Introduction

With the new season approaching fast, I thought it was time to wind the clock back to 2003 and review the season and nominate my Top Ten (now a time honoured tradition!) drivers in each class, those that nearly made it and those that didn't deliver! Ill also touch on an array of emerging talent in both classes and look forward to the 2004 season, giving my predictions for race winners and overall champions. No further intro required, let's get straight into my top ten in the Heavyweight class.

Heavyweights

Actual Championship position in brackets.

Just missing out on my top 10:

• Kieran McCullough


• Gary Howse


• Sashca Viets

1. Paul Hicks

Coming into the last round, I was unsure who I thought was top dog in the HW class and after qualifying it looked even harder to predict with Stuart Symonds on pole and Paul Hicks at the back of the grid. But there were two things that happened that day that made me give my top slot to Paul. Firstly, I thought he managed the pressure really well and he acted like a champion all day, even when things weren't going his way. Secondly, regardless of winning the race or not, his opening lap was stunning and I think most of us knew that he would probably do enough, even from grid 20, to finish in the top 4 and clinch the championship. As it happened, he rounded off that great start by going on to win that A final, clinching the championship in style and securing his maiden title in the process.

I sort of think he deserved the title anyway, having led the championship from round 1 and he always seemed to have the upper hand, even when he went through a lean spell at Birmingham and Rye. For me, he really showed his potential from the word go, winning at round 1 after soaking up a lot of pressure right through the race and he then went on to storm from the back of the grid to 6th at round 2. He finished 4th at round 3, losing second on the last lap, this being one of only a handful of mistakes I think he can be criticised for throughout the entire season. His mid season form won him the championship in my opinion, a stunning third at GYG from grid 9, a second at Lydd (when re-run at Clay later in the year) and a fine win at Ellough Park at round 8. He seemed off-form at BW and Rye, but even then he battled hard (more so at Rye) to score valuable points towards his overall total. In fact his worse finish all season was 9th, and other that, his worse was 6th proving how consistent he was all season.

Off track, I think he truly believed in himself this season (maybe not at BW) and he looked like a champion from early in the season. He learnt from his mistakes of years gone by, rode his luck when it fell in his lap and drove a number of championship winning races, none more so that GYG and Buckmore Park (both races). I don't think he was necessary any faster than Stuart or Brian, but he was the person that made fewer mistakes and kept out of trouble. His consistency was second to none and his celebrations after clinching the title way beyond anything I have witnessed before! All in all, I'm really please he won it, I think he is worthy champion and one that other HW drivers should aspire too in terms of his clam approach, his consistency and his ability to turn it on when it counts. What price a second title in 2004?

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2. Stuart Symonds

In my eyes, Stuart was the man that was always going to give Paul a run for his money in 2003, but yet again there were just too many races when he didn't deliver the goods, whilst Paul was always up there in the top 6. This is the key difference between them, both are best in class in the wet, both can win races from the front or by coming through the pack and both have the pace and attitude (and desire) to be champions. But when you pick Stuarts season to bits, its still full of 'if onlys' and 'buts'. Having said that, it's fair to say that he suffered from some bad luck - taken out at turn 3 at Bayford on the opening lap, taken out with a broken track rod whilst heading for pole at Rye while a similar incident put him in the B final at Ellough. Three rounds, three bad scores and that was the difference.

There were other faults as well, I thought he drove a poor A final at the re-run Lydd race and he is accountable for the spin in the A final at the final round. These poor showings or mistakes need to be eliminated in 2004, but that aside (with some luck) he knows the title is fair game between himself, Paul and Brian in the coming year. Focusing on the more positive side of things, Stuart is the ultimate club driver, fair, sporting (qualities also prominent in Paul Hicks and Rob Hart I should add), keen to help others and always looking to enhance the club with new ideas. On track, he drove brilliantly at Birmingham Wheels to win the A final and his drive at Clay (round 7) was impressive as well, not to mention his qualifying at the final round.

He knows what he has to do in 2004, and he also knows that all the other up and coming drivers (who started around the same time as him in 99 have won the championship, leaving him as the only leading driver not to have clinched a championship. It's a pressure year for Stuart, he really has to prove he can hook a season together and win the title, and there is no doubt in my mind this will be his overriding ambition for the year ahead. I think he has the pace to match or better Paul and Brian, it's just those few silly mistakes and lacklustre performances that he needs to work on. In summary, best season to date, two great wins (in the dry for a change!) but still scattered with too many 'off' days.

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3. Rob Hart

Rob will question his place below Stuart, but it really came down to his ability to win races in 2003 (or not as the case may be!). What Stu needed was Rob's consistency, whilst Rob needed Stu's ability to win the odd race. Rob scored six third places during the season and one second, but he really needed more seconds and the odd win to boost his championship tally to take him within true striking distance of Paul. This was a much improved performance from 2002, but he just didn't have the pace to match Paul or Stuart in my opinion, either in the wet or the dry.

Unbelievably, he didn't even win at BW, but he did secure pole and may well have won had his kart not been lacking on bottom end on that occasion. His best drives probably came at Whilton Mill and Lydd (re-run from round 5) whilst his season was ruined by two non A finals appearances at Round 11 and GYG (the latter after being taken out by an apologetic Symonds in the heats). His qualifying was much improved on the past year but he didn't seem able to charge from the back of the grid like he used to, with the exception of a storming drive at round 1.

The most worrying thing about this season, was the lack of pace in my opinion although you have to put this into context and understand he is still one of the top 5 fastest drivers in the class, but I fear he is in danger of falling into the same trap as Mark Terry who has gone past his prime (although still a great driver) in terms of his ability to win races and championships. The question for 2004 is can he find those extra few tenths to get back on the top step of the podium and is he as hungry as Paul, Stuart and Brian who are likely to be the men to beat in 2004. Time will tell, and no one will be happier than me to see Rob win again in 2004. Good overall result, bounced back well after a poor season in 2002 but not enough pace to realistically challenge Paul and Stuart.

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4. Brian Trott

If ever there was a driver that suffered from 'champion's luck' then it was Brian Trott. I predicted that James Winslow would be champion this year, but I qualified it by saying that Brian would win again if James didn't contest all the races (which he didn't, although he did win 2 out of the 4 races he attended!). What happened on so many occasions in 2003, was that Brian was simply taken out or involved in other people's accidents even more than the luckless Gary Howse!

He won in fine style by dominating at Whilton Mill, simply running away with the race for the second year in a row. He won again at Clay at round 7, this time battling back past Symonds to make it two wins in 2003. Apart from that, he missed one round, got disqualified from another and spent the other races mainly coming through from the back or recovering from being taken out early in the race! He certainly hasn't lost his pace, although I think Paul and Stuart have caught him up a bit and he is still one of the best overtakers in the business. He simply has to put this season down to bad luck and I know he will bounced back to his best in 2004. Poor overall result, two great wins but a season to forget!

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5. Paul Kaye

When it comes to great memories of 2003, I immediately think back to watching Paul score his maiden victory at Rye House at round 10. He secured pole twice, once at Bayford earlier in the season where he went on to finish a great third, but he made sure of victory with a faultless drive at Rye, leading from start to finish and looking very happy about his first (of many I predict) race wins in C-100. I've known Paul since about 1997 and this has been a long time coming but I think he suffered from being 5 KG's heavier than the other top drivers, until later in the season when he shredded the weight. This contributed to his win at Rye, but this was a race won on merit and I think the paddock was equally thrilled to see Paul win.

He made every A final, had 2 fourths and 2 fifths and was always in the top 10 accept at GYG and Ellough where an incident between himself and Rob saw him spin out whilst challenging for yet another podium. With all the praise over and done win, Paul now has to consider how he can 'up' his game plan to challenge the likes of Paul, Stu, Rob and Brian for more race wins and the championship and much may depend on how much Turkey he eat over Xmas! Joking aside, he has the confidence, pace, ability and desire to win, I sometimes think he is a tad over aggressive, but this was a much improved performance from any other season and one where he finally delivered the result that we all knew he was capable of.

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6. Phil Ingram

Another great memory from 2003, was seeing the likeable Phil Ingram score his maiden C-100 race win after a hectic race at the re-run Lydd event. Phil secured pole at Lydd back in June, only to have the A final cancelled as the track was flooding. The race was re-run at Clay in August and he superbly held off both Paul Hicks and Rob Hart to win his first A final. This was a great performance, going one better than his second at Clay in 2002 and he was another very popular winner that day. Phil is one of the most likeably people in the paddock and he is a driver that just gets on with his racing, never moans about anything and is a fair, clean and sporting driver. Its always touch and go if he comes back for the following season and we can only hope that he is back on the grid when the season kicks off again in Feb.

Apart from his win, he had a number of top 6 finishes and was a consistent top ten driver, only once failing to make the A final and this being very debatable after a rather unfair penalty at the final round demoted him 3 places after he had finished second in the B final. I don't think (race win aside) that he has the outright pace to be a champion, but he has proved that he is a top driver after finishing 6th overall for the second year in succession. Phil always pops up at least once a year on the podium and I'm sure this will happen again in 2004. Great season again, superb maiden victory at round 5 and please, please find the funds and time to race again in 2004.

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7. Liam Hegarty

Maybe a surprise to some people, but this was the year that Liam Hegarty proved he has the pace and ability to mix it with the top drivers. It took a while, and things didn't really fall into place till the second half of the season when he took a 5th at Ellough followed by a brilliant second at Rye and a third in the wet at Buckmore Park. The first half of the season saw him struggle a bit, but the problem seemed to be that he was getting involved with others and coming off or getting tangled up in accidents. This was a little hangover from years gone by, where I felt that Liam was perhaps over driving and almost 'desperate' to get results rather than building up to them.

Once he calmed his driving down and became more consistent, the results came flooded in and provided he can maintain this new found calm approach, I think the results will continue. He has the desire to do well and I think he is a driver who may well win an A final in 2004 although he still has a lot of work to do before he can claim to be a championship contended. Hopefully we have seen the last of the tantrums in the pitlane, this was a side to his driving that I didn't like, but I accept a lot of this was frustration that he himself sorted out in the second half of the season. A brilliant second half to the season, two great results and I think we have seen the arrival of a future race winner.

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8. Mark Terry

The saddest thing about 2003 was that this may be the last time we see Mark Terry contest the championship. After 11 years (only equalled by the 'Old Man' himself - see below!) Mark has pretty much decided to call it a day and focus on some other forms of Karting although he didn't rule out the odd race appearance sometime in the 2004 season. The trouble for Mark, is that his heart just doesn't seem in it and I suggest that he may not enjoy it as much as he used too. He has achieved so much over the years and I have utmost respect for a person that is probably still the most successful HW driver of all time. He was champion back in 97, runner-up three times and has scored about 10 race wins in his C-100 career, probably more than any other HW driver over the years.

This was a tough season, although he was always there in the top 10 or there abouts, but the pace was missing and the best result was a one off podium finish at Buckmore at round 1 when he hassled Paul Hicks all the way, finally taking second place. He qualified well on a number of occasions, but failed to turn these high grid positions into results although 4th at Rye was more like the old Mark Terry. He made every A final as you would expect, was always consistent and continued to be the clean and sporting driver he has always been. C-100 will never be the same without Mark, but he has set the benchmark for others to follow in terms of race wins and achievements over the years.

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9. Tim Hill

My top ten's are never complete without the presence of the old war horse himself, Mr Hill. Tim didn't quite have as good a season as in 2002, but he showed he still has the pace and can lead races and score good results on his day. This he did at Ellough, leading for 2/3rds of the race before being caught and passed by Paul Hicks. Tim hasn't won an A final for a while now and he has to remember that opportunities are few and far between nowadays, so it was perhaps a little disappointing for him to concede his lead so easily to Paul at round 8.

That race aside, he took a 4th at BW and numerous top ten finishes, but he was not a consistent top 5 driver like perhaps he was the previous year. I didn't think the pace was there this year and neither was the qualifying. Too many times he came off in the heats (not always his fault admittedly) but we didn't see some of the charging drives that we saw from years gone by. So, the old silverback lives on and is now the single longest serving driving in C-100 and in reality (despite a poor season) he is still a top driver who can mix it with the best on his day. Average season, one good result, can undoubtedly do better!

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10. Dave Lewis

Like him or loathe him, Dave Lewis is still a very quick driver capable of winning races but incapable of curing the curse of the 'dark side' which seems to haunt him more often than not. Yet again we witnessed a number of unnecessary outbursts off the track, the worst at Rye when he decided to call it a day, not even bothering to race at the final round of the season. It seems a waste of effort to repeat the things I have said about Dave in the past, but it remains frustrating to watch a talented driver throw away any chance of championship success by not realising that he is the problem, not everyone else!

This was a poor season all round, the results from 2002 didn't really materialise this year, his best effort a storming drive up the order at round 3 where he came from mid field to take second place on the last lap whilst a strong second to Stuart Symonds at Birmingham wheels was enough to prove he still had the pace as the season drew to a conclusion. He also took a third at Clay at round 4, but he missed round 5 and then failed to make the A final at Ellough. This sequence of bad results dropped him to 15th overall but I still placed him in my top ten because he is still a top driver who will continue to score good results in years to come although I fear the championship will always elude him.

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Just outside my Top Ten.

• Kieran McCullough
• Gary Howse
• Sashca Viets

There are a few drivers that just failed to make my top ten, mainly because they just didn't get the results I felt they were capable of in 2004. Admittedly, Gary Howse scored his best result of his career with second at GYG, this after securing pole for the A final before being outgunned by Symonds on lap two of the A final. This aside, he didn't really get the results he should have, but 10th overall was an improvement on previous years. I expect more from Kieran McCullough this year, his karting CV indicating that he really has the potential to be in the top 5 on a regular basis, but aside from a stonking drive at the final round, he didn't deliver. He had two more top six finishes but seemed to be embroiled in so many incidents throughout the year that he frequently found himself way down the grid when the A final started.

Sascha Viets made a great start to the season with a second at Whilton Mill, underlining my belief that he had wasted years in the LW class battling against drivers clearly faster due to their weight advantage. This was a popular result in the pit lane, but he never emulated this as the season went on and only competed in 8 out of the 11 races, although he made the A final each and every time.

Those that didn't 'cut the mustard'

• Dave Pethers
• Jon Luik
• Chris Simpson

No excuses here, these three drivers are capable of so much more and just didn't deliver in 2003. Chris put in his best ever performance to take a hard earnt 4th at round 3, and although the pace was there, he never really hooked it all up again as the season went on. Pethers managed 2 x fifths this year, but never really took the leap forward that the likes of Liam Hegarty and Paul Kaye did. He was consistently in the top ten, but his qualifying frequently let him down as did the end result. Jon Luik was his own worse enemy this year, frequently getting involved with others and driving over aggressively when on the track. He needs to keep his nose clean this year and focus on clean overtaking moves and staying out of trouble, after which I think the results will come. Take it on the chin lads, room for improvement in 2004!

Those making Progress.

• Seb Swamy
• James Child
• Tony Barson
• Steve Atkins

Of all the above, it was Seb Swamy that really stood out as a driver of the future. Unfortunately, his season was ruined by his overly aggressive driving on track, something he needs to correct in 2004. He needs to take a look at the likes of Symonds, Hicks and Hart and realise that results will come, but you have to be patient and learn from those more capable at the sharp end of the grid. Never the less, the important thing is that he has the pace, confidence and desire to achieve great results in years to come, but needs to curb his over enthusiasm before the season starts.

James Childe started the year well with a stunning 6th at the first round, but after that his season fell apart as he struggled to consistently make the A final. He corrected this in the second half of the season, but he never seemed to have the pace to match what we witnessed in the opening race. Never the less, he is making progress but 2004 is a make or break year where he has to break into the top 5 in terms of race results. Tony Barson made some progress this year, but yet again failed to really make a consistent impression in the top 10. He now has the experience, and 2004 will be all about getting in the top 10 and trying to qualify further up the grid for the all important A final.

Steve Atkins was pretty impressive this year, competing in only 8 races and taking a career best 7th at round 2, thereafter finishing mid field in every A final he competed in. He is still over aggressive on track, but I think he is starting to combine a bit more pace with the recognition that he needs to be less aggressive, especially in the heats. Steve will break into the top 10 overall if he does a full season in 2004, provided he calms his driving style down a little.

And what about the rest?

• John Thompson
• John Diffey
• Spencer Walker
• Mike Bodnar
• Spencer Fortag
• Pete Harris
• Martin Gurnett
• Steve Waghorn

John Thompson had nothing more than a very average season this year, missing the last two races in the process which didn't help his cause much. He was (as always) a regular A finalist and found himself in the middle of the A final most of the time. He didn't seem to have the pace of seasons gone by, maybe the old boy is finding the going a little tougher as the years roll by! John Diffey missed the first three races, but then he turned in his best performance for a number of years, capping this with a season best 6th at the final race.

Mike Bodnar only competed in 7 races, and wasn't able to recapture the form he showed towards the end of 02. He was a regular in the A final whenever he raced, but found the going tough as he struggled to make it much higher than mid field. Spencer Walker had a good season, probably his best to date, although it's fair to say he didn't really get his act together until round 4. Spencer Fortag seemed to come to life in the second half of the season as he became a regular A finalist, this after a pretty poor start to the season. He started to establish himself as a mid field A finalist but still has a lot of work to do before he breaks into the top 10.

Pete Harris looked quick on a few occasions, but spent too many races back in the B final. Two 12th's were his best of the season (in the A final) but this was no better then in pervious years which was perhaps a little disappointing. Martin Gurnett did better than expected, especially in the first half of the season when he seemed to be a regular in the A final. He faded a bit as the season went on, but ended up in the top 30 overall which wasn't that bad, all things consider. Finally, it was great to see Steve Waghorn have a full good races this year, something he really deserved after a lot of bad luck the previous year.

2004 Predictions.

The Heavyweight class is so difficult to predict. There are 4 or 5 drivers capable of being champion and each year seems to get more competitive. This year I'm going for 2002 champion Brian Trott again, although expect Paul Hicks and Stu Symonds to make it a thrilling three way battle for the championship. Stuart is probably the hungriest of the three, having never been champion before, whilst Paul is bound to suffer from champions luck as others have done in the past!

I expect Stuart, Paul, Brian, Kieran McCullough, James Winslow (in for at least round 1) and Dave Lewis to be race winners with Gary Howse, Rob Hart, Paul Kaye, Phil Ingram, Tim Hill, Liam Hegarty regular visitors to the podium. In terms of up and coming drivers, watch out for Seb Swamy, Simon Mace (up to the HW class - yes!) and James Childe and lets hope we get a further injection of new talent this year to spice things up a bit.