Total Karting Zero Summer 2021 Championship Review

Round 1 Clay Pidgeon Raceway

Round 1 of the Total Karting Zero summer championship brought us to clay pidgeon raceway just down the road from Froom and Yeovil where famous racing drivers like Jenson Button and Lando Norris honed their skills around the legendary circuit. The Saturday practice and Qualifying was in torrential conditions while the Sunday races were in drying conditions.

The weekend didn’t get off to a great start as an issue with the kart in qualifying meant we started in p2 which was the worse of the two sides of the grid to start on. However, this wouldn’t matter because on the start of heat 1 the kart didn’t start and the engineers had to reset the kart to get it going again this lost me a lap but I managed to fight my way back to p7 at the flag. In this series where you finished in heat 1 is where you start in heat 2 so I would be starting p7. I made a flying start and was p3 by turn 1 I then passed the leaders into hands hairpin before opening up an 8 second lead by the flag. In the series the average of your finishing position of the first heats used for the starting position for the final. I started p3 but ran wide and fell to the back 20 seconds off the lead but I set 5 purple laps over the course of the race to climb back and take p2 only 10 seconds off the lead when I crossed the line. This placed me 4^th in the championship.

Round 2 Hooton Park

The second round of the season took us to Hooton Park in Liverpool. The weather this weekend would be very hot and dry over both days. This would be a mix of fast flowing and technical parts of the track making it amazing and challenging to drive.

Opposite to last time out the weekend started well by putting it on pole position by 0.019 of a second and averaging 42.2 mph around the lap. This meant I would start on pole position for heat 1 which after amazing defending by me I held on to take the win by 2 seconds. Because I won the first race I started on pole for heat 2 and won again but by only 0.4 of a second with an average speed of 42.9 mph. In the final it went very well the person who was on me all weekend had and issue and the person who was In 3^rd for a lot of the day his chain came off leaving me to take the win and the fastest lap with an average speed of 43.1 mph over the course of the race.

British championships

This weekend we were invited to race at the British championships the most prestigious karting series in the world. It was to be at Mansell raceway a track set up by Sir Nigel Mansell CBE who raced in formula 1 in the 80s and 90s and won the 1992 world championship. The track is located in Honiton and is a very technical track.

In qualifying for the high pressured event I put it on pole by 0.14 of a second with a time of 58.25 which would put me in the ideal starting position for the race on Sunday. I then followed this up with a win in heat 1 by 8.4 seconds over my closest competitor. This then put me on pole for the second race where I showed my defending again to hold off the charging pack by 0.4 of a second over p2. In the final the top 3 were bumping and barging but I managed to just get the win by 0.11 of a second.

Round 3 Mansell Raceway

The third round of the Total karting zero championship like the British champs round also takes us to Mansell raceway but unlike the previous round it was hot and dry which makes for different racing than in the wet.

In qualifying I made a mistake on my final lap meaning pole slipped through my fingers by 4 tenths of a second but I did get fastest sector 1 of the whole session. In heat 1 I made a lightning start and took the lead but got hit and was sent round but I sliced through the field at times 3 seconds faster than anyone else and fought my way back up to p2 only a second off the lead. In heat 2 my kart didn’t start again and I had to reset it dropping me half a lap behind but I fought back to take p6. From starting p4 I made my way through to take p2 at the flag to cap off a good but disappointing weekend.

Round 4 Stretton circuit.

Round 4 of the championship takes us to Stretton Park in Leicester. The weather would be hot and sunny all weekend and the results would also be good.

Qualifying went well as I put it on pole position with a time of 39.798 seconds which was the ideal place to start on the grid as it had the ideal line into turn 1. In heat 1 I dominated with a lap 2 seconds faster than the rest of the field and pulling out a sizeable gap over p2. Then came Heat 2 where I once again won but only by 1 tenth of a second over p2 but this secured me pole for the final. The final was a bit worse. The start was good but the kart didn’t want to turn in for t1 and I lost the lead I then fell back after a spin but managed to make my way back up to 2^nd after an eventful race.

Round 5 Thruxton kart racing circuit

Round 5 of the season brought us to the Thruxton circuit just down the road from Stonehenge and just behind the main circuit this weekend would be plagued with trouble for us but at least the weather was warm and dry for the whole weekend.

In qualifying all was good and qualified in p2 only half a tenth off pole and an average speed of 42 mph but in heat 1 it all went downhill. After avoiding a collision at the start I began to be down on power I managed to hold of the chasing pack but then exiting turn 1 it all went wrong when the chain came off instantly putting me out of the race. This meant I had to start last for heat 2 where I got stuck in traffic that was weaving all over the place and not letting me through this was a huge setback because it meant I only finished 6^th instead of catching up to the leaders. For the Final I started 6^th but had a bad start before avoiding an accident dropping me down I then got stuck again before overtaking them to take p5.

Round 6 Rowrah Circuit

This would turn out to be an amazing weekend for us as we managed to get good results throughout the weekend. The weekend was dry on Saturday for qualifying but torrential for the Sunday races. The Rowrah circuit (Cumbria Kart Club) is located in a quarry and is one of the best and well know race tracks in the country.

In qualifying I had fastest lap for a long time before getting traffic on my last lap and just getting pipped to pole by half a tenth with a time of 1 minute and 2 seconds. In heat 1 I put the polesitter under pressure off the start and he made a mistake into hairpin 1 and I eventually won the race by 33 second and getting the fastest lap. In heat 2 I started from p1 and won again by 26 seconds with once again the fastest lap. This meant for the final I would start from pole and I made it 3 from 3 by winning the final with the fastest lap securing p2 in the championship after a good year of racing.

29th September 202114th February 2022

Total Karting Zero Summer 2021 Championship Round 6

Rowrah

Cadet Group 1 Qualifying

Dixon-Coen takes pole by 2 tenths with a time of 1 minute point 96 over sparrow in 2^nd and Leach in third. Then came Winfield, Garret and Gray with Chapman and Woodrow rounding out the grid.

Cadet Group 2 Qualifying

Collinson snatches pole by half a tenth over Wes who got a bit of traffic on his last flyer meaning he has a lap less when the track was at its best. McQueen was third with Matthews and Dixon. With Hilton and Winstanley rounding off the grid.

Cadet Group 1 Heat 1

Leach wins a dramatic race which saw the leader Dixon-Coen misjudge the wetness of the track and spin out dropping him to 4^th. Garret Just missed out in second by 0.12 of a second with Winfield another second back. Dixon-Coen was 4^th with gray in 5^th. Chapman was 6^th and Sparrow was 7^th having a nightmare with the changeable conditions catching him out with Woodrow in 8^th

Cadet Group 2 Heat 1

Wes dominates the race winning by 30 seconds and averaging 3 seconds a lap faster than second placed Dixon and 1.4 seconds faster than third placed Collinson. Then came Winstanley, McQueen and Matthews with Hilton rounding off the result.

Cadet Group 1 Heat 2

Dixon-Coen bounces back from the mistake in heat 1 to win by 2 tenths of a second over Ellis Garret Who himself had Winfield right behind him. Sparrow also recovered after a catastrophic heat 1 to take 4^th with Gray in 5^th. Leach followed with Woodrow and Chapman rounding off the grid.

Cadet group 2 Heat 2

Wes wins one again by 26 seconds over Collinson who started third and McQueen was the third placed driver. Dixon dropped to 4^th with Matthews in 5^th. Then came Hilton and Winstanley to round it off.

Cadet Group 1 Final

Dixon-Coen wins with the fastest lap In front of Garret who was 6 tenths off the win in 2^nd with Leach in third. Then came Sparrow and Winfield with Gray a bit further back in 6^th. Then came Chapman and Woodrow to end off the race.

Cadet Group 2 Final

Wes makes it 3 from 3 to win again in pouring wet conditions by 24 seconds averaging 4 seconds a lap quicker than second placed Collinson and 2 seconds a lap quicker than Winstanley who came home in 3^rd. Dixon got a strong 4^th with McQueen a few seconds back in 5^th. Then came Matthews and Hilton to round off the day

1st July 202114th February 2022

Total Karting Zero Summer 2021 Championship Round 2

Hooton Park

Round 2 of the Total Karting Zero 2021 championship comes to the Hooton Park circuit located just outside Liverpool on the North West coast of England. The temperature was very hot and sunny which is good for racing. The track has 8 turns 3 to the left and 5 to the right making a very fast lap with an average speed of 42 mph.

Group 1 Qualifying

Gray puts in a fast lap on lap two to take pole for Heat 1 on Sunday. The pole lap was 69 thousandths of a second faster than his closest competitor of Garrett who did his fastest lap on lap 3. Leach put a third fastest lap 2 laps after 2 tenths off the pole sitter. Collinson and Chapman were 4^th and 5^th respectively and then quickly followed were Winstanley, Hilton and Mansfield with Matthews rounding off the grid.

Group 2 Qualifying

Wes steals pole with a late fast lap time after a full course yellow for a crash early on so it was a one lap shootout. 2 hundredths back was Coen with Winfield behind just in third. Sparrow got 4^th with Parry in 5^th. Then came Sansom, Clay and Woodrow with Johnson rounding out the grid.

Group 1 Heat 1

Leach wins with a storming drive through the field from 3^rd on the grid to win by 11.8 and seconds over originally Gray but he got a 3-place penalty for contact with a back marker dropping him to fifth and elevating Garrett to 2^nd with Chapman up to 3^rd. Collinson was 4^th with Gray in 5^th. Winstanley was 6^th and Hilton was 7^th. Matthews was 8^th and Mansfield round out the race.

Group 2 Heat 1

Wes wins a chaotic race by 2.3 seconds over Dixon-Coen who got the fastest lap and Winfield only a tenth behind Dixon and 7 seconds in front of Sparrow in 4^th Parry and Sansom came next with Clay right on their tail. Woodrow was 8^th with Johnson in ninth.

Group 1 Heat 2

Leach makes it 2 from 2 as he wins by 18 seconds with the fastest lap and an average speed 1.6 mph faster over the course of the lap and he led every lap. In second was Chapman and in third was Collinson. Originally 4^th was Gray but a five-place penalty dropped him to last with Garrett taking the spot. Winstanley was 5^th with Hilton 6^th with Matthews and Mansfield following in front of Gray.

Group 2 Heat 2

Wes also makes it two from two with a nail-biting win by 4 tenths over Dixon-Coen who got fastest lap with Winfield 1.6 back in 3^rd. Sparrow followed with Parry behind in 5^th. Sansom came home in a good result of 6^th with Clay a bit behind him. Woodrow was 8^th with Johnson just behind in 9^th.

Group 1 Final

Chapman get a surprise win after Leach dominating the heats but he got a bad launch and Chapman defended beautifully to win by 3 tenths of a second. Garrett was two tenths back in third with Collinson on his heels 3 tenths back who was being hounded by Gray with the fastest lap. A bit behind this fight came Hilton and Winstanley with Matthews and Mansfield rounding off.

Group 2 Final

Wes clears up and wins by thirteen seconds and the fastest lap over Sparrow in second. Dixon-Coen was third after dropping back with a kart issue but then it resolved and he fought back to third. Parry was fourth with Clay in fifth. Sansom was sixth and Woodrow seventh with Johnson eighth. Winfield was ninth after his chain came off while fighting for the lead and lapping backmarkers.

30th June 20211st July 2021

Total Karting Zero Summer 2021 Championship Round 1

Clay Pigeon Kart Circuit

Round 1 of the Total Karting Zero championship comes to clay pigeon raceway where drivers like Lando Norris and Jenson Button honed their skills. The track is located near Yeovil in Dorset in the south-west of England. The conditions were bad as the rain came down on the legendry circuit.

Cadet Group 1 Qualifying

Joel Dixon-Coen smashes in a lap good enough for pole position ahead of Cory Chapman and Harrison Leach. Dixon did a lap time of 48.924 to clinch pole by nearly half a second. Max Winfield got a good result in 4^th who was closely followed by Mead, Ampofo-Anim, Sparrow, Warner and Hilton.

Cadet Group 2 Qualifying

Ellis Garrett puts it on pole over Coombs and Ampofo-Anim. Garrett was fastest in all sectors and did his fastest lap on lap 6 of 6. In fourth was Gray and fifth was Parry. Clay was 6^th closely followed by Sansom and Woodrow.

Cadet Group 1 Heat 1

Dixon Coen wins by 6.2 seconds over Ampofo-Anim and Leach. Next came Warner and Chapman who was leading the race for a long time before spinning off allowing Dixon-Coen to take the win. Then came Mead with the fastest lap and fastest sector one. Chapman had the best sector 2 and Dixon-Coen got the fastest sector 3.

Cadet Group 1 Heat 2

Garrett wins by 15 seconds and the fastest lap with the fastest sectors 2 and 3. Ampofo-Anim came home in second with Parry on third. Fuchsel was 4^th backed up by Clay and Sansom. Wes was next after losing a lap off the line because the kart didn’t go but he made a great recovery to 7^th with fastest sector 1. Gray and Woodrow rounded off the grid.

Cadet Group 2 Heat 2

Wes wins from 7^th on the grid fighting his way through the field and grabbing the fastest lap with the fastest sectors 1 and 3 as well. 8 seconds back in second was Garrett with the fastest sector 2. Another 3 seconds back was Ampofo-Anim with Gray rounding out the top 4. Then came Fuchsel, Parry and Woodrow with Sansom and Clay retiring.

Cadet Group 1 Final

Dixon-Coen makes it a clean sheet with the win but interestingly not the fastest lap or any fastest sectors because they all went to Mead in 5^th. Chapman will be delighted to come home in second after a long fight with third placed Winfield who only finished 9 tenths in front of Sparrow in 4^th. Then came Mead, Leach, Warner, Hilton and the only non-finisher being Ampofo-Anim.

Cadet Group 2 Final

Garrett wins with fastest sector 2 over Wes who was stone dead last after lap 2 but fought his way back through the field setting 5 fastest laps in 8 laps, he also fastest sectors 1 and 3 on his way through the field. Ampofo-Anim was less than a tenth behind in third and rounding out the top four was Fuchsel. Gray was fifth after late contact with Parry setting him back. Parry came in sixth with Woodrow, Clay and Sansom rounding off the field.