C-100 End of Season Review 2004 - LW

Introduction

As the new season rapidly approaches, its time to look back at 2004 and make some predictions about 2005 in terms of who I think will be champion and who will be the race winners. As in previous years I’ve created my own top ten and categorised others based on what I believe has been their individual performances over the course of the season. I should point out that these are my own views and you should enjoy the praise and also take some of the criticism on the chin with a view to considering it as constructive feedback from 2004 (even if it seems a little harsh!).

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.

Lightweights

Actual Championship position in brackets.

1 (1) Marc Craddock
2 (4) Trevor Randall
3 (2) Marc Mercer
4 (3) Ben Yeomans
5 (14) Brenton Miller
6 (5) Luigi Mazza
7 (7) Giles Handley
8 (6) Graeme Coombes
9 (9) Dave Cottrell
10 (33) Lee Pilcher

Just missing out on my top 10:

• Simon Joannou
• Martin Bond
• Ant Teal
• Andy Marson

1 Marc Craddock

What can I say here that I haven’t already said in post race interviews or in my race reports? This was a truly remarkably performance and one that I don’t ever believe will be equalled in terms of performance or records set. A fourth championship, the most ever won by a single driver in the course of C-100 history, 7 wins in one season all of consecutive, a near perfect points score (7 wins and one second) and never lower than second in any race having only contested 10 out of 11! I pride myself on always being able to find something negative that a driver can work to improve upon in the forthcoming season, this year I can’t think of a single thing either on or off the track that would make Marc a better competitor…..

The problem for everyone else is that Marc is now at the top of his game, in fact he is better now than when he raced at MSA Super 1 level back in the mid nineties and armed with all that experience and 7 years of C-100 race craft he is all but invincible (or at least he was in 2004!). The small chinks in his armour are gone, his wet weather skill seemed first rate (winning at Clay and Whilton Mill) and his opening laps were dynamite (Lydd, Clay R7) when required. I don’t recall him getting any penalties and rarely did I see him off in any of the heats, thus ensuring a front of the grid start in most if not all of the A finals. He never seemed to complain, he drove the wheels off of every kart he had and he was sporting and fair in every race I witnessed - the sign of a true champion.

His best race for me was at Fulbeck where he waited patiently before hitting the front before then having to defend magnificently for the last 6 laps of the race denying young Cottrell his first race win. He wore down Will Tew at Warden Law, making the latter pay dearly for a small mistake on the last lap of the race. He disposed of Randall and Yeomans in just two corners at Clay before pulling clear to wrap up the title after just eight races and he was equally brilliant at Rye were he battled for the lead with Randall in horrific conditions. He charged from mid field to win at Lydd, disappeared into the distance at Whilton Mill and Ellough before wrapping up the season with second at Bayford still suffering from flu but still better than everyone other than Randall that day! One other small unknown fact - he led every race although it was only for 50 or so metres at Rye (at the start). In summary, he was a class act who broke every C-100 record and produced a near perfect season in terms of results and performances. No words can do his brilliance justice so let’s just move on…..

2 Trevor Randall

I’m going to heap praise on Trevor here and also tear a few strips off him at the same time. Overall, this was another no-brainer in terms of his place inside my top ten although he ends the season a country mile behind Marc, but also well clear (in my own judgement) ahead of the rest. I believe Trevor to be as quick as Marc Craddock a lot of the time although Marc scores far higher in terms of his attitude and his ability to pull a good result out of an average kart. I go over the same ground here year after year and Trevor still hasn’t really worked it out for himself although I’m sure he knows deep inside that the only real threat he has (apart from Marc Craddock) is himself. Once he learns to deal with the odd setback and put aside the unnecessary tantrums and outbursts in the pit lane then we have a real championship to look forward too between the 2002 champ and the current champ.

He started the season well enough with a third at R1 and a brilliant win at round 2 in very difficult wet conditions but then went off the rails at R3 when he got taken off in one of the heats. The middle part of his season was ruined by both a number of kart failures and stupid mistakes, the worst of which was misjudging the start at Whilton Mill although I admire the fact that he had the balls to admit his mistake on the forum (something that others should learn from….). I can’t explain why he suffered such bad luck (ignition failure at R11, broken seat stay at Ellough whilst lying second) and why it never seems to happen to Marc Craddock, although I’m also a firm believer in drivers making their own luck as well. Despite a dreadful mid-season, he bounced back to win in superb style at Bayford Meadows at R10, skilfully keeping it all together when he was knocked into a half spin at mid distance before clearing off to win the race at a track where he always seems to shine.

There were some other great drives as well, charging through at Fulbeck although ultimately I feel he misjudged his attack on the leaders in what was a race he could have won. He also went to pieces in the final at R8 after qualifying up the front although it’s fair to say his kart was not up to the job that day, although I do feel that this is one area he could improve upon in terms of trying harder when the kart is not quite as effective as it should be. So overall, lots of pace, bags of ability to win races and qualify well up on a regular basis but still riddled with the same old self destruct button when things don’t go his way.

3 Marc Mercer

Let’s be clear here, this was a brilliant performance and I can understand his likely dissatisfaction about being rated as third best in class. However you put Mercer and Randall in equal karts and at this point in time I confidentially predict that Trevor will win. So, third place it is although no one can take away the fact that he did finish second overall and the fact that he won both races at Buckmore Park as well as taking a string of other podium finishes as well. The thing that is most impressive for me is that he hasn’t really done that much racing with C-100 over the past two years and yet somehow he managed to learn new tracks quickly and capitalise on tracks he knew well from years gone by.

Marc has great depth of experience which really helped him through the year as well although I think he really surprised a lot of the regulars with his consistent finishing and his stunning pace at Buckmore Park. He swept Randall and Craddock aside to win round one and then took two consecutive third places mid season at Warden Law and Whilton Mill before wining again at the final round as he fought his way past Handley and Teal during a thrilling four way dice at the season finale. When he wasn’t on the podium, he tended to be settling for 6th or 7th place finishes, just adding to his points tally’s on the circuits he didn’t know that well. By the last round he found himself battling for second overall with Ben Yeomans but he responded to the challenge by going out and winning the A final with apparent ease to ensure himself of the runners up place.

I can’t see Marc making the jump to provide a season long threat to Mr Craddock but I can see him continuing to win races and pick up podium finishes although I think 2005 will be a harder year given the emerging talent coming through the ranks and capable of taking the fight to the more established stars. However, Marc is a seasoned campaigner and has the innate ability to stay out of trouble and maximise opportunities as and when they arise which is one of the key differentiators between him and others and this alone will ensure his presence in the top 5 during 2005.

4. Ben Yeomans

For the second year running, I’ve demoted Ben one place below his championship finishing position although he probably accepts this was a disappointing seasons and one that didn’t bring any additional race wins. He finished 2003 on a high after winning both the final races and therefore started 2004 as the man to beat. It seemed to take him a while to get going, in fact it was round 7 before he took his first podium (second at Ellough) although this seemed to then be the springboard to further successes as he took another second at Clay and a third at Bayford. As with Mercer, he was a very consistent driver and another that manages to keep himself out of trouble although sometimes at the expense of securing a slightly better result.

Having clawed his way back into a head to head battle for second overall at the final round, he failed to deliver any sort of result at R11 which left him third overall in the championship although no one should lose sight of the fact that this is still only his fifth season in C-100 and hence his level of experience is way below that of the Marc’s, Trevor and Luigi to name but a few. Whilst there is little doubting his overall pace, I still tend to be disappointed about his ability to come out on top in any ‘dog fight’ for the lead or battle for second. Ben is best from the front of the pack or in a straight forward one-on-one fight with another competitor whilst you can usually predict the outcome when he is surrounded by 4 or 5 other front runners who are battling for position. Not sure about 2005, it’s another make of break year although you can expect to see him inside the top 5 again although he needs to get back onto the top step of that podium if he wants to challenge for an overall result better than third.

5 Brenton Miller

This time last year we knew nothing about this driver, but - in my mind - he has been outstanding and is a driver who has the confidence, pace and outright race craft to both win races in 2005 and put a little pressure on the all conquering Craddock. I don’t think he is better than Marc or Trevor, but I do believe he has great race craft and an ability to make the most of difficult situations and turn possibilities into results. I like the fact that he has bags of confidence and is always looking to take the challenge to others, as was borne out by a charging drive at Clay where he wrestled third from Mazza on the last lap, where he fought through to 4th at Fulbeck having passed Mazza and Randall in the dying stages of the race and where he charged through with Mercer at the final round to take second, just behind the leader.

Brenton was some sort of Formula A champion in his native Australia and he swiftly adapted to the C-100 karts over the course of the season. I think he needed this season to get to grips with the Karts and circuits and to understand the rules and the essence of CLUB 100, which he seemed to fall foul of a number of times during the season. My only criticism is that he needs to stay out of trouble in the heats in order to get himself further up the grid for the A final although I for one enjoy his charges through the pack in the finals! I also believe he needs to be slightly less aggressive at times although this is also his strength so it’s a fine balance at times. Ain’t no doubt that he is going to win races in 2005, I just question if he can go the extra mile and put one over on the likes of Craddock and Randall in a straight fight, although I’m looking forward to finding the answer in 2005!

6 Luigi Mazza

I actually think that Luigi had a far better season this year than in 2003, but overall the result was no where near as good as what this driver is truly capable of achieving. Let’s remember that we are talking about a very experienced driver who was champion in 2001 and third the following year, who now seems to have lost the desire to win races and get results he is capable of. There were flashes of the old Luigi at times, leading in the wet at Clay (R3) before a small error allowed Coombes and Craddock through. Second at Whilton in the wet indicated Luigi was at his best in the wet although third at Lydd was another good result in dry conditions. He was also heading for a fine third at Clay before leaving a very attractive gap for Miller on the last lap of the race!

The second half of the season was less impressive than the first and he only competed in 8 races after going home at round 10 and then missing round 11 for some strange reason. The frustrating thing for me is that I have known Luigi for a long time and I know his true potential and it annoys me that he doesn’t go out and prove it by winning races and getting the results he is capable of. I’m not even convinced that he enjoys C-100 anymore and he sometimes just seems to be going through the motions on race days rather than firing himself up for good results. Who knows what his plans are for 2005, but I hope he continues with C-100 and I hope he pulls himself together and comes out fighting once more. Come on Lorraine - give him a kick up the backside and tell him to get himself into gear!

7 Giles Handley

After ripping into Giles last year, I’ve been impressed with both his approach and his results this year although he still has a long way to go before he fulfils his true potential. It looked like he was all set to win the final race of the season which would have been a fitting end to the season, but after securing pole he had to spend the entire race defending his lead on what was a clearly a less than effective kart which he really should have changed during the practice laps. Earlier in the season he was brilliant at Rye House, hauling in Craddock and Randall in dreadful conditions as he secured a brilliant third place which was followed up by a 5th at the next race at Clay Pigeon.

The rest of the season was a combination of top 10’s and ‘should have been’ type results which really didn’t do him justice in terms of his true potential but still allowed him to finish a very creditably 7th overall in the championship, a vast improvement on 2003. He still seems to suffer from over driving in the heats, and there were too many events at which he missed out on a good spot down the front of the grid due to one or more off’s in the heats. That said, he is making progress in the right direction and I was willing him on to victory at the last round, although he had to settle for 4th after leading for more than 50% of the race. I so badly want Giles to win a race, he has the pace and the right temperament (he is ice cool, even when things don’t seem to go his way!) and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. Surely, it has to happen in 2005?

8 Graeme Coombes

Last year I ranted at Giles for under performing, this year its Graeme turn but he needs to understand why. The trouble is that Graeme just didn’t cut it this year, in fact I suggest he stagnated in terms of performance and results in a year that should have seen him win a race and work his way into the top 5 overall. I compare Graeme to Paul Hicks back in 2002 when the results just didn’t match the underlying ability of that individual, and it’s the same with Graeme. It’s not personal, but it frustrates me no end to see him not deliver the results that he is actually capably of. He should have won at Bayford, he had the kart to get the result but he rushed the job and made a number of clumsy moves throughout the race that ended in him being docked two places from second to fourth.

He took a superb second at Clay in the wet earlier in the year, but apart from these two races, he just didn’t shine. True enough he always seemed to be in the top 10, but not as far up as he should have been. His qualifying was probably better than a year ago, but he (like Ben) seems to always end up at the wrong end of a train of karts when he should be fighting his way forward. On the positive side of things, he has a Craddock like attitude/temperament which is the bedrock to sustained success but he just needs to get into top gear and establish himself as a race winner and a serious championship contender. 2005 is make or break for Graeme, no more excuses, no more ‘if only’ or ‘the kart let me down’……. its results that count and Graeme needs results. Graeme - take it on the chin, make the corrections and I look forward to interviewing you when you win in 2005.

9 Dave Cottrell

What Dave Cottrell did in 2004 was what so many others failed to do - he delivered. He took pole at Lydd but had to be content with 4th (still a great result) and then put in the drive of his career to take a first ever podium finish at Fulbeck, after putting Craddock under pressure for the last six laps of the race. The promise was there back in the first half of 2003 and he built on that and turned possibilities into results whilst making others sit up and take notice of his intentions. He has the added advantage of being clean, sporting and very calm when things haven’t gone his way and is a very likable figure in the pit lane both amongst competitors and staff.

He needed just one more point to steal 8th away overall from Simon Joannou and he will probably look back on 2004 and believe that he could have had two podiums (he lost second on the last lap at Ellough and was unlucky not to finish in the top three at Lydd) and a race win, had he of been a little more aggressive over the last few laps of the race when challenging Craddock. For all that, he was a much improved and more impressive driver in 2004 and there is little doubt that he will continue to move further forward during 2005 as he looks for that elusive first win.

10 Lee Pilcher

I can sense a few people will be questioning this but I included Lee for two reasons. Firstly, he contested over 50% of the races and thereby qualifies to be in my review of the season and secondly, he remains a very quick driver who is more than capable of winning races and getting onto the podium. I also looked at the championship with the best 5 scores taken into account and sure enough he was well inside the top ten which was little surprise to me in all reality. What I really want from Lee is a fully committed season because I think he will add some spice to the LW class by taking a few race wins and making some of the regulars remember why he was the 2000 LW champion.

His best race by far was Fulbeck where he headed the pack for the first half of the race before losing out to the old enemy, Mr Craddock. It provided yet another thrilling contest between these two old sparing partners and the mutual respect is evident after any such encounter although Craddock seems to win more of these contests in this current day and age. That said, for a driver that doesn’t race on a regular basis, Lee’s performances were very creditably and he backed up third at Fulbeck with a string of other results that saw him finish in the top 6 on a regular basis. If he competes for the entire 2005 season then expect to see him a lot further up my top ten at this time next year…..

Just outside my Top Ten.

• Simon Joannou
• Martin Bond
• Ant Teal
• Andy Marson

For the second year running, Simon Joannou will be wondering why he didn’t make it into my top 10. The answer is fairly much the same as last year because he failed to turn his promise into consistent results even though 8th overall was a step up the pecking order from 2003. He did achieve his best result of the season with a brilliant second at Lydd having led for the first half of the race, but ultimately he had to give best to Craddock before then defending superbly to hold off Mazza over the last few laps. I was hoping that would be a springboard to further results but the rest of the seasons was littered with top ten finishes and no real repeat of the Lydd result. Sorry Simon, maybe next year but you have to deliver sustained top 6 (or better) results.

Martin Bond drops out of my top ten for the first time since he has been racing with us, mainly because he never once featured in the top 6 which was a real disappointment. He looked quick at circuits he knew well and was lying second during the early part of the race at Bayford before being shuffled back to 8th place at the flag. The problem remains for Martin that he only competes in the Sprint and hence I accept it is difficult to get in the grove quickly on race days especially when others have been effectively ‘testing’ during the Endurance event the day before. Maybe the revised timing of events in 2005 will fall in his favour, because he is better than 10th overall in the championship suggests.

Ant Teal was one of the revelations of the season for me and he capped it off in fine style with that brilliant third at the final race and I don’t think any of us will ever forget his little smiling face in the pit lane after the race! I think he had already made significant improvements before Buckmore which was borne out by a 6th place at Whilton and another at Bayford whilst he was also part of the thrilling 11 kart dice for the lead at Fulbeck. The next step is the tough one though - that’s the one when he has to continue being on the podium and looking for a first race win and ill be surprised if he achieves the latter in 2005 although it won’t be for the lack of trying!

I struggled to make my mind up about Andy Marson, but in the end he deserves a place just outside my top 10 due to some great performances (more so in qualifying than the finals) during 2004. I could see his potential back in 2003 but he spent most of that year just learning before converting those lessons learnt into results in 04. He qualified a brilliant second at Warden Law only to fall asleep at the start of the race but made up for it with a brilliant 5th at Clay. I’m always seeing him win heats and do well in qualifying and I just think he now needs to repeat such performances (like at Clay) in future races during 2005.

Those that didn’t ‘cut the mustard’

• Sam Corazza-Watson
• Andy Cowell
• Peter Hutton
• Simon Lloyd
• Paul Lloyd
• Will Tew

The dreaded ‘didn’t cut the mustard category’ and unfortunately there were 6 drivers that have to be placed in here. The biggest disappointment for me in 2004 was young Sam Corazza-Watson. True, it was his first season but he came with MSA racing experience and was a winner in Rotax max at club level, so we all expected great things. The pace was there at times but I thought his race craft was very average at times and his qualifying frequently yet him down. On his day, he was stunningly quick - setting fastest lap in the A final at Clay and looking very rapid at times at Fulbeck but on circuits he knew well he just didn’t cut it. I’m hoping this won’t put him off and I really want to see him turn his potential into results in 2005.

I included Andy Cowell in my top 10 in 2003 but his performances in 2004 were a big disappointment given the amount of time he has been racing with us. He still appears to be his own worst enemy and some of his overtaking moves are just not realistic to say the least. I think part of the problem is his weight and he really should go up a class and race with the HW drivers in order to give himself a fighting chance. Three 7th places were all he had to show for a poor season - come on Andy, you have to admit you are a lot better than that….

The Lloyd brothers are used to being in my top ten or just outside and this will be a kick in the teeth for the pair of them. I sense the pleasure of racing may have gone out of C-100 for them (more so Paul) and I think they also suffer from a lack of track time as I don’t believe (?) they compete in the Endurance races either. Every now and then they put in a blistering race that reminds us of their true capability (Paul’s 3rd at Ellough, Simons 4th at Whilton) but these are few and far between nowadays which is a great pity. I feel Paul suffered a lot of bad luck during the early part of the season when he was perhaps expected to score a handful of podiums whilst Simon is having to balance family life with racing nowadays! I just hope they both try again in 2005, because they are both great competitors.

Whilst I enjoyed watching Pete Hutton storm through from C and B finals during the course of the season, I couldn’t help thinking that this was a season when he should have been fighting for a place in the top 10 of the championship. He has pace, two years experience and yet he didn’t do as well as in 2003. Something is not right here and I really don’t understand what it is although poor qualifying stands out like a bit of a sore thumb! I hope he turns his performances around in 2005 because he is a great competitor and he really deserves some better luck and results in 05.

The last driver on my list missed the last three races of the season for reasons I’m not privy too, which in turn left him way down in 27th overall although he so nearly won his first race of the season after leading 95% of the race at Warden Law only to make the tiniest of mistakes on the last lap which allowed (yep, you’ve guessed it!) Mr Craddock through for yet another of his many wins! Overall I just wasn’t as impressed given that he had a second in 2003 and was expected to be well up inside the top ten during 04. I hope he also bounces back for a full season in 05 because he is a very quick driver with a great attitude and what we need is to retain the up and coming drivers who represent future champions and lets be clear about it - Will Tew is in that category.

Those making Progress.

• Darren Teal
• Anton Killick
• Chris Powell
• Chris Bell
• Jamie Abbott
• Kevin Coombes

One thing I love about C-100 is seeing drivers making progress over the course of a season and there were plenty that did just that in 2004. Darren Teal (like brother Ant) was one of those as he secured 13th overall although his best result (10th) was perhaps a little disappointing although he was a regular A finalist. Anton Killick left the series to travel the world (or something like that) and he is great loss in my eyes. He had an average year in 03 but he started to shine in 04 and was a regular A finalist even though he sometimes had to battle his way through the B final (the Clay B final was brilliant, with a first class overtaking move on Cottrell). I know he still reads the forum so like I said at Fulbeck - make sure you come back and continue your racing career when you get back to the UK!

Chris Powell is probably not that well known, but I think he has real potential. He finished 21st overall despite only contesting 8 races and made all but one A final. I think he will start to break into the top 10 in 2005 and he has learnt so much this year including how to win heats against regular ‘front of the grid’ A finalists. Chris Bell is similar to Mr Powell although he is still at the stage of racing development where he alternates between A and B finals and is a little inconsistent. He is quiet and unassuming but I think he should start to turn a few heads in the not too distant future. Jamie Abbott won the rookie championship although he never made an A final unlike those who finished behind him. I think he will break into a few A finals in 2005, maybe as early as round 3 now that he has a year of experience and track knowledge behind him.

Kevin Coombes is perhaps not as quick as I had expected him to be this year, but he is gradually heading in the right direction by making three A finals in 2004 although it’s fair to say he has some way to go before he looks for a place in the top 10. I thought he suffered from some very average performances mid season after a lively start to the finish but he appeared back on form with a good result at the final race. Anyway, he has some good tutors so I’m expecting more progress in 2005.

And what about the rest?

• Vince Bond
• Steve Townsend
• Tony Simpson
• Keith Segal
• Pete Wallis

This is my category for those that neither had a great season or a really poor season but are worthy of a mention anyone! Vince Bond had another average season although he was pretty much a regular in the A final and would have been 13th overall had he scored just 5 more points! His best races were Buckmore (R11) and Whilton Mill and he remains a tough competitor due to his vast experience. Steve Townsend came back down to the LW class and spent the first 4 races trying to fight his way out of the B final. The second half of the season was a lot better as he became a more regular A finalist although he was rarely in the top 15 which is perhaps where you would expect him to be giving the length of time he has been competing in C-100.

Tony Simpson emulated Mr Townsend by spending the first half of the year in the B final before moving up a gear to make 5 A finals latter in the year with some very impressive drives in a few of these. He is an up and coming driver but now has to establish himself as a regular in the A final and break into the top 10 which may be a tall order in 2005. Keith Segal and Pete Wallis are seasoned campaigners and you expect to see both in the A final assuming they have had a decent run in the heats. Indeed, Segal probably had his best season for a while although he had a run of 4 or 5 races mid season that were decidedly average before picking up the results again in the second half. Pete Wallis always seemed to be fighting his way through the B final, making it through more often than not, but he spoils his racing by his constant unnecessary outbursts after the races where he always seems to consider himself to have been hard done by (Pete - no smoke without fire and all that….!).

2005 Predictions.

Some jobs are easy, and predicting the outcome of the LW championship at present is one of them! For all the ability of all those in my top ten I just can’t see anyone stopping Marc Craddock in 2005. I tipped him 2004 and I’m doing the same in 2005 but I don’t think he will enjoy such a record breaking season although I expect him to win about 50% of the races.

Of the rest, I think Trevor will finally get his act together and chase Marc hard, stealing 2 or 3 wins along the way and providing us with (hopefully) some more epic head to head races as per Rye House in 2004. Third is up for grabs in my eyes but I’m putting my money on young Miller (assuming he does a full season) and I also expect him to win at least one race. Other possibly race winners are Marc Mercer (especially at Buckmore!), Ben Yeomans, Lee Pilcher, Giles Handley and Paul Hicks assuming he gets down to the 74/75 KG weight limit (although he may also win if we have some wet races!).

I fear that Coombes and Cottrell will be made to wait another year for their wins although they will feature on the podium as will Mazza (assuming he is racing), Ant Teal and Simon Joannou. Look out for the up and coming crew which should include Corraza-Watson and Andy Marson. Finally, let’s hope we get some new blood as well and …..please come back Nick Clark because a certain Mr Craddock needs more competition.