LATEST NEWS
September 30th
I was originally 1st reserve for Snetterton due to the meeting being oversubscribed with entrants, but got the call the day before to say we were on the grid.
Qualifying was red flagged half way through due to an incident, which meant I never got 2 hot laps in to get the best possible grid slot for each of the races. However out of the 38 car field I would line up 25th and 23rd place for Race 1 and 2.
In the first race I got an average start and was coming through well, as high as 14th by lap 6 however an incident over the kerbs in a dice at Riches corner saw the car go airbourne and on landing the harness tore through the seat. Meaning the seat was sliding around the cockpit, held on only by the one side. In the remaining laps 19th was the best we could cling onto with the damage.
With the repairs made for Race 2 I had it all to do after dropping to the back of the field in the first lap mayhem. (and due to me getting abit hot headed coming out of Russels!) but the carnage throughout the race in front and drafting saw us get the best finish so far in 18th place.
Out of the 38 strong grid finishing in the top half of the field in only our second meet is positive, hopefully we get a bit more time in the car over winter so we can start some real points scoring finishes come the 2009 season.
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August 25th
Our first round in the Locost at Silverstone saw us up against a 32 car strong field, and with many having competed for many seaons in the series we were realistic in our expectations. Qualifying saw us a mediocre 25th place with a couple of of track excursions, but nothing major. Then came the only race of the day after only 7 laps on this circuit and combined car time of 20 mins, I would be into my first car race!
The start went well although I lit the wheels too much through the gears losing some ground, but after all it was my first standing start in years. The first lap was manic but I managed to get up into 18th place and got a good tow off the pack. However a moment going for a place into the becketts complex took me onto the grass, and way back down the order. In the remainder of the race I got back up to 22nd and knocked some considerable time off my qualifying performance.
All in all we were happy with the way the weekend went. There are a few things to sort out on the car for the next round and still alot of pace to come from myself getting used to the car, and in car setup. Overall impressions of the championship are good, very close racing and excellent racecraft / drafting skills needed as the cars are so close pace wise!
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August 11th
First meeting out in the Locost at the Silverstone venue is only a fortnight away. We've had one run out in the car at Cadwell Park which went well, although didn't get many laps in. The track was closed due to a big incident for a while and we had a few niggling problems which meant we couldn't get as much testing as we like. However the times were coming down as got to grips with the car and can't wait to go racing again.
Next Event; Silverstone August 24th
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July 22nd
Alex is delighted announce new sponsors Canteen Smithy & Engineering Company Ltd.
http://www.canteensmithy.co.uk/
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July 14th
The new Challenge has arrived! For the remainder of the year we will continue to prepare the Locost and try and make it out for a race in the 750MC Locost British Championships. There are a couple of rounds left still, so fingers crossed we can be ready and find the budget to get a race in ready for a full assault on the champs next year. In the meantime though the car came with a pre booked trackday at Cadwell Park on the 24th July, so we'll get some valuable set up time in then.
The new car.
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June 16th
After the toublesome start to the season in the 125 Open long circuit British Championship we made the decision to pull out of the class. This year we would have been dissapointed with anything less than number 3 in the Champs, and after missing the UK cup round in Ireland, due to lack of funds this would be unachievable. I'll be sad to leave Karting behind as we've made alot of friends over the years, but think this is the right time to move on. Alot of the Karting stuff has gone already however the outfit is still up for sale as well as some various spares collated over the years. Ring
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April 30th
Preparation for the next round at Anglesey is under way. At Mallory, fingers crossed we seemed to have cured detonation problems thanks to the work over winter on the engine with John Riley (REDSPEED) However there are still some minor problems, which have been seen to over the lull in racing. Just need some luck for the remainder of the season as I already retired from the first race of the season due to a faulty bead retainer and consequently the tyre deflating.
I'm confident we have good pace, but really need to put in some consistent results to get the championship back on track after the Mallory gremlins!