CCKC ‘22 - The final round

And just like that, it’s already November!

Thankfully my anti-rain dance worked at the weekend and I managed to avoid getting absolutely soaked at the final round of Castle Combe’s 2022 Karting Championship, although the track was still very greasy for most of the afternoon, and ironically I actually performed better when the circuit wasn’t almost dry ..

Around 60 drivers entered the final round, with drivers in the top 50% of the championship standings racing in the afternoon -

I’d just scraped in being ranked 27th overall before the final round, and consequently avoided the heavy showers that hit the area earlier in the day.

As usual, the event would be made up of a practice session, several heat races and a ‘final’ for all drivers. The staff had good fun scaring people into thinking they had arrived late due to the clocks going back the night before, and overall I think everyone really enjoyed the day!

Practice went ok, and after picking up some useful tips from the encyclopaedic Oliver Bayani, I lined up 2nd on the grid for my first race -

The wider, wet line around the outside of turn one was going to be in use for most of the afternoon, and I made a cracking start to the race, going around the outside of pole man Seb Miller into the first right-hander. Seb, on the inside and subsequently on the greasy tarmac, slid sideways into me on the exit of the corner, but I survived while he had further contact and half spun. In the end I won the heat by a few seconds, much to my surprise!

My second heat saw me start 4th and finish 3rd, as I made a move around the outside of Shane Lucas through turns 7 and 8 -

So far, so good (again, against expectations).

Things started to go downhill in my 3rd race when, starting 4th but having another fantastic launch (I think I was up to 2nd after turn one), I then spun after turn 2, dropping to 5th (i.e. last) place. My pace however was good and by the end of the heat I had caught and passed Mark O’Grady, who was in with a shout of finishing in the overall top 3 for the ‘Masters’ category this weekend.

For my 4th and final heat, I again lined up 

2nd on the grid, made (another) good start but then got squeezed into the wall and dropped to 3rd. I was able to stick with the driver in 2nd but then rather than settling for third and taking the points available I made one of my worst errors in recent memory:

I made a much better exit out of turn 2 than the driver ahead, and pulled ahead of him as we approached the top hair bit, but on the outside. Rather than staying on the racing line however and taking the wider wet line (as I had in my previous races), I wrongly decided to ‘shut the door’ as soon as I was ahead, moving to the inside of the track. As soon as I hit the brakes I knew I’d been over ambitious.. The kart slid uncontrollably, feeling like it was accelerating rather than slowing down. I awkwardly bumped into Seb, who was leading, and in all honesty was lucky not to receive a black and white warning flag. I got again, now 5th, and crossed the line on rear bumper of the driver in 4th. 

The results from my final two heats undid the good points scored in the first two, which meant I found myself lining up 7th on the grid for the ‘B’ final, where the top 2 would then progress on to the back of the ‘A’ final grid. By that point in the day I was beating myself up a bit for the silly errors I’d made, and in all honesty my heart wasn’t really in it. I lost two positions on the opening lap, getting squeezed towards the inside wall on the approach to turn one, and from then on I just generally lacked the confidence to ‘send it’ at any point, given what had happened in my 4th heat (despite the fact the track was now dry in most places). I eventually finished in 8th position, well clear of 9th and on the back of a train of three or four other karts, but I was glad when the chequered flag was shown. Sometimes, I guess that’s just how things go ..

Still, the drivers in the ‘A’ final put on a good race (I was particularly pleased for Jamie Higgins, who had driven well all day and was right in the thick of it) and it was fun witnessing the end-of-season trophy presentations once the final points had been added up. A big congratulations go to all of the winners, and a big thanks to all the Castle Combe staff, who ran yet another slick event and kept a tight ship -

I’ll look forward to seeing everyone again when the 2023 season gets under way!

Next up for me is the annual British Rental Kart Championship event in January, taking place at the excellent Formula Fast circuit in Milton Keynes. Hopefully the ‘23 version won’t be postponed like this year’s was, but what will be, will be!

Until then, take care -

And have fun :D

Ben

British Rental Kart Championship

So, BRKC 2022.. An event of two halves for me in every sense of the word!

First up was practice on Friday, and this more or less went to plan just getting familiar with the karts, circuit and pit stop procedure. I drove karts 10 and 13 and both felt ok, and so was able to more or less set competitive, consistent lap times.

With the luck of the (heats) draw, I found myself with two races on the Saturday, and two on the Sunday, which I was thankful for ..

In my first race (driving kart 15, I think) I qualified 3rd which I was pleasantly surprised with, and subsequently crossed the line in 3rd when the chequered flag fell twenty minutes later -

Now, if someone had offered me that the day before I’d have bitten their hand off, but in reality I should have finished in 2nd place and therefore I was a little disappointed, although I only had myself to blame ..

In the race the leader, the guy in 2nd and I broke away from the others fairly quickly and I was able to comfortably stay with the second-placed driver as we came up to lap back-markers (a rare phenomenon in BRKC..). Sensing an opportunity to try an under-cut, I pitted but failed to notice one of the new / slower competitors in the pits ahead of me. Consequently, I ended up having a terribly slow stop and lost a chunk of time and with it my opportunity to gain 2nd place. By the time he’d pitted a few laps later I was several corners behind, and only just ahead of the driver in 4th, and that’s how things stayed until the end. So 3rd was a bitter sweet result but at least I was off to a good start ..

The 2nd and 3rd races were due to take place on an alternate track layout, which historically has never been kind to me, so again I was as surprised as anyone to qualify and finish 4th in my next race (driving kart 14), which turned out to be fairly uneventful, although I’ll admit I was being caught towards the end

My results from day one may well have led to a false sense of confidence, but none the less I felt I’d prepared well and therefore it was a bit of a reality check on Sunday when in my 3rd race (again on the alternate layout, which no one had driven prior to the weekend) I qualified stone-last in kart 10..

Yes, the same kart I’d felt so comfortable with on Friday. 

I didn’t feel like I did anything particularly wrong in the race but did think that the kart lacked a bit of acceleration. I only managed to gain one place by over-cutting the driver in 9th, but that was of little consolation. Turning my attention to the results of the following races, it appeared that both karts 10 and 13 were struggling a bit, so it was just my luck to draw kart 13 for my final race -

What are the chances? 

(No, seriously- Of the whole fleet, on my second day of racing I randomly draw the two karts I’d already driven on Friday?!)

I opted to re-draw a kart from the spares allocation and ended up with kart 8, which seemingly hadn’t been used all day. It was a risk but one that I felt was worth taking, especially considering my last race would be on the regular circuit layout..

As it turns out, I could only qualify in 6th place and finished 7th after being overtaken at the start of the race (by someone that had clearly under-performed in quali) and that, as they say, was that!

So, as stated, very much an event of two halves for me -

Whether I over-performed on day one or was flattered by less competitive drivers, or got unlucky with kart selection on day two I’ll never know, but I still had an awesome time and it was great sharing the track again with so many talented people from around the world (we even had drivers from as far away as Georgia, USA competing!)

Sadly, I missed out on my goal of finishing in the top 50, but there’s always next year ..

As always, a huge thanks goes to the team at Formula Fast and Brad Philpot for putting on such an incredible event, James Auld and the crew at Scruffy Bear Media, and a huge congratulations to the top 3 drivers: Sean Michael, Ruben Boutens and Lewis Manley - All unstoppable in their own way. A big well done to all of the other South West and Wales drivers too! We did the region proud :D

Catch you later

Ben

Formula Fast & Castle Combe

As previously mentioned, these last couple of weekends have seen me travel to Milton Keynes in order to practice for the upcoming BRKC event, and competing in the 2nd round of Castle Combe’s Adult Karting Championship-

The idea behind both of which was to re-acclimatise (as far as Formula Fast’s karts and circuit are concerned) and to sharpen my race craft (Castle Combe) ahead of getting out on track with some of Europe’s best indoor kart racers in a week or so’s time ..

Up first was Formula Fast, and unlike previous years I actually went into these practice sessions with a game plan(!), in that I didn’t just want to drive round and round in circles without any clear objectives, and I have to say I really feel like it paid off.. Only time will tell though I suppose !

The following weekend I joined a large number of local-ish drivers at Castle Combe’s outdoor kart circuit for what was sure to be a day of close, well-organised (as always) racing.

After a brief practice session, I scored the following results in my ‘heat’ races:

3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 2nd (From starting positions 4, 5, 2 and 1) which in turn led to me lining up in 4th place in the ‘B’ final, where I duly finished after briefly climbing to 3rd. Not a great result by any means but with zero heat race wins and some very fast (and light) drivers finishing ahead of me I wasn’t too disappointed -

As a means of getting ‘race sharp’ ahead of BRKC in a fortnight’s time it was the ideal preparation, and that event is what I’ll be fully focused on for the next two weeks ..

I’ll be sure to provide an update post-BRKC so do please check back in sometime after the 10th of April !!

Cheers

Ben

BRKC ‘22 Inbound !!

I know, I know- Things have been rather quiet here lately, but that’s all about to change! 

We are only one month away from the British Rental Kart Championship 2022 event, which is being held at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes, and I for one cannot wait to get back out on track there after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to COVID. 

It’s been over 24 months since I’ve driven at Formula Fast, so I figured it would be a good idea to make the journey over to MK for a bit of pre-event practice, which I’ll be doing on Sunday 20th March. Following on from that I intend to enter round 2 of Castle Combe’s Adult Karting Championship, scheduled to take place the following weekend -

I’ll be sure to post updates in the coming weeks, followed by a full BRKC write up!

Stay tuned, or whatever the relevant internet term is !!

Ciao 

Ben

Autumn / Winter ‘21

Have just realised I’ve not posted on here in a while - How have you all been? 

Thought I’d just put up a quick update as to plans for the coming weeks and months ..

On 21st of November I’ll be heading to Teamsport’s Coventry venue for the BIKC 2021 Regional final, having qualified along with five other drivers from the local (Bristol) final last month. Due to a weight disadvantage (I’m now one of the heavier drivers in the ‘middleweight’ category, rather than being a light ‘heavyweight’) and lack of familiarity with the circuit my expectations in terms of results is fairly low, and I’m using the event as more of a learning exercise than anything else, but who knows.. I had low expectations for the 2020 event too, then went and win my first heat race!! Whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be a fun and well run event

Once Christmas is done and dusted, my attention will then turn to the British Rental Kart Championship event, scheduled to take place at Formula Fast, Milton Keynes on 21st-23rd January 2022. The event was cancelled in 2021 for obvious reasons, so this event is already hotly anticipated! 

More info on the event can be found here:

https://brkc.co.uk/about/

If you’re thinking of entering though then sorry, you’re already too late!!

Until next time

Ben

Sum’ 21

(That’s Summer, 2021!)

Race Reports

What: Summer Championship Round 1

Where: Teamsport Bristol

When: 15th July 2021

Format: ‘GP1’ (Practice, F1-style qualifying, Two 20 minute races). Several weight classes competing on track at the same time

Summary: After getting knocked out in the equivalent of Q1 (not good!) I made an ok start to Race 1 but was then the victim of a dive-bomb at the hairpin at the bottom of the up ramp, which put me dead last. From there I was able to fight my way back past all of the other ‘heavyweight’ drivers and therefore finish 1st in class, but only something like 14th ‘on the road’..

The grid for the second race was determined by best lap times from race one, and therefore I found myself starting ahead of the drivers I’d had to battle with previously, but did put me in a kind of no man’s land between the lighter, faster drivers and those I’d started ahead of. I was able to mix it up with some of the drivers who started in front, but other than a brief yellow flag period the race was fairly uneventful from my point of view. Regardless, I was happy to take maximum points in my weight class and will be looking forward to round two of the Summer Championship!

What: Castle Combe Karting Championship

Where: Castle Combe

When: 25th July 2021

Format: Practice, Heat Races, Finals for all drivers (determined by points scored during the heats). No separate weight categories 

Summary: Awesome day! Scored my best-ever result at Castle Combe with 7th overall (out of 41 drivers). Won two of my heats after an inconspicuous start (4th, from 4th on the grid in heat 1) which, together with a 3rd place from my third heat, automatically put me in the ‘A’ final where I gained a further position from where I started, so overall a really satisfying performance. As usual the event ran smoothly and was only interrupted by a couple of red flag incidents which were brought on by some.. ambitious moves, none of which were in any of my races thankfully! 

After the disappointing performance I put in at the BIKC final I definitely feel that a more ‘back to basics’ approach might be working for me, and I hope to continue with some momentum into my next couple of events ..

What: Summer Championship Round 2

Where: Teamsport Bristol

When: 29th July 2021

Format: ‘Hot Pursuit’ (5 minute practice, 60 minute race with slowest drivers ‘eliminated’ as the clock runs down). Several weight classes competing on track at the same time

Summary: In what was certainly a unique event as far as the format was concerned, I managed to recover from another awful qualifying position and claw my way back to head of the heavyweight field to take maximum points in this second Summer Series round.

Driving a kart that didn’t particularly enjoy turning right (always useful on a clockwise circuit!) I avoided the inevitable first lap hairpin dive bomb by the Red Bull-suited driver and was able to gradually move forward through each ‘stage’ of the race (I’d try and explain the format in more detail but if I’m being honest I didn’t really understand completely what was going on..), finally becoming the lead heavyweight driver with only a handful of laps remaining.

Anyway, that’s two (class) wins from two in Teamsport Bristol’s ‘Summer Series’, and I’m already looking forward to the next round which is due to take place in a couple of weeks time

What: Summer Championship Round 3

Where: Teamsport Bristol

When: 12th August 2021

Format: ‘Chase the Ace’ (Single lap qualifying, 45 minute race with mandatory pit stops). Several weight classes competing on track at the same time

Summary: Another night at Teamsport Bristol, another (heavyweight class) win, this time racing using the tried and tested ‘Chase the Ace’ format -  a straightforward 45 minute race with mandatory pit stops. Drivers can choose to either pit once, twice or three times during the race (the less stops you do, the longer the time spent ‘held’ in the pit lane) which adds a nice strategic element to the event.

As per previous form my qualifying result was average at best, leaving me to start in the middle of the pack, but I was able to get away fairly cleanly and attack a couple of the drivers ahead of me in the opening part of the race. We weren’t able to pit in the opening or closing five minutes of the race, but it wasn’t long before drivers started heading in. I’d decided quote early on (knowing I probably didn’t have the outright pace to ‘undercut’ many of the drivers ahead) that I would stop once, as later in the race as possible. This strategy actually saw me leading race outright for a significant period of time, and I believe I was one of the last drivers to pit around ten minutes from the chequered flag. As the clock ticked down I was able to set a new personal best lap time of 37.2 secs, and secured myself a heavyweight class win, crossing the line right on the back of a group of lighter/generally faster drivers. 

What was most satisfying about the race for me was that I don’t think I was actually passed on track at any stage, and the overtakes I made (of which there were a good handful) were clean and decisive, so all in all a good night was had!

BIKC National Final

So, this was it. The big one. Some 18 months in the making. The very first British Indoor Karting Championship national final. No pressure then..

Full disclosure. I sucked at this event. It was hot, the circuit (at Teamsport’s Warrington venue) was insanely grippy and long, but above all else the level of competition was just incredible. After all, those invited from all over the country were the best of the best, as our event host reminded us in the pre-race briefing, and how right he was. That, combined with a small handful of drivers who one might consider ‘desperate’ (in that they’d just as soon put you in the wall fighting for 10th place then actually try and focus on catching the drivers ahead) made for a difficult but admittedly well-run event. I was knackered after the first practice session, so I knew things weren’t going to get any easier as the day went on..

Turns out I was right. Other than a 4th or 5th place finish (I can’t remember exactly) in my second heat there was nothing else to shout about in all honesty. I constantly seemed to find myself bottled up behind the same driver I’m every race, either directly behind him or in a train of karts which always seemed to allow the drivers at the front to break away, which was frustrating but it is what it is. I knew I was struggling before I had even driven a competitive lap and therefore maintaining position became my priority rather than moving forward, and even that didn’t always work out..

However, other than the questionable decision to again use rolling starts (as per the regional final) rather than standing starts, I couldn’t really complain- I was after all in the company of the very best indoor kart racers that the UK has to offer, and to represent the Bristol circuit in my weight category of definitely something to be proud of, even if the overall result was nothing to shout about. A huge congratulations goes to Sam Slater for winning the Lightweight category outright, and to Zac Venn for finishing on the podium in the Super Lightweight category - Both drove incredibly well all day and did a great job of representing indoor karting in the South West.

Anyway, enough from me! I’ll be sure to see you at a circuit in the near future

Ciao

Ben

BIKC Regional Final

That’s more like it!! After a slightly underwhelming start to 2021, I’m pleased to announce that having finished 3rd overall in the heavyweight class of the British Indoor Karting Championship’s delayed regional final, I have now qualified for the national final which is scheduled to take place on Saturday 5th of June at Teamsport Karting’s Warrington venue!

A field of 16 drivers took to an unfamiliar track to battle it out for a chance to qualify for the national final, and after a series of heat races where I managed to finish 1st, 6th and 3rd respectively, I qualified in third position for the ‘A’ final, where I was able to maintain position whilst pushing the 2nd-placed driver for the entire race (unfortunately without getting any real opportunities to make a clean pass). As nice as it would have been to have finished one step higher on the podium, it wouldn’t have made a world of difference to me with the top four going through to the final, but it was still nice to come away satisfied with my own performance- Particularly the heat one win on a track I’d only driven a handful of practice laps of previously. 

That's all I have for you this week. I'll be sure to post another update after the final - Until then, take it easy!

Ben

2021 is Go, Go, Go !!

Hello! Been a while, hasn’t it?! As the UK’s current lockdown restrictions gradually loosen and with summer fast approaching, I thought it was about time I dusted off the ol’ race suit and helmet and got back out on track! 

After almost six months without karting, the first round of Castle Combe’s Adult Championship seemed like the best place to kick off my racing year, in the hope that the still-to-be rescheduled 2020 BIKC ‘regional’ final would soon be announced also. A full capacity of 48 drivers descended on the small Wiltshire circuit on April 25th, for what was sure to be an afternoon of action-packed motorsport.

After a short practice session, drivers were put into a series of heat races to determine which final they would qualify for. For my first heat I lined up 6th on the grid and gained two positions in the race to finish 4th, but felt a top three finish was on the cards but for some robust defending. However, given how difficult it is to pass cleanly on this particular track I wasn’t too disheartened at this stage.

For my second heat I started from 1st position, got a clean start and lead from the opening lap through to the chequered flag under quite a bit of pressure from the driver behind. It’s always important to convert poles into wins when you are handed the opportunity to start at the front, and I was more than pleased with this result.

In my third race I was 5th on the grid, and this one pretty much summed up my afternoon: I lost out on the opening lap to fall to 6th (and last) position, only to then hang on to the train of karts battling for 3rd, 4th and 5th. With a lap and a half to go I made a move around the outside of the top hairpin to claw back the place I’d lost on lap one, and hung on in there until the chequered flag was shown. One to forget about.

My final heat saw me start from 2nd position and this was far and away my strongest race of the day. I got a great start to draw alongside the pole man as we approached turn one, then went all the way around the outside of him to take the lead. I ended up winning comfortably as those behind me fought one another. If only they were all this easy ..

The results from the heat races were then fed into Castle Combe’s state of the art computer system* which produced grids for the ‘finals’, with the highest scoring drivers qualifying for the ‘A’ final, the next group the ‘B’ final, etc. The top two from each final before the ‘A’ race would progress on to the back of the grid for the next final, so all is not completely lost if a driver hasn’t scored particularly well in his or her heat races. I would start from 4th place in the ‘B’ final..

Unfortunately this last race was a bit of a non-event for me, as I gained and then lost a position on the opening lap to cross the finish line a distant fourth, but well ahead of four other drivers in a kind of karting no man’s land .. It was a slightly disappointing way to finish the day and I was a bit gutted to miss out on a place in the ‘A’ final, but will happily admit that the earlier heat race results were of my own making, and that I had struggled a bit in my final with a slightly ‘slidey’ kart and therefore didn’t really have the pace to be in the top eight. Still, to be 12th out of 48 drivers..

Positives? Well, in terms of finishing position vs starting position I didn’t actually lose out at all, moving forward in two of my five races. I also found that in visualising how I wanted my race starts to go (once I knew my starting positions)  helped a great deal in terms of calming any pre-race nerves, positioning my kart in turn one etc, so that’s something I’ll definitely be looking to do more of in the future. Overall the event was just a great way to blow out the cobwebs after not karting for so long, and as usual I’d like to thank the organisers for keeping things running smoothly all day.

Next up, it was back to Herefordshire Raceway in, er, Herefordshire for round one of Rapikart’s 2021 championship, which took place on May 8th. Similar in format to Castle Combe’s championship (with drivers competing in several heat races before progressing to a final), the main difference with RapiKart is that the field is also split up into weight categories, which makes things a little fairer for those on the slightly heavier side in that they don’t have to compete directly with drivers weighing less than 75-80kg..

I can hand on heart say that this event turned out to be one of the most miserable experiences I’ve had in a kart for a long time. Awful weather, below-par kart parity, some questionable driving standards and couldn’t-give-a-damn marshalling added up to a morning where I’d have rather been anywhere else, I’m sad to say..

Average heat results led to an average finishing position in the average ‘B’ final, in which I was overtaken under yellows without any penalty applied to the driver that did so, which pretty much summed up my day, so the less said, the better. Still, thanks go to RapiKart for organising the event, and if you’re planning on attending round two at Mansell Raceway I’m sure I’ll see you there. I just hope the weather is a little better ..

Anyway, that’s all the news I have for the time being. As stated above, hopefully there will soon be some confirmation as to when / where the rescheduled BIKC regional final will take place, but until then..

Thanks for reading!

Ben

* Computer system may not in fact be state of the art.. :P

Merry Christmas

And just like that, my racing year has come to an end. What a strange one 2020 has been, huh? 

Still, this year wasn’t all doom and gloom -

BRKC in January got the the year off on the right foot, before that weird period of March to June which feels like it didn’t really happen..

Following on from that saw me pick up ‘Rookie of the Day’ at Rapikart’s Hereford round, qualify for the (still postponed) BIKC regional final, and last but not least finish on the podium during an event held in heavy rain up at Castle Combe

That last race took the form of an ‘open’ Grand Prix event at the little Wiltshire circuit, which ran in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust (with a portion of each driver’s entry fee going to the charity). Three wins and a third from my heat races saw me line up third on the grid for the ‘A’ final, which is where I finished behind a dominant Billy Cockle, and Ryan Taylor. Overall, it was a satisfying way to end my racing year, and it's always a good experience to get out a drive in wet / changeable conditions, even if it does mean your kit needs a good clean afterwards!

Anyway, that’s enough from me -

I’ll let you get back to your mince pies and mulled wine now! Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, and I hope to see you all at a circuit somewhere in 2021

Take care

Ben

BIKC Regional Final - Delayed! *UPDATED*

This is obviously not the news I was hoping to have been posting today, but with England under lockdown again inevitably the BIKC Regional Final which was scheduled to take place at Teamsport Farnborough yesterday has been postponed for the time being. Once a new date has been confirmed (hopefully in early December) I will endeavor to post an update

Until then, stay safe everyone!

Ben

*Update*

Those who qualified have now been informed that the regional final has now been rescheduled for Monday 7th December - Keeping my fingers crossed the event will go ahead as planned. Wish me luck !!

*Update 2*

While the regional final in Farnborough is still going ahead next Monday, none of the drivers from Bristol who qualified will be permitted to attend due to (currently) being in a ‘Tier 3’ area..

Teamsport have advised an alternate venue/date will arranged ASAP, but in the meantime it’s just a case of waiting for better news sadly..

British Indoor Karting Championship

As promised, here is a pre-regional final update regarding this year’s British Indoor Karting Championship competition, in association with Motorsport UK

Following on from my qualification to the ‘local’ final, which took place on 13th October, I lined up alongside the top rental kart drivers from Bristol and the surrounding area in a bid to make the ‘regional’ final, scheduled to take place at Teamsport’s Farnborough venue on November 9th (not the 2nd, as I’d previously thought!) ..

For the local final, drivers would only be on track against racers from their own weight class, which made things pretty simple: Finish in the top three, and you’re through to the regional final. After a short practice/qualifying session I found myself lining up 3rd on the grid (out of 8 other ‘heavyweight’ drivers) behind Luke Chard-Maple in second and an on-form Andy Taylor, who stormed to pole position by a surprising margin. 

After a clean start to the race it soon became evident that the top 3 would not be challenged, as Andy, Luke & I pulled out a comfortable margin over the rest of the field. Andy, taking full advantage of a particularly sweet kart, and Luke swapped positions on a couple of occasions ahead of me, but through a combination of their relentless pace and a couple of mistakes of my own I fell back from them in the final third of the race, eventually crossing the line around 3 seconds behind, with Luke taking the win. As nice as it would have been to have taken victory on the night, after years of either bad luck, under-performance or scheduling issues, it’s nice to be able to finally say that, in finishing third at the local final, I’m through to the next stage of the competition formerly know as Kartchamps - Get in!

The plan now is to get myself over to Farnborough for a bit of pre-event practice (possibly with Andy in tow!) in an attempt to familiarise myself with the track and it’s (electric) karts, which from previous experience I know to be mega-torquey and eerily quiet..

Watch this space!

A quick update..

Following on from a 7th-place finish (3rd in class) at Teamsport‘s ‘Last Kart Standing’ event on Thursday, I’m pleased to say I’ve now qualified for the local BIKC final, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 13th October (format TBC)

Last Kart Standing was a fun event where, towards the end of the race, drivers at the back of the field were ‘eliminated’ on a lap-by-lap basis as the clock counted down.

As usual the Teamsport crew did a great job making sure everything ran smoothly, with further social distancing measures in place meaning everyone had a great time but were also safe in doing so. Thanks guys

The attending drivers were given a nice surprise a few hours in advance of the event, with the circuit announcing the debut of a new fleet of karts- Always a good thing! 

If you’re local and you’ve not been along to the circuit for a while, get over there and check them out!!

The weekend prior to the Teamsport event, I also raced in what was my first Castle Combe Karting Championship (CCKC) event of the year. After a slow start I was eventually able to pick up a win in one of my heat races, which helped me to qualify 3rd for the ‘B’ final, with the top two from that race going through to the ‘A’ final. After a clean start I was able to get past the driver in second place about half-way through the 8 lap sprint, and therefore secured myself a spot alongside the highest-scoring drivers from the heat races. Unfortunately although I was able to climb two positions in that race initially, I was then re-passed by my fellow ‘B’ final graduate, who in doing so pushed me so far wide the driver that had dropped to last place also came back past me. Bugger.

Although I was slightly disappointed to have not been able to hang on to the places I’d initially gained, it still felt pretty good to make the ‘final’ final in what is a very competitive championship which does benefit lighter drivers. With only a couple of rounds left in 2020 I’m not sure at this stage if I’ll race in the CCKC again this year, but who knows?

I’ll be sure to post another BIKC-related update in due course. But until then..

Ben

It’s been a while..

Hello! As the title says really, it’s been a while! How have you all been during these difficult last few months? Covid-free I hope!!

Now that motorsport activities are more or less back up and running again, I thought I’d post a short update re. what I’ve been up to since ‘lockdown’ was eased, which saw me back in a kart for the first time since January - a near seven month break, the longest I’ve had from karting in literally years! 

First up came a rather underwhelming performance at Teamsport Bristol’s August Chase the Ace event, where I finished a lowly 9th overall (but 3rd in class) as I endeavoured to get back up to speed. 

This event came about as I ‘upgraded’ to Teamsport’s ‘Elite’ membership level, which not only means I’m now the proud owner of a new-for-2020 Motorsport UK Indoor Karting (K-I) license, and also means I’m eligible to enter this year’s BIKC (British Indoor Karting Championship) competition, which had also been postponed by a few months due to COVID-19. 

The format of the competition itself is as follows:

Several weight classes, in which I’m entered in the ‘heavyweight’ (80-95kg) category, needing to set a minimum of three lap times from three separate events over a two month period, in order to qualify for a ‘local’ final scheduled to take place in mid-October, with the winners then proceeding to ‘Regional’ and then a ‘National’ final.

I intend to have qualified for the local final before the end of September, and if that goes well the regional final will take place in early November before the National final later that month. Please do check back here for updates!

Next up for me after Chase the Ace was a trip up to Herefordshire Raceway, for a round of the Welsh-based RapiKart Championship. The event would follow a similar format to the Castle Combe championship, with practice, heats & finals for all drivers. I made the ‘A’ final, but got caught up in an incident two thirds of the way through which left me at the back of the pack, where I finished. Some consolation came in the form of a reward for being ‘top rookie’ on the day (the series runs a separate class for drivers competing in RapiKart for the first time) so at least I care  away with a medal for my efforts- I said at the time, it’s been a while since I’ve been considered a rookie!

Finally, as August drew to a close, I raced in Teamsport’s new format ‘GP1’ event, which consisted of an F1-style knockout qualifying session followed by two 20 minute races, with the second race featuring a reverse grid for the top eight drivers from race once. In the ‘heavyweight’ class I found myself competing directly against six other drivers, from a total field of sixteen. I surprised myself by qualifying in the top eight, then in the first race I had an eventful run to 6th position which could/should have been 5th..

Two thirds of the way through I was sitting comfortably in 5th place when I came up to lap the driver in last place. Rather impatiently, I made a move at the first opportunity (instead of waiting until we got to a wider part of the track) and we made contact. Both he and I continued on, until a lap and a half later I was shown the ‘Give Position Back’ board by one of the track-side marshals. Slightly bemused by this, I backed off in order to allow the driver I had just *lapped* to come back past me, only to find that in the time between the ‘incident’ and me being cautioned, the driver in 6th place had also got ahead of the back-marker, and therefore he came flying past me. Not wanting to risk a further penalty, I begrudgingly waited for the last-placed driver to get back ahead, before I re-passed him again and set off after the (now) 5th place holder. Unfortunately I ran out of time to catch him, and therefore finished a slightly disappointing 6th. 

After the race I sought clarification as to why I got the penalty and if it really should have been applied given the positions of those drivers involved, but in the end shrugged it off as just ‘one of those things’. 6th place would see me start 3rd for the final race, so there was still decent points to race for.

In race two, which was punctuated by two red flag periods (thankfully due to mechanical issues and not accidents) I was able to finish inside the top 3, ahead of many of the quicker ‘lightweight’ drivers. This time I was the one who benefited from a driver ahead being given a 10 second penalty, post race. His misdemeanour? Having an almost like-for-like incident with the same back-marker I collided with in race one. Coincidence, or just another ‘one of those things’?..

Regardless, it felt good to finish the event on a high, and once the points had been added up I actually ended up first in class and 5th overall- Result! 

On a side note, I was also pleased to be able finally give my freshly-painted Bell Racing helmet a run out. A big thank you goes to Steve at SFX Designs for that- Cheers Steve !!

I’ll be sure to post again soon with a BIKC update-

Do please feel free to follow me on Instagram if you’re not doing so already, @bjc.racing

Until next time..

Ben

BRKC 2020

So, BRKC 2020. Where do I begin? After what I considered to be a decent pre-event build up in terms of on track practice and off track fitness training, and finally feeling like a I had a handle on the ‘normal’ Formula Fast track lay out, I then let myself down by qualifying badly in almost every one of my four heats, as well as failing miserably to get to grips with the ‘alternate’ layout. Rubbish

My second race of the weekend was by far the worst (although even then I did manage an on-track pass, so that’s something) having qualified 9th out of 10, which would have been 10th if not for one driver opting to swaps karts and therefore start from the back. To make matters worse in this particular race the seat mechanism on my kart failed during my (early) pit stop, resulting in my having to complete the race in a less-than-comfortable searing positions, arms and legs out almost straight, which wasn’t ideal. 

In terms of results, my weekend went as follows:

Race 1: Qualified 7th, finished 7th. Nothing to write home about.

Race 2:  Qualified 9th, finished 9th. Disaster, see above.

Race 3: Qualified 7th, finished 8th. Damn you, alternate layout

Race 4: Qualified 7th, finished 6th. However..

Just as I felt my motivation for karting dropping faster than an Alex Vangeen Coke can off the viewing gallery, as was the case last year I ended up putting in an above-average performance in my final race (sadly not reflected in the overall result) whereby I crossed the finish line in sight of a podium, at the back of train of four karts. The fact that the fella ahead in 5th and I had closed down the 3rd and 4th place drivers whilst simultaneously pulling away from the racer behind us is what I found particularly pleasing about this one race. The driver that finished ahead of me even admitted afterwards that he believed he only managed to stay ahead because of a slight power advantage on the straight, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom and I left Milton Keynes with.. well, not a massively positive outlook, but I wasn’t on a downer either so that’s something.

Other positives? Well, the sense of community that’s always prevalent at BRKC was in full effect, and there was a good contingent of drivers from the South West who all admittedly performed better than I did. I was also pleased with how my in-race strategy calls went, which might not have gained me much but also didn’t cost me anything as far as I remember, so that’s something too..

Who knows - maybe I just suck at karting. Or maybe it was because I forgot to put the official BRKC visor strip on my helmet..

As usual a big thanks go to Brad Philpot, Formula Fast, all the drivers and everyone else who made such an event possible. You’re all an incredibly talented bunch, and it was a pleasure to rub shoulder with you once again!

P.S Sam Slater, I haven’t forgotten I owe you a tenner ;-)

The 2020 edition of BRKC was won by Michal Grzyb, ending Ruben Boutens' six year winning streak

'Sim'thing a little different..

Last weekend, following on from a brief session at ‘Simply Race’ in Milton Keynes, pre-BRKC (more on that soon!) I had my first proper go in a race car simulator, up at Vision Motorsport Engineering Products (or VMEP) in Worcestershire.

Having played racing video games since a young age I was really keen to find out how a simulator would compare given the explosion in popularity of sim-racing over the last few years, and I wasn’t disappointed!

Using a bespoke simulator (comprising of a carbon F3 chassis, projector screen, force feedback wheel and a hydraulic braking system) running R Factor software I was able to experience Donington Park national circuit from the relative warmth of VMEP’s impressive facility. 

This followed on from a couple of karting sessions at my local Teamsport circuit whereby my lap chart was analysed alongside my simulator session by VMEP founder Alex Champkin, in return for some constructive feedback.

VMEP run cars in the Clubman Sports Prototype series and therefore know a thing or two about how to pedal a car quickly around a lap, and despite my initial crap-ness (which I’ll put down to a games console mentality) I was soon lapping relatively consistently around a circuit I must admit to not being that familiar with, virtually or otherwise - Thanks to Alex’s input. Following an hour or so of practice in an F3 car I was pleased to be able to string together a run of 10 laps whilst being evaluated, whilst not succumbing to any kind of motion sickness or similar ailment which apparently does affect a percentage of ‘sim’ users..

I have another slot booked in at VMEP in a couple of weeks time, this time around driving a different car around a different circuit, with further evaluation to follow-

I can’t wait!! I’ll be sure to post an update once the session has been completed

See you down the road

Ben

It’s that time of year (again)!

Since the beginning of December I’ve been putting in some laps at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes, in preparation for the BRKC 2020 event. Practice makes perfect, as they say, and after 11 months or so it’s always a good idea to get re-acquainted with the karts/circuit ahead of such a big competition. Although results haven’t exactly gone my way on previous occasions, I’m hoping that at least by putting in both time on the track and in the gym I’ll be able to come away from the 2020 edition satisfied with my own level of performance. Watch this space!

On another (belated) note-

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

See you in 2020 :D

Ben

KartChamps Local Final & CCKC Round 6

(I do apologise- The first part of this post was written a few weeks back, and I’ve only just got around to finishing it.. Anyway, enjoy!)

Well that was horrendous..

After qualifying for the local Teamsport KartChamps final I experienced a major ‘off’ night and failed to make the cut for the regional final, which is scheduled to take place in Coventry at the end of the month. A near-two hour delay from our scheduled start time (not the circuit’s fault, traffic incidents in and around the local area pushed everything back) meant that I was already itching to just get things over & done with by the time we finally got to sit in a kart, and though I was able to set a competitive time in my weight class during practice I wasn’t entirely happy with the kart I’d been allocated. 

A heavy crash in my first heat race (caused by a driver squeezing me into a wall and then subsequently being rear-ended) set the tone for the rest of the night. A 2nd and 3rd place in my next two races saw me line up third on the grid for my class’ final, with the top 3 due to go through to the next round. However, having not been entirely happy with my kart all evening I decided to roll the dice before the final and switch karts. My thinking behind this was that although potentially I could have maintained position in the race in the kart I had, there was a quick driver starting behind me in 4th who I knew would be difficult to keep behind. I may have ended up swapping into a monster of a kart and running off with a win.. as it transpires, I didn’t.

Three corners into the final, it became apparent that kart 19 had a) no grip whatsoever, resulting in some amusing drifts, and b) no power, meaning I ended up being passed on the up-ramp like I had my foot on the brake. I quickly dropped to 4th, then 5th, 6th so I decided to call it a day there and then rather than slowly sliding my way towards the chequered flag at the back of the field. Not the way I wanted to the night to go by any means, but that being said the top three would have still been very difficult to beat. The results of the races that I did finish lead me to believe that I could still have qualified had I either stuck with the same kart or ended up with a better one, but it is what it is – Best wishes to those drivers in all of the weight classes proceeding to the regional (and hopefully national) finals!  You all deserve it. A big thanks go to the staff at TS Bristol too for staying late and pushing through without a break so that we could all get home some time before midnight!

***

The final round of the 2019 Castle Combe Adult Karting Championship took place on Saturday 14th September, at the earlier time of 9am, allowing those in attendance to then take in the day’s car racing action on the main circuit, which was a nice perk! 

Unfortunately my run of bad form continued as I struggled to adapt to an ever-evolving track surface, never feeling comfortable in any of the karts I drove and only finishing as high as 3rd in any of my races. It was a disappointing end to a year where I’d hoped to be able to be competitive at Castle Combe, and looking back at my performances at the two charity races earlier in the year I’m still confident that if I were to commit to the championship again next year I could perform at a higher level. Time will tell, I guess..

As the season draws to a close, I’ve still got a couple of events to look forward to (including a Covkartsport round at Milton Keynes) whilst also having recently enjoyed my first experience of driving at ‘The Green Hell’ Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany, and having a thrash around Thruxton in a Jaguar E-Type! Things are still all go at BJC Racing, and with BRKC 2020 looming on the horizon there’s absolutely no time to let up!! 

Until next time

Ben