So three events to write up and one very minor moan! On the overcast evening of January 23rd round four of the Formula Brookes Karting championship went ahead and turned out to be an interesting event.
Starting as I have done in every round this season (bar one where I didn’t enter) near the front of the first heat I made a great start and moved up to second and was going well when a computer glitch caused the race to restarted. At the restart the rain started to fall and soak the track. With all of the single engine Stratos Prokarts running on slicks, it was shaping up to be a fun race! I got away well again and got settled into a rhythm, the fast leading pack of three karts left me for dust, and disappeared into the distance. The slower guys I left behind and ended up doing the entire race without seeing another kart. Rolling over the finish in fourth I complained to club chairman Craig Dawson that no one wanted to play with me!
The next heat came and went with more of the same, a half decent finish but no one to play with. There were three finals at this event A (super quick karters), B (fairly super quick Karters, and talented novices) and C (Shite!). So I wanted to be in the C final, to clean up and get a nice trophy. Not a chance! Starting on the back of the grid in the B final taking on the likes of Craig Dawson, John Wigmore and some other serious racers. So I gave up and trundled round on my own as quick as I could, Then something odd happened I realised I was catching Craig – there is no one I like to wind up as much as the chairman! And then I spun. Lost contact with the lead pack and just tooled around for a while. I caught a back marker who spun in front of me and I unfortunately t-boned and then drove around him. This was the only overtaking move I made during the meeting!
Then a week later round five came along, a cold but dry night and I was feeling very good. Heat one I made a blinder of a start and shot into second, and got on the bumper of the race leader into the complex holding line astern up to the hairpin still really pushing. Silence – nothing my engine had stopped on the apex of the turn and had to trundle to a stop by the pit entry. Bugger! But then out of the corner of my eye I see the red flag waving on the start finish line. Saved! Bump starting the kart I roll back on to the grid and take up my original position and hope no-one realises. They don’t! The second start still good but not as good, running fourth. I’m still running well - a real scrap of a race that ended for me in the back of another kart. Battling wheel to wheel through corners, it was gonna end in tears and it did as I landed on his kart on the final lap. “My fault sorry mate!”  And no hard feelings.
My fastest lap at the Oxford stadium circuit till this point was 22.97 now my fastest lap in this heat 22.70. That is a lot on a short lap like that but better was to come. The second heat was again a long scrap passing and being passed. A good finish (3rd) left me in the middle of the B final. Then I clocked the lap times on the heat result sheet - 22.51!!!! In the summer I struggled to trim my lap times from 23.10 to 22.97 and that took 3 hours track time, then in 20 minutes I knocked half a second off! I was well chuffed. So to the final. I had no chance of winning but I was still ready to race.
The final was being filmed for a promotion so I wanted to play up to the camera a bit and boy did that happen! On lap 4 my Kart was slow; whether it was me driving slowly or the kart having a problem I will never know. But whatever it was it hurt me a lot! Flat out into the fastest corner of the track I saw a bumper on my inside. This is my exact chain of thoughts after that moment (No way mate you will not get through there – what the f**k was that – Correct – sh*t – not the barrier – aagh! ow! – not control – what where am I? Get back in the race!). What had happened as I later saw on the video was the following kart had turned onto my right rear tyre catapulting him into the barrier at 90 degrees and knocked my hands off the wheel. Thus sending me into the same barrier for a roller coaster ride. The kart hit the barrier and climbed half way up it. When it reached the end it hit a kerb took off over a section of grass and landed on the speedway oval outside the circuit. I finished the race seven laps down and my quickest lap was 23.57.
 The next day I was literally covered in bruises and didn’t sleep properly for a few nights after. The other guy was in a similar shape but had a second hard impact as his kart rebounded into the path of another and got hit. There was real concern for him after the shunt, I pulled over to see if I could help but Craig seemed pretty concerned over both of us. Apparently my half of the shunt was spectacular! I was OK but the other chap was in real pain, I found out why. When he hit the wall his hand was knocked off the wheel and into a tender spot between his legs at some speed. Ow!
So with five rounds gone this is how the championship looks from a 7Oaks point of view.
 

Driver	Rd 1	Rd 1	Rd 1	Rd 1	Rd 1	Total Points
1st John Pethick	160	200	160	200	160	880
16th Joe Hartog	25	85	75	90	95	370
16th= Sam Collins	75	90	DNS	105	100	370
17th Craig Dawson	80	DNS	150	120	DNS	350
32nd Oli North	DNS	110	DNS	DNS	DNS	110

If I hadn’t missed a round I would likely be in the top 10! Oh well still a few races to go yet.
Now the whinge the championship is organised by Formula Brookes MC an MSA approved motor club although not currently a member of any associations. It’s a hotly contested series with the top drivers doing activities such as F3 and the British GT championship. A good series no doubt but it apparently doesn’t count toward the Basil Tye! I asked why not? And Andy Elcomb told me the awards were really for car sport. Fair enough - define car? I feel Kart races should be included in the Basil Tye – not only could it attract young members but it would be fun too! I think any event organised by an MSA approved club should count towards the Basil Tye. It is after all motorsport and the right sort! The debate continues on the online forum check it out and have your say! I was e-mailed an image by Keith Lay - is it a car or is it a kart??? (see below).

Taken from a book
- "Uphill Racers" by Chris Mason
- the unofficial history of British Speed Hillclimbing.
- Photo by Bob Light.

The Car/Kart pictured at, we think, Prescott in  1988?
 
 
 
 
 
 

I did the impossible – finished the Kent Rally! And although not well I think we were not last! (worth a monthly mug?) Sam Collins and Oli North finishing anywhere that isn’t in a ditch on Pevesney levels or last overall is a massive achievement and we are looking at doing some more events soon! Actually I’m sure Daren Hall didn’t expect us to finish let alone start! In fact at the Jan 9th Scatter all Daren said when I told him I was doing the Kent was “You’re brave!”  Well we did it!
Instead of a top ten I issue a challenge and a suggestion – How about having an Annual karting event run by SDMC? The Kent challenge perhaps? Maybe, the Sevenoaks cup? And I challenge you all to beat me to winning it! I’ve suggested it before and probably will again, It could be done very cheaply and easily!

Sam Collins