TVKC 2014 and NKF - Round 1 - 6 April 2014

The first rounds of the Trent Valley Kart Club Championship and also NKF took place on 6 April. Samuel had only raced here once before, late 2013 and had only managed a few practice days so he still had a lot of learning to do on the track. Plus the Honda grids are huge (35 for this race) which was a little daunting although by the end of the weekend he had risen to the challenge.

The first heat was wet and he started 22nd, finishing 29th. The track had largely dried out by heat two and he set a one minute 10.06 second lap, just dropping one place to 25th. Heat three he started 5th and finished 24th but went marginally quicker with a 1:10:03 lap.

Samuel started 29th in the final and had his best finish with a 23rd and also set his fastest time of the weekend with 1:09:65.

The NKF Championship was held at the same time as the TVKC club race but as we don't yet know how many Honda Cadets are entered, we don't yet know where Samuel finished or how many points he collected. Round 2 will be at Rowrah.

MBKC 2014 - Round 3 - 23 March 2014

Round 3 of Manchester and Buxton Kart Club Championship took place on 23 March and the weather was more spring like than the previous round.

The random grid placings saw Samuel start 4th in the first heat and finish 3rd with a fastest lap on the club circuit of 51.20 seconds. He then finished in 2nd in the second heat with a faster time of 49.70; third heat he again finished second from a start position of third and almost went sub 49 seconds with a 49.13 fastest lap.

In the final he started third due to his heat finishes and retained the place across the finish line but managed to go even faster with a 48.70 second lap.

Photos are taken from the MBKC Facebook page.

CKRC 2014 - Round 2 - 16 March 2014

Round of Cheshire Kart Racing Club Championship and the Cheshire Oaks Trophy and Samuel started with maximum points from round 1 the previous month. Through all three heats he dominated the field with a 7 second lead in the first and a 14 second lead in the second heat. Even after starting 4th in the third heat, Samuel had moved up to second by the end of the first lap but after a tustle in lap two, of which he came of worst, he dropped to 4th place but by the 5th lap he'd regained his lead.

He crossed the finish line with an impressive 17 second lead but he actually set his fastest lap time of the day in the second heat with a 43.13 which meant he had taken the fastest lap of the day and set another season lap record for the track.

Here he is on the podium along with the top Honda Novice and the Comer winner.

CKRC 2014 - Round 1 - 16 February 2014

The first round of the Cheshire Kart Racing Club 2014 championship took place on 16 February. It was rather cold - typical February weather! The random grid placings placed Samuel at different grid start places across the three rounds however he finished in first place for each of them with progressively quicker times - 49.79, 45.42 and 44.72.

In the second heat he finished a clear 5 seconds ahead of the next placed driver and set the fastest laps in both heats one and two.

In the final he started first and finished first with a 6 second margin to the second placed driver and in the fastest time of the day (setting a new season lap record) with 44.27. The final wasn't without drama - in lap 7 he dropped back to 2nd place but pulled it back by the tenth lap.

And here he is on the podium with his first place trophy

Cheshire Kart Racing Club Championship Presentation 2013

The Cheshire Kart Racing Club 2013 Championship presentations took place on Saturday 18 January. Samuel collected the Honda Cadet title and was presented with the winners trophy inscribed with his name (he is the first Honda Cadet winner!), a trophy to keep and also a large colour print of him on track.

MBKC - Round 11 - 24 November 2013

24 November was the final race of the season at Manchester and Buxton Kart Club, and not sure if it was the cold, but Samuel was not quite his usual racing self.

He was the 4th Honda in heat 1 (11th from 13 overall with Comers) and then third in heat 2 (10th from 13 overall).  Heat 3 he set his fastest time of the day with a 48.68 second lap on the Club circuit; he finished third again and again 10th overall.

For the final he started in third place for the Honda's and maintained that position throughout the race.  Trophies were awarded only to first and second places so unfortunately he didn't get a trophy but picked up valuable Championship points.

Samuel - IKR 2013 Champion - Honda Cadets!

After the race at Cheshire Kart Club, we made our way over to the Three Sisters race track for the IKR Championship presentation evening.  Despite not competing in the final round of the year, Samuel secured first place in the Honda Cadet Championship!

And here he is with his first place trophy!

And if you're counting, that's his 16th trophy of the year!  And the second one of the day!

His next race is next weekend at the same race track but Manchester and Buxton Kart Club Championship where he is currently 2 points behind 3rd overall place in the Honda Championship!

Cheshire Kart Racing Club Championship - Round 10

Busy weekend!  Samuel raced at Cheshire Kart Club round 10 in the Championship and he went into the race with a slim 8 points lead in the Championship.

In heat 1, Samuel started 3rd on the grid with the Comer Cadets, finishing 2nd in the Honda's and 5th overall.  Heat 2 he started 4th and finished as 2nd Honda again with a 47.27 second lap which, considering the time of year was not too bad.

In the final he won the Honda Cadet race, improving his lap time with 44.84. Here he is with his first place trophy:

And with his team mates - Jordan took top Honda Cadet Novice and Aaron took top Novice in his class too!  So a good weekend for CKS!

With winning the race, Samuel has actually won the Honda Cadet Championship at Cheshire Kart Club!  He will be attending the awards ceremony early in January to collect the Championship trophy!

Straight after the trophy presentation we had to go to Three Sisters race track in Wigan for another presentation......

Cumbria Kart Racing Club - Round 11

After the practice day at Trent Valley Kart Club on 1 November which he enjoyed, Samuel took a trip up to Rowrah and Cumbria Kart Racing Club over the weekend of 10 and 11 November.

This was his first time racing at Rowrah and he really enjoyed the track.  On race day, Samuel started 8th on the grid (from 14 drivers) for the Honda Cadets and finished 8th overall with a time of 65.53 seconds which isn't too bad considering that the race didn't start until late morning as the track was covered in frost!

Heat 2 he started in 9th and also finished in 9th but with a faster time of 62.63 - just over 9 seconds behind the heat winner.  In the final heat Samuel started on pole due to the random grid placings but he finished in 10th place although setting a faster lap time of 59.26.

In the final, he started 9th but only completed 4 laps as his chain came off and he had to retire from the race.  Despite this, other drivers were less fortunate and Samuel was placed 12th overall.  His fastest time in the short final he raced in was 59.50.

Next weekend is a busy one - need to be in two places at once!

MBKC - Round 10 - 27 October 2013

Round 10 of the Manchester and Buxton Kart Club Championship and it certainly felt like October!  Random grid placings meant that Samuel started heat 1 in 5th place for the Honda's and he uncharacteristically finished at the back of the heat for the Honda's.

Heat 2 wasn't much better and he finished 4th for the Honda's and 11th from 14 overall.  The weather was not helping the track and it was wet in patches, however it remained that way and heat 3 Samuel finished as 4th Honda again and 12th overall.

He finished marginally better in the final with a 4th place from 6 for the Honda's and 11th overall as the grid was mixed with Comer engines.

Although it wasn't a podium finish, Samuel gained some valuable Championship points and is 2 points adrift from third place and is currently leading the Autumn Series after 2 rounds with one more to go at the end of November.

So its all still to play for!

Next kart time is 1 November when we take a trip to Trent Valley Kart Club and the PFI circuit to have a practice day.  Usually lots of Honda's and a new circuit to get to grips with - should be interesting!

Cheshire Kart Racing Club - Championship Round 9

Another weekend, another race!  This time Cheshire Kart Racing Club Championship round 9.  Three Hondas racing with six Comers.  Samuel's random grid positions behind the Comers meant that he started in 6th place for heat one (finished in 3rd - 2nd for Honda) then 7th for heat two (finished in 5th overall, 2nd for Honda) and then for the final heat he was placed 7th again and finished 6th overall but in first place for the Honda's.  He almost took the fastest lap in the third heat of all the Cadets - just 0.01 seconds behind!

Going into the final, he was second on the grid for the Hondas and managed to finish in first place and third overall and set his fastest time of the day - 43.86!

Here he is on the podium with the rather large first place trophy:

And with Ryan from CKS and Troy who took top Novice for the Comers.

His next race is next week - 27 October!

Samuel - IKR Championship Round 6

Round 6 of the IKR Championship at Three Sisters Racetrack, Wigan was on 12 October and on the Valley circuit.  Samuel qualified second out of the five Honda Cadets (5th overall) and also finished second in heat one (4th overall in all Cadets).  In heat 2 he again finished second for the Hondas and third overall.

And for the final he finished in second place for the Honda's and fifth overall out of all 14 Cadets as they all race together but are classified by engine.

So here he is with his second place trophy!

Next race - next Sunday at Hooton - Cheshire Kart Club!

Manchester and Buxton Kart Club - September - 2nd Place!

Another weekend, another race!  This time, round 8 for Manchester and Buxton Kart Club and the first round of the Autumn Series. 

After a disastrous rolling start for heat 1 when the IAME's and Honda's were red flagged and given a stern talking to by the Club, Samuel finished in 2nd place for the Honda's and a fraction of a second 0.03 behind the lead Honda.

Heat 2 he finished 7th overall, right in the mix with the IAME's and again 2nd Honda, matching the time set by the lead Honda. Heat 3 he went across the line as the third Honda - 0.07 seconds behind second place. 

The Honda's were split from the IAME's for the final and Samuel started in second place.  There was a bit of a scuffle at the first corner and Samuel ended up dropping back to 5th place with what appeared to be a difficult and testing drive ahead to take the lost places back.

By the time he crossed the start finish line for the second lap, he'd got himself into third position.  The second place driver seemed to be too far ahead but Samuel just kept going and pushing forward until he caught up. From then until the 15th and final lap, he traded places 4 or 5 times per lap with driver number 43.  And despite the very close wheel to wheel driving, neither of them made contact!

Samuel never gave up and pushed and pushed and managed to hold off the other driver and claim second place as they went across the line - Samuel was just 0.1 seconds in front of number 43!  And because he was pushing so hard, he set the fastest lap time of 48.35 seconds!

Here he is with his trophy along with his new CKS t-shirt!

 And with Ryan from CKS and Garrett who won the IAME class:

Next race 28 September - IKR round 5!

Manchester and Buxton Kart Club - August - First Place!

Another weekend - another race!  This time at Three Sisters, Wigan for the Manchester and Buxton round 8 race.  This was to be Samuel's last race as a Novice.

In Heat 1 Samuel finished first for the Honda's and 11th overall (from 17) in all the Cadets, moving up 4 places from his start position.  He set a time of 52.93 on the Valley circuit.  The heat was red flagged due to an incident at Valley and the driver didn't compete for the rest of the day.

Heat 2 Samuel he gained 3 places and again was the fastest Honda.  In Heat 3 he again gained 3 places, was the fastest Honda but the race was red flagged as another Honda driver tangled with Samuel forcing him off, leaving a streak of black rubber across the side of his seat.  Samuel was fine and drove back round to scrutineering.  Two of the IAME drivers were not so lucky at the same point at Valley and both had to be treated and neither raced in the final.

In the final, Samuel stormed home to take first place for the Honda's (and also Top Novice!) and here he is on the podium:

And if you are keeping tally, that is 3 trophies from his last 3 races and takes his overall total to 22 podiums and trophies in 20 months!

Samuel - IKR Championship - Round 4

Last Saturday saw Round 4 of the IKR Championship at the Three Sisters Race Circuit at Wigan and it was on the Valley circuit.

There were 12 Cadets in total and two Honda's.  Samuel qualified in 9th place overall and then finished 5th in heat 1.  5th again in heat 2 and in heat 3 he again finished in 5th place and set his personal best with a 52.679 second lap!

For the final he finished 5th overall and beat his fastest lap with a 52.421!  He also finished first for the Honda engines and claimed a podium finish.

He enjoyed the day and completed some smooth and carefully manoeuvred overtakes against other drivers with faster engines with relative ease.

Photo of him and Sam P on the podium:

The video below is from the final:


Next race is on 18 August at Hooton Park!

Manchester & Buxton Kart Club - Top Novice!

Samuel's second race as a Novice was on Sunday 28 July at the Manchester and Buxton Kart Club round 7 Championship at the Three Sisters Race track at Wigan.  This time it was on the Valley circuit and he did much better than the last round!  The weather was better too although it alternated between glorious sunshine and torrential rain!

There were 12 Honda Cadets in total and because of his Novice status he started either 11th or 12th on the grid for each of the three heats (pre-set grid positions).  Heat 1 he finished in 10th place, heat 2 8th place and heat 3 in 6th place.  This meant he started in 8th place on the grid for the final and he did much better with the rolling grid starts too!

He finished in 7th place overall and took the Top Novice trophy!

Next race is 10 August - IKR Championship round 4.

Cheshire Kart Club - Top Honda Novice!

Samuel took part in his second MSA race at the weekend at a familiar track - Hooton Park - which is the home for the Cheshire Kart Club.  He'd had a good day practicing on the Saturday so was prepared for the race on Sunday.

As a novice he was placed 7th on the grid (at the back) for each of the 3 heats and also the final and the Honda's raced with the Comer engines.

Heat one he finished in 3rd place with a 43.24 second lap, heat 2 he finished in 5th place and did a faster lap with 42.62 seconds (which is his fastest ever at Hooton!) and heat 3 he also finished in 5th but the track was beginning to cool and he did a 43.07.

Despite the reasonable finishes in the heats, because he is a novice, he had to start the final at the back.  Samuel made contact on the first corner of the second lap and spun off and although he managed to get going again, he had a huge gap to the next driver.  He had a few more uncharacteristic spins before the checkered flag came down and finished overall as fastest Honda Cadet Novice and 6th in the Cadet class.

And here he is with his trophy:

The race results can be found here.

Next race is on 28 July!

Another Podium For Jacob!

It was Formula Bambino Round 7 last weekend at Daytona Manchester.  There were 7 drivers in total and Jacob set the second fastest time in his first heat with a time of 33.805 seconds.  In his second heat he went faster (the track was warming up as it was really hot outside!) with a 33.393 fastest lap.

Combining the two times together, this gave him an average of 33.6 seconds and good enough for second place and a podium finish!

He's can only compete in one more Formula Bambino before he turns 8, so hopefully, he will do just as well in that as he has been doing recently!

Teachers Strike = A Day Karting For Jacob!

Teachers strike = a day karting for Jacob!  This was his first time on the track at Hooton Park in the Intrepid, which is now his kart as Samuel has graduated to a Project One.

Fortunately, Jacob is a similar size to Samuel so his wet suit fitted - typical that it rained on his first time out on track!  And for a change, it was Samuel who just had to sit and watch!

He really enjoyed himself and can't wait to go again!

First MSA Race

Samuel took part in his first MSA race on 23 June at Three Sisters for the Manchester and Buxton Kart Club Championship round 6.

The weather was rubbish - cold and damp.  Samuel qualified as the fastest Honda Novice with a 55.34 fastest lap.  Heat 1 was a challenge but he still managed a quicker lap with a 54.83.  Second heat he moved up to 17th from 21 drivers overall with a time of 54.38.  And the final he finished 7th out of 8 Honda's and 18th from 21 and set a faster time of 54.22.

It was the first time he'd done a rolling start as he is much more familiar with a standing start, so he learnt quite a bit which will, hopefully help him for his next MSA race on 21 July at Cheshire Kart Club at Hooton!

No pictures or videos of Samuel racing, but here is one of Jacob changing a tyre!