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.
