CADET
CLASS 2010 British Karting Championship Super One
Competitors
Date: 13th / 14th March
Weather: Dry, but cold.
Saturday March 13th ~ there were two test sessions in the morning and a 10 min qualifying session in the afternoon. This was completely different to Friday. I seemed to have no straight line speed due to carburettor problems and we later found that the control fuel or the oil was causing problems. The petroil mix was very cloudy when we analysed it. I was only 12th quickest out of the 39 competitors with a time of 51.08 s. The fastest lap was set by Lando Norris on a time of 50.73 s, this was 0.35 s faster than my best lap. As a result of this disappointing timed qualification, I started my first heat in 7th position and finished 13th. Yet gain I felt that the power that I had on Friday had 'disappeared', although I had the 9th fastest lap, yet again 0.35 s off the fastest lap.
Sunday March
14th ~ after the 10 min practice, I had my second and final heat before
the finals. I started 8th on the grid and finished 7th only 5.76 s behind
the winner. My fastest time of 51.09 s was 8th fastest, yet again indicating
that there was still a problem with the fuel / oil or carburation. In
the first final, I started 12th on the grid, as a result of my 'poor'
heat results. I finished 11th. In the Grand Final I started 12th again
and had a better race to finish 7th, 9.42 s behind the winner after 19
laps of hard racing. I had the 7th fastest time, only 0.24 s off the fastest
time. The race was televised on Motors TV when I was mentioned several
times; I even appeared on the result sheet! I am lying 9th in the Championship.
See the Super One website for more details www.s1series.co.uk/
Date: 24th / 25th April
Weather: Cloudy and slight drizzle at times.
Saturday April 24th ~ there were two test sessions in the morning and a 10 min qualifying session starting at midday. Thirty five karts went out to qualify. The times were very disappointing and as a result I qualified 15th with a time of 45.19 s. This time was 0.29 s off the fastest lap obtained by Lando Norris. As a result of this disappointing timed qualification, I started my first heat in 10th position and finished 13th. My fastest lap was 45.57 s, 0.52 s off the fastest lap set by Nathan Aston.
Sunday April 25th ~ after the 10 min practice, I had my second and final heat before the finals. I started 10th on the grid and finished 8th.My fastest time of 51.80 s was 6th fastest with a time that was 0.53 s off the fastest lap. In the first final, I started 14th on the grid, as a result of my 'poor' heat results. I finished 11th. My time was 0.24 s off the fastest lap set by Tom Harvey. In the Grand Final I started 11th again to finish a very disappointing 15th. Even after a 'poor' meeting, I have improved my position in the Championship by two places. I am now lying 7th in the Championship. See the Super One website for more details www.s1series.co.uk/
Date: 29th / 30th May
Weather: Cloudy and slight drizzle at times.
Saturday May 29th ~ there were two test sessions in the morning and a 10 min qualifying session starting at around midday. Thirty karts went out to qualify. I was drawn in the second group and obtained the fastest lap at 55.35 s. This was 0.7s faster than the next driver. Not bad, as I had never been to the circuit before. When the two groups were combined, I was 2nd fastest overall, only beaten by Nathan Aston who had a time of 55.27 s {0.08s faster than my best}. I started my first heat in 2nd position on the outside of the track for the first bend. Unfortunately I was pushed off onto the grass on the opening lap to end up in 11th position at the end of lap 1. I then climbed back through the field to finish 3rd, 0.94 s behind the winner. I obtained the fastest lap at 55.11 s. In my second heat, later in the day, I again started 2nd on the grid and finished 3rd with a time of 53.43 s. This was 0.53 s off the fastest lap, so I was a little disappointed. The race itself was a 'bit messy', with me taking the lead at one stage and then dropping to 5th on lap 5. This is an indication of how close the level of racing is at Super One ~ one mistake and you can be passed by several karts.
Sunday May 30th ~ after the 10 min practice, I started 2nd on the grid for the first final at 12:50. The track was dry with the weather rather cloudy. Yet again I had a disappointing start, dropping to 8th on the opening lap. The remaining part of the race was mixed, climbing to 3rd for laps 6 to 8 and then dropping back to 9th during lap 10. I finished 5th by gaining two places on the final lap, with the 2nd = fastest time of 49.64 s, only 0.08 s off the fastest lap. In the Grand final, I started 5th and finished 6th. The highest place that I reached during the race was 4th. My fastest lap was 49.72 s, 0.17 s off the fastest lap. All in all, a pretty good meeting. I feel that I could have done better, if it had not been for the 'somewhat' poor starts. I collected two trophies at the meeting; these were presented by the 2009 British Touring Car Champion {BTCC}, Colin Turkington. Colin comes from Northern Ireland. These results have improved my position in the Super One Championship; I'm now currently lying 4th with 233 points, 31 points behind 3rd position.
Yet again, a big 'thank you' to Kart Tek and of course Dad.
Date: 19th / 20th June
Weather: Sunny and warm, all the weekend!.
The fourth round of the Super One National Championship for 2010 was held at the Cumbria Kart Racing Club, commonly known as Rowrah. We set off from Prestwood on Thursday evening and eventually arrived at the circuit very late on Thursday night. I was using the Kart Tek Zip Storm chassis again during this meeting and testing on Friday went very well, with my best time being 1/10 s off the fastest time of the day.
Saturday
June 19th ~ as usual there were two test sessions in the morning and
a 10 min qualifying session starting at midday. As at the previous round,
thirty karts went out to qualify. I was drawn in the first group and obtained
the fastest lap at 54.26 s. When the two groups were combined, I was fastest
overall, 0.09 s faster than Tom Harvey, who is currently leading the Championship.
{See the official timed qualifying sheet below} As a result, I started
my first heat in1st position. On the opening lap I dropped down to 2nd
behind Tom Harvey, but regained 1st on the next lap. During Lap 6 I dropped
to 3rd but later regained 2nd and then dropped to 3rd to finish the race
in this position. My fastest time of 54.28 s was second fastest, only
1/100th s off the fastest lap!
Sunday June 20th ~ after the 10 min practice, I started 1st on the grid for my second heat at 10.35. As the day before, the track was dry with the weather bright and sunny. During lap 3 I dropped to second behind Nathan Aston, but regained the lead for laps 7 and 8. I finished 2nd 8/100th s behind the winner. With two good heat results I started the first final in 2nd position. On the opening lap I lost second place to Nathan Aston, eventually finishing 3rd behind Tom Harvey and Nathan Aston; 0.30 s covered the top three drivers. My fastest time was 6/100 s off the fastest lap. I was 3rd fastest. In the Grand final I started 3rd. This was delayed to the last race of the day, as there had been a protest relating to control tyres leaving Parc Ferme after the first Final. The race started at 16.59. During lap 1 I gained second place and held this up to lap 5 when I took the lead! During lap 9 things went wrong.......... I dropped to 5th and later dropped to 7th. Maybe the tyres were beginning to 'go off' or maybe carburation adjustment was to blame. I crossed the line in 6th position, but was promoted to 5th when one of the karts in front was excluded for having a loose silencer. These results have improved my position in the Super One Championship; I'm still lying 4th with 332 points, but I have closed the gap on 3rd place by 10 points.
Yet again,
a big 'thank you' to Kart Tek, the 'Gilbertsons' for awning space and
of course Dad.
Date: 7th / 8th August
Weather: Mainly dry with light rain on Saturday
The fifth round of the Super One National Championship for 2010 was held at the Dragon Kart Club at the circuit called 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 positioned on a hillside. We set off from Prestwood on Thursday evening and eventually arrived at the circuit very late on Thursday night. I was using the Kart Tek Zip Storm chassis again during this meeting and testing on Friday went very well, with my best time in the top three places.
Saturday August 7th ~ as usual there were two test sessions in the morning at 10.00 and 10.50 and there weren't any problems. The10 min qualifying session started at midday. Thirty-one karts went out to qualify. I was drawn in the first group and obtained the fastest lap at 54.34 s, slightly slower than normal, as the track was slightly wet and we were running on wet tyres. When the two groups were combined, I was fastest overall, 0.15 s faster than Max Vaughan {Fusion Team}, who is currently second in the Championship. {See the official timed qualifying sheet below}. As a result, I started my first heat at 14.15 in pole position {see image below}. The track was still slightly wet so wet tyres were the popular choice. On the opening lap I dropped down to 4th behind Darius Karbeley, but regained 2nd place during lap 3. During Lap 8 I dropped to 9th but later regained one place to finish the race in 8th position. My fastest time of 49.66 s was fourth fastest, only 6/100th s off the fastest lap. I was disappointed, as I had started on pole but working 'alone' at the front is not easy!!!
On pole for the first heat on Saturday
Sunday August 8th ~ Sunday was dry and warm at times, so we used our controlled dry tyres throughout the day. After the 10 min practice, I started 1st on the grid for my second heat at 11.00. I had a much better start than in my first heat on Saturday, leading on laps 7 to 11 {see image below}. The pack behind me eventually closed the gap, as they were working together and I was overtaken during lap 12 to finish the 14 lap race in 3rd position. What a finish......... the top six drivers were covered by 0.47 s {see image below} I only just missed second place being 0.14 s behind the winner. It is a pity that heat results don't count in the Super One Championship. What was even more pleasing is that I obtained the fastest lap at 49.07 s, this being a new lap record for Comer Cadets at Glan Y Gors!!!!
Leading during heat 2 on Sunday A very close finish to heat 2 on Sunday
As a result of my two heat results, I started 8th on the grid for the first Final at 13.00. A good start was all important, as the result of this final would put me in a good position for the Grand Final later in the day. Well I made an excellent start moving up to 5th by the end of lap 1, but the rest of the race was a bit 'up and down'. At the end of lap 5, I was lying 11th due to various 'difficulties' on the track. I managed to climb back to finish the race in 6th position, 1.23 s behind the winner after 20 laps {see image below}. My fastest time of 49.47 s was 0.17 s off the fastest lap. I felt that the kart wasn't handling as well as it had been in the heats, maybe due to a coming together with a kart {not my fault I add!!!!} at the end of heat 2. A thorough check was made of the tracking and camber before the Grand Final. I started this in 6th position. I took the lead on lap 2, but during lap 11, I dropped to 6th. A little disappointing as I had led the race. My fastest lap was 3rd fastest, only 3/100th s off the fastest lap. These results have improved my position in the Super One Championship; I'm still lying 4th with 406 points, but I have closed the gap on 3rd place by 15 points ~ now I'm 11 points behind the 3rd place driver.
Yet again,
a big 'thank you' to Kart Tek, Burnside catering and of course Dad.
Another close finish in the final on Sunday
Lining up for the Grand Final on Sunday At the end of the Grand Final
Date: 4th / 5th September
Weather: Mainly dry.
The sixth round of the Super One National Championship for 2010 was held at the Whilton Mill Kart Club. The circuit lies near the village of Weedon. The nearest main town is Daventry in Northants. We set off from Prestwood on Thursday evening and arrived at the circuit on Thursday night. I was using my old Zip Blade chassis for this meeting and testing on Friday went very well. We had seven test sessions during the day.
Saturday
September 4th ~ there were three test sessions in the morning at 10.10,
11.10 and 12.10 and there weren't any problems. The10 min qualifying session
started at 13.45. Twenty seven karts went out to qualify in the sunny
conditions. I was 7th fastest, my fastest lap was 53.43 s, 0.15 s off
the fastest lap set by Shanaka Clay. As a result, I started my first heat
at 15.00 in seventh position. The track was dry, so everyone choose dry
tyres. On the opening lap I gained two positions behind Alfie Brown. By
the end of the third lap I was in 3rd position behind Ticktum and Clay.
I had gained 2nd position by the end of lap six and held this until the
end of lap 12. During the final lap, I lost a place to Clay to finish
in 3rd. My fastest time of 53.20 s was 8th fastest.
Heat 1 on Saturday in third position
Fuel testing after Heat on Saturday
As a result of my two heat results, I started 2nd on the grid for the first Final at 13.00. Light rain had started to fall. A bad start to the race resulted in me ending up in 6th place by the end of lap four. I finished the sixteen lap race in 5th position. My fastest time was 64.06 s, a disappointing 0.69 s off the fastest lap set by Tom Harvey. I started 5th for the Grand Final which started at 14.50 in rainy conditions. I worked my way up to 3rd position by the end of lap 6. I held this position up to the end of lap sixteen. Unfortunately I lost two places on the last lap to finish 5th. These results have improved my position in the Super One Championship; I'm now lying 3rd with 492 points ~ now I'm 16 points behind the 2nd place driver.
Yet again, a big 'thank you' to Cooke's Couriers, Burnside catering and of course Dad.
Round 7
Date: 23rd / 24th October
Weather: Very wet on Saturday, cold but dry on Sunday.
The seventh
and final round of the Super One National Championship for 2010 was held
at the Trent Valley Kart Club based at the PF International circuit near
Grantham in the Lincolnshire countryside. We set off from Prestwood on
Thursday evening and arrived at the circuit on Thursday night. I was using
my old Zip Blade chassis for this meeting and testing on Friday went very
well. We had several test sessions during the day. For this meeting I
was part of the Tooley Motorsport team and was running as number 9, as
it had been confirmed that I had finished 9th in the British Championship.
Saturday October 23rd ~ there were two practice sessions in the
morning at 09.30 hr and 11.10 hr and there weren't any problems. The 10
minute qualifying session started at 13.00 hr. Twenty eight karts went
out to qualify in very wet conditions. I was 2nd fastest; my fastest lap
was 67.29 s, 0.44 s off the fastest lap set by the British Cadet Champion,
Nathan Aston. {see below, my last Timed Qualification sheet for Cadets
in Super One}.
I started my
first heat on Saturday in 2nd position, this took place at 15.30 hr. There
was still light rain. The start was red-flagged due to problems with some
karts at the start line. We had to drive to the start line and get out
of our karts to 'get a telling-off' from the Clerk of the Course. {see
below}
Heat 1 was red-flagged due to start line problems. Lying
second in Heat 1 behind the British Champion.
The race was
uneventful; I stayed behind the winner for the entire race, unable to
match his pace. I crossed the line 2.69 s behind him after the 10 laps.
This was the last race on Saturday, the sky getting evermore darker in
the afternoon.
Overcast
sky on Saturday evening. Lying
1st in Heat 2 on Sunday.
Sunday October
24th ~ The weather on Sunday was dry, although it was very cold. After
the practice session in the morning, the second heat took place at 10.30
hr. Yet again I started in 2nd position and took the lead by the end of
lap one. This I held to the end of lap four, but slipped to 5th by the
end of lap eight. I finished in this position, 1.75 s behind the winner.
As a result of my two heat results, I started in POLE position on the
grid for the first Final at 13.00 hr. Not bad........ the oldest kart
running on a small budget!!! I held the lead until lap 3 when I was overtaken
by Max Vaughan. During lap seven, Max Vaughan had problems and the lead
was taken by Connor Jupp. He and I 'battled' for the lead for the remaining
eleven laps, with me finishing eventually in 3rd position. The top three
drivers were covered by 0.52 s. Close or what!! I started the second Final
{The Grand Final} in 3rd position as a result of the first Final. Not
such a good race, with the final result ending in me crossing the line
in 6th position, 1.33 s behind the winner after 18 laps. All in all, a
very satisfying last round at Super One.
Drivers' parade at PFi 24/10/10 On
pole for the first Final at PFi 24/10/10
Leading the first Final at PFi 24/10/10 Lining
up in 3rd for the Grand Final
After drop
scores had been taken into account, I finished the Super One National
Championship in 5th place. If you look at the final Championship table
below, you will notice that I obtained the most points {580} before drop
scores. I was slightly disappointed about this, but also pleased to see
myself above drivers who have been running on large budgets. I can say
that I'm 'at least' the 5th best driver in the Country!!!
Yet again,
as with all of the rounds, I would like to thank Dad and my supporting
family members. Also this final weekend I would like to thank Tooley Motorsport
for all of their advice. I look forward to driving with the Team in Mini
Max in 2011.
Finally..........
The following article was entered on the Super One website............
ABkC Cadet National Championship
Newly crowned British champion Nathan Aston topped the
timed qualifying and won the first heat with Max Vaughan taking the other
in what was the biggest entry at the meeting. But it was Ross Gunn
who took pole for the first final and set off ahead of Vaughan and
Jamie Caroline as Aston was hung out to dry. Vaughan moved up to lead
until Gunn, Jupp and Lando Norris broke away from the rest, with Aston
trying to catch them whilst Caroline fell back. As the lead trio fought
for the win over the last couple of laps, it was Norris who came to the
fore, followed by Jupp and Gunn with Aston still a little adrift. In the
second final Aston was again on the outside and fell back to ninth, never
really recovering. No-one managed to escape as an eight kart train sped
around with everyone jockeying for position. The US driver Santino Ferrucci
headed the pack most of the time until the dying stages when Jupp leapfrogged
Norris and Ferrucci to win. Philip Rawson roared up from the back of the
grid to take fourth.
Comer Cadet Results
Final 1: 1 Lando Norris (Tonykart); 2 Connor Jupp (Zip);
3 Ross Gunn (Zip); 4 Nathan Aston (Zip); 5 Santino Ferrucci (Zip).
Final 2: 1 Jupp; 2 Ferrucci; 3 Norris; 4 Philip Rawson (Zip); 5 Jordan
Gilbertson (Zip).
Cadet Final Championship Standings
1 Tom Harvey 569; 2 Connor Jupp 536; 3 Lando Norris 520;
4 Max Vaughan 518; 5 Ross Gunn 510; 6 Nathan Aston 506
My last Cadet race with the old Zip Blade Talking to my engine builder after the Final
Next year I will be racing with Tooley Motorsport.