And so, onto the last race of the 2009, and indeed the last race of the “noughties.” And a new format, at Raceway Karting in Pontefract. A 70-lap race round the indoor track. “70 laps? Isn’t that the sort of amount of laps they have in F1 races???” Yes, but F1 doesn’t race round tracks with a 23-second lap. But the races were estimated to last just under half an hour, so still not too bad.
As it was now December, the dreaded essay deadlines for some were nearing, and many others were running short of cash, which meant only 12 drivers would take part. 6 in the first race. 6 in the second. With it proving difficult to decide who should go in the higher race, the groups were drawn at random... sort of. This was also done with the best efforts of making the groups even in terms of ability.
RACE ONE
Josh, Tom, Mark, Sam Firth, Rob and Will were in the 1st race, and left the pits to set a quick lap in the worlds shortest qualifying session. Tom was keen to replicate the form from the last visit to Pontefract which saw him set the fastest lap of the race and be in the winning team. As the drivers lined up to be gridded up, and Mark was on pole, not surprising, Will second, not surprising, but Tom and Josh would fill the back row, which was definitely surprising! It later transpired that a cock-up with the transponders was to blame for the somewhat unexpected grid, with Josh’s times being recorded under Mark’s name, and Mark’s transponder not picking up at all. (So yes, I should have been on pole! Oh well...).
1 light, 2 lights, 3 lights, 4 lights, 5 lights, long pause, GO!!! Will took the lead, whilst Josh’s audacious attempt to pass Sam Firth round the outside into Turn 2 didn’t come off, but perhaps crucially Josh was able to pass Tom going into Turn 4. It took Josh and Tom several laps to pass Sam and Rob, both proved very difficult to pass. This had allowed Will to build a lead, as Josh overtook Mark going into Turn 1, having got a much quicker exit out of the last corner on the previous lap. Josh set about closing Will down, which was never going to be easy, as Tom eventually fought his way into third. Josh had been making overtaking at the fast Turn 1 work for him, and was looking the most likely corner for him to pass Will, and after nearly doing so at that corner twice, finally managed it. But while some may have thought Josh was going to pull away at this point, they would have been wrong, as he never managed to build a lead of any command or comfort, as Tom was now the quickest driver on the track and was now right behind Will. The blue flags were soon deployed as Josh lapped Rob, Mark and Sam, who were having a very good battle for 4th. The battle for 2nd between Will and Tom was allowing Josh to build an ever-so-slightly bigger lead, but when Tom passed Will, Josh knew his 1st place was under threat.
Tom was soon on a charge, and slowly but surely ate into Josh’s slender lead. But the charge was halted when he tripped over a back-market going into the left-hand hairpin. Not only did he lose time, he also lost second place to Will. This allowed Josh to stretch the lead again. From then on, the race went into a bit of a lull, with Tom unable to find a way past Will, and Sam Firth opening a gap between Mark and Rob, the latter with a very spirited drive. Despite this being his weakest circuit, Josh held on to take the victory.
- Josh Overhill
- Will Russell
- Tom Smith
- Sam Firth
- Mark Foley
- Rob Stephenson
RACE TWO
The second race saw the other 6 drivers, Sam Jackson, Liam, Marcus, Paul, Mike and Sal take to the track. Paul qualified on pole, and when the lights went out quickly stole a march on the rest of the field, as Sam passed Mike for second going into the first corner, and Marcus climbed from 5th to 3rd on the opening lap, passing Liam and Mike. Paul had already built a big lead at this point, leading to those who raced in the first race speculating that the race could be over already. They were wrong. Marcus passed Sam for second on the third lap, and when the yellow lights were deployed shortly after, Paul’s slow getaway on the restart allowed Marcus to overtake him going into Turn 5. Whilst all the drama unfolded at the front, Mike lost time which allowed Liam through into 4th place, but with both of them now quite far behind the top 3.
A video of the opening few laps was taken, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=233432530774 complete with commentary and Jonathan Legard impressions from Tom and Josh.
Marcus soon pulled away from the rest of the field, and a mistake from Paul dropped him to 3rd behind Sam, and then to 4th behind Liam. Paul soon took back 3rd place, and set about closing down Sam, but while at times Paul was able to take out a couple of tenths a lap, at others the gap remained static, as Paul drove quickly but inconsistently. It was beginning to look as if Paul was going to run out of laps, but right at the death passed Sam following a handful of failed attempts in the previous few laps. But it was Marcus who would win the race, nearly lapping the entire field, Paul and Sam starting their final lap just seconds before Marcus took the chequered flag.
- Marcus Stuttard
- Paul Greenbaum
- Sam Jackson
- Liam Lau
- Mike Miller
- Sal Dinmahamed
Unfortunately, I left the sheets with all the laptimes and time differences on in Hull, so they will be added to the report upon my return.
Paul was awarded a medal for setting the fastest lap, but evidence on the sheets suggest it was actually Marcus who was quickest....
