Announcement

I'm really happy to announce that for the third year running, I will be competing at the British Rental Kart Championship 2016 event! The venue once again will be at the fantastic Formula Fast indoor circuit in Milton Keynes, & will take place on the weekend of 15th-17th January.

Once again, the very best kart racers from the UK & abroad will take part in this annual extravaganza, with a £1000 cash prize up for grabs, along with entry into the 2016 Kart World Championship event!

For more information on the BRKC, along with the host venue, check out the following websites;

http://brkc.co.uk/

http://formulafast.co.uk/

I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Peace out ;-)

Ben

November 2015

It's now been a few weeks since the inaugural '6 Hours of TeamSport Bristol' endurance race, & I've only now really started to feel like being a part of the winning team was a success. This is mostly due to the way that the race ended, with a kamikaze move & contact with my competition on the very last corner of the race- but at the end of the day I realised its still a victory, in certainly the longest & hardest race I've ever taken part in.

After the race had finished, I said that if all of the incidents & things had happened on the first lap rather than the last, it wouldn't even be a point of discussion, & that over the course of the six hours we all had our 'moments' of bad luck but also of good fortune- & I want to explore some of those if's, but's & maybe's here;

So, I guess first of all, would Martin & I have won if the guy who was in third at the end of the race realised he wasn't fighting for position with Zac & just let him past? Answer; No, Zac would probably have won on pure pace alone, he had enough laps to catch me & I was near-enough finished at that stage.

My counter-argument; If I hadn't let Zac unlap himself so easily in the first place, would he have been a position to fight for the victory in the end? Probably not, & in hindsight even if I'd held him up for a couple of laps, it would have been enough.

Next, would Zac, Krystian & Andy have won if they hadn't received a black flag & the subsequent penalty early in the race. Well, possibly, but that was of their own doing. Martin & myself were lucky ourselves to only get two 'warnings' during the race & therefore not receive any penalties for on-track incidents. We did serve a penalty of swapping karts during a driver-change, which was deemed to have gained us an unfair advantage, just to clear that up!

Would I have had an easier time of things if I hadn't firstly had a minor accident with a back-market earlier in the race (costing me around 5 seconds with a half-spin) & then also getting stuck behind Aaron Smith & Michael Peach in the closing stages? During that final stint of the race, I lost 15 seconds over a few laps, which allowed Zac (who had already un-lapped himself) to close right in on me. Again, if I'd had as easy time as Zac did passing these guys as the end of the race drew near, I'd have probably had a winning margin of at least a few seconds rather than 4/10ths.

With all that being said & done, I still need to tip my hat to Zac & Krystian, who both had incredible pace during very long stints, as well as Oliver Bayani (& his teammate Dutch) for grabbing the fastest lap of the race. Andy George also gets a mention for being a paint min the ass but also a completely fair racer! In a straight fight, these guys (the youngsters that is) are just on another level in terms of pure pace, but anyone will tell you that a race of this kind is about putting all the pieces together, & minimising the damage that these 'uncertainties' can do to your chances. At the end of the day, that is what Martin & I were able to do, & that is what allowed us to take the win.

After all, It's only a bit of fun, right?! 

Ben

This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Gran Karting Lanzarote circuit whilst on holiday in- you guessed it - Lanzarote!

The facility was fully FIA approved & boasted a billiard-table smooth track surface as well as spectacular views of the sea & mountains. As well as getting to sample a couple of the circuit's hire karts, I was treated to the sights & sounds of gearbox karts pounding around the circuit. Several drivers were out on track, practicing for the final round of a national competition, I was told. The performance of those karts looked absolutely phenomenal, like four-wheeled super bikes- amazing!

My laps of the full 'international' circuit yielded a best time of 1.09.021, with a top speed of 66.74 Km/h-obviously way off the times being set by the gearbox drivers, but I still finished top of the group in both of my sessions. My best lap was good enough for a place inside the Top 10 times for that particular day. 

The track itself had a few very fast corners as well as some tricky hairpin bends. A layer of gravel had been dragged onto the racing line on the entry to one of the left-hand turns, which made for a few sideways moments! Overall though I felt comfortable on the long, winding circuit and the sight of the sun setting behind the mountains as we lapped the track is a memory I won't forget for a while. To finish our last session under floodlights after starting in the day was reminiscent of a certain Middle-Eastern GrandPrix, at least that's what I told myself anyway! 

I would recommend a visit to Gran Karting if you ever find yourself in Lanzarote- the circuit will even provide free transport to & from your hotel should you desire. Below is a link to the track's website, go check it out if you have a moment:

www.grankarting.com

Keep on motorin'!

Ben

6 Heures du TeamSport Part Two

Martin's hour in the kart was almost up, & I was relishing the opportunity of a 25 minute sprint on light fuel before handing back over to my teammate. Our driver changeover went smoothly, & I was back out on track & pushing hard again. I was soon up behind Aaron, who was struggling with a dog of a kart, & his lack of power made it easy to pass him, this time at least! I had one goal in mind for this stint, & that was to catch Andy George, who had taken over the lead of the race after some scintillating driving from Krystian & Zac. Now, catching Andy wasn't so much of an issue, but passing him was quite another. As the laps & minutes ticked away, I did everything I could to try & find an opening, but he positioned his kart expertly on each lap, making it impossible for me to pass cleanly. As we approached the 2nd refuelling window, I knew I had to get ahead of we were to have a chance at the win later on, but the only way I could see myself getting ahead was if we came across some traffic. Thankfully, a few laps before I handed back over to Martin, we came across a group of battling drivers who were all racing hard with each other. Andy got wrong-footed coming off the flyover, taking a defensive line against me but then having to get out of the throttle to avoid the drivers ahead, allowing me to go around the outside before the right-hand turn on to the main straight.

 I was back in the lead, & able to pass the other karts as the squabbled with each other, increasing the gap to Andy before he was called to the pits. I then got caught up in a stupid accident with a backmarkers, having a half-spin coming off the flyover & losing about 5 seconds, before getting the signal to come in to swap with Martin. As I came to a stop however, Martin wasn't there ready to jump into our kart, but instead sat in another (no.16) & he took off before I even had chance to get out of the seat. The pit marshall explained to me that Martin was worried about the reliability of our kart, so had opted for a change. We were however given a 5 second penalty to be added on to our fuel stop because of how quickly he left the pits after I came in, as we didn't lose anytime in changing over essentially. I pulled off my now sweat-soaked balaclava, & necked a bottle of water before returning to the pits in anticipation of Martin's fuel stop.

One by one, each kart came into the pits, the drivers getting out, walking around a little, having a drink, stretching, checking the timing screens. The karts were brimmed with fuel & back in their was again after 90 seconds, & Martin was one of the last to come in. At this point we were still leading the race, with Krystian eating into our lead. This next stint would define our race, with Andy having completed two mammoth stints & Zac still to go out-Martin had to rebuild our advantage over the next 40 minutes. I rejoined Andy & Dutch in the spectator area, grabbed an energy gel & enjoyed watching the race unfold as a train if karts formed behind Michael 'Peachy' Peach, with Krystian right at the back of it! Martin was half a lap ahead at this point, & by the time the young Polish driver was in amongst the 'Peachy train', my teammate was already on the back of them! Andy informed me that during his stint he'd been given a black for an incident with another driver, which is how Martin & myself had been able to get almost a lap ahead at this point. Zac was a little frustrated that Martin had gained us an advantage by swapping karts during our driver changeover, but he cooked off a little when I told him we'd served a penalty for it during our refuel. 

With just over an hour to go, Krystian made his teams' final driver swap, with Zac taking over for the final stint. Martin had a nice lead at the front, but was understandably beginning to tire after almost 3 hours in the kart. Number 16 at least looked like a very quick kart, & Zac was unable to really close the gap as we approached the final hour. By this point my shoulders, hands, back & knees were beginning to feel a little sore, but it still looked as though I would be able to take it fairly easy given our gap back to 2nd place. As if!

With around 55 minutes of the race to go, I jumped back in for my final stint. I emerged from the pits a few corners in front of Zac, but also crucially 1 lap ahead. For the next 15 laps, we made our way through the traffic, gaining & losing ground with each pass, before Zac was within range to mount an attack on me. Somewhere ahead of us on the track, Dutch was having a short final stint before handing back over to Ollie, & I hoped he would remember our pre-race agreement not to let Zac have too easy a time getting past, without resorting to anything dirty of course. Once Zac was close enough behind me that I knew he would soon be trying to pass, I pulled over to the right side of the main straight, eased off the gas & extending my hand in gesture- after you! With only around half an hour to go, I thought I'd make it a little less painful for Zac by allowing him to I lap himself without any hassle, knowing that if I could stay close to him as he then made his way through traffic, he'd have no time left to take almost a whole lap out of me. Well, that plan worked for about 15 minutes, & then things got crazy!

Initially everything seemed to be going to plan- I was able to stay about 1 sec behind Zac as we circulated in clean air, & just as he started to eek out a bit more of gap, we came up behind Dutch, who did just enough to allow me to close right back up Zac again. Zac eventually muscled his way through, & I followed, giving Dutch the big thumbs up as I went past. He would soon hand over to Ollie, but they were more or less now cemented in 4th place overall. 

Zac was soon sprinting ahead again, & I was unable to match his pace as fatigue began to set in. With around 25 minutes still to run, I tried to balance the need to push with the desire to conserve energy, but I still thought I had enough in hand over the youngster to see me through until the end. As we approached a group of karts including Peachy & Aaron Smith, I was hopeful Zac's attack would again come to a temporary halt & I would be able to consolidate my position. However, Zac was past Aaron in no time at all & almost immediately past Michael Peach, without even a hint of defence. 

As I mentioned earlier, with Aaron, you never whether he's going to just let you by or fight for the very last inch of space, but it seemed that the red mist had descended at this point & he was going to do his damnedest to stop people getting by, whether he was fighting for actual position or not. Not only could I not get past, but I was losing chunks of time as he took a rather unusual route through the corners. I could see Zac disappearing off in the distance, & I was praying for the track marshals to start using the 'leader behind' board, to signal to other that they were being lapped. This wasn't to be though, & I grew more & more agitated as the laps went by, unable to find a way past Aaron. We were now in amongst a group of karts led again by Peachy, & only after Aaron had an altercation with another driver (I believe that led to a penalty) was I able to squeeze through) Zac had taken an enormous amount of time out of me by the time I came up behind Peachy, & again I found that he was a lot less interested in letting people past than he had been in the earlier stages of the race. Before I knew it, Zac was only a couple of corners behind, with only 1 other kart between us. If I could just get past Michael, I thought to myself, then I should be home & dry. Eventually I got through, & I was sure with only about 15 minutes remaining, I should be able to beat Zac to the line. Just. 

As it turned out, the driver that was sat between me & Zac after they had passed Peachy was driving for Kart Monkeys team, newcomers to TeamSport Bristol & performing well in the their first event here. They were at this stage however 1 lap down, but I don't think the driver was aware of that & he was fighting with Zac for what I assumed he thought was 2nd place overall. This initially worked to my advantage, & as the final minutes ticked away, I was able to maintain position about one corner ahead of them. I was drenched in sweat, my mouth was dry & my hands & shoulders were screaming to give up, but I pushed on, doing the math in my head as to how many laps more the race would run with the time shown on a track-side screen. 

With 40 seconds remaining as we crossed the line, I knew I would only have to hold out for another 2 laps, as a small crowd gathered in the spectator area to witness the end of this epic race. Going over the short straight going under the flyover, I checked over my shoulder to see how much of a gap I had- it was small, but enough not to need to defend my line. Zac was still behind, & it was looking like it was going to stay that way. We crossed the line with 11 seconds to spare, to start out final lap-this was it! 

On the final lap, I took the slower but more defensive line going over the grid markings heading under the flyover, with Zac pushing the kart behind me as hard as he could. I could hear their tyres scrub on the track surface as we went up & around the bridge, & as we came off the ramp I positioned my kart mid-track to try & set myself up for the final 2 corners. Suddenly, the kart behind made a dive to my right, catching me off-guard & pushing me wide into the left-hander before the final corner. All he had achieved with this crazy late-race move was to unlap himself & destroy any chance of a clean finish. I was well off-line as the 3 of us went into the final right hand corner before the finish line, & Zac, ever the opportunist, took the regular racing line as I had to turn tighter & slower. I had track position on the inside but he had momentum exiting the corner. I made one move across the track to re-take the racing line, the one move I was allowed to make on defending my position. Zac was heading straight for the finish line but with no space to move to the right to overtake me. We squeezed each other as we raced toward the chequered flag, contact was made & then it was over! We had won the race, by 0.4 seconds after 6 hours of racing- incredible!!

I cruised back to the pits with an understandably frustrated Zac behind me. I was in total disbelief as to how the race had finished, & almost disappointed for how the final lap had played out. I shook my head as I watched the driver in 3rd place set off for his final lap ahead of us as we returned to the pits, unable to comprehend why he would want to jeapordise the result at the end of such a long race. Maybe he though he was going for the win? He must have know they were a lap down?! As I said, crazy.

Here are the full results from the first ever 6 Hours of TeamSport Bristol Endurance race:

And here's a link to a video of the last 3 laps from Ollie Bayani's perspective, with a view of how close things were at the end!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugd_B2wvJQM&feature=youtu.be

I plan to write a brief summary shortly on the event, including my feelings about the end of the race- but for now I'm going for a lie down!

As always, my biggest thanks to Martin & the team at TeamSport Bristol for putting on such a fantastic event, & to all the other drivers for making it such a fun & challenging race

Safe racing all

Ben

6 Heures du TeamSport Part One

I woke from a deep sleep as the bedside alarm went off. 4.30 a.m, Sunday 13th September. It's still dark outside. After a long week in work that had already included a pre-5 am wake up call, I contemplated for a moment just turning over & going back to sleep. But there was already an excitement stirring within me, the anticipation of what was to come having a better effect than any caffeine could. The reason for all the early morning excitement? Racing, Or more specifically, karting. At 6 a.m that morning, the first-ever TeamSport Bristol 6-hour endurance race would get underway, & I was going to be a part of it!

Driving to the circuit that early on a Sunday morning greeted me with next to no traffic & only a couple of dog-walkers (why do they go out so early?!) Arrival time was scheduled for 5am, as we all had to sign on, sit through the driver briefing & have a half-hour qualifying session before 6am. I was greeted by some familiar but very tired-looking faces, first amongst them was Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff, already raring to go at this early hour. Ollie Bayani, Krystian & Zac were also present, as well of course as my team-mate/race director/general bringer of mischief Martin Savage, who had managed to thankfully get enough staff to sign on in order to run an event this early!
Our team, 'Total Eclipse of the Kart', had been allocated kart no. 5 for the race, & I felt immediately comfortable with it as I completed my first few qualifying laps. Halfway through the 30 minute session, I swapped with Martin so that he could set a time before heading back out for the final few minutes. Martin suspected the clutch may have been beginning to slip a little already, but none the less- we were on pole for the first ever 6 Hour TeamSport event!! 

Coffee was soon had, & after a short briefing (no disintegrations!) the assembled drivers started to get ready to make their way to their nominated karts, for the short qualifying session. Martin & I had decided we'd both have a crack at setting a lap time, whilst some other teams nominated just one driver to tackle the session.

Martin & I had already worked out a running order for the race, which had to take into consideration two refuelling windows, where for a period of half an hour, no driver changed would be allowed, & each kart would be called to the pits individually for a 90-second stop in order to refuel the karts. The karts would be called in in numerical order, so as to be as fair as possible, & then once the refuelling window had closed, drivers changes would then be allowed again. 

Martin would be starting the race for our team, with a stint time of approximately 1 hour before handing over to myself. I joined Dutch in the spectator viewing area to watch the start of the race, at the precise time of 6.08am. The five red lights came on- then green, we were racing!! Martin got away cleanly at the front, immediately building a small advantage over the 2nd placed driver. A small accident on the first lap left one kart already half a lap down, but there was a long way to go..

My first stint was due to be a gargantuan 90 minutes, including the first of our 2 refuels, so I was going to be in the hot seat from around 7 to 8.30 am. Gradually the first hour of the race went by, & with 15 minutes to go I started to get myself ready. Suit back on first, then boots, earplugs & balaclava. I made my way down to the pits with our number board (to be given to the pit marshall in order to signal to your on-track teammate to come in) put on my helmet, gloves & neckbrace, then it was just waiting..

Martin had more or less controlled the race at the front, & had only lost the lead late in his stint to the ever-quick Ollie Bayani, who's team had adopted the no.8 kart that Zac, Krystian & Andy George had abandoned during qualifying. The signal was given for Martin to pit, & a lap later he raised his arm to signal to the other drivers he was coming in- for me, it was go time. Everything seemed to go into slow-motion as he approached the spot where I was waiting for him in the pits, my heartbeat quickening, senses on high alert, the noise muffled by the earplugs, balaclava & helmet. Martin pulled up bang on his marks, climbing out of the kart to the right as I entered from the left, taking his seat insert with him. The kart hardly stopped rolling forward as we seamlessly switched over, & then I was on my way! 

Everything felt immediately comfortable for me, the kart was picking up well & handled predictably- perfect. I set off after Dutch, who was leading after taking over from Ollie, with Andy George between us having yet to stop. Andy is a driver that knows how to take just the right line in order to protect his position without losing too nice time, as I find out later in the race- this time around however, I was able to surprise him with a nice move coming off the flyover, I was back up into 2nd, & feeling great at this early stage. Dutch was next up, & far more compliant in letting me pass. Between Dutch, myself & Ollie, we had agreed pre-race not to hold each other up in an effort to try & defeat the team of Krystian, Zac & Andy. The only reason for this arrangement was that we had all  originally planned to team up together, so we felt working together would be the best way to have a chance of scoring a good result. 

I was ahead of Dutch now & flying at the front, passing back-markers with minimal time lost, & opening up a nice lead. Only a couple of brief yellow-flags broke up the first 45 minutes of my stint, & as we approached the first refuel, I began to wind it back a little to try & conserve some energy for later in the race. Andy had managed to pass Dutch at some point, & due to spin mid-way through his stint, I was soon back up behind the big man, who was fighting with another driver for position. I knew I had a good gap back to 2nd place, so sat back & enjoyed watching the battle ahead for a few laps, watching as Dutch pulled off a nice move through the esses. I followed him through a lap later, but then stayed behind him, acting as rear-gunner for a few laps while he built himself a small lead over the driver he was battling with. Dutch was already on his way however, & as we left the other kart behind I made a clean pass to lap him as the refuelling window opened. At this point the kart was very light on fuel & felt really alive. It was great fun coming up behind the karts that had just pitted (therefore heavy with petrol) & just blasting by them on the straights! I was then right up behind Andy George again when the signal came for me to head to the pits. I peeled off the circuit, made my way slowly down the pit lane & jumped out as the pit mechanic poured petrol into the fuel tank. Martin was in the pits overseeing this first round of stops, & he was able to give me quick update on positions. We decided that for my next stint, I would go out for a short 25 minute sprint before the next round of refuels, & switch drivers just before the window re-opened. It only took 40 seconds to refuel the kart, so with over half a minute to go I did a little stretching before climbing back in & getting comfortable for the last 10 minutes or so of this stint. The last few laps of my 90 minutes past without incident, & I was soon back into the pits to hand over to Martin- it was time for a well earned break.

I had a quick check on the timing monitors, confirming that we were still leading the race, before catching up with Dutch, who had handed back over to Ollie. Things were working out well, it seemed that Krystian & Zac would be on track around the same time as Martin (who is a little quicker than me) whilst I would be out for a majority of my stints with Andy & Dutch. All Martin had to do was hold off the 'Power Rangers' as best as he could, & leave the rest to me-easier said than done. After taking care of hydration & a much needed bathroom break, I got myself comfortable & went about updating social media as to our progress, before shooting some video from the spectator area. Andy George was off track now also, & we talked about the difficulties of passing backmarkers. One driver that we all feared coming up against was Aaron Smith, who had a tendency to drive extremely defensively, even to the detriment of his own lines. The problem is, that you never know if he's going to be compliant & let you through if you're amongst the race leaders, or fight tooth & nail with you regardless of your position. I think at some point we all came across Aaron during the race, as did we all experience this spectrum of Aaron's driving. But more on that later…

Built to Endure..

A quick announcement regarding TeamSport Bristol's inaugural endurance event- originally a 12 hour non-stop race starting at midnight on Saturday 12th September. The event has now been revised & will run as the '6 Hours of Bristol' starting at 6am on Sunday 13th with the chequered flag falling at midday.

This has allowed for a larger field of drivers to compete in smaller teams for the same amount of track time per driver as was planned for the 12 hour race. I'm pleased to confirm that I'll be teaming up Martin Savage for the event, who will racing alongside his duties as event organiser & race director! Oliver Bayani & Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff will also be competing together after initially forming the other half of our team.

Hopefully the event will see a good turn out of TeamSport regulars as well as some new faces- & I'm certainly looking forward to the challenge!

On another note, I wanted to say a quick well done to Zac Venn & Krystian  for finishing first & second in their category in the TeamSport KartChamps final in Reading- great work guys! My best wishes go to all the other Bristol drivers racing at KartChamps throughout September in their various weight categories. Show them how it's done guys ;-)

Look out for a full write-up on the 6 Hours of Bristol once the race has come to a finish!

Until then,

Ben

Time for a catch up!!

So, as August draws to an end, I thought now would be a good time for a quick update on my karting activities, seeing as how I seem to have been neglecting this blog as of late! In my last post, I spoke about my ambitions for the TeamSport KartChamps competition, & also the 'F1 mini-series' I was taking part in alongside Krystian Matuszkiewicz.

Well, I have news from both- first regarding KartChamps; although I failed at the first attempt to qualify for the free final at Teamsport Reading (losing out at the track-attack event to Ben Winter, by only ) I've decided not to pursue a place in the finals because I only found out recently that I wouldn't actually be in the UK when the event is scheduled to take place! Having missed the event last year for the exact same reason, I was confident that this year I could have qualified for the final, at the 2nd or even 3rd attempt, but a holiday in Lanzarote will more than make up for it! My best wishes go to all the Bristol drivers who will be going to Reading to compete against karters from all around the country. Good luck!

On to the F1 series now, & although things haven't quite gone to plan for KB Racing, mostly due to Zac winning all the races & me generally under performing, Krystian & myself were still hoping for a good result at the final round on Tuesday 11th August. To secure 2nd place in the Team's Championship (Zac's 8 person 2-man team had already secured top spot ;-P) we would have to beat the team of Ben Winter & Daniel Good- no easy feat! A full grid of 12 drivers would make up this final round of the series.

Unfortunately for myself, the series ended with more of whimper than a bang, as (again) in qualifying I got stuck with not one but two duff karts (#2 just didn't want to go & #13 is generally poor all around) & I found myself starting at the back of the grid. The team of Ben Winter & Daniel Good were looking to finish up ahead of us so it was fortunate that Ben also seemed to have poor karts, especially in the race.

Once the pitstops had been completed after a fairly incident-free first 10 minutes or so (aside from me out braking Andy George coming off the bridge), I emerged just behind Ben & was able to close up immediately. I knew at this point Krystian was ahead of Dan Good, so I figured if I managed to get ahead of Ben (at this point I was unaware of our actual race positions) then I knew that we would secure 2nd overall in the teams championship.

Ben did a great job in defending despite his inferior kart, & even as Krystian came through he also had trouble getting past. We both had a bit of fun, taking turns to attack him, but couldn't find a way through until a brief yellow flag period allowed me to get a better restart & I passed him under the flyover. Krystian was also passed him quickly but then because we were inside the final 10 minutes we were being shown blue flags. I had to let Krystian through to avoid a penalty, & Ben took the opportunity to also squeeze through coming off the down ramp- back to square one!

As the laps counted down, I tried to stay as close to Ben as possible but he knew exactly where to place his kart. Coming off of the flyover several times, he'd glance behind, gauge my position & then either move left or right to cover me. Unfortunately for both of us, I was a little too close at one point as he changed lines & hit the brakes, I couldn't get stopped in time & tapped him into a spin. I'd been caught out by his late change of direction, but I immediately held up my hand- my mistake! A lap later I was black-flagged into the pits for a justified penalty, which dropped me to the back of the field, but just ahead of a recovering Ben. I had it in mind to let him back through for position, but Zac (leading the race) had got in between us, which meant as we crossed the line, I was able to co time for a full lap as the chequered glad was shown behind me, which cemented Ben in last position.

Now, I don't make a habit if getting black flags & penalties, & the incident I had certainly wasn't a 'red mist' moment- it was simply a racing accident which I admit was my fault & was penalised for. I like to think I'm respectful of the other drivers on the track & I hope they feel the same about me. The set of circumstances was unfortunate given the teams championship positions but Krystian's 2nd place was enough to secure us the points we needed anyway.

It became immediately apparent after the race that Ben must have twinged his neck during the accident. From my point of view it certainly hadn't seemed like a big impact but these things can happen depending on the angle you're hit from. Again, I can only apologise for my part in the incident & hope he feels better already!

Here's how the final points add up for the drivers championship after the 4th & final round:

1. Zac Venn 93 Points
2. Krystian Matuszkiewicz 69
3. Daniel Good 52
4. Andy Collins 33
5. Ben Winter 26
6. Dan Healey 25
7. Rebecca Steadman 20
8. Ben Churchill 18
9. Jacob Cushion 12
10. Ryszard Bukowski 10
11. Chris Trigg 9
12. Jeremy Woodward 8

And the teams championship:

1. BlueBull Racing 145
2. KB Racing 87
3. GW Racing 78
4. Jecky GP 35
5.Underpaid & Overworked 22
6. Gotham Team Racing 16

Congratulations as always go to Zac, Krystian & everyone who took part in this series- and thanks to Martin & the guys & girls at Teamsport for allowing us to indulge in out hobby!


Earlier in the month, I also had chance to visit another local indoor track, the Supakart venue in Newport, Wales. I was slightly saddened to find the place in a bit of a sorry state since my last visit some 6 or so years ago. For a circuit that once held a qualifying round of the nationwide RedBull kart fight competition, I'd say it had seen better days. The circuit now runs in the opposite direction to what I remember, with a proper Mickey-mouse chicane installed at the top of the off ramp, & really, REALLY poor lighting! I know that Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff enjoyed setting fastest time in each of our sessions, but to be honest I was glad to get out of there- maybe it's just that I've grown used to the fairly comfortable surroundings at Teamsport Bristol & FormulaFast in Milton Keynes, but this place was a bit of a health & safety nightmare & a lot more in-keeping with the stag-do on a Friday night vibe. It's fine for some people, but once you've seen the quality of some other indoor venues, you'd probably also think twice about going. Anyways..

Looking ahead now, I'm really excited to announce that I'll be part of a 5 person team taking part in the inaugural '12 Hours of Bristol' event!
This race will be the first of it's kind to be held at a TeamSport venue, with a proper endurance format for teams of 2-6 drivers. The race is scheduled to run from midnight on Saturday 12th through to midday Sunday. Although it's still a little while away, plans are being put in place for an all-out assault on victory. Hopefully there will be a number of other teams involved from around the country, & I'm certainly looking forward to taking part in my first ever endurance event! For more info, take a look at the Bristol Indoor Karting Events page on Facebook

Until next time,

Safe racing y'all!

Ben

July Update

Ok, so the F1 mini-series hasn't exactly gone to plan for KB racing, certainly not for me at least! After a reasonably competitive Round 1 back in May, I finished a disappointing 7th in Round 2, having started 9th- but worse was to come at Round 3. right from the get-go, I found myself struggling for pace on a grippier-than-usual track against some tough competition. Even a change of kart during qualifying couldn't lift me from the back of the field of 12 drivers, & I seemed to have a rotten choice of karts all evening it would turn out. I later discovered that the kart I had swapped into during qualifying (before opting to start in my original kart for the race start) had been ditched by my team-mate Krystian after only a couple of laps. More on the race later..

Round 2 one month earlier again saw me well off the pace of the front-runners, but at least Krystian was able to take the fight to Zac for a majority of the race. The highlight for me was the moment when I (fairly) managed to elevate Krystian ahead of Zac as they both came through to lap me. It's good to know I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, when it comes to race-craft, & I know some of the spectators enjoyed the move also! Up to that point I managed to fight my way up to 5th having started 9th, before I started losing power, leaving me a sitting duck for the karts behind. Even Andy Collins, standing in for Dan Healey, commented on how much it looked like I was struggling to get off the slow corners. 7th place was little consolation but at least my points combined with Krystians saw us finish up 3rd overall in the team's points for that round.
Zac's Blue Bull team took maximum points after he managed to overhaul Krystian in the closing stages of the race.

Between Rounds 2 & 3 of the series, I at least managed to take the win at a fun Sunday afternoon race, ahead of a fired-up Andy George, who beat Teamsport regular Ben Winter into third place, with staff driver Martin Savage in 3rd. Any hope of carrying my winning form into the next F1 mini-series round was quickly dashed, as I've already mentioned.

Starting at the back of the grid, with Jeremy, Andy George & Andy Collins for company, I made a clean but unspectacular start, stayed out of the usual first-round melee & tried to settle into a rhythm. However, I was soon passed by Collins, & it quickly became obvious that I was in for a long night. Pitting a lot earlier than originally intended (with the hope of finally getting a quick kart) I at least had a clear track on which I could possibly leap-frog some of the drivers who were battling ahead. Initially, at least, my new kart felt quick, the engine note a lot healthier-sounding & the handling predictable. It wouldn't last for long!

After my pit stop & kart change, I had at least managed to catch back up with Andy Collins, & leap-frog Jeremy in the process, & although it was looking unlikely I could break into the top 5, I was at least making progress. After a short battle with Daniel Healey though, I noticed that my kart was beginning to develop a reluctance to turn right, which on a circuit that runs clock-wise is a bit of a hindrance. This became a big issue through the 'S' bends at the bottom of the circuit. Jeremy was soon back past me, & apart from a couple of drivers having spins in the closing stages, that was my race run. I crossed the line a disappointing 9th, well off the pace. The most frustrating thing was just how far off I was given that a week before I'd been able to comfortably beat drivers like Ben Winter. Even taking my place alongside Krystian on the podium for our team result was little consolation. Still, that's rental karting I guess!

One of the only positives for me to come out of Round 3 was that I set my final qualifying time for Teamsport's KartChamps event. This meant I was into the next round, a series of Time-Attack style events taking place over the month of August. The fastest drivers from these sessions would qualify for the KartChamps final, due to take place at the Reading circuit in September. The first of these 'Track Attack' sessions takes place on 4th August, which is likely to be the next time I step into a kart, before the 4th & final round of the F1 series, where Krystian & I will be hoping to reclaim 2nd place overall in the team's championship.

Until next time,

Ben :-)

F1 Mini-Series Round 1

Twelve drivers & four 'teams' made up the grid for the first in a series of F1-inspired races taking place at TeamSport Bristol over the summer. As mentioned in a previous post, I would be teaming up with the young Polish driver Krystian Matuszkiewicz under the banner of KB Racing- with the aim of winning the 'teams' championship & hopefully one of us finishing in the top 3 overall. Several other TeamSport regulars made up the other drivers & teams, including Jeremy Woodward, Andy George, Ben Winter & Brad Collins, & Zac Venn with Dan Healey.

The event format was a fairly straight-forward affair; a 20-minute 'knockout' qualifying session where only the fastest drivers remain at the end (very F1!) followed by a 30-minute sprint race with 1 mandatory stop & go pitstop. All drivers would be out on track competing together, & each would score individual points as well as 'team' points if paired with another driver.

As usual with these type of events, I knew qualifying would be key to getting a good result. With the race being only a half-hour long, there wouldn't be much time to fight through from the back, so I fully intended to do my best in order to help out my team-mate near the front of the field. I felt more confident at least with the qualifying format- I've never been great at single lap qualifying & this at least gave the drivers a chance to find a good rhythm in the karts that they would also be using in the race.

Each driver had his or her kart pre-allocated before the event. I found myself in kart #2, whilst Krystian was in #1. The rules stated that during the mandatory pit stop, you had to change karts, so depending on when you come in, you may get a 'cold' kart or, leave it late enough, one that someone else had just been using.

As it turned out, qualifying didn't go so well for me, with my best time only being good enough for 7th place, behind TeamSport returnee Dan Healey & just ahead of Jeremy. I took some consolation from starting on the outside of the grid as that tends to favour drivers starting further back. Krystian however had qualified an excellent 2nd, whilst Zac grabbed pole by over 1/2 sec in true Lewis Hamilton-style! Game on.

At the start, most of the field got away cleanly, apart from one driver who was tapped into a spin in the first few corners which brought out the yellow flag, allowing the field to bunch up for a rolling restart. I found myself behind staff driver Rebecca Steadman, with Dan in front of her & already looking to make his way to the front. After several laps testing Rebecca's defences, it was evident I wasn't going to get past even though I was marginally quicker (she was able to get off of the slow corners quicker than I was) I decided to pit & try to 'undercut' her- the idea being that whilst the drivers ahead are battling & therefore losing time, I'd be I'm clear air (hopefully) putting in good lap time which would allow me to leap-frog the drivers ahead when they made their stops. That's the theory anyway! Meanwhile, Krystian was giving Zac a run for his money at the front, whilst Ben Winter was also in the fight for the podium.

After my pitstop, I found myself in kart #14 & circulating in clean air- which although is generally an advantage, it does make it harder go gauge your pace relative to others. It did however seem that, lap by lap, I was matching Krystian & Dan, more or less, which I could tell by checking their position relative to mine on the circuit. After another short yellow-flag period, drivers started to make their mandatory pit stops, & I found myself climbing up the order.

From that point on my race was fairly quiet until about 15 minutes from the end, when Dan Healey made his stop & came out a couple if seconds ahead of me. I did my best to stay with him, aware that Zac was coming up to lap me having yet to make his stop. I'd felt that my new kart had been losing power a bit over the last couple of laps, particularly on the up ramp, & as we came off the flyover my engine almost cut out, before losing loads of power as I tried to accelerate away from the corner on to the main straight. I stuck my hand in the air & went off line to indicate I had a problem, Zac came past & just as the yellow flags came out again, my kart picked up & I was away again at almost full speed. Although I didn't actually lose any positions in the end, it did stop me from having any chance of staying with Dan until the end of the race.

As we entered the final 10 minutes, the red flags were brought out by Healey's kart grinding to a halt through the esses. Unfortunately for his team-mate Zac, who had chosen that lap to pit & change karts as everyone was sat still! He was penalised & made to re-do his stop, but he had such an advantage over Krystian it didn't impact on his race. By the time the chequered flag came out, Dan had actually managed to climb all the way up to 3rd having started 7th, & I crossed the line in 5th having gained 3 positions during the race. I had Zac all over me for the last 5 minutes but I'd tried to make things difficult for him on the hope he may make a mistake which Krystian could capitalise on- of course I claimed after that I didn't know it was Zac I was defending against!

This is the final finishing order for the race:

1. Zach Venn
2. Krystian Matuszkiewicz
3. Dan Healey
4. Daniel Good
5. Ben Churchill
6. Rebecca Steadman
7. Mark Smith
8. Jeremy Woodward
9. Ben Winter
10. Jason Petherick
11. Andy George
12. Brad Collins

This obviously leaves Zac at the top of table after Round 1, with my team mate Krystian in 2nd ahead of Dan Healey, who is yet to commit to the whole series. The 'teams' points looks like this:

1. Blue Bull
2. KB Racing
3. GW Racing
4. Jecky GP
5. Relentless Racing
6. Gotham Team Racing


The next round takes place on Wednesday 17th June, where Krystian & I will again be looking to maximise points scoring in our bid to take the Teams Championship- watch this space!

See you at the track soon

Ben

KB Racing

This summer, alongside my attempts to progress in the TeamSport KartChamps competition, I have teamed up with Krystian Matuszkiewicz for the Bristol track's 'F1 Mini Series' a 4-round Championship with a Grand Prix style qualifying & race format, with drivers scoring both individual & 'team' points. Krystian & I will be competing under the name KB Racing & will both be looking to secure a good points haul at each round, with the aim of winning the Teams Championship!

Personally, I'm really excited to be teaming up with Krystian for the first time. It's been a real pleasure seeing him develop as a driver for the last year or so & he's now easily ranked inside the top 3 or 4 karters at Teamsport Bristol. Fresh from taking part in the Polish Rental Kart Championship, the youngster has shown an incredible turn of speed as of late, & I genuinely believe that in a short while he'll be dominating the too step of the podium in the same way that Oliver Bayani & Zac Venn have recently. Krystian is such a humble guy & immensely likable, & I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together on track!

The first round is scheduled for Wednesday 13th May- I'll be sure to post a full write-up once the results are in. Go KB Racing!!

Until next time,

Ben

Kart Champs

Over the next few months, I'll be attempting to qualify for TeamSport Karting's annual Kart Champs competition, a nationwide championship taking place across all of their UK tracks with a Grand Final at the Reading circuit at the end of the Summer. No doubt the competition will be hot as usual with some fantastic prizes awaiting the finalists should they make it that far!

Here is a link to the Kart Champs page on the TeamSport Website, which explains the format of the championship for anyone interested in qualifying:

http://www.team-sport.co.uk/go-kart-racing-events/kart-champs/championship-format/

Driving Tips

Just thought Id share a link to this page on the Formula Fast Karting website, which makes for an interesting read if you're new to karting or if you'd like to improve your driving!

Full credit of course goes to the team at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes, home of the British Rental Kart Championship

http://www.formulafast.co.uk/driving-tips.html

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Ben

Silverstone Single Seater Experience

As a belated 30th Birthday present to myself (sad as that sounds) I decided to head to Silverstone last week to sample the circuit's single seater experience. I got myself booked in for a late afternoon slot & dragged my better half to the Northamptonshire track for a blast around the Stowe circuit- sadly the experience doesn't take place on the main circuit, but the smaller tack does still allow you to fully push the 1.6 litre cars to their maximum, all within sight of the iconic Silverstone 'Wing' building by the International Pit straight.

Arriving in plenty of time allowed is the opportunity to have a quick look in the GPR racewear shop & check out some of cars that were testing on the main circuit, before heading to the Silverstone Experience Centre to sign in & then sit the drivers briefing. I'd be out on track with 11 other drivers, & the circuit instructor did a good job of talking is through everything from the format of the event, to the circuit, driving techniques & the cars themselves. We were shown a couple of short videos & then after a quick Q & A we headed over to the Stowe pits complex. Here we were introduced to our cars (I drew no.8, in Orange & White) & made comfortable within the tight confines of the cockpit as the track staff busied around, tightening belts & checking everyone was ready to go. I must say that with all the activity going on, along with the friends & family of the participants taking photos, it did feel a little like being on the grid at the start of a Grand Prix, able it on a much smaller scale.

Eventually the pitlane cleared, & the 12 of us were left to fire up our engines (flick the fuel pimp switch, press the starter button) & head to the end of the pitlane. The cars were fitted with a 4 speed H-pattern racing gearbox which require only a flick of the wrist to operate, combine with a traditional 3-pedal set-up as you'd find in a normal road car. Although we'd been told during the briefing to be positive with our inputs, the car in front of me insisted on bunny-hopping along the pitlane, & I must say I stalled behind him as we waited to make our way on to the track. Thankfully there was no complicated start-up routine, & with a clunk of the gear lever, I was on my way!

The first 20 minute session would see all the drivers circulating under 'Safety Car' conditions, with small groups of cars following a RenaultSport Clio, which gradually increased it's pace lap by lap, on order for us to get used to the cars & the circuit. It was clear that even at these low speeds, the single seater cars could probably leave the Clio for dead on a circuit- and I was desperate to get going without the restriction of less-confident driver ahead of me. Before long we were back in the pits, before being sent on our way again- this time without the Safety Car & the opportunity to push as hard as we felt comfortable. Now, during the briefing, it was explicitly stated that we were to not exceed 5000 rpm in 4th gear, to only overtake on the left (on the straights, not in corners, only after the lead driver was shown a blue flag) & to generally give the other drivers plenty of space. But more on this in a moment..

I havnt driven anything like the Silverstone single seater for a few years, but I felt I was quickly up to speed- & before long I found myself out in front & starting to find the limits of traction through some of the tighter corners. Because of the revs limit, I was able to get up to between 85-90 mph on the main straight, but in too gear I was already going into the 'red zone' on the rev counter, with the green 'change-up' light glowing on the dashboard behind the minuscule steering wheel. A couple of laps later though, I was passed like a sitting duck on the straight as one of the other drivers came flying past me, either oblivious or ignorant to the rules set out by the  instructor. Expecting the driver to perhaps be pulled in, I continued at my own pace, matching the car ahead in the corners but dropping back on the straights as he put several car lengths on me. A few laps later, another car was weaving around behind me, again through the chicane & the slower hairpins- almost intent on having an accident before trying to pass me through the corner leading on to the main straight. As frustrating as I found this, I refused to let the red-most descend & with a wave on my hand I let him pass. I then recalled two of the drivers being a bit 'chummy' & competitive during the briefing, so I guess I wasn't surprised to find a couple of drivers out on track acting in that manner. I guess it's the same as at the kart track, when you sit through a safety briefing covering lights & flags etc before you get that one driver who ignores everything & just does things his own way. Never mind, I'll know for next time..

Before long, our session in the cars was up & we were recalled to the pitlane. It was huge grins all around as the helmets came off & stories were shared with friends & family. My long-suffering girlfriend Fiona joined me having been on photography duty on top of the pit building. After a quick de-brief, we were on our way home, arms still pumped from the experience & brains still at racing speed- I only hope some of the others were better at following the rules of the road than they were the rules of the track ;-)


Overall, I had a great time at the Silverstone single-seater experience. Is it good value for money? Well, I think thats subjective. For me, you get what you pay for, & at Silverstone the whole event ran smoothly & was very well put together. For other people, well- if you dont try it you wont know if you like it! Would I do it again? In an instant!

For more information on the driving experiences available at Silverstone, please visit their website

http://www.silverstone.co.uk/experiences/


See you at the track soon!

Ben

PIKC 2015

Just wanted to say a quick good luck to my fellow Teamsport & BRKC'ers competing in Poland this weekend! Do us proud- maybe I'll see you there next year?!

Have a good weekend everyone :-)

Ben

Indy 100

With the end of March fast approaching, Teamsport Grid Members gathered at the Avonmouth circuit for a new event, the Teamsport Bristol Indy 100.  The premise was simple; Based on a NASCAR-style race format, the race would run for 100 laps, with a 'safety kart' coming on to the circuit in the event of any yellow flag incident. Lapped drivers would be allowed to gain a lap back and join the back of the pack before the restart. In the event of the race finishing 'under yellows', a green & white flag would be shown, ensuring a racing finish. Drivers could enter the event either individually (as I did) in pairs or as teams. Those drivers going solo would have to take a 5 second penalty pitstop, and with the added uncertainty around how the Safety kart would feature- it was sure to be an interesting race.   I found myself lining up amongst a host of familiar faces, including Oliver Bayani, Dutch & Zac, whilst Krystian came along to keep an eye on proceedings. 

After a short practice/warm-up session for each driver, 1 driver from each pair along with the 6 entered as individuals would take part in a qualifying session where by we were to complete 4 flying laps with our lap times being averaged out in order to settle starting positions. After finishing up 2nd overall in the warm-up, only 2/10s off Zac, I drew 'unlucky' kart 13 for the race, which I'd also have to qualify in. My 4 flying laps weren't the best I'd driven, particularly my final lap, but I was pretty shocked to see that my average time was over a second off the best lap, again set by Zac. Kart 13 did have a bit of understeer but had generally felt alright. After consulting with race director Martin Savage, I decided against a kart change before the race & just put my poor time down to my slow final lap. But the doubt had already begun to creep in..  In true NASCAR style, we would have a rolling start to the race, as opposed to starting from the grid- which had previously proved chaotic at best & always favoured the drivers who qualified in odd-numbered positions as they would essentially have the 'inside' line. After one false start due to drivers being out of position (one driver had spun on the formation lap) we finally got going with field already strung out- not exactly as designed but we were still underway. Having qualified in 7th, I was right in the thick of things from the get-go, & quickly gained a position as a couple of drivers made contact coming off the flyover.

 It wasn't long before we had a first 'safety-kart' period, which did work effectively in neutralising the field, but we were quickly racing again & I found myself behind my old sparring-partner Andy Taylor, who was getting back up to speed after having been away from karting for a while. Dutch had the first of 2 spins whilst near the front of the field, which promoted everyone by one position, before I found myself all over the back of Aaron Smith. A couple of laps later & I made an aggressive pass coming off the flyover, almost too aggressive but legal- with a driver like Aaron you have to be forceful or you end up wasting precious time stuck behind him. Anyway, I was through & already up to 4th after an intensive opening to the race. That soon became 3rd as Zac pitted from the lead for his teams first driver change.  My kart was feeling better than it had in qualifying (which I suspect may have been due to tyre pressures being adjusted) & I told myself to relax & not overdrive as I chased down the driver in 2nd place. I found my rhythm & within a few laps was all over the back of him, but couldn't find a way past. Although there was less understeer than before, I was struggling to get the power down cleanly coming out of the esses onto the back straight, meaning than I was unable to get close enough to attempt a pass. I made my penalty pitstop a few laps later so as not to waste any more time fighting, just as another yellow flag period had ended.   I came into the pits, waited for the marshal to count down as I say stationary- 5,4,3,2,1, Go! As I pulled away, I jumped forward in the seat to try & get some extra momentum. As soon as I did this, I felt a twinge in my lower back. Thinking nothing of it at the time, I continued on to the track, getting out just ages of Aaron. A few laps later Oliver Bayani emerged from the pits ahead of me but already a lap down on the leader after Dutch had come in. Zacs team-mate for the event was struggling to get up to speed & so had dropped down the order, & as we reached the halfway point I found myself in the lead of the race due to other driver-changes taking place.  

It was around this time that I started to notice a pain in my lower back, although the safety-kart period gave me some respite. I'd also noticed that since my stop my lucky kart 13 had developed a handling issue again, which left the balance all over the place with handfuls of understeer one second then armfuls of oversteer the next. On top of the issues I was having getting the power down in the slower corners, I was having to fight the kart through the faster sections as it would initially refuse to turn in, before the back would step out wildly. I tried my best to stay smooth & drive consistently, but I knew I was losing time hand over fist. Another yellow flag period allowed Ollie to close up on the back of the pack, & I was soon relegated to second place.   By this point I was struggling to even catch & pass the backmarkers who had been allowed back through under the safety kart, & it was only due to some courteous driving on their behalf that I was able to maintain a cushion back to the third place that Oliver Bayani had set his sights on. As the race drew to a close, Ollie snatched 3rd & then came flying past me as we went under the flyover. Any hop of staying with him for even half a lap were dashed as I had another huge moment coming off the down ramp, & before long my 3rd place was under under threat from not one but three drivers!  My back had been feeling more painful as the '20 minutes to go' board was shown, & I had considered pitting again for a brief respite, but as I was fighting for a podium I really didn't want to lose out. However, as the 10 minute board was shown, & with a small train coming behind me, I decided enough was enough & called it a day. I didn't have the strength or the kart beneath me to fend off an attack, & rather than delay the guys behind or risk an accident, I pulled over from 3rd place & returned to the pits to retire. I was absolutely gutted to miss out on a podium spot after fighting my way up from 7th, & I struggled out of the kart to return to the viewing area in order to watch the final few laps.  

 I joined Dutch just in time to see the start of the final lap, & it looked like he was going to finish an incredible 2nd, only a few seconds behind the leader- but then a kart spun in the midfield, bringing out the safety kart one last time! NASCAR rules state that a race must have a 'racing' finish- which meant that another 2 laps would be added, & with it a chance for Oliver Bayani to take an u likely victory having taken over from Dutch a lap down. Everyone in the spectator area was hooked as the safety kart pulled aside & the action recommended. But try as he might, Ollie couldn't find a way past, no wanting to risk a last- minute lunge. He crossed the finish line 0.4 seconds behind race winner Sam Phillpotts, with the team of B Winter & E Barrs completing the podium.    This race marks the first time I've ever 'thrown in the towel' during a karting event, & I fully intend to work on my general fitness before the Teamsport Grid summer series' get under way. My congratulations as always go to the winners of this event, & to all the other guys who took part in making it an interesting race. Well done to Andy Collins also for doing a great job as official safety kart driver! I hope to share some track-time with you all again soon! 

 Until then, 

 Ben ;-)

3 Races in 3 Weeks

February 2015

After the BRKC 2015 event last month, I was back at my 'home' circuit in February for a series for a series of different races over a 3 week period.

First up would be an 'F1' format Members Race, which consisted of a practice & qualifying session then a race with a mandatory pitstop where the driver has to change karts mid-race. The event was dominated by Krystian Matuszkiewicz who completely destroyed the rest of the field. A bit of misfortune struck Mike 'Dutch' Westhoff & I as a bit of miscommunication with the Pit Marshal led us to rejoining the race after our stops with the kart pedals set in completely the wrong position. We both like to have our karts set up so that the pedals are at their furthest away from us, but both had been set at their closest (which unless you're under 5ft tall is no help) Dutch decided to stop again to have his re-adjusted, whereas I carried on uncomfortably for the rest of the race. To make it worse, my kart seemed to have no breaks & a lot of understeer. On top of that, I'll admit I was struggling to get used to the brand new tyres that had been fitted to all the karts a week previously. I came home an unimpressive  behind Jeremy Woodward, who I had been battling with in the early stages. Well done to Krystian for the win, completely untouchable.

Next up, a Weighted Team Challenge event, with drivers pairing up for an 80 minute race with penalties for those teams falling below an average weight limit. My teammate for the event would be Chase the Ace Champion Oliver Bayani. We'd be going up against a number of other Teamsport regulars, including the team of Krystian & Connor Taylor, & Dutch-who was paired with staff member Martin Savage. All of is would hopefully be in the thick if the action at the end of the 80 minutes, although you could never discount some of the other teams from springing a surprise.

After a short qualifying session where each team's drivers best time were averaged, we found ourselves on pole position! I opted to take the opening stint, ahead of Connor & Dutch in third. We weren't sure what the others would be doing tactically, but Ollie & myself had decided early on to just split the race 50/50, given that each of us also had to serve a 13 second penalty. Krystian & Connor would only be serving 9 secs, so we knew it was going to be close.

The start went really well as I got away cleanly on the inside of the grid, & to my surprise Dutch had managed to squeeze past Connor! A few laps later Connor was back up into second but then the race was interrupted by a red flag as one of the karts further back suffered a mechanical issue. At the restart, I was able to keep Connor at bay, feeling a lot more comfortable in the kart than the week before, & I came in to serve my time penalty with about 1 seconds advantage.

Now, Connor has a bit of a reputation for being very aggressive when passing (even when lapping someone) as evidenced by his penalty in the last Weighted Team Challenge. Basically, if a team receives 3 warning flags for bad driving, regardless of the driver, whoever is out on the circuit at that point hen the third warning is shown must do a 30 second penalty on top of their individual 'weight' penalty. Unfortunately for Krystian, by the time his stint came around, Connor had already been given 2 warnings..

I was a couple of seconds behind Connor when he stopped, & Krystian emerged just a few seconds back after a ridiculously fast driver swap. I came in a few laps later, Ollie jumped in & he was away. Almost straight away, he was back in to serve his weight penalty, & emerged around 18 secs down on Krystian, who had caught one of the backmarkers who was making it his business to literally battle with any driver who was trying to pass him! Krystian made his weight-penalty stop but then got caught up in an incident which saw my team mate squeeze past, & he duly picked up his teams 3rd warning flag & thus another penalty, effectively ending their challenge for the win. Dutch & Martin had been making steady progress, but had split their stints into 20 minute runs, so although they wouldn't be taking the top step of the podium, they were in a fight with Krystian & Connor until the end of the 80 minute race. Ollie in the end was untroubled as he took the flag for our team & we celebrated in the pits whilst offering condolences to Krystian, who had again been outstanding.

I've got to say, it felt really good to take the too step of the podium with Ollie, whilst being joined by Krystian, Connor, Martin & a delighted Dutch. This, for me, is what karting is all about!

The 5th & final round of the Chase the Ace Winter series would likely be a battle between Zac Venn & Sam Slater, with a Ollie starting at the back having won the last round. Krystian would again likely be in the mix, whilst Dutch was missing owning to personal circumstances.

Zac grabbed pole position after the single-lap qualifying, ahead of Sam with Krystian in 6th & me behind in 8th. Once again I'd stuffed up my lap with a huge understeer moment but was more confident in the kart if be racing in, having set a decent time during practice. I got away cleanly at the start, kept position & tucked in behind Krystian, who quickly gained 2 places getting past a squabbling pair of drivers who a couple of laps later had a coming together coming off the flyover. I gained a place during the altercation & another lap later I pulled off my favourite overtaking move under the flyover, braking late & catching the other driver off-guard, before setting did in pursuit of Krystian.

Oliver Bayani had also got a great start & was very quickly moving up from the back of the grid, passing Jeremy Woodward & closing down on me at an alarming rate. I made my first pitstop (Two mandatory 20 second stops were the order of the day) and emerged with a clear track ahead. Now, I always find it difficult to judge my pace when I'm alone on the circuit, as you never really get a sense of gaining or losing time unless there is someone just ahead. I always try to use reference points around the track to figure out where others are, & then check lap by lap as to whether they're closer or further away. Ollie was off doing his own thing & it seemed I was keeping pace with Krystian, more or less, & decided to carry on until I got a better sense of my standing in the race, or got caught up in any fighting amongst the other drivers.

Krystian made his 2 stops in quick succession, allowing me to lead ahead of my final stop, which I took a few laps later so as not to waste time trying to get past backmarkers. As I accelerated away from the pits, I could see Krystian making his way through the esses & onto the back straight- it was going to be close!!

I came out of the pits marginally ahead, but with Krystian on the inside & another kart just ahead. I had to make a split-second decision as to whether to keep my foot in & take the line around the outside, or give up the place. I chose the former, & we both entered the fast right under the flyover at maximum speed. I held my position, & took the place ahead of Krystian into the following left-hander. We were quickly past the other kart, & very soon Krystian was on the attack. I assumed we were fighting for a position in the top 5, so went about driving as defensively as I could without wanting to hold either of us up. Krystian managed to almost pull aside coming out of the esses, but this time he was on the outside & I simply held my line to keep the place. He was determined to get past, however, & a couple of laps later going along the main straight he got phenomenal driver out of the final corner & repaid my earlier compliment but driving clean around the outside of me as we went into the fast right turn at the bottom of the circuit.

Now I need to touch on this a minute, because it was for me one of the purest bits of racing I've ever been involved in- it was just unfortunate that I was on the receiving end of a great move rather than doing it myself! Memories of Fernando Alonso's pass on Michael Schumacher at Suzuka in 2005 (around the outside of 130R!) came to mind, although obviously on a much smaller scale. The trust involved when making moves like this is unquestionable, & there are certain things you can do when racing with some drivers that you know you can't with others. It's not a case of being weak, just being fair- & knowing when to fight for a place & when to concede. Some drivers will fight tooth & nail for everything, even when being lapped- they're the ones who you second-guess when overtaking. I feel that with Krystian, Dutch, Ollie, Martin, Andy that I can trust them not to do anything stupid, whether they're overtaking it being overtaken. Sure, you're going to get a bit of contact from time to time, but you know they're not going to drive you off the road. Anyways, I just wanted to say well done to Krystian for pulling off such an awesome move!

I did my best to stay with Krystian as the race entered it's final 15 minutes, & we cut our way through more backmarkers, never more than a few seconds apart. The rest of the race passed fairly uneventfully, apart from me giving Zac a hard time whilst he was trying to lap me (I thought it was Ollie trying to get past for position- unbeknown to me, Bayani had already leap-frogged both me & Krystian during the pitstops!) The chequered flag fell & the drivers returned to the pits- Zac was triumphant, Ollie won the overall championship & Krystian just missed out on a podium finish. Stories were shared & there were pats on the back all round after an enjoyable race & championship. I was happy to finished the race in 5th place having started 8th, behind only Zac, Sam, Ollie & Krystian- & I'm already looking forward to getting on track with them all again soon!

Until then,

Ben

1st March 2015