Saturday 16th March, Practice. As Whilton Mill is my local track in the Easykart calender I don't have to get up to early, YAY. I was awake at around 6:00am but I got up, maybe around 7:00. We had packed up the night before so there was no real rush, we were hooked up and I just needed to get ready and put my kit bag(s) in the car. We were aiming to be off by around 7:30 but us being us we left closer to 8:00. Now the bit you want to hear about, the karting. we arrived at the circuit at about 8:45am. We got the bright orange awning set up and got the gear and kart out of the trailer, which is dead easy now since we fitted side rails, work surfaces for the kart to sit on. We were set up by about 9:00 and just had to change the tyres to wets as it was very damp on track. Thanks to the new MSA regulations you cannot start your engine in the paddock, only on the dummy grid and pits (I think), so we trundled the kart down and started it up, well tried to. The engine would not kick in. The starter motor worked fine but the carb just wasn't pulling any fuel through. No first session for me. We changed over the carb to our second one, not quite as well looked after, less rebuilds. I got out for the second session though, after watching for lines on the 1st session. It was a very damp track and I think I was doing around a 1 minute seconds I think, about 2 seconds off the pace. Session 3 was a lot quicker as the track had started to dry out so the wet tyres were getting destroyed, I was doing around 55 seconds a lap, maybe quicker, my watch isn't always the most accurate with timings. Session 4 was slicks so times were obviously much quicker, not the fastest as it was slightly damp in places, mainly the racing line as you take a wet one when it is wet, common sense. Unfortunately the nice weather didn't last and by the last session it was monsoon weather, the times of the back markers in qualifying normally (me) were 1 minute 11's. Back home for a nice gammon steak to end the day of very well, just slightly damp.
Sunday 17th March, Race day. Now Sunday was an eventful day, We woke up to dry weather, it was spitting with rain by the time we got to the track and properly raining by the time we got everything out of the trailer, we lock it all up over night. Just as the cadets went out for practice the snow started falling, they couldn't do many laps, I think most managed 2. The snow was so heavy and settling so fast that they had to postpone the race, we were told that they would make a final decision by 12:00 latest, in the mean time though there was nothing to do except have a massive snow ball fight and eat bacon butties, which were very tasty. The bacon butties not the snow balls.... We got out by 12:30 thanks to lots of people helping clear the snow, with their cars. It was brilliant to watch, about 20 cars and 3 vans driving round the kart track, and the fact the vans were trying to drift around every corner was also very funny. We got out for practice in the very wet so not much fun.
Qualifying wasn't very good. I qualified 23 out of 24 because the guy behind me didn't set a time. I didn't feel very slow but I think I still need to brake later and for not as long, keeping up my corner speed.
The heat went quite well. I got up into 21st place I think after taking three or four people at the start, but I had a spin going about 10 mph past someone coming back on track, I don't know how I spun but I did.
The pre-final was also quite good but thanks to the new way of deciding where you start by giving points for the heat and qualifying which is then compared with others to make your pre-final starting position. Unfortunately thanks to my amazing qualifying session I had to start down in 23rd, 2 more points would have seen me in 20th I think. Never the less I managed to survive and not get spun in this race, managing to finish an amazing 17th place, 1 behind Sam!
Final, the big one, can I beat Sam? It was all looking good, I got a good start, something I never managed to do last season, and had passed Sam. I was half a Kart length ahead of him, my rear wheels next to his side. I was getting to the first corner when I was spun from behind, SAM!! I went right off the track and onto the slippy grass. I had to drag my almost 100 kg kart onto the track, and I only weigh 42 kilos! Anyway, by the time I get by kart back onto the track I am already half to two thirds of a lap behind the last place man, other than me, and I am thinking 'how on Earth am I going to catch up with him?'. Well to be truthful I do. I slowly work my way up the field passing 2 people before I am getting blue flagged. I let them pass and continue racing but by that time my race is over, the chequered flag and I finish in 21st place. Sam won the rookie trophy for being the highest placing novice, he should be on yellow plates by next race but he has strategically not handed in his licence for signing a couple of times. Ahh well.
Next stop Malaysia, No wait, Clay Pigeon. Keep forgetting this isn't F1.
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