June 2011 Round 4 FEKC Club Championship

June 2011 Round 4 FEKC Club Championship

 

Round 4 of Forest Edge’s 2011 Championship again welcomed over 160 drivers for the annual two day Southern Championship weekend to race for the coveted right to carry the SC plate for the year. The promised Met Office heat wave that threatened temperatures in excess of India’s climate failed to materialise on Sunday and saw rain hit from the third heats through to the end of the days racing. The dramatic change of weather threw a spanner into the works for many classes with a multitude of wrong set ups due to this being the first wet race of the year and an unknown for many Rotax drivers with the change to Mojos for 2011.

 

Comers were first to take to the track for the wet final, with a trio of Shark karts occupying the first three places with Jake Blackledge in fourth. Lights to green a great start by all into Haynes, Blackledge moved into third edging past one Shark. For five laps there was nothing to choose from Blackledge, Callum Hague, Thanassi Barnicoat and Brandon Hague, two laps to go and Blackledge edged past the remaining two Shark drivers leaving Brandon strapped to his bumper with blinding pace. Last lap saw Blackledge edge half  a kart length away from Hague with a seamless run through Bus Stop giving the youngster some respite from Hague to take the first place and with it the SC plate from the whole weekend.

 

In Honda, the weekend’s pacesetter Yukinori Ishii sat on pole and looking strong for the race, Elliot Harvey alongside, but it was third placed man Samuel Pooley with a perfect wet set up to capitalise on the weather, take  a great start and ease away lap after lap to take an unchallenged and dominating win. Behind Harry King coming through from row 6 also looked to have a great wet set up moving ahead of Ishii in the latter stages and at the finish line just held off Ishii by less than a kart length to leave results Pooley, King followed by Ishii.

 

Minimax had Myles Potter pole with three solid heats, Jordan Gilbertson second followed by Jordan Richards and Sam Stansbury, into Haynes Gilbertson edged inside of Potter, the rain levelled out the track leaving Potter to hang on to Gilbertson right through to mid way when carrying too much speed into corner saw Potter spin allowing Stansbury and Richard to move through. Last two laps saw the top four spread out leaving Gilbertson to take first from Stansbury, followed into final podium slot by Richards leaving Potter in fourth and perhaps rueing pushing hard.

 

Junior Max had ten drivers separated on pace by a tenth of a second in the dry heats which promised to deliver a great final, the rain sodden track looked sure to change that, driver so far of the weekend Josh Lomas sat on pole with Saturday’s winner Elliot Hall alongside. Lights to green Hall and Cheeseman got tangled with Michael Gibbins allowing Gibbins to slot in behind Lomas, David Wright into third and Sam Cassidy tucked behind. Hall dropped back to 15^th   being caught in first corner melee and looked as if Lomas was the man to beat, heading into Midgetts Gibbins and Lomas saw contact take both youngsters out ruining Lomas’ chance of winning the SC plate. Cassidy took up the lead with Ian Bolland moving past Wright into second, Scott Wylie starting in 12^th relished the wet conditions to pick off driver after driver and two laps to go took Cassidy to ease into the front and pull clear and secure a fine win from Cassidy, Bolland and Wright. Hall managed a great recovery up to seventh place to ensure he collected the SC plate rounding off a great finish to what looked like a ruined final.

 

In Junior TKM another fine grid saw Rob Sedden take fastest lap and the win by a margin from last month’s winner Tom Hackett with a great drive by Harry Kennedy to take the final podium step in a race when the rain started to get heavier and heavier by the lap.

 

In Rotax Barry Thomsit sat on pole and looked to be the rainmeister for the day storming away from the field to take a great lights to flag win that allowed him also to retain the SC plate from 2010.Behind, Michael Cheek tried everything to keep with Thomsit alas just loosing a tenth or two a lap gave the youngster a fairly quiet race being thirty metres clear of third placed Craig Mooney with the main battle for fourth place seeing matt Parker just hold off Stephen Andrews who, after a harrowing day came from row twelve to finish on Parker’s bumper.

 

The Masters and 177 saw 32 drivers on the grid, with their additional weight (;-)) the wet conditions looked perfect to keep their karts glued to the track! Steve Pratt with a sagging Tony Kart and no brake pads put full use to the soft chassis pulling away at four tenths per lap from Jamie Drabble who had to look constantly to protect his position from Joe Holloway in Masters. Holloway made a great start battling early in the race with Paul Warrener, Mark Redding and another Master Kieron Woolgar, identical pace from these four  meant one error on the rain sodden circuit could even at this early stage in the year , jeopardise a Championship due to the sheer  similarities in competitor pace. At the flag track position remained Pratt, Drabble, Holloway, Redding, Warrener from Woolgar.

 

Last race of the day, the cadet Devil take the Hindmost see a great drive from Jake Blackledge to come right through the field to take another trophy to round off a sterling weekend from the youngster walking away with a trio’s haul to carry home!

 

 

 

Comer Cadet               1^st Jake Blackledge, Sodi

                                    2^nd Brandon Hague, Shark

                                    3^rd Thanassi Barnicoat, Shark

                                    4^th Callum Hague, Shark

                                    5^th Oli Ellis Richardson, Zip

 

1^st Novice                  Ollie Caldwell, Zip

 

Honda Cadet               1^st Samuel Pooley, Project 1

                                    2^nd Harry King, Project 1

                                    3^rd Yukinori Ishii, Project 1

                                    4^th Elliot Harvey, Project 1

                                    5^th George Andrews,  

 

Minimax                     1^st Jordan Gilbertson, Kosmic

                                    2^nd Sam Stansbury, Maddox

                                    3^rd Jordan Richards, Gillard

                                    4^th Myles Potter, Alonso

                                    5^th Ben Hamlet, Tony

 

Junior Max                   1^st Scott Wylie, TWS

                                    2^nd Sam Cassidy, Kosmic

                                    3^rd Ian Bolland, Maranello

                                    4^th David Wright, Gillard

                                    5^th Ben Spurge, Gillard

 

Rotax Max                    1^st Barry Thomsit, Kosmic

                                    2^nd Michael Cheek, DR

                                    3^rd Craig Mooney, CRG

                                    4^th Matt Parker, Alonso

                                    5^th Tom Kite, Gillard

 

Junior TKM                   1^st Robin Sedden, Gillard

                                    2^nd Tom Hackett, Intrepid

                                    3^rd Harry Kennedy, Alonso

                                    4^th Sammy Bourlet, Wright

 

Rotax 177                    1^st Steve Pratt, Tony

                                    2^nd Jamie Drabble, Gillard

                                    3^rd Paul Warrener, Sodi

                                    4^th Olly Stoner, Gillard

 

Rotax Masters           1^st Joe Holloway, Intrepid

                                    2^nd Mark Redding, Gillard

                                    3^rd Kieron Woolgar, X30

                                    4^th Charlie Watson, Gillard

                                    5^th Dave Keen, Arrow

 Report Colin Wright

Next Race Round 5 including Help for Heroes Festival 3^rd July 2011