C-100 End of Season Review 2006 - HW
Introduction
As in previous years, I’ve put together an end of year season
review to keep you going through the early months of the year and
to get you back into the mood for the 2007 championship. As I say
every year, the opinions expressed within are solely mine and hence
you can like me or hate me for the things I’ve written about you
but try to take all of it as constructive feedback as others have
done in years gone past and feel free to make me eat my words if
you feel hard done by! One thing I failed to point out in previous
editions of this review is that I base my ratings and opinion on
how well a driver does compared to how well I believe they should
have done and also I put a lot of emphasis on results (wins and
podiums) and less emphasis on consistency although I except this
is also important over the course of a season.
I’ve also made some of my now famous predictions about the season
ahead although it’s much harder to do this for 2007 given the introduction
of the Premier class so I’ve limited my predictions to those left
in the HW class which I think is going to be a cracking championship.
Ill pen a separate article with my predictions for the Premier
class before the season starts.
I’ve continued the ‘best race’ and ‘worse race’ category for
those in the top 10 and this relates to what I consider was that
driver’s
strongest/weakest race performance of the year. In the main,
I’ve limited my review to the drivers who finished in the top 30
overall
but pulled in one or two others from outside the top 30 for reasons
you can read about later within this review.
Of course, at the time of writing the championship had yet to
be decided due to the postponement of round 11 last year but I’ve
based my top 10 etc on results and performances to date. The actual
final championship positions are therefore not included in this
review but I’ve identified the current (after round 10) positions.
Heavyweights
Current (not final) Championship position in brackets.
1 (2) Brian Trott
2 (1) Jamie Jakins
3 (3) Phil Ingram
4 (5) Sam Garford
5 (4) Marc Craddock
6 (7) Stuart Symonds
7 (9) Lee Clackett
8 (6) Rob Hart
9 (8) Trevor Randall
10 (14) Chris Simpson
Just missing out on my top 10:
1. Brian Trott
Who knows how the championship will turn out but for me it matters
little because I’ve decided that Brian Trott is my number 1 rated
driver in 2006. There are two simply reasons for this, not that
I’m looking to justify my actions but I’m sure a few people may
be a little surprised at my choice. Quite simply, Brian was out
of the hunt after round 6 at Llandow whilst his competitors were
streaks ahead in terms of points and results. Most drivers would
have given up any chance of clawing back points but not Brian.
He knuckled down, won two races in style and took second at the
other two events, the most impressive of these coming at Rye as
he held off Marc Cradock for the best part of 10 laps. Secondly,
lets remember that Brian has no MSA background, no prior 100cc
karting experience and yet (in my opinion) he raised his game to
a point where he was as good if not better than 3 other drivers
in my top 5 who have years and years of top level karting experience.
After round 1, Brian looked like the only HW driver capable of
getting on terms with the new HW drivers (Craddock, Jakins and
Garford) as he charged through to 5th and before the end of round
2 he had justified this claim by taking pole and winning the race
with apparent ease. He made a complete mess of round 3 by spinning
out on lap 1, this after a massive charge up the order on lap 1
although it was all for nothing as he spun out before the lap was
over! An epic battle with Craddock and Randall did not go in his
favour at Clay but I was impressed how he retook third from Marc
at one point although I could tell this was a poor result by his
standards! I can’t remember too much about Lydd but 6th place was
no more than an average result and then he was punted out at Llandow
in spectacular but dangerous style leaving the three times champion
staring down the barrel of a championship gun!
With nothing to lose and plenty to prove he came out guns blazing
at round 7 and although he didn’t win he stormed through to finish
second behind Garford in what was the best race of the season.
He waited patiently for 2 or 3 laps at round 8 before the inevitably
clash between Ingram and Craddock opened up an easy route through
into the lead and once in front he was never headed. He took pole
and ran away with round 9 at Bayford, only Ingram able to keep
him anywhere in sight on this occasion and he then put in one of
the best defensive drives of the season to fend off Craddock and
do a damage limitation job as he lost three points to the on form
Jakins at Rye. Whilst Brian flourished and dominated the second
half of the season he was perhaps helped by the fact that his rival
(Jakins) was looking a little out of sorts and suffered a little
bad luck although Brain could easily claim the same for the first
half of the season.
All this leaves him 3 points behind Jakins when you drop 3 scores
and he has to beat Jamie and hope that the latter is at least two
places behind him at the final round, although he himself will
fail to overhaul Jamie if he doesn’t finish in the top 4. He has
the harder job to do for sure but he (as always) looked very rapid
at the abortive round 11 and it could go either way although if
I was a betting man I would put my money on Jakins assuming he
turns up at the re-scheduled event (see below). Anyway, regardless
of that, Brian deserves to be at the top of my list and he showed
true grit this year which was unrivalled by the others in my opinion.
Best race Rye House (Round 10)
Worst Race Rye House (Whilton Mill Round 3)
2. Jamie Jakins
OK, I accept Jamie is the championship leader and I accept is
the more likely of the two drivers to win the championship and
I also accept he both dominated the first half of the season and
has won more races than any other driver…….but I still think Brian
has outperformed him at times and certainly raised his game even
higher as he fought back from mid season set backs. Never the less,
this was a close call for number one status in my review and no
one should deny Jamie what a great season he has had although I
can’t help feeling he should have had it all wrapped up by now
and I think he knows that as well. 2005 was a learning season but
he was mightily impressive that year and he enhanced his 2006 Sprint
championship challenge by competing in the Endurance series with
Graeme, Paul and Marc this year that really helped him be on top
form come sprint day.
He won round one although in reality he was second behind Marc
although the record books will of course show that Jamie took a
maximum of 130 points. He was truly sporting that day, almost demanding
that the penalty be overturned as he really didn’t want to win
a race like that but even knows that rules are rules. An off in
one of the heats left him mid field at Rye and he struggled through
to 8th that day, not one of his best performances. He was brilliant
in the wet at Whilton leading for most of the race until having
to give best to Symonds at the end but he already had his eye on
the title and securing points and knew second was good enough.
He won again with what I consider was apparent ease at Clay, proving
how quick he is around Clay after struggling last year. He was
punted out at turn one at Lydd which was a little set-back but
then won in slightly controversy circumstances at Llandow after
a mid race coming together with Marc left the latter waiting for
the pusher kart whilst Jamie sped off for the win. I think he got
off lightly that day and I sort of sense from his body language
and the way he looked back after the incident that he expected
the penalty although just to be clear there was no intent to punt
Marc off, it was just an unfortunate racing accident. Maybe this
incident was his undoing as he then seemed to lose the plot a little
and it was the next three races that let Brian and Phil back into
championship contention. He spun out at Buckmore but maintains
he was tapped into a spin and this was probably the most damaging
result of all as a podium was beckoning at the time.
At Whilton he just didn’t appear to have the pace in the A final
and struggled home in 6th whilst he charged through to 4th at Bayford
after an off in one of the heats before stamping his authority
all over round 10 with pole position (with ease) and an easy, dominant
lights to flag win at Rye House, this result much needed at just
the right time. He has the luxury of following Brian home at the
final round and knows that Brian must finish in the top 4 if he
wants to overhaul his own points tally. The only problem for Jamie
is that his other half is expecting their second child around the
date of the reschedule event and there is some debate as to whether
he will be able to race but lets all cross our fingers and hope
it works out because it would be a hollow championship for Brian
without Jamie competing and it would be unfair for Jamie to miss
the race given the great season he has had and the fact that he
is on target to be the 2007 HW champion.
Best Race Rye House Round 10
Worst Race Buckmore Park Round 7
3. Phil Ingram
The driver who has really impressed me most this year relative
to what I expected has been Phil Ingram. I think he has raised
his game far higher than his peers and after a challenging 2005
he has bounced right back (think back to his 3 wins in 2004) and
become a championship contender although he needs both Brian and
Jamie to have a disastrous final round to end up champion in reality.
Admittedly he hasn’t won a race all season but 5 second places
are an outstanding credit to his ability to mix it with a host
of drivers much more experienced than himself. He led at Clay and
so nearly won at Lydd but maybe just maybe he will look back and
rue the chances he had at Buckmore (Round 7) and Whilton as they
were both races I think he should have won although that should
not detract from what he has achieved.
As in previous years, he started the year a little quietly with
an 8th and a 9th neither of which looked that impressive but a
charging drive through to 4th in the wet at Whilton was the stepping
stone to a string of podium results that were about to start at
Clay. Having led for a while, he had to give best to Jakins although
gamely hung onto the leader later in the race whilst he charged
through onto the tail of Garford at Lydd, so nearly finding a way
past the ex British champ on the final lap of the race. The Craddock/Jakins
incident gifted him second at Llandow although third was already
in the bag to be fair whilst I think he should have disposed of
Craddock early in the race at Buckmore and had he done so, I believe
he would have pulled away for an easy win that day instead of getting
shuffled back to 6th. His epic battles with Craddock continued
at Whilton and again had he made one of his early moves stick I
also believe he would have gone on to win that day but at least
he had a go this time rather than sit behind the race leader as
he did at Buckmore.
At Bayford he had a blistering start to slot into second behind
Trott but he just couldn’t quite get on terms with the eventual
race winner, just dropping a 1/10th or two here and there to end
up second again whilst an off in one of the heats at Rye left him
way down on the grid although he valiantly fought through to 5th
but it was a bit of a disaster as his two championship rivals finished
in the top 2 that day. When you look at the points tally, he has
to win the final race (nothing else will do) and hope Trott is
outside the top 4 and Jakins outside the top 7, an unlikely scenario
in my opinion but not an impossible one either. I think third is
where he will end up and I think it will be earnt on merit after
a truly brilliant season.
Best race Lydd
Worst race Buckmore Park Round 1
4. Sam Garford
What CLUB 100 needed this year was an injection of new blood and
what could be better than having an ex British TKM champion join
the club! My only concern was what sort of opinion Sam would have
of himself and whether he would bring any bad driving habits into
the club but (with the exception of round 2) I’ve been really impressed
at how down to earth he is, how he is able to laugh at himself
after making mistakes and how we has curbed some early overly aggressive
driving to became a well respected driver and club member in addition
to being a two times race winner in 2006. He did some stupid things
during the course of the season (cones, Llandow, half asleep at
the start at Bayford…) and he also was a little impatient at times
but when he delivered he did it in style, no more so than the brilliant
win at Buckmore in the summer which for me was the best race of
the season whilst his move on Craddock for the lead was one - if
not the - move of the season.
It started well enough by inheriting second at round 1, he like
Jakins adamant that he didn’t want to inherit second after Marc’s
penalty on the final corner. This was an impressive result as he
seemed to struggle a little in the heats and that was the story
of his season (in the main) although his first lap performances
were impressive and this is where his experience really put him
in good stead. He was overly aggressive at round2 in my opinion
and he looked to be a little out of control in the A final but
he acknowledged that and put in another charging drive up the order
at Clay to 6th after a race long duel with Winslow. Before this,
he made a fatal mistake of trying to struggle through a wet Whilton
race on an uncompetitive kart although I admire his staying power
that day when others around him threw it off the track or called
it a day.
Lydd was the turning point. He turned up confident of winning,
put it on pole (despite knocking over yet another cone in the heats!!)
and then (in the early stages) just drove off into the distance,
However, the rapid Ingram caught him up and was on his tail on
the final lap but Sam slowed him down and made Ingram try to go
the long way round onto the final straight and corners, a brilliant
bit of defensive driving as he took win number one. His performance
at Llandow was awful, he was half asleep all day and he crashed
out of the B final, a lesson learnt after a late night the day
before! However, at Buckmore I though he was a class act. He qualified
in the top 10, made a great start and edged his way to the front
and struck at the right time, putting a stunning move on Craddock
into turn one and then keeping Trott at bay over the last few laps
as he won what was the best A final of the season. He threw it
off early at round 8 after trying to overtake two drivers in one
shot and fell asleep at the start of the A final at Bayford before
spinning out in what was another poor performance. He went no better
at Rye and it looks like he will end the season 5th overall but
I wouldn’t bet on another Garford win as he seems mighty quick
round Buckmore Park. He needs to learn a few lessons from this
season (cones, starts, poor qualifying) but I think the Pre finals
will play into his hands in 2007 and if he does learn from his
mistakes (and if he decides to actually race in 2007) then god
help the rest of you!
Best race Buckmore Park round 7
Worse Race Llandow
5. Marc Craddock
Do I think Marc is the 5th best driver in C100? Do I think he
is past his sell by date? No. If anyone asked me the first question
I’d say he remains the quickest driver in Club 100 today and I
think he will bounce back and win races and probably the title
in 2007 but there is no getting away from the fact that he didn’t
deliver or get the results in 2006. Yeh he suffered with some bad
luck and I think incidents at Rye, Buckmore and Llandow took away
three sure fire wins but ultimately the buck has to stop with the
driver and these were only 3 of the 10 races so what really went
wrong? The pit lane gossip seemed to suggest that Craddock was
struggling, that life in the LW series was perhaps a lot easier
than in the HW class and that Marc always seemed to blame the kart
in the finals and there may be an element of truth in all these
statements but on his day he still a class act to me…
In my eyes (and everyone else’s I think) he won fair and square
at round one, taking pole and opening up an early lead that Jakins
and Garford could not reduce once they were through to 2nd and
3rd. He was heading for the front row at Rye when Winslow punted
him out and he won the B final before getting involved on the opening
lap of the A final and damaging his kart which limited his progress
that day. He was dreadful at Whilton, and committed the cardinal
sin of ‘giving up’ with a poorly handling kart after a spin early
in the race and he knows how much I detest that in a top driver.
I felt sure he would win at Clay but an average qualifying run
left him with too much to do from grid 10 (I think it was 10) but
he charged through to third, getting the better of Randall and
Trott in an epic battle for third. Third at Lydd was not really
what he wanted, having to charge through from mid field again whilst
he looked on top form at Llandow with an easy pole. However, yet
again, lady luck played her hand and an unthinkable coming together
with team mate Jakins left Craddock spun out at turn one around
mid distance and not really believing what he had to do to win
a race!
He secured pole again at Buckmore (Round 7) and led for a long
time before finally being outsmarted by Garford and Trott, whilst
he fought out a tooth and nail battle with Ingram at Whilton, again
having to give up the lead when Trott sneaked past the pair of
them although how he held onto third that day was a mystery to
me as he genuinely was struggling with the kart on that occasion.
He found himself once again having to charge up the order at Bayford
and again took third but left himself too much to do over the final
third of the race whilst no matter what he did, he couldn’t find
a way past Trott at Rye and had to be content with third once more.
I have a feeling he will win the final race; he has nothing to
lose and wants to put one across the others before the start of
the 2007 season. No debating this was a poor season by his standards,
no debate that he didn’t officially win a race but only a fool
would read the results the wrong way because Marc Craddock is still
the one beat in my opinion and he will rise again in 2007!
Best race Buckmore Park Round 1
Worst Race Whilton Mill Round 3
6. Stuart Symonds
The top 5 was easy, the next two a little more difficult but like
I said when I started, there is no getting away from the fact that
this is a results based business. Whilst I think Stuart had an
average second half of the season there is no doubting that he
had a good start to the year accumulating with a fine win in the
wet at Whilton which I think reasserted him as the wet weather
maestro! I think Stuart is a good top 6 driver but that (on current
form) is about it. He will shine in the rain and have the odd good
result but I don’t think he is in the same league as the top 5
above. It started with an average result at Buckmore but he turned
it on at Rye to catch Rob Hart half asleep when the latter was
overtaken by Lewis which allowed Stuart to sneak past into third
a few corners later.
Buoyed with confidence and grateful for the onslaught of rain
during round 3, Stuart worked his way through the pack, stalking
Jakins for a few laps around 2/3rds distance before passing the
latter with a lap or so to go. He then put it on pole at Clay but
a messy opening few laps and a slightly average kart saw him drop
right down the order, a good result dropped for sure. Lydd was
again disappointing, Llandow netted 7th, same again at Whilton
having been running up in the top 5 for most of the race. Bayford
was a little more like it as he charged through to 6th place whilst
(from memory) I think he was off on the opening lap at Rye and
therefore finished well down. Stuart now finds himself battling
for 6th overall with Clackett, Randall and Hart and there are only
a handful of points between the lot of them so it could go either
way although I’m sure Stuart is desperate to be the best of the
rest!
Best race Whilton Mill Round 3
Worst race Lydd
7. Lee Clackett
I remember watching the A final at round 1 and asking someone
“who the hell is that no 27 driver”. The reason for the asking
was that someone I didn’t know was putting in one top performance
to run with the likes of Hart and Trott and eventually finish 6th.
“That’s Lee Clackett” someone said… Who the hell is he I thought
until it was explained that he was a top Endurance driver in the
Premier class. I figured he was a Buckmore expert and would probably
never repeat that sort of performance after all, that sort of debut
is normally reserved for ex Super 1 drivers or alike. At round
2, he went one better and finished 5th and I was left eating my
words about him being a one race wonder, this bloke was already
the find of the 2006 season and I felt sure there was more to come.
Well, that didn’t happen at Whilton in the wet but sure enough
he was there again at Clay, battling in the top 6 for most of the
race despite losing out after getting a blatant nudge from Trott
at turn one early in the race.
Lydd was more of the same whilst Llandow was another of those
rare drops in performance that saw him resigned to the B final.
Buckmore was no better really but the best had been saved for Whilton
where he again battled with the leading drivers and nipped through
to 4th on the final lap when Craddock and Randall touched wheels
at the top of the hill. Bayford was a mid field finish, Rye yet
another stunning 4th place finish although it was clear to see
a little frustrating as the elusive podium appeared to just be
out of reach which was clearly his goal over the course of the
season. As noted above, he is in the shout for 6th overall but
regardless of what happens this has been a blinding debut season
and one that has established Lee Clackett as a front runner in
the Sprint series.
Best race Buckmore Park Round 1
Worst Race Whilton Mill Round 3
8. Rob Hart
There is no denying that a season without a podium is a bad season
for any top driver and this will hurt Rob very deeply but there
is no getting away from the fact that he just didn’t have the pace
in the A finals when it really mattered over the course of the
season. I thought his qualifying was excellent, better than many
of those above but he just couldn’t seem to convert this into any
type of result despite some brilliant defensive drives which continue
to be his other strong point. He held second during the early stages
of the opening race at Buckmore before having to give best to Jakins
and Garford but magnificently held off Trott for the final 5 laps
to take 4th. As Trott sped off into the distance at round 2, he
again valiantly defended from Lewis and Symonds but again lost
out to both of them over the course of the race. Whilton netted
a 6th in the final whilst he had to come through from the back
at Clay and this was a great drive, especially the opening lap
in which (from memory) I think he jumped up about 8 or 9 places!
On off at Lydd was yet another set-back whilst he lost 4th on
the final corner to Randall at Llandow which was a little novice
like for CLUB 100’s ace defender! Fifth again at Buckmore (probably
his strongest track) was fair enough but after qualifying third
at Whilton he just went backwards over the course of the race.
Bayford was not a lot better whilst he lost out right at the end
of the race to Phil Ingram at Rye House and had to be content with
6th on that occasion. Hard to pin point specific problems but he
remains a great driver and great qualifier but I just feel he lacks
the out and out pace of some of the front runners above to really
mount a serious title challenge or challenge for wins. That said,
I’m mystified how he never managed to take a podium this year after
a few great drives especially early on in the season, food for
thought maybe as 2007 approaches.
Best Race Buckmore Park Round 1
Worst Race Lydd
9. Trevor Randall
Like Rob, Trevor was disappointing in 2007 and was another driver
that never netted a podium despite finishing in the top 5 five
times over the course of the season. He had the pace on occasions
(Clay, Whilton round 8) but seemed to get outsmarted by others
and subsequently he never managed to convert a good race into a
decent podium result. The first three races were exceptionally
average from where I was sitting, whilst he seemed much more on
form at Clay a track he usually goes well at. He spent the race
dicing with Craddock and Trott and eventually split the pair of
them to take 4th although I can’t help feeling this could have
been an even better result had he not got involved in a rather
messy first corner (admittedly not his fault..) incident. He was
mid field at Lydd and then fourth again at Llandow but this was
a really good drive in my opinion as he muscled his way up the
order, stealing 4th away on the final turn from Rob Hart.
He was involved in what I consider was the best A final of the
season at round 7, as the top HW drivers fought over the lead at
Buckmore Park in the height of summer, just failing to get past
Craddock at the end of the race and having to be content with 4th
place once again. Fifth place at Whilton was perhaps a little disappointing
having run as high as third as they started the final lap, and
I feel he should have been third on this occasion, Marc Craddock
being slightly lucky to get away with a rather ‘harsh’ move on
Trevor at the top of the hill on the final tour. More good points
followed with a fifth at Whilton whilst he languished in mid field
at Rye House which leaves him in the hunt for 6th overall as noted
above. Not the best of seasons, a little lack lustre at times and
perhaps lacking in self confidence at times.
Best Race Llandow
Worst Race Rye House Round 2
10. Chris Simpson
Competition for the last place in my top ten was high. Maybe it
should have been Dave Lewis or Dave Pethers and both will feel
aggrieved for missing out but remember what I said when started.
This is all about results and all about performing above expectation,
both of which Chris Simpson did, neither of which the two Daves
did. True enough, Chris only took one podium and probably only
really performed at the sharp end 2 or 3 times but when it really
mattered he grabbed the opportunity with both arms and delivered
and I question if the others really did that. When the season started
I wouldn’t have given Chris a hope in hell of finishing on the
podium and if I wind back to Fulbeck in 2005, I remember watching
him walk away from a sprint race, despondent, fed up and ready
to jack in the sprint series for good. How glad am I he didn’t
and suspect he feels the same way because there is no (and I mean
NO) substitute for success in a Sprint event regardless of what
anyone else says…
So, the season started as usual, mid field results at round one,
edging closer to the top 10 at rounds 2 and 3 before some very
average results at Clay and Lydd. Nothing to write home about so
far, business as usual for Chris would have been my mid term report.
But all of a sudden, in sunny Wales, he came to life. I looked
down the A final grids and there was Chris Simpsons in the top
5. I thought to myself, great qualifying Chris, great possibility
of a top ten finish here whilst he obviously had other thoughts
about the outcome of the race…. He made a solid start, settled
into 4th and then jumped into third when Craddock and Jakins clashed
at mid distance. He had the pace, he wasn’t flustered and to cap
it all he was catching Ingram in second place. He ran out a comfortably
third and the whole club seemed to erupt into Simpson mania which
was great and just deserved. He followed it up by running in the
top 6 at Buckmore until an off dropped him to the back but he had
already made his point, it was a repeatable performance. The last
three rounds were not as impressive although 10th at Rye was a
step back in the right direction.
Not a consistently brilliant performance season long, but that
third at Llandow was outstanding and I think everyone was genuinely
delighted for him that day. More of the same in 2007 please Chirs…..
Best Race Llandow
Worst Race Bayford Meadows
Just outside my Top Ten.
The two Daves won’t be happy about this but when it came to choosing
between Chris Simpson and either one of them I had to go for Chris
for the reasons outlined above. For Dave Pethers this was always
going to be a tough season with the likes of Garford, Jakins and
Craddock coming into the class which meant some of the up and coming
stars were going to have a few extra front runners to contend with.
That said, the likes of Phil Ingram raised their game and dealt
with it but unfortunately Dave Pethers did not! When you look at
Dave’s results they are very consistent but they all centre around
the 6th to 10th place type position and that’s fine if it wasn’t
for the fact that Dave has been on the podium quite a few times
over the course of the last two seasons and this season there wasn’t
a podium in sight. He had 6 top 10 finishes but even he must be
disappointed that he just couldn’t seem to get on terms with the
front runners although maybe he was suffering from being a little
overweight at times which probably didn’t help matters.
Dave Lewis did manage a podium over the course of the season and
it was well taken 2nd at Rye during round 2 which saw him pull
off one of the great overtaking moves of the season as he outwitted
Robbo to snatch second away during a hard fought A final. He went
on to finish 4th at Lydd but in and around this time he had some
poor results from Whilton, Clay and Llandow and that really blew
a whole in any championship challenge he was hoping to mount. It
didn’t get much better over the latter half of the season and then
a coming together with Marc Craddock at Rye put a premature end
to his season due to the fact that he felt Marc should have been
penalised for what Dave felt was a blatant ABC and when the penalty
was not given he turned his back and headed home in good old fashion
Dave style! He vowed not to return at the final round (which he
didn’t) hence he will not contest the re-run on Feb 11th, preferring
to make a fresh start when the season starts again at the end of
Feb. As usual there were flashes of brilliance, a spattering of
fair results and the usual flair ups at times but this was defiantly
a below par year in terms of overall results and hence Dave Lewis
finds himself outside my top 10.
Those that didn’t ‘cut the mustard’
I looked up and down the championship results table but I really
could not justify putting any drivers in this category as most
of the rest of the drivers stayed a little static (in results terms)
whilst a handful defiantly made some progress as you see below.
Those making Progress.
- Mike Bodnar
- Gavin Knight
- Kevin Coombes
- Marc Laukam
Over the last few seasons I’ve felt that Mike Bodnor hadn’t really
done himself any favours and was starting to slip towards the back/middle
of the A final grid but I feel he had much better year in 2006
which resulted in a top 5 finish at Whilton whilst he also made
every A final he contested which was only 9 given that he missed
Clay early on in the season. He won a few heats and qualified much
better than in the past although there was the occasional B final
from which he inevitably qualified (most famously after that clash
with Sam Garford at Llandow!). He was heading for a solid top 15
finish prior to the re-scheduled round 11 and I think this is step
back in the right direction for one of Club 100’s long established
competitors. Gavin Knight continues to make progress although I
was expecting just a little bit more in terms of outright results
this year. He made every A final, and was usually up in the top
12/ top 14 at most events with the exception of round 10 (Rye House)
where he put in the best performance of his season to secure a
brilliant 7th place ahead of some well established players. That
result really saved him as far as my end of year review goes and
it underlined that he does have the pace and race craft to get
good results but he needs to turn this into a repeatable process
over the course of the season rather than just once a year.
After winning a race last year, the pressure was always going
to be on Kevin Coombes this year and he made a bad mistake when
the season started, believing he could be competitive in the LW
class assuming he could keep his weight off. He swiftly realised
this was a bad mistake and moved back to the HW class for the rest
of the season. The first few races were disappointing but he put
in a much improved performance at Lydd to take 8th place, much
more like the KC of old! Buckmore and Bayford (7th) netted two
more top 10 finishes and that’s a good result for Kevin in my opinion
and it underlines his potential as regular top 10 driver which
is where he should be given the fact he has now been racing for
3 or 4 years.
The biggest star outside the top 10 was (my opinion) Marc Laukam
who was simply outstanding at times, in particular at Rye House
where he qualified on the front row of the grid after a brilliant
qualifying performance. Such a good performance raised everyone’s
expectation for the coming races and he struggled to deliver such
results for a while, seemingly stuck in a rut in the B final until
he made it into the A final once more at Buckmore Park. He then
ended the season with a career best 11th and 12th at the final
two races of the season which underlined his early season success
and proved he is a future star within CLUB 100. I believe he will
be a real championship contender when the HW season kicks off and
I expect plenty of podium finishes from Marc along with a probably
championship challenge.
And what about the rest?
- Paul Kaye
- Peter Harris
- James Childe
- Jamie Bird
- Tim Hill
- Nick Bilsborrow
- Tony Barson
- Steve Waghorn
- Barney Langley
- Martin Gurnett
- Spencer Fortag
- Steve Jennings
- Paul Jennings
- Billy Taylor
This is my category for those that neither had a great season
or a really poor season but are worthy of a mention anyway. As
you can see there are plenty who fit this category and its perhaps
a little disappointing that so many are in this category which
also proves how difficult it is to make progress in a highly competitive
class. Lets start with Paul Kaye who has been an A final winner
in previous years but he finally gave up the battle to keep his
weight off and moved into the SHW category which many viewed as
‘pot hunter’ territory! He only contested 7 races and failed to
make the A final at Llandow but he pulled one of the surprise results
of the season with a great drive to third place in the wet at Whilton,
proving that when weight wasn’t a factor he was still a force to
be reckoned with. An equally impressive 7th at Buckmore in the
summer was the other highlight of his season and again this result
was quite outstanding given the fact he was giving away 5-6 KG’s
over the other front runners. He will probably end up being the
SHW champion but in my eyes that’s a worthless title given his
past successes and it could end up being his final ever Sprint
trophy as he advised he is unlikely to race in 2007 given the even
lower weight limit being imposed in the Premier class.
Peter Harris had another one of his predictable seasons which
saw him make 6 out of the 9 A finals he contested to put himself
close to a top 15 finish overall if results go his way at the final
race. His best was a brilliant 7th in the wet at Whilton (round
3) whilst the other results were generally mid field A final results.
Pete also struggles a little with being overweight which doesn’t
make life any easier for him but I think he will be a real force
to be reckoned with in the new HW class and I expect victories
and a serious title challenge in 07. James Childe was another driver
who also had a predictable year and after a fairly tardy start
which saw him outside of the A final for the first two rounds,
he settled into a very consistent routine of making the A final,
12th at Lydd being his best offering of the season. He was ultra
consistent in those A finals but to far down the finishing order
for my liking and he is going to have to up his game in 2007 because
its time to start delivering some decent results given that he
has been racing for so long with CLUB 100.
Jamie Bird is another driver who has stagnated in terms of his
overall performances. He made all but two A finals which again
proves he is consistent but lacking in overall pace to be a front
or mid field A final competitor. He has some good days and can
score top three finishes in the heats but again his qualifying
is inconsistent at times which is something he needs to work on
in 2007. Perhaps it’s a little unfair to put Tim Hill in this category
but I did so on the grounds that he had a pretty average season
and also only took part in 8 races. He switched his attention to
the EasyKart series at the end of the season and this seem to inject
a new lease of life into the old boy although personally I’m hoping
to see him continue in CLUB 100 as well and it looks like he will
be able to race in both series in 2007 which is good news. Lydd
underlined the fact he still has the pace to be a front runner
as he battled through to 5th place although he does always go well
at Lydd in fairness. He had some other good races but a couple
of B finals put paid to any chance of a top 15 finish overall.
Nick Bilsborrow was the one driver I so nearly put in the ‘didn’t
cut the mustard’ category because he really did have an average
season, all this after a quite impressive debut season in 05. He
missed a couple of races which probably didn’t help, failed to
get out of the B final three times and apart from a half decent
run to 12th place (or there abouts) at Llandow he just didn’t deliver.
There were too many mistakes, too many average qualifying performances
and not enough outright pace and I when I compare 06 to the previous
seasons I can’t help feeling that his progress was pretty much
non existent! Roll on 2007, time to re-focus and deliver Nick…..
Tony Barson slotted nicely into the SHW category and was the best
of the rest behind Paul Kaye, winning a few SHW trophies along
the way but having an up and down season as well. He had four mid
A final results and lets remember that he is SHW driver so a place
in the top 12 is pretty good given the competitiveness of the HW
class so overall it wasn’t a bad year but as noted above he was
inconsistent when he should have been a regular A finalist.
It’s never the same when Stevie Waghorn isn’t racing and his work
commitments kept him away from 3 races over the course of the season.
When he was there, he did a little better than in previous years
only failing to make the A final twice and then putting in a seasons
best performance for a fine 8th at Llandow which really shows what
he is capable of despite his laid back approach to his racing.
I really hope he continues in 2007 and I’m hoping to have the honour
to interview him as I’m sure he will take a top 3 finish at some
point in 2007 in the new HW class. Barney Langley was another driver
who I hoped would have stepped up a gear or two in 2006 but he
also failed to find the consistency to qualify well and progress
up the order when required. He made 6 A finals, some of these directly
and some after fighting through from the B final but whenever he
made the A final he failed to capitalise on it and ended up coming
off and/or finishing towards the back of the pack. He has flashes
of pace at times but just failed to turn this into decent results.
Martin Gurnett is one of those drivers who is completely unpredictable.
He had a bunch of goodish results in 2005 and made the majority
of the A finals but this year he just didn’t look the same driver,
maybe because he only competed in 7 races and maybe because a lack
of track time goes against him on race day. Sure enough he made
5 A finals but none of these yielded results as impressive as in
04 or 05 which was perhaps a little disappointing although he always
seemed pleased enough with himself and is a competitor who always
seems to enjoy his racing.
Spencer Fortag was another driver who signed up for the SHW class
and it was no surprise to see him feature in a number A finals
and take the odd win in the SHW class at a few rounds over the
course of the season. I think he got better as the season went
on and this was reflected in the fact that he made the last three
A finals (up to and including round 10) taking a season best 11th
at Rye House which really was his best effort by far over the course
of 2006. Steve Jennings seems to have gone off the boil a bit over
the last few years and again I think a lack of track time is not
helping his cause. His season started ok but towards the end of
the year he retreated to the top half of the B final grid rather
than the back of the A final which was the reverse of where he
started back in February. Missing a couple of races didn’t help
and at the time of writing he was in danger of being overtaken
in the championship standings by brother Paul which is the last
thing he wants!! Paul on the other hand improved over the course
of the season, making 3 of the last 5 A finals and is looking a
better bet in the battle of the brothers over the latter part of
the season as noted above. The last driver in my 2006 review is
Billy Taylor who didn’t quite deliver his potential but showed
his worth on a number of occasions no more so then in that epic
Craddock/Winslow heat at Rye back in March when he won the heat
after they clashed on the final corner of the heat, a fact that
was somewhat overlooked in all the excitement! Billy made the A
final that day, as he did later on in the year at Whilton whilst
the rest of the year saw him in the top half of the B final. He
has the potential, but there is a lot more to learn in 2007.
2007 Predictions.
As I noted above, I’ve limited my predictions to the HW class
only in this particular review based on the drivers I believe will
be racing in 2007 within this class. I think this will be a brilliant,
closely fought championship because there are a whole host of 2006
mid field drivers who could all lay claim to being serious championship
contenders and I believe we will see lots of different race winners
and lots of different folk stepping onto the podium over the course
of the season. I’m sure there will be some new faces that come
in and make their mark and of course we don’t yet know who these
folk will be. We have to hope none of these type of folk are top
notch drivers but if that happens then we will just have to move
them up to the premier class at the following round.
So, I reckon there are loads of possibly championship contenders
and these include Peter Harris, Marc Laukam, Geoff Symonds, Nick
Bilsborrow, Mark Burrell, Spencer Walker, James Childe and Jamie
Bird. In addition to that I can see the likes of Barney Langley,
John Thompson, Martin Gurnett, Steve Waghorn, Spencer Fortag and
Tony Barson being likely race winners or podium finishers whilst
expect the likes of Billy Taylor and Steve Jennings to get on the
podium as well at some point. I don’t know what the likes of Garrett
O’Connor, Eddie Hall and Peter Kay are doing in 2007 but you could
add then to the list of championship contenders and race winners
as well should they decide (and hopefully they will) to race as
well.
Difficult to pick a winner based on some level of uncertainly,
but I know how much you like to see an outright prediction so I’m
going to play safe and go for Pete Harris to prevail although I
think Mark Burrell and Spencer Walker will make a real fight of
it. I think its going to be a great season and I like the idea
of seeing so many of those noted above winning a race or getting
on the podium and having to be interviewed, something they perhaps
would never have dreamed of during seasons gone by. Bring it on..
