Tag Archives: Club2000

News, Race Results

Club2000 Round 1: Something clicked!

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5th place Clubman

What a start to 2018! After a good show testing on the 2nd January where Sam was well on the pace, the first Club2000 race things got even better. The track was icy and difficult to even stand on at 9am  but by 11am and few laps by the Senior drivers conditions had improved. Sam banged in 5th fastest time for the transponder check and then found himself on the second row of the grid for Heat 1.  Sam managed to hold on to 6th by the end of the race so a great start . Heat 2 saw a gain of 5 places to finish 8th. Heat 3 was red flagged eventually after a few laps under the battenberg flag after a first lap collision. Unfortunately Sam’s restart was not as good with contact in the melee before turn 1 but 13th was not a disaster. So some good grid points put Sam 11th on the grid in the A final. A solid start put Sam behind mate Oli and ahead of kart 10 which he held behind despite pressure. Result: Best Club2000 meet to date with 10th Overall and a 5th place Clubman trophy. Sam was over the moon! I don’t think he put the trophy down until Monday!

News, Race Results

First Full Season Done!

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So here we are, Sam at the end of his first full season of racing in Honda Cadets.  Here’s the results….

  • Club2000 at RLK (non-MSA): 21st of 54 drivers completing 10 of 12 rounds
  • HKRC at Kimbolton (MSA): 17th of 29 drivers completing 5 of 9 rounds

I would say that’s a solid, steady progress with LOTS of lessons learned for driver AND mechanic. Target for 2018 is to build on that and aim maybe for a top 10 in one or even both championships.

The November and December meetings to close 2017 were a real mix. Club2000 in November was not the best day at the office for Sam. It was pouring rain most of the day making it a real test. Sam was punted off from 3rd in Heat 1, then pulling off with damp in the electrics  and eventually rejoining to finish 19th. More than the usual front runners found themselves in the B final, which meant Sam would’t finish in the top 4 for an A Final start.

Mixing it with the SuperOne guys!

At HKRC the following weekend Sam started his last MSA meeting on Novice Plates. Heat 1 he gained one place, Heat 2 he gained 2 places. The final though saw Sam get tangled up with a kart which had gone off earlier that was then fighting back up through the pack. The resulting spin for Sam cost him time and two places.

The final race of 2017 for us would be Club2000 at RLK. Damp and very cold, I think Sam span on every heat for one reason or another.  The track was so cold we added a tooth in gearing after the first heat in the hope of improving speed through the corners. It seemed to work, in both Heat 4 and the A Final Sam logged the 4th fastest lap times. As it turns out, this would be a great way to finish the year. Sam I think is beginning to realise he can match the boys in the top 5, a confidence booster for sure.

Night Race…
Race Results

October Double Header: Club2000 & Kimbolton

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First and Second in the B Final

The weekend of the 7/8 October was to be a tiring one with racing at Red Lodge  on Saturday and Kimbolton Sunday. Optimism was high when Sam posted the fastest time in the Odd Number 3 lap practice on Saturday, in fact the 5th fastest overall. The track was damp and greasy  but drying and by the time Sam went in his first heat, fastest laps were into the 48s. Sadly Sam’s 4th place on the grid didn’t last and a collision, bending a stub axle and steering rod on lap 4 put him out. The next heat was better but heat 4 had Sam muscled down from 6th to 19th! So into the B Final we went, the now usual battle with friend Oli had Sam come out on top with a first place and Oli second. The A Final was a bit of a procession for Sam, no real drama but no big gains either.

Sunday bought Round 8 of the HKRC Championship at Kimbolton and another damp start. Again Sam posted a good time, 10th fastest of 22 drivers. In the first heat Sam completed just 3 laps, before retiring with damage from a collision. A bent stub, steering rod and steering column meant a lot of work before the next race. Heat 2 was less eventful and as Sam gained one place to finish to 16th. In heat 3 Sam gained 2 on lap 1 going up to 16th before another coming together a few laps in put him down to a 21st place and second to last. Starting in 22nd and last in the final meant just one way to go, Sam gained 2 off the start benefiting from a first corner incident further up the pack. He lost one of those later but then ended up chasing pit bay buddy Freya, eventually over taking her to finish 20th. So off home for a well earned rest!

Race Results

June Meeting Club2000

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In the winners enclosure!

Sam’s June race marked something of a change in fortune. The heats were a challenge again but the B Final was great to watch! Heat 1 saw Sam make another of his trademark stonking starts gaining two places in the first corners only to drop four places in the second lap. Sam’s luck returned though as others had problems spinning out allowing him to climb from 23rd to 19th.

Heat 3 was Sam’s next race but it was an out and out disaster. Starting 2nd Sam dropped to 21st by lap 3 and that’s how he finished. Heat 4 was a difficult watch with Sam trading places with a number of different drivers, starting in 13th dropping to 18th and clawing back up to finish 16th.

Sam had enough points to put him 4th on the grid in the B Final. A fourth placed finish would see him in the A Final for the first time since the March meeting. Sam wasn’t content though with a fourth place, he went on the attack. On lap 2 he took two karts moving up to 2nd, good enough I thought as i watched through my fingers! He chased down the leader and on lap 7 Sam saw his chance to take the lead and he did. Defending then for 2 more laps Sam took his first win in a final. He was beaming! The in-kart video is here.

The A Final was a bonus and saw Sam again racing kart 85, who Sam had beaten in the B Final, unfortunately this time Sam could not get past him. 19th from 21st was a commendable effort though.

Next Race: Club 2000 July Meeting.

Race Results

May Meeting Club2000: Pretty Pants!

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The May meeting was nothing to write home about at all really. Sam was in heats 1,3 and 4 so a quiet morning and busy afternoon. Heat 1 saw Sam plummet from 11th to 19th on the first lap, the result of the usual first corner chaos before taking 1 place back from another drivers bad luck.

 

Heat 3 was perhaps worse again. Sam was in his high grid spot (P3) for this meet and was doing ok in the first few laps, losing just two places dropping to 5th. On lap 3 though kart 88 went into the gap Sam left around the fast Esses corner, unfortunately when Sam closed the gap there was contact and off Sam went. Now down in 17th Sam was pretty upset but clawed one place back to finish in 16th.

Heat 4 was the best racing to watch as Sam battled with his friend Aaron through the first 4 laps. In the end he finished where he started in 17th. Sam had his fastest lap of the day in this heat, a respectable 47.83 just 3 tenths off the heat winners fastest lap.

With little prospect of reaching the A Final, Sam started the B Final in 8th of 12 starters. Sam dropped 2 places by the second lap but got one back on lap 3. Another error for kart 8 got Sam another spot back to finished again where he had started.

Next Race: The East Anglian Trophy at HKRC, Kimbolton

Race Results

Sam finds some pace…

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So here we are 3 months and 3 races into 2017, F1 is back on the TV and all is well. Having competed in just 4 of 12 Club2000 races in 2016 Sam and I have been looking forward to our first full year racing. Of 59 Cadet drivers scoring points last year Sam finished in 41st position, most importantly we got some experience and we can start this year at least knowing a bit about what we need to be doing.

Here’s a run down of what’s happened so far…

January Race:

Sam doesn’t much like the wet and January was wet, having said that he is growing in confidence in when conditions are not so good. That was proven by a 5th fastest time set on the Odd Practice Session. Heat 2 was Sam’s first heat, starting in 17th things didn’t go well on lap 1 losing 2 places. Lap 2 he got them back as others struggled and further gains put him up to 14th. Eventually he lost one place to his friend Aaron (who had dropped from 2nd to 20th himself after a mishap on lap 2) just one lap before the end.

Heat 4 was next and heading out from P2 was going to be a challenge. In fact a spin on lap 2 saw Sam drop to 15th and then battles with Olly and Freddie saw Sam gain a place and lose it again.

Heat 5 was plagued with difficulty first with a late start due to issues with the timing system. Then Sam plunged from 11th to 19th.

In the B Final we were in P9 of 15 drivers. Sam made steady progress chasing Sophie and eventually overtaking her. A defence then of 6th from the 14 kart gave Sam his best finish in a final to date. In fact, Sam accumulated 65 points over the day so his best race meeting so far.

February Race:

The February meeting was to prove to be Sam’s best meeting to date, scoring 90 points towards the Championship. A chassis change at the end of Jan to a late 2015 Project One seemed to be a positive move. Right from the outset Sam was looking positive even on a cold damp track setting a 3rd fastest time. Heat 2 was Sam’s first race and lap 1 saw him take Freddie and Rocky to move up to 13th from P15. Freddie got that back and move on up to P10. Sam went on to chase Olly down and take a decent 13th. More notable perhaps was the 4th fastest lap on his last lap which was just 0.5s off the leaders best pace.

Heat 3 saw Sam in P3 on the grid. A confident start meant Sam was able to give chase on the leaders whilst the pack were held back for a lap by the 4th place kart. I could hardly watch as Sam continued lap after lap in P3, the two quicker karts worked their way through to 4th and 5th but battled one another leaving Sam to finish in P3. I shed a tear, so proud of him and his first podium in Club2000.

Heat 4 was not so good starting from 10th and with a first lap tangle taking Sam began lap 2 in 18th. Quickly those he chased down his old chassis now being raced as number 11 and moved up. A pass late  on around Macie got Sam 15th. The accumulated points put Sam straight into the A final which was another first. Early gains over the first 2 laps saw Sam up to 16th. But he lost those positions later finishing as he started in P19.

Another best meeting ever with 90 point scored was a great result.

March Race:

Expectations were high going in to March but things would not pan out as expected. Once again it looked like the race meeting would be spent on intermediate tyres, with the track wet and slippery but no rain falling. Sam showed well on the 3 lap transponder check 7th fastest of 14. The draw was good with Sam in Heat 1, 3 and 5. In Heat 1 Sam started in 17th and finished there too, that doesn’t tell the whole story though as places were traded up and down and Sam posted the 5th fastest lap (50.77s).

For Heat 3 the track was much dryer but with a few damp patches and the temperature struggling the choice was still inters. P10 on the grid and a 10th place finish was a solid performance.

Heat 5 was drier still and now a mix of tyres was seen on the grid. Our choice was inters as in P2 we hope to make a good start and then defend. In the end though places slipped through Sam fingers and 9th was a respectable finish even if Sam didn’t think so.

So for the second time ever Sam would be in the A Final. This was however to be a brief affair. Starting back in 20th place Sam made a good start passing a few karts through turn 1 and into turn 2. However, kart 74 our friend Charlie had been punted into a spin out of turn 3 and Sam was unable to avoid him. The resulting bang was hear across the circuit with Sam ripping a tyre from a rim, breaking a rose joint and bending a track rod plus mangling a stub axle badly on the front left. Sam was naturally disappointed but no one was hurt and we spent the rest of the race as spectators in the marshal’s post on the 180 hairpin.

Anyway another 80 points earned toward the championship putting Sam in 21st of 42 drivers.

 

Race Results

First Club2000 Race @RedLodgeKarting

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The Headlines:

  • Personal best fastest lap in the Final race…objective met!
  • Crash in second heat….You bent the kart Sam!
  • Lot’s of lessons learnt…Much more to learn!

Well we finally got here…our first proper race. After 2 years of practice, steady improvement and having completed training at YoungStarz, it was time to put everything together. It was a very early start leaving the house at 7am. I was probably as as excited as Sam who sat bolt upright in bed when I woke him at 6.30am. When we arrived at the circuit, loads of teams were already set-up including Rob who is helping us with our first steps. It turns out we still have lots to learn! Mechanic and driver…

Rob had already told me there were issues with the kart earlier in the week. It turns out the engine was knocking as result of oil starvation!

Lesson 1: You need 475ml of Joe Gibbs oil in the Honda engine, particularly if you go to a circuit with fast flowing corners like WildTraks (just over the A11 from Red Lodge)

Fortuntately Rob was able to lend us a strong T1 engine for the day. So Sam and I set about getting sorted, kart on trolley, fuel in etc. and getting our space under the awning with the other newbies. We then went to Sign On. Next problem…Sam forgot a kit bag containing gloves, neck brace and rib protector! A call home to mum who was asleep…and yes the bag was in the hall. AAARRGGH!! How do I get Sam to be more switched on an managing himself!!!Last time he forgot his race suit and had to borrow one of them. Anyway Mum and sister would rescue the day by driving over with the missing kit.

Lesson 2: We need checklists! For all the kit we need to take when karting. And preferably one bag for Sam with ALL his kit in one bag….not three as it is now!

The next step was the 3 lap tansponder check/ qualifying. Sam is on novice plates for up to six races, this could  be reduced but for now it’s 6 which is fine. After the  3 laps Sam came back saying the kart wa not as fast as before, he posted a fastest time in the session of over 54 secs and he was down to consistent 50.something laps in previous practice sessions. Rob reassured him the engine was capable of getting him into the top 10…so it’s down to the driver.

The first heat was then upon us Sam started in 22nd of 24 starters, so a full grid. No first corner or first lap dramas and he settled down keeping pace with the others at the back. He eventually finished in 23rd after politely waving karts through that he thought were lapping! Sam’s fastest lap was a 50.20 a personal best to that point, with half of his times in the 50.’s. So far so good, at this point we are not going for the podium, the target is sub 48sec.

Lesson 3: Don’t be so nice! Let the other drivers fight for their place, defend your position unless the blue flag is being waved at you. Otherwise you are giving up points!!

One observation Rob made during the first heat was Sam’s habit of leaning into the corner. He threatened to take his kart away and give him a motorbike!

Lesson 4: Lean the opposite way to the corner…right hand corner, lean out left. Somewhat counter intuitive but it will keep the kart more stable through corner and carry more speed

Lunch break came then, so a big break before Sam’s next heat. This was fun! The session was red flagged after a crash on the 180 hairpin, unfortunately Sam wasn’t able to avoid the stricken karts, crashed into them and bent his rear axle. The session would restart but even with fast work from Rob and others to bend the axle back to straight, we couldn’t get back to the grid in time. So no points there. Far from disappointed I think Sam was quite excited to be peripherally involved in the incident! Lot’s to talk to his buddies sharing the awning space.

The next heat saw Sam almost give up, finding himself at the back after gaining a couple of places on the first corner and then losing them. Then he had a good battle with his friend Freddie which saw them swapping places a few times in the early laps. Actually both had spins but Sam span off last which seemed to have a major impact on motivation after that.

Lesson 5: Never give up! The race isn’t done until the chequered flag and every lap is a lesson at this stage. Anything could happen further up the field, handing you more points. Note to self….How do you coach an 8 year old on the power of positive thinking when you are sometimes not the best at that yourself!

Sam picked himself up for the B Final. With only 8 starters in the final and Sam staring in 8th he was still gloomy and resigned to finishing last. However, the pole sitter crashed on lap 1 and then Freddie and Sam battled again, exchanging place a couple of times before Feddie finished the race in 6th and Sam just 2 seconds behind in 7th. The key thing though was Sam achieving his personal best fastest lap of 49.55 with half of his laps timed in the 49s. Brilliant!

Next Race…Saturday 3rd September….Can Sam get into to the 48s. The key apparently is finding the flowing line and smoothness…check this out…

The Hidden Secret Behind Driving Smooth