Kart Coach News

Shenington (20/21 March)

 

Connor Gibbs (Junior Rotax):
Connor had a couple of disappointing heats and lined up 24th on a capacity grid for the final. He made a great start but this was negated when he was wrong footed at the hairpin, losing a lot of places. Undaunted, Connor put the magnets on after a supreme effort (reducing his personal best by a cool half a second) he reeled in a 5 kart train and got involved in a great scrap, finally Connor crossed the line in 19th place; a small handkerchief covering the battling group. Connor has made a breakthrough this weekend. Once he finds a little more aggression and consistency in his lap times he should be a regular top ten contender.

 

 

Tom Wood (Comer Cadet):

Tom's fine form in Saturday's practice was carried over to race day; some class overtaking in the heats rewarding him a 10th and 11th for his efforts and P14th for the final on a packed grid. Tom made a brilliant start making up several places but a beginner's mistake showed when he failed to defend sufficiently on the run up to the hairpin and the inevitable contact dropped him to the back of the field. A lesser driver might have thrown in the towel but Tom is made of sterner stuff and proceeded to claw his way back into contention. His efforts were rewarded with a fine 21st place knocking 1/2 second from his personal best in the process. This gutsy little driver will be trophy hunting before the year is out!

Whilton Mill (27/28 March)

 

Tom Wood (Comer Cadet):

Tom achieved some consistently good results in all three heats but unfortunately on this occasion it wasn't enough to put him straight through to the 'A'. He was up against some quick drivers in the B final, and disappointingly just missing out on the A with a fighting 5th place. Shaving almost a second off his previous best lap was some consolation however.

 

Connor Gibbs (Junior Rotax):

Contacts in the heats relegated Connor to the B final. Having got squeezed at the start he made a gutsy drive from the back of the field, pulling out some great overtaking moves along the way to wind up 11th His best lap was just a couple of tenths off winner Jake Dobson, proof that Connor is making real progress.

 

 

Jake Dobson (Junior Max):

Winning the B final was a well-deserved result after a slow puncture and a lost chain in the heats. Jake didn't put a foot wrong, taking the lead decisively from a P3 start within the opening laps and controlling the race thereafter. Unfortunately Jake didn't quite have the speed to make the progress he would have liked in the A final but took several scalps on the way to 20th place.

 

Graham Roberts (Senior Max):

A truly horrific accident in the final heat left Graham wearing his kart on his head!

After a visit to the ambulance Graham courageously decided to take part in the final.

Immediately, five pairs of willing hands swooped on his stricken machine, and the next hour was spent frantically rebuilding his Tony Kart. With minutes to spare, Graham, having borrowed a suit and helmet, (his own having been badly damaged as a result of his accident) rushed off to the grid for the final.

Graham understandably took things fairly easy by his standards as his ribs had been badly bruised during the accident when he Kart-wheeled (ouch) into the barriers, nevertheless he established that his Kart still drove as well as ever and he can't wait for the next race and his bruised ribs to heal.

 

 

Alok Iyengar (Senior Max):

Alok had been literally working towards this weekend for 2 1/2 years.

Travelling all the way from India, finding himself a job and modest accommodation, saving every penny with just one aim in mind, to Make His Mark in British Karting!

Unfortunately Alok had purchased an antique Kart (and paid an antique price) from some one who must have bore a strong resemblance to Arthur Daly! Naturally this initially hindered his progress. Enter Kart Coach who helped him attain his racing license and promised to support him on his quest for recognition.

After considerable man-hours and a lot of head scratching the Kart Coach team managed to turn his obsolete dusty old dog of a Kart into something drivable!

Alok doesn't even process a car so he caught the train to Whilton on Saturday and walked the final four miles to the circuit, that's dedication!

After the first few tentative laps in Saturday practice Alok wore a smile as wide as the Ganges and his times began to tumble as he familiarized himself with the complexities of Whilton Mill circuit. Throughout the weekend Alok steadily improved his lap times. Unfortunately he didn't have the stamina to compete to the maximum in the final as his performance tailed off from lap seven of fifteen. However ending up only a couple of seconds off the frontrunner's pace in the final is a remarkable feat in your first race weekend! Once Alok addresses his fitness level he can expect further improvements in his performance. This man has talent!

Alok would like to express his thanks to all the drivers' families and friends in the Kart Coach awning for their warm welcome, help and support throughout the weekend.