Royal Wedding? I’d rather be Karting!

Saturday 19 May

In what was probably my most competitive outing at Castle Combe’s Adult Karting Championship (Round 3) I scored my highest ever finish in the event’s ‘semi-final’, missing out on a guaranteed place in the final by only one position. As these events tend to go, I find I either start off with some decent results in my heat races before it all goes downhill, or I start off a bit slow but improve as the racing goes on. On this occasion it was the latter.  You 

I found myself starting on pole for my first heat but was quickly relegated to third after some overly aggressive driving from one of the drivers. Heat two was a low point where after finding myself starting 3rd I was in the hunt for a good finish before being spun by an inexperienced driver who received a black & white flag for the infringement- which was little consolidation to me as I crossed the line in last place.

My next two heats went better, scoring a pair of 2nd place finishes from 5th & 3rd on the grid respectively, which put me 3rd on the grid for my semi-final. The rapid Mike Seabourne would be starting from pole so any chance of making my first final looked remote, but I set my sights on 2nd and after a race-long battle I pulled off a Ricciardo-esque move at the top hairpin to take the chequered flag a few seconds behind Mike. 

After the disappointment of finishing last in my second heat I was pleased to come away with a hat trick of 2nd’s which I hope to build on when the championship resumes on June 16th.

Sunday 20th May

The following day I found myself back at my old stomping ground, TeamSport Bristol, for a ‘Daytona’ race event. Due to my status as an ‘elite’ driver (not by own admission I must say!) I wouldn’t be eligible for a place in the final standings of this event. This was due to Daytona races being aimed at the more ‘social’ karters, but I find it’s a good way to keep my hand in as well as keeping an eye on any up & comers who may be looking to climb the TeamSport rankings. As it turned out a youngster by the name of Alex Warnaby took pole position with a rapid lap some half a second quicker than I managed in the 10 minute qualifying session, although the ‘average’ lap times told a slightly different story as that put me around 4/10ths ahead. Besides, having set the 2nd quickest qualifying time I would still be starting from the back of the grid made up of seven other drivers. 

When the lights went out Alex led the small field away from the grid followed by Jamie Bennett, as I gained one place almost straight away at the start. It wasn’t long before I’d caught 3rd-placed driver Neill Povey, and after a couple of laps I squeezed past at the top of the up ramp and set off after the leading pair. Jamie was slightly tougher to pass but was fully focused on Alex so probably wasn’t expecting an attack from behind so soon, however he was able to stay right with me as I caught up to the lead driver. 

Alex was already coming up to lap one of the other drivers but caught him in an awkward place which created a bit of traffic jam, allowing Jamie to almost get back ahead of me before Alex himself was wrong-footed, enabling me to grab 1st place. A couple of laps later though Alex reclaimed the position when I myself was caught out by a back marker, leaving me to chase him down once more. It soon became evident where on the track I was quicker & vice versa, and the gathering of other drivers in the pit lane indicated that there was probably only a few more minutes of our race remaining. 

In the dying moments of the race Alex got a bit sideways coming out of the hairpin at the bottom of the ramp, which allowed me to cut back to the inside & get fully alongside him. As we went up the ramp he’d just got the nose of his kart back ahead but I had the high ground for the next two right-hand corners- Job done! This time there was no coming back for Alex as the chequered flag fell only a lap later. 

As tough as it was to watch three drivers take to the podium and not being on there myself, I came away from the race more than satisfied with my driving & with a lot of respect for Alex & Jamie- I’m sure they will be joining the Elite ranks in no time! 

Thanks for reading guys-

Race responsibly ;-)

Starting to feel a lot like summer..

Hey guys

It’s been a busy couple of months here at BJC Racing, and once AGAIN I can only apologise for the lack of regular updates! Here’s a quick run down of what I’ve been up to, and what’s coming up over the next few months;

Since my last post, I’ve competed in a 4 hour team endurance event at Absolutely Karting, finished 2nd overall with Andy George in TeamSport Bristol’s ‘F1’ series, taken part in ANOTHER 6 hour race at TeamSport (this time Martin Savage & I tackled the event as a two-man team, finishing 2nd overall) and raced at the first two rounds of Castle Combe’s Adult Karting Championship, picking up another couple of heat wins to add to those I’d started to achieve late last year. Phew!

So what’s next? Motorsport-wise, I’m off to enjoy the first ever Speedmachine festival at Silverstone with my better half-I can’t wait to check out the street food vendors, as well the World Rallycross action of course! Before that will be Round three of the Castle Combe championship, then in a couple of months times I *may* find myself competing in a BRKC competition that isn’t in Milton Keynes, as well as finally getting to sample an F3000 car (!!) at a Palmersport event in August. Amongst all that I’m sure will be regular visits to TeamSport & who knows what else-told you I was busy! 

Anyway, thanks for stopping by - I promise I’ll do my best to post more frequently from here on! If you don’t already please follow me on Instagram - search for bejc1

Until next time-

Drive safe y’all

12 Hours of Teamsport Bristol

On the Friday night between Christmas & New Year, I participated in what would be my most challenging kart race to date- the inaugural 12 Hours of Teamsport Bristol-the brain child of race director Martin 'Diego' Savage, who I would be teaming with alongside ace driver Tom Cardno & multiple event winner Oliver Bayani. Our team, 'Total Eclipse of the Kart', would attempt to defend the victory Martin & I took at the previous '6 Hours of Teamsport Bristol'

The event format was fairly straightforward. 10 teams consisting of 3-5 drivers would race over 12 hours from 10.30pm to 10.30am, with three scheduled stops for refuelling at 1.30am, 4.30am & 7.30am (each kart would be called in in number order during a window where no driver changes were permitted, for a maximum stop of 2 mins each) The only other rule of note was that no driver was permitted to race for longer than 2 hours. Teams from as far afield as Rugby & Southampton came along to compete, as well as a team made up of a husband & wife pairing - which I believe is a first!

Ollie got the race underway at 10.30pm on the dot, leading away from the pole position he'd won for us during the 30 min qualifying session that had set the grid. Ed Barrs, driving for the 'Saucy Nuggets' team alongside Scott Vowles & Carson Franklin chased us hard for the opening half hour of the race, until they started to catch a couple of the slower drivers. It was already apparent that the lap record would likely fall during the event, and it wasn't long before Ollie had stretched away from Ed even though at one point it looked like he may have even have made it past. The Saucy Nuggets were the team that were likely to push us the hardest during the event, with Sam Slater's 'Four Skint' team on the fringes also. Sam had even managed to rope in BRKC & Club 100 regular Sean Brierley - a decent measuring stick if ever there was one.

The first hour of the race flew by, and it wasn't long before I was suiting up & preparing myself to take over the lead from Ollie. By the time we switched over at midnight, he had managed to lap the entire field (!) so my mission was a simple one - stay ahead of the Saucy Nuggets until at least the first of the fuel stops at 1.30am, and drive the wheels off the thing! It was immediately evident heading out onto the track that all the drivers would be setting personal best times during the race - the grip was unbelievable!

Ed had of course un-lapped himself when Ollie had made his stop and he'd handed over to Scott Vowles, who quickly set about closing down the gap to the front ie. me! By some miracle, I managed to hang on to the lead through the first hour & a half of my two hour stint, working my way through back-markers whilst keeping a close eye on Scott's progress.

I knew he was VERY close to me as I was called in for the first refuel where I had a moment to hop out of the kart & stretch my legs, before jumping back in & re-joining the action. A couple of laps later I caught sight of Scott climbing back into his kart in the pits, and by the narrowest of margins edged in front again as he emerged back onto the track - Fantastic!

I knew it wouldn't be long before Scott got past, but I knew I had to try & stick with him if Martin & Tom were to have a chance of fighting for first place in the lonely hours of Saturday morning. As expected, he did pass me as we turned right at the top of the up ramp, but I held my line through the following right then left turns, and threw my kart back up the inside of him at the left-hand hairpin - a pleasing if only temporarily satisfying moment. A lap of so later Scott squeezed past again, and I didn't make life too difficult for him so as not to lose too much time before our imminent driver change. A side note of this opening stint for me was that while we were battling the Saucy Nuggets, we managed to put 2 laps on Four Skint driver Gavin Williams, though once Zac Venn took over driving duties he was able to unlap himself & drive off into the distance. After 2 hours of hard driving I was called into the pits & handed the kart over to Savage. 

I stood track-side for a while watching Martin *almost* lifting the inside rear wheel as he turned right at the corner by the pit exit, in awe of the grip that the track was producing. He set off after the race leader at a blistering pace, and by the time Carson Franklin replaced Vowles we were right back in the fight. 

I rejoined team mate Tom Cardno & had a bite to eat as we discussed how the race was unfolding. At one point I wasn't sure whether sleeping would be a valid option, but seeing various drivers tucked into all corners getting some shut eye was enough to convince me to drag my camping mattress in from the car & get my head down for a bit. During this time Martin completed his 2 hour stint & handed over to Tom, with a quite frankly unbelievable lead of 3 laps (!) I made sure to keep Oliver updated by text (with the longest gap of all between his stints he'd decided he'd rather sleep in an actual bed & had gone home) & by the time it came for me to start preparing for my final hour we were already looking to be in a comfortable position for the win. Sam Slater's team's assured podium place was at this stage looking a little uncertain as the team from Rugby Kart Club had suddenly come alive, taking advantage of Gavin Williams & Sean Brierley's lack of experience on this track.

Tom Cardno had successfully negotiated the first of his two re-fuels & dutifully came in to hand over the kart for my last stint. Knowing that I was only going to be on the circuit for an hour or so meant I could push as hard as I could, fully intending on taking advantage of a fantastic kart & the grip levels available. Sure enough I soon found myself behind Sean Brierley, who despite the lap deficit between our teams wouldn't give an inch of space. We battled for several laps, even finding ourselves being re-passed by one of the drivers from Rugby Kart Club at one stage. I finally managed to get a decent run on Sean on the approach to the hairpin leading to the up ramp, & made a late move down the inside - job done. As if that small victory hadn't given me enough satisfaction, my next scalp certainly put a grin on my face. While Sean's lack of experience on the track contributed to me being able to catch & pass him, the next driver I was able to chase down had already overtaken me earlier in the night (and subsequently disappeared up the road) - Zac Venn. 

Now whether Zac was struggling with fatigue or just an ill-handling kart I don't know, but it soon became evident that I was able to make big gains on him as we negotiated the tricky section at the back end of the lower level. The fact that I was then able to stay with Zac as we made our way on to the top section said a lot about the performance of our kart, & after a few laps I made a late move up the inside of him as went through the first proper corner on the upper level - good stuff. The remainder of my stint literally flew past, and before I knew it I was being called in again to hand back over to Cardno, who had another fuel stop to look forward to at 7.30 am.

Tom continued on at a blistering pace, setting a personal best lap of 36.663 before the final refuel, & it wasn't long before Savage was back in for his final hour. With Oliver Bayani still to rejoin the fray for the closing 90 minutes, we were able to (proverbially) take our foot off the gas, but not before Martin set a new lap record of 36.539. By the time a well-rested Ollie returned (with much needed coffee & bacon rolls) & got back in our kart we had a five or six lap lead over The Saucy Nuggets, whilst Four Skint had re-established their advantage over Rugby Kart Club. Sleep almost took me again as the clock wound down, and the final 30 minutes of the race seemed to go on for ever, but eventually Bayani took the chequered flag having set an incredible personal best, track record-breaking lap of 36.307. What a race!

Once all the drivers had completed their final laps & returned to the pits, it was with a mixture of adrenaline & exhaustion that the top three teams made their way on to the podium. Our winning margin in the end was 9 laps, made even more impressive by the fact we were in second place over 3 hours into the race. 
It really was a pleasure to stand on the podium amongst such talented drivers, and having set my own best personal lap of 36.733 during the race my passion for karting has well & truly been rekindled. A big thank you goes to my team mates, competitors & of course the Teamsport Bristol staff for putting on such a great event, and I cant wait to see you all again soon. Did someone say 24 hour race?

Until next time

Ben


Full results can be found below;

December Update

Hey guys!

Thought I'd just post a quick update to let you know what I've been up to lately -

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking part in the last round of the ever-popular CovKartSport championship, which was held at the Daytona venue in Milton Keynes. 

A clear, chilly day greeted a bumper entry list of drivers, & whilst I had no particular results to speak of I did enjoy some close on-track battles with the likes of Alex Vangeen & Slawek Piskorz. My results from the event can be found below;

Practice

2nd Overall

Fastest Lap 01.12.071

Race One

Started 2nd

Finished 6th

Fastest Lap 01.11.184

Race Two

Started 10th

Finished 11th

Fastest Lap 01.10.971

Race Three

Started 17th

Finished 10th

Fastest Lap 01.10.781

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Daytona Milton Keynes, and you could say the outdoor karting bug has well & truly bitten-so much so that I've thrown my hat in to be part of a team taking part in at 24 hour race there in 2018!

A few days later I was back at Teamsport Bristol to race at one of their 'Indy' events - a 45 minute members race with the added novelty of a 'safety kart' which featured whenever a yellow flag was required. During the race we had no less than four safety kart periods, and after starting from the second row I found myself taking 2nd overall (behind a staff member) after an entertaining duel with veteran driver Andy George.

Aside from the above my karting activities have been kept to a minimum lately due to other commitments. However, in the short period between Christmas & New Year I will be part of a team tackling the inaugural '12 Hours of Teamsport Bristol', where once again I will be teaming up with Ollie Bayani & Martin Savage as we bid to take victory in what is sure to be a gruelling (& cold) event. Check back in the New Year for updates!

Anyway, that's it from me

Happy Holidays everyone :)

Autumn '17

Well that wasn't exactly what I had in mind! After I felt re-energised at the last round I was confident of qualifying for the Kart Champs final, however Luke Smith came from behind to score a dominant class win at the regional final to book his place at the Birmingham finale. Josh Martin failed to escape the 'B' group on the night, effectively ending his chances early. 

7th overall in practice and a hot lap time only good enough for 11th set the tone for my evening, with Smith taking full advantage of having a decent kart under him. 8th in qualifying put me in the middle of the pack for the reverse grid race where I was only able to make up one place, before finishing 5th in the final race. My congratulations went to Luke and I wished him all the best for the final!

A week or so later I raced in what would be my final round of the Castle Combe Adult Championship (due to other commitments) where another mid-field performance left me 16th in the overall standings after the last round which took place in September. More heat wins & appearances in the final are my aim for next season! 

All in all as we get to the end of year I'll admit it's not been the best year for me in terms of karting & results-however I'm as passionate as ever & my preparations for the inaugural 12 Hours of TeamSport Bristol are now underway. I just need to remember it's going to be very cold in the middle of the night in December..

Until next time!

Kart Champs Rounds Two & Four

Round Two

After re-familiarising myself with the Teamsport Bristol karting track at round one & coming away with a second-in-class finish, I was confident of going one better at round two, which took place on Wednesday 19th July.

The entire fleet of karts had been fitted with new tyres only a few days before the event, and what a difference it made! Whereas previously I had found the circuit to be VERY slippery which meant I struggled to be consistent, now the karts were doing exactly what I wanted. This feeling in-turn breeds confidence & after the initial practice I felt that I was probably more comfortable than Id ever been since the new circuit opened. However, I made a meal of my 'hot lap' (the first points scoring session) with a sideways moment which saw me only 14th quickest out of 18th- not good! Round one Heavyweight winner Josh Martin was 7th quickest, so I had to do something to stop losing further points to him. 

In the main 10 minute qualifying session, I was able to find my rhythm and ended up 6th overall-much better given the calibre of drivers ahead of me. I made a clean start to the first race of the night, stayed out of trouble in turn one & ended up finishing 4th, which I would have been happy with had Josh not made an opportunistic move & got past me while I was battling for position with another driver. 

In race two, starting 6th I made another clean start from the tight grid, staying out of trouble & holding position until I came up behind another of the heavyweight drivers, Luke Smith. As hard as I tried, I couldn't find a way past. This again allowed Josh to close in and again, rather opportunistically get past me whilst I was battling with Luke. Whilst I hoped the two drivers ahead might then tangle allowing me to get past, the gap between the two remained consistent with Josh being unable to really attack. I followed Josh closely lap after lap until the chequered flag fell. Luke's results over the course of the evening saw him finish second in class ahead of me and behind Josh, who took his second win in as many weeks. The event overall was won by Oliver Bayani (no surprises there!) ahead of Ed Barrs & Zac Venn.

So after two out of five rounds, Josh currently heads the Heavyweight table with me in second, ahead of Luke Smith. As only three out of the five rounds count (the fifth round being the compulsory 'final') both myself & Josh opted to miss round three which took place on August 1st. I would need to finish first in class in both the remaining rounds to have any hope of making the final in Birmingham come September. 


Round Four (Wednesday 9th August) 

After Josh Martin's wins at rounds one  & two and Luke Smith's victory at round three (which Josh & I had elected to skip)  I needed a top result to have any chance of qualifying for the Kart Champs final in September. Six driver's in total would make up the heavy-weight class for this round, with seventeen drivers entered in total.

Due to the number of drivers taking part, it was decided beforehand that the two main races would be split into an 'A' & 'B' Group, with the top 9 qualifying for the 'A' races. Getting into this group would be crucial for me, as the highest place 'B' finisher would only score the points that 10th overall would have earned had we raced as one group. The decision to split the drivers was made due to the nature of the starting grid & the history of first lap pile-ups in races since the circuit was re-designed.

The night started well enough for, recording the 7th fastest time in the opening practice session- with drivers like Ed Barrs, Scott Vowles, Mike Hutt & Franklin Carson ahead it was about the best I could have hoped for. Immediately after the practice session we each went out one by one for a points-scoring 'hot lap'. Josh already didn't look entirely comfortable, and only managed to set the 14th best time on his hot lap, with Luke ending up 5th. Although my lap wasn't the best I'd ever put together, being one of the last to run obviously gave me a bit of extra grip & I was able to grab 4th resulting a decent haul of points to kick off the night. 

Qualifying was up next, and although I tried my best to give myself space to concentrate o, setting fast laps I kept finding myself behind people, resulting in me qualifying only 9th overall. I was disappointed given that I had been 7th in practice, however I was pleased to have at least made the 'A' finals. Luke had done an incredible job & finished 2nd in qualifying, while Josh's misfortune continued as he only qualified 13th- which was good news for me & Luke at least!

As the first of the night's two races would be a 'reverse' grid race, it meant I started on pole ahead of Oli Leett. The best I could hope for was to perhaps finish in the top 5 and ahead of Luke, who after qualifying 2nd would start this race second to last. I made a clean start from pole, edged ahead of Oli & surprisingly felt no contact going into the tricky tight section just after the first corner. I was sure I'd be under pressure soon from the likes of Ed & Carson but unbeknown to me Oli had maintained position after the start and was doing a great job of holding them up! After only a few laps I was ahead of him by a few corners and pulling away. Luke had a terrible start and found himself at the back of the pack as the tie ticked away. I was aware that Carson had eventually got past Oli and was taking chunks out of my lead, but there wasn't enough time left & I crossed the line a few seconds ahead, taking my first victory of any kind at the 'new' Bristol circuit-fantastic! 

This result gave me a good points haul & I knew Josh (who had claimed victory in first 'B' race) was going to lose ground. I just had to ensure I didn't finish dead last in the final race in order to stay ahead of Luke. As it turned out, I was able to get past Oli during the opening lap & then Mike Hutt (who had already secured a class victory before the final race) gifted me 7th. Luke managed to finish 5th having started second, which meant in terms of heavy-weight results I came away with a crucial class victory!

As things now stand going into the mandatory regional final, to be held on Wednesday 16th August, Josh still leads the heavyweight class having won the first two rounds, with 440 points. Luke & I have one win apiece so find ourselves in 2nd & 3rd overall (me on 435 points, Luke on 423). Andy George (273 points) is the only other realistic contender (having beaten Josh in their final race at round 4) but it looks like it will a three way fight for victory & that place in the Kart Champs final in Birmingham in what is sure to be a well-attended Bristol final...

Keep a look out for my next update!

Road to Kart Champs 2017

Ok, so- I'm back! I will admit I've been very lacklustre in updating this blog, but that's all about to change! This past week I took part in the first qualifying round for this year's Teamsport Kart Champs competition, with the aim of earning a place in the final to be held in Birmingham later in the year.

What else have I been up to this year, you may or may not be thinking? Well, in January I competed in the annual British Rental Kart Championship in Milton Keynes- where despite my best efforts I again failed to reach the semi finals (my highest heat result being a 2nd place finish) Then, a couple of months later I made the decision to enter this year's Adult Championship at the Castle Combe karting track. Having taken delivery of a bespoke fleet of Biz karts at the start of the year, I felt it would be a good time to have a go at what has always been a highly competitive, well organised & good value for money championship. After 5 rounds I currently sit 16th in the overall standings. The championship runs one meeting a month between March & September, with a break in July. I'll be at the next round in August but will unfortunately have to miss the final round in September due to other commitments. Oliver Bayani is again looking like the favourite for this year's title, and with it a free entry into BRKC 2018. My aim for the next round will be to improve my consistency & look to pick up more than one heat victory- I'll keep you posted!

Anyway, on to Kart Champs. This years competition involves 5 local qualifying rounds through July/August including a 'final' round (where your best 3 results including the final count) with the highest placed driver in each weight class progressing to the grand final held in September. Since January my weight has been hovering around the 90kg mark, which with kit included means I'm eligible for the 'heavy weight' class, and that should at least mean I'm able to be more competitive than if I was in the more populated 'middle weight' class. 

For the first round, held this past week at Teamsport Bristol in Avonmouth, 16 drivers entered with 5 in my weight class. Each round consists of a 10 minute practice, followed by a single 'hot' lap, a 10 minute qualifying session, a short race with a reverse grid based on qualifying results and a final 15 minute race, with each session other than the practice scoring points. 
I spent the practice session re-acquainting myself with the karts and circuit, exploring different lines & braking points & generally trying to find a 'groove'. Once this session was completed each driver took turns setting a single 'hot lap'. Qualifying then followed, and although I was pleased to qualify 5th overall another 'heavyweight' - Josh Martin surprised everyone including himself by going quickest of all. Clearly Josh was really in the zone and also looked to have a good kart beneath him, so he was going to be hard to beat. My time in qualifying mean I'd be starting the first race in 12th place. After making a bit of a hash of the start, I then got caught up in the midfield melee that always happens on the first lap. I finished the race somehwere around 10th, disappointingly, with Josh finishing a fine 5th. In the longer race two, I made a better start from 5th on the grid but as I was on the outside I again lost out through turns 2/3 and dropped back towards the back of the field. Some of the other drivers were getting a bit hot-headed at this point of the night and there was a fair bit of contact in the early stages. I managed to pick my way back through the field and was closing in on one of the other heavyweight drivers, Ben Carnell, who was also having a good night. With a few laps to go it looked unlikely I would be able to overhaul him for 8th position, but then contact with another driver put him in my sights and a lap later I was past. Although Ben was able to stay with me, the chequered flag was soon waved and that was it, race done. 

The event was won overall by Lightweight driver Scott Vowles, with Keiran Shanks & Jon Boulter (also lightweights) rounding out the top 3. The highest placed middleweight driver was Mike Hutt, finishing 5th overall. Josh took a well-deserved heavyweight win with 9th overall, and I finished 10th and second 'in class'. Although I was happy with a relatively good start to the competition, personally I felt I could have done better overall & will be looking to improve in the next round, which takes place on Tuesday 19th July.

Details of the Teamsport Kart Champs competition can be found here;

https://www.team-sport.co.uk/

Stay tuned..