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CADET CLASS

2010 Formula Kart Stars MSA British Cadet Championship

List of entrants are:-

Round 1 and Round 2 - Cumbria Kart Racing Club - Rowrah

Round 1
Date: April 3rd 2010
Weather: Dry and cold

Time qualifying - Group 1 started at 10:11:13
Qualified 24th with a time of 63.96 s
Fastest Lap set by Tom Harvey at 58.44 s
Difference 5.52 s !! (see report)

Heat 2:
Grid Position	22nd
Finishing Position	9th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+13
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	55.26s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	55.72s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.46s
Fastest lap position	9th

Heat 3:
Grid Position	24th
Finishing Position	9th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+15
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	54.84s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	55.16s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.32s
Fastest lap position	8th

A Final
Grid Position	18th
Finishing Position	10th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+8
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	54.38s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	54.74s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.36s
Fastest lap position	13th

Round 2
Date: April 4th 2010
Weather: More overcast but dry

Time qualifying - Group 1 started at 10:09:30
Qualified 7th with a time of 55.34s
Fastest Lap set by Rory Cuff at 54.98 s
Difference 0.36s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	8th
Finishing Position	7th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	54.72s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	54.93s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.21s
Fastest lap position	6th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	8th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	54.62s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	54.78s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.16s
Fastest lap position	4th

A Final
Grid Position	11th
Finishing Position	11th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+0
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	54.20s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	54.40s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.20s
Fastest lap position	7th

What a start...........The first round of the British Cadet Championship or Formula Kart Stars, was held at the Cumbria Kart Club near to the village of Rowrah. This is about 10 miles South of Cockermouth, which was badly flooded in November 2009. The circuit is set in a disused quarry and with the snow covered hills behind, can only be described as very picturesque ~ {see the pictures below this report}. We travelled to the circuit on Thursday night, about 310 miles from our home, so that we would be ready for testing on Good Friday. All in all, testing went fairly well with some respectable times, although this needed to be improved upon, if a good qualification session was to be had on Saturday. I was using the Kart Tek Zip Storm chassis throughout the meeting. During the Friday, we collected the race controlled fuel and had six practice sessions during the day. The draw for timed qualifying also took place during Friday; this determined which group I would be in on Saturday and Sunday. I was drawn in Group 1. Also the control tyre allocation took place on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, the weather was fine all day albeit being very cold. My Grandparents arrived on Saturday morning to give support and do the all important cooking! {Thank you to Burnside catering!} After the 3 laps of warm up, time qualifying took place at 10:10. I'm afraid this went very badly ~ I have never known my performance to be so bad! I was 5.52 s off the fastest lap! I would expect to be no more than 0.4 s off the fastest lap ~ maybe even set the fastest lap! The kart had no power what so ever. When I returned to the Kart Tek awning, very disappointed, we stripped down the carburettor to find that the internal diaphragm had 'sagged' badly. This was changed. We also noticed that the rear brake disc was slightly binding, this was also adjusted. This was not a good start to my Championship hopes and I was going to start my first heat in 22nd position!

My first heat, HEAT 2, went fairly well, making up 13 places to finish 9th. I had the 9th fastest lap, now only 0.46 s off the fastest lap. Still room for improvement, but a marked difference to the qualifying session. If only I had obtained this time during the qualification! In HEAT 3 I started in 24th position, yet again due to my poor qualification. The kart 'bogged down' just before crossing the line, but I made up 5 places in the first two laps. I had made up to 12th position after 4 minutes of racing. The remaining part of the race went fairly well to finish yet again in 9th position, making up 15 places. I was now 0.32 s off the fastest lap.
As a result of the heat results, I would go straight through to the A final, starting in 18th position. I managed to finish in 10th. Yet again this was down to the poor qualification time in the morning.

I had my first taste of commentating at Rowrah, when I was asked to help commentate on the B final. I thoroughly enjoyed it.........

Commentating on the Cadet B final at Rowrah.

On Easter Sunday, the weather was again dry. The morning started with 3 laps of warm up before the timed qualification started. We all hoped that Saturday's performance would not be repeated. Yet again I was drawn in Group 1 and I obtained the 7th fastest time. This was 0.36 s off the fastest time set by Rory Cuff. A lot better than Saturday's qualification with a difference that we expected. In my first heat, HEAT 2, I started 8th, got up to 5th position during the race and finished 7th with the 6th fastest time. In my next heat, HEAT 4, I started 8th to finish 6th. My time was 0.16 s slower than the fastest lap. It was in this heat that I obtained the best 'theoretical' lap time. The circuit is split into three timed sectors and the official timing system records each driver's best sector times during the race. These will normally occur on different laps......... so my best time for section 1, 2 and 3 added together was faster than any other driver. This is a new idea for 2010 and is very useful to see which sections need to be improved.

Yet gain I went straight through to the A final, so I had another spell of commentating on the B final. In the A final I was drawn 11th and finished 11th. An early race incident didn't help my improvement through the pack, but I was closing on the leaders towards the end of the race. My best time was 54.4 s; this was 7th fastest, only 0.2 s slower than fastest lap.

I would like to thank Kart Tek, Cooke's Couriers and of course Dad for all of his hard work. I'm currently lying 11th with 320 points. In summary, it proves how important qualification is and the need for everything to be 100%.

Various views from Round 1 and 2 at Rowrah.

Round 3 and Round 4 - Whilton Mill Kart Club

Round 3
Date: May 15th 2010
Weather: Dry and warm at times

Time qualifying - Group 2 started at 10:39:24
Qualified 3rd with a time of 53.49 s
Fastest Lap set by Connor Jupp at 53.44 s
Difference 0.05 s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	2nd
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 4
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	52.98s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.27s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.29s
Fastest lap position	4th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	2nd
Finishing Position	3rd
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	53.14s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.32s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.18s
Fastest lap position	9th

A Final
Grid Position	9th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+3
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	53.01s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.01s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.0s
Fastest lap position	1st

Round 4
Date: May 16th 2010
Weather: Dry and warm

Time qualifying - Group 2 started at 10:41:55
Qualified 11th with a time of 53.79 s
Fastest Lap set by Nathan Aston at 53.53 s
Difference 0.26 s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	5th
Finishing Position	4th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	53.27s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.36s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.09s
Fastest lap position	2nd

Heat 3:
Grid Position	6th
Finishing Position	2nd
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 4
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	53.32s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.33s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.01s
Fastest lap position	2nd

A Final
Grid Position	4th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	53.16s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	53.24s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.08s
Fastest lap position	5th

The next two rounds of the British Cadet Championship were held at the Whilton Mill Kart Club near Daventry. We travelled to the circuit on Thursday night, so that we would be ready for testing on Friday. As with the last meeting at Rowrah, the testing went very well, with times that were certainly in the top 5. I was using the Kart Tek Zip Storm chassis throughout the testing. During the Friday, we collected the race controlled fuel and had six practice sessions during the day. The draw for timed qualifying also took place during Friday; this determined which group I would be in on Saturday and Sunday. I was drawn in Group 2. Also the control tyre allocation took place on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, the weather was fine all day. Yet again, my Grandparents arrived on Saturday morning to give support and do the all important cooking! {Thank you to Burnside catering!} After the 3 laps of warm up, time qualifying took place at 10:40. In this session my team-mate, Greg McKenzie, was also drawn to qualify, so we decided to work together to attempt to get the fastest time. We left the assembly area 1st and 2nd and maintained this position throughout qualifying, reducing our lap times throughout the session. On the very last lap, both Greg and I got the identical fastest time in our group; this was 53.49 s. As Greg had got the time just before me, he was deemed to have the 'pole' position in our group. This gave me the 3rd = fastest time overall {combining group 1 and 2}. This was in great contrast to my qualifying at Rowrah! I must thank Darren of Kart Tek for preparing the kart and getting the setup just right.

In my first heat, HEAT 2, I was 2nd on the grid alongside my teammate. The start didn't go terribly well, dropping down to 7th place during the 12mins + 1 lap race. My pace was good {keeping up with the front 6 drivers} and I managed to gain one position to finish 6th. In HEAT 4 I started in 2nd position again and made a much better start. Unfortunately the race was 'red flagged' whilst I was in 2nd position. After the restart, I made one mistake, leaving too much room to be overtaken on the inside; as a result I finished in 3rd position.

As a result of the heat results, I would go straight through to the A final, starting in 9th position. Yet again I made a good start getting up to 2nd by lap 8. Soon after this I was 'assisted' off the track and dropped to 13th. Even so, I climbed back to finish in 6th place, only 1.43 s behind the winner after 18 laps! To cap the exciting race, I obtained the fastest lap at a time of 53.01 s. All in all a good day, with plenty of points for the Championship.

Lying in 2nd position in Heat 4 ~ Whilton Mill 15-5-10

On Sunday, the weather was again dry, in fact at times quite warm. The morning started with 3 laps of warm up before the timed qualification started. We all hoped that Saturday's performance would be repeated. Yet again I was drawn in Group2 and I obtained a disappointing 8th fastest time in my session. This was 0.26 s off the fastest time set by Rory Cuff. This made me 11th overall for both groups. In my first heat, HEAT 2, I started 5th, but lost 2 places in the early part of the race. Then I started to climb back, into 4th, then 3rd and finally 2nd. In my challenge for 1st on the final lap, there was a 'coming together', so I finished 4th. In my next heat, HEAT 3, I started 6th. During the race I challenged again for the lead, but finished in 2nd place, only 0.15 s behind the winner Tom Harvey. My time was only 0.01 s off the fastest lap.

Yet gain I went straight through to the A final. I made a good start, taking 3rd into the first corner. I kept in this position and then took 2nd place by lap 3. I took 1st place for one lap but made a mistake and dropped to 8th. At this level it is so easy to make mistakes and let a pack of several karts slip by. Eventually I finished 6th {as in the previous Final} 2.14 s behind the winner after 18 laps. My fastest time was only 7/100 s off the fastest time. As on Saturday I was awarded a trophy as the top 6 gain trophies at Formula Kart Stars. What was also very pleasing was that I scored the second highest total points during the weekend which has improved my position in the British Championship. I'm now lying 9th, only 24 points off 3rd place.

As always, I would like to thank Kart Tek, Cooke's Couriers and of course Dad for all of his hard work.

Lying 3rd in Heat 4 15-5-10

Lying second in A Final 15-5-10

Preparing for A Final 16-5-10

On the podium at Whilton Mill

On the podium with the top six drivers

Round 5 and Round 6 - Dragon Kart Club - Glan Y Gors

Round 5
Date: July 3rd 2010
Weather: Track dry and weather sunny

Time qualifying - Group 1 started at 10:40:59
Qualified 12th overall (5th in Group 1) with a time of 49.85s
Fastest Lap set by Nathan Aston in Group 2 with a time of 49.50s
Difference 0.35 s

Heat 1:
Grid Position	7th
Finishing Position	7th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 0
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	49.49s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	49.64s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.15s
Fastest lap position	5th

Heat 3:
Grid Position	7th
Finishing Position	5th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	49.72s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.02s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.30s
Fastest lap position	5th

A Final
Grid Position	10th
Finishing Position	9th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	49.47s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	49.82s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.35s
Fastest lap position	9th

Round 6
Date: July 4th 2010
Weather: Track slightly wet, weather overcast but became dry

Time qualifying - Group 2 started at 10:55:45
Qualified 6th overall (6th in Group 2) with a time of 50.63s
Fastest Lap set by Rory Cuff in Group 1(dry track) with a time of 49.69s
Difference n/applicable due to conditions

Heat 2:
Grid Position	6th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 0
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	55.41s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	56.01s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.60s
Fastest lap position	6th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	6th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 0
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	56.01s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	56.48s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.47s
Fastest lap position	5th

A Final
Grid Position	11th
Finishing Position	20th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 9
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	49.68s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.19s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.51s
Fastest lap position	17th

Rounds 5 and 6 of the British Cadet Championship were held at the Dragon Kart Club, Glan Y Gors in North Wales. The circuit lies on the A5 between Corwen and Betws-y-Coed, just outside the village of Cerrigydrudion. This is one of my favourite circuits due to the challenging nature of the track, with rises and falls and testing corners by the fact that the circuit is position on a hillside. The testing on Friday went well, with no real problems with the Kart Tek kart and contrary to the weather forecast, the weather stayed generally fine and dry for the two-day event, all except on Sunday morning when the rain started for the second qualification group. More about this later.....

A view of Glan Y Gors from the 'top' of the circuit.

On Saturday, after the 3 laps of warm up, qualification commenced at about 10:40. I was drawn in group 1, which on reflection was not as fast as the second group. My time of 49.85 s was a little disappointing, 0.25 s off the fastest time in group 1, putting me in 5th place. The second group was faster, maybe due to 'more rubber down' on the track; I ended up as 12th overall. The gearing at Glan Y Gors is probably more important than other circuits, mainly due to the gradient changes around the circuit; this could be another reason for the disappointing position.

In my first heat, HEAT 1, I started in 7th position. I was pleased with my start, gaining a place on the opening lap and then climbing to 5th for laps 5 to 9. During lap 14, I lost 3 places and eventually finished in 7th. On reflection I should have finished in 5th. I obtained the fastest sector time for the 3rd sector on the circuit, with a time of 16.98 s. In my second heat on Saturday, I again started 7th and made good progress to be positioned 4th by the end of lap 4. I finished in 5th place, 5.47 s behind the winner after 16 laps.

I went through to the A final and started in 10th position. The highest position I obtained during the race was 7th and finished in 9th position, 6.22 s behind the winner after 19 laps. All in all, not a 'special' day, but still good points for the Championship.

Lining up for my first heat on Saturday in 7th position.

On Sunday, the same format took place as Saturday.......... 3 laps practice, 2 heats and a final. The weather if anything, started not as good as Saturday. I was drawn in the second group for qualifying. Group 1 had a dry track, but just before my qualification started, the fine rain started, although not wet enough for wet tyres. I got the 6th fastest time at 50.63 s. As the fastest time of our group was outside 101% of the fastest time of Group 1, the rules state that the grid will alternate between the two groups i.e. the fastest of Group 1 is on pole, the fastest of Group 2 is next etc. This meant that I started my first heat in 6th position. This race was wetter than qualification, so we ran on wet tyres for this heat. Yet again, I had a good start and was positioned in 5th by the end of lap 3. I held this position until the end of lap 7. I eventually finished in 6th. In my second heat I started 6th and managed to get to 4th by the end of lap 9. I was disappointed to lose two places before the end of the 14 lap race to finish 6th.

Yet again I went straight through to the A final, starting in a disappointing 11th place. The race itself was very disappointing, mainly due to being 'helped off the circuit' during lap 1, dropping from 11th to 20th position! I never really recovered from this setback and finished in 20th, probably my worst position in 'many a meeting'. A Final to forget!

Amazingly after this very 'average' meeting, I have improved my position in the British Championship and I'm now lying 7th, having moved up two positions and 11 points behind 6th position. As usual I would like to thank, Kart Tek, Cooke's Couriers, Burnside Catering and Dad.

Lying 6th at the end of lap 1 of Heat 1 3/7/10

Drivers' parade prior to the A final 4/7/10

Round 7 and Round 8 - Genk Kart Club, Belgium

Round 7
Date: August 14th 2010
Weather: Track dry and weather sunny

Time qualifying - Group 2 started at 10:55:07
Qualified 3rd overall (2nd in Group 2) with a time of 65.70s
Fastest Lap set by Connor Jupp in Group 2 with a time of 65.44s
Difference 0.26 s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	Pole
Finishing Position	8th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 7
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	65.34s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	65.60s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.26s
Fastest lap position	6th

Heat 3:
Grid Position	2nd
Finishing Position	7th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 5
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	65.36s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	65.61s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.25s
Fastest lap position	9th

A Final
Grid Position	15th
Finishing Position	21st
Places Gained + / Lost -	-6
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	65.34s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	65.70s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.36s
Fastest lap position	7th

Round 8
Date: August 15th 2010
Weather: Initially dry track but then heavy rain.

Time qualifying - Group 1 started at 10:39:04
Qualified 19th overall!! (8th in Group 1) with a time of 66.40s
Fastest Lap set by Connor Jupp in Group 2 with a time of 65.84s
Difference 0.44 s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	10th
Finishing Position	2nd
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 8
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	78.25s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	79.61s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.36s
Fastest lap position	4th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	10th
Finishing Position	17th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 7
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	79.99s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	79.99s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.00s
Fastest lap position	1st

A Final
Grid Position	15th
Finishing Position	18th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 3
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	77.10s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	79.12s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	2.02s
Fastest lap position	18th !!

Round 7 and Round 8 was held at the Genk circuit in Belgium; unfortunately it was probably the worse set of results that I have ever obtained at a kart meeting. We left my home in Prestwood on Wednesday morning, arriving at the circuit on Wednesday mid-day, having travelled through the Channel tunnel. Thursday and Friday were spent testing ~ Thursday was sunny and dry with no problems. We estimated that I was in the top five as far as times were concerned. On Friday morning it was wet in the first session and then it became dry ~ top five again, with my best time 0.2 s off the fastest lap of Nathan Aston.

On Saturday I had three laps of practice, followed by qualifying. I was drawn in the second qualification session. I was 2nd in my session and 3rd overall. I was pleased to obtain the best overall theoretical lap; this is based on my best sector times. In my first heat, HEAT 2, the weather was sunny and dry and I started on pole. I dropped to 4th by the end of lap three, but then regained 2nd position by lap six, holding this position until the end of lap ten. On the last lap {lap 12}, I was put onto the grass by another competitor and finished in 8th. In my second heat, HEAT 3, I started 2nd on the grid having changed the engine beforehand. Yet again, I was on dry tyres. In the first corner, a really important corner at Genk, I was on the outside and dropped to 7th and couldn't get across to regain any positions. On the last lap, I went for 4th position, but was put over the kerb and lost four places, I then gained one place, as Connor Jupp spun, to finish in 7th position.

In the Final I used the same engine as in my first heat. I was still on dry tyres. My grid position was a very disappointing 15th. I made a very good start to 8th position by the end of lap 1. By the end of lap 6 I was in 3rd position, being fastest on the track at the time. More problems dropped me to 8th again, but in two laps I regained 2nd position. I then took the lead for half a lap! Not bad from 15th on the grid, in this high quality of field! Then more problems as I was 'reshuffled' back to 10th position. On the last lap, I tried for 6th position but my wheel got 'tangled' in the bumper of T. Barnicoat, ending off the track and losing about six seconds. I finished in a very poor 21st position! The only consolation was that I had the fastest best sector 2 time.

Sunday started very warm and dry, so the three laps of practice were on dry tyres. I was drawn in session 1 but as the gate was opened to start the qualification, the kart in front of me couldn't start, so I was stuck behind him. By this time, the front runners were well clear of me so I waited for them to come around, but my engine was not fully up to temperature and my tyres were also not up to temperature. I obtained a poor time, 8th in my session and 22nd overall. In my first heat, HEAT 2, I started in 10th position. We were all on slicks, but as the race started the rain got heavier. On lap 2, I overtook five competitors to get to 7th position, having dropped to 12th when I spun in the very wet conditions. Eventually I held 2nd position on lap 6 and finished the race in this position. In these wet conditions I was 1s a lap quicker than the leader and 3s quicker than the remaining drivers. As a result of my driving, I was interviewed by the film crew.

In my second heat, HEAT 4, the rain was very heavy so all drivers were on wet tyres. I started 10th and made a good start to eventually get to 3rd by lap 6. Then disaster happened, as the drive chain came off! I was unable to finish, although the results show me as finishing in 17th position. Even so, I obtained the fastest lap!

In the Final, I started in 15th position, the race was conducted in heavy rain. I made a good start, getting to 12th by the end of lap 1. Then another disaster occurred, as the carburettor went 'flat'. I finished in 18th position.

All in all, a very disappointing weekend. As a result, I have dropped to 9th in the Championship, two points behind 7th and 94 points behind 3rd place. Let's hope for better 'luck' at the next round.

Views of the circuit at Genk, Belgium

Round 9 and Round 10 - Three Sisters Circuit, Wigan

Round 9
Date: September 25th 2010
Weather: Track dry and occasionally sunny.

Time qualifying ~ Group 2 started at 11:24:48
Qualified 2nd overall {2nd in Group 2} with a time of 47.31s
Fastest lap set by Ross Martin in Group 2 with a time of 47.30s
Difference 0.01s

Heat 1:
Grid Position	2nd
Finishing Position	4th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.35s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.67s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.32s
Fastest lap position	8th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	Pole
Finishing Position	4th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 3
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.30s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.46s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.16s
Fastest lap position	4th=

A Final
Grid Position	7th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.06s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.34s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.28s
Fastest lap position	16th

Round 10
Date: September 26th 2010
Weather: Track dry, initially sunny but becoming overcast.

Time qualifying ~ Group 1 started at 11:03:03
Qualified 24th overall {8th in Group 1} with a time of 47.79s
Fastest lap set by Cameron Roberts in Group 2 with a time of 47.24s
Difference 0.55s

Heat 2:
Grid Position	12th
Finishing Position	12th
Places Gained + / Lost -	0
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.07s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.48s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.41s
Fastest lap position	12th

Heat 4:
Grid Position	12th
Finishing Position	6th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+6
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.12s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.38s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.26s
Fastest lap position	6th

A Final
Grid Position	18th
Finishing Position	17th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+1
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	47.03s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	47.39s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.36s
Fastest lap position	17th

Round 9 and Round 10 was held at the Three Sisters Kart track near to Wigan. We left my home in Prestwood on Thursday evening, arriving at the circuit late on Thursday night. Friday was spent testing; it was sunny and dry with no problems. This was the first time that I had visited the circuit. I was joining a new team ~ Tooley Motorsport ~ who I hope to me karting with in 2011, when I move to the Mini Max formula. After testing was complete, we estimated that I was in the top five as far as times were concerned, which was very satisfying.

On Saturday I had three laps of practice, followed by qualifying. I was using my old Zip Blade which is probably one of the oldest karts in the British Championship. The weather was dry and at times sunny and warm, much to everyone's surprise. I was drawn in the second qualification session. I was 2nd in my session and 2nd overall; this was all thanks to working with my team mate Ross Martin. Getting a 'tow' is so important at this level, when 1/10s can make a considerable difference in the qualification position. I was only 1/100 s slower than Ross M. See the official timing sheet below.

In my first heat, HEAT 1, the weather was sunny and dry and I started in second position alongside my team mate. I took the lead during the opening lap and then dropped to 4th during laps 3 to 7. During lap 8 I dropped to 7th, but recovered to regain the lead during laps 12 and 13. I was then holding 4th, hoping to take some positions on the last lap, but the last lap board was not shown ~ only the electronic board on the left side of the circuit, where we tend not to look! So the next thing we all knew was the end of the race, when the chequered flag was shown!!! In my second heat, HEAT 4, I started on pole; yet again I was on dry tyres. In the opening laps I dropped to 5th and later recovered to 2nd by lap five but then dropped back to 4th. I regained 2nd place towards the end of the race, but eventually finished 4th. I was only 0.23s behind the winner after seventeen laps.

In the A Final I used the same engine as in my first and second heat; yet again we were on dry tyres. My grid position was 7th. I made a terrible start, dropping 15th place by the end of lap three. But things rapidly improved as I got to 2nd by the end of lap ten! Then things went wrong again as I dropped to 11th at the end of lap fourteen, as I had been pushed wide onto the grass. I recovered to finish a very 'hectic' A final in 6th place only 1.65s behind the winner even after dropping back so far in the race. I did feel that my times were a little disappointing as I felt that I lacked performance on the long start/finish straight. Anyway, some good points for the Championship.

Leading in Heat 1 Final top five drivers

Sunday started dry, but became overcast during the day. This never turned to rain, so we were on dry tyres throughout the day. As the top six kart engines had been examined at the end of racing on Saturday, the first item on Sunday was to reassemble the engine and attach to the kart. A problem later occurred with the clutch, but this was fixed prior to me going out for my three laps of practice {albeit in the wrong Group!!!}. For qualifying I was drawn in Group 1, unfortunately my team mate {Ross Martin} was in Group 2. Not having the advantage of working with someone, I obtained a disappointing time, putting me 8th in my session, although having the fastest sector 2 time. I was 24th overall; what a contrast to Saturday! In my first heat, HEAT 2, I started in 12th position. By the end of lap 4, I was in 10th position and held this for most of the race. I lost two places at the end of the race to finish in my starting position. My time was 0.41s off the fastest lap, which indicated that something was not quite correct. The kart didn't seem to have the same pull as Saturday, so the clutch was changed for my next heat. In my second heat, HEAT 4, I yet again started in 12th position on the grid. This time, I made much better progress through the field to be in 5th position by the end of lap 4. By the end of lap 8 I had got into 2nd position, but was 'swamped' by the drivers behind in one corner to drop to 6th. My time was 0.26s off the fastest lap set by Connor Jupp, putting me in 6th fastest position

I started the A Final in a very disappointing 18th position, mainly due to my poor Heat 2 result. All in all, the race was not 'good', dropping to 23rd by the end of lap 3. I recovered a few places to finish in 17th position. A stark contrast to Saturday's results. After this weekend, I'm still lying 11th after drop scores. The points difference to 9th is 25 points. It is my aim for the final two rounds ~ to get into the single figures!! Yet again thanks to Tooley Motorsport, Cooke's Couriers, Burnside catering and of course Dad.
See below, the comments on the UK Karting website

Promising Weekend... (29/09)

Tooley Motorsport decided to take part in the penultimate formula kart stars round at wigan, the team consisted of Ross Martin (cadet), Ross Gunn (cadet), Chris Middlehurst (Jnr rotax) and the returning Matthew Graham (KF3).

The whole team would like to say well done to both of the cadets for the whole weekend, but especially for qualifying 1-2 in the Saturdays qualifying. Gunn ended up 6th in the final and Martin ended up 8th which was his best of the year. On the Sunday both of them had problems, resulting in them finishing in 16th and 17th.

In junior max Chris had an amazing weekend, qualifying 3rd on both days and having good heats throughout the day. On the Saturday he had managed to set off 5th for the final but he ended up not starting due to a mechanical failure. On the Sunday he put it on 3rd and managed to keep this for the whole race whilst pressuring the current super one championship leader Jack Marshall. Matthew Graham also put in a good performance getting a 5th on the Saturday and a 4th on the Sunday, he encountered problems over the weekend but he managed to drive around them.

The team would like to thank all of the mechanics and the drivers for creating a great weekend, for any further information on the team visit the website at www.tooleymotorsport.com

p.s. After we returned from Wigan, the engine was checked by the engine builder in readiness for the next round. He found that the crankshaft was 'misaligned' and two of the three piston rings had 'seized' on the piston, meaning that we were not getting the maximum compression. This would explain why I was not performing as well as I had hoped on Sunday.

Aerial view of Wigan track                                                                Tooley Motorsport awning


Engines checked at the end of Saturday's racing                                     View of Wigan Three Sisters



With the sixth place garland

Round 11 and Round 12 - Ellough Park Raceway, Suffolk

Round 11
Date: October 16th 2010
Weather: Cold, dry track.

Time qualifying - Group 2 started at 11:05:27
Qualified 9th overall (7th in Group 2) with a time of 52.08s
Fastest Lap set by Nathan Aston in Group 2 with a time of 51.60s
Difference 0.48 s

Heat 1:
Grid Position	9th
Finishing Position	12th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 3
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.31s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.90s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.59s
Fastest lap position	13th

Heat 3:
Grid Position	9th
Finishing Position	4th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 5
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.26s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.63s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.37s
Fastest lap position	7th

A Final
Grid Position	10th
Finishing Position	13th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 3
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.23s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.62s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.39s
Fastest lap position	12th

Round 12
Date: October 17th 2010
Weather: Sunny, dry track.

Qualified 7th overall (4th in Group 2)

Heat 1:
Grid Position	7th
Finishing Position	9th
Places Gained + / Lost -	- 2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.06s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.38s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.32s
Fastest lap position	10th

Heat 3:
Grid Position	7th
Finishing Position	5th
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 2
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.00s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.14s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.14s
Fastest lap position	3rd

A Final
Grid Position	11th
Finishing Position	2nd
Places Gained + / Lost -	+ 9
Race Fastest Lap {RFL}	50.14s
Personal Fastest Lap {PFL}	50.30s
Difference {PFL - RFL}	0.16s
Fastest lap position	11th

Round 11 and Round 12 was held at Ellough Park raceway in Suffolk. This is the home of the Beccles and District Kart Cub, which is one of the oldest kart clubs in the Country. The twisty circuit is located on the old WWII airfield known as RAF Beccles. As Dad and I couldn't afford any time to test on Friday, we left my home in Prestwood on Friday evening, arriving at the circuit late on Friday night. We were sharing the awning with Ross Martin. As I hadn't driven at this circuit before, the first time I drove the circuit was on Saturday morning during the practice session!

Start / Finish straight at Ellough Park Formula Kart stars at Ellough Park

As normal at the Formula Kart Stars events, Saturday allowed me to have three laps of practice, followed by time qualifying. Yet again, I was using my old Zip Blade which is probably one of the oldest karts in the British Championship being six and half years old! The weather was dry and at times sunny. I was drawn in the second qualification session. I qualified in 7th place in my group with a time of 52.08s, Nathan Aston setting the fastest time of 51.60s. The difference of 0.48s indicates how important testing is, especially if you haven't driven the circuit before! As the fastest time of the Group one qualifying session was 'greater' than 101% of the fastest time of Group two, the rules dictate that the overall timing is alternated. As a result I started 9th in my first Heat {Heat one of the three heats during the day}. I have to admit I made a 'bad' start, dropping to 16th by the end of lap three. I eventually finished in 13th position, but was promoted to 12th as one of the drivers in front of me was given a 15 seconds penalty for leaving the circuit. Not a good start to the meeting!

In my second Heat, I yet again started in 9th position and made a much better start........ by the end of the first lap I was in 2nd position. By the end of the 7th lap I had dropped to 8th, the drivers behind me working together to gain a speed advantage. It was getting very close towards the end and in the last-but-one corner, I got into 4th position and maintained this across the line. The drivers finishing in 3rd, 4th and 5th positions were separated by only 0.49 s! With the results that I had obtained in the two Heats, I started the A final in 10th position {see image below}..... rather disappointing.

Start of the A Final on Saturday at Ellough Park.

The A final didn't go as I hoped; dropping to 19th position on the opening lap, as a result of having to take avoiding action due to spinning karts in front of me. I had to do quite a bit of 'grass tracking' to get back onto the circuit! By the end of lap 9, I had got back to 13th position and maintained this across the line. All in all, a disappointing first day at Ellough Park, not good enough to make a lot of places up in the Championship.

On Sunday, the same format was to take place, two heats and a Final. The two heats started at just after midday and 15.00 hr. The final was to take place in slightly 'dim conditions' around 17.30 hr. I was again in Group two for timed qualifying; I was 4th fastest in my group and 7th fastest overall. Bearing in mind the limited amount of driving I have had at this circuit, I was much happier than the day before. In my first heat I started 7th and yet again made a good start to get to 4th during lap one. Then problems happened......... as I was approaching the end of the first lap, I was 'taken out' by a driver who claimed he had missed his braking point! Huh! This put me down in 24th position. I managed to climb back through the field to finish the race in 9th position! I was mentioned by the commentator on several occasions for such a great recovery. The driver in question did apologise afterwards, but I felt I could have finished in 4th or better, especially as I was 'going so well'. In my second heat I started 7th and made a very good start. I finished the race {with no problems this time} in 5th place.

Heat three on Sunday, lying 5th.                                  Lining up for my last FKS Cadet Final on Sunday.

In the A final, this was to be my last British Championship Cadet final as I have to 'move on' in 2011, I started in 11th position, yet again I was disappointed. The race went like a dream ~ on the opening lap I got up to 3rd! During lap 9, I overtook the 'to become' British Champion to take 2nd position. The front four were playing a 'somewhat waiting game' as this final round would dictate who was to become the British Champion. I was following one of the contenders and the other was behind me! It all got very 'tight' towards the end. I monetarily took the lead and then dropped back to finish this very exciting final in 2nd position. The time sheet shows how close it was across the line ~ I was 5/100 s behind the winner and the top four drivers were covered by less than 0.5 s. What a way to end my British Cadet Championship.

My last FKS Cadet result sheet ~ see how close the top four were!

I finished the 2010 British Championship in 9th position; bearing in mind the sort of money that other teams spend at this level, we are very pleased with the final result. If you go to my Racing History 2010 page, you will see the summary of my results this year, along with a summary of my Cadet racing since I started in 2005.

The British Cadet Championship for 2010.

I would like to thank Dad for all of his hard work during this year and to Burnside Catering and Cooke's Couriers. I look forward to next year with Tooley Motorsport when I start in the Mini Max Formula.

My last race in the British Cadet Championship ~ Ellough Park 17/10/10

Second place in my last British Cadet Championship race.