Pirates on the Podium!

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to my team-mates & fellow competitors after last night's Weighted Team Challenge, the first event of its kind to be held at Teamsport Bristol. It was one of the most fun events I've taken part in for a while & it was a pleasure to race with/against everyone!

The format for the event varied slightly from the usual 'team' - type events in that all the drivers were weighed beforehand, and anybody coming in under the 'average' weight would be subject to a time penalty in the form of a pit stop. As it turned out, the average weight was 81kg, with me weighing in at 82. My team-mates, Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff & Rob Allison, were closer to 90kg so therefore we would have no penalties to serve. The team of Oliver Bayani, Krystian Matuszkiewicz  & Zac Venn however, would each be serving around a minute & a half's worth of penalties during the race. The whole idea was to try & prove or disprove the theory about weight equalling laptime. Therefore for every kilogram you were under the average weight, one second would be added to the penalty. It was a good indicator for me that I was more or less the same weight as I was back in January- something to bear in mind with the upcoming BRKC event in a few weeks!

Each driver was to take place in a five-minute session with the fastest time from each added together to represent the teams time. I was surprised as anybody to see that we'd qualified in 2nd position, behind only Olly, Zac & Krystian, but ahead of 11 other teams! Rob had done a fantastic job in the first session, whilst Dutch drove sensibly in order to get some decent times in. My qualifying was interrupted by 3 seperate yellow flag incidents, which meant I only probably had one or two proper flying laps during the allocated 5 minutes. I was pretty fired up afterward, but I soon cooled off & I was happy to have contributed to the team's grid position.

After a short race briefing, Dutch, Rob & I discussed our strategy for the race, emphasising the importance of staying out of trouble and not fighting with the quicker guys too much at the risk of losing time. 100 minutes is a long race and there were bound to be plenty of incidents, I reasoned, and we wouldn't know for sure where we really stood until the final half-hour or so. It seemed the obvious thing to do to just split the race into thirds, but other teams seemed to be running shorter stints, or giving their faster drivers more track time. The three of us were happy to run longer knowing full well we were capable of keeping the pace up thanks to our experience in the Chase the Ace series. Before we took the track, we adopted the team name of 'The Jolly Pirates' for reasons Im still struggling to work out- but it created a sense of camaraderie & it was abit of fun at the end of the day.

I reasoned that Rob would be best starting the race as he is usually very solid & does well under pressure, which is what we needed for the first stint. Dutch would then take the middle stint as again hes usually pretty consistent with his laptimes and it would give us a clear picture of where we stood before the final third. I would then take the wheel until the end of the race- hoping we'd still be in the thick of it as the clock ran down. Qualifying had lifted my expectations of a podium somewhat, after initally thinking Id have been happy with a Top 5 finish. It was obvious the youngsters were going to disappear on pace alone, but with their time penalties on top of their driver changes, I thought we were in with a chance of a third or even second-placed finish.

As Id hoped, Rob got a fantastic start to the race and fell in behind Zac, maintaining a gap of a couple of seconds as everyone found their rhythm. A driver from a team called 'I Just Cant Beat Tonnor' was making his way through the field and was soon behind Rob. It had been noted how aggressive some of his passing had been and as he attempted to pass, he made contact several times and was shown a warning (in this event, three warnings equalled a penalty of 30 seconds- which would be devastating to any chance of getting a top result) Rob ran wide coming out of the essess onto the back straight and allowed the other driver through, who then left the door open for Rob to re-pass him going under the flyover bridge-fantastic!!

Unfortunately, as Rob made his way through some of the backmarkers toward the end of his stint, he too picked up a couple of warning for 'bumping', meaning one more for Dutch or  myself would result in a penalty. The driver from the other team committed the inevitable third foul & was handed a 30 second penalty, which effectively took them out of the game. Dutch took over the kart just after Krystian had from Zac, & set about making is way through the traffic. Rob had done an incredible job at the front, leading after Zac took his time penalty, & we were well in the fight after the first third of the race. Dutch maintained a gap of around 4 seconds to Krystian as they made their way through the traffic, before suddenly it was 3 seconds, then 2- was he going to pass him?

It was evident Krystian was struggling to make his way through the traffic somewhat, & as the drivers went through the essess, Dutch was right behind him as he was wrong footed by the guy in front. Krystian came across the front of Dutch, who was being pushed from behind by another kart- and the resulting contact led to a half-spin for the young charger and an instant black flag for Dutch. Disaster had struck but it was an unfortunate incident with no malice involved- however Krystian had been leading the race at that point, & it put their team on the back foot. Dutch served his penalty immediately, and re-emerged around 20 seconds down on the race leader- this was the crunch point! If he could maintain that gap before the final driver changes (Zac, Krystian & Olly were mirroring our strategy somewhat) then I knew Id likely be fighting with Oliver for the win once his weight penalty was taken into consideration. As Dutch's stint drew to a close, I was slowly getting prepared to take over when all hell broke loose for the leaders! Krystian had been indicating that he wanted to pit for some reason or another, & he came in before Olly was ready to take over. They had a crazy pit stop & lost a chunk of time, which played right into our hands. Unbeknown to both of us however, another team ('Dream Team') had been making their way up the front too, staying out of trouble & running their own race- it was going to be a close finish..


The driver change with Dutch went smoothly, & as I emerged into the circuit I could see Olly in the lead a couple of seconds down the road, with another driver between us. I knew Olly would have to pit one more time for his weight penalty, meaning that I'd be fighting for the win with only about half an hour remaining!

Lap after lap, I followed the guys ahead through the backmarkers we were lapping, & I could see that Olly was being kept on his toes. Finally, he made his stop, leaving just me chasing the 'Dream Team' driver as the clock ran down. As soon as I got close enough to him to start lining up a pass, we'd come upon more backmarkers and he'd eke out a small gap- & that's how things stayed until the chequered flag dropped. After 100 minutes of racing, the Jolly Pirates had come within 4 seconds of winning the event, with Zac, Krystian & Oliver rounding off the podium.

I was pleased to find a jubilant Dutch & Rob back in the pits, & I can honestly say I felt proud to be on the podium next to my teammates & the other drivers- what a fantastic event!!

I want to wish all my fellow karters & friends a Happy New Year, & I look forward to racing with and or against you in 2015!!

Until then,

Ben

Its beginning to feel alot like...

The British Rental Kart Championship 2015 event is now only one month away, and the excitement is building ahead of the big weekend in January! Already drivers local to the circuit are getting in essential practice time, competing in Formula Fast's Adult Championship, with the intention of familiarising themselves as much as possible with the karts & circuit ahead of the event.

Of course, it will count for little when all the drivers converge on the circuit on January 16th. Until everybody is driving the same track at the same time, at (roughly) the same weight, only then will we see favourites emerge. It is unlikely for a newcomer to hit the front straight away, but you can never discount those drivers who may have had success elsewhere from making an impact.

I'm glad to be going along to the event with some of my race buddies from Teamsport Bristol, namely Oliver Bayani, Dan Healey (who made the semi-finals last year) Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff & Rob Allison- all if whom I'm sure will enjoy the experience as I did competing last year.

Unfortunately it's looking less likely that I will be able to get along to the circuit before January, but I'm preparing as best as I can by watching as many onboard videos as possible, trying to improve my general fitness, going over the events of last year & of course, karting as much as possible! Dutch, Rob & myself will be teaming up for a 'weighted' challenge at Teamsport in a couple of weeks, competing against the likes of Olly, Krystian & Zac in an event aimed to disprove (or prove) that weight advantages equate to faster lap times on an idiot circuit. I'm very much looking forward to this race & also spending some time with the guys who I'll be competing with at Formulas Fast in January.

I'm also hoping to fit in a trip to the Autosport International show, which takes place a week before the BRKC- nothing like seeing some stars & cars to get revved up for an event!

This year, I'm hoping to bring you all updates during the BRKC itself, as well as full results afterwards. With any luck, this year I'll achieve my goal of making the semi-finals after missing out by one place last time around. As I said a while ago, I have unfinished business at Formula Fast..

Until next time,

Ben

New Helmet

See you at the track!!

Winter approaches..

It was a chilly November evening when thirteen karters took to the grid for Chase the Ace Round 3 at Teamsport Bristol in Avonmouth. Round 2 Winner Zac Venn would be starting at the back of the pack with Oliver Bayani on pole. He'd have Dan Healey beside him for company. I myself lined up in an improved 6th place, just behind Tommo Davis & Krystian Matuszkiewicz.

The track had been very slippery since the beginning of practice (where again I had been 6th fastest) but apart from a spin on my out-lap for qualifying, I was hopeful of a strong finish starting inside the top 10. As the lights went green, I got away cleanly without gaining or losing any positions, & tracked the guys infront before an early yellow flag saw everybody take the pits apart from Olly & Dan. As they fought, I was able to close up behind them as the race was again interrupted by yellow flags. Zac pitted from the rear of the pack & emerged a lap down amongst our top 3 battle, before I took my first stop to try & cover off Krystian. Unfortunately he was able to lap faster than me & maintained his position ahead. Another spate of yellow flags saw me get caught out for a second time as I was on part of the track furthest from the pits & therefore unable to take any advantage. I pitted for a second time in the hope of being in the thick of things near the end, but I could already see that Krystian was pulling away, & a few laps later Tommo emerged from the pits just ahead of me- and that was pretty much my race run.

I managed to stay within a second or so of Tom for the final 20 minutes of the race- but Krystian was able to pull clear to a solid 4th place finish. Dan Healey took the chequered flag after 45mins, whilst Oliver Bayani brought out the red flags around the half-way point when a wheel fell off of his kart whilst he was on the flyover!! Luckily he was ok & the wheel managed to not hit anybody or anything. Ollie managed to finish third after a late tangle with another driver, maintaining championship position ahead of Zac, who came home just behind me. Sam Slater completed the podium positions.

Chase the Ace takes a break for December, with the next round scheduled for January. Thanks again to Martin Savage, Andy Collins & the others at Teamsport for putting on another smooth members event, I'm sure to be there again by the end of the year!

The BRKC 2015 event is now only 6 weeks away, I've finally managed to get a hotel booked & all the last minute details are gradually being taken care of! It's looking like it's going to be a fantastic weekend of karting against some of the best drivers from the UK & Europe- the BRKC serves as a qualifying round for the Kart World Championship event! After the disappointment of missing out on a place in the semi's at the '14 race weekend, I'll be looking to pull my finger out this time!! I may even try & fit in a trip to the Autosport International show the weekend before- you know, for inspiration!

Whatever racing you have planned for the Christmas period, remember to keep safe & keep it fun!

Until next time,

Ben

November Update

It's been a busy few months here at Bejc Motorsport, so I thought I'd post abit of an update seeing as how I've been neglecting this blog for a while. What with work taking up a lot of time & a holiday in Majorca just recently, karting has taken a bit of proverbial back seat- however, the last couple of months havnt been completely devoid of racing, & November, December & January are looking pretty promising!

Since my last post, I've raced in a couple of members events at Teamsport Bristol, taking a podium at a race night a few weeks back & also ranking in the top 10 of Bristols fastest driver seedings. Unfortunately I missed the first round of the Chase the Ace winter series as I was away, but with four other rounds (to include two drop rounds) remaining, there was plenty of time to get back into the the thick of it.It's been a busy few months here at Bejc Motorsport, so I thought I'd post an update seeing as how I've been neglecting this blog for a while. What with work taking up a lot of time & a holiday in Majorca just recently, karting has taken a bit of proverbial back seat- however, the last couple of months havnt been completely devoid of racing, & November, December & January are looking pretty promising!

Since my last post, I've raced in a couple of members events at Teamsport Bristol, taking a podium at a race night a few weeks back & also ranking in the top 10 of Bristols fastest driver seedings. Unfortunately I missed the first round of the Chase the Ace winter series as I was away, but with four other rounds (to include two drop rounds) remaining, there was plenty of time to get back into the the thick of it.

I've also been preparing for the upcoming BRKC event in January, being held for the second year at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes. Brad Philpot has been doing an amazing job hyping up this event, with over 100 drivers having registered for the series. What with deposits, travel, accommodation, booking time off work etc still to be sorted, I'm sure this annual event will come around in no time at all- to say I'm excited would be a huge understatement. To have missed out on the semi-finals this year by only one place was gutting, so this January I'll be looking to redeem myself.

Round 2 of Chase the Ace took place on 28th Oct, with Zac Venn taking victory after overcoming Dan Healey during the race's pitstops. I had a fairly positive race after only recording the 7th fastest time (out of 14 drivers) in practice but then only qualifying 11th after the one-lap session. For the race itself I had a fantastic kart & after getting a good start & taking positions around the outside on the first lap, I was able to really attack & keep pace with IronMan winner Matt Horgan for the first part of the race.

It was really fun being able to come up behind other karts & have the confidence in my own to pull off great passing moved, & I was also able to start ahead of Round 1 winner Oliver Bayani, who had started from the back of the grid as rules dictated. Through an early yellow flag period I decided not to stop & pushed on with what was a great kart beneath me. After my first stop I emerged again behind Matt, who I followed through the back markers before making my second stop fairly early on. Matt stayed out but I could tell from his track position that he was losing time to me, & when he emerged from his second stop I was marginally ahead, before pulling away slightly as we approached the final five minutes of the race.

I was up to 4th at this point, behind only Oliver (who had yet to make his final stop) Zac & Dan, but then things started to become unstuck as I came up behind Krystian Matuszkiewicz. I didn't know it at the time, but Krystain was actually a lap down- & likewise I think if he'd known we weren't racing for position he wouldn't have fought with me, but try as I might I couldn't get past him. Oliver emerged from his final pitstop moments after the 5-minute board went out, slotted in between Krystian & myself, then a lap later muscled his was past into third place. I was frustrated to say the least, although my concern now was Matt Horgan, who had crept back up behind me. With only a few laps to go, he took advantage of another failed attempt by myself to get past Krystian, bumping me aside onto the main straight before a frustrated half-spin by myself whilst trying to re-take the position was the nail in the coffin for my podium hopes. I crossed the line in 5th place, behind Zac, Dan, Olly & Matt- who did apologise after the race for the contact.

On a slightly more positive note, I did end up with the 4th fastest race lap time, which made up a little for the disappointing practice & qualifying. My congratulations go to Zac & a thankyou to all the other drivers for a fun night of racing!

The next round of Chase the Ace is on 25th November, where hopefully a top-ten qualifying position, a good kart & some wind behind me can net me a solid result for the championship.

I'll be sure to update soon with regards to the BRKC, and full results from that next race at Teamsport Bristol.

Until then, safe karting!

Ben

Ironman II

Six tenths of a second. That was the gap between the third & fourth placed drivers after only two hours & two hundred plus laps of racing at Teamsport Bristol's annual Ironman event. Six tenths...

It had been a late decision to enter this years event, and so with minimum preparation & concerns over just how hot it was, I was more nervous than usual in the build up to the race. None the less, having taken part last year I had a pretty good idea about what to expect, & with some consideration going towards the right amount of hydration vs the need to use the bathroom mid-race, I was about as ready as I could be at such short notice.

The race would follow the same format as previous years- Five minutes of practice/qualifying to determine grid positions, then a two hour non-stop race with no mandatory pit stops. Of course, it was down to each driver to decide if they wanted to have a break or not, but for those at the sharp end it would likely be flat out from start to finish. Luckily, by the time the race start time drew closer, it had cooled off a little, & it looked like the track would be fairly slippy to begin with- although we knew as the fuel levels went down & the karts warmed up the lap-times would get quicker.

Eight drivers in total would make up the grid for this intense race, with a good mix of new members and experienced karters taking part. Matt Horgan (of TeamDKR) was favourite to win, although Luke Atherton, Drue Thompson, Aaron Smith & Michael Mandevil would all be looking to give him a hard time.

The practice/qualifying session went by in a flash, and although my kart felt okay I did consider changing it- until I saw that I had qualified in fourth, beating Luke by a couple of tenths. The only downside to this meant I would be starting on the 'outside' of the grid.

As the drivers made their preparations for the race ahead, I made sure to take on a bit of fluid as well as soaking my balaclava in cold water- the last thing I wanted would have been to feel dehydrated early in the race, & anything I could have done to stay cool would have only been to my advantage. I was more than a little envious however of one of the drivers who had rigged up a bladder-style hydration system with a drinks tube going into his helmet- what was I saying about being prepared?

As we made our way to the grid, with the karts awaiting us like chariots awaiting their riders, I turned back the cuffs of my gloves and double checked the air vents in my helmet were wide open- anything to get a little more ventilation. I made sure to wait until the very last moment to step into my kart, and slide myself into the hard racing seat that would be my home for the next couple of hours. Then, it was time...

Five red lights blazed bright as engine revs rose, & then it was go time! My getaway was good, but Luke's was better. I was immediately demoted to fifth, and held my line around the outside as the drivers filtered under the flyover, positioning myself on the inside for the next left-hand corner. Matt Horgan had made a clean break at the head of the field as everybody completed the first lap cleanly. Midway through the next lap, the yellow lights flashed briefly as one of the drivers got out of shape. I was snapping at the heels of Luke as he battled with Drue & Mike for second place. But moments later, disaster struck..

Now, the worst thing you can do is to ignore your own advice- & despite my experience from last year, my game plan going into the event & Andy Collins reminder about just how long the race was, I found myself being sucked into the battle in front, & within a lap I was sat with the nose of my kart buried in the wall under the flyover. In almost an exact repeat of the accident I had during a recent Open Members GP, I had half-committed to a move down the inside when I was caught out by the driver ahead moving suddenly to the right. My kart got out of shape, and before I knew it the whole field was streaming past me. The race wasn't even five laps old, & I was dead last. I swore at myself inside my helmet, not quite believing that I had been suckered into a mistake so early in the race. I didn't even get the benefit of an extended yellow-flag period to bunch the field, and by the time I was on my way again Id lost seventeen seconds. The top four were now over half a lap away, & my hopes of a podium were looking non-existent.

Within a lap, my head was back in the game, & I decided to turn a negative into a positive- I still had the whole race ahead, a good kart beneath me - and better to have a silly spin in the early stages rather than at the end. From this point on, I was going to go forward, not back. By lap ten, I had caught and passed seventh-placed driver Ashley Young, and set off in hot pursuit of event newcomer Jeremy Woodward, who himself was hunting down Michael Mandevil. As we approached lap thirty, I first overtook Jeremy & then Michael shortly afterwards for fifth place, before losing the position again briefly as we quickly pulled away from Woodward. Already I could see that we were taking chunks out of Luke, Drue & Aaron, & I tried signalling to Michael that we should work together to catch them rather than fight each other. Id have been happy to follow him in pursuit of the guys ahead, but somehow I ended up in front again & this time was able to pull away- whether he made a mistake or was already tiring slightly I couldn't be sure, but I was now comfortably in fifth, & maybe that podium wasn't looking so unrealistic after all. Matt Horgan, at the front of the field, was long gone.

Over the next twenty laps or so, I continued to gain on the group in front, headed by Aaron Smith. Suddenly, a gap of a few seconds vanished, as Aaron made a mistake, not losing a position but grouping up Drue, Luke & Myself behind him. Id been given a lifeline, and I told myself to remain calm and not make any rash decisions as before. As we approached lap seventy, Matt had now joined us as he came through a whole lap ahead, and I made sure to let him through without holding him up but without losing any time myself- the thinking being that he may help me forge away past the guys in front. I ran wide at half-throttle coming onto the main straight, allowing Horgan through but then staying immediately with him. If one of the other saw him coming & gave him space, then there would have been a possibility for me to slip through as well!

Matt however wasn't hanging around, and he was soon past Luke & Drue, before catching Aaron. Drue was the next to make a mistake, miscalculating in an attempt at passing Aaron & dropping behind Luke. It was then my turn- I lined Drue up as we went over the short straight with the grid markings, and stuck my kart up the inside, braking later and claiming the corner. That was what I had been attempting to do in the early stages, & it felt good to pull off the move on one of my favourite parts of the circuit. Drue must have then made another mistake, as he dropped further back toward Michael behind, & gave me abit of breathing space as I set off after Luke & Aaron. 

Aaron Smith was using every trick in the book to keep Luke Atherton behind, but from where I was sitting it was clear that it was just a matter of when and not if it would happen. Around lap seventy, Luke finally forced his way past, cutting back on his racing line through the hairpins before the main straight, a  move which was applauded by Aaron as he was passed- he was clearly enjoying the battle he'd been having up until that point. Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait long to get my own chance to pass, & I took it without asking twice.  The running order was now as follows;

1. Matt Horgan
2.Luke Atherton
3. Ben Churchill
4. Aaron Smith
5. Drue Thompson
6. Michael Mandevil
7. Jeremy Woodward
8. Ashley Young.

After one hundred laps, I had fought back from dead last & made it up to third place overall! I wasn't done yet either- Luke hadn't managed to pull away, and within a few laps I was sat on his rear-bumper. Luke is clearly a very good driver, having competed alongside Andy Collins on a number of occasions & also raced in the Daytona 24hr Kart event in Milton Keynes. Ive raced him a few times at this circuit & on each occasion he'd always just had the upper hand. Unfortunately, tonight would be no different. Try as I might, I could not get close enough to consider a safe move. A banzai effort perhaps, but it was too risky given the positions we found ourselves in. Through the faster parts of the circuit, I seemed to have the advantage- through the fast right-hander after the main straight, going under the bridge and then coming into the downhill hairpin after the flyover- but in the traction zones, where it really mattered, he undoubtedly had the advantage. Everytime I thought I was close enough to have a go, he'd edge away a little. And so it continued, for lap after lap, until we'd left Aaron, Drue & Michael way behind.

It was during this phase of the race that I really felt 'In the Zone' - where every corner just flowed, I wasn't thinking about where I was braking or turning, things were just happening, & I remained focused on Luke just ahead of me. This is a phenomenon that doesn't seem to happen that often, but its almost like you enter a dream-like state (Michael confessed to me after the race that he had also been driving 'in a daze' & this I believe is another way of describing being in the zone- where things just happen without you having to think about it. The kart literally becomes an extension of your body, and you can almost just think your way around a lap) This continued like this for the next fifty laps or so, during which time Drue also got in front of Aaron, who fell back into the clutches of Michael. Luke & I lapped Ashley & Jeremy, never more than two seconds apart, before Luke seemed to find an extra gear, & started to edge away from me. I think Michael & Aaron had a couple of comings-together during this period, bringing out the yellow flags on one occasion, & I lost even more time to Luke then. Finally, after coming up to lap Jeremy again, Luke seemed to ease past without losing any time, where as I was baulked for half a lap. Luke was now secure in second.

With the 'Twenty minutes to go' board being shown, I found myself driving around by myself, and I was able to take stock of where everybody else was in relation to myself. Matt was likely to catch me again by the end of the race to lap me for the third time, Luke was too far ahead by this stage for me to think about mounting an attack, and Michael & Aaron seemed to be having their own personal battle at this late-stage of the race.  Aaron would eventually come out on top, but after running in second for the first half of the race, I sensed afterwards that he was a little disappointed not to make the podium. My main concerns as the timer ticked down was Drue Thompson, who had cleared the other two and was, little by little, eating into my lead over him. With only twenty or so laps remaining, Matt lapped Drue & then me again, on his way to a dominant win. Both me & Luke commented after the race that it seemed like he was racing with two engines! In reality, he was obviously on a different level to the rest of us, & he'd taken advantage of starting on pole, before driving without any errors. My full congratulations go to him for an astonishing victory.

Only a few laps remained now, & Drue was right on my rear-bumper. I felt a couple of light taps from behind, but it seemed for once that I had the better traction despite my weight disadvantage, & I knew if I just drove cleanly for the last few laps he would have a job getting past. However, I started to tense up, suddenly aware of how close he was & how sorely disappointed I would have been if Id dropped to fourth after my charge from the back of the field. I started to tap the walls as we lapped together, losing a tenth here, a tenth there as Drue got ever closer. As we shot over the flyover, I could see the chequered flag being waved for Luke as he crossed the line for second, and I knew I was just a couple of corners from that final place on the podium. I completely missed my braking point for the first of the two hairpins, running wide but then covering the inside for the next right-hand corner. Drue had followed his normal line, & as we went through the final corner, he swept through on the inside as I ran wide due to the tight line I had taken. The chequered flag flew in front of us, he was accelerating hard alongside me...but I'd done it!! Third place after two hours of racing, with only six-tenths of a second seperating me from Drue. Incredible!

All the drivers returned to the pits exhausted- exhausted from the heat, from the concentration needed to race at this pace for two entire hours. Amazingly, nobody had stopped during the race to take a break, and full credit goes to all the drivers for managing to race for so long with so few mistakes- indeed, the number of 'yellow flag' incidents (including my own) could be counted on one hand. It felt really good to take that final step on the podium, after having really felt the pressure from Drue during the last twenty minutes. Looking back now, I cant help but wonder where I may have ended up had I not lost those seventeen seconds earlier in the race, but realistically it would've been very hard to beat Luke Atherton. Its like TT racer Guy Martin says; 'If Ifs & Buts were Nuts & Bolts, we'd all be scrap dealers!' 

I hope youve enjoyed reading my account of the event as much as I have recounting it. This years Ironman event was a really well-run & enjoyable event for all. As always, my thanks goes to Andy Collins & the guys & girls at Teamsport Bristol, as well as all the other drivers for really pushing each other for the whole race

Please keep on eye on this site for more updates coming soon :)

Enjoy your racing!

Ben

GT Academy

As abit of extra-curricular activity, I've been having some fun between races recently trying to qualify for Gran Turismo's GT Academy. Although it looks unlikely I will reach the final stage at Silverstone ( due to a lack of practice time & gaming wheel setup) it's been good fun taking part & progressing through the previous stages- just pushing to find that maximum lap time & 'driving' some of the best Nissan has to offer on circuits like Brands Hatch, Spa & Mt Panorama. If you have a Playstation 3, I highly recommend GT6 if you don't have it already.

Until next time!

Ben

Top Gun Grand Finale

The revenge of Andy Collins

And it's Go, Go, GO! Down the inside into the fast right hander at the bottom of the circuit, defending my position from the drivers behind, I'm immediately behind Michael Mandeville (another staff member competing in the event for fun) who is struggling to find a rhythm at this early stage. Coming across the starting grid, I dive down the inside, late on the brakes & I'm through. Next up Dutch, with Lee Cooper just ahead. The leaders were already breaking away..

A few laps behind the big guy see Andy & Oliver swap positions behind me, with the staff champ attacking me at every opportunity as we catch the Dutchman. I get past, eventually- but Andy and then Oliver follow me through, in pursuit now of young gun Krystian, who is a couple of seconds down the road.

This is was the opening 5 minutes of TeamSport Bristols TopGun Race of Champions, which took place this past Tuesday. A packed grid made up of old & new faces would make the start, with a handful of us in the running for the overall title having competed in each round. For this race, positions at the start would be decided on reverse championship order, with any newcomers starting the front behind the pole sitter (Teamsports 'Intermediate' level staff member) in the middle of the grid would be the 'Advanced' staffer from Round two, with Andy Collins as the 'Expert' driver at the back. I was to start 9th, with Olly just behind in 10th but luckily on the outside line, which would at least make my getaway during the rolling start a little easier. As we lined up in grid formation, I visualized my charge into the first turn, being sure to hold the inside so as to stop me losing any positions early on. We were given the go-ahead, and snaked around to the main straight to take the start. Coming out of the final corner, the pole man was already accelerating hard away. As soon as my wheel were straight I was hard on it, making up a position as we crossed the line to start the first lap proper.


After an action-packed first phase of the race, and with Dutch now safely behind us, we caught Krystian within a couple of laps, only for me to be relegated a position first by Andy, who came past me as we came off the flyover, then by Oliver as I was wrong-footed trying to pass Krystian through the switchback hairpins. To then watch the two of the them dispatch The youngster and disappear down the road was frustrating to say the least. I must have followed Krystian for at least another 8 laps before finally making a move leading into the main straight. With Andy & Oliver racing towards Martin at the front, all I could do now concentrate on keeping Krystian behind and catching Lee Cooper & the Intermediate-level staff member ahead.

I managed to build up a gap of around 1 sec back to Krystian, as although he was getting off the slow corners quicker, I seemed to have the advantage in the faster sections. We quickly caught & passed Lee Cooper, who was clearly struggling with a poor kart & a bad back, before zoning in on the staffer that had started on pole but was now struggling to get past Dutch to lap him. After hanging back for a couple of laps to see how things transpired, whilst still keeping the gap back to Krystian, I followed the two drivers along the back straight, under the bridge then through the series of left-handlers leading up & along the flyover, before plunging downhill to the sharp hairpin left. At the last second, the staff driver dove to the inside, hoping to catch Dutch off-guard-but he was too far back, and the big man had already commited to the corner. The coming together was inevitable, with the staff driver stuck in the tyres on the inside of the corner, & Dutch forced out wide before the next right-hand hairpin. I sliced through the gap, passing Dutch as he struggled off-line, with Krystian right behind.

It was now obvious it was going to be a fight for 4th place between Krystian & myself. Andy & Oliver had made a charge to the front, getting ahead of Martin as he made an un scheduled pitstop due to visor issues. For the final 15 minutes, it almost felt like we were having our own race, as we seemed to be on the opposite side to the track as all the other drivers, apart from Dutch & Lee, who both recorded DNFs.

With the '5 minutes remaining' board being shown, I have to admit that I was absolutely finished. Racing so soon after my adventures at Clay Pigeon had taken it's toll, as my shoulders began to ache and my knees were sore from banging against the chassis. As is the way with a sport like karting, a lot of the time these little aches & pains don't present themselves unless you're competing, such is the unique environment of being in a kart. I started to make mistakes with only a few laps to go, and could sense Krystian getting ever closer. Eventually he squeezed past with a nice move going onto the flyover, & I knew with only a handful of laps to go I'd only realistically get one more chance to get back past him.

I stuck with him for a lap, driving cleanly & not wanting to waste my opportunity, and as we came over & off the flyover I felt I was close enough to have a go. I got myself into position to repeat the move I made on him earlier through the switchback hairpins- but at the very last second he closed the door! A hard but fair move, I then had to gain momentum again in the hope that he would make a mistake in the dying moments. Just as we were coming around to complete another lap, the yellow lights flashed above us to signal there had been an incident elsewhere on the track, and thus any hope I had of passing Krystian went out the window as the chequered flag went out seconds later for race-winner Andy Collins, who had got his revenge over Oliver Bayani for his defeat last time out. They were followed home by a resurgent Martin, with Krystian & myself around half a lap back.

As the drivers gathered around the podium for the race results & announcement of the final Championship positions, it was evident that one or two drivers were feeling a little disgruntled, either with their allocated kart or a race incident or two- but that's rental karting at the end of the day. Dutch in particular was upset with the incident he had with the staff member, but having been in close proximity behind them when it happened, I can honestly say that it looked like a racing incident- and Dutch was able to continue immediately having only been pushed wide, with the staff member ending up stuck in the tyres in the inside of the corner.

Andy had beaten Oliver to regain the respect of his work colleagues, and Martin rounded out the Top 3 after a good drive from the middle of the pack. The overall championship positions were then announced, with Oliver taking the top step having won two out of the four rounds, me taking second after my win in round one & Lee Cooper taking third after some strong races early on. I'd enjoyed a good championship, and collected a few more trophies along the way- and overall I'd say I'd been pleased with my driving on the whole. Oliver had again proven unbeatable most of the time, and Dutch & Lee had both shown plenty of humility and respect on the track. Krystian had emerged as a real threat to the quicker drivers, and with more experience under his belt in sure it to only be a matter of time before he's pushing Oliver.

Rental karting should be a fun sport in my opinion and sometimes there's a danger of some drivers taking things a little too seriously- I encountered it a little at the EKL round last month & again after this race, and yes- I can understand people have paid their money and should get a fair crack at the whip- but at the end of the day there will be times when things don't go your way, you draw a poor kart or get involved in someone else's accident, but you just have to get on with it. As long as you're getting enough satisfaction from driving & having fun- then at the end of the day what more can you ask for?

After all, that's just racing!

Ben

Elite Karting League

Clay Pigeon, May 2014

On a wet & windy day at Clay Pigeon International Kart Circuit in Dorset, I would sample my first taste of racing in the Elite Karting League, & would witness first hand some of the amazing talent on show by some of the UKs best karters.

I would be lining up for the Bristol Bandits team, one of three teams entered for my area by Darren Pearce. Alongside Jordan Donegan & Pete Leppan, we would make up one of over thirty teams entered in the competition.

This being my first visit to Clay Pigeon, I was keen to get out on track as early as possible, but the weather was always going to make things difficult- as it turned out I didn't do any dry-weather racing all day! What was obvious from the 5 or so minutes of practice that I did get was that a) this was still a VERY quick circuit even in the wet, and b) there were some VERY (!) quick drivers here. It was fairly obvious  from the get-go that this event for me would just be a case of survival, as I set myself a personal goal of having clean races & making as few mistakes as possible.

The EKL is quite a grand concept, and after a short drivers briefing, the teams made their way onto track for the opening practice. I have to say a massive thanks to Darren, Jordan & Pete for helping me out massively during this first event, sorting out signing on & the lead weights needed to meet the minimum weight limit. The pits & paddock could only be described as chaos at the best of times, with the weather only adding to the madness-and yet everything seemed to move along smoothly, with the heats only being interrupted by EPEC practice for the owner-drivers racing at the circuit the next day. My first heat race passed without incident, and I ended up finishing around abouts where I started as although I was passed by several drivers on track, I also passed just as many who had spun off in the torrential conditions.

Heat 2 was a little more eventful, although the outcome was pretty much the same, with me finishing roughly where I started. This time during the race though, I narrowly avoided what can only be described as an optimistic dive by one driver on the first corner of the first lap. I was on the very inside of the corner when someone came flashing past me already on the grass, and wiped out about three other drivers in front of me. I dodged the carnage, and went about my race, again passing and being passed  by an equal amount of drivers, and also at one time having to take to the grass myself to avoid another kart.

By Heat 3, I have to admit my heart wasn't really in it, a combination of the weather and the sheer scale of the event made me withdraw a little inside myself and I can only apologise to my team-mates because of that. My third and final heat passed without incident, and as we broke for lunch before the 'Race of Champions' I was already looking forward to getting out of my wet race wear and making the return trip home. Fiona, my long-suffering girlfriend had taken it upon herself to look after our transport/accommodation and was doing her best to be supportive and keep my spirits high.

We made our way around the other side of the track away from the paddock to watch the ROC (Where a nominated driver from each team take part in a race to win back their teams entry fee) with the rest of Team Bristol, where we witnessed a close fight at the front and Team Captain Darren Pearce struggle with an awful kart at the rear of the field, before gearing up for the final 2 hour Team Endurance event.

As a team, we made the decision to only send out two drivers for the short qualifying session in order to maximise track time, and it worked as we took a position inside the top 10 in the dying moments. Jordan Donegan was nominated as the driver to take the start for us, handing over to me for the second stint. After looking like the weather was going to give us abit of a break (having dried up enough in the Race of Champions to finally hear some tyre squeal during the race) it started to spit with rain again as the race began.

After 20 minutes or so, Jordan came into the pits having battled with the midfield pack for the first part of the race, and I climbed into the kart for what was to be my last session of the day. For the next fifteen minutes or so I again stuck to my game plan, staying out of trouble and staying on the black stuff. As is usually the way though, I soon got sucked into a battle with the guy in front and in my over-enthusiasm I ended up putting a couple of wheels on the grass, and away she went! Luckily I was able to recover quickly, losing only a couple of positions and coming out just ahead of Dan Healey, who I had a nice battle with for a few laps before he broke away as we moved through some traffic. Just as I was building my confidence again, I was take completely by surprise by someone coming around the outside of me in the second to last corner and literally pushing me off the inside of the track. Again, my wheels were on the grass and I spun again onto the infield. In my frustration, I threw my arm in the air, and half-spun again trying to recover. i signalled to the pits that i was ready to come in, and cruised back into the pits in a mood greyer than the overhead sky.

I didn't hang about after getting out of the kart, getting back to the camper as quickly as possible to get changed into some dry clothes, before re-joining the rest of Team Bristol in watching the last half-hour of the race from the grandstand.

Overall, I have mixed feeling about the event in general. I want to say a big thank you to Darren for asking me to take part in one of his teams, and to Jordan in particular for showing me the ropes and generally going above & beyond the call of duty in making sure my races went as smoothly as possible. My thanks also goes the other members of the Bristol-based teams- bandits the lot of you! As far as the EKL goes, I'm not 100% sure at this time where my future lies. Darren had asked me before this event if Id like to take part in the second Clay Pigeon round in October, but right now I'll admit to not being sure. There are obviously some very talented drivers racing in the series, but there are also some guys racing who seem to have forgotten that at the end of the day, something like karting should be fun and fair. There are those with experience who will respect you and give you space even if they're quicker, but others will literally make it their goal to have you off the track and cant seem to pass a single person without making some amount of contact. I'm just not sure right now that its something I want to be a a part of.

Next up for me is the Top Gun series finale at TeamSport Bristol, following on only a few days after the EKL race, and I must admit its going to be alot more within my comfort zone. I'll be sure to get a race report up as soon as possible, as staffer Andy Collins looks to exact revenge over Oliver Bayani for his defeat in the last round.

Until then, happy karting. And remember, keep it fun!

'I feel the need, the need for speed!'

Top Gun Round 3

Six drivers took to the grid for what was to be the third & final round of Teamsport Bristols inaugural TopGun series. This round would feature Teamsport staff champion Andy Collins as the 'expert' driver starting at the back of the grid, alongside other Bristol regulars Oliver Bayani, Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff, Lee Cooper & Krystian Matuszkiewicz. The event would follow the same format as the previous rounds, with a 5 minute practice leading straight in to a 45 minute non-stop race, with random grid positions & 'Nascar' style 2x2 rolling start. I must admit I was rather hoping there's had been more drivers competing on the night to get between Andy Collins & the pole man, but it seemed that whatever happened, Andy & Oliver were favourites to be taking the spoils come the chequered flag, with young Krystian being abit of a dark horse as it was his first attempt at the format.

After a quick briefing & kart allocation, we took to the track for a warm-up where as usual I simply tried to get familiar with my karts handling & gauge the grip level of the track. All too soon the flag was out, & as instructed the six drivers made their way around to the grid. I found myself on the outside of the front row alongside Dutch, with Krystian, Oliver, Lee & Andy behind. As Dutch lead us round to the main straight where the race would start proper, I did my best to get some heat into the tyres & brakes before the charge to the first corner.

Across the line, & it's foot flat to the floor as Dutch & myself are almost neck & neck, with him on the inside. I take the racing line through the fast right-hander, but Dutch holds station and I can't get alongside as we snake through the esses. Around under the bridge then up onto the flyover we go, but I still can't quite get by. Onto lap 2, going across the finish line & again I'm alongside Dutch, but he's driving down the middle of the straight & I'm stick on the outside! Through the fast right again, I'm hung out to dry as Dutch washes out infront of me, allowing Oliver Bayani to nip past, before clearing Dutch a few corners later. Once again my lack of aggression in the opening laps had let me down, & it was another whole lap before I passed Dutch after getting a run at him along the smaller straight before diving up the inside as we went under the bridge. Within a few corners, Teamsport staff champ Andy Collins surprised me with a dive up the inside going onto the main straight- I knew right there & then I was fighting for third place as Oliver had been pulling away rapidly.

I hung onto Andy for a handful of laps in the hope that he'd pull me away from the scrap between Krystian, Dutch & Lee behind me. I even that in some parts of the track I was quicker than Andy, but his consistency finally broke me & suddenly he was a couple of seconds down the road as I struggled to match his pace. Once again, it was traction coming out of the esses onto the shorter straight where I seemed to be losing out, & certainly not through the faster parts of the circuit.

Over the next few laps, I began to get a clearer picture of where the other drivers were in the race; Dutch it seemed had had an slight bump with Andy & fallen to the back of the field, Krystian was lumbered with a slow kart by the looks of things and was struggling to keep pace with Lee, who I was aware was closing me down by a few 10ths a lap. Lucky for me, as it reached a point where Lee might have started to think about attacking me, we came across Dutch, & I was able to lap him quickly & pull out a couple of seconds over Lee again.

Things then settled down until about 2/3rds into the race as we came to lap Krystian, who although was clearly struggling with a bad kart still had his elbows out. I managed to get past going through the switchback hairpins, but again I found Lee right behind me, desperate to make the final podium place. By this point, I was able to get a good view of the battle for the lead between Oliver & Andy, who were having a race of their own out front- with young Oliver amazingly still in front!

Lap after lap, I could sense Lee gaining ground but then losing it again as we completed each circuit. I knew his only real shot would be to have a dive up the inside going under the bridge, so almost every lap I was having a quick check back to see just how behind me he was. If he was close, I hold the inside, which compromised my corner entry but meant there was no was past. If he was a little further back, I'd take my normal line, & have another look back on the main straight just in case.

With the '5 Minute Remaining' board being shown, & with Oliver & Andy bearing down on us, I managed to pull out a couple of seconds over Lee as we came to lap Dutch one final time. I made a right meal out of getting past, which allowed Lee to close right in again with only 2 laps remaining!

As we came over the flyover on the penultimate lap, Lee was caught slightly off line & ran wide into the first of the switchback hairpins, dropping him into the clothes of Oliver, who himself had finally broken away from Andy after the staff champion had a half spin! Finally on this last lap I was able to relax a little, with a podium place almost guarantee- and I crossed the line with Lee only just over a second behind. After 45 minutes of non-stop close racing, and with only 4/100ths of a second seperating mine & Lees fastest lap, I really feel like I couldn't have achieved a better result!

As the overall finishing positions we're read out as the drivers gathered around the podium, I was frantically trying to work out where I would be in the overall points standings- until it was announced that the following month there would be a 'Night of Champions' TopGun event featuring all three of the Bristol Staff members that we had previously raced against! This event is now scheduled for 28th May, & should see some incredibly close battles as we all fight for the right to be called Top Gun.

Next up for me is the Elite Karting League round at Clay Pigeon in Dorset, driving for the Bristol Bandits team. I'm really looking forward to this event, as it will be my first in the EKL & may well form the foundation for my plans for 2015- I'll be sure to post a full report of the event when it's done & dusted!

Until next time, happy karting! :-)

Ben

TopGun Round 2 & Open GP

Another two rounds, another two podium places for myself during the month of March at Teamsport Bristol. Unfortunately I was unable to climb any higher than the third step, but it was another two small trophies for the cabinet!

TopGun unfortunately didn't run as smoothly for me as Round One, where I was able to lead the race from start to finish after starting from pole. For this round, I started a little further back, and was fighting the kart the whole time. After only ending up 4th of 8 in the warm-up, I had realistic expectations for the race but with Round One runner up Bayani starting on the front row, I knew if have my work cut out for me giving him any hassle.

A Teamsport staffer of 'advanced' ability was joining us at the back of the grid, with the aim being to finish ahead of him. Unfortunately I fluffed the rolling start, got hung out to dry around the outside and then got involved in a messy collision which put me toward the back and already behind the staff member. From there on it was abit of a non-event as the positions stabilised for the last two thirds of the race, with me keeping equal distance to the guy in front as well as the one behind me. I was relieved to cross the line eventually in 4th place but was promoted to 3rd as that spot was taken by a 'ringer' who wasn't competing in the series proper. The next round will feature an 'expert' member of staff, and it will be very interesting to see if Oliver, myself & any others can keep him behind us. With a bit of luck, I'm hoping to again be in the fight for a podium position- fingers crossed!

The second race I took part in at Teamsport in March was a Grid Members Open GP event, consisting of a practice, 4 Heats, & Semi-final & final. 8 drivers took up the challenge, with a young guy named Krystian Matuszkiewicz looking the favourite to take the win after the early practice laps.

Heat 1 saw me starting dead last, but I made a great start & was up to Third after a few laps, where I stayed until the chequered flag fell. Race 2 saw me starting from pole where made the most of my starting position & stormed off to a commanding win.

For Heat 3 I was starting 2nd, and after getting an okay start I pulled off a beautiful overtake going under the flyover- before taking my second win of the night. Things were looking good for the semi final, all I needed was a top 3 finish in my final heat to guarantee myself pole.

The 4th & final heat saw me start 5th where my luck finally ran out & I was involved in an accident at the first comer. I was dead last! After some opportunistic overtaking I clawed my way back up to 4th, but I ran out of laps as Krystian took a commanding win- the a Finals were going to be close!

When the grid for the Semi-final was announced, I was a little disappointed to see that Krystian had just edged me on points to start from pole, & to be honest I'd rather have started 3rd where you are on the 'inside' line as opposed to my grid slot on the outside. The other frustrating thing for me was that Krystian had clearly had a decent kart for the last heat giving to his winning margin, and for the semi-final he was given the same kart again as it was at the front of the que. It sounds abit like sour grapes, but I felt it did take away from that lottery element that rental karting brings that he was able to race in the same kart he'd just used. But as they say, you make your own luck in racing!

As expected, young Kristian disappeared from pole, whilst I had my worst getaway as I was distracted by the guy in third spot almost jumping the start, and found myself again down in about 5th position. I managed to get myself back up to third by the end of the race, a long way behind the front two, meaning I'd at least be starting from my preferred grid position behind pole. I knew that if I could keep out of trouble on the first lap of the final, I'd have a shot at the win.

As we sat on the grid for the nights final race, we all stared at the overhead gantry, waiting for one light, two lights, three lights, four lights, five lights - Green! And it's Go, go, go! Kristian, myself and the racer to my right in second all pulled away together, right under the bridge, then into the double left hander leading to the up-ramp. We'd missed the carnage going on behind, and after only one whole lap the three of us were already well over three seconds clear!

For nearly ten minutes, we all circulated together, with never more than a second separating us. The problem was that we were so evenly matched over each lap there were hardly any opportunities to overtake. I found myself going quicker into the long fast right hander at the bottom of the circuit, and into the hairpin left coming off the flyover, but in the traction zones I was losing out to the lighter weight drivers ahead. Krystian was keeping a cool head at the front, & it became apparent that only a mistake as we approached the back markers would change the final standings.

As it turned out, once again Lady Luck wasn't on my side, as first Krystian then the guy in second breezed past the first backmarker within moments of catching him, where as I ended up catching him in the worst place possible, where I was completely baulked as he paid more attention to where I was than where he was going. I waited for the inevitable mistake, and within a few corners he'd completely missed his braking point coming off the flyover, and I nipped by without leaving the racing line to begin my pursuit of the top two- would there be enough time to catch them?

With only a handful of laps to go, I ate into the five or so seconds they'd gained on me, but just as I got back to within a second I saw the checkered flag being readied, & knew that it wasn't to be my night. Krystian crossed the line for the deserved win, as I took the final step of the podium.

All in all I had a good nights racing and generally I was pleased with my results, even if fate had decided to play me a few cruel hands. I congratulated Krystian, and vowed that next time out, for the third and final round of TopGun, I'd be fighting at the front once again

Round 3 of TopGun takes place on Tuesday 29th April

Happy karting!

Ben

March Madness

It's almost time for Round 2 of Teamsport Bristol's TopGun series, and since the last round I've been invited to take part in the ever-growing EKL kart series, as a member of one of the Bristol teams ran by my old buddy Darren Pierce. I'll be driving for the Bristol Bandits team at the two rounds scheduled to take place at the Clay Pigeon circuit in Dorset. I'm really looking forward to taking part in this competition, alongside familiar faces Dan Healey, Dan & Lee Morris and a few BRKC regulars. Karting outdoors is a world away from indoor rental karting & I'm really interested to see how I stack up against these guys!

For more information about the NKL, check out their website:

http://thekartingleague.co.uk/wordpress/

Since Round 1 of TopGun, I havnt managed to get back to the Avonmouth circuit for any practice, but I did have the opportunity during an overnight stay in Winchester to visit the Thruxton karting centre, where I was able to take part in an open practice session on a beautiful dry day-it would have been rude not too!

It's always abit of an adjustment when you go back to outdoor karting after a break, as everything is amplified-the grip, the speed you arrive at corners, the bumps on the track-it usually takes a few laps to recalibrate the senses a little. It didn't take me long to get a reminder of this as I ran wide coming out of the first corner on cold tyres & clattered over the serrated exit kerbs!

After a few laps if managed to find my groove and enjoyed attacking the  fast circuit as the tyres got up to temperature and my braking points & lines improved. All too soon my session was over and I cruised back to the pitlane with numb hands and a huge grin on my face. I had a nice evening of r&r planned with Fi at the the fantastic Marwell Hotel and I left Thruxton confident that when my first round of EKL comes around, I'll be ready for the demands of outdoor racing once more.

In the meantime, I have the next TopGun event to look forward to, and I'll be sure to let you guys know how I get on as soon as possible- if you're racing, I'll see you there!

Ben

The year to date..

Wow, I cant believe its almost April already!! I hope everybody is having a great year & getting plenty of track time. The F1 season has just kicked off but I know for a lot of people their racing year is in full swing!

I thought Id take the time to update you guys on a few of the events Ive taken part in since the BRKC event in January (still working on a full on report from the weekend) and take the opportunity to thank my long-suffering girlfriend Fi and the guys at Teamsport Bristol for all the continued support & opportunities.

February was a busy month for me, kicking off with the final round of Chase the Ace. Oliver Bayani was a dead-cert for the Championship, but 2nd to 4th was all up for grabs. Final points would be a complicated affair with two drop rounds to be taken into consideration, and I was disappointed after a hard-charging race from 5th to 3rd to find out Id just missed out on a top three in the overall standings. My congratulations again go to Oliver, Dan Healey & Round Three winner Lee Cooper on a great Winter series.

Following on from the bitter/sweet experience, I found myself teaming up with hotshot Dan Healey for the Teamsport Bristol Team challenge, an 80 minute endurance race with Le-mans style driver changes. Favourite to win the event was Teamsport staffer Andy Collins and his teammate Luke Atherton, but Dan & myself felt that a top 3 was achievable and after 80 mins of close racing, Dan crossed the line in second place, only 8 seconds behind the winning team. We were also the only team to finish on the lead lap, and standing on the second step of the podium with Dan next to Andy & Luke, it almost felt like a victory after almost an hour & a half of racing.

As February turned to March, and with no Chase the Ace series for another couple of months, I decided Id have a crack at the Teamsport 'TopGun' three-round series. The idea for the series was straightforward; Three 45-minute races, random grids with rolling starts, and a staff member of increasing ability to beat in each round.

Round One would feature and 'intermediate' staff member, but more of a concern to me was Chase the Ace champ Oliver Bayani, who was favourite to win having shown amazing consistency and the ability to race hard over 45 minutes throughout the CTA winter series. Also returning was an old familiar face, Andy Frankham back in the hot seat after almost a year out.

Teamsport Bristol had taken delivery of a fleet of new karts in February, and at this stage each kart was remarkably close in performance. As anyone knows when it comes to rental karting, this can be both a positive and a negative thing. On one hand its good because it allows the really quick guys to showcase their talents on an almost level playing field. On the downside, with the karts being so closely matched, even some of the slower guys are able to put in some respectable times and make life hard for the front runners. On a high speed track with few braking points like the one in Avonmouth, you really have to work for an overtake or wait until the guy in front makes a mistake if you find that your kart is closely matched with the guy in front.

This situation was perfectly illustrated back in January at the BRKC event. FormulaFast Indoor Karting are famous for their incredible kart parity, but it can lead to some processional racing. Its a double-edged sword but one that we all have to live with. But the cream will always rise to the top, as they say!
After a quick 5 minute warm up, I was as surprised as anybody to find myself being ushered to pole position! Andy Frankham was next to me in second, with Lee Cooper & Oliver behind. For the TopGun series, Teamsport were trialling a new rolling start procedure, where a 'pace kart' would lead us around from the grid to the main straight before pulling away, with a rule in place that no one should overtake before a cone which had been placed about a third of the way down the straight. As I was lucky enough to be starting first & essentially on the 'inside' all I had to do was hold my line until I passed the cone, and accelerate away. After a couple of laps, I'd already pulled out a few seconds lead, but could see that Lee & Oliver had already passed Andy- It was game on!

The first ten laps or so were interrupted by a couple of yellow flags as some of the newer members found their feet, but after that things settled down with my only concern being Oliver getting past Lee. However, as we starting moving through some of the back markers, I could see that Lee was keeping the young charger under pressure- Oliver certainly wasn't having things all his own way.

Unlike the Chase the Ace series, there would be no mandatory pitstops in this race, so you really have to concentrate on driving consistently & not making any mistakes, and by the time the '15 minute remaining' board was shown, I for one was starting to feel it. I'd managed to keep a gap back to Bayani for most of the race, but as we encountered a group of three or four lapped drivers (including the Teamsport staff member!) he really ate into my lead as the final laps approached. Any time I got past a back marker with the hope of pulling away a little, he was right there behind me. After an audacious overtake around the outside going under the flyover, I knew I'd compromised my line through the next few corners, so I held the inside, going slower but knowing that for Oliver to get past would require him going the long way round. As we approached the final right hand corner, I moved to the inside, quite late but fair, and practically stopped on the apex before accelerating along the home straight, in a drag race with Oliver as we crossed the line less than 4/10ths of a second apart! I pumped my fist in the air, and pointed back at Oliver to say 'You almost had me!'
Lee Cooper rounded off the top 3, coming across the line roughly 10 seconds back. I'd repeated my feat from late last year of achieving a third, second & first place finish three events in a row, so to say I was pleased would be an understatement!

The next TopGun round, featuring a Teamsport staff member of advanced ability, takes place on Tuesday 25th March- I'll post a full race report soon after

Until next time..

BRKC 2014

For full results, news and information visit the website

http://www.brkc.net/

Still hoping to get a full write-up done in the near future

Very busy at the moment!

Hope you all enjoyed the Australian Grand Prix & I'll see you at the track :)

2014 Starts Here!

After over a month out of the seat I found myself pulling on my helmet & gloves once more, as Round 4 of Teamsport Bristol's Chase the Ace Winter Series reached its penultimate stage.

Eleven drivers turned up on the night, with a couple of noticeable absences but also some new faces.
As things stood in the championship, young gun Oliver Bayani only needed one more win to be able to take the title, with Dan Healey looking secure in 2nd overall. After two fourth places finishes and a podium last time out, I sat third in the table, just ahead of underdog Lee Cooper. Making his Chase the Ace debut was former Teamsport employee & DKR driver Tommo Davis, who was sure to be right at the sharp end.

After the usual briefing and kart selection, the drivers made their way to their respective karts to begin the five minute practice session. This is also a good opportunity to get a feel for your race kart, but with such a short amount of time on track, you have to decide fairly quickly if you wish to change karts. As Race Director Andy Collins usually says, the 'spare' karts are spare for a reason. Last time out I switched karts and it proved to be the right choice, this time however, I felt confident that the kart I had chosen could get the job done. This was further vindicated when the session finished and I found myself to have set the second fastest time behind Tommo.

At this point, realistically I was hoping for at least a top four finish given how quick Oliver & Dan had been in the previous races, and given Tommo's intimate knowledge of the track & karts. I was at least certain Id be able to stay ahead of Lee Cooper.

Qualifying followed, with each driver getting just a single lap using the same kart to set a time. I was third to run, and although my run felt okay, I found myself 5th on the grid once the other drivers had completed their runs. The major surprises from the session were that series newcomer Scott Davies found himself 2nd on the grid, ahead of Tommo Davis, and I found myself one position ahead of Dan Healey. The only thing that wasn't a surprise was that Oliver Bayani grabbed Pole position for the fourth race in succession.

Despite still not getting the most out the one-shot qualifying session, I was still confident of moving  forward during the 45-minute race. Scott Davies ahead was a bit of an unknown quantity, and the downside of having an odd-numbered grid position is that even though you start on the inside of the track, you very quickly find yourself on the outside of three consecutive left-hand corners. As we made our way to the grid, I ran through several first-lap scenarios in my head, and one by one, between back-slaps and thumbs up, we settled into our machines, making sure to get as comfortable as possible for the race ahead.

The Formula One style lights came on, each red light burning bright before all five lights held for what felt like an eternity. Lee Cooper almost jumped the start as the first light came on, and as they flicked to green the eleven karts surged forward, into the right hand kink under the flyover before the bottleneck. Although my getaway wasn't too bad, I found myself hung out to dry around the outside of the left hand corners, slightly put offline by Scott, who had a cautious start.  Dan Healey capitalised and was past me by the time we crossed the line at the end of the first lap, but after making my way past Scott, I found myself right up under his rear bumper as we hunted down Lee Cooper in third, with Tommo and Oliver already edging out a lead at the front.

After a few laps, things seemed to be settling down, with Dan attacking Lee ahead of me, when a series of yellow flags brought out by some of the drivers further back led to a rush of pit stops. Dan was first in, and I made the decision to dive in a lap later to try & cover him, leaving Lee a bit of breathing space. As I emerged from the pits, I was surprised to find myself a couple of seconds ahead of Dan, but this was nothing compared to what happened next..

At the head of the field, Tommo followed Oliver into the pits, promoting Lee Cooper into the lead, but crucially they came out behind the drivers that had caused the yellow flags earlier. This was to prove to be a the crucial moment in the race. I found myself unexpectedly in close proximity to Oliver & Tommo, and couldn't believe my eyes as I saw Lee emerging from the pits a good few seconds down the road. As I settled into a rhythm following the pit stops, I left the door open for Dan to come past going under the flyover, but was able to stick with him as we carved through the back markers. Lee was already pulling out a lead over Tommo, who had made it past Oliver who was struggling a little.

Apart from a couple more yellow flag incidents, the race settled into a rhythm from here, with me & Dan chasing down Oliver for third through the back markers, before the two of them were fighting with me observing from a few kart lengths back. I was hoping to capitalise on any mistakes either made, but it soon became clear that they were pushing each other as they edged further away from me. Then, as I was heading onto the uphill section of the flyover, the yellow lights flashed on again. As I came off the throttle and rounded the corner at the top of the circuit, I came across a chaotic scene with karts seemingly scattered across the track. Somehow Dan ahead of me had managed to avoid the carnage, and as I cruised past, I saw that it was Teamsport regular Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff sat facing sideways, along with none other than championship leader Oliver Bayani!

After a hectic few laps following Dan through the back markers, before I knew it the five minute remaining board went out, and the last few laps went by without further incident. As we pulled into the pits, I was left to wonder where I could have ended up had I not followed Dan into the pits but stayed out as Lee did. He had somehow managed to leap ahead ahead of Tommo & Oliver and maintain a lead. Its clear hes on top of his game right now & took advantage of having a really decent kart. Mike Westhoff was left frustrated with his spin near the end, but not as much as Oliver Bayani I imagine!

As things stand in the Championship now, Oliver still has a comfortable lead, Dan looks secure in second but Lee has now edged ahead of me with his win. Its all to play for then at the final round in February. With Teamsport Bristol due for a New Year re-furb and a fantastic new fleet of karts, I'm literally counting down the days until I can get back on track there!

In the meantime, I'm off to the Autosport International show in Birmingham tomorrow, followed by the 2014 BRKC event next weekend.

2014 has well & truly started!!