later in the year you can. Based
down a Mr. Karting indoor kart track in Leamington spa you can visit the shop
and try on suits, helmets, boot, gloves etc to make sure they fit correctly,
check out their web site
www.mkracewear.co.uk.
Just go to the Rissington web site
www.rissykartclub.com enter on line and pay for
the June meeting and you will be in the prize draw, it's so simple.
[ Top ]
Kartal Motorsport Success (08/05)

Tom
Geaney was jubilant after winning the Gold Cup in Comer Cadet at MBKCs meeting
at 3 Sisters. He was joined on the podium by Tamzyn Buckley who was 3rd. Tamzyn
also picked up her Winter series winners trophy.
In IAME Cadet Wes Brown was 3rd in the Gold Cup event - he
also collected his Winter Series Winners trophy.
Joe Bleackley won the Winter Series trophy in Junior Blue
following his recent good form.
In Junior Rotax Robbie Lightfoot made it 2 years in
succession by taking victory in this well supported class, an excellent
achievement.
Young Ben Deeming in the Cadet class was awarded a Special
achievement award by MBKC following his recent success of winning Young Sports
personality of the year as awarded by the Trinity Mirror Media group.
Kartal Motorsport
would like to thank all these customers for choosing to use engines supplied by
them.
Please note that we now have a fully operational FlowPerformance bench available
to trade and private customers for testing carbs and airboxes Recent
customers include Lewis Seville, who after testing a combination of Rotax Carbs,
air boxes and trumpets, won at PFi in Senior Max. Along with our Eddie current
dyno we offer these excellent facilities to enable you to achieve the best
performance possible. Get the most out of your equipment and join the winners!
Contact Alan at Kartal Motorsport for
Comer, IAME, Rotax and TKM rebuilds on 07801 379880.
You can also
find
us on Facebook.
[ Top ]
Protrain's Wragg And Rudge (08/05)

Kieran
Wragg and Sean Rudge are certainly showing that they are drivers with talent
making an almost seamless transfer from Cadet success to Mini Max success.
At the season opener at Whilton Mill
11 year old Wragg lined up in a new Tony Kart with 15 other karts and showed
impressive pace all through practice and into race day. Despite this being his
first race weekend at Whilton Mill in Mini Max his heat 2, 3 and 1 finishes
including a fastest lap delivered a well deserved pole position for the final
where he enjoyed a great racing battle and showed great racecraft to take his
first Mini Max victory in style.
Out of four finishes this year Kieran has finished, 5th,
4th, 3rd and 1st and taken third place in the Shenington Winter Championship,
truly impressive in this new and highly competitive class.
Sean Rudge has also been highly
impressive in his maiden Mini Max season on the Formula K taking his first
victory in a field of 30 karts at Kimbolton in April taking fastest lap in the
process. Sean's finishes including two 3rds, a 4th and a 5th as well as taking a
superb second place in the Shenington Winter Championship show how quickly he
has also adapted to his new class.
Making
the move from cadet to Mini Max is a massive step up and very often talented
cadet drivers seem to struggle but under Protrain Racing's guidance the Rotax
masters have shown that it is possible make an immediate impression on the Mini
Max field.
These two drivers have shown that even with large grids including much more
experienced drivers new Mini Max drivers with great backing and great talent
will quickly see themselves at the front of the grids.
Kieran will be competing in the
Shenington and Whilton Mill Championships and Sean will be in the Shenington,
Whilton Mill and Kimbolton Championships in 2013.
Are you struggling to make an impression in any Rotax
class? We can help you bring yourself to the front of the grids too, give us a
call on 01280 814774.
[ Top ]
Lydd Summer Championship (07/05)

The
Summer Championships at Lydd continue this weekend, with practice available on
Saturday 11th ahead of our non-MSA Race Day on Sunday the 12th.
The Summer Championships are over 6
rounds, with the best 5 scores to count for each driver - so those who missed
the first round still have the chance to win the series as long as they do all
the rest of the rounds.
We look forward to another great meeting to continue the
trend of the last couple of months, where we have enjoyed fantastic racing and a
really friendly atmosphere throughout the paddock.
We cater for all classes, with the
regular classes starting at Bambino and progressing through Cadet Clubman, IAME
& Comer Cadets, Honda Cadets, Minimax, Juniors, Senior Rotax 162 and 177 and the
Prokarts.
If
you haven't visited us here at Lydd before, then why not come along and give it
a try? If you have been here before, but not been back for a while, then come
back and remind yourselves what you have been missing at Kent's fastest Kart
Circuit.
For more information, please visit the website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com or phone us on 01797
321747.
[ Top ]
ACR Are Recruiting... (07/05)
ACR
are the Sole UK Importers for Birel racing and rental Chassis and the Easykart
range of karts and also distribute Freeline kart accessories.The company is one
of the longest serving Birel Importers in the World dealing with the Italian
chassis giants for nearly 18 years.
ACR are also the sole UK Importers for
Vega tyres with products such as Vega (green) XH slicks, Vega (whites) XM slicks
and the Vega W5 rain tyre. ACR are also sole UK Importer for Exced Oils
and Lubricants.
ACR has competed with its Championship racing team
"acrbirel" in the Super one series for over 21 years running drivers such as Tom
Sisley, Mike Conway (Indycar), Michael Simpson (Ginetta), Alex Lynn (euro
F3) and Jake Hughes (KGP and F4).
ACR is based 20 mins from Birmingham in Bromsgrove,
Worcestershire. It operates a busy factory with the import and re distribution
via mail order of it's represented imported brands. The company also caters for
engine service and preparation, chassis storage and preparation and technical
support for Easykart clients as well as the running of its racing team acrbirel.
Due to expansion and re-structuring
ACR now has the following positions available....
Factory
and Trackside Technical Support Manager
Position: Permanent (subject to a 3 month probationary
period).
Salary: Starting from
£20K to £25K dependant on applicant experience.
Position Based at the ACR factory in Bromsgrove in
Worcestershire.
Applicants should have their own transport; a good
knowledge of kart mechanics, racing experience would be advantageous. Applicants
will receive initial support on the introduction of the role during the
probationary period; however, applicants are expected to be able to work on
their own initiative.
The position will involve the management, service and
preparation of Birel chassis and Easykarts. The successful applicant would be
required to assist clients with technical support over the phone and at
trackside at race events.
The position will also involve the PDI of new karts and
registration of chassis and engines on official databases. The role will also
involve taking mail order requests over the phone, stock control and
distribution of parts to clients.
Basic PC skills would be required as well as a good level
of competence for completing service job cards and records.
Applicants would also be required to
attend the Easykart UK Championships and work in our team as trackside technical
support. Travel and subsistence at these races would be covered by ACR Ltd.
There may also be an opportunity to work with our associated company Kart Grand
Prix UK Ltd at Super One KGP events.
Applicants should have a genuine passion for karting/
motorsport and be self motivated with a good personal level of initiative as
well as being a team player.
We are looking for a person to become an integral part of
the ACR team for the future.
Interested applicants should send
their CV and covering letter FAO: Jayne Moore, ACR Ltd Lissone House, Harris
Business Park, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4DJ or you can email your covering
letter and CV FAO: Jayne Moore at
acraccounts@btconnect.com. Closing date for
interested applicants is Friday 20th May 2013.
The
second vanacy is...
Factory and Trackside Kart Mechanic
Position: Permanent (subject to a 3 month probationary
period).
Salary: Starting from
£12k to £15K dependant on applicant experience.
Position Based at the ACR factory in Bromsgrove in
Worcestershire.
Applicants should have their own transport; a good
knowledge of kart mechanics, racing experience would be advantageous. Applicants
would be supervised during the probationary period.
The position will involve the service and preparation of
karts featuring the Easykart and Birel Motorsport range of karts. The position
would also involve the PDI of new karts and equipment.
Basic PC skills would be required as
well as a good level of competence for completing service job cards and records.
Applicants would also be required to
attend the Easykart UK Championships and work in our team as a trackside kart
mechanic. Travel and subsistence at these races would be covered by ACR Ltd.
Applicants
should have a genuine passion for karting/ motorsport and be self motivated with
a good personal level of initiative as well as being a team player.
We are looking
for a person to become part of the ACR team for the future.
Interested
applicants should send their CV and covering letter FAO: Jayne Moore, ACR Ltd
Lissone House, Harris Business Park, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4DJ or you can
email your covering letter and CV FAO: Jayne Moore at
acraccounts@btconnect.com. Closing date for
interested applicants is Friday 20th May 2013.
For more
information on ACR visit www.acrbirel.com.
[ Top ]
2013 Welsh Championships (07/05)
Only
a couple of days left to enter Wales' Premier Karting Event for the nationally
recognized "C" plate. All classes are welcome for a great weekends racing.
For only £85 you
get timed qualifying and a heat on Saturday and timed qualifying, heat,
pre-final and a final for all classes on Sunday. All class winners will be
awarded the "C" plate for their class to race at any ABkC recognised event for
12 months.
Llandow will have IAME's for the first time this weekend and
would welcome some more.
Entries close on line at midnight this Wednesday
and by first post Thursday.
For more information visit
www.llandowkartclub.co.uk or call Colin on 07817
449671.
[ Top ]
Connor
Hall And Strawberry
(07/05)
Connor
Hall was in sensational form at the second round of the Super 1 series at the
Rowrah circuit in Cumbria.
He started off by placing his Strawberry
Racing Tonykart on pole for the heats, which he converted to pole position for
the pre-final. In a wet race which also saw him getting a big hit from
behind at the start, Connor drove away from his rivals opening up a lead of over
8 seconds at the flag.
For the Main final it was a fast drying line
around the track and slick tyres was the choice. It was essential to make a good
start and this he did. After a couple of cautious laps finding the grip, he soon
got into his rythm and managed to stretch a 3 second lead at the flag and take
his second clean sweep in the championship.
Despite this Connor is fully
aware that it is a long season and there are some very talented drivers in the
class that will be snapping at his heels all the way.
Connor would like
to thank Body Management for all of their help with his diet and training, all
at Strawberry racing for the Tonykart EVK and Cream Racing engine along with
their massive effort and especially his Mechanic Harry Cockill for doing a great
job all weekend.
You can keep up to date with Connors progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk
[ Top ]
TVKC & PFI
International Races
(07/05)
Trent
Valley Kart Club and PF International kart circuit are set to host three major
International race events this Summer...
RGMMC Rotax Euro Challenge: 17-21 July
2013
Kartmasters British Kart
Grand Prix: 1-4 August 2013
CIK-FIA World KF Championships: 28 August-1 September 2013
Preparations are well under way for
these landmark events. The latest developments are the dedicated websites which
TVKC have just launched specifically to cover each event individually.
The
websites include all the information about the events - for both competitors and
spectators alike. Whether it is how to find the circuit, the cost of admission
tickets, what's happening during the course of the weekend or to find
accommodation - it's all on there. The sites will be constantly updated with the
latest news and information as we move closer to the date.
Visit these brand new sites directly
at...
www.tvkc.co.uk/euromax
www.tvkc.co.uk/kartmasters
www.tvkc.co.uk/cik
[ Top ]
Tal-Ko's Veloce Kart (07/05)
The
latest Tal-Ko made Veloce kart driven by Joe Forsdyke has taken the prestigious
ABkC Senior Extreme 'O' plate title at Rowrah.
In pouring wet conditions for the final, Forsdyke took an
early lead from his second row grid position and pulled away to win by a
dominant 21 seconds from second place Rob Wallace.
Afterwards a delighted Joe said: "The Veloce kart was
fantastic. In the dry the kart was really good but when the rain came down it
was in a class if its own."
The Junior 'O' plate title was taken by Matt Davies from
Stephen Letts, also in wet conditions.
For more
information on the Valoce Kart visit
www.tal-ko.com.
Photograph
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
A Touch Of Nostalgia (07/05)

Owners
of historic karts are being invited to join in one of the UK's top karting
events - the Maxxis TKM Festival which celebrates its 15th year at Kimbolton in
August.
With historic karts becoming more popular by the year and with both Tal-Ko and
Kimbolton being trail-blazers in karting with histories going back to its birth
more than 50 years ago, it is a perfect addition to this special
celebration of TKM karting.
Any kart using a TKM or Hewland Arrow engine will be
eligible to take part in what will be an on-track demonstration on Sunday,
August 11. And under agreement with the MSA governing body, provided drivers use
full safety wear and have kart racing experience, race licences will not be
required.
Tal-Ko boss Alan Turney said: "This is great news. We started making TKM engines
back in 1978 and it will be great to see some of the old models out on the
circuit where they used to be raced many years ago.
"Over the past year or so interest in historic karts has
been accelerating rapidly and we have been pleased to help those with older
equipment by supplying spares which we still have on our shelves."
The organisers are also hoping to
encourage along drivers who used to race at the Kimbolton circuit over its 54
year history for a special reunion.
As usual the TKM Festival will be covered for Motors TV
and the historics will be expected to appear as part of that adding a touch of
nostalgia to the highly competitive nature of the annual event.
Says Martin
Chesterman, Chairman of the Hunts Kart Club which runs Kimbolton: "This circuit
has such a long history stretching back to the very earliest days of karting so
it will be great to bring some old names and equipment back to the track."
Drivers who
would like to take part should send written requests with full details of the
kart, engine and driver experience to
alan.turney@tal-ko.com.
[ Top ]
Live
Timing This Weekend
(03/05)
Round 2 of the Super One Rotax series as well as the
Trent Valley Kart Club meeting are taking place this weekend, and if you can't
make it to your favoured event why not follow the action live on-line?
Whether it's the
national championship at Rowrah or club racing at PFI you're missing, TAG Heuer
will be streaming live timing from both events at
www.tagheuer-timing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
SaxMax
Arrive & Drive
(03/05)
Team
Dynomite have arrive and drive spaces available for the BARC 2013 racing season
where you can race or test in our fully race prepared Saxmax. The next round is
Oulton Park on the 27th May.
The team are pleased to anounce they will be competing in
the 2013 SaxMax Championship. Rookie Tom Parker has been joined by
ex-karter Adam Hatfield for the the 2013 championship, and running as a 4 car
team this means we have 2 'Arrive and Drive' packages remaining, as well as and
1 owner driver space available.
Fancy a test? We have fully prepared cars just waiting to
go!
Well
done to Team drivers Tom Parker, Adam Hatfield and Martin Poole for finishing
4th, 5th and 6th in the second round at Croft last weekend.
A
2014 scholorship is available - email or call for details.
Also, Team Dynomite in conjunction
with Sportdevices.co.uk have their own in-house rolling road, engine dyno, shock
absorber dyno and a newly developed Flowbench. These tools, coupled with 30
experience in motorsport, offer a formidable package.
So if you fancy
progressing from karts to cars email
info@sportdevices.co.uk or call us on 0800
6126977 for more information.
[ Top ]
Instructors Required (03/05)
Due
to continuing expansion Racing Perfection have several part time instructor
positions available.
Minimum requirements for instructors:
- Proven history of competing successfully at national
level Karting or Car racing or higher
- Very good communication skills
- Very good people skills
- Live within a sensible commuting distance of either
Eastleigh or Lancing (30 minutes or less).
- Available to work on Sunday mornings once a month
Applications are
to be sent to Steve Bell of Racing Perfection at
steve.bell@racingperfection.co.uk.
[ Top ]
ART Grand Prix Impress (01/05)
Dean
MacDonald collected an impressive runner-up spot at the British Open
Championship at Rowrah last weekend and if not for some bad luck for Josh Smith
the top 5 would have seen 2 ART Karts in the top 5 positions. An impressive
start in the debut year for ART in the Rotax class, and it's also the first year
in the class for Cadet Champion MacDonald and Super One Cadet runner-up Josh
Smith.
Rotax Team Manager Jamie Allen commented; "We are really happy with the results
we have achieved so far this year and I'm very impressed with all of our team
drivers and how they have adapted to the class. The step up from Cadets is a big
one, so to be able to collect a podium and have both Dean and Josh running at
the front this early in the season gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of
the year."
Alfie Brown was also in action in the ultra-competitive Junior Max class. Alfie
had a mixed weekend but pace wise he showed good speed. Jamie commented;
"Alfie's testing programme for this year has mainly been based around KF3, so to
jump straight into the Rotax and have the pace of many of the older and more
experienced drivers is great and gives us a solid base to work from."
ART Grand Prix's next race is the 2nd
round of the Rotax Super One championship where all drivers will be looking to
build on the results gained at the O Plate meeting.
The ART/RSF/Zip team currently have
one place spare for either a Mini Max or Junior Max driver at Super One in 2013.
Any interested drivers should contact Zip Kart on 01327 855310 or email
info@zipkart.com.
[ Top ]
Make The Most Of Spring (01/05)
Now
the sun has finally broken cover, it's time to clear out all your old equipment
and have it tested on our Rolling Road. This facility is proving to be
invaluable in assessing the ancillliaries of your engine such as the exhaust,
carb, coil and airbox. These can then be confirmed on track to gain you those
extra few tenths you're looking for.
We also have our own range of IAME
engines - anybody interested in a free test should get in touch using the
contact details below.
April saw some very impressive results with Elliott Harvey
and Luke Oliver winning at Shennington, Brett Ward on the top step at Belgium's
BNL first round, and Andy Rees-Reynolds enjoying his first win for some time at
Whilton in Seniors!
We've also been successful in Malaysia with ART Gran Prix
Asia. A 1st, 3rd and 4th in seniors, plus 3rd in juniors providing great results
for the team there.
Lastly, our congratulations to Dean McDonald in his 2nd
place at the O Plate race at Rowrah - his first time on Grice motors.
We are still running our special
offer for full rebuilds and these details can be found on our website. If you
have any questions on rebuilds, rolling road evaluation or engine hire, please
contact Ricky on...
Telephone 01268 727847 (workshop),
07768 047253 (mobile), email
Ricky.grice@virgin.net or
visit our website at
www.griceracingengines.com.
[ Top ]
Swede Dreams In Belgium (30/04)

The
opening weekend of the BNL Karting Series took place at Genk last weekend (20/21
April) and saw Strawberry Racing's Swedish siblings Jessica and Andreas Backman
competing in the senior and DD2 classes.
The BNL operates around a
double-header format, with qualifying, heats and finals taking place on both
Saturday and Sunday.
A large grid had entered for the Senior Max class but
reigning Swedish Junior Max champions Jessica was instantly on the pace, setting
the 3rd fastest time in the qualifying.
She overcame her disastrous first heat
by winning the second and making the cut for the A Final. A blistering drive,
saw Jessica carve her way into the lead and from there pull away to win by over
three seconds.
"It was a fantastic drive," said Strawberry Racing team
manager Warwick Ringham. "Jessica made a really good start and slowly picked off
the drivers in front of her. Once she'd got to the front, she kept putting in
really good lap times and just drove away from the chasing pack."
On day two, two 4th place finishes
demonstrated the young Swede's consistency and turn of speed. However, a tougher
race saw Jessica pushed down to 8th position and in a lonely position of neither
having an attacking opportunity or defend from the driver one second behind her.
"Her intelligent driving and keeping
out of trouble meant that she banked more valuable championship points,"
explained Warwick. "Jessica's now in a strong 2nd place in the championship and
that's a great start for her."
With
a different race schedule giving the DD2 class two finals - but no heats after
time qualifying - on each day, Jessica's older brother, Andreas, was able to
demonstrate that he is a rising star in the burgeoning twin-speed karts.
He claimed a fine 2nd in the first
final and completed the day with 3rd in the following race.
Like Jessica, Andreas found Sunday a
slightly tougher proposition. His Tony Kart EVK chassis with Cream-tuned motor
ensured that he was able to compete at the sharp-end of the grid but he was
unable to repeat the previous day's results.
However, his 9th and 5th places
combined with the points from Saturday put him in a strong 4th place overall
with two rounds remaining. The next race takes the drivers to Ostricourt in
France (11/12 May) before returning to Genk for the August (24/25) finale.
"Andreas' results did not do justice
to his pace. If he can sort out his starts, then he will be in a better position
to challenge for the wins that his natural speed deserves."
For more
information about OTK products and Cream's preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk. Or call 0114 269
6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs courtesy of Bas Kaligis.
[ Top ]
Brian
Wilson Memorial Meeting
(30/04)
The
SYKC Annual W Plate meeting held in memory of Brian Wilson will take place on
Sunday 12th May 2013.
Brian was an active member of SYKC from 1970 until his
untimely death in 1992. His involvement with karting started when his 11 year
old son, Mike Wilson, took up karting at Wombwell. Mike had great success in
karting and at 18 years old moved to Italy to work as a team driver for Birel
and eventually won the World Championship 6 times.
Whilst Mike raced for Birel, Brian continued his
involvement at SYKC and started a kart business producing the Premier Karts and
providing track side support at all meetings, along with working on the club
committee; maintaining the track and trying to improve the club.
Following his Death in 1992 the club
decided to recognise his contribution by holding an annual memorial meeting,
which is always supported by his wife Eileen and members of the Wilson family.
Mike
Wilson donated one of his World Championship trophies to be awarded to the
Driver of the Day chosen by Eileen and her family.
If you would like to compete in this very special event
please ensure your entry reaches the SYKC Competition Secretary before the 4th
May 2013.
Entry forms are available on
www.sykc.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Fabulous
Forsdyke
(29/04)
Clarke Karts / Tal-Ko Race Team would like to
congratulate Joe Forsdyke on his success in the TKM Extreme class at the 'O'
Plate at Rowrah last weekend.
Ably assisted in the pits throughout by his
father/mechanic Ken, Joe took the lead on the first lap of the final after
starting in 5th, and led all the way to take the chequered flag over 21 seconds
clear of his rivals.
For more information on Clarke Karts,
who run Lydd Kart Circuit in Kent, visit
www.lyddkartcircuit.com.
[ Top ]
X30
Chassis Run Riot
(26/04)
Having
utterly dominated the 2012 OEKC series with the X30 chassis, the GMS supplied
teams in the 2013 series showed no mercy at Rye House in March, with the latest
2013 edition of the chassis leading home the field under the control of the
Screw Loose Racing team.
In an event featuring a tricky mix of track conditions,
the brand new machine led home the field as part of an all X30 top seven,
proving it speed and durability in a strong, twenty-three team field. Series
veterans Box Tech and reigning champions Team Specsavers completed the podium.
This was followed up by an equally dominant showing from the chassis at Sandown
Daytona last weekend, with Team Specsavers coming home five laps ahead to lead
another X30 podium sweep.
Designed by the GMS team, the 2013 X30 frame is crafted by
world renowned chassis specialists, Gillard Karts, before being equipped with
GMS spec parts at the team's Kent facilities. The new machine is already proving
to be a marked improvement over the versions that took numerous victories and
fastest laps at Super One in the past three seasons, with the first production
run already sold out.
The X30 is available for immediate
test drives by interested customers, and usually retails at the rolling chassis
price of £2795 + vat. However, any customer who gets in contact to arrange
chassis testing/ordering before the 2nd May will receive a special discount down
to £2595 + vat, saving around £240 off the full price of the fearsome blue
machine.
In order to find out more about the
GMS Team and the X30 Chassis or to contact the team, visit
www.gms-x30.co.uk
without delay to take advantage of this limited time offer.
Photographs courtesy of Rene Lubbock.
[ Top ]
Charlie Enjoys Flying Start (25/04)
Fresh
from his sensational triumph in the Florida Winter Tour, Strawberry Racing's
Charlie Eastwood got his European and UK Rotax campaigns off to a superb start
with victory in the opening round of the Euro Max Challenge and the runner-up
spot in the first race of the Super One championship.
Building on a remarkable 2012 in which
he triumphed at the annual Rotax Grand Finals - regarded as the world
championships for the Rotax category of karting - at Portimao on the Portuguese
Algarve (1 December), the 17-year old from Belfast, carried his rich vein of
form into 2013 with victory in the Florida Winter Tour, in March (24).
The
prestigious series attracts entries from 28 different nations and takes place
over three rounds spanning from January to February. Charlie faced stiff
competition from 60 drivers - including ex-F1 star Nelson Piquet Junior - and
saw him travel to Palm Beach, Miami and Ocala. This gave Charlie and his team
plenty to look forward to as the first race of the Euro Max Challenge beckoned.
His
subsequent victory in a thrilling and hard-fought run to the chequered flag in
Genk, Belgium (31 March) not only gave him the early points lead, but also
confirmed his position as one of Irish sport's most exciting prospects.
A week later, the
globetrotting youngster was back at the wheel of his Tony Kart EVK, aiming to
put points on the board in the opening fixture of the Super One championship at
Three Sisters near Wigan.
Despite a tough and sometimes bruising weekend, Eastwood
returned home 3rd overall in the championship table, with ten points-scoring
races remaining until the season finale in October.
"It's been a great past few months,"
said Charlie. "Winning the Grand Finals was a dream come true and to do it
wearing the colours of Ireland was extra special. Consequently, I was invited to
take on nearly sixty other drivers in America off the back of my victory in
Portugal which was an amazing experience. Everyone knows the connection that
exists between Ireland and the USA but I was still surprised by the response I
got in Florida. It was like being a rock star! Everyone was so welcoming,
enthusiastic and helpful. Even when I beat their top drivers they kept on
cheering for me."
Eastwood - whose family appropriately run's Northern
Ireland's premier karting circuit, Nutts Corner at Crumlin - is targeting a
successful defence of his world crown and winning the Euro and British titles
for the first time.
"It would be nice if I could do the treble. Winning the
Euro Max, Super One championships and retaining my world title would be awesome,
as these are three of the hardest karting championships anywhere in the world.
So far, I'm in a strong position and have a great team behind me, plus lots of
support from my family and friends. It's all to play for!"
Keep up to speed
with Charlie by following him on twitter -
@ce_racing_ncc
- and via his Facebook page -
Charlie
Eastwood.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net
(racing) and Bas Kaligis (podium).
[ Top ]
KZ1: Still Time To Register (24/04)
KZ1
is being held open for new registrations now that the Motor Sports Association
(MSA) and Super One Series have confirmed that the 2013 MSA British Short
Circuit Kart Championship title has been transferred to the 125cc gearbox class. Just go to
superoneseries.com to register and enter
on line, or go to the Contact section to download all the necessary forms.
Don't delay to have a chance at the top title in British karting, this is an
opportunity not to be missed. As well as benefiting from all the
usual Super One prizes, including receiving a TAG Heuer timepiece, the champion
and a guest will be invited to the MSA's Night of Champions at Pall Mall,
London.
The 2013 championship for KZ1 will comprise three rounds:
May 18-19: Rowrah (Cumbria Kart Club)
June 22-23: Glan Y Gors (Dragon Kart Club)
October 12-13: Shenington (Shenington Kart Racing Club).
John Hoyle, Super One Series promoter,
said: "This should be a huge boost for gearbox karting in the UK following the
great popularity this purist class has had on the continent, and we invite
anyone interested to register without delay." Entries for the first round
should be lodged with Cumbria Kart Club by 5th May if possible.
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive and
Kart Committee Chairman, added: "The MSA is delighted that the British Short
Circuit Kart Championship title will now be awarded to the KZ1 class this year.
These are difficult times for KF2 but in KZ1 we have a competitive and
well-supported category that is worthy of the UK's premier karting title."
The KZ1 class will run at a class
weight of 180kg, and use the Dunlop DEH slick and KT13 wets to have the minimum
of differences to the KZ2 class that was to have been the support races.
It will be differentiated from KZ2 by having yellow number plates with black
numbers, and CIK homologated chassis will be required.
With all rounds
counting towards the British title, everything will remain as already advised to
the gearbox drivers. The Super One Series looks forward to an exciting
battle for the British title, and all details and registration is available on
http://superoneseries.com.
[ Top ]
Shwartzman Uses The Forza (24/04)

Reigning
KFJ European champions Forza Racing returned to the WSK Euro Series podium with
a superb 2nd place for Robert Shwartzman at Sarno (21 April).
Over 70 drivers had entered for the
series' penultimate round, and from the outset the young Russian was among the
pace-setters.
In timed qualifying, Robert automatically made the cut for
the Super Pole session and enjoyed a strong run in the heats with ever-improving
results, taking 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st respectively. His reward was p3 on the
starting grid for the first pre-final. Due to the large field, two races were
required in order to determine the starting positions for the single, main
final.
Shwartzman confidently won by half a second and set the race's fastest lap,
handing him pole position for the final.
"At the start he dropped to 4th," explained Forza team
boss, Jamie Croxford. "However, Robert held his nerve and stormed back to 2nd.
He threw everything he'd got at the race leader and I believe that if there had
there been one more lap, he would've won. Robert simply ran out of corners but
it was still a fantastic result for him."
Jamie added: "He's come a long way and really matured.
Robert put on a great show at Sarno and he's flicked a switch in his mind. He
should now be consistently performing at this level. He was 2nd in Super Pole
during the 2nd round of the WSK Masters series, so we know he has the necessary
speed within him and the equipment (Tony Kart EVK chassis with GFR-tuned TM
engine) is certainly good enough. This result has been coming since then, and
thankfully all our hard work has paid off."
Keen to highlight the vital contribution of his colleagues
and team partners, Croxford said: "Big thanks to Gordy (Gordon Finlayson of GFR
Engines) and Robert's mechanic Shane McFadden, it was a great all round effort."
Forza's 60 Mini driver, Ronan Graves,
experienced contrasting fortunes which Jamie described as "seriously tough".
After a difficult time in qualifying, Ronan was on the backfoot for the rest of
the meeting. "It was a good first experience for him and he learned a great
deal," said Croxford.
KF driver Igor Walilko marked his second meeting with
Forza with an encouraging 15th place in the main final. His progress to that
point had not been smooth but the Polish youngster automatically qualified for
the pre-final, albeit at the tail of the grid. He picked his way forward to
cross the line in 24th place and again delivered a strong drive in the second
final to claim 15th.
"He got as high as 12th and we began to think that a top
ten finish might be on the cards, but it wasn't to be," Croxford shrugged.
"However, Igor showed he's a fighter and that he's got tons of potential. We're
looking forward to the next round of the WSK Masters championship at Lignano
Sabbiadoro (4/5 May)."
For more information and to discuss a race seat with the
team or arrange a test day, compete in a club meeting or have a day of
one-to-one driver coaching, please contact Jamie on +44 7921 393 940.
Alternatively, visit
www.forza-racing.co.uk.
Photograph courtesy of Sport In Photo.
[ Top ]
RL Maintains Momentum (24/04)

RL
Racing Department kept up its rich vein of form with successful visits to Rowrah
(14 April) and Larkhall (21 April), seeing Jack McCarthy claim the top honours
in Cumbria and Scotland's Sandy Mitchell taking a fine 2nd place on home soil
with team-mate Tushar Vivekanandan 3rd.
Round three of Cumbria Kart Club's summer championship was
RL Racing Department's rehearsal for this weekend's (27/28 April) Rotax 'O'
Plate and the Super One series' second round, a week later (4/5 May).
Mini Max front-runner Jack McCarthy
put his name forward as 'one to watch' with what his team boss, Steve Armstrong,
described as a "top job" in the final. After starting on the second row of the
grid, McCarthy hit the front on lap 3; he then underlined his superiority by
further extending his lead in the last two laps.
His team-mate, Hugo Bentley-Ellis also ran well - setting
the fastest lap before tangling with a backmarker as he diced for 2nd place. The
incident dropped him out of contention and was scant reward for another fine
performance throughout the day.
Sandy
Mitchell, however, enjoyed another strong day behind the wheel. He took a heat
win before crossing the finishing line 5th in the final. Jack Martin's drive
from the midfield into the top ten further delighted his team, as he took the
chequered flag in 9th place.
The team's Junior driver Luke Knott stormed from the back
of the grid to grab 2nd place with a terrific drive.
Buoyed by this, the team made the trip to Larkhall looking
to build on their recent positive results. Steve was delighted to see his
talented young squad open their account with an RL Racing 1, 2, 4 result in the
very first heat.
In
the following race, Tushar Vivekanandan claimed an eventual 3rd after
challenging for the win, whilst Sandy Mitchell wasn't able to repeat his heat
one victory and settled for 6th. Jack Martin battled from the rear of the grid
to finish 11th.
Sandy returned to the winner's circle in the third heat
and thus claimed pole position for the final. A crash dented Tushar's chances of
a better grid slot but jack Martin's 8th place result gave him p5 for the start
of the final.
Sandy led the race through the initial stages but was
caught and passed just after the midway point. Knowing that he was comfortable
in 2nd, he maturely opted to bring his kart home safely, rather than scrap for
the win. He was able to lead home Tushar, who had carved his way to a
thoroughly-deserved podium, whilst Jack banked another top ten finish with his
fine run to 8th.
"I'm pleased with the boys' individual performances," said
Armstrong. "Sandy did the right thing and was very professional. Tushar showed
pace and great determination, whilst Jack continues to improve, learn and go for
consistent finishes. They're all in a very good place right now."
For more
information about racing with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843
586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Superb Shenington Results (23/04)

Following
on from the recent run of good form the Protrain team arrived at a sunny
Shenington on Saturday ready for the hard work before race day. With the
good weather lifting everyone's spirits a great deal was achieved and the nine
drivers in the awning everyone left ready for some good racing.
We were not disappointed, by the end
of the day we would have pole position in Iame, Minimax and Seniors and top five
positions for six of our nine drivers including a fantastic second place for
our Honda driver in his first yellow plate race.
The Iame's were first out with Joe Turneys heat results 2,
1, 1 putting him in pole position for the final. In a nailbiting race the action
was between the front three drivers but Turney drove a great race to take the
chequered flag, his third this year at Shenington.
Next out was the Minimax drivers Sean Rudge and Kieran
Wragg who had both been dominant all day. Kieran's 1,2,4 heat results placed him
on the front row next to pole sitter Sean Rudge who finished 1,1 and 3 in his
heats. Wragg was hit by another kart on lap nine costing him valuable
places and limiting his time to get back to the front but eventually came third.
Rudge was even more unlucky, following an early incident which put him back to
fifth he drove back to take the lead when a driver took him out at the last
corner, the exclusion of that driver did nothing to help Rudge who ended fifth
and took the fastest lap but was robbed of the win.
The successes didn't stop there, not to be outdone Jack
Saffery's pole position was maximised from start to finish with the win never
looking in doubt, another dominant performance from the number 10.
Perhaps
the star of the weekend though was Honda cadet Thomas Bennett who came home
second in his first ever yellow plate race. Bennett drove a very solid race and
in the last four laps found himself taking five places with some great driving.
Team mates
Oliver Pidgeley, Joe Byrne, Tim Penny and James Bailey all had days of highs and
lows as is often the case in Karting. Pidgeley took fourth in Junior Max, in
seniors Byrne struggled with a power valve issue in the final and finished
seventh, Penny was involved in a crash at the first corner leaving him last but
managed to drive back to 10th, while relative newcomer Bailey set his best lap
time at the circuit.
Gary Chapman said afterwards "What a great weekend for our
team. I am really pleased with the whole team performance we achieved some great
results which were well deserved but I am really disappointed for Sean, he
showed great pace and racecraft all weekend and to be denied the win in this way
is extremely upsetting."
The good weekend in Shenington was matched in Graz,
Austria where Protrain Driver Thomas Preining won both his finals to kick off
the Austrian championship in great style, well done to him.
The team moves on to the O Plate in
Rowrah and to Whilton Mill's first club round of the season.
Are you getting the best results? You
could be part of our winning team, give Chapman now on 01280 814774 or 07802 966064 - it could be the best call you ever made.
For more
information please see
www.formulak-uk.co.uk or
www.protrainracing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Stunning Start For Strawberry (23/04)

Fresh
from its strong start to the Euro Max Challenge, Strawberry Racing carried its
winning momentum into the opening round of the Super One championship, at Three
Sisters (7 April) - claiming victories in the Mini and Junior Max classes, with
reigning Grand Finals champion, Charlie Eastwood runner up in Senior Max.
The Mini Max entry of 42 drivers - the
largest field - presented early season favourite, Connor Hall with a stern
challenge. However, the youngster from Bristol emerged from the heats with
flying colours to take pole position for the pre-final.
A perfect start saw Connor hold onto
his startline advantage as the rest of the pack jockeyed for position behind,
allowing him to escape with another driver. Setting a blistering pace and not
putting a wheel wrong, the number five seed extended his lead to some 8 seconds,
as the chasing group began to dispute 2nd spot. The gap stabilised at this
margin, and from there Hall stroked his kart home to take first blood. Connor's
teammate, the American Darren Keane, made a good fist of his first experience of
Super One competition. Darren qualified 13th on the grid for the first final,
but was a victim of some of the mid-pack action and ultimately crossed the line
in 25th spot.
Hall
again made no mistakes at the start of the main final, initially easing away
from his closest rivals. However, they were able to claw him back when an
official dashed onto the track and into his path, forcing him to brake sharply.
The Strawberry ace then had to firmly defend his advantage before settling
himself and pulling away once more. This time his margin of victory would be
nowhere near as emphatic as before, but he crossed the line over half a second
clear to take maximum points and the points lead. Darren fared better and
finished inside the top twenty to get his challenge underway.
Guan
Yu Zhou is arguably one of, if not the, most exciting motorsport talent to
emerge from China and for the past two seasons has promised a big win. It
finally came at Wigan and he was visibly delighted to seal his maiden Super One
victory - and on his S1 debut in the Junior Max ranks. He laid down a marker
with wins in both his heats and was joined on the front row of the pre-final
grid by teammate Ben Hingeley, with fellow Strawberry driver Max Aitken directly
behind him on p3 and Sweden's Jessica Backman qualifying on the 6th row.
It was Aitken who out-gunned Zhou on
the run into the first corner, but the former Shanghai resident quickly fought
back and was never headed again. Similarly, Max was able to go clear of the
fight for 3rd involving Ben. Try as he might, Hingeley could not find an
opening and had to settle for 4th. Jessica's hopes of a good race were sidelined
by an opening lap crash, leaving her with work to do in the following race.
Loading
up is something a of a 'feature' in this class and Three Sister's monster
straight means that the driver at the front of that train arrives at the first
corner far faster than he, or the officials, would wish. Guan Yu was lucky to
avoid a big accident as the field barrelled into Turn One. Max was less
fortunate and dropped to 8th in the ensuing chaos. Damage to his Tony Kart EVK
chassis meant that he plummeted to last place, although he bravely soldiered on.
Completing the 22 laps just a handful of places ahead of him was the similarly
luckless Jessica. In contrast, Ben's efforts were rewarded with 3rd place and
his first silverware with the team.
Proving that he has lost none of the form that carried him
to the Rotax 'world' title last December, Charlie Eastwood claimed pole position
for the Seniors' first final, with reigning Junior Euro and Grand Finals
champion Harry Webb on row two. Andreas Backman qualified on p12 with Kyle
Fowlie just making the cut for automatic qualification in 25th spot.
Once
the initial skirmishes had settled down, the race saw little further action
leaving Eastwood to drive for points on the board and take 2nd, with Webb
adopting a similar view in 4th. Andreas finished where he started but Kyle was
classified 18th after being given a five-place penalty.
A controversial start to the second
final saw Eastwood drop to 6th before colliding with another driver and losing
more ground, eventually finishing 9th. Webb battled hard but had to be content
with 5th. Also unable to make significant progress, Backman received the
chequered flag in 14th. Fowlie gave a strong indication of what might have been
had things fallen his way sooner, with a superb drive from the back of the grid
to 8th.
"We've
traditionally gone very well here, so I was really pleased to see that our
material and drivers were right up there in all three classes," said Strawberry
team manager Warwick Ringham. "Connor is on fire at the moment and deserves his
latest success. The same can be said for 'Joe' (Guan Yu Zhou) after the
disappointment of Genk he deserved the result."
He added: "We have a talented young squad with different
levels of experience, so to see Darren do well in a totally new environment was
great, whilst Andreas and Jessica are also making improvements with each outing.
Being world champions, we expect a lot of Harry and Charlie and it's easy to
forget that Harry was a junior until recently. Senior Max is very hard this
year, so we have no excuses. We did okay but there's a bit more we need to do
before the next round but I'm confident we'll be where it matters, when it
matters."
For more information about OTK products and Cream's
preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk.
Or call 0114 269 6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
2013 Welsh Championships (22/04)
Llandow
Kart Club will be hosting the prestigious Welsh Championship at South Wales
Karting Centre on Saturday May 11th and Sunday May 12th.
This two day event is the major
karting meeting in the Welsh calendar and gives the class winners the right to
race the nationally accepted "C" plate at all ABkC approved events for 12
months.
Two
days racing at one of the best circuits in the UK for only £85 for the whole
event. All classes will get two timed qualifications, two heats, a pre-final and
a final over the two days.
To enter follow the entry form links
at
www.llandowkartclub.co.uk, email
llandowcompsec@hotmail.co.uk or call 07817
449617.
Remember, the sun always shines in Wales and the racing is
wonderful!
[ Top ]
Cadet Wet Tyres Update (19/04)
Dunlop and Anderson CSK wish to thank everyone involved
with the issues that arose on the Dunlop Cadet KT3 Wet weather tyres over the
winter for their forbearance and understanding.
The exchange programme has now come to
an end as from 19th April 2013. Very many tyres, both new and used, have been
replaced under the exchange programme offered by Dunlop.
For any further information contact
Anderson-CSK on 01977 603838.
[ Top ]
Easykart Round 2 Preview (18/04)
The
sun is shining, the days are longer and for the first time this year, the
easykart community are preparing themselves for a beautiful race. Round 2 of the
easykart championship is being held at Clay Pigeon this coming weekend. After
the ferocity and unpredictable weather of round 1, many will be determined to
change the running order of the established few and to make a point.
In
Cadet, the
grid may be small but the competition is fierce. After a sensational debut by
Morgan Wroot, he must be looking forward to going a few steps further and taking
top spot in the final at Clay. Harry Barlow will be beaming with confidence
despite Wroots presence after dominating the final and It will be fascinating to
see which of these two young chargers will come out on top. But don't discount
Jacob Wardle who brilliantly took the lead initially to only be displaced by
Barlow soon after. The best lessons are those learnt the hardest and with this
in mind, I for one would watch out for Shayne Harrison who, after a luck-lustre
start to the season will be itching to show his competitors just what he's made
of.
Junior
hopefuls, Thanassi Barnicoat and Zack Nickson will be locking horns yet again in
what is - an amazing duel which is developing between the proposed title
contenders. After dismal luck at Whilton, Nickson is fired up and ready to state
his claim where nothing short than a clean sweep of wins will do. I'm sure
Barnicoat will have other ideas. Looking at spoiling the party will be Jordan
Sanders, James White, Callum Croxon and Matas Grigalauskas. All of whom have the
pace to be a front runner. If only they can work together, push each other
forward and race smart, there's no telling what they could do.
The Lightweights
- Barnaby Pittingale. Patrick Lay. Jamie Summerhayes. James Lay. Kieran
McCullough. Steve Youle. AJ Morris. Owen Jenman. Where to begin? Pittingale was
on fine form at Whilton but the cynic would argue the conditions favoured the
multiple Champ. With proposed sunshine for Clay, Pittingale will have the
opportunity to show any naysayers the science and the magic behind the man.
Looking for a little luck will be Jenman and Youle who were unfortunate at Round
one and will be eager to upset the proposed order. Almost unnoticed to the eye
at Whilton was Brandon Williams. With mechanical gremlins compromising his
qualification, the established junior winner demonstrated great maturity with a
fantastic display of race craft that set him apart from the rest, by forcing his
way through his competitors to salvage what he could from his earlier problems
with a very respectable 4th place. In this game, 'points mean prizes' and those
points could be invaluable to Williams, come the season closure.
Has Roland Breadner set in motion a wrecking ball after his
maiden win in the Heavyweights?
Or was he the best driver on the day in the tricky conditions? This weekend will
be the perfect opportunity for him to realise his dreams. Set to bring Breadner
crashing back down to earth with a severe bump will be Joe Paterson. Don't
discount Neil Fisher either. He has the pace of a front runner but his race
craft has more to be desired. If he can get a grip when racing wheel to wheel,
I'm sure he could be the surprise of the season. Fighting fit after his hard
impact crash is Jack Bruce. The 'old hands' were unwise or just plain unlucky at
Whilton but I've no doubts that Bruce, Mark Lawrence or Simon Mace will be ready
to start their season campaign.
With Practice starting on Saturday
20th April and the final conflicts taking place on Sunday 21st - Prepare
yourself for a battle royal, in hopefully what will be, beautiful sunshine at
the Clay Pigeon Kart track in Dorset.
For more
information on Easykart visit our website at
www.easykart.co.uk.
Report by Andrew Gould.
[ Top ]
Maiden Minimax Victory (17/04)

It
was only his second Mini Max race at Kimbolton and the 29 other drivers who
lined up on the grid with him were equally determined for success but Sean Rudge
looked totally in control all weekend as he sailed to his maiden Mini Max
victory in real style.
Following on from his recent successes at Shenington Rudge
is already showing impressive form as he embarks on his first season out of
cadet racing.
Under the guidance of Rotax masters Protrain Racing and on
a Formula K chassis Rudge was excellent in both of his heats putting his kart on
pole for the final. Rudge knew what he needed to do and managing to avoid the
first corner mayhem he took a commanding lead very quickly and didn't look back
taking the chequered flag and securing the fastest lap in the process.
Commenting
afterwards his Dad said "The team was spot on all weekend" as was the driving
according to team boss Gary Chapman, "Sean did exactly what was expected of him,
he responded well to every situation he was put in and to take the fastest lap
in the final when he was out on his own shows that the package was exactly
right. There is no doubt that this will be the first of many victories for this
mini max newcomer".
Have you changed classes this year? Are you enjoying the
success you deserve? If not give us a call and let us see how we can help you.
Call Gary on 01280 814774.
[ Top ]
Short Circuit Kart Championship (17/04)
The
Motor Sports Association (MSA) and Super One Series have confirmed that the 2013
MSA British Short Circuit Kart Championship title has been transferred from KF2
to the KZ1 125cc gearbox class.
The championship was originally awarded to KF2 (KF Senior)
but insufficient entries were received.
The 2013 championship for KZ1 will now comprise three
rounds:
-
May 18-19: Rowrah (Cumbria Kart Club)
- June 22-23: Glan Y Gors (Dragon Kart Club)
- October 12-13: Shenington (Shenington Kart Racing Club).
John
Hoyle, Super One Series promoter, said: "After we discovered there were
insufficient entries in the KF2 class we were forced to consider alternatives
and I am delighted to say that the MSA has agreed to it being the KZ1 class.
This should be a huge boost for gearbox karting in the UK following the great
popularity this purist class has had on the continent, and we invite anyone
interested to register without delay."
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive and Kart Committee
Chairman, added: "The MSA is delighted that the British Short Circuit Kart
Championship title will now be awarded to the KZ1 class this year. These are
difficult times for KF2 but in KZ1 we have a competitive and well-supported
category that is worthy of the UK's premier karting title."
It should be noted that the ABkC O
Plate for KZ2 has been moved to 15/16 June at Shenington instead of the last
round of the Super One.
Entrants to the KF series will have the choice of a
transfer to the KZ1 class, or all their fees returned and should inform Series
Co-ordinator Sonja Game accordingly. The KZ1 class will be amended to run
at a class weight of 180kg, and use the Dunlop DEH slick and KT13 wets to have
the minimum of differences to the KZ2 class that was to have been the support
races. It will be differentiated from KZ2 by having yellow number plates
with black numbers, and CIK homologated chassis will be required. With all
rounds counting towards the British title, everything will remain as already
advised to the gearbox drivers.
The Super One Series looks forward to
an exciting battle for the British title, and all details and registration is
available on
superoneseries.com.
[ Top ]
Forman
Supreme In Hungary
(17/04)
Pannonia-ring
in Hungary provided the setting for the opening round of this year's Central and
Eastern European Rotax Max challenge where once again Protrain's Formula K
drivers met with some of the very best drivers in Europe all hoping for a good
start to the series.
Junior Driver Thomas Preining was joined by Senior team
mate Jiri Forman competing against a very determined world class field knowing
that every point would make a massive difference in the final calculations for
this prestigious title.
Forman threw down the gauntlet immediately with impressive
results in early practice continuing to show what a talented driver he is.
Following
a totally dominant performance in timed qualifying the Czech Champion took pole
position and went on to win both his first and second finals with superb driving
in each. He is surely the one to beat in this series.
The good news didn't stop there, team
mate Thomas Preining was also showing immense talent and finished both his
Junior Max finals in second place with the spectators enjoying a nail biting
final two which he was incredibly close to winning. Preining once again showed
what a great driver he is and the frustration of his second place is only
matched by his determination to seal victory next time out.
Gary Chapman of
Protrain said afterwards "I am thrilled for the drivers and the team, we have
had a few very frustrating races with on track incidents costing us dearly so it
is great for these great drivers to be able to secure these results."
Protrain has once again shown that
it's a winning team; why not see what you could achieve with them? Give Gary
Chapman a call on 07802 966064 in complete confidence.
For
more information please see
www.formulak-uk.co.uk or
www.protrainracing.co.uk.
Photograph of Jiri Forman (86)
courtesy of TSR Productions.
[ Top ]
MSA Karting Update (16/04)
The
Motor Sports Association (MSA) has confirmed details of Cadet kart tyres and
chassis, plus non-gearbox Junior and Senior class homologations.
Formula Cadet tyre and
chassis:
The existing
Cadet tyres, the Dunlop SL3 (slick) and KT3 (wet), will be homologated for three
years until the end of 2016. In early 2016 the MSA will nominate the tyre for
the following three-year period to the end of 2019.
As stated in the 2013 MSA Kart Race
Yearbook, the next period of MSA Cadet chassis homologations commences on 1
January 2014. During 2016 the MSA will homologate chassis for the following
three-year period commencing 1 January 2017.
Meanwhile the current Cadet engine
contract is for an initial five-year period until the end of 2017 and will be
reviewed towards the end of this period, with an option for the MSA to grant a
two-year extension.
Junior and Senior class homologation
(non-gearbox):
All
existing British and National championship kart classes can continue until the
end of 2016.
The deadline for new class homologations closed on 31
March 2013. The MSA can confirm that applications have been received and are
currently under consideration. Should any new class achieve homologation, the
introduction date will be 1 January 2014 at regional and club level.
From 1 January 2017, all kart classes
must be homologated by the MSA. This includes the homologation of existing
classes, plus the renewal of any potential new class homologations. All class
homologations will be for three-year periods and will include the engine and
nominated tyres (both wet and dry).
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive and
Kart Committee Chairman, said: "This homologation programme will bring stability
and transparency to the selection process and provide the most economic and
sustainable structure for UK karting in the future."
[ Top ]
A Great Day At Lydd (15/04)
Wow,
what a day! Summer finally arrived, a few hours late maybe, and the racing was a
fantastic way to start the Summer Championships here at Lydd. A really friendly,
enjoyable, atmosphere was evident throughout the paddock and we had another
great race meeting. Well done and thank you to all the drivers, parents and
teams, as well as our hardworking officials and marshals.
Congratulations to all the winners on
the day and commiserations to one or two who had problems and didn't get the
results they had hoped for.
The winners were:
Bambino - Zack Ripley
Cadet Clubman - Oliver Appleby
Honda Cadet - Sam Powell
IAME Cadet - Rashan Chigorimbo
Comer
Cadet - William Martin
Minimax -
Taylor Harding
Junior Max -
Michael Smith
Junior TKM -
Michael Kemsley
Senior Rotax -
Daniel Brett
Rotax 177 - Jamie
McGeoghan
Prokart - Marcus
Shephard
Ethan Barford was a delighted winner of the Driver of the Day trophy following a
fine showing in his first Bambino event, having just moved up from hire kart
sessions at the Circuit.
The Summer Championships continue with Round 2 on 12th May
(practice the day before as usual), and runs through to September.
You can keep up
to date with what is happening at Kent's fastest Kart Circuit by visiting the
website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com.
[ Top ]
Victory For Strawberry (15/04)

Reigning
Rotax Grand Finals champion Charlie Eastwood won a nail-biting Senior Max final
after his Strawberry Racing team-mate and fellow world number one, Harry Webb
had triumphed in the pre-final. Connor Hall took a brace of 2nd place finishes
in the Junior finals, with China's Guan Yu Zhou also on the pre-final podium.
The 2013 Rotax Max Euro Challenge
kicked off in earnest at the impressive Genk circuit in Belgium (30-31 March),
and once again Sheffield's Strawberry Racing was at the forefront of the action.
Strong
performances in timed qualifying and the heats saw Connor claim p2 on the grid
for the pre-final. Guan Yu qualified on the 6th row of the grid, ahead of fellow
Strawberry drivers Thomas Issa (14th), Max Aitken (20th) Juri Vips (25th) and
Darren Keane (28th).
Despite
a ten kart crash at the start, Connor survived unscathed, as did the
hard-charging Guan Yu. Also able to make good progress as the race developed,
was Darren - who ultimately finished in 11thplace. Hall eventually settled
for 2nd with Zhou also banking valuable points for 3rd.
Another
pile-up shortly after the start of the final caught Connor out and he lost
ground to the pole-sitter, Lando Norris. This prompted a gritty
fightback from the Winter Cup champion which yielded a deserved runner-up spot
at the chequered flag.
Guan Yu was reduced to the role of spectator by the
starting crash, with Keane unable to improve on his earlier 11th and taking
12th. Aitken, Issa and Vips were all victims of misfortune and will be hoping
for better luck at the next round.
Strawberry's senior stars faced a stern challenge from a
mammoth grid of over 80 competitors. Ten heats were required to whittle the
field down to 34 drivers and it was the 2012 Euro and World champion Harry Webb
who spearheaded the team's attack after taking 2nd place on the grid. Charlie
Eastwood sat directly behind him (on p4) with newcomer Kyle Fowlie 16th on the
grid.
An
initial three way fight for the pre-final victory, turned into a scrap between
ten drivers but it was eventually Harry who claimed victory, with Charlie 3rd.
Sadly, Kyle was ledft to rue what might have been following a DNF.
If
the pre-final had been exciting, the main final ramped matters up even further.
Eastwood and Webb again played their part in a thrilling contest which reached
fever pitch on the last lap. A coming together saw Webb forced onto the grass
and out of the reckoning for a podium, but Eastwood had saved his best until the
very last lap. The Irishman seized his chance in the penultimate corner. Almost
inevitably, contact was made with the defending race leader, but it was Charlie
who sprinted to the line with his nose ahead. "I got a chance for overtaking and
simply had to chance it," he told the waiting media afterwards. Kyle delivered a
storming drive to take a stunning 5th, with Harry recovering to 8th and taking
sufficient points to put him 2nd in the championship table, with Charlie
enjoying the early lead.
Andreas Backman had looked set for another competitive
showing in the burgeoning class DD2, with a top ten finish wholly possible after
he finished 13th in the pre-final, but a radiator leak put-paid to his chances
and he was forced onto the sidelines four laps from home.
For more
information about OTK products and Cream's preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk. Or call 0114 269
6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs courtesy of Bas Kaligis.
[ Top ]
Kart Coach Vacancy (15/04)
iZone
have made a major upgrade to their unique Kart Simulator and need a Kart Coach
to support our expansion. The role is full time and involves regular weekend
working. iZone trained drivers won 5 British Kart Championships last year.
The successful applicant will have to
demonstrate ability to build on this success, commitment to excellence and
passion for success. The job requires someone who is totally computer literate
and able to fully exploit the potential of our powerful systems. On Target
Earnings of £40K are achievable through a basic £20K Salary and commission based
on personal sold hours.
Please ask for a full Job Description
and send your CV to
Wilma@izoneperformance.com.
Our website
www.izoneperformance.com
has more information about the company.
[ Top ]
BRK
Performance Delights
(12/04)
BRK
are delighted with the pace shown at the first round of the Super One series at
Three Sisters in the Honda cadet category.
Having won all four rounds of the PFI
Winter Championship and with Morgan Porter taking the overall championship, we knew
we were in good shape!
In qualifying one, Morgan Porter and
Matt Hayden took 4th and 5th place and in qualifying two, Mark Kimber and
Charlie Lamb were 1st and 2nd place up until the last lap, unable to find the
toe needed for a fast time around Three Sisters also having to settle for 4th
and 5th place. Charlie Lamb and Matt Hayden had some Friday test problems but
despite that, showed their strengths, both pushing themselves into the top 10 in
the A final.
Mark Kimber showing great talent throughout the weekend
and looking very solid, unfortunately just lost out in 4th place on the last
corner but taking the fastest lap. Morgan Porter had looked very sharp and
confident all weekend but due to a problem in heat two he had to start near the
back for final one and with a brilliant drive came home 5th which gave him grid
5 for the A final. It didn't take long for Morgan to take the lead but we knew
it would be difficult to break away and equally as difficult if not impossible
to defend for half the race or more, falling back into 2nd and with immense
pressure from the chasing group he showed just what a mature driver he has
become and made a decision to take the points for 2nd place. A very credible
podium for Morgan Porter.

Ben
Platten, team manager for BRK, said after "Wigan is an engine circuit and was
always going to be close, having seen the teams pace this weekend I'm looking
forward to the next round at Rowrah."
Chris Hawes from BRK commented "Ben is doing a fantastic
job with the team and with three seeded drivers and a very fast rookie - I feel
confident we can have a good season. I would also like to welcome our new rookie
Tyler Proudlock who after a couple of tough heats found himself in the
repercharge, after working very hard to get himself into 3rd place to qualify
for the main finals got pushed wide on the last corner."
If anyone is
interested in testing the BRK cadet chassis or running with our race team should
contact Ben at
brkuk@msn.com or call 07887 538590.
[ Top ]
Continued Success For Zip (12/04)

In
the Honda Cadet class Zip Kart enjoyed its continued success in this fantastic
budget class with Matthew Hopcraft and Keaton Samra showing great pace all
weekend on their Zip/RPM Hondas. Keaton Qualified joint fastest in
his qualifying group with Hopcraft lining up 2nd fastest in his group. In
the main final Hopcraft finished in an impressive 3rd in a great race with some
of the best racing of the weekend coming from the large Honda grid. Keaton raced
well against drivers that were far more experienced at national level until
losing a chain which ruined his chances of a poduim finish.
With the result, Hopcraft collects a
free set of Dunlop tyres for his efforts. All Zip drivers in the Honda
class receive a free set of tyres or vouchers to an equivalent value for every
podium they collect!
For information on Zip's Honda Cadet
or to arrange a test day please call 01327 855310, or email
info@zipkart.com.
[ Top ]
Enter Rissington Online (12/04)
Rissington's
new online practice and race entry system is already a winner and now there is
even more reason to use this function! Book online before 27th April for the May
race weekend and you could win a set of tyres.
Every driver who enters through the online booking system
will automatically have their name put into a hat. The draw will take place just
before the race weekend.
All you need to do is just go to the
Rissington web site at
www.rissykartclub.com and
click on the online booking button, pay for practice and race with either
credit/debit card or via Pay-Pal (you don't need a Pay-Pal account) and you
could win that set of tyres - wets or slicks - you choose, and you can have them
ready for the race weekend!
The May meeting also includes the Pelican Trophy for the
Rotax guys. This is usually well attended so get online and get booked in.
We already
have another great prize for the June race weekend so keep checking the
Rissington website for more details!
[ Top ]
Two In The Top Ten (11/04)

The
latest Zip/ART results from Wigan Super One Round 1 are in.
Zip Kart/ART enjoyed a successful
start to the 2013 campaign in the Super One series open at the fast open track
in Wigan. The event would be the first for the Zip Team in Rotax Super One in
over 12 years. The team equipped with the new ART chassis and the new RSF
drivers coming straight out of Cadets were looking forward to the challenge
ahead.
Dean
MacDonald and Josh Smith adapted well to this new class. Both enjoyed
different qualifying sessions with Dean grabbing P3 and Josh unfortunately
losing his chain guard meaning he would have to start from the back of the grid
in all his heats.
Both
drivers worked hard over the weekend and showed that the new team will soon be
challenging for the honours in this ultra-competitive class. They both finished
safely in the top 10 with Dean in 7th in the final and Josh coming home in 10th.
Jamie Allen, Team Manager for the
Zip/ART Rotax team said "I am really pleased that we managed to get our two
drivers in the top ten. The teams that compete in this Championship have been
doing so for many years, so to be able to compete and beat some of them from the
off is a very positive start. We have a great kart and a busy development
program for 2013. I am very happy with our debut and know that we will get
stronger as the year continues".
The Zip Cadet kart continues to dominate in the new MSA
Comer National Championship with the Top 10 drivers all on board Zip karts and
all 12 of the new Rookies also choosing the Zip brand!
Drivers are reminded that ALL rookies
for the Comer Super One Championship will receive their tyres FOC for the first
round that they compete in.
Photograph
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
IPK And The OK1 Chassis (11/04)

Team
IPK has started the year well again with even more victories and great results
from our drivers, exceeding all of our expectations. The chassis is also proving
to be a success with other teams.
Stephen Letts in Junior TKM has proved yet again that his
jump from Tonykart to OK1 was the right decision, winning nearly every heat and
final that he has competed in since the move late last year. He comfortably
wrapped up the Trent Valley Winter Championship at PFI with a sensible and
mature drive at the last round. As the Super One draws closer he is sure to be
the one to watch for this years British Championship.
Elliot Harvey has recently joined
Team IPK on an OK1 chassis after a successful year in Honda Cadets last year and
he has adapted to minimax faster than we could have hoped for. After only his
fourth race he took his first minimax victory along with the winter championship
at Shenington. We were excited for him to compete in Super One this year, but
unfortunately he has had to pull out for financial reasons, which is a real
shame for a kid with such pure natural talent.
In
Honda Cadet, Matthew Hopcraft has grown in confidence over the winter months and
started the season with a bang, winning at the opening round at Shenington this
year. With some more classy displays of his ability he too wrapped up the Winter
Championship at Shenington with ease. At Super One with a strong grid of 35, the
youngster never looked out of place qualifying 2nd overall. Having led every
race at some point over the weekend, Matthew showed great pace in the finals but
with an unfortunate tangle with one of his rivals dropping him to seventh. This
is where he started the main final, and yet again he slowly made his way to the
front of the pack where the top three frantically exchanged positions. As
Matthew saw his opportunity to progress to the front again, he pulled out to
overtake, however the front pair decided that this was their moment to defend
for the rest of the race. Matthew played it safe to pick up the points finishing
in third place. He now lies second in the championship.
Our
other drivers are also progressing nicely with Jack Fabby making the A Final at
Super One in minimax after only five races in the class. William Tregurtha, at
only twelve years of age, has moved into Junior Max for the rest of the season,
and he has quickly got used to the extra speed and looks very comfortable in the
class. Unfortunately he wasn't able to compete in the first round of Super One,
but is excited by the challenge that lies ahead this year.
In other news, the reigning British
Champion in KGP, Jonathan Davis, has decided to stay on the IPK brand after
testing all of the other chassis available. He has switched from the orange of
OK1 to the blue of Praga for the forthcoming season. Pre season testing has gone
well and he along with the rest of the KGP drivers using IPK chassis are looking
to have yet another strong year.
For more information about the team
or the chassis please visit our website
www.ipkarting.co.uk
or by calling us on 01133 222795.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
New
Homologated Race Suits
(11/04)
We
would like to introduce what we believe is the best value Level 2 homologated
race suit on the market. The Concept 1 Level 2 homologated suit is on
offer at the introductory price of £35.95.
The Concept 1 suit is a great quality suit which can be
used in all levels of karting, from the indoor hobby race through to Super 1.
The suit features:-
- Elasticated back panel
- Velcro belt
- Elasticated cuffs and ankles
- Slim fit
- Towel lining
- Black with white stitch detailing
- Velcro collar
- Double zip
- No epaulets or box stitching for more modern design
The Concept 1 suit is available in
cadet sizes 120, 130, 140 and 150. And senior sizes 50, 52, 54, 56, 68 and 60.
We are also offering a 100%
satisfaction guarantee on this suit. If you are not happy with your purchase
just send it back in the same condition and you will receive a 100% refund.
This suit is
exclusively available through our eBay shop
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Shop-Concept-1.
[ Top ]
Delta Karting (10/04)
With
over 30 years' experience in the sport, Delta Karting have now launched their
eBay shop to help you with the credit crunch. You should be able to find
everything - helmets, karts, engines, tyres, etc, etc. If you cannot find what
you're looking for just email us for the best prices.
Our stock list includes Tonykart,
Rotax, Comer, TKM, DID, CZ, Koden, Mojo, Dunlop, Maxxis, Douglas, Beta, OTK,
Silkolene, Shell, Millers, Kartcare, the list just goes on.
Over the years Delta Power has won
just about everything in the UK. We have been a Rotax & Comer service centre for
many years and we are now doing large quantities of Iame motors. Don't get left
behind this year!
Visit our eBay shop at
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/dkracing2011, or
contact us by email to
dean@deltakarting.com or
deltakarting55@yahoo.co.uk.
You can also reach us by phone on
01792 792485, 07968 150535 or 07970 524150.
[ Top ]
Leaders In Kart Training (10/04)

When
looking for the best in kart training and development the Federation of
Automobile Sports Clubs of the Peoples Republic of China (FASC) are not alone in
approaching Protrain Racing to develop their top 11 finest drivers. Clubs and
organisations worldwide regularly access this resource that we are lucky enough
to have on our doorstep.
In excess of 3,500 drivers have now benefitted from
Protrains highly successful driver development and ARKS testing days mostly at
the Northants based Whilton Mill Circuit. Over the past 15 years over 1,000
drivers have taken ARKS tests and many more have enjoyed one to one driver
tuition; several of them have developed skills enabling them to achieve
international karting success.
Imperative to Protrain is the quality of coaches and
instructors they employ, each one of them is MSA qualified and individually
selected to operate at the highest possible level to achieve maximum results.
Unsurprisingly therefore the training division meets the impeccably high
standards of being an MSA Accedited Training School.
Every training day delivered is focused on the individual
needs of the driver from stretching the talents of highly experienced and
talented karters to nurturing and coaching those sitting in a kart for the very
first time.
Protrain
MD Gary Chapman still loves the sport he excelled in commenting "I thoroughly
enjoy weekends racing but there is something highly rewarding about working one
to one with a driver who is at the top of his game and seeing an improvement,
equally taking a young enthusiastic novice and seeing them develop confidence
and racecraft is a great pleasure."
Protrain
has a long established reputation for excellence in training and with ex
Protrain driver's such as Jack Hawksworth, (2012 Champion of the Star Mazda,
Indy Lights Driver and Autosport McLaren driver of the year candidate), leading
on the world stage Protrain is regularly receiving calls from karting newcomers
to high achieving drivers worldwide wishing to hone their driving skills to
achieve that extra edge.
It's never too late for expert coaching, give Protrain a
call and see how you could benefit. For more information on Professional
coaching for you or your driver call Protrain on 01280 814774 or call Gary
directly on 07802 966064.
We are taking bookings now for the next school holidays at
Whilton Mill.
[ Top ]
RS Racing @ Forest Edge (09/04)

Round
2 of the Forest Edge club championship took place on 7th April. With Jack
Mayle topping the championship table after round 1 on his new Wildkart and with
a full grid of 34 drivers entered for round 2, it was all set for some great
racing in the senior max class at this much improved circuit.
Nathan Harrison made a good start to
the day by setting the fastest lap time on the new Lotus Kart whilst making up
14 places to finish 5th in the first heat and then continued with a strong 4th
place in the second heat and a win in heat 4 to secure a front row place for the
final. The rest of the RS Racing team continued to show their pace on the new
Wildkart with some strong drives in the heats mixed with some bad luck but still
manage to secure 5 drivers in the top 10 for the final.
Nathan Harrison ended the day in style
by finishing first and setting the fastest lap in the final on his debut in the
Lotus Kart with Jack Mayle and Jonny Drabble coming through to finish the race
5th and 6th on their Wildkarts and Angus Mainland finishing 8th on the Gillard
in his first race of the year giving RS Racing 4 places out of the top 8 in this
very competitive final.
It was more success for Mark Redding in the 177 Masters
class on the Gillard. Mark set the outright fastest lap of the final in this
combined 177/Masters class on his way to reeling in the leading two 177 drivers
and he managed to finish 2nd overall taking a comfortable victory in the Masters
class and a good lead in the championship.
The Team are
looking to build on this solid start to the season and will be attending the 3rd
round of the Clay Pigeon Championship next weekend and are always happy to
provide help and advice, for information on all the services we can provide
please see our website at www.rsracing.org or
call John Parsons on 01256 760633 or mobile 07795 486957 to discuss your
requirements.
[ Top ]
Edgar's
Hyundai Super One
(09/04)
The
Edgar's Hyundai Super One Rotax Series Round 1 took place at Three Sisters on
6th/7th April 2013;
With over 170 starters for the first round of the new
season, it has to be said that the Super One Series is in a very healthy state.
Promoter John Hoyle brought the new race control display vehicle, kitted out to
show the live timing from TAG Heuer on a large screen, along with videos from
partner GoPro and several new exciting sponsors. The circuit used at Three
Sisters, which is near to Wigan in north west England, was the 1060m Valley
layout, which has one of the longest and fastest straights in the UK leading to
lots of drafting and passing. This year the heats count for points as well as
the two finals to try and prevent do or die lunges. Unfortunately the Max
177 and Masters class did not have sufficient entries to run this time, many of
the protagonists having moved to DD2 for the EuroMax.
Honda
Cadet:
This economy
Cadet class just keeps growing and growing, with about 15 newcomers to the
series, however it was the experience of top seed Kiern Jewiss who prevailed in
both finals, along with a clean sweep of his heats for a maximum score. Jewiss
had a great game of snakes and ladders in the first final, quickly losing the
lead to Rory Hudson, getting back to the front, then falling as far as sixth
mid-race. He battled back, as Matthew Hopcraft took a turn at the front,
then rookie Tom Canning deposed Hopcraft to fourth. Once ahead with a few laps
to run, Jewiss defended against the building train behind until the chequer. For
the second final there were a few spinners at the start and Luke Whitehead from
eighth had a puncture. Jewiss was only out of the lead for a short period
mid-race by Hudson, soon leapfrogging Hopcraft and re-taking Hudson. Canning
fell out of the top group to 11th, and Hudson was hung out to dry leaving
insufficient time for him to battle back, he finished 8th. So once again Jewiss
defended cleverly, backing up a train of seven karts to take his second victory
over Morgan Porter, Hopcraft, Myles Apps and Ollie Hall.
Final 1: 1 Kiern Jewiss (Project
One)19 laps in 16m22.83s; 2 Tom Canning (Project One) +0.06s; 3 Rory Hudson
(Project One); 4 Mark Kimber (BRK); 5 Morgan Porter (BRK); 6 Chris Lulham
(Project One).
Final 2: 1
Jewiss 19 laps in 16m26.48s; 2 Porter +0.07s; 3 Matthew Hopcraft (OTK); 4 Myles
Apps (BRK); 5 Ollie Hall (Project One); 6 Kimber.
Comer
Cadet:
Comer Cadet in
the UK has been displaced by the new IAME Parilla Gazelle class for the main
British Championship but the MSA has authorised three years of a national
championship with the result that many drivers are racing both classes, one in
each of the parallel Super One Series. Along with a dozen rookies, the grid
numbered 23 in total where Alex Quinn dominated and only missed out on a clean
sweep by coming third to Oliver York in the first heat. Lewis Thompson made a
super start from the outside of the front row on the first final to sweep into
the lead over but a mistake at the Pits corner left him in a spin with a damaged
kart. He fell back as Quinn and Tom Wood broke away, the order staying the
same to the end despite Wood having a good look down the inside on the last lap.
Behind the leaders a massive battle ensued, finally York breaking free to split
the gap to Wood. Alex McDade lost out on third when hung out on the first
corner, finishing sixth, behind Jonny Edgar and William Pettitt. In the second
final Wood led York and Quinn for most of the race whilst Thompson, on a
replacement kart, was leapfrogging his way to the front, reaching fourth with a
move on Pettitt, also displaced by Edgar. As York tried to get up the inside of
Wood, taking them both a little wide, Quinn grabbed his chance using a tow by
York and slipped inside both for the win.
Final 1: 1 Alex Quinn (Zip) 19 laps in 16m06.08s; 2 Tom
Wood (Zip) +0.05s; 3 Oliver York (Zip); 4 Jonny Edgar (Zip); 5 William Pettitt
(Zip); 6 Alex McDade (Zip).
Final 2: 1 Quinn 19 laps in 16m09.65s; 2 York +0.52s; 3 Wood; 4 Lewis Thompson
(Zip); 5 Edgar; 6 Pettitt.
MiniMax:
This year MiniMax is the largest class, 42 karts entered
so it was bound to be busy at times. Connor Hall, top seed and fifth last year,
was in the driving seat with Tom Gamble beside him and Dan Zelos and Sam
McKenzie behind for the first final grid. As Hall and Zelos grabbed big gaps at
the start, Gamble struggled to stay in line through the first turns, others
having to take evasive action. Gamble was quickly set back by Harrison Thomas,
he in turn put back a couple of places by Thomas and Alex Stott. In this mighty
slip streaming lottery, Stott got to the front of the group to find Zelos
drifting back towards him leaving Hall some 8s clear. Thomas made an audacious
move round the outside of the train at turn one to grab third and give Zelos a
breather. For the second final Hall again eased away at the front, only to
suddenly drop back and start to defend. Apparently he had come across an
official on the track, having to brake. Eventually he got clear again, whilst
Gamble, Thomas and Stott stayed in station behind. Initially second, Zelos fell
to fourth early on, then plunged to an eventual ninth.
Final 1: 1 Connor
Hall (Tonykart) 21 laps in 15m55.21s; 2 Dan Zelos (Tonykart) +8.14s; 3 Harrison
Thomas (Tonykart); 4 Tom Gamble (Kosmic); 5 Alex Stott (Tonykart); 6 Dean
MacDonald (ART).
Final 2:
1 Hall 21 laps in 15m57.11s; 2 Gamble +00.60s; 3 Thomas; 4 Stott; 5 Anderson; 6
Hugo Bentley-Ellis (Tonykart).
Junior
Max:
Guan Yu Zhou was
ecstatic to take his first Super One wins in his maiden appearance in the Junior
Max class at national championship level after finishing fourth in MiniMax last
year. The UK domiciled Shanghai youngster fell briefly to second after the
start of the first final, but soon re-took Max Aitken and forged a 4s victory.
Aitken was little troubled by the fight between Josh Price, Ben Hingeley and Tom
Harvey behind as Hingeley became impatient with Price's defence. Zhou only
just avoided disaster at the start of the second final when everyone loaded up
behind, causing some chaos through the first turns and several taking to the
escape road. Lemuel Pay had an exclusion in a heat, came through the repechage
to 15th in the first final then was given the mechanical flag in the second.
Aitken was caught up at the start and fell to eighth, but finished a distant
last. Price, Hingeley and Harvey battled and traded third again, finishing in
that order with Philip Rawson and Jai Nijjar behind them.
Final 1: 1 Guan Yu Zhou (Tonykart) 22
laps in 16m07.79s; 2 Max Aitken (Tonykart) +4.02s; 3 Josh Price (Tonykart); 4
Ben Hingeley (Tonykart); 5 Tom Harvey (Tonykart); 6 Philip Hamprecht (Kosmic).
Final 2: 1 Zhou 22 laps in
16m09.62s; 2 Price +01.52s; 3 Hingeley; 4 Harvey; 5 Philip Rawson (Kosmic); 6
Jai Nijjar (Tonykart).
Senior
Max:
Although not on
pole, current Max champion Sean Babington soon got into his stride for the
finals, relieving Charlie Eastwood of the first final lead on lap three by
darting to the inside on the run up to turn one. Oliver Hodgson was excluded
from timed qualifying, still making 8th on the grid, whilst James Singleton and
Kyle Fowlie suffered heat exclusions. Babington, Singleton and Eastwood took the
heat wins. From sixth, Luke Hughes lost all his good work when flagged in
with a missing chain guard. John Stewart had just passed him for fourth, and
continued to leapfrog Harry Webb and settle in behind Babington and Eastwood.
Each of the first two just started to open the gaps so no challenges were
possible on the closing laps, with Hodgson behind Webb for fifth.
Singleton stormed up to eighth at the chequer. There was a horrible start for
the second final, even after all the drivers had been stopped and Babington
warned about coming too fast to the line. Babington just survived but Eastwood
suffered on the outside, dropping to about sixth only to tangle again further
round and only managing ninth by the flag. Stewart tracked Babington and even
took the lead for a lap, letting Singleton catch up, although unable to move up
further with Babington's clever defence. Only Hodgson found a way of moving up a
place, relieving Webb of fourth, without losing a place or two in the process.
"I knew Charlie was going to try for the lead at the start, and John Stewart
gave me a little nudge to get me past him" said Babington.
Final 1: 1 Sean
Babington (Alonso) 22 laps in 15m50.94s; 2 Charlie Eastwood (Tonykart) +00.294s;
3 John Stewart (Gillard); 4 Harry Webb (Tonykart); 5 Oliver Hodgson (Tonykart);
6 Charlie Turner (Tonykart).
Final 2: 1 Babington 22 laps in 15m51.69s; 2 Stewart
+0.27s; 3 Singleton; 4 Hodgson; 5 Webb; 6 Connor Jupp (Alonso).
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Lydd Revs-Up (08/04)

The
Summer Championships at Lydd Kart Circuit start next Sunday, the 14th April,
with practice available on Saturday 13th from 10am to 4pm. This will be a 6
round series, with the best 5 rounds counting towards each driver's final total.
The format reverts to 3 Heats and a
Final, following Timed Qualifying, for this series - with all classes welcome.
Bambinos will get three timed runs as usual after they have had their practice.
We will also be presenting the Winter
Championship trophies at the end of the day's racing, so we look forward to
seeing as many of those winners as possible.
You can keep up to date with what is
happening at Kent's fastest Kart Circuit by visiting the website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com.
Entries can be made online, by visiting the website and
clicking on the Online Entries page, or when you arrive at the weekend. Signing
on will start at 07.45 on Sunday, with scrutineering aiming to finish by 09.30,
followed by drivers' briefing and then practice starts at 10am.
[ Top ]
Pole And
Win For Hall
(08/04)
Connor
Hall and Strawberry Racing start the Super 1 season on top.
Connor showed his class by taking
pole position at the 3 Sisters circuit in Wigan. He then converted this to 2
heat wins and started pole position for the first final. Fortunately for Connor
there was an incident at turn 1 which enabled his to break free and eventually
open up an 8 second lead at the flag.
He then started the main final in pole position and broke
free at the start. However on lap 2 one of the officials was strolling across
the track as the race leaders were flying round the circuit. Connor had to take
avoiding action which allowed the 2nd and 3rd place drivers to catch a tow, from
then on he kept the lead but was under pressure until the flag where he won by
around half a second.
This places Connor in the lead of the
British championship and with the next round at his favourite circuit (Rowrah)
he is now looking forward to hopefully increasing his lead. Connor has a couple
of weeks of hard traing now before competing at the British "O" plate where last
year he led until suffering mechanical issues.
Connor would like to thank everyone at
Strawberry Racing for the great effort all-round and providing the Tonykart EVK
and Cream Racing engine.
You can keep up to date with Connor's
progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Comer Cadet Kart Champs (08/04)
Alex
Quinn kicked off the new MSA National Comer Cadet Kart Championship with two
fighting wins at the fast Three Sisters circuit.
Quinn took pole for the first final
but Lewis Thompson made a tremendous start for a short-lived lead until a crash,
a spin and a damaged kart relegated him to 15th. Quinn and Tom Wood ran out in
front while Oliver York relegated Jonny Edgar to fourth.
Wood led York and Quinn for most of
the second final until Quinn saw his chance, explaining: "Ollie went to get Tom
at the first corner so I got a good tow off Ollie, they went wide and I just
went for it." The move put Quinn on top once again, while Thompson stormed up to
fourth ahead of Edgar.
Results - Final 1:
1 Alex Quinn (Zip)
2 Tom Wood (Zip)
3 Oliver York (Zip)
Results - Final 2:
1 Quinn
2
York
3 Wood
[ Top ]
2013 Season Gears Up (05/04)

The
finest British senior, cadet and junior karters gear up for tougher challenges
and more exciting showdowns in pursuit of the titles at stake, as karting
unwraps another action-packed season via the ABkC Super One Championship.
Earlier this year TAG Heuer were
awarded the Official Timing partners of this talented championship, home of the
MSA Cadet, Junior and Senior Karting Championships.
Through its relationship with the leading national karting
championships and domestic kart clubs in the UK, TAG Heuer has been the first
provider to bring state of the art benefits to clubs and drivers worldwide. The
Timing brand has introduced dedicated innovative developments in Karting
including sector timing, live internet timing, and benefits to grass roots and
world championship events in the past 3 years since launching its transponder
timing product range.
TAG Heuer is looking forward to a
highly successful 2013 season with all its karting partners and would like to
remind people that its dedicated customer support services can be reached via
Sports Timing Systems, the exclusive and official TAG Heuer distributor for the
UK and Ireland either on the web at
www.sportstimingsystems.co.uk.
Thanks to the efficient support of Sports Timing
Systems in the UK and Ireland, TAG Heuer will continue to offer a permanent
level of product innovation, technical support and ongoing development that has
been the hallmark and DNA of the global brand since introducing the ground
breaking kart timing and scoring system in 2010.
Recently, the brand has installed its unrivalled
hardware and software (also the official CIK-FIA and WSK) equipment to the Trent
Valley Kart Club based at the PF International circuit, home of the annual MSA
British Kart Masters Grand Prix and is also either currently installing or in
negotiation with other UK kart circuits.
Drivers, teams, and family members
will follow every sector of every lap in this year's ABkC and MSA British
Karting Championship from either the paddock or in the comfort of their own
homes live on the new TAG Heuer UK Live Timing website at
www.tagheuer-timing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Turney, Rudge And Wragg (04/04)

Sean
Rudge becomes Vice Champion in the Mini Max Winter 100 Series at Shenington with
a very strong start to his season on his new Formula K chassis, Kieran Wragg
takes third as Joe Turney becomes the iame Winter 100 Champion.
Rudge joined the Formula K UK
team in January this year for his first ever mini max race, having enjoyed a
very strong period in comer cadets, and was impressive from the outset. The
championship was held up in January due to bad weather and his 14th place finish
in February didn't do the Mini max newcomer justice. He soon corrected this with
a third place in March and repeated this result at the rescheduled January
meeting over the Easter Weekend. He was destined to finish much higher but was
taken off the track by another driver and drove a superb race to claw his way
back up to secure his podium place.
Securing second place against a largely more experienced
Mini Max field shows the talent and likely success this young FK driver is
likely to enjoy in his maiden year.
Wragg also impressed with excellent results and was
undeterred by a puncture in his first heat and went on to finish third place on
the day and overall in the winter Minimax Championship. An excellent result for
him and a two three for the Protrain Minimax drivers.
Meanwhile
iame Cadet Joe Turney finished his Winter Championship with his feet on the
highest step of the Podium becoming the Shenington iame Winter Champion.
With a victory in February and a
throttle failure in the March final it was definitely a roller coaster ride that
brought him to the final round but he was determined to get his hands on the
winners' trophy.
Despite a difficult start Turney drove a mature race
recognising the need to keep in touch with the leaders to have any chance of
victory. He positioned himself well and using slipstreaming to his advantage
went into the final turn in third place where a collision between the front two
let Turney through to take the chequered flag, his second victory at Shenington
this year and sealing his place as the Winter 100 Iame Champion.
Gary Chapman commented, "These young
drivers have shown immense potential and maturity in their racecraft. It is a
pleasure to work alongside them and they have shown that despite misfortune on
the track if they keep working they can still succeed. I am really looking
forward to seeing them continue to achieve and progress in 2013."
Joe Turney has shown great pace and
race craft in the short time he has been karting and will be competing at Super1
in 2013, do you have a cadet driver who could partner him? We'd love to hear
from you and have a great offer for the right driver. Please call Martyn
Smithers or Gary Chapman in total confidence on 01280 814774.
[ Top ]
Brian
Wilson Memorial Meeting
(04/04)
The
SYKC Annual W Plate meeting held in memory of Brian Wilson will take place on
Sunday 12th May 2013.
Brian was an active member of SYKC from 1970 until his
untimely death in 1992. His involvement with karting started when his 11 year
old son, Mike Wilson, took up karting at Wombwell. Mike had great success in
karting and at 18 years old moved to Italy to work as a team driver for Birel
and eventually won the World Championship 6 times.
Whilst Mike raced for Birel, Brian continued his
involvement at SYKC and started a kart business producing the Premier Karts and
providing track side support at all meetings, along with working on the club
committee; maintaining the track and trying to improve the club.
Following his Death in 1992 the club
decided to recognise his contribution by holding an annual memorial meeting,
which is always supported by his wife Eileen and members of the Wilson family.
Mike
Wilson donated one of his World Championship trophies to be awarded to the
Driver of the Day chosen by Eileen and her family.
If you would like to compete in this very special event
please ensure your entry reaches the SYKC Competition Secretary before the 4th
May 2013.
Entry forms are available on
www.sykc.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Pidgley's Winter Season (03/04)

2013
looks set to be a stellar season for Downton youngster Pidgley, after completing
one of the most dominant closed season performances of any Junior Rotax hopeful
in the UK for many years. Since the start of 2013, Ollie has stood on the podium
a total of 6 times from only 8 outings at some of the UK's top venues against
current and ex-British champions, and up to 60 drivers at each race.
This month saw the climax of the 2
major winter series in the country, and the Downton school GCSE student didn't
disappoint. A fighting drive at PFI saw Ollie so close to taking victory against
a field full of future stars. He battled from 7th after lap 1 all the way
through and into the lead before making a tiny error on the final lap, but hung
on to claim a well deserved 2nd in the TVKC winter championship behind former
British champion and current seeded driver Tom Harvey.
A solid 2nd place finish at Shenington
last weekend saw him take runners up spot in that series too, which could have
been so different if it weren't for an accident at round 1 3 months previously.
However the performance was strong, with the lead 2 drivers finishing some 3
seconds clear of the chasing pack.
'I have never had such a strong start to a season, and the
success that we've had this year, only missing the podium in 2 of my first 8
outings, really helps my confidence going into the 1st round of the British
championship next weekend. I can't thank my partners and Sam at P1 Racing enough
for giving me everything that I need to achieve the results, and I go to Wigan
on Thursday knowing that I have what it takes to race against the best that the
UK can offer.' Ollie remarked about his dominant closed season pace.
The
OEP backed star now travels with his team to the Three Sisters circuit in Wigan
for the revised 1st round of the Super 1 series. With an entry of 60 drivers,
the team orders will steer towards staying on the circuit, and consistent
drives, with the aim to take a good haul of points from which to build a
championship challenge.
With 2 years of learning under his belt, Ollie will now
attack the championship as lead driver for the P1 Racing team, with full support
and backing of multiple British and European champion engine producer Grice
Engines, and financial support from OEP Ltd, a specialist building firm. Ollie
has also had unrivalled support from Downton School, which allows him to study
hard for his much needed GCSE results, whilst being able to compete at such a
high level week in week out throughout the year.
Follow Ollie's
progress throughout the first round of the Super 1 by following him on Twitter,
@OPidgleyRacing, or on
www.facebook.com/OlliePidgleyRacing. There is a
live timing link to the series available on his website at
www.olliepidgley.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Lando's Sensational Return (03/04)

KFJ
star Lando Norris enjoyed a triumphant return to his Rotax roots with
back-to-back Junior Max victories in the opening round of the Euro Max Challenge
at Genk (30-31 March), whilst his brother Oliver also scored a stunning podium
in the Senior class.
The reigning Formula Kart Stars Mini Max champion returned
to RL Racing Department during a break in his KFJ duties and soon showed that he
was still a force to be reckoned with - despite having not raced a Junior Max
kart for several months.
"Lando couldn't quite get used to the lack of grip at
first," observed RL Racing's owner, Steve Armstrong. "He'd become used to the
softer tyres used in KFJ, but once he'd re-acclimatised he was away."
However, a frustrating timed
qualifying session saw the Glastonbury teenager only able to record the
14th-fastest time overall. Undeterred, he duly converted his fourth row grid
starts into three heat wins and a 2nd place, ultimately earning him 3rd spot on
the grid for the pre-final.
Having managed his tyres superbly in the preliminaries,
Norris was able to quickly work his way to the front and control the first final
all the way to the chequered flag.
Taking
up his allocation of fresh rubber for the main final, Lando put his tactical
advantage (over many of his rivals who had opted to go with new tyres in the
pre-final) to good use and eased into a strong lead during the opening laps. The
gap stabilised at several kart lengths, not enough to allow him to relax, but
sufficient to ensure that his nearest pursuers could not afford to make any
mistakes.
A faultless drive secured the win, leaving Armstrong impressed and delighted:
"He's got better as a driver. Lando's done a lot of karting and a heck of a lot
of laps since he last drove with me, all giving him valuable seat-time and
experience. He was able to put that into practice and drove perfectly.
Ultimately, he cruised to victory."
For Norris' team-mate in the Junior Max class - Jack
McCarthy - the finals were not altogether happy experiences.
"He
was smashed up in the pre-final and DNF'd in the main race," rued Armstrong. "Up
to that point, Jack's progress had been massive. He was 5th-fastest overall in
timed qualifying, giving him p3 on the grid for each of his heats. Despite his
lack of European experience he was able to take two top ten finishes. He learned
a great deal and in terms of pace, he could hold his own against the likes of
Lando. It's easy to forget that he's only 12 and still a Mini [Max driver] at
home. It won't be long before he's running at the front!"
Lando's older brother Oliver had to
qualify for the pre-final via the Second Chance heat, but made remarkable
progress once he had. "We put the new tyres on for the repecharge to help him
and this worked a treat. We then swapped back to his old rubber for the
pre-final, but even though he was pushed back at the start, due to being in the
'crash zone, he used his fantastic speed to recover and carve is way up to 15th
at the chequered flag. We then put the scrubbed-in tyres from the Second Chance
race back on his kart and he quickly charged his way to 9th, before picking his
way forward from there. All hell broke out on the run to the chequered flag and
Oli briefly led before emerging from the melee that followed to snatch a
thoroughly-deserved podium place. For me, it was the drive of the weekend!"
For more information about racing
with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843 586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs courtesy of Bas Kaligis.
[ Top ]
Connor Hall Shows Class (02/04)

As
usual, Connor Hall made it hard for himself by qualifying 7th overall in a
66-strong European field at round 1 of the Euromax championship.
Connor always seems to hold back in
qualifying, starting from 3rd and 4th in the 3 heats which he converted to two
wins and a 2nd. As two other drivers also had the same results it went down to
qualifying positions for the pre-final grid, placing him on the outside of the
front row.
Connor dropped to 5th at the start but soon made it to the front and looked to
be on course for a comfortable win, but with a couple of laps to go he caught a
curb at the wrong point and lost the lead, but salvaged 2nd at the flag.
It was a similar story in the main
final where Connor dropped back to 10th at the start, but he soon started
cutting his way through the field. With 4 laps to go he was in second place and
over 2 seconds behind the race leader. Head down, he took over 4 tenths per lap
out of the lead but sadly didn't have enough time to challenge for the race win
and at the flag was split by just 0.7 of a second.
Connor said after the race "I was
confident of a good result with the overall package I was given by Strawberry
Racing, and 2nd place in both finals is great points towards becoming European
champion at the end of the season."
Connor would like to thank the great
effort all-round by everyone at Strawberry Racing for this result who provided
the Tonykart EVK and Cream Racing Engine. He now has a couple of days training
before heading to Wigan for Round 1 of the Super One championship.
You can keep
up-to-date with Connor and the team's progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk.
[ Top ]
24 Hour Charity Race (28/03)
A
24 Hour Le Mans style karting race is being organised for The James Hopkins
Trust - 20 teams of 6-12 Drivers, 70 mph karts, 1.13KM circuit, 24 hour race!
Minimum of 12 & maximum of 20 teams.
Minimum of 6 & maximum of 12 drivers per team.
Cost: £1500 entry per team, so 6
drivers = £250.00 per driver, 7 drivers = £214.30 per driver, 8 drivers =
£187.50 per driver, 9 drivers = £166.70 per driver, 10 drivers = £150.00 per
driver, 11 drivers = £136.40 per driver, 12 drivers = £125.00 per driver.
Sponsorship forms will be issued to
every driver to raise their race entrance fee and possibly more for the charity.
Venue: Birmingham Wheels Karting
Centre, Adderley Road South, Birmingham, B8 1AD.
Track: The World Famous International
Circuit The home of the current and past British champions, this truly awesome
circuit was extended in 2009 and is now, more than ever, fully deserving of its
International reputation. If your only experience of Karting is of the indoor
variety, one look at a fraction of this circuit will simply blow your mind. The
Circuit is stadium floodlit, and its unrivalled facilities include private
parking for 200 cars, a dedicated new hospitality suite and adjoining VIP
paddock, plus the very latest MAGIX / AMB timing system accurate to one
thousandth of a second. Recent visitors have included Jenson Button, Alan McNish
and a whole host of celebrities. Whilst the Circuit automatically attracts some
of the UK's top drivers, the sheer size and track space make it the ideal venue
for this upcoming 24 hour race.
Karts: 70mph Sodi GT 250cc Go-Karts.
Date: Saturday 03rd August 2013 -
Sunday 04th August 2013.
Time: Race Start 19.00 Saturday Evening & Finish 19.00
Sunday Evening.
Example Times / Itinerary:
Saturday 17.00 - Registration
17.30 - Briefing, Tips & Suit Up
18.00 - Practice & Qualifying
18.55 - Grid Line-Up
19.00 - Race Start
Sunday 19.00 - Race Finish
19.15 - Presentations & Podium
19.30 - Farewell
Want more track
info take a look here -
www.grandprixkarting.co.uk.
Take a look at
all the great work your money will go towards -
www.jameshopkinstrust.org.uk.
Join the Facebook
event here -
https://www.facebook.com/events/362826273826612/?fref=ts#.
[ Top ]
Knott Wins At First Attempt (27/03)
After
signing a last-minute deal prior to travelling to Larkhall (17 March), RL Racing
Department's latest exciting star delivered a lights-to-flag victory for his new
team.
Luke
Knott enjoyed a dream debut with PFi-based RL Racing to put himself in the frame
as a pre-season contender for Super One title glory. "He certainly bedded-in
quickly and very well!" said RLRD owner, Steve Armstrong. "Luke is still
adjusting to the class and, by his own admission, he wasn't perfect in
Saturday's wet conditions. However, we all worked at improving his times and by
Sunday, Luke was right on the pace."
Indeed, the former Honda Cadet O Plate champion went on to
take an emphatic pole position for the final with two wins and a 3rd place in
the heats.
Once
the final had got underway, Knott became locked in a game of cat and mouse with
the driver in 2nd but with two laps remaining, he picked up his pace and put
matters beyond doubt. "He broke away at the perfect time and set the fastest lap
on his run to the chequered [flag]. Understandably, he was very happy and, of
course, so was I and the rest of the team!"
In the Mini Max class, the team maintained its 100% record
of scoring podiums in all of its pre-season club events. Larkhall proved to be
another happy hunting ground for Sandy Mitchell and Jack McCarthy. The pair
featured throughout the preliminaries and against a quality field.
Sandy's day was not without some
controversy, when he was disqualified for contact during the third heat -
something he and the team felt was not entirely justified after his rivals' own
driving standards went unpunished. However, this served to fire him up further
and he charged from the 9th row of the grid to a fine 3rd at the finish.
Crossing the line ahead of him, Jack had briefly led, but by mid-distance the
top three finishing positions had already been decided.
"It was alright, really" said
Armstrong, summing up. "We always knew we would face a tough test against the
local heroes, so to come up and take away two more trophies was satisfying. We
needed to find a couple of tenths in the wet - but championships are won on
podiums and pace in the dry is second to none, so everything is still pointing
forwards."
RL
Racing Department's Euro Max squad is currently in Belgium, preparing for the
opening round at Genk (30-31 March).
"Jack will join Lando and Oliver Norris in Belgium. We
haven't seen Lando for a while now, as he's been racing in KF Junior, so it will
be great see him back in the team alongside his brother."
For more information about racing
with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843 586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Buckmore Park's 50th (27/03)
As
you may be aware, Buckmore Park Karting is fast approaching its 50th
anniversary. The anniversary race meeting will be held in October and we would
like to make a bit of a splash about the history of kart racing at the circuit.
We are
seeking any pictures, memorabilia, interesting stories, race programmes or
indeed anything that might be of interest. Obviously, the older the item is, the
more interesting it will be.
If you have anything historical from
the circuit we would be very grateful if you could contact Chris Pullman on
01634 201562 ext 209 or via email
chris@buckmore.co.uk
Anything you can contribute or loan will be gratefully
received and will form part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations in October.
[ Top ]
TKM Club Championship (26/03)
The
trend-setting Formula TKM Club Championship has received another 50 plus strong
entry with Senior numbers up on last year and registrations still being
received.
Although the closing date for the series has now closed, the organisers will
still accept late entries at the slightly increased fee of £65 up to the first
round at Kimbolton.
Says TKM Boss Alan Turney: "It is another great entry and
we are delighted to see an increase in Senior numbers which underlines the
growing strength in that sector."
The first round takes place at
Kimbolton on May 12 and with such a strong TKM Club Championship entry
competitors are urged to enter in good time to ensure that they get an entry.
Entries and payment can be carried out online at
www.hkrc.co.uk.
Please ensure your entry is clearly marked TKM Club Championship.
Where entries are high as expected,
clubs will run extra heats and A and B finals to make it possible for all
drivers to race. But in order to do this drivers must get their entries in early
to give the clubs time to organise such arrangements.
Full details of
testing opportunity, race entry forms and other local detail are available on
the website of each of the clubs organising club championship rounds. Further
details are also on the
www.tal-ko.com website.
Any further registrations should be
made using the registration form on the Tal-Ko website.
[ Top ]
New Structure For Karting (22/03)
A
new simplified structure for UK Kart Championships will be introduced from 1
January 2014, the Motor Sports Association (MSA) has announced.
Under the new structure championships
will be run at the following levels:
- British
- National
- Regional
- Within standard club meetings
- Club only
In line with the new structure and regulations only the
MSA may designate a promoter for the British and National Championships. In
September 2012 the MSA announced Super One Series as the British Championships
promoter for five years from 1 January 2013 and MSA National Comer Championship
promoter for three years from 1 January 2013. Additionally the British Superkart
Racing Club was designated the MSA Long Circuit Championship and MSA Long
Circuit Grand Prix promoter for five years from 1 January 2013.
The MSA has asked the Association of
British Kart Clubs (ABkC) to promote the MSA National Championships (with the
exception of the MSA National Comer Championship) until the end of the 2016
season to ensure stability during these transitional years. The MSA will then go
out to tender during 2016 for the promoters of the National Championships.
Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive and
new Kart Committee Chairman, said: "These changes are designed to put in place a
new structure for the future benefit of karting following the comprehensive
Karting Review. The support from the ABkC allows the MSA to put in place the
processes necessary to implement the changes, which for 2017 will include not
only the tender process for National Championships but also a full homologation
process for all karting classes."
[ Top ]
Kart Coach
Vacancy
(22/03)
Due to continued growth, iZone driver performance have
a fantastic opportunity for a Karting Coach.
iZone is based at Silverstone circuit
and provides fully comprehensive physical and mental training to karters using
our kart simulator.
Training can be given to the right
candidate. For more information please contact us on 01327 856872 or email
kevin@izoneperformance.com.
[ Top ]
Charity GP Event (21/03)
For
the fifth concetucitive year, Mr Karting in Leamington Spa are happy to announce
we will be running our annual Charity night again, to help raise money for
the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.
The event will be held on Saturday
22nd June 2013 and will be run to our popular Grand Prix event. Every driver
will have 5 laps of practice, followed by 5 races of 8 Laps, with the top 6
drivers progressing into the Grand Final.
The cost of the Charity GP night
is £35 per person, with £10 from each driver going towards the Air Ambulance.
During the Event all race winners will
pull out a raffle ticket, for a lucky person who will win a prize after each
race, along with an Auction at the end of the evenings racing.
In addition to
the Charity Event, we have set up a seperate Prize Draw raffle with a chance
to win a Kartsuit, Boots and Gloves which has been donated by MK Racewear worth
over £200. For your chance to win this great prize all you have to do is buy a
raffle ticket from our track, or you can make a donation here www.justgiving.com/mrkarting,
and for every £2 you donate you will be allocated a raffle ticket. The more you
donate, the more chances to win!
We will also have the BBQ set up again with food being
sold during the evening to go towards our goal of raising as much money as
possible.
Support this worthy cause by entering the event or donating now!
[ Top ]
Buckmore Improvements (20/03)

Buckmore
Park Karting Circuit has recently completed various safety improvements over the
winter period including increased run off areas on the outside of turns 1 and 2
(Conways and leading into Henry's bend) and on the exit of Paddock bend (post
6). These areas are currently being asphalted. The venue has also lodged plans
for a new pit lane entrance which will lead to karts leaving the circuit much
earlier than the existing exit point which will improve safety. The work will be
carried out later in the year.
Other important news is that after 10 years of negotiation
John Surtees Ltd has completed the purchase of not only the freehold land that
Buckmore Park holds the leasehold interest on but a further 90 acres of land
adjacent to the circuit which will allow the site to be developed further. John
Surtees said "I'd like to create an extension to the circuit for alternatives
for learning, testing and road safety training. I have dreams, we'll just try to
realise them".
Circuit owner and Managing Director of Buckmore Park
Karting Ltd, Bill Sisley, says "We have been waiting for this for a long time
and now at last we can move forward on the long term development for Buckmore
Park Kart Circuit. Watch this space for further exciting news.".
For more
information on Buckmore Park visit
www.buckmore.co.uk.
[ Top ]
New Kosmic Distributor (19/03)

Vision
Motorsport are pleased to announce that they have been appointed as the South
West agent for the Kosmic Kart from Aim Motorsport.
Vision Motorsport are a new team in
the paddock for 2013, with Team Principle and owner Daryl Burgess driving the
team forward and looking for success for its drivers with the Kosmic brand.
Daryl commented "I have always
considered the OTK brand to be the best designed kart on the market. The
consistency and quality of the manufacture gives reliability in terms of its
performance and feedback to the driver. This overall stability allows drivers to
concentrate on their driving."
Daryl has a wealth of Karting experience spanning over
sixteen years and had his first ever win driving a Kosmic kart. A Rotax champion
at both Junior and Senior level, he has moved over recent years to focus on
driver tuition and management. The most recent success was helping Connor Hall
to finsih 5th in Super 1 in the Mini Max class in 2012.
He continued "I
look forward to a long and successful partnership with Kosmic and the success I
believe it will bring the drivers. Also a big thanks to Aim Motorsport for their
continued help and support."
The team will be covering many of the tracks across the
South and South West over the course of the year such as Forest Edge, PFI, Clay
Pigeon, Shenington, Llandow and Dunkeswell.
New and used karts will be available
imminently and we will be carrying a stock of OTK spares. Test drives are
available on request.
Vision Motorsport can be contacted by
phone on 07792 749566, or email to
dazkartburgess@hotmail.com.
[ Top ]
Aged 13 To
17 Years?
(18/03)
The
BARC are delighted to have the opportunity to take over the reins of the very
competitive 2013 SAXMAX Junior Championship for 14 to 17 year olds.
On the 30th
March 2013 you are invited to a SAXMAX LIVE event, the event is being organised
to give this year's potential drivers aged between 13 to 17 the opportunity to
experience the performance and thrill of a race-prepared Citroen Saxo as raced
in the Club's SAXMAX Championship. The Saxmax Live event will take place at
Blyton Park in Lincolnshire -
www.blytonpark.co.uk.
Fancy a change from karting? Then
Saxmax Live is for you, you will drive in race prepared Saxmax hatchbacks at
Blyton Park race circuit, you will get a dedicated Clio Cup driver/instructor to
guide you around the 7m wide circuit.
To book a place please email
info@saxmax.co.uk
or call 0800 6126977.
The Championship takes place at major UK motor racing
circuits including Brands Hatch and Silverstone and is run with other BARC
championships at its race meetings, there will be 13 rounds over 7 weekends in
2013.
Visit
www.saxmax.co.uk
or call 0800 6126977 for further info.
For a dedicated Saxmax test day or
1-to-1 tuition see
www.teamdynomite.co.uk or
call 07817 416293 email
keith@teamdynomite.co.uk
arrive and drive available.
[ Top ]
Aspiring Racing Drivers... (15/03)

The
hunt for the next Ginetta racing driver is on as Leeds-based want2race and
Ginetta Cars are offering one aspiring driver a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Qualification begins with an assessment at a kart circuit and the ultimate prize
is a race package, valued at £6,000.
Launched at the Autosport International show in January,
the want2race competition offers ambitious would be racers an opportunity to get
behind the wheel of a Ginetta G40 race car, with a fully funded drive in the
Ginetta GT5 Challenge at Donington Park in October 2013.
The competition
has already seen an unprecedented amount of interest and entries have already
been flooding in from all across the UK. The prize is a chance to be taken
through the all-important ARDS test which grants an MSA race licence, the loan
of a race car, the race entry, fuel and insurance, plus tuition and support for
the full race weekend.
Following the success of the Ginetta Junior Scholarship -
which runs annually during the winter period and offers one young racer between
14-17 years old a fully-funded season in the Ginetta Junior Championship - the
Yorkshire marque was keen to give the same opportunity to an older generation.
Mike Simpson, Head of Sales at
Ginetta explained; "The concept of want2race fitted our strategy perfectly. We
have had a genuine demand from older drivers wanting to get involved in racing
Ginetta cars for some time, so we are very pleased to be able to offer such
excellent support and main prize package."
Qualification for the competition is by means of a simple
registration form and £59 fee payable online. Entrants then select their chosen
category and at which of the 14 top UK kart venues they would like to qualify.
Round two will see drivers invited back to drive Ginetta G40 racing cars on
track with top racing drivers and instructors. The best 30 will be invited back
at the end of the week for a final, where the overall winner will be selected.
want2race reports a wide variety of
drivers entered so far, including three female drivers and one member of the
Kart Force Injured Troops team; David Birrell. David is a double amputee who
races karts for the Kart Force team and also enjoys high performance driving at
track days in his Ford Focus RS. David said; "As soon as I saw the advert for
want2race I knew I had to enter, I love nothing more than competitive motorsport
and cannot wait to be involved".
Mark Hales, Chief want2race Judge, explains the appeal of
ther competition; "We are looking for a contender. They can be the track day
enthusiast looking to progress and race or the kart racer keen to make the jump
into cars and long circuit racing, or anybody with enough desire to do it. We
welcome all ages, experience levels and backgrounds."
Entries are open
now at
www.want2race.co.uk and all entrants must be
aged over 16, and not hold a valid MSA car race licence. On completing their
registration, drivers will receive a Welcome Pack, Entry Form and their
Qualifying Kart Voucher.
[ Top ]
HTR Racing Team (14/03)

Due
to our recent success, HTR Racing Team is expanding for the 2013 season.
We are now looking for an experienced
driver coach/team manager to help amongst the team at all Super 1, pre-Super 1,
PFI and Rowrah club meetings.
We also have 2 more spaces remaining in the team for all
of the events above in either: Iame, Honda, Comer and Rotax Classes.
HTR Racing Team has he following
services available at extremely competitive prices: Basic awning space (with use
of the HTR equipment and hospitality), technical advice, driver coaching, kart
storage/preparation and transportation, flat bed services, as well as a
Rotronics dyno service, so we know your equipment is always at its peak.
For further
information with regards to the job vacancy or running with the team for 2013
please don't hesitate to contact Derrick Hardy on 078362 48459 or 0191 528 9005,
or via email to
derrick@htrracing.com.
[ Top ]
NJL Racing Kart Team (14/03)
With
Whilton Mill now up and running in its new format with their first event next
weekend (March 23/24) the good news is that NJL Racing is able to offer full
team services from awning space to full team support at each Whilton Mill race
weekend.
NJL Racing Kart Team for 2013 will be competing in Rotax/TKM/Cadets and Formula
KGP classes and attending various club meetings across the UK and will
also be competing in the British Super One Series.
NJL Racing are able to provide exceptional service and
packages in their purpose built awning for the entry level Karter right up to
the more experience Kart racer competing in Club level and The British Super One
Series, with over 18 years of experience in Motorsport and over three years
experience racing in the BTCC.
NJL
Racing Team Services:
Full Team
support
Kart Storage and
transportation facility
Full
Preparation of Kart
Driver
coaching/analysis
Driver PR &
Sponsorship services
Awning
Space (to include use of team's exclusive awning and team equipment, and full
use of NJL Racing exclusive Hospitality area).
Drivers looking for team services
please email Nick on
nick@njlracing.com.
[ Top ]
Elite Karting League (14/03)
The
1st round of Season 2013 took place at Whilton Mill last weekend, 9th March.
The conditions were testing to say the least, the cold weather took its toll on
both the officials and competitors, but the racing was a great success.
Titan Motorsports continued were they
left off in season 2012, dominating both the sprints and enduro, also winning
the "Dash for Cash" prize fund £1000 (T&C's apply). As usual the racing
was close between Teesside Tigers and Teesside Thunder both hot on the heels of
2nd place Northampton Knights, Whilton Mill's home team.
One of the incredible aspects of this
type of racing is how close the lap times are, only 100ths of a second
separating each team/drivers. This is down to the dedicated care and
standard of the preparation, with all engines being dyno tested. Surely
this type of racing is the future, both competitive and reasonably priced.
1 hour practice, 12 x 10 lap heats "dash for cash" and a 2 hour endurance at
just £396 per team (£99 per driver).
If you would like a team in the
league representing your town or county, then check out our website -
www.thekartingleague.co.uk - or call us on 01642
231117. The next round is at Teesside on 13th April.
[ Top ]
Bentley-Ellis Makes The Grade (14/03)

Just
a handful of races after graduating from Cadet, RL Racing Department star Hugo
Bentley-Ellis claimed his maiden Mini Max victory at Rowrah (10 March).
Like many of their Super One
contemporaries and rivals, the PFi-based team had taken the opportunity to
compete in a club event at the famous Cumbrian circuit, ahead of the series'
visit in May (4/5).
The opening heat saw Jack McCarthy bravely take 2nd place,
despite nursing a painful wrist after a tumble in the paddock the day before.
His team-mates Sandy Mitchell claimed an encouraging 4th but Bentley-Ellis had
to stage a fightback after crashing at the start. He eventually finished 13th,
one place behind Tushar Vivekanandan. Jack Martin finished 25th on his first
experience of racing at the legendary Cumbrian track.
After
his heroics in the first race, McCarthy found the pain in his wrist too great to
bear in the later races and retired before any further damage was done.
Tushar then lead an RL Racing 5,6,7 in the second heat, leading Hugo and Sandy
home, whilst Jack Martin's progress was sorely hindered after being shoved into
the bark at the second hairpin and he finished at the tail of the field.
The
last heat saw Bentley-Ellis bring his Tony Kart home 3rd, with Mitchell 7th and
Vivekanandan 9th and Martin rallying to a more encouraging 18th.
"The remaining heats saw the boys put
in some decent performances," observed team owner Steve Armstrong. "Sandy had
driven a Mini Max round Rowrah in the dry before Sunday, Hugo did well after his
nightmare start to the racing and Tushar is just improving all the time. Jack
Martin is on an upward learning curve, and Rowrah isn't an easy place to come to
for the very first time and get to grips with. He plugged away, kept out of
trouble and learned."
Mitchell's lead, from pole position, in the final lasted
as far as the first hairpin. As the 24-kart field arrived en masse at the
corner, he was shunted from behind and span in front of the entire pack. A huge
pile-up ensued, splitting the field and leaving the hapless Mitchell out of
contention.

Enjoying
contrasting fortunes, Bentley-Ellis and Vivekanandan survived the melee and
worked their way into 1st and 3rd respectively. However, by mid distance Tushar
had slipped to 4th and ultimately took 7th place at the chequered flag. Jack
completed the top twenty, with Sandy finishing a hugely disappointed last, after
being forced to pit to repair a dramatically folded-up sidepod following the
first lap contact.
"Sandy was smashed off, clean and clear," said a fuming
Armstrong afterwards. "The resultant pile-up ended his attack and any chances of
a podium. Hugo and Tushar worked in tandem to go 1st and 3rd by the midway point
of the race. Tushar's lack of experience of running in the podium positions got
the better of him, which is a shame but it will inspire him now. He knows he's
capable of being a front-runner, just as Hugo now knows he can win in Mini Max,
just as he did in Comer Cadet. He was a star, he led for much of the race and
from there took an emphatic first victory out of Cadets. Great stuff!"
For more information about racing
with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843 586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Practice Makes
Perfect...
(13/03)
Next-Gen
motorsport have arrived home from testing in Spain with a bang! Back-to-back
wins since returning has paved a great path for the coming season.
On their first weekend back, the team
hit the 3 Sisters circuit for a busy club meeting. 3 of the 4 drivers had never
been to the track before and after limited testing on the Saturday all of the
drivers went on to finish in the top 14 out of the 34 drivers competing in the
Honda class. Next-Gen driver Tom Canning also recorded the fastest lap in the
final, a great achievement on his first trip to Wigan with the Super
One competition present.
The following weekend was a trip to PFI. With all the best
drivers present and massive grids in both IAME and Honda, the team knew this
would be a great time to set some early season form and sap vital confidence
from its rivals. The team duly delivered with Teddy Wilson winning the IAME
final, Kiern Jewiss 5th and Jack Armstrong 9th, making it 3 out of the top 9.
Teddy's drive really opened a few eyes and with his strong mindset that nothing
less than a win will do... watch out for the bear! Lucas Nannetti drove well
coming from the B Final to making it the top 15 of the A Final before being
knocked off the track. Herbie Grout will no doubt bounce back after
a disappointing day, having previously demonstrated great pace at the February
meeting at PFI and winning at Shenington. Kiern Jewiss also raced in the Honda
class for Next-Gen and led every lap of the Honda Final until, on the last lap
of the race, he was fired off by a competitor who was subsequently excluded for
his mistake. Keaton Samra also produced a great drive, narrowly missing out on
the top 10 after coming right through the pack.![]()
Next stop was Rowrah and again the
team was racing in both the IAME and Honda classes. This time Next-Gen took the
double victory it should have collected at PFI. Domination was the word in both
classes, Kiern Jewiss in IAME won 2 heats and the A Final from pole - his first
victory in IAME in only his 4th attempt. This win will only make him more
determined and no doubt he'll be on the top step more often than not this
season.
Meanwhile,
Tom Canning won also 2 heats in Honda and then went on to win the A Final from
pole by 10.26 seconds! A great performance from Tom on his first visit to
Rowrah. Tom's pace is incredible and when everything slots into place he will be
a real dark horse this year in his rookie season in Super One.
Next-Gen would also like to
congratulate Teddy Wilson on winning at Kimbolton, as well as Next-Gen drivers
Klaas Kooiker and Ollie Hall on great top 5 results at Forest Edge and Clay
Pigeon.

For
more information on Next-Gen please contact David Bellchambers on 07525 741401
or email
dbc_11@msn.com.
Thanks to everyone involved in the success - Andrew Wilson
@ Wilson Racing Engines, Total Kart Shop, RPM Racing Engines for both IAME and
Honda winning engines, Lee Kellett @ Kellett carbs, Zipkart, and Project One.
Thanks also to Chris Walker for the pictures.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
New
Karting Race Simulators
(12/03)
Asian
Replicas Europe are proud to announce the launch of our range of award winning,
state-of-the-art karting simulators.
Our simulators have a real racing car
feel but are designed to fit comfortably in race centres and living rooms alike.
Asian Replicas Europe have a long history of delivering high-end products
including F1 show cars and simulators for some of the biggest names in the game
including Tag Heuer, Pirelli Japan, Vodafone, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari
Spain, to name but a few. With this unique ability to deliver the best F1 show
cars the world over, it was inevitable that the simulators were going to get the
this same special treatment. The J3SIMS range was born to suit all karting and
Formula 1 enthusiasts.
We
use the renowned Logitech G27 force feedback steering wheel and pedals, and the
J3SIMS are compatible with the PC, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii systems.
From the pictures on our website you
can see the work we put in to delivering high-quality finishes - from carbon
fibre to the handmade carpet that comes with the J3SIM Seat Simulator.
For more
information on this exciting new product range visit our website at
www.j3sims.com.
[ Top ]
Connor
Sets The Benchmark
(12/03)
Connor
Hall and Strawberry Racing set the benchmark at Cumbria Kart Club's March
meeting.
Conner demonstrated his class and pace by confidently placing his Strawberry
Racing Tonykart on pole position for the main final, ahead of a strong field of
drivers.
In
ever changing conditions he was constantly fast during testing and on Sunday's
race day proved it, by setting the pace over half a second a lap quicker than
his nearest rivals.
Unfortunately,
at the start of the main final he was caught by another driver and ended up on
the grass and almost half a lap behind the break away leaders. After rejoining
the track he demolished the field and hunted down the front runners. With only a
short final, to catch the leaders was almost impossible, but after taking nearly
a second per lap out of their lead at the flag he was only half a second behind
the eventual winner. Probably one of the best drives so far this season and
without doubt setting the pace
for others to follow.
Connor now has a week off before heading to Genk in
Belgium for Round 1 of the Euromax series, and then returning to the UK for the
first round of the Super One Series at Wigan.
Connor would like to thank
Strawberry Racing for providing a highly competitive Tonykart EVK and Cream
Racing engine.
You can keep up to date with Connor's progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk
and
www.strawberryracing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Are You Ready For Rissy? (12/03)
A
bumper weekend of practice and racing on 5th 6th and 7th April. Rissington's
first double header of the year will have a full day of practice on Friday and
then two rounds - one Saturday and one Sunday. This ties in nicely with school
and Easter holidays.
With the changes the committee have been working on over
the winter this is an exiting time at the club, e.g. the 2013 race calendar, and
our new online race entry system which has been an instant hit with drivers.
You can get your entries in for rounds 2 and 3 direct from
the Rissington web site
www.rissykartclub.com
and then click on the Enter Race Online.
[ Top ]
Back To The Future (12/03)
Tal-Ko
is stepping back into the past to help meet the needs of the thriving numbers of
drivers who want to take part in the rapidly growing retro historic racing
scene.
Over
the past few years interest has grown spectacularly and what were at first
exhibition displays from a few enthusiasts with rebuilt machines, has now
flourished into the establishment of a new Retro racing series offering full
blown races outside the control of the MSA as well as historic racing within the
MSA.
With
that growth has come the need for engine spares, and inevitably many phone calls
to Alan Turney, boss of Tal-Ko Racing, and arguably the UK's leading expert on
kart racing engines.
Over its 50 plus years in operation Tal-Ko has been deeply
involved in kart race engines from initially making components to later becoming
a full blown manufacturer - the UK's only one in the kart industry.
The good news for all those
enthusiasts looking at blowing the dust off their much loved historic equipment
is that not only does Tal-Ko still have original spare parts on its shelves, but
it also has the specialist knowledge, tooling and expertise necessary to make
more.
So as
Alan Turney unlocks his historic vaults he takes time to explain the fascinating
story of how kart engines developed in the UK and how restrictions on Italian
engine availability finally nudged them into creating the TKM brand.
Says Alan: "We do quite literally
have spares still on the shelves for the Arrow other TKM engines we have
made over the years. On top of that we have spares for many other brands such as
Komet, Parilla and Dap. And what we don't have we can make because we also still
have all of the tooling.
"I have a personal interest in all this older equipment
because it is where I grew up and where the company has its prime experience. To
me helping the classic and historic racers is a joy.
"We still have some complete engines and we will make more
if there is a demand which it seems there will be. In particular the two engines
which are exciting the Retro racers are the Arrow which falls into the historic
class and the more recent TKM L90 which is in the classic class. I can't wait to
see them racing again."
Extensive lists of spares for older
engines are now available on the
www.tal-ko.com website as
well as a fascinating background story recounting how Tal-Ko got its name and
how the company took on the might of Italy with great success.
[ Top ]
Strong Showing At PFI (11/03)
![]()
ST
Racing put on a strong show at PF International's recent March meeting.
In Junior Max, Chad Little showed
good pace all weekend. With some consistant heats he lined up 9th on the grid
for the A Final, and after a poor start he managed to get back up to 6th place -
a good result in a very strong field. Our other Junior Max driver Stuart
Middleton also showed good pace but was unlucky to finish 5th place in the B
Final.
Minimax driver Jae Dale had a very good weekend and is learning a lot all the
time, with this being his first full season racing. He showed good determination
and made it through to the A Final - a very good effort.
In Senior Max we had a strong showing
with 5 drivers racing. Kearn Tsang is making good progress with his first season
in seniors and was unlucky to have a crash in the final. Hamish Baxter another
new senior driver and ended up 21st in the final after some good heats. Spencer
Scaife made his debut with the team and placed 20th in the final. Spencer also
but in some good performances and showed strong pace throughout the weekend.
Matthew Dickinson was unlucky to finish 19th in the final following a first
corner incident after qualifying 10th on the grid and is improving every time
out. John Stewart had a good day Sunday - despite a DNF in the first heat he
broke the lap record in the second heat with a time of 56.56 and in the A Final
starting 23rd on the grid managed to get up to 2nd place with another fastest
lap - a very good performance.![]()
ST Racing are
now agents for Gillard Karts. If you are interested in trying the kart or have
any enquiries please contact John on 07711 314454 or 07500 958789. You can
email us at
stracing@hotmail.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Come & Race At Warden Law (11/03)
The
third round of the Tyne & Wear Kart Club championship, held at Karting North
East, Warden Law, Sunderland, is on Sunday 7th April.
We aim to provide a safe and fun event
for all, with grids for Cadets, Rotax, TKM and Prokarts. Our facilities
include an onsite kart shop and cafe, plus overnight parking is available, so
whether you are new to Warden Law or haven't raced here for a while, come and
join the excitement and see what our challenging 1.2 kilometre circuit has to
offer.
No
race license is required, plus day membership is available, so just turn up with
your equipment and race, or take advantage of a discount for advance bookings.
For further
details visit the club website
www.twkartclub.com, email
kartclub@kartingnortheast.com, or ring the
circuit on 0191 521 4050.
[ Top ]
Race This Weekend At Llandow (11/03)
This
weekend is the second round of the Llandow Kart Club championships in name only,
as the first was rained off! So why not come and have a full weekends
racing and practice at one of the best circuits in the UK, with one of the
friendlist Clubs around!
Plenty of practice on Saturday plus 3 heats and a final on
Sunday for all classesm for only £95 for both days. We have full
facilities and overnight security and we have even booked sunshine... well, you
never know!
If you need any further information please contact Colin on 07817 449617
(evenings). We will be happy to take your entry up to Thursday morning and will
run any ABkC approved class subject to numbers.
Come and join us - you won't regret
it.
[ Top ]
Lydd Winter Championship (11/03)
James
Clarke from Lydd would like to personally thank all the Staff, Drivers, Teams
and Parents for a brilliant days karting at Lydd yesterday - great racing and
co-operation. You are all a fine example of what karting should be about - well
done and thank you again.
We would also like to congratulate the winners of the
Championships and commiserate with those who maybe didn't get the results they
would have hoped for. The championship trophies will be presented at next
month's race meeting.
The Champions are...
Bambino 2stroke - Bradley Hardy
Bambino 4stroke - Harry Harman
Cadet Clubman - Alfie Glenie
Honda Cadets - Sam Powell
Comer Cadet - William Martin
IAME Cadet - Samuel Shaw
Super Cadet - Michael Kemsley
Minimax - Michael Smith
Junior Rotax - Michael Eastwell
Senior Rotax 162 - Daniel Brett
ProKart - Marcus Shephard
The next meeting also sees the start
of the Summer Championship, with Round 1 being held on 14th April 2013.
For more
information visit our website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com.
[ Top ]
TKM Club Championship (11/03)
With
the regulations for the TKM Club Championship now confirmed with a double header
finale rounding off four events in the Midlands, the closing date for
registrations in the 2013 series is fast approaching.
March 15 is the closing date for
guaranteed registrations, though late registrations may be taken if there is
space, but at a higher rate. Says TKM boss Alan Turney: "We are hoping for an
even bigger entry last year when we had 70 registered drivers across the Junior
and Senior classes."
The innovative TKM series starts at Kimbolton in May with
events to follow at Shenington (part of their Superpix meeting), at Rissington
(as part of their Midlands Champs weekend), and at Whilton Mill where there is a
double header format to ensure a really open opportunity to the front runners
for an exciting final showdown.
As last year, the events will be run in conjunction with
locally based TKM grids at each event, running extra heats to cope with numbers
if required.
Registration costs just £55 and
completed registration forms should be sent to Tal-Ko. Full details and
regulations are listed on the www.tal-ko.com
website.
The prize fund will include quality trophies and TKM
vouchers. Race dates are:
May 12 - Kimbolton
June 15/16 - Shenington Superprix
Aug 31/Sept 1 - Rissington Midlands Championships
September 22 - Whilton Mill
[ Top ]
New Economy Karting Class (08/03)
There
was a great deal of interest at the weekend as Protrain and Rissington Kart Club
hosted the introduction of the new Junior Tyro class to the UK. This new cost
efficient class is aimed at drivers ages 11 to 15 who following a short
assessment can participate without the need for taking an ARKS test.
With
six entrants in the maiden race the Tyro team had assembled a group of very
mixed ability drivers ranging from keen indoor racer Josh Porter, who was a
total novice to circuit racing and Ross Campbell who came via "Lets Go Karting",
through to experienced Cadet and Mini Max competitors.
Knowing they were
a part of something very special added to the electric atmosphere surrounding
these karts with drivers who are normally unable to race together in MSA events
lining up eager to put the newly built karts through their paces. All equipment
used in Tyro is identical, all that can be done is to alter wheel positions and
tyres pressures so every driver knew it was their talent on display just as much
as the kart. Despite the obvious competition all the drivers thoroughly enjoyed
being together and helping each other perfect their driving skills with the more
experienced drivers offering great support to the novices.
Race day was dry and crisp with great
racing promised, it did not disappoint. The heats saw the boys dominating the
racing with Keiran Wragg and Thomas Row fighting for the win with Hannah
Chappell and Georgie Chapman battling for third place. This set up a great final
with the lead swapping and any of the front four looking likely to take victory;
in the end it was Wragg who took the chequered flag just 0.2s ahead of Row who
headed Chapman for third. Not to be outdone Hannah Chappell set the new Tyro Lap
record on lap two.
The two novices, Ross and Porter, had never previously
witnessed an MSA race meeting and happily immersed themselves in the atmosphere.
On track with the team behind them offering coaching they continually improved
their lap times as they came to grips with the complexities of racing lines and
braking points. They are the essence of Tyro karting; bringing new people into
the sport and helping them to enjoy the fun!
The day ended with all drivers
reflecting on a great days racing leaving with massive smiles on their faces and
team engineers commenting that it was the best fun they had enjoyed at a race
track in many years.
The Tyro
karts will be racing every month and will be back at Little Rissington for three
days at the first weekend in April. Although it is available to buy karts are
currently being leased at an amazing £120 for the whole day with full race team
facilities provided bringing true economy karting to a full MSA event.
All the Tyro
drivers had a fantastic weekend and were very competitive; If you want to enjoy
the atmosphere of a race weekend, experience a fast kart in open wheel racing
and want to leave the track smiling give Steve a call on 07711 606967, email
protrain@emcourses.com or see a bit more about
the Tyro at
http://www.emcourses.com/junior_tyro.htm.
[ Top ]
New Karts
For Buckmore
(08/03)
Buckmore
Park Karting has just taken delivery of no less than 65 brand new karts for the
2013 season. Fifty of these are Sodikart manufactured RT8's with 390cc Honda
evolution engines. These have been built to Buckmore's exacting specification
and are already in use for all adult hire kart events to great acclaim. The
Junior Club fleet has also been replaced with new Sodi 160cc karts and these
were first raced a few days ago by the Junior Club drivers who were very
enthusiastic about the close racing that resulted.
Buckmore M.D. Bill Sisley said "This
£300,000 investment shows Buckmore's commitment to quality and the future. It
comes in the same year in which we celebrate our 50th anniversary and this is
just one facet of many exciting improvements we have planned for the circuit in
the near future."
For more information on Buckmore Park
visit
www.buckmore.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Russell Off To Winning Start (08/03)
The
opening round of the WSK Euro Series was always going to be a tense affair, but
Birel KF star George Russell kept a cool head to claim a victory and valuable
points at La Conca (3 March), to get his campaign off to a solid start.
The entry of 61 drivers had to be
split into two separate groups for the heats, giving the double KFJ champion an
early boost. He had made it through to the Super Pole shootout after the first
phase of timed qualifying and his 6th in that session gave him 3rd place on the
grid for each of his four preliminary races.
"Two people crashed in front of me during, what I felt,
was going to be my best lap," George explained. "That cost me time but,
ironically, it worked out better for me overall, as 3rd is the ideal position to
make the best starts at La Conca."
Russell was then good to his word and recorded two wins
and a 2nd in his first three heats. Unfortunately, the Englishman was knocked
off the circuit in his last heat and though he recovered to 9th at the chequered
flag, he was denied what had looked to be a guaranteed pole position for the
pre-final, thanks to him being the only driver with two heat wins under his
belt.
"All
the front-runners had one bad heat. I was pipped to topping the intermediate
classification by a single point due to being hit off the circuit. It was doubly
frustrating as the driver who ran into me was given a ten-second penalty for the
contact, which demoted him to 8th and promoted me from 12th to 9th. Had I
finished in his place, it would have been me sitting on P1."
As
they waited to be called out onto the grid, ahead of the pre-final George and
his team put together their race strategy: "Unlike most races, where your
finishing position in the pre-final simply decides where you start the main
final from, the WSK series awards points for both finals. So my brief was to try
and win at least one of the two finals, to chalk up good points early on in the
championship."
A bold tyre gamble also paid off, as George explains:
"Every driver was given six tyres for the two finals. I opted to put fresh
rubber all round on my kart for the first race, while everyone else went for
just two tyres, preferring to keep four back for the second." It proved to be an
inspired choice. Russell quickly took the lead and nailed home his advantage
during the early stages. In the latter stages his advantage was narrowed down by
the chasing pack, but post-race penalties and George's faultless driving saw him
take first blood in the title race.
With just two fresh tyres on his Birel RY30-S5, rather
than the four most of his competitors now had, he needed to make a clean getaway
at the start. This he managed to do and he managed to hold the screaming pack
behind him through the opening lap. "The new tyres proved to be a massive
benefit to the other drivers and I lost five places. I knew the performance
differential would be there, so it didn't rattle me when a kart went past, I
just kept plugging away."
Having stemmed the tide, and as the race wore on, George
was able to match the pace of the front-runners: "I was competitive, but it was
too late for me to catch the lead five."
Crossing the line in 6th place, Russell sensed he had
taken sufficient points to give him a solid platform on which to build his title
assault: "We definitely made the right tyre choice and consequently I'm 2nd
overall. I'm very happy and La Conca marked a big improvement on my first two
races with the team. The chassis is excellent and there is more to come from the
TM engine. The team are always looking for performance gains, which is good
experience for me and it's nice to work hard for each improvement. Hopefully,
our hard work will pay off and there will be more good results to come."
You can keep up to speed with George and his career by
visiting
www.georgerussellracing.com
and following him on Twitter -
@GeorgeRussell63.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
British Universities Karting (07/03)

The
2013 British Universities Karting Championship got off to an exciting start this
season as student teams from across the UK race once again on the fastest
arrive-and-drive karts in the world, battling it out to become UK champion and
earn an exclusive Red Bull F1 VIP experience at the British GP this summer.
The BUKC was supposed to kick off at
Warden Law in early Feb but instead had to be rescheduled to Rye House due to
heavy snow in the North East. It was still freezing at Rye but it wasn't long
before it heated up! Long time front-runners Oxford Brookes A won the morning
round whilst Southampton A won in the afternoon. Last year's champions
Loughborough, who have lost most of their winning team from 2012, had a
nightmare start to their campaign finishing in 36th and 21st places - their
worst ever result in 12 years
The championship then moved on to Llandow in South Wales
on the weekend of 2nd & 3rd March. The first round of the sold-out Rookie
Championship kicked off on the Saturday featuring 35 student teams who didn't
qualify for the main championship. After 5 x 25 minute races some excellent
driving and some welcome sun finally shining, Plymouth C came out on top closely
followed Huddersfield B (2nd) and UCL B (3rd).
The 3rd and 4th rounds of the BUKC's main championship
then took place on the Sunday this time in a biting wind and chill factor of
minus 3! Southampton A once again took the top spot followed by Hertfordshire A
in 2nd and Huddersfield A in 3rd.
Hertfordshire A maintained their momentum winning the
afternoon round, followed hot on their heels by their team mates in the Herts B
team (2nd) and Huddersfield A (3rd). This has led to Hertfordshire B
overtaking their A team and now topping the BUKC 2013 leaderboard after 4 rounds
- and a sea of red on the final podium of the day.
"The driving standards in the BUKC this year are the best
I have ever seen," comments BUKC founder, Will Tew, "We have so many ex Stars
and Super 1 drivers competing with only a couple of seconds splitting the top
teams and drivers after half an hour of racing - it's awesome to watch."
The
BUKC 2013 results so far...
Round 1 winners - Rye House, Herts /13 Feb: 1st - Oxford
Brookes A, 2nd - Oxford Brookes B, 3rd - Southampton A
Round 2 winners - Rye House, Herts / 13 Feb: 1st -
Southampton A, 2nd - Durham A, 3rd - Oxford Brookes B
Round 3 winners - Llandow, South Wales / 3 March: 1st -
Southampton A, 2nd - Hertfordshire A, 3rd - Huddersfield A
Round 4 winners - Llandow, South Wales / 3 March: 1st -
Hertfordshire A, 2nd - Hertfordshire B, 3rd - Huddersfield A
Rookie Championship Round 1, Llandow,
South Wales / 2 March: 1st - Plymouth C, 2nd - Huddersfield B, 3rd - UCL B
2013 remaining Championship dates are
as follows...
13 Mar: Buckmore Park (Rounds 5+6)
22 Mar: Clay Pigeon, Dorset (Rookies Championship Round 2)
23 Mar: Clay Pigeon, Dorset (Rounds 7+8)
24 June: Whilton Mill (Round 9 + Drivers Champ)
25 June: Whilton Mill (Rookies Championship Finals)
For more
information on BUKC visit our website at
www.bukc.co.uk, find us on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/britishuniversitieskartingchampionship,
view some of the action on YouTube -
www.youtube.com/user/3tracing, and don't forget
to follow us on Twitter for the latest updates
@karting_bukc.
[ Top ]
BPKC Winter Series (07/03)
The
final round at Buckmore Park Kart Club Winter Championship is scheduled
for Sunday 17 March 2013. Practice is available on Friday 15 March
and Saturday 16 March. All ABkC non gearbox classes are welcome including
Bambino and Subaru.
Please contact Chris Pullman/Sheila Rose on 01634
661604 for more details. Online booking is available.
Round 1 of the eight round Summer
Series kicks off on Sunday 21 April 2013 with practice available on Friday 19
and Saturday 20 April. The 6 round Kent Challenge kicks off at Bayford Meadow on
Sunday 28 April with Round 2 at Buckmore Park on Sunday 19 May.
Full details are
available at www.buckmoreparkkartclub.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Lucas Oil's Carter Shines (06/03)

Lucas
Oil sponsored Kart Racer Albert Carter has won the TVKC Comer Winter Series and
finished a very respectable 11th (out of 75) in the IAME Winter Series
Albert had recently spent time
testing in the heat of Florida and then came back to England to contest the last
round of the tough Winter Series at the fantastic PFI circuit. His next race
will be the long drive up to Rowrah on the 9th / 10th March.
We can now confirm our marketing partners for 2013 and
would like to take this opportunity to give them all a mention, Primary Sponsor
is again Lucas
Oil who have given us fantastic support over the
last 10 years
Associate partners are; Yuasa - Hol tAj - VEIDEC - NGK
Spark Plugs - Teng Tools - Cottingham Engineering - 3tc graphic and web design -
Rainbow Conference Sets - Pioneer Central - CAAR - Ogden Motorsport - Kaz
Aston.com - Ultimate Air Brush - CBM
We would also like to say thanks to David Bellchambers of
Next Generation Motorsport, Chris Barnes of CBM and everyone else who gives
Albert support and advice.
You can keep up to speed with
Albert's progress at his 3tc designed website
www.albertcarter.com
or his Facebook page
www.facebook.com/CarterMotorsport#!/albertcarter2003.
[ Top ]
Great Prizes On Offer (06/03)

IAME
Cadet entrants for the MSA British Cadet Championship are reminded of the superb
prize list on offer with support from Edgar's Hyundai, MIS Motorsport, SC
Sportshomes, IAME and many other partners. The British MSA Cadet Champion will
be invited to the IAME International Final (X30) when old enough, with all
expenses paid, whilst second place will receive a new IAME engine, and third a
£500 IAME voucher. That's on top of the usual tyre prize fund from Dunlop and
Super One, and the champion being awarded an iconic TAG Heuer Formula 1
timepiece. The best Rookie over the year, if staying in the class, will receive
a free entry for 2014 along with free tyres and fuel, and a VIP tour of the
Mercedes Grand Prix factory at Brackley. And in addition to all that, the top
three drivers will be offered an all-expenses paid visit to the home of IAME in
Zingonia, Italy.
Registrations in the MSA Series are being held open until
31st March. And there are only a few places left to form a full grid in
the MSA Comer Cadet Championship, first come, first served for those remaining
places.
For further information contact Super One Series promoter
John Hoyle on
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com
or by telephone on 01928 740090 / 07774 646784.
The 6-round MSA British Kart
Championships Series for KF, KFJ & IAME Cadet, plus Formula KGP and the ABkC
National TKM Championships commences on 18/19 May at Rowrah, Cumbria. KZ2 will
be a support race for three of the rounds, the last one being for the ABkC Open
Championship plate. All rounds have an optional Friday practice day.
[ Top ]
TVKC And Tag Heuer (06/03)

Following
the switch-over to the TAG Heuer timing system last month, the team at Trent
Valley Kart Club and TAG Heuer have been working closely together to develop new
systems to maximise the huge capabilities that the TAG Heuer system provides.
The latest
development is the brand new "Online Results Service" available on TVKC's
website
www.tvkc.co.uk. This feature provides a booklet
of information that includes: full entry lists, race results showing individual
sector times, lap by lap sector analysis, starting grids, intermediate
classification & Championship points. The new service now means you'll be able
to access the data immediately as the results will be updated as the races
finish over the course of the race weekend - meaning you can get instantaneous
data from your laptop, iPods, tablets, smart phones or anything else that has a
connection to the Internet!
Work is already taking place to
upgrade the Intranet and wireless connectivity at PF International kart circuit
so this information, as well as live timing and data downloads, can also be
viewed from the paddock, so watch this space for further information!
The partnership
of TVKC and TAG Heuer are also pleased to announce the arrival of their "Virtual
Championship". This can be viewed through the Live Timing feature on the website
(www.tagheuer-timing.co.uk)
and means you'll be able to view the Championship standings in 'Real Time'! So
as one driver overtakes the next, the current Championship standings will be
displayed on screen and will be colour coded to illustrate whether or not they
have gained or lost a place in the Championship table - an ideal tool to have
when drivers are jostling for position and them all important Championship
points throughout the season! The Championship points tables will also be added
to the Results Booklets but this will be done post event.
These new features are just a few of
the developments planned for the future. Amongst the other innovations planned
for launch during 2013, is the full integration with the UK Karting ERS+ results
service - meaning access to your race results has never been easier! This
facility is nearing completion and should be available very soon.
With the
increased access to all of the valuable data that the system now provides, you
may wish to consider this latest opportunity to help advertise your product.
Advertising space within the Results Booklets is now available at very
competitive rates. For further information, please contact Clare Mills at
clare@tvkc.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Rotax 177 Inter Clubs (06/03)

What
an enjoyable weekend for all the Rotax 177 drivers who attended the first round
of the Inter Clubs Series. There were 38 entrants in total necessitating 4 heats
and both A and B Finals. As far as I am aware this is the biggest grid seen for
Rotax 177 for years!
Firstly a huge thank you to everyone at Forest Edge who
hosted a great event - provided 7 practice sessions on the Saturday per class
and great prizes for the race winners. All inter club drivers were lucky enough
to get a t-shirt, umbrella and hat all courtesy of FEKC who went beyond
expectations to make the event such a huge success!
The huge number of entrants meant that
there was a lot of close racing going on all the way down the grid which was a
refreshing change from the normal grids of 5-10 at most clubs. Congratulations
go to Dan Bushell who won the 177 Inter Clubs Final and Paul Cook who won the
177 Masters Inter Clubs Final. The feedback from every driver I spoke to was
very positive. The overall message being "this is a great idea, its what we have
been wanting for sometime." I can confidently say everyone had a great weekend!
Some
great over taking in the heats saw Chris Wright qualify on pole and 2nd place in
the final means he leads the championship after round 1 ahead of Final winner
Dan Bushell. Brandon Grinter had a great drive in the final showing some of his
pace to get the final podium spot. Matt Barnes finished 4th ahead of local boy
Oliver Smith who was very fast all weekend but a lower grid position caused him
to finish the final in 5th place just ahead of team mate Dominic Russell in 6th.
In Masters it was Adrian Williams who
qualified on pole but it was Paul Cook who took the win ahead of Paul Bell with
Adrian Williams finishing in 3rd.
We now move on to round 2 of the
series at Rye House on 4/5 May. It is not too late to get involved if you
haven't already - please email
mattbarnes34@hotmail.co.uk
for information.
[ Top ]
Thomas Takes Title (05/03)
MBR's
Harrison Thomas will start the 2013 Super 1 Series campaign on a high after
clinching the TVKC Winter Series with a podium at the final round.
The Welsh youngster started the
weekend four points off the lead, but knew that, with the scoring system not
offering much between places, he would have to produce his best form.
Having set the pace for much of
practice, Thomas suffered a setback when another kart went over his in the final
session, causing injury to both his MBR machine and his hand, forcing him to
battle discomfort for two strong heat results and a place on row five for the
final.
With
changes made to his kart, Thomas was able to recover from a delayed 14th on lap
one to be in a position to challenge for the lead at the last corner. Although
his move ultimately saw him pushed back to third, with his main rivals mired in
the pack, it was still enough to confirm him as champion.
"It feels great to win," Thomas
enthused, "It wasn't the easiest of weekends, but we did what we had to. Thanks
to Mick Barrett Racing, Ogden Race Engines, Alex Tee, my family and all my
sponsors - and congratulations to Tom Gamble on the win!"
Photograph
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Success At Rissington (05/03)
GW
Motorsport would like to congratulate our drivers, Jack Bartholomew and Dean
Hale on their recent success at Rissington.
Jack Bartholomew was on superb form taking 3
successive heat wins and victory in the final on his Wright Suzuka 3 kart in
Junior Max. Dean Hale took an outstanding win on a Zanardi in Seniors - this
after not having raced or practiced at the circuit in over 4 years! Thanks
also go to Rissington for a well run meeting.
For testing on a Wright Kart or a
Zanardi please contact Gary on 07950 032519, or email at
gwmotorsport2@gmail.com.
[ Top ]
RL Racing Dept Upbeat (05/03)

Steve
Armstrong, owner of RL Racing Department, declared himself to be "extremely
positive" after his young squad enjoyed another strong weekend.
With the opening round of the Euro
Max Challenge barely three weeks away - and the British Super One title battle
getting underway a week later - RL Racing Department gave its drivers more vital
seat time at PFi (3 March) and again, the signs were good.
In Mini Max, the team fielded the
highly-rated Jack McCarthy, Sandy Mitchell and Hugo Bentley-Ellis with new
signing Jack Martin completing the line-up.
After watching McCarthy lead Mitchell and Bentley-Ellis
home to complete a 1,2,3 in the first heat, Armstrong admitted that he was a
little embarrassed at the spectacle: "It looked like we were cheating," he added
jokingly.
Things became tougher for the team when McCarthy was hit from behind, bending
his axle and forcing him out of the race. Mitchell's 2nd place in his second
heat gave him pole position for the final, whilst Bentley-Ellis secured the 7th
spot. McCarthy 16th and Martin qualified straight into the A final by virtue of
two solid drives in his heats.

Hugo
rapidly worked his way to the front of the field and led for much of the race
but, as the chequered flag was readied to be waved, he succumbed to the pressure
from behind. By this time, Jack had charged up from the midfield into 4th with
Sandy just behind.
At the second hairpin, Mitchell was shoved heavily from
behind and tipped straight into his team-mate. Both survived, with McCarthy so
fired-up that he was able to take 2nd before challenging for the win on the run
to the finish line."It's another weekend where one of my lads has been smashed
from behind, costing us a possible win. Still, the drivers all learned valuable
lessons and our kit looks really good. Jack Martin did really well, as this was
his first proper go at a big meeting, so there's lots to be happy about."
Senior Max returnee, Oli Norris, also
gave Armstrong even more reasons to be cheerful. "Oli hadn't driven a Rotax kart
for something like four months and hadn't even seen PFi for over half a year,
but it was like he'd never been away," said Armstrong. Norris opened his account
with a fine 3rd place in his first heat and repeated the result in the A final.
"He did a great job against a pedigree field. The guys he was mixing with will
all be championship contenders, so to turn up after such a long lay-off and take
a podium was just terrific."
He added, "It was a great way to mark our switch to
Cream-prepared engines for our senior Max drivers and my thanks go to Warwick
Ringham and his colleagues for giving us excellent motors. Overall, I'm looking
forward to the season getting underway, it's all looking extremely positive."
For more
information about racing with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843
586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Rotax Max 177 Competitors (04/03)
Rotax
Max 177 competitors are urged to complete their 2013 registrations at
http://superoneseries.com without delay as the
official period for registering comes to an end.
Max 177 entrants can enjoy a superb
prize list including a Rotax engine courtesy of JAG Engineering for both the
overall champion and the best Rookie champion. The best Rookie is also
invited to a VIP tour of the Mercedes Grand Prix factory in Brackley whilst the
overall champion will be awarded with an iconic TAG Heuer Formula 1 timepiece.
Subject to any age limitations, the series also awards the overall champion a
place in the 2013 MAX Challenge Grand Finals which will take place on the United
States Mainland for the first time from November 13th to 16th, 2013 at the NOLA
Motorsports Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
"New Orleans will host the biggest kart event ever in the
history of the Grand Finals. For the past 14 years, the number of participants
has grown and so have the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. Close to 300 drivers
from around the world will take part in this year's final," said François
Tremblay, marketing director, Rotax Kart Engines, BRP. Super One Series
will award a place to the best Junior, the best Senior and Max 177, subject to
any age limitations.
Max 177 registrations are being held open for a short
period of extension to provide further opportunities to drivers in that
category.
For further information contact Super One Series promoter
John Hoyle on
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com
or by telephone on 01928 740090 / 07774 646784.
The 6-round Rotax ABkC National
Championship Series incorporating the ABkC National Championships for Honda
Cadet, and the MSA National Championship for Comer Cadet commences on 7/8 April
at Three Sisters near Wigan. All rounds have an optional Friday practice
day.
[ Top ]
12hr Karting Challenge (04/03)
Deepings
Round Table is pleased to confirm that the 17th Annual Deepings Round Table 12hr
karting challenge will take place on Friday 12th July and Saturday 13th July
2013. Attached you will find this year's brochure which includes booking
forms. Based on the outstanding successful of last year's race, we will again
be using Daytona's high performance DMax karts which provide a faster and more
challenging race for all.
As in previous years, Lotus GP, Williams F1 and Mercedes
GP have all confirmed their entrance and look forward to challenging all!
There is no other 12Hr Karting
Challenge in the UK and there is no other open event that has so many Formula 1
teams taking part. The thirty-five team grid will consist of drivers that range
from those who have never driven a kart before, to highly experienced,
professional drivers (past entrants have included Mark Webber, Johnny Herbert,
Justin Wilson (ex-Jaguar F1 Driver), Gary Paffett (German DTM Champion & Honda
F1 Test Driver) and Anthony Davidson. This event really is unique. It
offers an excellent chance to entertain customers in a relaxed environment, a
superb team building opportunity or just a great way for friends to get together
for a great day out.
One of the main aims of the event is to raise substantial
amounts of money for charities both nationally and locally (we have raised in
excess of £180,000 from the last 16 events). In fact, the overall prize
fund is split between the top corporate teams, the top F1 team and Deepings
Round Table, so every team has a chance of securing a significant sum for
donation to a charity of choice.
The event is held over a Friday evening and
Saturday. Friday evening sees all drivers register, followed by a full safety
briefing (all protective clothing and helmets can be supplied by Daytona) and
Qualifying. Following the qualifying session, there is an event meal and
charity auction of Formula 1 and motor sport memorabilia. The Formula 1
teams are all so supportive of the event that rare items never normally seen in
the usual F1 Shops can be bought (reduced rate hotel accommodation can be booked
through Deepings Round Table at the Milton Keynes Holiday Inn).
On Saturday morning there is practice
time before the race proper starts at 9am. The challenging track layout
and enhanced karts will ensure that the racing is close and that everyone gets
the chance to really test their skills. The race finishes at 9pm followed
by prize presentations (remember, the winning karts get a share of the overall
charity pot for donation to a charity of their choice).
The entrance price is £1,565 per team
and a deposit of just £313 will guarantee your place in this unique event. Due
to the unprecedented success of 2012, I would urge you to submit applications
ASAP, as we expect the event to be a sell out and places to go fast.
If you would like
to register your intention to attend the event or if you have any further
questions then please return the booking form (contained within the attached
brochure) or visit our website
http://www.deepingroundtable.co.uk/Kartathon.html.
If you are unable to attend this event
but would still like to support our charity fundraising, then donation
of branded merchandise or motor sport items for the auction would be greatly
appreciated.
The Deepings 1090 Round Table looks forward to seeing you
in July.
[ Top ]
F4 & F3 Cup Championships (01/03)

Chris
Dittmann Racing are pleased to offer drives available in the 2013 BRDC Formula 4
and F3 Cup Championships.
With over 25 years of experience preparing single-seaters
and GT cars, the team won the 2012 F3 Cup Drivers' Championship with
owner-driver Chris Dittmann and narrowly missed out on securing the Teams
Championship. They are also heavily involved in kart racing and in 2012 won the
British KZ2 Gearbox Championship.
For 2013 the team are able to offer a drive in their newly
built F4 car or Mercedes-powered Dallara F307 in the BRDC F4 and F3 Cup
Championships respectively.
Both
cars are maintained and prepared to the absolute highest of standards and each
driver will be coached by 2012 F3 Cup Champion Chris Dittmann. The team is able
to cater for any driver whether a young novice or a more experienced driver.
Either way CDR have proved they can deliver race winning cars at a realistic
budget whilst providing a professional image to attract or entertain guests. The
team also specialise in helping karters make a smooth and successful transition
into car racing.
For more information or to arrange a
test please contact the team today on tel 07811 180157, email
chris@chrisdittmannracing.co.uk, or you can
visit our website at
www.chrisdittmannracing.co.uk.
For more
information on the championships visit
www.formula4.com and
www.f3cup.co.uk.
[ Top ]
NJL Racing (01/03)

NJL
Racing has over 18 years of experience in Motorsport and with over three years
experience racing in the BTCC we have the full infrastructure in place ready to
compete at the highest level.
With our vast experience in the racing industry from
Karting to the British Touring Car Championship, NJL Racing Kart Team are an ART
GP satellite team using the latest ART GP karts for 2013 competing in
Rotax/Formula KGP in the British Super One Series and TKM also attending various
club meetings across the UK and are able to provide exceptional service and
packages in their brand new purpose built awning for the entry level Karter
right up to the more experience Kart racer competing in Club level and the
British Super One Series.
NJL
Racing Team Services offer:
Full
Team support
Kart Storage and
transportation facility
Full
Preparation of Kart
Driver
coaching/analysis
Driver PR &
Sponsorship services
Awning
Space (to include use of the team's exclusive awning and team equipment, and
full use of the NJL Racing exclusive Hospitality area).
Drivers wishing
to compete in either the British Super One Series or club events across the UK
should email Nick on
nick@njlracing.com.
[ Top ]
TAG Heuer Timepieces... (01/03)
This
year, TAG Heuer becomes the Official Timing Partner of the Super One British
Kart Championships. The prestigious TAG Heuer brand was founded in Saint-Imier
in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has marked the history of luxury
watchmaking, especially in the fields of chronographs and ultimate precision. A
legend in prestige Swiss watchmaking and one of its most innovative brands, TAG
Heuer has built on its active commitment in the sports world to create the most
accurate timing instruments and wrist timepieces in the world.
TAG
Heuer is the world leader in high precision luxury chronographs with an
unequalled mechanical accuracy of 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/1000th and even 5/10,000th
of a second. In 2012, thanks to the lessons learned through these achievements,
TAG Heuer won the world's most coveted watchmaking award, the Geneva Watchmaking
Grand Prix "Aiguille d'Or". From the Olympic Games in 1920 to its role as
official watch and chronograph for the legendary Indy 500 race today (for which
it has developed instruments with a precision of 1/10,000th of a second) TAG
Heuer is unrelenting in its quest for innovation, excellence, performance and
prestige. This ambition is reflected in its partnerships with F1 Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes team and its World Champion Jenson Button, with Audi Sport in
the Le Mans 24 Hours and endurance races, and with the Automobile Club of Monaco
for the prestigious Monaco
Grand
Prix.
This
year, with the karting scene in the UK way behind the times with timing
technology, TAG Heuer identified the unique and challenging opportunity to
support the Karting World.
The past 4 years have enabled TAG Heuer to bring to
karting events in the UK (including Super One, Formula Kart Stars, MSA British
Kart Grand Prix and the ABkC O Plate), a professional level of timing
technology, intermediate sector timing, photo finish, start line approach speed
trap, a robust and professional live timing solution and data information
booklets, all benefits to drivers and teams never found in karting in the UK yet
common place in Formula One and other high profile events. There are also
further developments on the horizon.
As the official timing partner of the Super One British
Kart Championship and in order to pay tribute to the extraordinary performances
of the Championship drivers and to celebrate the Motorsport Stars of tomorrow,
TAG Heuer proudly announces the 2013 TAG Heuer Trophy.
The Championship commences April 6th
and the TAG Heuer Trophy will reward the best twelve championship drivers of the
2013 Super One Championship season with iconic TAG Heuer Formula 1 timepieces.
This year, the
Motorsport Stars of Tomorrow will compete against each other and against the
ultimate adversary, time itself and TAG Heuer will remain at their side, and
soon on their wrist. Check out
http://superoneseries.com
for registering or competing as a guest driver.
For further
information contact Super One Series promoter John Hoyle on
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com or by telephone on
+44 1928 740090 / +44 7774 646784.
The 6-round Rotax ABkC National
Championship Series incorporating the ABkC National Championships for Honda
Cadet, and the MSA National Championship for Comer Cadet commences on 7/8 April
at Three Sisters near Wigan. The 6-round MSA British Kart Championships
Series for KF, KFJ & IAME Cadet, plus Formula KGP and the ABkC National TKM
Championships commences on 18/19 May at Rowrah, Cumbria. KZ2 will be a support
race for three of the rounds, the last one being for the ABkC Open Championship
plate. All rounds have an optional Friday practice day.
[ Top ]
Lydd Winter Championships (27/02)
The
final round of the Winter Championships at Lydd takes place on Sunday 10th
March, with several titles still up for grabs! The closest fought will be the
Honda Cadets, where just 4 points separate the top 3 drivers. Good Luck to Sam
Powell, Harry Gibson and Harry Whiteley in that class.
Congratulations to the drivers who
sealed their Championship wins at the previous round - Bradley Hardy in Bambino,
Alfie Glenie in Cadet Clubman, Michael Smith in Minimax and Daniel Brett in
Senior Rotax.
Practice is available the day before, as usual, running in
sessions. Open practice is also available this Sunday - 3rd March - for anyone
who wants to get in some extra track time.
The
format for Sunday is Practice, then Timed Qualifying, followed by 2 Heats and a
Final.
We
welcome all classes, as we will always find a grid for you to join in, with our
regular classes being Bambino, Cadet Clubman, Honda Cadet, IAME/WTP/Comer
Cadets, Minimax, Juniors, Senior Rotax 162 & 177 and ProKarts.
April sees the start of our Summer
Championships, with Sunday 14th April being Round 1. This will be a 6 round
series, with each competitor's best 5 results counting towards their final
total. The Summer series will run 3 Heats and a Final, as has previously been
the case.
You can keep up to date with what is happening at Kent's
fastest Kart Circuit by visiting the website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com, or you can phone the
circuit on 01797 321747 if you have any questions.
You can also complete your Race Entry
in advance by visiting the website and clicking on the Online Entries tab at the
top.
If you
haven't been to Lydd, or not visited for some while, then why not come along and
join the regulars in the paddock and sample our friendly family atmosphere.
[ Top ]
Connor Hall And Strawberry (26/02)

Connor
Hall returned to the UK with the Strawberry Racing team, following their win at
the Rotax Winter Cup in Spain, to contest the MBKC Three Sisters Lunar Cup
meeting.
From the outset the team worked well and his pace was good. Due to poor
conditions brough on by unfortunate weather and the sheer volume of entries at
the meeting, the team and Connor decided that 2 sessions on Saturday was enough
and took an early bath.
Race day on Sunday stayed dry although it was very cold
making conditions more challenging. Connor won Heat 1 from 16th on the grid and
finished 5th in Heat 2 from 20th, placing him on pole for the final.
After a computer failure at the track
caused a complete mess of the grids it took nearly 2 hours to work out everyones
grid positions for the finals, and as the Minimax final was to be last out, it
was beginning to get dark.

At
gone 5pm the 6 lap final started, with Connor holding the lead for 4 laps before
being overtaken briefly but soon finding a way back past to take a well deserved
win. and 3 out of 3 so far in 2013!
Big thanks yet again to everyone at
Strawberry Racing for providing the Tonykart EVK and Cream Racing engines to
assist with these results.
Connor and the team will be at the
PFI circuit next weekend. Please check out
www.connorhall.co.uk
and
www.strawberryracing.co.uk for the latest
updates.
[ Top ]
South Yorkshire Kart Club (26/02)

South
Yorkshire Kart Club would like to thank Warrick of Strawberry Racing for
supporting the club throughout 2012 - it has been very much appreciated.
We are also pleased to announce that
this support will continue throughout 2013. Every month during the Summer Series
every member in Mini, Junior and Senior Rotax entering a race will be put into a
free tyre draw, which is drawn at the end of each meeting!
The annual presentation has just got
better too, as the top three drivers in the Mini, Junior and Senior Rotax
Championship will receive vouchers - 1st place £750, 2nd place £500, and 3rd
place £250.
It is fantastic to know that this support will continue
throughout 2013. Anyone wishing to offer their support for our cadet or TKM
classes please get in touch.
Your help is very much appreciated for our little family
orientated club.
For more information on SYKC visit
www.sykc.co.uk
or email
dbaines20@hotmail.co.uk.
[ Top ]
SC Sporthomes (25/02)

Super
One Series is very pleased to announce that SC Sporthomes has partnered
Britain's premier kart championship in 2013. Competitors and teams can benefit
from the partnership by mentioning their association when contacting SC
Sporthomes, who are celebrating 10 years of design and innovation from
conversions of panel vans up to luxury bespoke motorhomes for sport or leisure.
Edgars'
Hyundai Super One Series promoter John Hoyle said: "Our association with SC
Sporthomes is just the latest in a long line of prestigious companies eager to
be associated with the MSA British Kart Championships and ABkC National Kart
Championships through Super One, Britain's biggest and best kart championship.
There are many mutual benefits to be explored, and benefits for our competitors,
I am very pleased."
Please take a look at the SC
Sporthomes website
www.scsporthomes.com or
click on the link of the Super One website
http://superoneseries.com.
For more information contact John
Hoyle on
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com
or by telephone on 01928 740090 or 07774 646784.
[ Top ]
Wildkart
Success
(25/02)
On
it's 2013 debut, the Wildkart FY32 has started off the year with a win from
Jonathan Drabble, Senior Rotax driver for RS Racing.
It was a long weekend at Clay Pigeon
Kart Club, being freezing cold and wet, but having qualified 2nd on the grid for
the final Jonathan took an early lead and didn't look back from there. The kart
handled brilliantly in the tough conditions.
After a quick start to the year RS
Racing are looking to extend the winning ways with next weekend being the
opening round of the season at Forest Edge Kart Club.
RS Racing are the sole UK importers of
Wildkart as well as being main Gillard agents, Lotus Karts official UK
distributor, and suppliers of Rotax engines and parts, plus much more.
For more
information visit our online shop at
www.rsracing.org, email
sales@rsracing.org, or call us on 01256 760633.
[ Top ]
Isle of Man 24 Hour (22/02)

The
Isle of Man, home to the famous TT a place for every motorsport fan to visit is
holding its first ever 24 hour kart race.
Manx Kart Club, in conjunction with Teesside Karting, will
be running a 24 hour Pro Kart race on the 1100m Jurby circuit on the 15th/16th
June.
Entry
is priced at just £650 per team which includes one set of tyres (Bridgestone)
and your race fuel. Friday testing is available from 10am-4pm at just £50 per
team
Three
classes are available:
Pro Kart
- 180kg
Heavy - 195kg
Hire Karts
Prizes
include an entry into the British 24 hour at Teesside and much more.
For further information and details
on travel concessions please call Mark on 01624 897121.
Hire karts will be available at £1500
per team - just turn up and race and we will look after the rest! For more
information call Bob Pope on 01642 231117.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come,
first served basis. Payments can be split into 3 monthly instalments following
payment of an initial deposit.
[ Top ]
Formula Cadet Wet Tyres (22/02)
Anderson-CSK and Dunlop wish to apologise for the
issues that have transpired on the Formula Cadet wet tyre and are now able to
offer details of how competitors can exchange problem tyres for the new batch
which is expected to be available during early March. Dunlop are fully committed
to resolving the issue as quickly as possible and would advise that the first
batch of replacement tyres will leave Japan by airfreight on week commencing
25th February and are expected to clear Customs without delay.
Sets of tyres, either new or used,
with the Product Code 1031 for the fronts and Product Code 1052 on the rears
which were purchased after 1st October 2012 can be exchanged for a replacement
set which will be returned at no further cost. Tyres can only be exchanged on
production of a purchase invoice for the original tyres, dated 1st October or
later. This is required by Dunlop. Other items on the same copy of the
invoice/receipt can be blanked out if required. The tyres and invoice copy
should be sent to Anderson-CSK, Unit 2/3, Sterling Industrial Park, Carwood
Road, Castleford, West Yorks, WF10 4PS including the return address in full.
Separate arrangements are being made
for the trade who are members of the BKIA.
For any further information contact Anderson-CSK on 01977
603838.
[ Top ]
Back-To-Back Victories (21/02)
Following
on from the abandoned January round the Winter Series at Shenington finally got
underway in February with very respectable grids across all categories.
Following a good day of testing on Saturday foggy conditions on Sunday delayed
the start and made the early heats challenging for all drivers.
Protrain cadet driver 96 Joe Turney
left Shenington last December with a superb victory having dominated racing on
his comer engine and returned for the first time on the new Iame Parilla hoping
to add to his race wins total, he did not disappoint.
Having finished
fourth and second in his heats he lined up on row two and despite dropping a
couple of places into the first corner he drove with the usual determination we
have come to expect to seal back to back Shenington victories.
The
win was an even more impressive achievement as Turney struggled in January on an
engine that has a currently undiagnosed fault so had a brand new engine on his
kart demonstrating the potential of the Iame engines 'out of the box'.
As leading
Shenington 2012 competitor across the line on an Iame in 2013 Turney was awarded
a £200 Iame voucher which has already been put to good use. After the race he
thanked his team, Ogden Motorsport and in particular James Mills of John Mills
Engineering for their support.
Meanwhile Honda Cadet Novice driver Tom Bennett was
chasing the novice trophy and with two very strong heats he put his Kart seventh
on the grid eventually taking his third Honda Novice trophy in a nail billing
final.
Shenington Comer Cadet 2012 Champion Kieran Wragg showed that the transition
from Cadet to MiniMax can be immediately successful by taking a highly
respectable fifth place.
Joe Turney has shown great pace and race craft in the
short time he has been karting and will be competing at Super1 in 2013, do you
have a cadet driver who could partner him? We'd love to hear from you and have a
great offer for the right driver. Please call Martyn Smithers or Gary Chapman in
total confidence on 01280 814774.
The
Formula K UK team move on to Genk for round one of the EuroMax challenge and the
Super 1 and club team move on to PFI.
Photograph courtesy of Graham
Smith/TSR Productions.
[ Top ]
Thomas Continues Winning Streak (21/02)
MBR's
Harrison Thomas carried momentum from his recent PFI Winter Series victory to
Shenington, winning comfortably against strong opposition and confirming that he
will be one to watch in Super One.
Fog delayed Sunday's proceedings, and meant just six laps
in each heat, but that proved no deterrent to Thomas, who turned 26th on the
grid into seventh in race one, before leading from lights to flag second time
around and earning himself third spot on the grid for the Final, as well as
posting the fastest laps of the weekend.
Gaining a place on the opening lap of the main event, it
took just one more tour for Thomas to hit the front and, from then on, the
result hardly looked in doubt as the Welsh youngster eased away to win by
1.3secs.
"It was definitely an easier win than at PFI, but I still had to get to the
front," Thomas reflected, "Once I did that, I was able to control the race, and
I'm delighted to win, especially against good opposition. It's all good
preparation for the final round of the Winter Series in two weeks' time. Thank
you to Mick Barrett Racing, Ogden Race Engines, my family and all my sponsors."
[ Top ]
Calling All 177/Masters (20/02)
Just
two weeks remain until the 1st round of Forest Edge Kart Club's 2013
Championship, and what will likely to be the biggest ever gathering of 177 Rotax
racers seen in the UK at a single event!
Over 40
177/Masters are expected for the first round of the interclub challenge and its
not too late to enter - FEKC were the first club in the UK to offer online
entries three years ago so head to
www.fekc.co.uk to
participate or contact Matt Barnes at
mattbarnes34@hotmail.co.uk.
The Hampshire club has consistently
seen the biggest UK grid of 177/Masters over the past three years and is looking
forward to a bumper entry for Round 1. Rotax classes look to be phenomenally
strong and IAME's are added for the start of 2013 racing.
So if you have never ventured to the
Hampshire club before why not come and see what over 200 regular racers see
every month(!) to one of the most successful MSA owner driver circuits in the
UK.
[ Top ]
Lay Gets A Shot... (19/02)

EasyKart
UK - in conjunction with KGP UK are to recognise the double Championship
achievements of James Lay.
In 2012 James did the double by winning the EasyKart
Junior Championship and the one day E plate Championship race. James Lay started
karting as a novice in Easykart following in the footsteps of his elder brother
Patrick. He has progressed through EasyKart Junior with remarkable results in a
short period of time.
Up and coming talent is what our new association with
Ginetta is all about. Our unique collaboration ladder, which starts from
Easykart through to KGP and progresses on to Ginetta car racing, provides the
perfect career path for young drivers to develop.
To recognise and reward James's achievements Easykart UK
will be providing him with a free drive in a Championship S1 round of its sister
franchise Formula KGP.
James will compete as a guest driver in the Ginetta
Formula KGP S1 at Glan-y-Gors in June. The KGP grid boasts many multiple British
Champions and a Championship that has gone to the wire in the last two seasons.
James will drive with the ACR-Birel team on the new Birel RY30 S5 Motorsport
chassis.
KGP
is almost 3 seconds a lap quicker compared to the Senior EasyKart that James
will drive in this year's 2013 EasyKart UK Championship, so it will be
interesting to see how James gets on.
With his brother Patrick also racing Easykart in
2013, perhaps the biggest question is - who will come out on top in the EasyKart
Championship, James or Pat..? Place your bets!
For more information on Easykart
visit
www.easykart.co.uk or for information on Formula
KGP visit
www.kartgrandprix.co.uk or find both on
Facebook.
[ Top ]
McCarthy Aims High (18/02)

RL
Racing Department's Jack McCarthy is targeting a top three finish in the 2013
Euro Max Challenge after a competitive maiden outing in the annual curtain
raiser to the international Rotax season (9/10 Feb).
McCarthy, who finished 8th overall in
the Super One Mini Max championship last season, made an impressive bow in both
international competition and the Junior category.
The 12-year old quickly adjusted to
the cut and thrust of the faster kart and the fast Andalucian circuit.
"He did really well," said Steve
Armstrong, owner of RL Racing Department. "Jack had never seen Campillos before,
so for him to qualify 7th-fastest overall and then run strongly in the heats -
whilst learning all the time - shows what potential he has."
11th,
10th and 14th place finishes in his three heats saw McCarthy qualify for the
pre-final grid in 11th place.
It proved to be a tough race, but Jack stuck to the task
in hand and battled to an eventual 13th place at the chequered flag.
"When you get to the finals, you tend
to find the racing becomes even more brutal and Jack's inexperience showed. He
drove extremely well but his lack of international race craft prevented a higher
finish," observed Armstrong.
Buoyed by the 2008 Euro Max champion's coaching and
advice, Jack went on to cross the line in 10th place in the final.
"I'm delighted.
Finishing 10th out of 34 and at his first attempt shows his potential. He loved
the whole experience and coped well with the hard, fast action on track. At
times it overwhelmed him a little, but the racing did seem harder this year. It
used to be a little gentler and less aggressive, but that's how we race in the
UK, so over the coming season, I don't see why we shouldn't be targeting entry
into the Rotax Grand Finals with a top three finish in the Euro Max Challenge.
Jack will drop back into Mini Max at home and I think he has what it takes to go
for the Super One title."
For more information about racing
with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843 586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk.
For all the latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs courtesy of Alexandros
Vernardis/The RaceBox.
[ Top ]
Comer Cadet Academy Offer (15/02)
Zip
Kart are delighted to announce that they have secured a sponsorship for the MSA
Super One Comer Championship. Drivers who register for the MSA comer cadet
championship will be eligible to receive free slick tyres for round one of the
championship that kicks off on the 5-7th April at Three Sisters Wigan.
All drivers that have already
registered with Super One for the rookie/academy class will also be eligible for
the offer.
With healthy grids and ultra competitive racing guaranteed the 2013 MSA Comer
Cadet championship can now also offer great value racing at the highest level
for those drivers wishing to make the stepping stone from club racing to Super
One!
Plus,
Zip have Honda prizes on offer for Zip drivers in Super One...
The highest finisher in the Honda
Cadet championship on a ZIP Cadet (you must have competed a least 4 rounds on
Zip kart) will win a test day with the factory Zip/ART/RSF team in either Mini
Max or KF3, plus a free set of tyres for each podium achieved at Super One!
Overview
of the MSA Comer Cadet Championship:
MSA championship for Comer cadet class.
Open to drivers with a National A licence.
You can race in the year of 9th birthday.
Free slick tyres for all rookie/academy drivers for use at
RD1 + RD2.
TV Coverage on Motors
TV.
Suburb prize vouchers for
the top 3 rookie finishers at each round.
A free season's racing in Super One in 2014 for the
winning championship driver.
KF/Rotax test with Zip/ART/RSF team for the top 3 in the overall championship.
Fantastic overall championship prizes down to 10th place.
Guaranteed coverage in Karting magazine each month.
To be eligible
for this great package and to book your place on the grid, drivers must register
with Super One before the 1st March 2013. For any enquires regarding the
championship please contact Super One on 01869 320157 or email
sonja@superoneseries.com, and for any
information on the prizes or to discuss anything about the Rookie/Academy
package contact Zip Kart on 01327 855310 or email
info@zipkart.com.
To register for
the 2013 Super One series visit
http://superoneseries.com/.
[ Top ]
Formula Cadet Wet Tyres (15/02)
The
Association of British Kart Clubs along with Anderson-CSK and Dunlop wish to
apologise for the issues that have transpired on the Formula Cadet wet tyre.
Following tests by Dunlop in Japan on the return of a problem set of tyres it
would appear that this may have been caused by a new batch of polymer, and
perhaps exacerbated by the effect of the cold weather in our winter. The results
of the tests have only just become available.
Anderson-CSK have already arranged with Dunlop to
immediately manufacture a controlled batch of tyres, with another immediate
follow up. Control means with reference back to the batches prior to the problem
arising. The first batch will be air-freighted to the UK by the end of February
and it is anticipated can be distributed during the first week of March. Dunlop
have agreed to exchange all tyres from the problem batch for the new tyres,
which will be easily identified by the new barcode marking. Further details on
the logistics of this exchange will be given by Anderson-CSK shortly. There will
be no cost to the competitor.
Anderson-CSK,Dunlop and the ABkC can only apologise and
ask for parents and drivers forbearance. Please be assured that Dunlop is fully
committed to resolving the problem as quickly as humanly possible and have
assured us that the performance of the wet tyres will be restored to the
previous norm.
The MSA are being kept informed of developments.
[ Top ]
Webb's Winter Cup Joy (14/02)

Reigning
junior Grand Finals and Euro Max Challenge champion Harry Webb added to his
reputation as one of motor racing's most exciting prospects by winning the
prestigious Rotax Winter Cup - on his debut in the senior category.
The 15-year-old Strawberry Racing
driver won the coveted trophy after an enthralling battle with team-mate
Harrison Scott, to take victory at Campillos (10 February).
Harry was amongst the principal
contenders throughout the week-long meeting in Andalucia, having qualified 3rd
overall and winning two of his three preliminary heats.
In the pre-final, he had started in
6th place overall, after an engine failure in his second heat had cost him a
chance of qualifying further up the grid for the first of Sunday's two final.
However, he demonstrated his pace and race craft to finish in 3rd place.
A clash between Webb and nearest
challenger Scott, during the closing stages of the final, set up a nail-biting
charge to the chequered flag.
Webb had taken the lead early on, but his rival fought
back.
"I
had got away well but in the last five laps Harrison pulled me in. On the last
lap he was all over me, but I wasn't going to give in and nor was he. He
attacked and, naturally, I defended through every corner. Neither of us would
give an inch to the other and as we went into one of the corners, Harrison had
two wheels on the grass. I was given a warning flag. There was no aggro
afterwards, it was all very friendly."
Harry crossed the line marginally
ahead of Harrison to secure an historic back to back victory: "To win both
junior and senior two years in a row is pretty good. I needed to win, because if
I hadn't I wouldn't have been doing the European races, so this one means rather
a lot to me."
Having won on his international senior debut, Webb was
asked how the racing compared with that in juniors: "At this level, Junior Max
is very hard but the seniors are harder. The front brakes make life both harder
and easier for you. If you're behind someone, you can make late lunges going
into the corners but if you're leading, they make sure you can't relax for a
moment. But I'm sure my dice with Harrison made for great viewing and it was
certainly exciting for us. We both showed just how fantastic the new Tony Kart
EVK chassis is, and how strong Cream Racing engines are."
Photographs courtesy of Bas Kaligis.
[ Top ]
Performance Match Advantage (13/02)
February,
the beginning of a new season, has been especially busy for Grice Racing.
Our new transient and eddy rolling
road is up and running, giving useful information in matching your ancillaries
to your race motor. We now offer the facility to dyno power test your engine,
then match all your ancillaries on the rolling road to maximise it's full
potential. Something that is exclusive to Grice in the UK and only last
week did Evolution, Next Generation, Mark Campfield and Coles use this facility
to their drivers' advantage.
We are now able to offer a free test drive of all our
motors and with the introduction of new Iame cadet class, our 15 years of piston
timed race motor experience is proving invaluable with both Next Generation and
Fusion all busy doing just this.
Lastly, we are as ever, still offering our recession
busting rebuilds at truly unbelievable prices. Get in touch for more information
and see how we compare!
To arrange your free test or enquire about rebuilds please
call Ricky on 01268 727847 or 07768 047253.
You can also
email
ricky.grice@virgin.net and visit our website at
Griceracingengines.com.
[ Top ]
TKM Give Thumbs Up (13/02)
Tal-Ko
is confident of completing its TKM Club Championship with a double-header event
at Whilton Mill, despite some current uncertainty at the circuit caused by a
re-organisation of its operations.
The four event championship, which has races at Kimbolton,
Shenington, Rissington and Whilton Mill, got off to a flying start last year
with more than 70 registered drivers across the Junior and Senior classes.
This year's series is based at the
same circuits within the Midlands area but with the last round at Whilton Mill
in September running as a double header adding a final sting in the tail to the
trend-setting regional championship.
Over the past few weeks a number of changes have been
announced at the circuit thanks to a multi-thousand pound investment from the
owners, which will improve the track itself and increase facilities. This
includes changes to the existing club set up.
Short term this has caused some hiccups in event
organisation but says TKM series co-ordinator Grahame Butterworth: "We see this
as nothing more than a storm in a crash helmet and we are confident that by one
route or another, our final round will be able to take place as planned.
"We have been very encouraged by the
positive response from the track owners to solve some existing things at the
circuit which we found concerned our drivers - like the barrier at the last
corner and the bumps.
"More than that we have agreement with the circuit owners
on some ideas which will provide a boost to all TKM drivers in the area. As a
company we were the first to test at the track when it was built and we are
pleased to continue our association."
Registration for the series closes on
March 15. More information and registration sheets etc available from
www.tal-ko.com
or for queries email
interclub@tkmdriversclub.com.
Formula K Success (12/02)

The
European season commenced at a sun soaked Campillos as Europe's finest drivers
kicked off their European season with an early season shake down at The Rotax
Winter Cup at the Spanish circuit. This well organised and enjoyable event is
often used by top European karters to test and get in shape for the upcoming
season, among them for Formula K UK were Junior Max Driver Thomas Preining,
Senior Max drivers Jiri Forman and Sabedin Berat Turker with Xen De Ruwe in DD2.
Preining
finished his 2012 season with very impressive results and the Formula K driver
was determined to start where he left off. Early signs were very promising as
Preining was third fastest in non qualifying practice in a field where 1 second
would put you back as far as 24th out of the 31 drivers. He followed this up
with a good qualifying session putting his kart on the fifth row of the grid,
however his improvements in heats one and two were significantly hindered
following accident in heat three where he managed to limp home in 30th place,
Combining his early heats with his misfortunate third heat gave him a grid
position of 13 for the pre final.
In Seniors Jiri Forman was the one to watch with a superb
performance in non qualifying practice two taking the fastest lap following up
his earlier third place, Turker was lower down but with a second between first
and 24th the leader board was changing all the time. In an equally positive
qualifying session Forman put his kart at the front row in P2 and Turker on the
10th row with some work to do for the next day. Whilst Forman had some very well
deserved and hard fought results in his three heats, finishing fourth, 10th and
fourth, Turker was charging up the field showing superb improvement on his FK
chassis taking 18th, 14th and seventh. This put Forman on the front row and
Turker on the fifth for their prefinal; his best ever results in EuroMax.
Meanwhile in DD2 Formula K Europe
driver Xen De Ruwe was once again demonstrating that he is a force to be
reckoned as all early testing reinforced this driver's champion status. However
in a shocking development he was excluded from qualifying for an infringement
involving using a piece of FK tape where only Rotax tape was acceptable. This
only served to fuel De Ruwe's determination as in warm up the next morning he
blasted the field with a time 2/10ths faster. Demonstrating why he truly is a
driver to be admired he went from the back of the grid to fourth in Heat 1 and
8th and 5th in his remaining two heats. This gave him a position on the third
row of the grid for the prefinal.
Driving conditions for finals day were excellent with the
cold wind only affecting early warm up. Preining was first out for his prefinal
and made a steady move forward securing 7th place and an excellent chance for
the final. Forman and Turker fell back a little with Forman finishing 6th and
Turker 17th and DD2 driver Xen once again showing steely determination to
put his kart on pole position for the final with a solid win.
With everything to play for in the
final Preining held his nerve to get a good start and did not look back, he
pressed his way forward taking second place for much of the race. Just as it
looked like second was where he would finish he lost a place and eventually took
a very well deserved podium finishing in third place in an excellent season
opener.
Forman was not so fortunate at the start in seniors which cost him dearly but
again with determination we was able to push himself forward and was
disappointed to just miss the podium taking fourth place. His fastest lap which
he held for almost the entire race was pipped by another driver but this shows
the great pace of the driver who will surely be one of the best in Europe this
season
Turker's
early promise was not fulfilled in a very difficult final but his pace and heat
results show the potential of this young driver and as the season develops he
will surely be achieving the results he is working so hard for.
Saving what was possibly his best for
last DD2 driver Xen de Ruwe put on a masterclass in his final taking victory
whist being the only driver to break the 1:03 barrier.
The Formula K drivers left Campillos
very happy and positive about their 2013 campaign. The FK was consistently at
the front and showing it is a package capable of winning at any level. Team
manager Martyn Smithers said, "It was a pleasure to work with these excellent
drivers again, we are very happy with the improvements we made and have once
again demonstrated our strength in Europe. I am very pleased to know that FK
drivers secured a first, third and fourth at this highly competitive meeting. We
move on to Genk very positive about what we will be able to achieve.
Gary Chapman
reinforced Smithers comment by adding, "I am really pleased with the position we
are in, I remain totally confident in the Formula K which in spite of
being in relatively low numbers compared to other chassis is right at the front.
The team is putting in amazing effort and with hard work and sheer determination
we are getting excellent results. Our FK drivers represented .5% of the field at
Campillos which makes our results highly impressive; as more drivers get on the
chassis even more results will come. We will continue to do a great job and I am
confident that our Formula K drivers will continue to dominate as the season
progresses. I offer my congratulations to them and the entire Formula K UK
team".
Did
you like what you saw? Protrain Racing are sole importers for Formula K, if you
are interested in testing one or becoming an agent for this impressive marque
please contact Gary Chapman on 07802 966064 or email him at
protrain@karttraining.co.uk.
See our new website at
www.formulak-uk.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Strawberry Too Hot To Handle (12/02)

Strawberry
Racing dominated the fifth edition of the Rotax Winter Cup at Campillos (4-10
February), with its drivers taking 1st and 2nd place finishes in the junior and
senior categories.
Having previously won the event an unprecedented four
times, team manager Warwick Ringham confessed he was running out of superlatives
to describe how he felt after winning again: "What can I say? Every year the
pressure is on us, so much so, that winning is almost a relief. Of course, I'm
delighted for the four lads on the podium but all of our drivers performed
extremely well."
He added: "Until the week before Campillos, most of them
hadn't sat in a kart since the Grand Finals (28 November - 1 December, at
Portimao, Portugal). So went out there and just let them all drive round and
have fun. You could see how much Harry has matured since he won the Grand
Finals, so he was able to step up to the senior equipment and match Harrison's
pace straight away. Even so, they were putting some outrageous passes on each
other as they played out on track. Our Juniors - Connor Hall and Guan Yu Zhou -
were also quick, as expected, but they were kept honest by our new drivers
Darren Keane and Yuri Vips."
Jessica Backman impressed when she arrived in Andalucia in
the early hours of Saturday morning and, having missed Friday's timed qualifying
session, had to go straight into the heats from the back of the grid. Her
brother, Andreas, was the team's sole representative in the DD2 category.
Sadly, a bent brake disc blighted his chances of a good finish in the main
final, having delivered a series of strong performances in the preliminaries.
In the junior class, Connor Hall
maintained the form he showed at the end of last season, as did Guan Yu Zhou.
The pair duly gave strong performances in the pre-final to finish 2nd and 5th
respectively. Juri finished in a creditable 10th with Darren, still getting to
grips with the European style of racing, a fine 14th.
Hall
proved to be the class of the field in the 14-lap final, as Zhou fought his way
through to the runner-up spot. Juri and Darren gained more poisitive experience
as they took the chequered flag in line astern, finishing 13th and 14th.
A nail-biting finish in the senior
final was assured, after 2012 Winter Cup champion Scott reeled in the leader,
Webb, and attacked. Harry defended, but neither would give their team-mate an
inch. Ringham and his team could barely watch as Harrison had to take to the
grass to avoid a collision. Webb was given a warning flag for the robust defence
of his advantage but won the race fair and square, with Scott refusing to give
up his crown all the way to the finishing line.
"What a way to signal your arrival in seniors!" said
Ringham. "Harry was just magnificent and what a way for Harrison to sign off his
karting career, before going into Formula Ford, with another thoroughly deserved
podium."
Grand Final victor Charlie Eastwood also finished well inside the top ten, with
7th place and Jessica Backman also earned praised for her eventual 16th place.
With a vacancy created by Scott's
departure to single-seaters, Ringham announced the arrival of Kyle Fowlie into
the squad: "Now Kyle's with us, we must have one of the strongest line-ups we've
fielded," explained Warwick. "Omar Ismail, Ben Hingely and Max Aitken also
signed with us in the closed-season, making our junior team a very exciting
prospect indeed."
For more information about OTK
products and Cream's preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk. Or call 0114 269
6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs courtesy of Bas Kaligis.
[ Top ]
Connor
Hall & Strawberry Racing
(11/02)
Connor
Hall has won the Junior Rotax Winter Cup, following 10 days at the Campillos
circuit in Spain (with a couple of days break in between that allowed Connor and
his team mates to take a look at some Formula 1 testing at the Jerez circuit).
Wednesday and Thursday's testing went well, and the team worked like
clockwork.
Qualifying went well for Connor and although he didn't take pole position, he
managed a credible 6th for the heats. This did have the unfortunately side
effect of this putting him on the outside at the start, but despite this he
still managed to qualify 3rd for the pre-final, having already been fastest by
some margin in two of the heats. Connor managed to convert 3rd place on the grid
to 2nd place for the main final, and having been fast all weekend he was
confident of a good result.
After being forced backwards at the start of the main
final he soon showed his class by driving his way to the front, closely followed
by his team-mate Guan Yu Zhou. With 3 laps to go Connor managed to edge a small
gap while Zhou also drove an outstanding race.
Connor took the victory by over 2
seconds, with Zhou coming home in an impressive second to complete a fantastic
1-2 for the team.
A massive thanks go to everyone at Strawberry Racing -
Warwick Ringham, Paul Spencer and Connor's mechanic Harry Cockill for all their
hard work as well as providing the Tonykart EVK and Cream Racing engine to
enable this fantastic result.
You can keep up-to-date with Connor's
progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk.
[ Top ]
2013 Maranello RS12 (08/02)
The
2013 Maranello RS12 chassis has just arrived with us in the UK, with LP Tent
Motorsport being the first to test them in Britain at Larkhall circuit.
Meanwhile back at Maranello UK HQ at
PFi, the works team are getting ready for 2013's Super One championship with
Denis Gorman and Matt Booth racing in Formula KGP. Both drivers will be busy
testing over the next couple of months in preparation for the club meetings at
PFi and the O Plate at Rowrah, and we are aiming to hit the ground running for
round one of MSA Super One at Rowrah in May.
For more
information email
laury@maranellokarts.co.uk
or visit our website at
www.maranellokarts.co.uk.
Iame
Cadet:
Under the banner
of Curley Racing Ltd, this year we will be gradually expanding into the new and
exciting Iame cadet formula. The new engine is proving to be an excellent choice
for the class as shown by huge grid numbers at PFi and bumper entries for the
Little Green Man Championship.
We have places available in the awning for Iame Cadets for
the Little Green Man Championship and at the PFi club championship. Packages are
available from awning space only or including a mechanic. Any cadet chassis can
be catered for.
Other services available from Curley Racing Ltd include
kart preparation and storage at PFi, any brand of kart chassis is catered for
but the CRG family of chassis are our speciality. We can cater for every type of
kart and engine related service including chassis alignment, engine rebuilds and dyno sessions.
Driver coaching sessions using experienced S1 champions is
also available at PFi. Various packages available.
More details on any of the above
services are available by emailing
laury@curleyracing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Encouraging Performances (08/02)

Team
IPK's young drivers continued their strong development with a string of
highly-encouraging performances on the OK1 chassis at last weekend's ferociously
competitive TVKC meeting at PFi.
William Tregurtha led the Minimax squad in a near Super
One-strength grid of 45 karts. The combination of the OK1 kart and Grice engine
helped him power from 29th place all the way through to 13th in his first heat.
And in his second race Tregurtha, 12,
grabbed an excellent runners-up spot - his fifth top three finish in his last
six meetings. That statistic is a testament to his improvement with the team,
the quality of the OK1 kart and his Grice equipment. His final unfortunately
ended early after a collision when running strongly.
Also
in Minimax Jack Fabby and Jordan Goodyear can take huge credit from their
efforts. Fabby had two spirited 16th place finishes in his heats while Goodyear
showed his potential by recovering from a DNF to battle through to a mature
second-place in the B final. Both drivers fought hard in the final and can look
forward to the rest of the season with real promise.
The same can be said for Greg Simpson in Senior Max with
his first dry outing at the circuit. The Scottish driver was also taking on a
large, powerful grid but looked more than at home and even though his final was
wrecked by a crash his heat finishes of 15th and 18th out of 27 showed his
potential too.
For more details on the OK1 chassis
and some great deals contact the IPK importer on 01133 222795 or visit our
website
www.ipkarting.co.uk for details of our dealer
network.
For race team info contact Dave Johnston on 07972 073292.
[ Top ]
BPKC Winter Series (08/02)
The
second round at Buckmore Park Kart Club Winter Championship is scheduled for
Sunday 17 February 2013. Practice is available on Friday 15 February and
Saturday 16 February.
As round 1 of the championship was snowed off both rounds
2 and 3 will count towards the overall championship.
All ABkC non gearbox classes are
welcome including Bambino and Subaru.
Please contact Chris Pullman/Sheila
Rose on 01634 661604 for more details. Online booking is available.
Full details are
available at www.buckmoreparkkartclub.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Thomas Makes Flying Start (07/02)

Welsh
youngster Harrison Thomas made the perfect start to 2013 by claiming a
hard-fought victory in round three of the TVKC Winter Series at PFI.
Against a classy Minimax field, the
12-year old showed few nerves as he took control from the start and, although
the grid draw saw him have to come from rows four and twelve in the heats,
results of fifth and sixth put him in good position for start of the main event.
Thomas again wasted little time in
asserting himself in the final, climbing to third within three laps to form part
of a breakaway group and then pouncing with two laps remaining to win by just
over a tenth of a second. The victory also took the MBR driver to third position
in the standings, just four points off the lead with one round remaining.
"It's great to be able to produce
this result against some of the UK's best Minimax drivers, and gives me
confidence for the rest of the season," Thomas commented, confirming that, under
the guidance of Dan Barrett and Alex Tee, he will contest not only the six-round
Super 1 Series, but also both the 'O' Plate and Kartmasters with Tonykart
chassis and Ogden-tuned engines.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
ART GP Satellite Team (07/02)
NJL
Racing have joined forces with ZIP Kart - the ART Distributor in the UK - and
will become an ART GP satellite team using the latest ART GP karts for 2013.
Owners of both teams have a vast amount of experience in motorsport, with Nick
from NJL having driven in the BTCC and GT's championships, combined with Zip
Kart's decades of creating champions.
NJL Racing are set to compete using the ART karts in
Rotax/KGP in the British Super One Series and TKM, whilst also attending various
club meetings across the UK. Cameron Leason will be racing the ART in Formula
KGP Super One with Thomas Kolasky competing on the ART in Senior Rotax, with
more drivers TBA within the NJL Racing Team.
Former
BTCC/GT driver and the owner of NJL Racing, Nick, commented "The Team has made
great progress this year and now looking to achieve more for the 2013 race
season. We have been testing various chassis over the last few months to see
what we would use for 2013 and have been very happy with the results we saw with
the ART GP Chassis, especially with the development and support from ZIP. It's a
great move forward for NJL Racing using the ART GP karts and look forward to
some good results."
Drivers wishing to compete in either Super One or
Club events should contact Nick on 07774 891435, or email nick@njlracing.com.
Jamie Allen, Zip/ART Rotax team
manager, said "We have been out testing the kart with our Rotax drivers and have
been very encouraged by the results so far before our full Campaign at Super 1
begins in March "we are happy that NJL have chosen ART as their chassis partner
and we look forward to working with them at both Super 1 and Club events."
[ Top ]
IAME/Comer Cadet Opportunities (07/02)
The
Super One Series is pleased to announce that Rookie Cadets in IAME and Comer
will be offered a fantastic bonus prize package in the 2013 season, thanks to
new partnerships with MIS Motorsport and Zip Kart.
We are proud that MIS Motorsport is the official class
sponsor for the 2013 MSA British Cadet Championship and Zip Kart is the official
class sponsor for the 2013 MSA Comer Cadet National Championship. All rookie
drivers (first time in Super One) who register by 1st March (or have registered
already) are eligible for the new prizes, which are conditional on racing in the
same class in 2014. The fantastic prize package consists of the following:
- Free seasons racing in 2014
Super One Series, comprising of Free Registration, Free Entries to the meetings,
Free Race Tyres, Free Fuel.
-
Mercedes GP VIP Tour of the Formula 1 facility at Brackley.
- Super One Rookie Championship Trophy.
- Free 12 months subscription to Karting Magazine.
Super One Series Promoter John Hoyle
said: "I am delighted to welcome MIS Motorsport and Zip Kart as the official
class sponsors to our MSA Cadet championships. This partnership has
enabled us to offer such an amazing package of prizes to the best rookie, to
help them up the motorsport ladder."
We
are sure to have some incredible racing in the Cadet classes during 2013 on a
very affordable package so don't delay, register today on line at
superoneseries.com/registration as this offers a
discount over the alternative of downloading the forms from
superoneseries.com/downloads and sending a
cheque to Sonja Game, 16, Graham Road, Bicester OX26 2HP.
Further details
on MIS Motorsport, who offer a large range of insurance products tailored for
motorsport, can be found here
www.mismotorsport.com and
for Zip Kart here
www.zipkart.com. Zip Kart are of course the
official supplier of the Comer Cadet engine.
Further details or questions about
the academy please contact John Hoyle on
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com.
Super One 2013 regulations will apply
as normal.
[ Top ]
Formula KGP At PFi (07/02)
Trent
Valley Kart Club are pleased to announce that they will be running Formula KGP,
subject to minimum grid numbers, at their March & April Club race meetings.
Entries will be accepted for:
03 March (Club Winter Series - Rd 4)
07 April (Club Championship - Rd 1)
Enter Online at
www.tvkc.co.uk.
Alternatively,
download a Race Entry Form
here.
Remember: Race entries close 7 days
prior to the race date.
[ Top ]
ART Grand Prix Karts (05/02)

Zip
Kart, the UK distributor for the ART Grand Prix kart range, are pleased to
announce that PPR racing will be switching their team over to the ART kart for
the 2013 season, PPR will be a partner/affiliate team being and will be in
attendance at all Kimbolton and Whilton Mill meetings during 2013.
Simon Parker PPR team principle has
worked in many of the most established names in karting inc; Sodi kart, Ricky
Flynn and Fusion Motorsport, and with over 20 years' experience in the sport he
has seen many brands come and go. After testing the kart at various tracks in
the UK he had no hesitation in making the switch to ART.
"Having worked with many of the top
manufacturers and teams in Europe I have watched ARTs debut season in 2012 with
interest. Having now tested and raced the kart I'm really looking forward to the
2013 season, and being a part of the ART Karts development. During testing and
racing all the drivers have been really positive about the kart, and from an
engineering point of view it's easy to set up and work with".
PPR will also be working closely with
the All Stars cadet team offering a cost effective stepping stone from the Cadet
classes to Mini Max at club level.
Any drivers wishing to try the ART
kart can contact PPR on 07855 831921, or for more information on ART Grand Prix
products contact Zip Kart on 08435 070850.
[ Top ]
R&S Motorsport Appointed... (04/02)

R&S
motorsport are delighted to announce that they have been appointed as the sole
UK importer for the brand new and exciting Modena KK1 KZ engine.
Brian Rush of R&S said "We were very
impressed with the factory tour and the passionate commitment from everyone at
ASPA, the manufacturers and developers for this completely new concept of KZ
motor. I was particularly impressed with the accuracy and quality of the
manufacturing."
Unlike other engine manufactures, which mass-produce
multiple models for different classes, Modena have spent over 3 years developing
and rigorously testing the KK1 KZ Engine. Within their state of the art factory,
every single component undergoes intensive quality control this is why every
Modena engine will have exactly the same finishing quality and performance.
Being at least 1.6kg lighter than its next lightest rival means that with lower
centre of gravity your kart behaves more responsively and allows you to fit your
ballast where it suits you.
The
KK1 had an amazing debut this weekend at WSK, with a great podium finish in the
first final for Fabian Federer. Already the engine is competing successfully at
the highest level of competition.
Brian
continued "I'm really excited for the year ahead, being part of a passionate and
dedicated team at Modena with such a great, innovative, product. KZ is the most
exciting class on the grid, both for spectators and the drivers alike. And now
with the introduction of KZ into Super 1, timing couldn't have been better to
launch such a product in the UK, and break the mould".
We will soon be carrying out test
days for any potential customers interested. For more information on the
Modena call Brian on 07824 324255 or email
info@modena-engines.co.uk. You can also visit
our new website at
www.modena-engines.co.uk.
You should also
check out Modena's Youtube channel, which has some great videos about the engine
and the company itself. These can be viewed at
http://youtu.be/RV2hrb5smHw.
[ Top ]
Oil Fuel Mix Ratio App (04/02)

'Oil
Ratio' is a simple, professionally designed, Oil to Fuel Mix Ratio iPhone app
that the developer would like some testing on, in regards to it's usability, and
also suggestions on feature improvements. It works in both Metric and Imperial
quantities.
It's important before marketing a product like this to
have it tested by as many people as possible, because sometimes something
obvious that needs improving or fixing just gets passed over.
So what I would like to do is send
out a free promo code to the first 20 readers who have iPhones, and in return,
are willing to test and send some feedback.
Oil Ratio is a simple app that does what it says, and
should be very handy to have around.
For more information you can find Oil
Ratio on the
app store.
If you're interested in testing the
app and providing feedback, please contact Steve at
iphoneapp@daydreemin.com.
[ Top ]
Formula BMW Talent Cup (01/02)

New
season, new dates, new design: in just a few weeks, the participants in the 2013
Formula BMW Talent Cup will begin their extensive training programme, with which
BMW offers talented drivers comprehensive and lasting preparation for a career
in professional motor racing. The BMW FB02 single-seater racing cars, in which
the youngsters will be trained at numerous on-track events at renowned circuits
around Europe, are waiting in the pit lanes with a brand new design, ready to be
unleashed on the 2013 season.
A number of places are still
available on the programme. Between mid-February and the start of March, ten
test sessions will provide those interested with the opportunity to prepare for
a possible participation in the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup. At the "Rookie
Tests", which are held in the run-up to the start of the official training
programme, drivers coming from a karting background with no experience of a
single-seater racing car are taught the basics of Formula motorsport. More
advanced tests are also available for drivers who already have initial
experience of single-seater racing, or who have already taken part in a rookie
test. More information is available online at
www.formula-bmw.com.
The car used at the tests and
throughout the training season is the BMW FB02, which has a new look for 2013.
Having been predominantly white with dark-blue design elements in recent years,
the Formula BMW FB02 will sport a matt-black livery for the 2013 season, which
lends to the sporty, dynamic and powerful appearance of the car. On January 19,
2013, BMW and the winner of the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup, Marvin Dienst (DE),
presented the new-look BMW FB02 at the International Kart Exhibition in
Offenbach (DE).
Participants in the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup will once
again undergo a comprehensive programme of learning, with the emphasis on the
practical and theory sides of racing, simulator training and performance
coaching. Media courses and technical workshops will also be held. Dirk Adorf
(DE) returns as Driving Ambassador for the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup,
completing the experienced international team, which consists of BMW works
drivers, instructors and coaches. The training programme reaches its climax with
the highlight of the season from 14th to 16th September: the "Grand Final". As
well as receiving first-rate training, the winner of the final event, which will
once again share the bill with the DTM, can look forward to a very attractive
prize: BMW will finance the victor for a complete season in a higher-level
racing series.
Provisional dates for the 2013 Formula BMW Talent Cup
season:
March - Fitness camp
(TBA)
March - Technical workshop
(Hamburg, DE)
April 20/21 -
Official welcome event (Munich, DE)
April 26-28 - On-track event 1 (Calafat, ES)
May 10-12 - Simulator training (Silverstone, UK)
June 7-9 - On-track event 2 (Anderstorp, SE)
July 2-4 - Simulator training (Silverstone, UK)
July 10/11 - On-track event 3 (Red Bull Ring, AT)
August 6-8 - On-track event 4 (Slovakiaring, SK)
August 16-18 - On-track event 5 (Hungaroring, HU)
September 14-16 - On-track event 6 & Grand Final
(Oschersleben, DE) (to be confirmed).
You can find more information on the
Formula BMW Talent Cup at
www.formula-bmw.com.
Video highlights
of the 2012 season are also available on the BMW Motorsport YouTube channel at
www.youtube.com/BMWMotorsport.
[ Top ]
Lydd Winter Championship (31/01)
Round
5 of the Lydd Winter Championships takes place on Sunday 10th February, with
practice available on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
It was good to see so many new faces
last month and we look forward to welcoming them again - joining our regulars in
our friendly family atmosphere, with the racing likely to hot up as the
championships near their conclusion! The final round will be on 10th March, with
our Summer Championships kicking off in April.
We welcome karts from all classes,
with our regulars being Bambino, Cadet Clubman (from 7 years old), Cadet, Super
Cadet, Minimax, Juniors , Senior Rotax 162 and 177, and ProKarts.
Last month saw the first running of
the new IAME Cadet class here at Lydd and we anticipate more entries in that
class this month. If you own a kart from a different class, why not come and
give us a try - we will always find a space on the grid for you.
You
can keep up to date with what is happening at Kent's fastest kart circuit by
visiting our website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com.
Race entries can be made via the
website by using the link that appears on the Online Race Entries page. This
will save time at signing on - usually quite a busy time on race morning.
Should you have any queries, please
call the circuit on 01797 321747 or 01797 321895.
We look forward to seeing you there.
[ Top ]
Super One At Glan Y Gors (30/01)
The
Super One round at Glan Y Gors Park are just around the corner - get your racing
practice in order.
The 1st round of Dragon Kart Club's Club Championship is
on 10th February 2013, and represents a fantastic opportunity to get some race
practice in before the Super One events, so don't miss out - enter now!
All club race
meetings and test days on our website or like our Facebook page for up-to-date
information at
facebook.com/gygkarting.
Plus,
online membership & race entries are now available via our website. Visit
www.dragonkartclub.com.
[ Top ]
Rissy Announce Calendar (30/01)
At
Rissington Kart Club our committee have thought long and hard about how we
can give members and fellow racers the maximum track time. As a consequence, we
are introducing a different but exciting looking calendar to that of previous
years, whilst still retaining the first Sunday of the month as we have always
done historically.
Our normal November meeting will be put into
reserve, should a meeting be cancelled. We will now run a 10 round Championship
by having "double headers" - Saturday and Sunday meetings during the same
weekends at Easter and The Midland Champs. We will also introduce Friday
Practice for these dates.
By making these changes we believe that members and guests
will gain even more enjoyment and value for money from racing at Rissington, one
of the best tracks in the country. With its fast flowing smooth circuit,
spacious paddock and a warm welcome for drivers and families, Rissington is the
place to race in 2013. The committee are also working on several other
improvements this season, including an online entry system and a new web site.
Club membership is still available
- we will be running Cadet (all engine types), Junior TKM, Senior TKM, TKM
Clubman, Junior Rotax, Senior Rotax, 125 / 250 gearbox and our regular visiting
series.
Rissington Kart Club Practice/Race
Dates 2013:
2nd / 3rd March
5th - 7th April (double header)
4th / 5th May
1st / 2nd June
6th / 7th July (inc. RAF Champs)
3rd / 4th August
30th August - 1st September (Midland Champs) and TKM
Interclub
5th / 6th October
2nd / 3rd November (reserved for any cancelled meetings)
Look out for
further updates - check out the Rissington Kart Club website at
www.rissykartclub.com.
[ Top ]
Goodbye Old - Hello New (29/01)
![]()
The
time has come to say "Goodbye" to the old Lap Scoring building at PF
International Kart Circuit. The "Gold Fish Bowl" (as it has been commonly
referred to since its construction in 1994) has given good service for a number
of years and its removal will alter the 'look' of the circuit dramatically.
This, however, is not the end of the
road for the old building - it has found a new home at PFi's neighbouring Kart
circuit, Fulbeck, and is now being installed in its new residence!
But, as we wish the old building a
fond farewell, we say a massive hello to the brand new, two storey,
state-of-the-art Lap Scoring Tower! This new investment is the latest
development to take place at PF International in recent months and adds a
totally new dimension to the new part of the track. Situated "off track", the
new building has been designed with the height of timekeeping technology in
mind.
The
building will also provide additional first floor office space that is much
needed at major events. The ground floor consists of garage space that will be
occupied by Boston College in order for them to continue using PFi as part of
their "Karting" college course.
The
new construction has created much excitement and Trent Valley Kart Club's
Chairman and Clerk of the Course, Nigel Edwards is thrilled by the completion of
PFi's latest feature, he comments... "What is so pleasing about being involved
with PFI and TVKC is that there is always exciting things happening all the
time. The New Lap Scoring building on the outside of the circuit is a 'state of
the art' unit for Timekeepers and Officials to carry out their duties and its
positioning and elevation make for a perfect vantage point of all of the circuit
(including the bridge section). The high design and staggered base allows
Grandstand spectators to have full sight of the opening complex of corners,
while the removal of the old Lap Scoring building in the circuit centre has
completely opened up infield views. The start/finish straight now has clear run
off's at both sides - a major improvement for drivers, spectators and officials
alike".
The
opening of the building coincides with the Club's February race meeting and
penultimate round of the Winter Series (3rd February). It also marks the
beginning of TVKC's partnership with TAG. The new building will shortly be
branded with the TAG logos in recognition of the partnership. The official
opening of the new building will take place during the lunch break of Sunday's
event and anyone wishing to take a look inside may do so!
PFi's newest infrastructure will
surely cement the circuit's position in terms of World class Karting facilities
and puts it up there with the best there is! These sentiments have recently been
shared by the CIK in their 2012 analysis report..." Regarding circuits one could
also welcome the modifications made to the PF International track, the reference
in the United Kingdom. The lengthening of the course thanks to the creation of a
bridge is a real success, and the final of the European KF2 & KF3 Championships
was superb advertising for Karting".
But let's not forget that all of this
could not be possible if it wasn't for Paul Fletcher's commitment to, not only
the circuit, but to Karting in general. Nigel Edwards states "I would like to
thank Paul Fletcher for his unwavering support of TVKC and can assure all our
Club Members and guests that the improvements on and off track will continue
unabated in the future - as acclaimed by the CIK the facility at PFI is one of
the best in the world and we will all strive to keep it that way."
So continue to watch this space for
the latest developments at PF International Kart Circuit!
[ Top ]
KartMania Honda Challenge (25/01)
The
MSA Kartmania Honda Challenge will be held over 7 rounds between April and
September, and for the first time this year will include Honda Senior and Honda
Cadet grids! Throughout the year we will also be promoting the Honda Junior
class in some invitation races at 2, possibly 3, rounds including the double
header at Llandow.
This is great news for all Honda classes and will bring
them all together under one MSA championship for the first time in years.
Cadets and seniors will need the
minimum of a National B licence although seniors can still apply for a Tyro
licence which will allow them to race without an ARKS test or medical.
The calendar for this year's
championship is:
April 28 -
Fulbeck
May 19 - Shenington
June 2 - Little Rissington
August 11 - Rowrah
Sept 8 - Wombwell
Registration forms are now available
at
www.kartmania-championships.co.uk,
or for any other enquiries please call 07974 766529.
[ Top ]
Registrations Close Soon (25/01)
Super
One Series registrations at the time of the Autosport Show are already exceeding
last year's level. If you wish to take part in Britain's premier British
and National Championship series and compete with the world's best, register
now.
The best and easiest way to register is on line at
http://superoneseries.com/registration/, and
this method offers a discount over the alternative of downloading the forms from
http://superoneseries.com/downloads/ and sending
a cheque to Sonja Game (16, Graham Road, Bicester OX26 2HP).
Remember this is the only series
permitted to issue the prestigious seeded numbers in KF, KF Junior, KGP, all
Rotax and TKM 2-stroke classes, IAME and Honda Cadet. There are also support
races for KZ2 UK at three rounds, the last of which offers the ABkC O Plate to
the winner. And for first time rookie drivers, there are some great prizes with
all receiving a VIP Mercedes GP Formula 1 factory tour, and all the Rotax rookie
winners receiving a free engine, thanks to JAG Engineering. Everyone will
enjoy the TV coverage, especially your family and supporters.
Teams are also
required to register immediately if they wish to enjoy official status and
reserved parking plus other benefits. The forms are at
http://superoneseries.com/downloads/.
So don't delay, register today!
[ Top ]
George Russell Joins Birel (25/01)
Double
European KF3 champion George Russell will race for 'da sempre leader nel mondo
del kart' after graduating to the KF2 class.
Russell's
signing for the Italian giants ends months of speculation about who the
highly-rated Englishman would drive for during 2013.
"It's a very big brand and therefore
an honour to be part of such a big team and to have the role I've been given
this year," said George.
Despite his impressive track record, the 14-year old says
that Birel is not putting pressure on him to bring instant success: "First
things first, my job will be to test as much as possible and develop the chassis
and engine. I have not been given a specific brief by the team but, of course,
my goal is to win everything. However, their expectation is simply to do the
best we can."
He added: "I feel excitement rather than pressure. It's a
very good feeling to sign for such a team with such an incredible history of
success. Everyone at Lissone (Birel's base near Milan) is so passionate and
everywhere we go this season, we'll be giving it 110%."
Birel Motorsport's Chairman, Ronni
Sala, expressed his satisfaction after agreeing terms with Russell: "I kept a
close eye on George throughout the last two seasons and I deem him one of the
fastest and most experienced young drivers I have seen in action in KF classes.
He has it all: the attitude of a winner and substantial technical skills."
Andy Cox, of Birel's UK importers
ACR, welcomes the famous marque's new signing: "Without doubt, George has
already demonstrated his exceptional talent and I'm delighted he has chosen to
work with Birel Motorsport. I'm very confident that their collaboration will
deliver the rewards that both George and Birel both crave. I look forward to
seeing George and Birel on the top step of the podium in 2013"
Fresh from enjoying his first test as
an official factory driver at Lonato, George travelled to Paris for the annual
CIK-FIA Karting Awards gala. Surrounded by luminaries such as FIA President Jean
Todt and the head of the CIK, Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, plus his fellow
champions of 2012, George collected his European KF3 Championship trophy at a
glittering ceremony.
"Just being there was amazing, as so few drivers get to
go, and to attend for a second time was very special. I chatted with Jean Todt
for a little while and the whole experience has further inspired me for this
year. My main aim will be the World Championship and I hope that I can be as
successful with Birel as I have been in the recent past with likes of Forza
Racing. Terry Fullerton and Mike Wilson both won world titles with Birel and I
would love to be the latest Briton to achieve that feat with the Ferrari of
karting."
Russell will make his Birel and KF2 debut at next month's (2-3 February) opening
round of the WSK Masters series at La Conca in Puglia, Italy.
You can keep up to speed with George and his career by
visiting
www.georgerussellracing.com
and following him on Twitter -
@GeorgeRussell63.
Photographs
courtesy of Birel (George with Ronni Sala) and Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Join A Winning Team (24/01)
![]()
After
winning 3 Rotax Super One finals in 2012, 3DR are preparing to launch their
assault on this year's championships on the back of the most successful campaign
in the teams' 10 year history. The backup and support network linked to
the team, and the experience now built up inside the awning ensures that our
drivers' are fully equipped with all of the equipment that they need to perform
to the best of their abilities, from novice through to British championship
level.
The teams 2012 successes include...
S1 Rotax - 3 Victories (seeded numbers 5, 12, 12 in Rotax
Classes), 4 Podiums, 9 x Top 6 finishes and 12 x Top 10 finishes.
Whilton Mill/Kimbolton/Shenington/PFI MSA Club racing - 19
Victories, 43 Podiums, 53 Fastest Laps.
With 90% of the team remaining stable
for 2013, and our close links with Cream Racing Engines and Strawberry Racing
remaining as strong as ever, there has never been a better time to become part
of one of the up and coming teams in British Karting. The team have 3
opportunities for club level drivers who wish to compete at Whilton Mill,
Kimbolton, Shenington, and PFI across the Rotax classes, and 2 remaining seats
in the Rotax Super 1 series (all classes). We also have in place a full testing
schedule to give the drivers the best possible opportunity when at the events.
All drivers will benefit from our top
class workshop and trackside operations, with full chassis straightening, heated
storage, and cleaning facilities, along with our second to none engine backup
service. We currently hold 15 top level Mini, Junior and Senior engines, all
prepared and maintained by Cream Racing Engines, and available for immediate use
by drivers associated to the team.
The team work very hard throughout the week to ensure that
all of the equipment is prepared to a first class standard, and a recent
expansion programme has seen our trackside operation take on a very professional
image. Despite this, the teams' rates are some of the most competitive in the
country, and we will not take more than 7 drivers to any event, so to give each
driver enough time and effort throughout the weekend.
3DR are interested in talking to committed drivers looking
to compete at the Rotax Super 1 (all classes), Kimbolton, Shenington, PFI, and
Whilton Mill club championships. For an informal chat contact Team Manager Tom
Smith to find out how we can improve your performance this season.
Contact Tom Smith at
tom@3drmotorsport.com or call 01582 665113
(workshop) or 07557 118975 (direct mobile).
[ Top ]
Perfect Pidgley Dominates (24/01)
After
a short Christmas break, the British Karting season kicked off on January 5th &
6th at PFI with round 2 of the prestigious TVKC Winter Championship. The first
race on the calendar saw an entry of over 200 drivers, with all of the UK's top
teams in competition after completion of their winter test programmes.
For Ollie Pidgley, PFI represented the
start of what promises to be a very special year. After 1 previous season of
competition in one of the hardest series in the world (Rotax Super 1), Ollie
signed to drive for the P1R squad in 2012. Since then, he has worked tirelessly
with the team to improve in all aspects of his performance in his first season,
leaving him in the enviable position of being in a very stable partnership
entering 2013.
Early signs were positive on Saturday
as Ollie posted front running lap times and showed good consistency throughout
unofficial practice.
"Everything seems to be working well so far. We have
brought a good package to the race, and more importantly I feel confident with
my driving. There is a tough field of drivers here this weekend, but I know that
we have the speed to match them, so I will be out to race at the front when the
time comes,' remarked Ollie after unofficial practice on Saturday afternoon".
A wet start on race day put the cat
amongst the pigeons, but Ollie and the team coped well with the adverse
conditions, scoring consistent qualifying heat finishes in 4th and 7th , notably
driving from the rear of the 34 kart field to 7th in heat 2. This excellent
drive ensured Ollie would start from grid 3 in the Grand Final, with a trio of
former British champions also at the sharp end of the grid around him.
The circuit was too dry to run on wets
in the Grand Final, but racing on slicks in low grip conditions would make this
a tough test of skill for the drivers. For Ollie, the pressure of having to deal
with racing amongst some of the UK's most acknowledged Karting stars would also
be a mental challenge that he had never had to face so 'head on' in the past.
The team at P1R made the final setting choices on the kart, and Ollie drove away
from the grid knowing that in the next 15 minutes he could securely establish
his credibility amongst the elite of British Karting.
As the lights went green, Ollie drove
into 2nd at Turn 1, before pressuring and passing the leader and ex British
champion Harvey at Turn 11. A red flag put pay to Ollies' chances of making a
gap to his rivals, but he negotiated the restart perfectly, getting the most out
of his tyres and pulling a 2 second margin over the field by lap 4. Concerted
efforts were made by very experienced drivers behind, but the Wiltshire
youngster held his nerve, and driving with supreme precision and nerves of
steel, took the chequered flag in style.
Ollie would like to thank all of his
partners for their tremendous support over the past 12 months, and now hopes to
repay their faith in them with consistently strong results throughout his 2013
campaign, which undoubtedly encompasses some of the hardest Kart racing anywhere
in Europe and the world. Special thanks go to Sam Smith at P1Racing, Ricky at
Grice Engines, and OEP ltd.
You will soon be able to keep up to
date with Ollies' career at
www.olliepidgley.com,
alongside being able to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
[ Top ]
Beat The Freeze (24/01)

With
snow and freezing temperatures making productive testing nearly impossible,
Fusion Motorsport are offering cadet competitors the perfect opportunity to test
and develop their engines and effectively prepare for the new season.
Throughout January and February,
Fusion will be offering the first hour of dyno testing completely free with
every half-day equipment preparation session booked. This service is ideal for
IAME competitors, looking to get an independent evaluation of their equipment
and set their carbs. With only just over 10 weeks until the start of the
Championships, the race is on to find the optimum performance from the IAME and
our independent controlled environment is the perfect place to do so. Comer
competitors can also benefit from our vast knowledge and datums from previous
Championship winning engines.
As well as our accurate dyno facility, we can also offer
first class chassis preparation using our surface table and measuring equipment,
capable of checking castor and camber alignment and adjustment. All these
services carried out at our new facility next to Kimbolton circuit.
Please feel free to contact us on for
more information and a full range of competitive prices on all of these
services.
Telephone 07733 011221, email
danhazlewood@me.com
or visit our website at
www.fusionmotorsport.co.uk.
[ Top ]
2013 X30
Chassis
(24/01)
GMS
is delighted to announce the arrival of the stunning new X30 kart chassis.
The new evolution of the X30 chassis
has been fully developed and built in the UK, with the major components now
being manufactured by the world championship winning Gillard Karts.
The latest X30 model features a
mixture of 30/32mm race tube. The front end incorporates the clever and easy to
use Gillard steering geometry, which is one of the few steering systems which
feature independent adjustment to either the castor or camber. At the rear it
uses the slick and simple euro star braking system, which uses the floating 50mm
brake disc.
The new kart retails at £2375 + Vat, which includes Gillard Full Magnesium
wheels, 3 sets of Castor adjustors, full X30 body kit and a Tillett T11 Seat.
The team has started taking orders for
the latest karts, and free chassis testing can be arranged by contacting the
team directly (T&Cs apply).
For more information and details of
the latest X30 call James or David on 01732 850858 Or visit the
GMS website.
[ Top ]
KGP World
Champ...
(23/01)
Precision
Racing are delighted to announce the signing of KGP World Champion, three times
TKM British Open Champion and TKM Festival Winner, Phil 'Smithy' Smith!
Phil will be joining the team in a
technical capacity to help provide further expert driver coaching, setup advice
along with mechanic services.
Having won multiple titles in various classes during his
karting career, Phil has now moved up to the Clio Cup series for 2013 whilst
retaining his link to karting through Precision Racing.
Previously in
a driver capacity with the team in 2008/09, we achieved some great successes
with Phil including twice winning the Gold Cup in TKM, the MBKC Championship
twice, along with the lap record twice at Hooton Park.
Team
Co-Owner Jake Coward offered his thoughts on the signing: "Having known Phil for
such a long time its great to have him back in the team. He brings not only
excellent technical knowledge around setup, he also the ability to effectively
coach drivers of all ages and experience. It's great for us to have a World
Champion in the awning and I'm sure our current and future drivers will benefit
from it!"
The team currently still have limited availability for the
2013 season and are available at events across the UK at both Club and National
level, so for your chance to benefit from the wealth of experience and proven
pedigree in an affordable and professional atmosphere, please contact Jake or
Carl at
info@precisionracing.co.uk. You can also
visit our website at
www.precisionracing.co.uk.
[ Top ]
Last Junior Max Place (23/01)
Tooley
Motorsport have announced that they have one place left in the Junior Max
category. After clinching the British Championship in 2012 with Gunn, the team
have proved themselves of being one of the best teams in the country yet again.
The team can provide an outfit that is
capable of doing the double and winning S1, just give Andrew a ring for an
informal chat or email for your quote today. Tests can be organised if needed.
Call now to avoid disappointment on 07851 228619.
Further
information on the team is available at
www.TooleyMotorsport.com.
[ Top ]
Super One Race Programme (23/01)
Super
One would like to give you the opportunity of advertising in the 2013 Super One
programme. Your advert will be shown in the programme in both Super One series,
12 rounds in total and over 6000 copies. If you have not already seen a
programme they are a high quality glossy booklet that goes direct to each driver
and is also given at the gate at each event. It is not one that you would just
throw away this is one people like to keep.
If you are in the karting industry you
can not afford not to advertise in the programme as it is going direct to your
potential customer.
The people who read the programme could range from all
sorts of businesses and workplaces so its not just karting businesses that can
advertise. All people need to have different services whether it ranges from
renting a motor home to insurance or a solicitor or what ever you do.
The
rates are for the whole season 12 rounds TKM, MSA and Rotax. Adverts start from
£200 which is amazing value for one seasons advertising still at 2010 rates.
A5 - £200
A4 - £300
A4 x 2 - £500
Artwork from £65 - we take the hassle away.
Download more details and
the specification
for your advert.
For enquiries please contact 01928
740090 or 07774 646784, or email
johnhoylejkh1@btinternet.com.
[ Top ]
Mechanic/Instructors Required (23/01)
Due
to recent expansion Racing Perfection have the following part time positions
available:
-
Instructor positions for the company's Academy program within the Southampton
and Brighton areas.
- One
mechanic position for the company's Kart team.
Instructors are required to have...
- Proven history of competing successfully at
national level Karting or Car racing or higher.
- Very good communication skills.
- Very good people skills.
- Live within a sensible commuting distance of
either Eastleigh or Lancing.
-
Available to work on Sunday mornings once a month.
Mechanic will need as a minimum...
- Proven experience of working on Junior Rotax Max.
- Very good communication skills.
- Very good people skills.
- Able to attend the 2013 Forest Edge race weekend
dates.
Applications for either position should be sent to Steve
Bell of Racing Perfection at
steve.bell@racingperfection.co.uk.
[ Top ]
SaxMax
Live 2013
(22/01)
The
BARC are delighted to have the opportunity to take over the reins of the very
competitive 2013 SaxMax Junior Championship for 14 to 17 year olds.
For those
interested in competing, BARC is organising SaxMax Live over the February half
term period. The event is designed to give this year's potential drivers - aged
between 13 and 17 - the opportunity to experience the performance and thrill of
a race-prepared Citroen Saxo as raced in the Club's SaxMax Championship. SaxMax
Live events will take place at
Blyton Park.
Fancy a change from karting? Then SaxMax Live is for you!
You will drive in race prepared SaxMax hatchbacks at Blyton Park race circuit
alongside a dedicated Clio Cup driver/instructor to guide you around the 7m wide
circuit.
To book a place or for further detail please email
info@saxmax.co.uk
or call 0800 6126977.
The SaxMax championship takes place at major UK motor
racing circuits including Brands Hatch and Silverstone, and is run with other
BARC championships at its race meetings. There will be 13 rounds over 7 weekends
in 2013.
Visit
www.saxmax.co.uk
or call 0800 6126977 for information on the championship.
For a dedicated
SaxMax test day or 1-to-1 tuition see
www.teamdynomite.co.uk, call us on 07817 416293,
or email
keith@teamdynomite.co.uk - arrive and drive
packages are also available.
[ Top ]
Attention Rotax 177 Drivers (22/01)
Want
to race at race at more than one circuit but in one championship? Then the Rotax
177 Inter-Club Championship is the answer.
The aim of the championship is to provide affordable
racing to bridge the gap between racing very small grids at club level and
spending thousands racing at British championship level, as well as
giving drivers the opportunity to enjoy the challenge of racing at more than one
circuit.
The championship takes into account Forest Edge, Rye House, Shenington, Whilton
Mill and Kimbolton with reduced entry fee rates being offered to encourage the
championship in it's preliminary year.
If you would like to discuss any
aspect of the championship further, please do not hesitate to contact either
Matt Barnes on mattbarnes34@hotmail.co.uk
or 07581 441478, or Alex Rowley on alexrowley@live.co.uk
or 07545 570067.
[ Top ]
Best Event In 2012 Award (22/01)

The
CIK-FIA awarded their top Championship drivers from 2012 last weekend at their
annual presentation in Paris.
The evening was opened by the President of the FIA, Jean
Todt, who welcomed the 175 guests to the spectacular gala event.
Over 30 drivers were awarded, amongst
them several drivers from the UK - congratulations to you all!
There
were also three special awards given out that evening - one of them being for
'Best Event of the 2012 CIK-FIA Championship Season'. We are very honoured
to announce that PF International Kart Circuit was given this special accolade
in recognition for the final round of the 2012 CIK-FIA European KF2 & KF3
Championship which was staged at the legendary circuit back in July.
Circuit owner, Paul Fletcher,
attended the evening and was presented with the trophy by the President of the
CIK-FIA, Shaikh Abdulla.
Trent Valley Kart Club's Chairman, Nigel Edwards also
attending the prestigious occasion and commented "An absolute 100% endorsement
from the highest level that the PFI facility (and the TVKC organisation) is the
best in the World! Paul deserves a massive thank you for his undiminished
support of Karting both in drive, enthusiasm and financial support - he has made
PFI a 'World Leader' in our great sport of Karting - bring on the 2013 CIK-FIA
KF World Championships!"
The pairing of PFi and TVKC are set to host the 2013
CIK-FIA KF World Championship from 28th August - 1st September and will, no
doubt, be out to impress once again.
Photograph
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Pre-S1 Awning Space (21/01)
Racing
at Wigan or GYG before Super one? Need awning space?
DND Motorsport will be attending all
the pre-Super One rounds at both Wigan and GYG, and we currently have a few
spaces available in the awning at just £50 per day.
If interested
please contact us on 07999 979812, 07535 645730, or email us at
DNDMotorsport@gmail.com.
For more
information on the team and to try our new online shop visit
www.DNDMotorsport.com.
[ Top ]
X30
Conquers The OEKC
(21/01)
The
GMS team marches into the 2013 season on the back of its most successful year to
date for the X30 chassis in the OEKC, one of the UK's most major endurance
championships.
Dominating the series from start to finish, the
X30-supplied teams took the championship title, the endurance 'O' Plate victory
and 5 of the top 6 positions in the overall standings!
Team Owner David Griffiths was
delighted with the 2012 results, saying "It's been a great year for the team, a
90% win rate with 5 different teams is a huge result for us. In the next 12
months we aim to go for 100%".
With the X30 proving a perfect combination of speed and
longevity to dominate the series, GMS are again offering a full arrive-and-drive
package for each event.
With the series growing massively each year, it provides
one of the fastest and most enjoyable Karting challenges available. 2012 saw the
Series average around 24 Rotax powered karts at each round, whilst the 2013 grid
looks to be even stronger.
For more information about the X30
Kart, OEKC series or the team visit the GMS website at
www.gms-x30.co.uk.
[ Top ]
New Online Shop (21/01)
DND
Motorsport are happy announce that our new online shop is now fully up and
running. Online you will find an extensive range of karting goods, all of which
are in stock ready for same day dispatch if ordered before 3pm.
We stock...
Sprocket and chains,
Oils lubricants and cleaners,
IPK and OTK chassis parts,
Rotax and TKM engine parts,
Tyres and much, much more.
As a company we
are always growing, and new product lines are added monthly, so why not give us
a try - visit
www.DNDMotorsport.com.
[ Top ]
MSA Night Of Champions (21/01)

The
Motor Sports Association (MSA) crowned the 2012 British motor sport champions at
its prestigious Night of Champions ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in
London on Saturday 19 January.
Broadcaster Steve Rider acted as Master of Ceremonies,
while MSA Chairman Alan Gow and David Brabham, the former F1 driver and Le Mans
24 Hours winner, presented the trophies.
Special awards were also presented by JLT Specialty COO
Warren Downey, Renault UK Communications Director Jeremy Townsend, Racing Steps
Foundation's Derek Walters, Lord Rooker, and MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton.
MSA Chief Executive, Colin Hilton,
said: "The Night of Champions is our opportunity to honour those who excelled in
their chosen motor sport disciplines last year, and we also pay tribute to the
clubs, marshals and others who do so much for our sport at every level. Every
year it is heartening to see the breadth and depth of British motor sport and
remind ourselves why this is one area in which we genuinely lead the rest of the
world."
The
Champions honoured on the night were:
MSA British Cadet Kart Championship: Dean MacDonld, from
Kelty in Fife.
MSA British
Junior Kart Championship & Mark W Hines Memorial Trophy: Alex Gill, from
Doncaster in South Yorkshire.
MSA British Short Circuit Kart Championship: Ben Barnicoat, from Chesterfield in
Derbyshire.
MSA British Long
Circuit Kart Championship: Paul Platt, from Warrington in Cheshire.
MSA British Autocross Championship: Daniel Rooke, from
Holsworthy in Devon.
MSA British
Autotest Championship: Steven Ferguson, from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.
MSA British Car Trial Championship: John Moffatt, from
Malvern in Worcestershire.
MSA
British Sporting Trials Championship: Thomas Bricknell, from Bodmin in Cornwall.
MSA British Drag Racing Championship: Roger Moore, from
Chelmsford in Essex.
MSA British
Sprint Championship: Stewart Robb Snr, from Blair Drummond in Stirling.
MSA British Hill Climb Championship: Trevor Willis, from
Worcester in Worcestershire.
MSA
British Rallycross Championship: Julian Godfrey, from Heathfield in East Sussex.
MSA British Cross Country Championship: Ian Rochelle &
Chris Hammond, from Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
MSA British Historic Rally Championship: Julian Reynolds &
Patrick Walsh, from Dyfed in Wales.
MSA British Junior Rally Championship: Garry Pearson, from
Duns in Berwickshire.
MSA
British Manufacturers Rally Championship: Citroen UK.
MSA British Rally Championship: Keith Cronin & Marshall
Clarke, from Cork in Ireland & Enniskillen in Northern Ireland.
MSA British Endurance Championship: Richard Adams, David
Green & Martin Byford, from Derby, London & Colchester.
British GT Championship: Daniele Perfetti & Michael Caine,
from London and Coberton in Cambridge.
British Formula 3 International Series: Jack Harvey, from
Bassingham in Lincolnshire.
MSA
British Touring Car Championship Manufacturer: Honda.
MSA British Touring Car Championship: Gordon Shedden, from
Dunfermline in Fife.
There was also a series of special awards:
JLT MSA Club of the Year: Shenington Kart Racing Club.
JLT MSA Marshal of the Year: Stephen O'Neill, from
Magherafelt in Northern Ireland.
Renault MSA Young Motor Sport Journalist of the Year:
Jason Craig, from Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland.
Renault MSA Young Motor Sport Photographer of the Year:
Nick Dungan, from Tonbridge in Kent.
BWRDC Lord Wakefield Trophy: Susie Wolff, from Oban in
Scotland.
RSF MSA Young Driver
of the Year: Chris Ingram, from Stockport.
MSA Environmental Award: Lord Paul Drayson, from London.
[ Top ]
Super One
Reserved Parking
(18/01)
With competitors' registrations well on the way, now is
the time for the teams to register with the Super One Series for reserved
parking. Only registered teams are permitted to operate at the series and they
will have privileged access to the circuits from 0900 and 1300 on the Thursday's
before the race weekends along with their registered personnel. The hosting
clubs will be given full details of the registered teams and those not on the
list will not have access at these times.
Payment for registrations can
be made by cheque or card, or by prize vouchers for goods redeemable in 2014.
Each registration grants a pit area of 8 x 6 metre reserved area.
The registration
forms can now be found on the Super One website by clicking on Contacts and then
Downloads, or go to
http://superoneseries.com/downloads.
If teams still have competitors
requiring registrations or reserving places please urgently use the online
service on the website, or download the forms.
[ Top ]
2013 KF & KF2/3 'O' Plate (18/01)

The
KF & KFJ (KF2 & KF3) 'O' Plate for 2013 at Glan Y Gors Park is now to be held on
the 11th & 12th May.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a KF Open
Champion!
KF Classes are welcome to enter Dragon Kart Club race meetings prior to the
event.
All Club race meetings and test days are advertised on our
website or join our Facebook for update information at
facebook.com/gygkarting.
'O' Plate details and entry forms will
be available on the website from February.
The Dragon Kart Club Championship Round 1 is the 10th
February 2013. Online membership and race entries are now available.
Visit
www.dragonkartclub.com, email
info@dragonkartclub.com, or telephone Tracey
Davies on 01490 420770.
[ Top ]
Super One
TKM Series
(18/01)
TKM
competitors in the ABkC National Championships had their time in the limelight
at the annual Super One Series awards and dinner. A splendid turn-out at
the Autosport International Racing Car Show heard the interview with Sahara
Force India Formula 1 driver Paul Di Resta on the podium before the TKM drivers
received their prizes from TKM Co-ordinator Grahame Butterworth.
Thanks to Tal-Ko,
Maxxis, the ABkC and Super One all seeded drivers received a cheque or voucher
and a medal for their position in the championship. All the rookies
received an invitation to the Mercedes GP factory for a VIP tour. All seeded
drivers were able to claim two free tickets to the Autosport Show, thanks to the
partnership with Haymarket. Another partnership between the official fuel
supplier WP Motorsport and Mobil 1 was on display after WP was awarded a further
5 year contract as the official fuel supplier to the series. There was a
chance to win a VIP trip to the Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes pre-season test in
Barcelona. Promoter John Hoyle welcomed the news that Edgar's Hyundai had
renewed their title sponsorship for 2013.
The top three in TKM Extreme and Junior TKM enjoyed a
repeat podium ceremony at the annual dinner later in the evening with almost 300
guests enjoying a night of fine food, wine and dancing at the Hilton Coventry
Hotel. Thanks go to the dinner-dance sponsors Edgar's Hyundai, AST Signs,
WP Motorsport, Tillotson and Goodwin Coaches. Grahame Butterworth again did the
honours for the cameras for the TKM Classes. TKM boss Alan Turney
commented: "Once again we have enjoyed some incredibly close racing to decide
the 2012 TKM national titles. We look forward to more of the same in 2013."
The TKM classes
are undoubtedly the most economical and cost-effective way to race juniors and
seniors in the national championships, the only series entitled to give out the
prestigious and much sought after seeded numbers so don't delay in registering
for 2013 either on line at
http://superoneseries.com
or by downloading the registration form. There is a discount for the on line
registration and entries are filling fast.
Promoter John Hoyle said: "I am delighted by the response,
which is a product of the hard work by our team, and the support of the 477
individual drivers who chose to race with us in 2012. Now we look forward
to an even bigger and better championship series this year, an exciting future
with some more of our drivers undoubtedly on their way to Formula 1 or careers
in professional motorsport."
By popular acclaim the awards and dinner were said to be
the best ever, with many of the competitors looking forward to another season in
Britain's most prestigious kart championships.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
GMS
Reaches Top Level
(17/01)
Over
the last 12 months the GMS team has enjoyed a wide range of victories in club,
Super One and OEKC events. Sweetest of all was a chance for the team to prove
itself at the Rotax world finals, held in Portugal last month.
Team driver David Griffiths, fresh
from a brace of late-season Super One victories, showed just what the team could
achieve when racing in the DD2 masters.
In spite of never having seen the
circuit until the week before the event, and only having driven the twin-geared
Rotax kart a single time two years previously, Griffiths showed he meant
business when he lead most of both the pre-final and the final.
A lack of experience with the DD2
machine led Griffiths to make a slip and lose the lead, but fought back gamely
to fight back past world class opposition and snatch a podium place.
For 2013, Griffiths is now focussing on expanding and
improving the performance of the entire GMS squad and its flagship X30 chassis.
For more information on how to be part of the GMS Team visit the
GMS website.
[ Top ]
Karting North East Vacancies (17/01)
Karting
North East is an outdoor activity centre specialising in karting, paintballing
and off-road events. We currently have 2 full time vacancies:
Position 1 - specialising in running karting events and
offering support for other activities.
Position 2 - specialising in running paintballing events
and offering support for other activities.
These demanding roles require a hands
on approach and would be ideal for individuals who can lead by example and who
thrive under pressure. You must be able to address and control groups, with the
ability to ensure that safety procedures are adhered to whilst working in a high
pressure environment. As an addition to our team, you will be expected to deal
confidently with customers and input towards the growth of the business through
dealing efficiently with events. You must be physically fit, able to maintain
high standards of safety and follow agreed procedures. Previous experience in
karting, paintballing or other motorised leisure activities is required.
Working in the leisure industry
requires flexible working hours. We operate 7 days a week so the ability to work
evenings and weekends, with varying weekly shifts, is a must.
The main aspects of the positions are
based upon providing a safe and enjoyable range of activities for members of the
public, owner drivers and corporate clients. You will be responsible for dealing
with clients, both adults and children, from start to finish of their event.
This involves greeting the customer in a friendly and professional manner,
briefing the group and following our briefing procedure, and supervising the
circuit or arena throughout the event. You will be responsible for ensuring that
all participants abide by the rules and that all day to day activities conform
to the rules and guidelines. You will also be required to carry out a range of
duties, including site development and maintenance, as required by the
management team.
Other responsibilities to include:
- Ensuring relevant safety checks are completed and
appropriate paperwork is filled in before activities commence.
- Ensuring safety procedures are adhered to and new
procedures are implemented following management meetings.
- Representing the company at all times in a
professional and knowledgeable way and leading by example.
- Ensuring that appropriate staff levels are in
place for all bookings, and that all equipment is prepared prior to the
customers' arrival.
-
Maintenance of equipment and clothing.
- Working as part of a team to ensure events are run
to our high standard.
-
Site work in line with business needs to maintain site and add improvements.
Hours of work: 40 hours per week, 5
days out of 7. A flexible approach is required to meet needs of business, with
varying start times to include weekends and evenings.
Salary: TBN. The salary will reflect the successful
applicant's experience.
Please forward your CV together with
details of experience that meets our requirements, to
emma@kartingnortheast.com.
[ Top ]
Great Weekend For Litchfield (16/01)
Litchfield
motorsport had a great weekend of results at Kimbolton for the Hunts Kart Club
meeting. Drivers on Tonykart Vipers and Litchfield prepared engines took 1st,
2nd and 3rd places in both the TKM Junior and Senior events!
Dave Litchfield would like to
congratulate Senior Extreme drivers Michael Cornell (1st place), Kyle Sproat
(2nd and fastest lap), Joe Stockford (3rd) and also Junior drivers Andrew Rush
(1st), Mathew Round-Garrido (2nd), and Lewis Outten (3rd and fastest lap).
If you would like information on the
Tonykart Viper or having your engine prepared by us please contact Dave on 07789
177977.
[ Top ]
Kart Parts UK At Fulbeck (16/01)

Kart
Parts UK are delighted to announce the continuation of their track support at
LKRC's Fulbeck circuit.
If you usually attend Whilton Mill and are at a loose-end
with no club meeting in January, why not come along to LKRC on the 26th & 27th
January and see for yourself? It's a great track with a friendly atmosphere.
For further
details on how to enter and entry fees visit
www.lkrc.uk.com.
Kart Parts UK
will be there to assist with all of your onside track support. If you
would like to order any items for us to take to the track please call on 01775
712633 or email
sales@kartpartsuk.com.
Our web site is
open 24 hours a day for all customers old and new to order items. We have
a vast range of items with high levels of stock ranging from: Tony Kart - OTK,
OK1 & Gillard parts, Rotax, IAME, Comer, TKM & WTP. Why not give us a try
at
www.kartpartsuk.com.
[ Top ]
Mackrell Impresses On Debut (16/01)
![]()
Formula
K and Protrain drivers Thomas Preining, Max Aitken, Joe Turney and Scott
Mackrell were joined by Star Mazda 2012 Champion and 2013 Indy Lights driver
Jack Hawksworth at the opening race of the year at a packed PF International.
Hawksworth, at the end of his festive break, joined us to maintain race fitness
and to support the factory team with some highly valuable testing in advance of
the new Euromax and Super One season. Following an event filled day the final
saw him leap from near the back to third within a lap but then retiring mid race
with an engine issue. The data he secured will benefit the Formula K drivers
throughout the season; we wish him great success in his 2013 campaign.
The slippery conditions made racing
and testing challenging across all classes as the track remained difficult all
weekend, however the racing was generally of a very high standard and any
success was to be hard won.
On his maiden run on the Formula K Scott Mackrell showed
impressive pace and a victory was only denied by a competitor making a
questionable move on him and forcing him off the track. In a show of great skill
Mackrell got his kart straight back on the track and despite the incident went
on to take second place and a well deserved podium.
The talented Austrian Champion Thomas Preining joined Max
Aitken in Juniors also hoping to improve race fitness for Euromax and despite
this being Preining's first visit to the track he showed great pace as did
Aitken. Both drivers were focused on areas of development and over the weekend
enjoyed various individual successes and were pleased with their respective
improvements. They both move on firmly focused on victory in Europe.
Cadet Joe Turney in new FK inspired
livery enjoyed his race debut at PFI against a packed Iame grid but was
frustrated with pace from the new Iame engine. The information gained by the
team and engine tuner Ogden will ensure a good set up going forward.
The Formula K UK
team is gearing up for the European and UK Super One series and invites all
interested drivers to contact Gary Chapman on 07802 966064 as soon as possible
in order to maximise testing opportunities. As a factory team there are a number
of superb options for drivers with the right talent.
For more information on FK please see
www.formulak-uk.co.uk , for training
and coaching please see
www.protrainracing.co.uk.
To support
growing national demand for Formula K products, Protrain Racing are looking for
UK agents; if you are interested in working alongside us with this impressive
marque please contact Gary Chapman on 07802 966064 or email him at
protrain@karttraining.co.uk.
[ Top ]
TVKC's Nigel Wins Award (16/01)

TVKC's
Club Chairman & Clerk of the Course, Nigel Edwards, has been awarded the FIA's
'Best Clerk of the Course For 2012' for his dedicated service to Motorsport.
Nominated by the MSA, these special
recognition awards are presented to volunteer Officials & Marshals.
Nigel was presented with his 'Best
Clerk of the Course' award from Allan Dean-Lewis MBE (MSA) during the Autosport
Show at Birmingham's NEC at the weekend.
Stunned by the news of his nomination,
Nigel commented "When I received the confirmation from Allan (Dean-Lewis) at the
MSA I was staggered! I have
been fortunate to be part of a fantastic kart club here in the UK and together
we have had some fantastic experiences (and many more to come hopefully), I have
also been part of the Super 1 & FKS Karting Championships for which I'm proud to
have helped. Further afield I have to say thank you to RGMMC, BRP ROTAX and the
CIK who have trusted in my capacity as a Clerk of the Course/Race Director to
manage their events at the highest level. It has been a privilege to be involved
with all these people/organisations and the great sport of karting".
[ Top ]
Super One
Series Awards
(15/01)
Hundreds
of Super One Series competitors congregated at the Autosport International
Racing Car Show at the NEC, Birmingham for the annual awards ceremony on
Saturday 11 January. Because of the large numbers the prize giving is split into
two sessions, the first was for the Rotax and Honda Cadet categories with the
trophies handed over by Emmerdale's Kelvin Fletcher, who plays Andy Sugden in
the popular series, with JAG's George Robinson in attendance. And Sahara
Force India Formula 1 driver Paul Di Resta handed over the silverware in the MSA
British Championships assisted by Rob Jones General Secretary of the MSA, the
KGP and Comer Cadet classes, and by Grahame Butterworth of Tal-Ko for the TKM
classes. All seeded drivers received a cheque or voucher and a medal for their
position in the championship, the total amounting to over £60,000. Rotax
rookie winners were all given a new Rotax engine, as well as all the rookies
receiving an invitation to Mercedes GP factory for a VIP tour. Nicky Grist was
on hand to award the Stilo Golden Helmet award to the Super One MiniMax driver
Connor Mills, and also launched the new carbon fibre ST4 CMR Karting helmet. KF3
British Champion received a place on a course at the McLaren Human Performance
Academy in a new association with the Super One Series. All seeded drivers were
able to claim two free tickets to the Autosport Show, thanks to the partnership
with Haymarket. Another partnership between the official fuel supplier WP
Motorsport and Mobil 1 was on display after WP was awarded a further 5 year
contract as the official fuel supplier to the series. There was a chance
to win a VIP trip to the Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes pre-season test in
Barcelona. Promoter John Hoyle welcomed the news that Edgar's Hyundai had
renewed their title sponsorship for 2013.
And the karting Mum's were not forgotten either with
Denise Gill, mother of the MSA Junior British Karting Champion Alex, winning the
dedicated Mums Award for a nights stay and Spa day for two at the Leeds Hilton.
Promoter John Hoyle quipped that Denise is said to always be the first to
collect the tyres on a Saturday morning at 7am.
The
top three in each class enjoyed more time in the limelight with a repeat podium
ceremony at the annual dinner later in the evening with almost 300 guests
enjoying a night of fine food, wine and dancing at the Hilton Coventry Hotel.
Thanks go to the dinner-dance sponsors Edgar's Hyundai, AST Signs, WP
Motorsport, Tillotson and Goodwin Coaches. Motor Sports Association director Rod
Parkin handed over the MSA British Championship trophies, and on behalf of the
Association of British Kart Clubs National Championships, their chairman Russell
Anderson did the honours for the Cadets, Grahame Butterworth for the TKM Classes
and Supervisor Sales & Marketing of Rotax Kart Engines, Helmut Vogslam for the
Rotax classes. Helmut Vogslam had flown over from Austria especially for the
event, following the Super One drivers amazing success in the Max Challenge
Grand Finals in Portugal. The ABkC is responsible for arranging £22,000 towards
the prize fund from their tyre contracts, thanks to support from JAG Rotax,
Anderson CSK and Dunlop, Tal-Ko and Maxxis, and Zipkart and Bridgestone.
Promoter John
Hoyle said: "I am delighted by the response, which is a product of the hard work
by our team, and the support of the 477 individual drivers who chose to race
with us in 2012. Now we look forward to an even bigger and better
championship series this year, an exciting future with some more of our drivers
undoubtedly on their way to Formula 1 or careers in professional motorsport."
By popular acclaim the awards and dinner were said to be
the best ever, with many of the competitors looking forward to another season in
Britain's most prestigious kart championships. Those who did not take the
opportunity to register for the 2013 season can still do so online at
http://superoneseries.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
Karting Pavilion Takes Award (15/01)
The
Karting Pavilion, now in its second year, took the top award for "Best National
Motorsport Stand 2013" at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in January
which was presented to the organiser John Hoyle of JKH. He said: "I am
overwhelmed by this accolade, which is a tribute not only to our stand builder
but to all the firms and associations which supported the concept and put on
such splendid individual displays. Primarily we are trying to showcase the
British karting industry and guide newcomers into this marvellous sport of kart
racing."
The following companies were part of the 2013 Karting Pavilion:
British Kart Industry Association (BKIA)
Association of British Kart Clubs (ABkC)
Association of Racing Kart Schools (ARKS)
Andy Cox Racing - promoting Formula KGP and Easykart
CRG Karts
Dartford Karting with their online
www.kartstore.co.uk
shop
Glan y Gors kart
circuit with Dragon Kart Club
JAG Engineering with Rotax
John
Mills Engineering promoting the new IAME Parilla Gazelle UK Cadet engine and
Tillotson Carburettors
KKC
Kart Components with its shop at Whilton Mill and online store
Koden helmets with M&P
RS Racing with Wild Kart
Shark Motorsport
Sortimo International Vehicle Solutions
Sullivan Palatek UK with Compressor
Care
Totally Dynamic
Towergate Insurance with Competition Car Insurance
2HT
The accompanying pictures show John Hoyle with the BKIA
Administrator and Chairman Peter Catt, also the ABkC/ARKS Stand with Graham and
Ann Smith. The ABkC Secretary Graham Smith said: "The Karting Pavilion has
been an excellent platform for karting and enabled us to explain the various
options for children of ages from 6 upwards. We also had a display of the
new budget TKM Clubman class kart and with the massive foot fall at the show
have undoubtedly brought more people into karting."
The
ABkC,
ARKS
and BKIA
were distributing their 'How to Start Kart Racing' brochure with an accompanying
free DVD and promoting the Lets Go Karting scheme where for a small outlay a
youngster can try out a racing kart at an outdoor circuit.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net
and Martin Collard.
[ Top ]
Chilton Will Impress In F1 (15/01)

Now
the countdown to the first F1 Grand Prix of 2013 has begun, Max Chilton's former
karting boss is toasting his former protégé's graduation to the Marussia race
seat.
Steve
Armstrong, owner of the hugely successful RL Racing Department team, guided
21-year old Chilton from his formative days competing in club events at Buckmore
Park, right the way through to podium success in Europe.
"I am absolutely thrilled for him,"
said Armstrong speaking from his HQ at the internationally renowned PFi circuit
in Lincolnshire. "Max thoroughly deserves his opportunity. Even as a youngster
he was very focused about where he wanted to be ultimately and he dedicated
himself to achieving it. Now he's done it and I am really proud of him."
The pair first started working
together in 2002, when Armstrong worked for the Scholartech outfit. From these
early beginnings, Max progressed from Cadet into Junior TKM and a year later he
dovetailed TKM with JICA. It was in the latter class that he really began to
make a name for himself, as Steve recalls: "I remember the Champions Cup race in
Rome was one such highlight. Max won the first final and took 2nd in the
following race. He completed the year as a seeded driver in both the Super One
classes and as a works Maranello driver."
Aged
14, Chilton moved to the T-Car championship for two seasons before switching to
the British F3 series.
"Education played a big part in his life. So Max didn't
quite do the same amount of racing that many of his contemporaries did. His
beating many of them to an F1 race seat highlights his ability. I saw his
potential during our time together in karts and he's such a nice kid too. We
still speak regularly, so it is good to know that he remembers his roots and
those who have played their part on his journey from karting to the Grand Prix
grid. Now he's got his chance, I'm sure he will grab it with both hands and he
will impress many people, including F1's bigger teams."
For more
information about racing with RL Racing Department, call Steve today on 07843
586 416 or contact him via
accounts.rlracingdept@live.co.uk. For all the
latest team news, go to
www.rlracingdepartmentltd.com.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
[ Top ]
MSA Team UK Programme (14/01)
The
Motor Sports Association (MSA), governing body for UK motor sport, has confirmed
significant changes to its driver development programme for 2013.
Having engaged David Brabham's
Performance Clinic to lead the Team UK programme (and its Race Elite
predecessor) for the past six years, the MSA has now taken the management and
co-ordination of the programme in-house, and David has been retained to offer
his consultancy and expertise as required.
The revised scheme will create a more
bespoke programme for each of the drivers, ensuring that they receive the
targeted attention that they require to maximise their performances in every
area. Working with the MSA's Performance Managers - Tom Onslow-Cole, James
Wozencroft and Andy Meyrick - the drivers have already started to lay the
foundations for their forthcoming campaigns, setting their targets for personal
and physical developments over the season.
"We are changing the focus of what we
do to reflect a more coach-led system of training which is in keeping with the
best coaching practice seen in other sports," explained Robert Reid, MSA
Performance Director. "The drivers will work consistently with the Performance
Managers through the year to determine what kind of intervention they require.
The scheme will become much more tailored to the requirements of the individual
driver and even in the early days last month, we have started to see a real
benefit."
The
MSA's Performance Managers are already coach-qualified and are also engaged in a
two-year Level 4 post-graduate diploma in Elite Sports Coaching through the
University of Central Lancashire. Their role within Team UK will be to work with
drivers to identify the additional help that might be required and bring in the
experts to deliver that support, whether it be sports psychology, in-car driver
training, data analysis, strength and conditioning coaching, specialist
technical awareness or nutrition.
"We are extremely grateful to David for the way he created
and developed first Race Elite and then the Team UK programme for six years and
he will continue to play an important role in the whole MSA Academy," said Colin
Hilton, MSA Chief Executive. "As the governing body, the MSA is committed to
providing as much as assistance as possible to help young British drivers
achieve their full potential. That is not only good news for them, but also for
the whole of British motor sport, as International success helps the development
of the entire sport."
"Brabham Performance Clinic and I are proud of the way the
MSA young driver programme has developed over the last six years and that we
have taken it to a point where the MSA can take over the running of the scheme,"
said David Brabham. "It has been a real pleasure to work with so many talented
drivers and see them develop not only as drivers, but as people. To see our
graduate drivers like Sam Bird, James Calado and new F1 signing Max Chilton
reach high levels in the sport and also the current drivers like Jack Harvey and
Elfyn Evans win their respective championships in 2012 has been fantastic. I
look forward to continuing my relationship with the MSA as an advisor, alongside
developing my company BPC in continuing to help drivers reach their goals."
The 2013 Team UK programme comprises
the following race and rally drivers:
Jake Dennis, aged 17 from Nuneaton, Warwickshire
Mark Donnelly, aged 21 from Omagh, Tyrone
Elfyn Evans, aged 24 from Machynlleth, Powys
Jack Harvey, aged 19 from Bassingham, Lincolnshire
Josh Hill, aged 22 from Farnham, Surrey
Alex Lynn, aged 19 from Dunmow, Essex
John MacCrone, aged 23 from Tobermory, Isle of Mull
Josh Webster, aged 18 from Stowmarket, Suffolk
Nick Yelloly, aged 22 from Solihull, West Midlands
In addition, former WRC co-driver
Nicky Grist will be working with the following co-drivers:
Stuart Loudon, aged 24 from Larkhall, Lanarkshire
James Morgan, aged 21 from Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan
[ Top ]
Caterham Launch Kart Series (11/01)

Caterham
Motorsport today reveals the first details of its unique low-cost, high value
karting championship, designed to reinstate karting as an accessible sport in
its own right.
Drawing on decades of experience running one-make car
racing championships, Caterham Motorsport will apply similar expertise and
regulations to ensure that unsporting conduct is eliminated and the series will
be played out on a truly level playing field.
The championship, aimed at a maximum of 120 youngsters
aged between 13 and 16 from families who might not have considered karting as an
option, will feature a season of six one-day events and, at its heart, the
bespoke Caterham-designed kart, developed with simplicity, durability and
quality in mind.
For a package price of £4,995 + VAT and, with Caterham
Motorsport providing technical support for all karts to ensure equality, the
series promises unparalleled value for money as well as a uniquely fun
experience for racers.
At
the heart of the new series is the CK-01 kart, a prototype of which can be seen
on the Caterham stand at AutoSport International (Stand No 2520) at Birmingham's
NEC between January 10-13.
Caterham Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said: "Caterham
Karting will once again make this fantastic sport accessible to everyone,
without losing any element of the competition and experience. In fact, with
tight regulations and totally transparent, controlled costs, Caterham Karting
will simply be the best value, most competitive and most fun karting in the
world.
"This is not just another new karting championship, this is a revolution in
motor racing. Motorsport for all is finally here."
Like Caterham's Academy, the kart series will be open to
novices only, providing a full championship platform from which youngsters can
either launch a motorsport career or simply enjoy themselves. The all-inclusive
season package includes the ready-to-race kart itself, guidance through the
acquisition of your ARKS race licence, a paddock trolley and entry to the
six-event season.
Each
race event will be held on a single day, further cutting costs and increasing
accessibility and will follow a proven car racing format, with practice
sessions, qualifying and points-scoring races. Every competitor will be assured
of equal track time at each event.
Caterham will provide technical support at all events,
which will be held at circuits across the UK, making this a truly nationwide
series.
Caterham Motorsport's 'ladder' of one-make series has created some 850 brand new
racing drivers in the last 18 years and made the iconic Seven one of the most
raced cars around the world.
Caterham Karting also benefits from the vast karting
experience of Laura Tillett, who was the first British female to compete in the
CIK FIA World Karting Championship and who will be part of the organisational
team.
Further details about Caterham Karting will be released in due course throughout
2013, with the inaugural championship set to kick off in early 2014.
Please visit
www.caterham.co.uk or call 01883 333 700 for
more information.
[ Top ]
Team
Dynomite & SaxMax
(10/01)
Team
Dynomite are at the Autosport show from the 10th to the 13th of January, so make
sure you call by the BARC stand and see what the SaxMax championship is all
about!
Fancy
a change from karting? Team Dynomite have testing in race prepared SaxMax
hatchbacks at Blyton Park race circuit along with a dedicated race instructor.
You will get aproximatley 20 minutes in the hour on the 7m wide track with no
traffic and a dedicated Clio Cup driver/instructor. Spaces are available on a
first come, first served basis so book now!
SaxMax
2013 team space and 'Arrive and Drive' are also available, as Team Dynomite are
pleased to anounce they will be competing in the 2013 SaxMax Championship.
Rookie Tom Parker has been joined by
seasoned SaxMax campaigner George Streather for the the 2013 championship.
Running as a 4 car team we have 2
'Arrive and Drive' packages and 1 owner-driver space available.
Fancy a test? We
have 3 fully prepared cars just waiting to go!
Team Dynomite, in
conjunction with
Sportdevices.co.uk have
their own in-house rolling road, engine dyno, shock absorber dyno and a newly
developed Flowbench available. These tools coupled with 30 experience in
motorsport will offer a formidable package.
Team Dynomite's
Karting team are offering subsidised drives for the 2013 season in the Super One
and SYKC championships, please send your CV to
info@sportdevices.co.uk for more details.
The karting season so far...
Following on from Tom Parker's 2011
championship win, Dynomite driver James Dorlin took the 2012 SYKC Cadet
Championship, setting lap records along the way. Novice cadet driver Finlay
Bunce produced exellent lap times whilst also taking his first novice trophy -
Finlay will be in a good position to challenge for the 2013 title. Minimax
driver Billy Granger took a strong 2nd place in his first championship, while
Chris Haigh and Tom Parker would have been up there with Billy had they not
missed a couple of round each.
So if you fancy progressing from
Karts to Cars, email us at
info@sportdevices.co.uk or
call 0800 6126977.
[ Top ]
Danny Cruttenden Motorsport (10/01)
DCM
are having a sale on team fees for the remainder of the winter months. This
entitles new and existing customers to save some money after the expensive
Christmas period!
For just £75 per day, plus a share of the usual expenses,
you can experience what it is like to run in a top professional team. Included
in this small fee is awning space, driver coaching by Danny, and race craft tips
to make sure you are in the right position at the right time on the circuit.
Plus chassis and engine set up advice and data analysis.
You can be on any manufacturer's chassis, and any tuner's
motors - DCM is not tied to any brand.
DCM can go to any circuit around the
country. Having raced and run people at the highest level DCM is sure to make
your racing more rewarding and enjoyable. Just book one race with DCM and you
will see the difference a top driver coach like Danny can make.
2013 will be an exciting year for the
team. DCM are looking to support a driver in Senior Max and Mini/Junior Max for
the Super One championship. The support will include free chassis and free
motors. To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic package just book a
race meeting with DCM at our special rate of only £75 per day. Danny's family
history in karting is immense, having won 19 x British Championships and 3 x
European Championships.
To find out more or make a booking
call Danny on 07852 971040, email
danny.cruttenden@googlemail.com or visit our
websites at
www.dcmkarting.com and
www.howtogofaster.co.uk.
[ Top ]
BPKC Winter Series 2013 (10/01)
The
first round (of three) of the Buckmore Park Kart Club Winter Championship is
scheduled for Sunday 20 January 2013.
Practice is available on Friday 18
January and Saturday 19 January.
All ABkC non-gearbox classes are welcome including Bambino
and Subaru.
Please contact Chris Pullman/Sheila Rose on 01634 661604 for more details.
Online booking is also available.
For full details visit www.buckmoreparkkartclub.co.uk.
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Ginetta Offer To Karters (09/01)
The
Easykart UK and Formula KGP S1 Championships have agreed a deal with sportscar
marque Ginetta to set up an academy style ladder to discover future stars in
karting.
The aim behind the scheme is to find a future driver to represent Ginetta in its
future assault on the Le Mans 24 hrs.
Ginetta have identified both Easykart and Formula KGP as
karting categories that are intent on controlling racing costs and promoting
karters into car racing.
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Both
karting Championships share a similar racing ethos to Ginetta who now have
Championships such as Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT5 challenge and the Ginetta GT
Super Cup.
UK boss for Easykart and Formula KGP Andy Cox is delighted about the
collaboration - "At last we have the real deal to progress a karter into cars.
Ginetta are a fantastic company and brand and are really forward thinking in the
way they go racing. What they have achieved as a company in such a short period
of time is incredible".
"Karting is enjoyed by many but it's important to remember
that nearly all drivers that start karting do so because eventually they want to
race cars. Karting provides the foundation for valuable driving skills, fitness
and the mentality that is required to go onto car racing".
"Unfortunately
costs in other karting categories are spiralling out of control - some cost even
more than car racing classes - this is not what karting was designed for".
"With Easykart, we can take a young
driver at a basic entry level from 8 years old in Easy Cadet and progress them
up into Easy Junior. At this point if they are ready they can consider Junior
Ginetta or continue into Formula KGP if they are not ready for the jump to cars
at that point".
"Just as Ginetta do, our Easykart and Formula KGP
Championships can illustrate and prove the costs required before a driver starts
the season. I think our Championships raced under the Motorsports Association
(MSA) are unique and are producing fantastic talent with parents actually still
having the budget left to progress into car racing"!
"Too
many karters run out of money and go out of the sport without reaching their
potential. This is an issue we want to address with our collaboration with
Ginetta. "I'm very proud that Ginetta have identified what we are doing and very
confident you will see either an Easykart or Formula KGP driver at Le Mans with
Ginetta sometime in the future!"
Ginetta will be selecting four Easykart Junior drivers to
take part in the Junior Ginetta scholarship shoot out during 2013. The top three
driver's in the Formula KGP S1 Championship will test a Ginetta Super Cup car.
The company will also be offering test opportunities for drivers in both the
Easykart and KGP Championships to help assist drivers graduate and obtain their
MSA car racing licence for the following season.
For more information visit the
Formula KGP stand at Autosport International this weekend at the NEC at the main
karting pavilion in Hall 6. You can also see the Ginetta branded 2013 Easykart
on the Ginetta car stand. You can visit
www.easykart.co.uk
or
www.kartgrandprix.co.uk or find us both on
Facebook.
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ART Grand Prix (09/01)

The Autosport
show at the NEC Birmingham is the first major event of the motorsport year. At
this year's show Zip Kart will be announcing a fantastic prize for drivers using
the ART Grand Prix Chassis in the Rotax classes in 2013.
After an unprecedented debut year in
2012 the team won the CIK, WSK and Super 1 KF2 titles along with the vice
championship in the CIK U18 World championship. In 2013 ART Grand Prix Karting
are determined to carry on their winning ways in the
ultra competitive Rotax classes!
ART Grand Prix UK Distributor Zip Kart will be offering
drivers using the ART TS01 kart the chance to win a drive with ART Grand Prix
factory team at a WSK event in 2013! Come and visit us at Autosport stand no
6220 for details of how you could become part of this winning team in 2013
Along with the fantastic ART prize,
Zip kart will have show offers and discounts on their full range of the
all conquering lighting Cadet kart that is suitable for ALL Cadet classes in
2013. Plus superb introductory offers for ART Customers and of course great
deals on racewear from GPR!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Super One Series Prizegiving (08/01)
All
seeded drivers from the 2012 Super One Series will be able to collect their
prizes at the Autosport International Racing Car Show on Saturday 12th January
at the NEC, Birmingham. The prize giving will be held at the Super One
Series Stand Number 6410 at the following times:
Rotax / Honda Cadet at 1 pm.
KF2 / KF3 / KGP / Comer Cadet / Junior TKM / TKM Extreme
at 3.45 pm.
All seeded drivers that requested them should now have
their free tickets to the show in the post and of course many of the drivers and
their guests will attend the gala dinner and prizegiving in the evening at the
Minster Suite, Hilton Coventry Hotel where nearly 300 guests are expected.
Prizes to the value in excess of £60,000 will be distributed. All prize
winners are reminded that the first three in each class must collect their
awards personally at the Autosport Show, all other competitors must collect
their awards personally or nominate a third party to collect their award on
their behalf.
Drivers will be able to take the
opportunity to register for the 2013 series at Stand 6410, and book their
favourite competition number. This can also be done on line at
http://superoneseries.com. It is advisable to
book early as classes are filling up fast already and newcomers are reminded
they will be eligible for the quite generous Rookie awards. All overall Rookie
winners receive a VIP escorted tour of the Mercedes GP factory and the four
Rotax rookies are given a prize of a new engine. At each round the best
rookie in the second final receives a trophy.
So don't delay, sign up today (or at
the show!).
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Strawberry's Winning Start (08/01)

Strawberry's
new signing Connor Hall gave the reigning World and European Rotax champions a
late Christmas present with a superb victory on his debut at PFi (2 January).
It was also the brand new Tony Kart
Racer EVK chassis' maiden win for Strawberry Racing in British competition.
Connor was in electrifying form from
the outset, starting his first heat from 19th place on the grid before powering
his way to first in emphatic style. He followed this up with another well taken
triumph to seal pole position for the main final.
The number five seeded Super One star delivered a clear
demonstration of his ambitions for the coming season with a dominant
lights-to-flag victory, leaving his nearest rival to trail home nearly two
seconds behind him.
"I'm
really excited after watching him do that," said Strawberry team manager,
Warwick Ringham. "Previously Connor's only had a few days testing with us; so to
come to PFi, go up against a strong field and beat them in both wet and dry
conditions - and on a completely new chassis, with an unfamiliar team - is very
promising."
He
added: "It also shows just how good the new kart is. Tony Kart has again
produced a superb chassis that is both easy to drive and set up, no matter what
the conditions are. Already it looks like it's the kit to be on, with of course,
a Cream motor by your elbow and under your right foot!"
With Hall committed to racing with
the team in the Super One and Euro Max series, Ringham is looking for another
talented driver to join him: "There's a Mini Max race seat available plus one
last Junior Max space. I think Connor's demonstrated perfectly just how good our
2013 equipment is, and our history of success is second to none. I'm keen to
talk to drivers who want to turn their raw pace into race and
championship-winning potential."
For more information about racing
with the team, the brand new Tony Kart EVK chassis, OTK products and Cream
Racing Engine's preparation services go to
www.strawberryracing.co.uk.
Or call Warwick
on 0114 269 6215 / 0114 288 9933.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
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Connor
Hall And Strawberry
(07/01)
Connor
Hall showed his class by dominating the first meeting of the new season at PF
International.
This was his first meeting with Strawberry Racing and the
team worked well in Sunday's tricky conditions. Saturday was mainly dry but the
track only partly dried for the finals on Sunday.
In Heat 1 Connor drove through the
strong field to take the win from last place. He also won his second heat.
Starting from pole for the final on a
drying track was to be very tricky but after a scrap on the first lap he showed
his class and opened up a 2 second lead where he was able to control the race
and take a well deserved win.
Connor will now be at the Autosport
awards this weekend and then testing before heading off to Spain for the Rotax
Winter Cup where in 2012 he narrowly missed out on the win. Big thanks to
everyone at Strawberry racing for their hard work over the weekend.
You can check on
Connor's progress at
www.connorhall.co.uk.
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net.
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Winning Start To 2013 Season (07/01)
A
double win for Sam Smelt against stiff opposition in December saw Sam's first
wins.
With
all the main front runners at PFI for their January meeting it was Ollie Pidgley
showing his metal with a great flag to flag win.
After extensive work on our new rolling road we have found
some large improvements in carburation for Minimax. As of this week, we begin on
Junior carbs confident that the same improvements will transfer over.
If you need to have your engines and
ancillaries assessed, you can rent our great facility for £250 per half day or
£450 for a full day. This will give you an analysis of all your equipment on
either our Rotronics dyno or Rolling Road for its maximum performance.
We are still renting our own works
motors for Mini, Junior and Senior Max. Mini is £3750/year and Junior
£3900/year, both of which include all servicing and updates for UK racing.
We can still offer our popular set
price rebuilds, although we currently are using George Robinson for Rotax. This
remains a great way to rebuild your engine at recession busting prices...
Rotax - £340
TKM - £180
Comer/IAME - £180
This includes all internal parts, i.e. piston, bearings,
gaskets, seals and labour. We also offer a full ultrasonic clean and prepare on
all carbs at £60.
Lastly, Grice have been making massive improvements to our
IAME motors and at £1100 fully prepared and dyno'd, offer very good value so
please call to arrange a free test.
If you have any questions please call
Ricky on 01268 727847 or 07768 047253. You can also visit our website at
griceracingengines.com or email
Ricky.grice@virgin.net.
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Lydd Winter Championship (03/01)
The
Winter Championships continues at Lydd Kart Circuit, with round 4 taking place
on 13th January. We look forward to welcoming all our regular racers, as the
chase for championship honours hots up. The Winter Championship finishes in
March, with the 6 round Summer series starting in April. Why not come along and
have a post Xmas blast around Kent's fastest kart circuit, work off the Xmas
excesses and get your 'motorsport buzz' for the month and sample the friendly,
family, atmosphere here at Lydd.
Practice
is available on the 12th, with overnight parking also available.
We will be running
our usual classes - Bambino, Cadet Clubman, Cadets, Minimax, Juniors, Senior 162
and 177 and ProKarts - plus this meeting will see the first appearance of the
new IAME Cadet class at Lydd.
You can keep up to date with what is
happening at Lydd by visiting our website at
www.lyddkartcircuit.com where you can also make
your Race Entries online - via the link in the Links section.
Should you have any questions, please
call us at the Circuit on 01797 321747 and we will be happy to help.
[ Top ]
Marge Klaassen (03/01)
Sadly Marge Klaassen passed away on 28th December at
the age of 85.
As wife of Peter Klaassen and mother of the well known
Technical Commissioner Paul Klaassen, Marge has been involved in karting since
the early sixties with her family, mainly with Rissington Kart Club (formerly
Bromsgrove Kart Club), and also with Shenington. For as long as anyone can
remember Marge and Pete would help to prepare the Rissington circuit for race
action, and she had spells on the committee alongside her husband, who she met
when he came over from Holland on a job and never went back. Despite ill health
during last year she continued to work in the results office at the club. Peter
Klaassen is a past chairman of the club and now President as well as being a
Clerk of the Course and Scrutineer. Together they founded the BHM Compak
Radiators company, now run by Paul and his family.
The funeral will be held at Canley Crematorium, Coventry
(CV4 7DF) on Thursday 10th January at 10:45 AM. Flowers may be sent
to John Taylor Funeral Service in Kenilworth (01926 854261). Our thoughts are
with Pete, Paul and family and her grandson David and family.
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