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ROUND ONE
GROUP A
1. Jon ---
2. Sam J. ---
3. Nick ---
4. Josh RELEGATED
5. Will RELEGATED
6. Keith RELEGATED
7. Mark RELEGATED
The opening race was hotly contested between Jon and Nick at the front. Keith's snail of a kart was sluggish off the line and he was last by turn one. Despite the scramble for better positions between Mark, Josh and Will, Keith was never likely to catch up. One of the marshals instigated a caution period so that he could sweep clear the shingle covering the road on the approach to T2. Bursting out of T1 at high speed (and ignoring the yellow flag), Mark took evasive action to avoid injuring said marshal by beaching himself in the gravel trap. Keith crawled by into sixth position, later backing up the entire field and acting as the "safety car" in this race. The yellow flag was put away and Jon attacked Keith to put a lap on him, but got two wheels in the gravel along the back straight in so doing. Nick attacked into the final corners but lost out to Sam Jackson, who jumped Nick as they rolled over the line.
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GROUP B
1. Tom S. PROMOTED
2. Paul PROMOTED
3. Tom B. PROMOTED
4. Colin PROMOTED
5. Alex RELEGATED
6. Roger RELEGATED
7. Mike RELEGATED
8. Adam RELEGATED
In Group B it was Tom Buxton who led from the front - and he built quite some advantage over the rest. They scrambled, desperate to make gains. Eventually it was Paul who broke free of the group's shackles, soon catching and passing Mr Buxton. His happiness at taking the lead was short-lived, however, as a near-empty fuel tank began to slow him down in the tight corners of the track. His hand gestures gave no hint at all about the actual cause of his anguish. Adam passed Tom Buxton for second and was now being pursued by an equally eager Tom Smith. Adam caught Paul and got ready to make his move. Out of the final hairpin he lunged for the outside of the final turn. Tom stuck to the inside line and followed Paul around the corner, squeezing Adam wide. Adam stuck in there - but drove into the tyre wall. He rejoined but caused another caution period less than one lap later. In the few seconds the yellows were away, Tom passed Paul round T2 to grab the win.
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GROUP C
1. Charles PROMOTED
2. Rhett PROMOTED
3. Dan PROMOTED
4. Poya PROMOTED
5. Sam F. ---
6. Martin ---
7. Kumes ---
Few of the Group C runners and riders had been karting with us before. Despite their limited experience, the racing was as close as we'd seen all evening. Everyone - particularly Sam Foxall from the front row - was tentative into turn one. Through turn three the brakes were glowing a disconcerting red hot once again as the snake hesitated on its way around the circuit. Eventually one or two broke free of the procession and stole the show for their own. Charles shone as the first-timer clearly capable of race wins, while buddy Martin struggled back in sixth position. Both of these are students of Mark Foley's Racing School Inc. Will they be as quick? There was overtaking aplenty in this one; a few bumps, too. Despite the kind of speeds Keith's Group A kart might have been able to compete with, the racing was pretty good to watch. Certainly one or two of them would give those relegated from Group A something to think about for the next Group B encounter...
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ROUND TWO
GROUP A
1. Colin ---
2. Jon ---
3. Nick ---
4. Sam J. RELEGATED
5. Paul RELEGATED
6. Tom S. RELEGATED
7. Tom B. RELEGATED
Group A reconvened with Colin, Paul, Buxton and Smith in the mix. Group A mainstays Sam Jackson, Jon and Nick would start from the back. Colin took the initiative and built a solid - and very necessary - lead. From the depths of obscurity Jon used momentum gained from his Round One win to charge through the field. He would catch Nick and lie in wait for his opportunity, all the time allowing Sam to close the gap to him. Jon found himself in a sandwich and Sam was piling on the pressure. And then the filling jumped out of the teacake - Jon passed Nick at the final hairpin and scarpered. A caution period slowed him down, allowing Nick and Sam to close the gap once more. But then the flags were put away, the red mist descended and Jon unleashed his speed. Colin was doing a solid job up top - but he was about to be capitulated by Group A's very own streak of lightning, Mr Jon Beagles. Chequered flag is waved. Colin wins - by half a kart-length from Jon. Wow.
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GROUP B
1. Keith PROMOTED
2. Josh PROMOTED
3. Mark PROMOTED
4. Will PROMOTED
5. Charles RELEGATED
6. Poya RELEGATED
7. Rhett RELEGATED
8. Dan RELEGATED
With Group A exiles Will, Mark, Josh and Keith at the back of this grid, the young hotshots of Group C fame had a serious opportunity to pull out an early - and advatangeous - lead. They didn't take it. Keith was quickest out of the blocks, taking the lead after turn three and never looking back. Well, I say never looking back - he was constantly checking over his shoulder, as bearing down on him not only lap after lap, but corner after corner, were Josh and Mark, who themselves were locked in a tough battle for not only second place, but the win. Josh's smoothness was noted from the front, as he made his most serious gains around T2 and the final hairpin - but Keith made it difficult for him (as if defending from Mark wasn't hard enough). This one hung in the balance until the chequered flag was waved, and Keith, Josh and Mark finished in that order. Will would made the grade for promotion - but wasn't far ahead of Charles, according to sources.
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GROUP C
1. Alex PROMOTED
2. Adam PROMOTED
3. Roger PROMOTED
4. Kumes PROMOTED
5. Martin ---
6. Sam F. ---
7. Mike ---
Alex, Roger, Adam and Mike joined those who remained in Group C for this clash of the micro-titans. Adam, still seething after the misfortune of that earlier Group B crash, looked race-ready and likely to win. The race was go - but it took Adam time to get to the front. A couple of laps passed, and Adam passed a couple of karts. The lead was his, and his pace would see him dominate, streaking as he was away from the rest of the field. Sometimes bad things happen, and it seems that was happened next was one such thing. Adam's almost-certain victory was lost by virtue of the yellow flag's deployment - and Alex's questionable move to overtake Adam for the lead after he had slowed down for the caution. Had Alex seen the flag? Did Adam make it clear that he was slowing down for the caution? In any case, his case was thrown out by President Beagles and Vice President Drewett - and Alex stole a controversial victory from someone we had banked on walking it...
And now for the final round, for which I will reverse the commentary (Group C, Group B, Group A) to reflect the order that these races were contested on the track...
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ROUND THREE
GROUP C
1. Mike ---
2. Sam F. ---
3. Martin ---
4. Dan ---
5. Rhett ---
6. Charles ---
7. Poya DQ.
Is carnage the right way to describe this race? Perhaps. I think the next race deserves the accolade more - but not long into this sticky encounter a two-man collision resulted in the total destruction of the sturdy partition barrier that separates the main straight from the back straight. The time - and number of HUGS drivers - taken to put the barrier back together took up all the time Group C would have needed to complete the race. An early result was called with Mike named the official winner. His team-mate of the week before, Sam Foxall, claimed second. The story behind the accident remains unclear, but it is thought that Poya had some involvement, hence his disqualification by order of HRH Nicholas Drewett. He went on to determine that Martin should finish third. And there Group C's final attempt ended. Surely Group B would prosper, where those before failed...
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GROUP B
1. Roger ---
2. Paul ---
3. Tom B. ---
4. Kumes ---
5. Tom S. ---
6. Alex ---
7. Sam J. ---
8. Adam ---
Carnage. Here we go. A bit of argy-bargy down at turn one was the perfect prelude to the disasters to follow. Tom Smith tangled with Sam Jackson in a move for which both accept partial responsibility. This was only turn two, and the result of the entanglement was that Sam spun out. Adam made it as far as turn three before taking a nose-dive into the barriers - only his fourth crash of the day... The race was called to a halt as other movers and shakers moved and shook into all the wrong positions, ultimately throwing them out of contention. Paul - whose start was hailed as entirely mediocre - picked his way through the pieces to claim a very privileged position for the race restart. And once again the race was go, soon to be called short by Nick and Jon, keen to press ahead with time not on our side. Roger took the win from Paul and Tom Buxton - but the chaos provided the unexpected result that Tom Smith, Sam Jackson and Adam Hibbered languished far behind.
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GROUP A
1. Keith ---
2. Josh ---
3. Nick ---
4. Mark ---
5. Jon ---
6. Will ---
7. Colin ---
The big hitters returned for one last hurrah. Keith, Josh, Mark and Will were given grid slots ahead of mainstays Jon and Nick, and previous Group A winner Colin. Josh made the most of the start and stole an early lead - and a march on his rivals. Keith and Nick challenged Will, with Keith moving alongside Will down the start/finish straight. Into turn one it was always going to be tight - Will turned in and took a hit on the inside from Keith. Someone else - reportedly Mark - hit Keith, causing Keith to hit Will again. And round Will went. Jon dived around the outside of everyone, expecting to make gains, but he ran into trouble in the shape of a stranded Will. Jon's race was in jeopardy. Keith pressed ahead, slowly eating in to Josh's handsome lead. He would catch Josh into the fast sweeper off the back straight and slide out wide with him. Next time around he held a tighter line and emerged alongside the leader into the hairpin. The win was his.
The final standings next. 14pts for a win, 10 for second, 8 for third, 5 for fourth, 4 for fifth, 3 for sixth, 2 for seventh and 1 for eighth. In the final Group B and Group C races, half points were awarded both as a punishment for appalling driving standards and because the races were cut very short. However, there are discrepencies aplenty. Poya was given zero points in his final outing because Nick disqualified him for causing an avoidable accident. Those who finished fifth (Tom Smith in the B, Rhett in the C) received 2.5pts each (instead of simply 2, which is half of the 4 they'd ordinarily have taken) while those who finished fourth (Kumes in the B, Dan in the C) were given 1.5pts and 1pt respectively. Why? I do not know. Additionally, Nick decided to award bonus points for various feats. Will, Mark, Josh, Keith, Adam, Roger and Alex were each given a point for bouncebackability. That is to say; they were relegated from their first groups and fought from lowly grid slots in their second groups to regain promotion. Mark was given a further bonus point for fastest lap. Jon and Keith then took a point each (despite agreeing to share one between them) for their joint acceptance of the Driver Of The Day award. Keith took a third for the most victories by any driver (two in total). Then Jon took a second for remaining in Group A throughout the course of the event - but Nick gave himself three bonus points for the same thing. His argument was that "Had there been a fourth Group A event, Jon's fifth-place finish would have seen him relegated and unable to compete in it, ergo Jon should not have as many points". Colin has a bonus point but I don't know why. Half a bonus point was given to Poya, and Nick named this the "Thanks For Turning Up" bonus.
Confused?
Dot com.
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FINAL POINTS STANDINGS
Pos. Race: 1st 2nd 3rd Bonus Total
01 Keith 03.0 14.0 14.0 3.0 34.0
02 Jon 14.0 10.0 04.0 2.0 30.0
03 Nick 08.0 08.0 08.0 3.0 27.0
04 Josh 05.0 10.0 10.0 1.0 26.0
05 Colin 05.0 14.0 02.0 1.0 22.0
06 Alex 04.0 14.0 02.0 1.0 21.0
07 Charles 14.0 04.0 02.0 --- 20.0
08 Tom S. 14.0 03.0 02.5 --- 19.5
09 Roger 03.0 08.0 07.0 1.0 19.0
= Paul 10.0 04.0 05.0 --- 19.0
11 Mark 02.0 08.0 05.0 2.0 17.0
12 Sam J. 10.0 05.0 01.0 --- 16.0
13 Rhett 10.0 02.0 02.5 --- 14.5
14 Tom B. 08.0 02.0 04.0 --- 14.0
15 Will 04.0 05.0 03.0 1.0 13.0
16 Adam 01.0 10.0 00.5 1.0 12.5
17 Sam F. 04.0 03.0 05.0 --- 12.0
18 Mike 02.0 02.0 07.0 --- 11.0
= Martin 03.0 04.0 04.0 --- 11.0
20 Dan 08.0 01.0 01.0 --- 10.0
21 Kumes 02.0 05.0 01.5 --- 08.5
= Poya 05.0 03.0 00.0 0.5 08.5
Now, the plucking of new and exciting bonus points from the sky left me rather puzzled. Likewise, giving more points to people finishing fifth (and not half points, at that) than those finishing fourth was a little unexpected. If half points were given, then 14, 10, 8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would have become 7, 5, 4, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1 and 0.5 - but instead they became 7, 5, 4, 1.5 (for Kumes, or just 1 for Dan), 2.5, 2, 1 and 0.5. I'm not going to overrule the official results at all, but if you're interested then I have recalculated people's scores using actual half points, and I have "arrowed in" where people would be if no bonus points were given. Notice how Nick's bonus points were just enough to place him third in the standings, ahead of The Mighty Joverhill...
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FINAL POINTS STANDINGS - THE ALTERNATIVE VIEW
Pos. Race: 1st 2nd 3rd Bonus Total
01 Keith 03.0 14.0 14.0 3.0 34.0 <--- Keith
02 Jon 14.0 10.0 04.0 2.0 30.0 <--- Jon
03 Nick 08.0 08.0 08.0 3.0 27.0 <--- Josh
04 Josh 05.0 10.0 10.0 1.0 26.0 <--- Nick
05 Colin 05.0 14.0 02.0 1.0 22.0 <--- Colin
06 Alex 04.0 14.0 02.0 1.0 20.5 <--- Alex
07 Charles 14.0 04.0 01.5 --- 19.5 <--- =6
08 Tom S. 14.0 03.0 02.0 --- 19.0
= Roger 03.0 08.0 07.0 1.0 19.0 <--- Paul
= Paul 10.0 04.0 05.0 --- 19.0 <--- Roger
11 Mark 02.0 08.0 05.0 2.0 17.0 <--- Sam J.
12 Sam J. 10.0 05.0 01.0 --- 16.0 <--- Mark
13 Rhett 10.0 02.0 02.0 --- 14.0
= Tom B. 08.0 02.0 04.0 --- 14.0
15 Will 04.0 05.0 03.0 1.0 13.0 <--- Will
16 Adam 01.0 10.0 00.5 1.0 12.5 <--- Sam F.
17 Sam F. 04.0 03.0 05.0 --- 12.0 <--- Adam
18 Dan 08.0 01.0 02.5 --- 11.5 <--- =17
19 Mike 02.0 02.0 07.0 --- 11.0
= Martin 03.0 04.0 04.0 --- 11.0
21 Kumes 02.0 05.0 02.5 --- 09.5
= Poya 05.0 03.0 00.0 0.5 08.5 <--- Poya
Fastest laps of the day now. I don't have times for everyone. Or, if I do, then I can't work out to whom certain laptimes belong. It's a complicated business, as you can tell...
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RECORDED FASTEST RACE LAPS
01. Mark 25.93
02. Josh 25.94
03. Jon 26.06
04. Nick 26.13
05. Keith 26.29
06. Sam J. 26.42
07. Paul 26.66
08. Colin 26.69
09. Will 26.71
10. Charles 26.87
11. Tom S. 26.91
12. Alex 27.01
13. Adam 27.10
14. Tom B. 27.29
15. Roger 28.00
16. Martin 28.38
17. Dan 28.45
18. Poya 28.60
19. Kumes 28.81
Well done to Mark and Josh on being blisteringly quick in their Group B clash. I know there is talk of Mark having scored a 23s lap - I won't dispute that but it's not in my paperwork.
