Tough Monkeys Racing - News Archive 1

11/10/09 - Is this the end of the road?

Well folks, here's something you probably weren't expecting. I'm announcing my decision to stop karting for the foreeable future as of, well, the chequered flag that fell on Sunday. I’ve been thinking this decision over for sometime now and it’s not been taken lightly. I love the thrill of racing and feeling a kart dancing about under me, but just as importantly I’ve got many good friends that I’ve made in and around Buckmore. However my priorities in life have changed and karting is no longer the most important thing to me. I began karting when I was young (ish), free and single and I’m no longer any of those things now. Spending time with TC is much more appealing to me and the money I would otherwise be spending on karting will be much better served putting towards getting a place together. Karting may be considered entry level motorsport but it’s still a very expensive past time and a considerable strain on my resources. When you factor in my significant travelling expenses (350 mile round trip in an Impreza on super unleaded every race) and associated costs my four years racing at Buckmore, Le Mans and wherever else will have set me back close to £16k. Next season the timings of the races would require more hotel stop-overs too so it wouldn’t be getting any cheaper either. It’s been very heartening that I’ve had so many people tell me how sorry they are to see me go, and some expressing outright shock. It’s unlike me but for once I’m putting my sensible hat on and thinking about the future. To do so, however, it means hanging up my crash helmet. Will it be a permanent retirement, who knows? But of course if anyone fancies sponsoring a monkey……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you around guys.

Craig

 

11/10/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 8

The premier class season drew to a close today, and in all too familiar fashion the Monkeys were to have a frustrating day at the track. An uncompetitive kart led to the second worst grid position of the season, and that was to be the highlight. An errant wheel and then a broken drive chain saw the team end 2009 ten laps off of the lead. What had promised to be a great season for the team ended with not a single trophy to show from eight races. It's been disappointing.

 

13/09/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 7

With Barry living it up at Butlins (seriously dude, we have to talk) it was left to the remaining Monkeys of Mig and myself to tackle round 7 of the Elite. We'd both just about got over our respective rib injuries picked up at the last round and we were happy to be blessed with our best kart of the season. I was able to take full advantage of this and supply the team with our best grid spot of the campaign with a 3rd place start. The race was a corker and we both produced our best drives of the season, each of us dipping under the 46 second barrier for the first time ever at Buckmore. I was extremely satisfied to come away with a 45.84, even if Steve Brown did set a new lap record a whole two-tenths quicker! Sadly a late spin for Mig from a comfortable 3rd place dropped us to 6th but we've long since given up on points scoring this season and instead are just having fun. And we both had that in bucket loads today..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11/09/09 - Back to Buckers for Round 7 This Weekend

It's been 5 weeks since I last sat in a kart during which time I've been on holiday to Cyprus, done lots of work (okay, some work) and generally recovered from the cracked rib I picked up at the last round. Despite his heroics at the last MOS Mig is still suffering from his damaged ribs and has laid the seeds for possibly doing shorter stints. Unfortunately this might be a problem for the team as Barry is away living it large in Butlins (a man of class) and Stewart Carlisle who subbed for me a few rounds back while I had tonsillitis is unable to step in this time. It means that almost certainly it's going to be a two man effort, but Mig and I have had much greater challenges in a kart together so I'm sure we can drag our steed to the finish line.

 

30/08/09 - Man of Steel Summer Championship Round 5

Having missed Round 4 Mig returned to Buckmore for Round 5 of the Man of Steel and dominated the heavyweight class in the manner that is becoming almost tedious now. Stop it Mig, you're making Barry and I look slow! Pole position, fastest lap and class win gave him maximum points and with only one round of the series less it seems that Mig really only just has to turn up and he'll be crowned champion for 2009. To top it all he did it while still carrying the rib injury picked up a few weeks ago in the Elite. Proper Man of Steel is our Mig. C'mon buddy, one more to go and at least one Monkey will have a season to remember!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

09/08/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 6

Toughmonkeys must have ran over a black cat and walked under a ladder to smash a mirror this season. It's been an utter nightmare from start to finish and with only two rounds of the series to go the winter can't come soon enough. Although we had plenty of other mishaps during the course of the race it was to be me who made the biggest mistake of the day, and first one of the season. Despite consistant and fast laps an ill judged overtaking attempt saw me clip the back of Graham Gillham's kart and spin him out and collect me at the same time. My first ever black flag, and well deserved too, put us totally out of the running and it was a personal low for me. It's one thing after the other at the moment, and to add insult quite literally to injury Mig suffered a cracked rib in attempting to avoid being run over in the pit lane and I've got either the same or a very pulled something or another in my abdomen. All three monkeys are off on summer holidays now and I hope we've all recovered in time for whatever horrors lie in wait at the penultimate round..

 

26/07/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 5

The horror story that is the 2009 campaign showed no signs of getting better for Round 5. It was especially bad for me as I had to miss the race completely and await text message updates while I recouperated from tonsillitis at home. We were lucky to be able to secure the services at short notice of Man of Steel heavyweight championship leader Stewart Carlyle and he gave a very good impression of me going quickly. The team looked good throughout the race with Barry looking likely to bring the kart home in a season's best 8th place, right up until the front wheel flew off hitting Barry on the head just to add further insult. This season really has been a shocker and we can only hope we can finish off the remaining rounds of the series with some results more in keeping with our history.

 

11/07/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 4

I'm not a happy camper after this last round. Rubens Barrichello was being interviewed on BBC after the German Grand Prix and said that it had been a great example of how to lose a race. I know how he felt. With a good kart under us for the second round in succession the Monkeys felt like they had a shot of at least the podium, especially when Barry put the kart on the 3rd row of the grid with an exceptional qualifying performance. After both my and Barry's stints we were running 2nd, but once again a botched pitstop cost us heavily as Mig suffered the indignity again of the kart refusing to restart. Mig showed immense character to then put in the most consistant stint out of the three of us to recover an 8th place finish, but from a personal point of view I'm very disappointed. Having gotten the better of both Carl and Stef in ACS during my stint it was gauling to see them come home in 2nd place entirely down to another rubbish pitstop by us. The championship table could have had us 5th, now instead we're 12th and effectively the season is over at the half way stage with three 8th places our best result. We're back for Round 5 in just two weeks time so we really need a good result.

 

08/07/09 - Third Time Lucky Next Year Maybe?

It was yet another fantastic experience over in France with the many Buckmore faces making the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans to take part in the 24 Hour endurance race at the Circuit Alain Prost that sits beside the famous Porsche Curves of the Le Sarthe circuit. After early promise, running as high as second at the half way stage Mig and I along with John Mahoney, Justin Dobson and Dave Hearne in the Buckmore Thunder kart were ultimately to be left a tad disappointed to finish in 5th place. Jack Harding, Stuart Jones, Gerrard Hubbert, Graham Gillham and Grant Wright were also left thinking what might have been as they finished one place further back in Buckmore Lightning after a very late mechanical setback. On a personal level I came away very happy however as my own pace was consistantly fast throughout the weekend with only my sparring partner Jack pipping me for the fastest lap by 0.1 seconds for either team. Congratulations once again go to Si Rudd, Russell Crowe and Joe Flay for retaining the title. Next year however I feel there might be something special in the Buckmore camp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01/07/09 - The return to Le Mans

Okay, I'm using the same picture I used last year but hey I spent many minutes of my time Photoshopping that!! Anyway, it's that time again where a good chunk of the Buckmore club up sticks and naff off over the channel to France to take part in the Le Mans 24hr kart race. The teams are similar to last year with only a couple changes, most notably my Toughmonkey team mate and buddy Mig joining my squad for this year's assault. Having finished 4th last year and narrowly missing out on a podium by less than 2 minutes after 24 hours of racing we're very determined to bring home something to show for our efforts. As before there are two official Buckmore teams, Thunder and Lightning, plus several others featuring Buckmoronions such as Adrian and Carl Matthews plus Stef Robinson returning as ACS, Andrew Mollison and Geoff Lamb in Blue Lizard Racing and of course defending champions Equipe Vitesse featuing Si Rudd. Allez le Buckers!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

06/06/09 - Ups and Downs in first C100 enduro for Cool, Flash & Lawsie

Being the new boys on the street we knew we were going to be up against it at Bayford Meadows this weekend for the first outing for Cool (Steve), Flash (Jack) and Lawsie (erm, me). I was a complete virgin to the track, a point hammered home in the race briefing when my hand was the sole limb aloft when JV asked if there were any drivers who had not raced there before. The scale of the task ahead of me was growing larger by the minute especially as we were entered into the Clubman class, second only in rank to the Premier class who were also in the race. Despite this ranking it didn't stop Jack putting the pussy firmly amongst the winged rats by sticking our kart on pole to much jubilation in our particular party. The race was to slowly go downhill from there as we lost significant time during the fuel stops due to a threaded fuel cap which refused to go on. This led to a total loss estimated to be at around 2 and a half laps which robbed us of a chance of a podium and possibly a win. It was a dissapointment but we know that the performance is there to be able to compete at the sharp end.

17/05/09 - Man of Steel Summer Championship Round 3

An evening of changing weather saw Mig come home with yet another strong finish at Round 3 of the MOS championship, finishing in second position behind winner Stuart Carlyle. This does see Stuart leap ahead of Mig in the overall standing at the halfway point of the season but only on number of race victories as they currently are tied on points. Plenty to play for there. Putting their rivaly aside Stuart has agreed to sub for Barry in the September round of the Elite Championship and he'll be very much welcomed aboard the good ship Monkey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14/05/09 - New Club 100 Endurance team

Well I’m not often left struggling for words but today was one of those occasions. Completely unexpectedly I got a message from friend but great rival Jack Harding of Elite Championship leading team CFM asking if I’d like to join him and fellow CFM driver in a three man assault on the remaining rounds of the Club 100 Endurance Championship. Of course the only answer I could give to that was yes. This is a similar format to the Elite however takes place at circuits around the country and not just at Buckmore. Naturally I will continue my partnership with Mig and Barry in the Toughmonkeys team in the Elite Championship, and continue racing against Steve and Jack. But for 6 races I’ll team up with Jack and Steve to form Cool, Flash and Lawsie. Steve won’t do all the races, but for those he’ll be deputised by Radical GT racer Andy Greenfield who I raced with at Le Mans and is just as talented. This is a very exciting opportunity and can’t wait for the first event in June.

 

03/05/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 3

Might this be the one that got away? For the first time this season the Monkeys enjoyed a first class kart which promised lots but didn't quite deliver in qualifying giving us a rather lowly 16th position on the grid, compounded by Mig getting taken clean out on lap one and putting us three quarters of a lap behind before the race had barely started. A stirling drive back up through the field followed by Barry setting consistantly quick times got us back into contention. I took over the reigns and all looked peachy for at least a 4th place and possibly a fight for the podium until the exhaust blew apart costing us nearly two laps while it was replaced. Barry's final stint also saw him pick up what was universally credited as being a very harsh black flag which saw him cross the finish line in 8th place. It was still a thoroughly enjoyable race following a disasterous start and we were all setting not only quick but consistant lap times, my 46.04 putting our kart as the 4th fastest out there as opposed to the 4th slowest from last month. Well done to Jack, Steve and Dan for their hattrick of wins and many thanks to Adrian and Stef of ACS who bump started my kart in the pit after the exhaust was fixed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28/04/09 - Round 3 of the Elite Championship this weekend

It doesn’t seem like a month already but the Monkeys head back to Buckmore for the third round of the Elite Championship this weekend. After the disappointment of the first two outings we’ll be looking for a much improved performance. Barry has prepared a new strategy which I won’t disclose now for fear of others copying its brilliance. If it goes wrong naturally we’ll all throw things at him and tell him to try harder next time. Mig will be riding high on the back of his excellent championship leading start to the Man of Steel season and looking to show everyone just what he’s capable of. And me, well I’ve been camped in the gym these last few weeks in an attempt to shake off the winter excess. Le Mans is only just over two months away so like many of my team mates for that event I’m losing weight and working on building up my stamina. I’m quickly heading back down to my optimum weight of 10½ stone but it does mean I’ve had to purchase a couple of kilos of extra lead ballast for the kart to ensure I don’t go below the minimum weight required of the Elite rules. I’m feeling very good and really looking forward to getting back in the kart on Sunday.

 

19/04/09 - Man of Steel Summer Championship Round 2

It was another fine performance for Mig as he retained the lead of the Man of Steel heavyweight championship with a fine second place in the second round. At the moment he's the star of the team. Keep it up dude!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

05/04/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 2

“Oh bloody hell that didn’t go well” would be the politest way of summing up round two of the Elite championship. An underpowered kart coupled with two pit lane stalls saw the Monkeys end their worst ever race as a team down in a lowly 14th position. May we never talk about this ever again.

 

15/03/09 - Man of Steel Summer Championship Round 1

After the disappointment of last weekend in the Elite Championship Mig returned to the track in the first round of the summer Man of Steel championship and showed exactly what he's capable of by taking pole, fastest lap and race victory in the heavyweight class. His fastest lap also sets a new lap record for the new RX7 Sport karts in that class. Ruddy well done Mig.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/03/09 - Buckmore Elite Championship Round 1

It was all going so well. Round one of the new Elite championship saw us starting from 11th on the grid and make steady progress up the order over the opening laps under Barry’s guidance at the wheel. A monsoon hit the circuit as I took to the track but keeping cool yet quick as others struggled saw us leading the race for a long period of time. Pit stop gremlins were to rob us however as lots of time was lost waiting for assistance from the pusher karts to get us going again and Mig was disappointed to drag the kart across the line in 8th place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22/02/09 - Buckmore Elite Practice Session

Ahead of the Elite Championship that begins next month the Club 100 guys gave us the opportunity of a shake-down test that many took with open hands. Sadly for me, as with the awards dinner, I was to miss the event as I continued my recovery from tonsillitis. Standing in for me was my Le Mans team mate Justin Dobson who did a sterling job of impersonating me I’m told. Slow then was he?

 

21/02/09 - Buckmore Park Annual Awards Evening

The annual awards dinner is always a jolly event and I was very much looking forward to attending with TC and joining Barry and Bianca to collect our trophies for finishing in second and third place in the Team of Steel event. Miguel was unable to attend due to pesky music industry related antics, and sadly I was forced to cancel my plans to travel to the event. I’ve been laid up in bed for the last fortnight with tonsillitis and have barely eaten a thing in that time so driving the 340 mile round trip wasn’t really on the cards. Barry had a ball however as you can see, picking up our trophies from former F1 driver David Brabham. I’d better win something next year and get invited back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15/02/09 - Man of Steel Winter Championship Round 4

A big congratulations to Miggins who has claimed 2nd place in the Man of Steel winter championship tonight. He finished in 4th place in the heavyweight category in round 4 which secured the runners-up slot behind champion Adrian Matthews who I also throw my hands together at in a sort of clapping motion.

 

21/11/08 - Man of Steel Winter Championship Round 2

Hearty congratulations to Miggins who claimed victory in round two of the winter Man of Steel championship tonight. He came home just in the lead of the heavyweight category and now takes the lead of the championship, which is just reward for being the only Tough Monkey driver who has braved the cold and taken part in any racing this winter! Keep it up Mig.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30/11/08 - Buckmore Park Star Pupil 2008

The annual Buckmore Star Pupil took place this afternoon and while my day was a pretty none-event with two spins in the enduro event scuppering any chance of my obviously rightful claim to the title it was Barry that flew the flag for GP Tough Monkeys. He claimed a superb 2nd place in his enduro race plus took a further 2nd place in one of the sprint heats too. This earned him a place in the final shoot-out where he finished a very creditable 6th and went some way to making up for my relatively poor showing. I’ll also throw lots of congratulations in the direction of Jack Harding who took the overall title of Star Pupil 2008 following a very successful year, and also to his team mate Steve Brown Jnr who was a very close 2nd.

 

09/11/08 - Buckmore Elite Trial Event

I’d forgotten how good these things are. Today was the trial running of next seasons Elite Championship event which saw the many Buckmore faces get to drive the Club 100 karts around the hallowed tarmac for the first time. So much faster and responsive than anything else we get to play with, we had a great deal of fun. We were thankful of the practice as there were a lot of teething problems for the team with problems getting the kart to re-fire after the pit stops. We did climb from a disappointing 17th on the grid to finish 9th but we feel there is a lot of potential to do well in this series. Before the racing began we had a rather unique gathering of all the stars of Buckmore on the lawn for a photo opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28/09/08 - Website Has Traditional Annual Facelift

It's becoming a bit of a tradition now that I give the Tough Monkeys website a make-over every year and this year is no different. I've done this for two reasons, the first of which being new content to go with the formation of GP Tough Monkeys ahead of the 2009 Buckmore Elite Championship. The other reason being that I am well that the latest releases of the various internet browser applications were throwing up issues with running the site. I am happy to say that the revised website is stable and consistant across all major browsers such as the latest Internet Explorer (v.8), Mozilla FireFox and the new Google Chrome.

 

21/09/08 - GP Tough Monkeys confirm 2009 line up

It's been a very fruitful year since I joined up with the Team GP stable, securing the championship in both the Thunder and Pro classes during the winter Team of Steel, and it looks at the time of writing that we will take 2nd and 3rd in the summer season. Barry, Miguel and myself have formed a great bond both on and off the track and it will come as no surprise to all that the three of us will be remaining together to take on the challenge of the new Elite Series at Buckmore park next summer. Despite applications from several excellent drivers to join the team we have decided that tactically we would be in the strongest position with a three man team. We do thank those who approached us and saw enough potential in us to want to join us. The most significant change for the 2009 season will be the team name, bringing together the GP legend and my own race identity to form the imaginitively titled GP Tough Monkeys.

 

10/09/08 - 2009 Elite Series Confirmed

Following feedback from club regulars Buckmore has announced the introduction of the Elite Series for summer 2009. In a pioneering agreement the Elite series will see the well respected Club 100 team supplying 100cc 2 stroke karts for an 8 race championship, based on a 2 and a half hour endurance format. The news has been met with a great deal of excitement and anticipation amongst the seasoned pros at the club as the championship promises faster, consistant and more reliable racing than we've endured of late. Unlike the current fleet of Thunders the Club 100 karts will be prepared especially for our event, meaning that they will not have been subjected to a week of abuse by corporate events as happens with the Thunders. New to the club championships at Buckmore is the introduction of an enforced minimum weight, a much debated subject historically. The super lightweights will be required to carry ballast to bring their overall weight up to an even level to that of the heavyweights. The series is only open to experienced drivers, and the feeling is that this is going to be a very special event to be a part of.

 

06/09/08 - Monsoon turns race into damp squib

3rd place on the grid suggested a good race ahead despite the wet conditions, however my kart began to lose speed and I began to lose places as the conditions worsened. Realising that I had nothing to lose I pitted for a new kart and was soon back on the pace and climbing up the rankings. The rain turned to a monsoon and as darkness fell over Buckmore visability became virtually nill and only my familiarness of the track and frankly balls out driving kept me heading roughly in the right direction. With the new kart under me, I was loving the farcical conditions and didn't want the evening to end. Although I only finished 8th, it was a good night for the other half of Team GP as Barry and stand in driver Lee Belbin drove brilliantly to come home 2nd. With Jack and Steve winning for the 4th time this year it leaves the championship virtually out of our reach, but GP will be looking to tie up 2nd and 3rd at the season finale next month.

 

02/08/08 - No repeat of last months heroics

I was bursting with confidence ahead of round 6 of the TOS but a stonking mid race headache, and chronic exhaustion brought on by a pig of an understeering kart meant that my charge from 7th on the grid up to a high of 3rd slowly petered out into a 5th at the flag. My kart for the evening was quick in a straight line but refused to turn into a corner and after two hours of having to wrestle it into every corner I was utterly broken. Two rounds left and the championship is starting to look like a long shot, but we're still there fighting.

 

12/07/08 - Solo Victory in 2 hour

Less than a week after spending nearly 8 hours stampeding around Le Mans I was back home at Buckmore but still had the taste for some serious enduro action. Having lost Ian Charles as a team mate Team GP is now a three man outfit in two teams. After pre-race discussions I volunteered to do the sole stint in GP07 while Barry and Miguel would take the wheel of GP86. In qualifying I struggled initially to get used to the Thunders having spent so much time in the Prokart at Le Mans, and having come in to evaluate the situation I discovered that the fuel tank was leaking and I was sitting in a pool of fuel. That sorted I had one more attempt at qualifying and took the animal up to 5th on the grid, with Barry sitting right behind me on the grid. The race start saw me quickly climb into the top 3 and I was to have a massive scrap with Barry for the first twenty minutes until the pit stops. Miguel took over in GP86 and was battling for the lead when I joined the party. Mig saw me on a mission, and let me take a shot at the leader who I took immediately with the help of a backmarker as he swung left and I swung right down the pit straight and held the inside line. From there I was able to pull away and after two tiring but utterly enjoyable hours I crossed the line 27 seconds ahead of Steve Brown, who also was driving a solo fight. What a night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

08/07/08 - 24 Heures Du Mans

Awesome. Absolutely awesome. The best experience of my life. Just some of the words I’d like to throw at you to describe my five days in France. Clan Buckmore descended on Northern France to take part in the Le Mans 24 hour kart race and I can honestly say it was the most fun I’ve had over such a long period of time. From Wednesday evening when I left Derby till 1:43am on Tuesday morning when I got home it was simple fantastic.

I was part of Buckmore Thunder, a five man team that joined Buckmore Lightning as the official teams of my race club under the management of veteran racer Steve Hall. Three other teams in the race would feature Buckmore drivers and all drivers taking part were fast and capable, and most had taken part before. I was a Le Mans virgin and after a few sighter laps I was soon on the pace and getting quicker all the time. We qualified 8th in class and I would start the race, and following a monsoon midway through the session I ended my first stint in 4th place. A second stint as the sun set and another as the sun rose helped keep the team in the top five. A late tactical decision saw me being the only Buckmore driver to go for a fourth stint and put in a late charge for the podium, which we missed by only a minute and a half. 4th place overall, the best Buckmore team finish ever, and close to 8 hours at the wheel left me exhausted and buzzing in equal measure. I feel that I’ve developed further still as a driver, my stamina being pushed to its limit yet my concentration levels and consistency were beyond anything gone before. My stock amongst my peers at Buckmore has raised further still and I’ll take with me many great memories of the camaraderie experienced with everyone in our large team, without exception. If my invite comes for next year then I’ll be grasping it in both hands.

 

01/07/08 - The countdown to Le Mans

It's now the Tuesday before the big event. It seemed so far away but the kart event of the year is now just days away. I'll be heading down to Justin Dobson's gaff on Wednesday, and from there on to Portsmouth for the ferry crossing where we'll meet up with Grant Wright. We arrive at La Harve on Thursday morning and a couple of hours later we'll be in Arnage, just a few miles away from the legendary Le Mans circuit, where we'll meet up with the rest of the Buckmore crews who will have come a different route. There's going to be many of my mates heading frog side so aside from the anticipation of racing I'm expecting it to be the social event of the year too. Rock on!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01/06/08 - Another difficult race for Team GP

It's not been plain sailing these last few races, I've got to say it. After the domination of the winter series and great start to the summer season it's gone a little flat these last rounds. A reasonable qualification was blown out of the water when I was stranded on the outside of HP2 avoiding a melee on the first lap and dropped out of the top ten. We spend the rest of the race fighting back up the order for damage limitation, eventually following home the sister kart in 4th. Hopefully next month might see a return to the form we've become used to. On top of this, Ian has been offered a job as a race director at Buckmore.....congratulations to him on this, however it causes Team GP a problem as it's likely he'll no longer be allowed to compete due to conflict on interest issues. We'll see how this develops in the run up to the next round.

 

05/05/08 - 2nd place in first ever 2 Stroke outing

What an experience this was. Invited to join great Team of Steel rivals Corner Cutters, home of father and son Joe and Paul Rook, and also joined by Buckmore superstar and Rotax regular Jack Harding we took part in the Bank Holiday's Club 100 meeting in the Karting Challenge championship at Lydd. Club 100 run a fleet of 2 Stroke karts that are about as different to the Thunders that I normally drive as it's possible to get. Direct drive (so no clutch to keep it from stalling), engine revs more akin to a high performance motorbike and cornering ability that can rip your face off it was a baptism of fire as we gatecrashed the regular teams in the 3 hour endurance race. Jack was simply brilliant and put the kart 2nd on the grid, and we were all able to keep the kart in that position until the chequered flag (despite my spin about 4 laps from the end as I desperately tried to catch the leaders). The karts were awesome and I loved every second of it, and although I was as critical as ever of my mistake towards the end as I got tangled up lapping a back marker I was able to take great satisfaction in being able to post a lap just 0.067 seconds slower than Jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

03/05/08 - Difficult race for Team GP boys

Finally the sun shone on the summer series of the Team of Steel, but it wasn't shining too brightly on the Team GP gang. Both teams struggled with uncompetitive karts and qualified much further down the grid than we've come to expect. Racing in the GP07 kart I dragged the unwilling beast up from 13th to a high of 2nd at one point due to other karts pitting, but 6th place would be our lot as Barry followed Miguel closely home as GP86 took 5th. In many respects it was a good case of disaster containment, but we'll be looking for a great improvement in the 4th round.

 

05/04/08 - Team GP 2nd and 3rd in Round Two

A big grid featuring many great teams saw Team GP facing a difficult evening, with changing weather conditions throwing in a little touch of extra spice. Two of the club's best drivers in Steve Brown Jnr and Jack Harding had paired up and were always going to be the biggest threats, and so it proved to be as they led home Mig and Ian in GP07 by only 6 seconds after two hours of racing. Following a difficult early phase of the race myself and Barry managed to steer GP86 to 3rd place and after the first two rounds the team hold the top two spots in the championship. So far so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01/04/08 - Road Trip to the 'Ring

My mate Lee and myself this weekend fulfilled a long ambition and drove our cars around the hallowed track of the Nordschleife at the Nurburgring. The pairing of his Williams Clio and my RB5 Impreza covered 1,297 miles in four days taking in 6 countries including an overnight stop in Paris as seen below. And despite a full chat tour of the 'Ring the Scooby returned unscathed and needing not a drop of fluid replaced. A truly devastatingly good car. A full blog and footage of the trip will be posted on the website shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24/03/08 - 2nd in Bank Holiday 6 hour marathon

One half of the Team GP stable, Miguel and myself, joined together in the Bank Holiday 6 hour race at Buckmore in a Thunder kart. Despite a relatively small turnout, those teams present were of the highest quality and even under the impromptu team name of Plato's Power Rangers and the incredible snow blizzard we were able to come home in 2nd place just behind last year's champions.

 

09/03/08 - Victory in season opener for Team GP

Coming into the Summer series as Winter champions Team GP once again entered two teams featuring the same four drivers that have proved so successful. Barry and Mig took the seat in GP07 while GP86 would for this race be Ian and myself. On a very wet night at Buckmore we finished qualifying 2nd and 3rd on the grid and I was able to claim the lead around the outside of the opening corner. I was relegated to 2nd by a flying Carl Matthews but Ian was able to reclaim the lead during the second hour to grab victory in the opening round. A very entertaining evening.