ROSS GUNN RACING

Gunn becomes British Super One Minimax Champion……..

Round 7 of the Super One National Series was held at the Manchester and Burton Kart Club, commonly known as Three Sisters, near Wigan on October 15/16th. This large circuit is only minutes away from junction 25 on the M6. The weather forecast was encouraging for the weekend, mainly dry with possibly a light drizzle on Sunday. Amazingly, the forecast was correct. Friday's testing was conducted in dry weather, with Gunn generally obtaining the fastest time. Two of Gunn's main rivals, namely Jack Mitchell and Harry Webb, were also quick. The time qualification {TQ} on Saturday didn't quite go to plan, with Gunn obtaining the second fastest time overall. In TQ, the drivers were split into two groups, with Gunn in the first {slower group} with no benefit of seeing what times to beat, unlike those in the second group. Just the luck of the draw!!! Gunn's time of 44.96 s was only 0.16 s slower than Harry Webb. The top twenty drivers were covered by only 0.69 s! It is this tight at this level of karting.

There were to be three heats at this Round in the Championship. Gunn having obtained second fastest time was drawn in group B. Groups A v B and B v C were to race on Saturday, with the remaining heat, A v C to take place on Sunday morning.
Gunn was to start his first heat on the front row alongside Webb and being on the outside of the track for the first bend was at a disadvantage. During the race, Gunn initially dropped back to 4th place, but recovered to 2nd place behind Webb during lap 4. Gunn momentarily took the lead during lap six to then drop back to 3rd behind Webb and Mitchell. This order continued until lap 13 when Gunn had to take to the pit access road at the bottom of the start/finish straight. Gunn was then seen exiting the pits back onto the track to drive slowly around the circuit to take the chequered flag in last place. Not a good start to the meeting! Back in the Tooley Motorsport awning, the reason for Gunn's pit-road exit was soon found. A low positioned brake pipe had worn through, having touched the track surface……… Gunn said I was lucky that the brakes didn't fail at another part of the circuit, like the fast Valley section. Gunn obtained the fastest lap at 44.89 s during lap 12. This was a new lap record for the Valley circuit at Three Sisters, the previous record being set in September 2007. Maybe Gunn's fast time was due to having limited braking! In the second heat {B v C} Gunn started on pole and maintained this position for the 15 laps to obtain the fastest lap of 44.97 s, the only driver to 'get into the 44's'.

After numerous 'double checking' it was clarified that Gunn would have to finish Final 1 in 6th place or better to win the Championship, assuming Mitchell, Gunn's main rival, won both Finals. Due to the first heat problems, Gunn started Final 1 in 13th position and made an excellent start to be in 6th place by the end of lap 3.During lap 15, Gunn had moved into 2nd place momentarily, but dropped back to 4th and then 5th by the end of the 21 lap race. Mitchell, unfortunately for him, was caught up in a tangle with White on the penultimate lap and finished the race in 9th place. Gunn obtained the second fastest lap of 45.10 s only 3/100 s off the fastest lap set by White.

               Gunn had become the British Super One
              MiniMax Champion, in his first season of
                                          Minimax!

{Note: It was decided by the Team that Gunn would not take part in the second Final, as to risk any exclusion {that could be caused by others ~ re British Kart G.P. PFi……..} would be extremely foolish! }

After the race, Gunn was 'overcome' with emotion, having won such a prestigious Championship. The congratulations that he received from other drivers, John Hoyle {Super One}, Chris Walker {Kartpix} and other Team managers was amazing……………. The Tooley Motorsport team and the remaining band of supporters ~ Dad {Ian}, Jack Harvey, Cooke's Couriers, Burnside Catering, Richard Labrum {Website Manager} and Friends should all take a large pat on the back!

Round 6 of the Super One National Series was held at the fantastic Paul Fletcher International {PFi} circuit, home of Trent Valley Kart Club ~ see links page for details, just off the A1 near Grantham, on September 24th/25th. Gunn had not been 'in the seat' since Round 5 at Buckmore Park, mainly due to financial constraints! When he started testing on Friday, he wondered how he would fare against the majority of the other drivers. Most of these had been testing and racing since Buckmore Park! Although the weather forecast was somewhat 'depressing' for the weekend, Friday's testing was conducted in dry weather. Gunn, depending on the circuit traffic, was generally in the top 3 regarding times. Jack Mitchell, one of Gunn's main 'threats' was showing great speed for most of the day. The time qualification on Saturday would 'tell all'……….. but Gunn, along with others, was caught out………….

Saturday's initial practice session was held in dry conditions, but as the karts were assembling for time qualifying, the sky looked very threatening. Gunn made a slower than normal start to get into the pace and just as the rain came {about 8 laps into the session} he recorded a time of 47.96 s. This secured 5th place on the grid for the two heats that would follow. Fastest lap was produced by Jack Mitchell with a time of 47.65 s. The top 10 drivers were covered by 0.39 s………… close or what!

After qualifying, Gunn reported to the Tooley Motorsport team that power seemed to be down and this was confirmed by the on-board data recording system. With electrical problems being the suggested reason for power loss, the main wiring loom was changed along with HT coil and sparking plug. As the karts entered the assembly area for Heat 1, the heavens opened {see image below}. Most karts {probably all karts} at this stage were set up for dry conditions and with only limited time to 'make the grid', panic ensued. Mechanics were seen changing gearing, suspension set-ups and checking tyre pressures of the wet tyres. Some karts didn't make the grid and were put to the back, regardless of their qualifying time. Gunn just made it to the grid to take up his 5th position. The rain at this stage was very heavy, the track covered with water.

During the formation lap, Jack Mitchell came to a halt due to water ingress. After the start, Gunn took the lead during lap one and maintained this to the end of the race, followed by Josh White in second place and Philip Rawson in third place. Gunn was only 4/100 s off the fastest lap set by White.

On Sunday, the remaining Heat was run, followed by the points scoring Finals. The weather on Sunday morning was glorious; in fact it became very warm. Heat 2 produced a fantastic race, with Gunn starting 5th on the grid. Gunn took the lead on lap three but then dropped down to fourth during laps four and five. This constant changing of positions carried on throughout the race between Gunn, Rawson, Mitchell and Mills. Then the band was joined by Webb who had driven an excellent race from 15th position. During lap twelve, Gunn took the lead but then dropped to third behind Webb and White. The last lap was an absolute classic with four karts trying to make the line in first place. The end result was Rawson, Gunn, Webb and White {the first four places}. The time covered by these 4 karts was 0.66 s after and 10 minute plus 1 lap race. Gunn obtained the fastest lap of 47.17 s. Gunn would start the finals on pole. If this Heat wasn't enough excitement, there would be more to come!

Final 1 was held in dry conditions with Gunn holding his first position up to lap 6 when he dropped to second behind Harry Webb {runner up in last year's MiniMax Championship}.

Gunn lying second behind Webb in Final 1.

During lap 8 Gunn slipped down to fourth behind Webb, White and Rawson. By lap fourteen, Gunn had moved back to second place having taken White and Rawson. Gunn took the lead on the penultimate lap to cross the line in front of Connor Mills and Josh White. Yet another hard fought race; with places changing throughout the 20 laps.

Gunn again started Final 2 {The Grand Final} on pole………. but during lap 5, the chasing pack of White, Mills, Webb, Mitchell, Pay and Knott made the correct moves to put Gunn in 7th place! By lap 9, Gunn had moved back to 5th position, having taken Pay and Rawson. Gunn took Mills in lap 11 and then took White, Mitchell and Mills by the end of lap 18. Gunn crossed the line as the winner after an amazing race. Gunn's time was only 6/100 s off the fastest lap.

This victory makes Gunn's sixth Final victory in the last eight Finals ~ if you exclude the Final victory at Rowrah, where the scrutineer's card was incorrectly written!! Gunn now leads the Championship on outright points scored and has also increased his lead on drop scores to 23 points.

To see full Championship Table go to :

Tooley Motorsport At PFI (26/09)

PFI was the host for the penultimate round of Rotax super 1, being one of the best venues in the Country the whole team were looking forward to this visit. Going into this round there was a lot at stake as 3 of the 6 drivers in Tooley Motorsport were all in seeded positions, Adam Mackay in Junior max was 9th on drops, Dan Fazzone in Mini Max was also 9th on drops and Ross Gunn was leading the Championship on drops.

Throughout practice both the Mini Max were quick having a very good end to the day on Friday, with Gunn being quickest and Fazzone going 3rd quickest. Qualifying brought misfortunes for the team as Dan had problems at the start which meant he dropped out of the pack losing the tow, this resulted in Dan qualifying 8th . Gunn was in the pack so had the advantage of a tow but had electrical problems causing him to qualify 5th.

Race day again included a lot of mischief with the first hairpin keeping its 'crash and bash' reputation, Fazzone was the victim of the domino's effect causing most of the front of the kart to be bent. Gunn however got through this and battled with White and Webb throughout the 15 minute final to come out on top. Final 2 again brought misfortune for Dan, being the victim of a harsh decision from the stewards who excluded him from the race.

Gunn set off on pole for the main final but knew it was going to be hard, and his thoughts turned into reality when White pushed him onto the grass going into the chicane putting him back to 7th. However the win was still achievable and in Ross's sights, he picked his way through the top 6 and got to the leader which was Mitchell. Performing an outstanding move on Mitchell in the garage complex gave Ross a bit of breathing space. This then gave Ross his 3rd double win of the year.

There are still spaces left in the team for next year, so do not hesitate to contact Tooley Motorsport - details at www.TooleyMotorsport.com

Report courtesy of the UK Karting website www.karting.co.uk

Part of the Drivers Parade The finish straight at PFi

The new 'flyover' at PFi; opening soon! The new circuit improvements at PFi

Round 5 of the Super One National Series was held at Buckmore Park, just off the M2 near Chatham. Gunn had not raced at this circuit before the meeting, held on July 23rd/24th. The only visit was a testing session on the previous Saturday. Gunn said he was somewhat tentative about the meeting, as Buckmore Park was the home track of one of his main Championship rivals, Jack Mitchell. Gunn showed his skill yet again by winning the Grand Final, with a little help {read more}, to extend his lead on drop scores to 8 points. In front of family and friends, Gunn was taken around the circuit in the parade car……. "A nice touch", he said. The event took place in excellent weather conditions, in fact it was possibly too hot for racing, with most of the drivers looking 'hot and flustered' after each race.

The weekend started with testing on Friday, with Gun immediately showing his skill by setting the fastest time! When asked what he thought to the circuit, Gunn said that it was "Very testing, with tight corners and fast downhill sections." On the Friday evening, the 'heavens' opened and rain was very heavy during the night, with everyone in the Tooley Motorsport Team expecting a wet track in the morning………. BUT the track was dry and the weather stayed like this for the remaining two days. Gunn qualified fastest to take pole position for the first and second heats on Saturday and Sunday. This was Gunn's third pole position in timed qualifying in the five rounds of the Super One series! Gunn's time of 39.83 s was 0.11 s faster than second place man Luke Knott. Jack Mitchell was third fastest with a time of 39.98 s. The top 25 competitors were covered by only 0.62 s; the top 10 were covered by 0.35 s!

The first heat took place on Saturday. With Gunn complaining of bad neck pain, he made a good start but lack of experience of the circuit showed on lap 8 when Jack Mitchell and Ben Hingeley took Gunn going into Hairpin two {see circuit layout in images below}. Gunn held on in 3rd place until a similar manoeuvre happened, this time by Dave Wooder and Luke Knott. Gunn crossed the line in 5th place, but was promoted to 4th when Hingeley was excluded from the results for damage to his kart.

As in previous rounds, the program for Sunday was………. the second heat and the two Finals. Gunn started the second heat in pole position. Gunn lead the race from start to finish, crossing the line 1.96 s in front of second place man, Harry Webb. So with a 4th place in the first heat and a win in the second heat, Gunn started the first Final in second position, this meant that he would be on the outside for the first right-hander, not a position that favours well! In the opening 'melee', Gunn dropped to 4th on the opening lap, but retook 3rd place on lap eight to finish in this position. After the 24 lap race, Gunn was only 1.05 s behind the winner, Luke Knott. Home man Mitchell was in second place, just 0.1 s in front of Gunn.

Gunn would start the Grand Final on the 'inside for the first corner' in third position. Yet again Gunn made a 'poor' start, not helped by another competitor getting away from the line 'somewhat slowly' and dropped to sixth position by the end of lap one. Gunn started to regain positions………. by the end of lap 5 he was in 5th position, by the end of lap 6 in 4th position, by the end of lap 8 in 3rd position……… at the end of lap 11 Gunn was in 2nd position having taken Dave Wooder. This meant that Mitchell was the only driver in front. During the start of lap sixteen, Mitchell had a very unfortunate mechanical problem with his rear wheel breaking away from the kart. The wheel hit the grandstand roof and then bounced back onto the track! Mitchell went into the safety tyres very heavily, indicating how fast these karts are travelling. Luckily Jack was uninjured, but it was a nasty way to finish his race. As a result, Gunn took the lead and crossed the line 0.37 s in front of second place driver Dave Wooder. After the race, Gunn said that he didn't want to win the Grand Final as a result of Jack's accident, but as they say……….that's racing. Gunn checked that Jack was ok after the race and gave him his 'commiserations'.

This victory makes Gunn's fourth Final victory in the last six Finals ~ if you exclude the Final victory where the scrutineer's card was incorrectly written!! An impressive record.

MiniMax
Ross Gunn's weekend got off to a good start as he pipped Luke Knott by a tenth in the timed qualifying and converted it into a fourth and win in the heats, the other taken by Jack Mitchell over Dave Wooder. Ben Hingeley would start the first final last after an exclusion for a rear bumper infringement in a heat, but he would storm through to ninth. As Mitchell hared off with Knott, Gunn was leapfrogging Connor Mills and bridging the gap. Knott took the lead at the bottom hairpin and pulled almost a second on Mitchell and Gunn. For the second final, Mitchell took a huge lead on the first lap and appeared untouchable to the chasing pack until with seven laps to run, a rear wheel hub slid off the end of the axle, instant retirement. Wooder, Knott were joined by Gunn and Hingeley in a rare battle, now for the win. Knott fell to fifth behind Mills whilst Gunn and Wooder broke clear of Hingeley to give Gunn the win. Knott had recovered to third but his stout defence faltered in favour of Hingeley and Mills.

Results
MiniMax
Final 1
1 Luke Knott (Tonykart) 24 laps in 16m07.58s; 2 Jack Mitchell (Tonykart) +00.95s; 3 Ross Gunn (Tonykart); 4 Connor Mills (Alonso); 5 Dave Wooder (Alonso); 6 Samuel Oram-Jones (Tonykart).
Final 2
1 Gunn 24 laps in 16m12.73s; 2 Wooder +00.37s; 3 Ben Hingeley (Tonykart); 4 Mills; 5 Knott ; 6 Pay.

Circuit plan of Buckmore Park.

View of Buckmore Park.

Another victory after the Grand Final.

After the Grand Final {courtesy of Simon Burchett, see links}

To see Ross Gunn at Buckmore Park Super One MiniMax ~ Heat 2 win, Final 1 and Final 2 win go to

Gunn on target at Round 4 in Scotland........

Round 4 of the Super One National Series was held at the West of Scotland Kart Club {Larkhall}. Gunn yet again showed the rest the way home, by winning his second heat and winning the points scoring first and second Finals. This time no administration errors prevented Gunn from scoring maximum points, which dramatically improved his position in the Championship. Gunn moved up to 4th position and is leading the Championship on drop scores! The event took place on June 25/26th in reasonable weather conditions. This was Gunn's first race meeting at this interesting circuit, located 20 miles South of Glasgow. Although the journey from Gunn's home is about 320 miles, the journey was worthwhile………

In warm conditions, very surprising for Scotland, Friday's testing went very well. Gunn again appeared to be the fastest and admitted that this was probably his favourite circuit. Everything looked good for Saturday qualifying, which again took place in dry conditions, although light showers were threatening. Gunn qualified fastest to take pole position for the first and second heats on Saturday and Sunday. Gunn's time of 39.82 s was 0.09 s faster than second place man Ben Hingeley. The top 25 competitors were covered by only 0.83 s; the top 10 were covered by 0.33 s!

The first heat took place on Saturday afternoon in dry but cloudy conditions. After leaving the assembly area, prior to the start, Gunn retired after only completing ¾ of a lap. On returning to the Tooley Motorsport awning, it was found that the carburetor float bowl retaining nut was loose. As a consequence, petrol had been leaking out and the kart….."just came to a halt". This was not a good start to the meeting. Now Gunn certainly had a lot to do to succeed in the Finals.

The program for Sunday was………. the second heat and the two Finals. The weather was slightly overcast, with the occasional spot of rain and light showers. The temperature was a total contrast to the previous hot day. Gunn started the second heat in pole position with the track dry enough to run on slicks. Gunn lead the race from start to finish, crossing the line 5.15 s in front of second place man, Hingeley. Gunn obtained the fastest lap, with a time of 39.92 s., 0.19 s faster than the next fastest placed driver. In fact Gunn was the only driver to be in 39 'seconds'.

So with a DNF in the first heat and a win in the second heat, Gunn started the first Final in the 'mid field' position of 15th place. To win was a vast challenge, especially with the standard of drivers at this level of event. The race started with an accident on the opening corner, resulting in injury to one of the Marshalls. As a result the race was 'red flagged'. After the restart, Gunn progressively climbed through the field and by the end of lap seven had reached eighth place. At the end of lap ten, Hingeley, Rawson and Bartholomew came together and Gunn, who was rapidly closing in on this leading group gained from this racing incident. At the end of lap 14 Gunn was in fourth place, to take second place during lap fifteen. Gunn moved into the lead on lap seventeen to win the first final from Luke Knott by 1.71 s. Gunn yet again had the fastest lap of 39.80 s, Gunn being the only driver in the '39s', This was a fantastic drive……..

The Grand Final in comparison was 'somewhat tame'. Gunn lead from start to finish, but Mitchell was not making it easy throughout the race. Gunn crossed the line only 0.39 s ahead after 24 laps. Gunn again obtained the fastest lap.

In summary ~ Pole position in Timed Qualifying, Won second Heat with Fastest lap, Won first Final with fastest lap, Won Grand Final with fastest lap. The word 'impressive' comes to mind.

The Super One report is indicated below:-

MiniMax
Ross Gunn showed his pace all the way from timed qualifying, leading Ben Hingeley and Harry Webb in that, and taking the second heat whilst Luke Knott won the first with Gunn failing to finish the first lap. Hingeley led the first final starts, the first attempt quickly stopped to attend to Chinese driver Zhou Guan Yu's crash, and luckily he walked away. Webb thrust his kart ahead, whilst Jack Bartholomew leapfrogged Knott. Mitchell and Webb continued to trade the lead, Hingeley and Knott also having a quick exchange. Then Hingeley collided with Barthomolew and Philip Rawson, and collected an exclusion later. Gunn had reached the lead group, carving through to the front to make a break over Knott and Mitchell with Webb fiercely defending fourth from a long train of karts. In the second final, Gunn led all the way with Mitchell on his tail, but a late race challenge was thwarted when an errant backmarker got between them. Knott took a lonely third whilst Josh White found a way past Webb for fifth. Hingeley stormed up to seventh from the back.

Results
MiniMax
Final 1
1 Ross Gunn (Tonykart) 24 laps in 16m14.18s (39.80mph); 2 Luke Knott (Tonykart) +01.71s; 3 Jack Mitchell (Tonykart); 4 Harry Webb (Tonykart); 5 Connor Mills (Alonso); 6 Josh White (Tonykart). Fastest lap Gunn 0.39.80s.
Final 2
1 Gunn 24 laps in 16m05.38s (47.28mph); 2 Mitchell +00.39s; 3 Knott; 4 White; 5 Webb; 6 Josh Price (Tonykart).

Unstoppable at Larkhall (05/07/11)

Tooley Motorsport do the double again with Ross Gunn, this time at the Scottish race circuit Larkhall. Also qualifying in the top 3 was Adam Mackay, after winning both finals here last year he was confident going into this round. Competing for the team was Dan Fazzone, Ross Gunn, Harry Howes, Oliver Skingley, Adam Mackay and Keiron Bowness.

Throughout testing both the mini max were very promising putting in fastest laps all day and there was only 1 tenth of a second splitting each driver, putting them in a comfortable position for the racing. Qualifying allowed Fazzone to put his pace into practice and put himself on 7th and Gunn managed to qualify pole for the 2nd time this year. The heats provided good constant finishes for both of the boys apart from Gunn suffering a mechanical failure, this put Gunn on 15th and Fazzone on 8th for the finals. Dan managed to battle throughout final one but ended up back in 8th, Ross had an outstanding drive from 15th and won the race leaving all the competition behind in his tracks whilst posting the fastest lap by 2 tenths of a second. Final 2 brought more glory for Gunn, posting the fastest lap and winning the race putting him 1st in the championship on dropped scores. For Dan, final 2 wasn't as good as the team aimed for him, he was slicing through the field and got up to 6th chasing the leaders down to then be took off the track by another driver, this left Dan picking up the pieces in 16th leaving him in 8th in the Championship.

In Honda Harry Howes again was improving vastly throughout the weekend but had to retire after his 2nd heat due to problems, he had good battles in the heats with the championship contenders and is getting better each time out.
Junior max brought great racing to the super one scene yet again, Mackay brought the Tooley Motorsport kart home in 3rd position in qualifying missing out on pole by a narrow 5 hundredths of a second. Keiron Bowness struggled and could only manage being 3 tenths off pole position, this meant he qualified 18th in group. For Skingley electrical problems caused him to retire after 2 laps, enforcing a DNF. The heats allowed both Mackay and Bowness to excel bringing in two top 3 finishes, Keiron driving from 16th to 2nd. Skingley was very quick throughout the heats lapp ing within hundredths of the leaders, but as he set off from the back he struggled to get the finishes he needed. This put Oliver in the repercharge with another 19 drivers, the pace was there but viscous battling meant he ended up in 9th position.

Mackay was setting off 5th for final one with his team mate, Bowness, setting off 3 positions behind him, Mackay dropped a few positions when the rain fell at the start but when it dried up he picked his way back through to 8th, after missing a corner and taking a cut through (losing 2 positions) Mackay then got a 15 second penalty demoting him to 25th. Keiron had a disappointing start and got caught up in the first corner incidents leading to a DNF. Final 2 allowed Mackay to slice his way back through getting up to 12th position, recording a lap that was only beaten by 2 people in the race. Keiron again struggled from the back and only managed to finish 21st gaining 8 positions.

There is still room for you to join the winning team in mini max, for further information please contact either Andrew or David at
www.Tooleymotorsport.com

                                   Pole position for the Grand Final                                         Gunn wins the Grand Final


                               Trophy Presentation after the Grand Final                               TV interview after Grand Final

At Round 3 of the Super One National Series at the Cumbria Kart Racing Club {Rowrah}, Gunn showed the rest the way home by winning both of his heats and also crossing the line in 1st place in the two Finals. This was an amazing feat for someone in his first season of MiniMax. The event took place on June 4/5th in near perfect weather conditions, but unfortunately a small 'administrative' error took the shine off the perfect weekend.

On Friday, testing went very well in sunny conditions. The circuit looked in perfect condition for this important round of Super One. As at the O plate meeting the previous weekend, Gunn was clearly the fastest, but with no rain, Gunn said that he would have wanted to test in the wet, as the forecast for Sunday [Finals day} suggested that rain was anticipated. Everything looked good for Saturday qualifying, which again took place in hot conditions. Engine temperatures were a concern………… qualifying in the end didn't quite go to plan, with Gunn qualifying on the front row but with a 2nd fastest time of 47.57 s. Luke Knott qualified on pole, with a time of 47.40 s. The top ten in qualifying were separated by only 0.5 s…………. it was that close!

Gunn's first heat took place on Saturday afternoon in near perfect conditions. Gunn took the lead into the first corner with a brilliant opening plunge, but Knott took back the lead during the opening lap

To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax - Heat 1 win go to

Gunn held 2nd place and retook the lead during lap nine, to take the win after fourteen laps by 2.27 s from Knott and a hard chasing Mitchell.

Sunday was to be very busy for the Tooley Motorsport team, with the second heat and the two Finals. Sunday weather was slightly overcast, with the occasional spot of rain. The temperature was a total contrast to the previous hot day. Yet again Gunn started the second heat on the front row and maintained 2nd place until lap 3. The top three, Gunn, Mitchell and Knott had a tussle all the way to the line, leaving the rest of the 'pack' by a margin of 4 seconds at one stage. On lap 12 Gunn took the lead from Mitchell and Knott but then dropped back to second behind Mitchell. On the final lap, Gunn took the lead again to hold this position to the finishing line.
This was Gunn's second heat win!

To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax - Heat 2 win go to

The first Final started just after14.00hr, with Gunn on pole after his 'fantastic' showing in the two heats……….. "It can't get any better" he said. The weather was overcast and a few drops of rain made the track slippery after the warmth of the previous day. The Super One website reported the 1ST Final as follows:-

MiniMax
Ross Gunn made a break at the start whilst others spun on the tricky damp surface, leaving Ben Hingeley to find Jack Mitchell up the inside at Paddock bend. Josh White and Harry Webb joined in the fight as Hingeley retrieved second place. Seeing he could not possibly catch Gunn, Hingeley set up a near race long defence, at one point having thirteen karts in a long train behind him but he managed to hang on, Mitchell, White and Webb next in line. "I wasn't even driving at full speed at the end, just trying to save the tyres for the next final," said Gunn.

The second final, started around 16.00 hrs and although overcast, stayed dry for the forthcoming 18 lap Grand Final. Gunn yet again was on pole. The Super One report is indicated below:-

Hingeley leapt into the lead at the start of the second final, and Gunn found himself demoted to third by Webb at the first hairpin whilst another four mid-fielders spun off. Fast redressing the balance, Gunn leapfrogged both his rivals, Hingeley demoted down to fifth, and then surprised to have Philip Rawson through as well, never really recovering. Webb was chasing Gunn in vain, and had a quick exchange with Lemuel Pay to delay him further. From third Keith Donegan made an error in the chicane, losing several places. Then Pay was hung out to dry, leaving Webb on his own and Luke Knott heading the third place battle. Knott swooped past Webb down the hill, but on the last lap Gunn seemed to think the race was over and was caught by the pack, having to defend vigorously to keep first place. Knott was eased to the outside falling to fifth on the road, in favour of Webb, Pay, Rawson and Knott. But Gunn was distraught to be excluded when it was found he had put down an old seal number for his engine, whilst Mitchell was excluded for a too wide kart, and Harry Campey for ineligible sidepods, Webb now the winner.

Gunn was interviewed by Motors TV after the race and admitted that he did think the race was over, as he saw the crowd clapping around the track! Gunn said that he soon realised that the pack was on his heels and managed to 'fight them off', to cross the line in the lead.

To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax ~ Final 1 win go to

After the tremendous feeling of satisfaction having won both heats and both finals, it was found in Post Race Scrutineering, that a wrong engine seal number had been written on the scrutineering card. Gunn was naturally feeling annoyed at his mistake………. Gunn was excluded under S1 Reg 2.7.2 . He scored zero points for the second final, but was officially informed by the Clerk of the Course, that the second final could be counted as a 'drop score'. To rub salt into the 'post-race wounds', Gunn calculated that he would have been leading the Championship if the 2nd final had been 'counted', BUT rules are rules………………

After such an outstanding weekend, it was a great pity to end this way………..but Gunn had certainly proved that he is a main contender for the Championship and even more determined to succeed at Round 4 at Larkhall.

The 2nd Round of the Mini Max Super One Championship took place at Shenington Kart Club, 10 miles NW of Banbury, Oxfordshire, on April 9th and 10th. The weather stayed fine, even warm at times, during the whole weekend. Not only did the sun shine, but Gunn also shone at only his second appearance at Super One.

Testing went extremely well on Friday with Gunn running the fastest for most of the day. There was only one problem during one of the test sessions, when another competitor spun in front of Gunn in the chicane. Gunn had nowhere to go! The kart chassis was thoroughly checked by Tooley Motorsport and a new track rod was replaced, as the old one was 'definitely banana shaped'!
During the 10 minute practice session on Saturday, Gunn registered a time of 43.7 s, this being 1/100 s inside the lap record! Only times in races count towards setting lap records, but it did indicate that Gunn was in a great position for the forthcoming Timed Qualifying session. Gunn was drawn in the first session and obtained the fastest time of 43.96 s. He was the only driver out of the 17 in his session to 'break into' the 43's. In the other Timed Qualifying session, the fastest driver was Piers Hickin with a time of 44.09 s. So Gunn was on pole for both heats that would follow. A fantastic achievement bearing in mind his limited time in Mini Max.
In Gunn's first 15 lap heat, he maintained the lead up to lap 13, losing out to a 'hard pressing Hingeley'. Gunn dropped back to 2nd place, but retook the lead, to cross the line 0.13 s ahead of Hingeley. This was Gunn's first heat victory in Super One ~ not bad for his second meeting! In Gunn's second heat, which took place on Sunday, he yet again started in pole position and had a tremendous battle with Piers Hickin, Josh White and Ben Hingeley. Gunn maintained a healthy lead until lap 11 when he was taken by a 'working together' White and Hickin. In a last lap incident, both White and Pay lost out and Gunn benefited, to cross the line in 2nd place, 0.55 s behind Hickin. As Hickin had two heat victories, Gunn would start his first final in second position ~ brilliant to be on the front row at this high level!
In the first FinaL, Gunn maintained 2nd place for most of the race behind Hickin and eventually took the lead during lap 13. White took the lead during lap 15 but things didn't 'go to plan' in the final few laps. Driving standards yet again came into play, with Gunn suffering from some forceful action by the chasing competitors ~ similar to Whilton Mill! As a result, Gunn crossed the line in 5th place, having gained one place on the last lap. Following an enquiry in front of the Clerk of the Course, three drivers were penalised by 4 places. Gunn gained 2 places as a result and finished his first final in 3rd place.
In the Grand Final, Gunn started in 3rd place and took 2nd place on the opening lap behind White. These two broke away from the squabbling pack behind; the only change was Gunn taking the lead on lap 17, to be then overtaken again by Josh White on lap 18. Gunn attempted to take the lead on numerous occasions, but White defended extremely well to take the win by 6/100 s after 22 laps! This was to be Gunn's first podium visit!
A great weekend's work by all concerned, especially the driver! Gunn moves up by 4 places in the Championship to lie 5th, only 7 points off the top three.

To see Ross Gunn at Shenington Super One, Minimax - First heat win, go to

The first Round of the Super One Mini Max Championship took place at the Whilton Mill Kart Club on March 12th and 13th. On Saturday Gunn qualified 5th {out of 32 competitors} with a time of 46.73s, only 0.09s off the fastest lap set by Jack Mitchell. This was very impressive, bearing in mind this was Gunn's first Mini Max Super One outing………….

Conditions stayed dry during the Saturday racing, so the controlled slicks were used throughout the two Heats that followed. Gunn was drawn in Group B {following his 5th placed qualification time}, so his two heats took place on Saturday namely AvB and BvC. The remaining heat CvA would take place on Sunday. This meant that Gunn would not know his grid position for the first Final until Sunday morning. Gunn was 4th on the grid for the first Heat {see image}.

First Heat on Saturday in 4th

Gunn maintained 4th position until the 13th lap to cross the line in 2nd place, 0.49s behind the winner. He obtained the fastest lap of 46.81s, 0.15s faster than the 2nd fastest lap. In Gunn's second heat, he started 3rd and finished 2nd with again the fastest lap of 46.74s, 0.24s faster than the second fastest lap. Gunn was very pleased with his performance on the opening day of the Super One Championship.
On Sunday, the weather threatened to rain but managed to hold off for the remainder of the day. After the final heat was run, Gunn would start in 3rd position in the first Final to be run over 15 minutes plus 1 lap. Gunn made an excellent start taking Jack Mitchell in the opening lap. Gunn maintained 2nd place until taking the lead during lap 13. He maintained the lead until lap 18. The chasing pack of 4 karts managed to get with Gunn by 'working together' and rather forcefully pushed Gunn to the outside of the track. Gunn eventually crossed the line in a still very respectable 7th place, 1.6s behind the winner after 20 hectic laps. An enquiry followed in front of the Clerk of the Course, into the manner at which the chasing pack had 'forced' Gunn to one side. Camera evidence was apparently inconclusive! This delayed the second Mini Max final by nearly 30 minutes.
Gunn started the 2nd Final in 7th position and made a good start until the race was red flagged due to problems to some competitors during the opening lap. After the restart, Gunn found that the kart was not running correctly ~ maybe due to a slow tick-over setting or the carburation fouling due to slow speeds during the slowing red flag lap. As a result, when the race restarted, Gunn crossed the line in 30th position {at the back of the field}! The next 15 minutes ' plus' was a perfect demonstration of how fast Gunn can drive. In the first 5 laps he passed 13 karts! At the end of the race, he had passed 18 karts in total, at one point taking 4 karts in the corner named The Boot. He obtained the 2nd fastest lap of 46.72s, only 0.05s off the fastest lap. Gunn eventually finished in 12th position, 7.55s behind the winner after 20 laps! The front pack was never going to be caught, with the advantage they had gained over a 'spluttering' Gunn at the start, but it was very apparent that he was closing in on this group throughout the race. The term often used is…………. he ran out of laps!

Circuit venue ~ Whilton Mill Kart Track, near Daventry.

Gunn gets another mention in Motor Sport News.........

Gunn takes the lead in his first Super One final............