‘…ALMOST THERE’. C‘STUNTS ARE NOW!
Cunning Stunts managed to ring everything a bent
kart had to give, and just enough, to take the 2007 Inter title
with 5th place, behind overdue race winners WBR, to leave 2.5 hour
lap of honour for ‘Stunts at Rye House, Dan Sherwood, “Its been
a really good consistent year for us. No big screw-ups or retirements,
no dramas to speak of. We ran a great strategy all year and adapted
to race conditions to allow us to make changes to the strategy
to suit what was going on. All of us have been very similarly paced
all year and the teamwork is the reason for the title. At certain
tracks we've been very quick, at others not so quick but we've
made up for it with a great strategy. It has been a good battle
with the Minis, WBR, Sugar Hut et al and we've really enjoyed it.”
WBR are odds on for runners up, almost certainly from Mini Racers,
with Wright brothers the most successful team over the last 7
rounds, even if the championship is over 11. While considerably
less worrying
than his 2006 illness, Kieron Wright’s early season Biland induced
cracked rib has proved their undoing, although with both setbacks
firmly behind the team their progress has resumed. Indeed the
Minis need nothing short of a win at Rye House (not unheard of,
circa
2006) while the Wright Bros need 4th place to put it beyond any
doubt, Josef Wright, “We knew we had to put in a good result
to stay in contention for a top three championship finish. Kieron
qualified well, sticking it on pole, in five laps. My start was
okay, although I went a bit hot into a couple of corners on cold
tyres letting Mini Racers, Le RML and Tartar through. I stayed
with them and was happy to keep the gap knowing we had a good
fuel
advantage going into the first fuel stops. The remainder of the
race started out very tight with Le RML, but we managed to hold
about 9secs over them, and by the end we were pulling away at
nearly a second a lap to win by 18secs. It sets us up well for
Rye and
we will be charging hard for 2nd place in the championship. Congratulations
to Cunning Stunts this year - well deserved.”
In what sounds like a poor advert for anyone looking for a fleet
of second hand karts this winter, Le RML (2nd), Sugar Hut
(4th), join the Minis (6th) in complaining of having to overcome
as
much as their machinery as their competition, however it
does set up
an open four way dice for Sugar Hut and Le RML with The Slo-machers
17th, and 3rd place finisher Panic Racing for head of the
off championship podium positions. Or else it would if Le RML were
going to Rye
House? Daniel Mense, “At Buckmore we had had our 5th race
of
the year ruined by major mechanical failure and had given
up on the
championship. But we were looking to go out on a high at
Bayford with a third win for the season. I’d only been to Bayford
for
the first time last year and it was a new track to Ben (Soldano),
qualifying
4th wasn't too bad, but I should have just pitted after my
first flying lap. At the start for some stupid reason I tried
going
round the outside, before coming to my senses and backing
off to make
sure I didn’t get taken out, so I then had to set about trying
to regain lost places, which was difficult as the first 5
or so of us were pretty evenly matched. Ben came in and put in
a solid
stint maintaining our place near the front. My second stint
was better, setting fastest lap, although it was now becoming
clear
that we were chasing WBR for the win after Sugar Hut's problems.”
Sugar Hut’s Jordan Hill, “We were sitting comfortably 10secs
in the lead through the first two pit stops, when we lost
an exhaust!!!
I have to own to this one too, it happened as I took all
of the kerb and a bit more of the grass around the first corner.
But
we really owe our thanks to the mechanics who fixed the problem
and
got us on our way, that lap (including the exhaust change)
was only 2mins 18secs. However, in the mad rush we forgot
to
make
use of the opportunity to make a fuel stop, doh! From there
we were
in damage limitation mode and attacked every lap like a qualifying
lap to make our way back up from 11th to finish 4th. A superb
drive from Eddie Hall out of Prems’ IMSD, as I’d asked around
and the
only joy I got was from Eddie.” After Sugar Hut’s problem,
Dan Mense again, “So the rest of the race was fairly quiet
as we
switched to preservation mode, realising we needed WBR to
have a problem
to beat them and 3rd were a lap behind. Unfortunately I’d
only been able to close on WBR in traffic, as their lap times in
clear air were similar. Ben did a good job of keeping us
in
the race,
but was lacking a little pace. We’re actually disappointed
with 2nd, especially Ben who couldn't understand why his
race pace
was slower than in practice. Still, 3 races without problem
this year
and we got 2 wins and a second. We just need to work out
how to save the kart for next year!” Jordan Hill again, “Congratulations
to Cunning Stunts, the most worthy winners and true representatives
of what the club is all about. Very well done guys, thoroughly
deserved.”
Ordinarily I would not to disagree with the sentiment that the
‘Stunts are worthy winners, and the embodiment of the wholesome
Club100 spirit, even despite being desperately in need of a change
to an obviously vulgar name and having put to rest Alex Kapadia
bag carriers/pot hunters label (save for being cleverly reminded
of it by mentioning that they have put it to rest). I had intended
to write glowing of them. However Dan, Dan Dan… Hasn’t even waited
for the congratulatory messages to subside, or the season to end,
before launching his close season PR campaign to remain and defend
their title in Inters rather than do the honourable thing and be
promoted to Clubmans. Shooting himself in the foot, and unravelling
all that hard earned respect, see if you read it my way, Dan Sherwood,
“If I have my way we'll be back to defend the title next year!
I don't fancy the early starts for the Prems, I'm a lazy sod, and
I really like the atmosphere and the general friendliness of the
Inters. Perhaps some of them will move on/up and maybe with rookies
coming in it might not stay this way, but in the end, being realistic
we are probably not going to threaten the top order in Prems and
I'd rather have the extra sleep! ‘… We got 'promoted' last year
when we finished 6th and I shall be attempting the same tactic
this year even if it means renaming the team again!’” Do you see
what I mean? If it were up to me (and it won’t be), I’d strip them
of their points, team title and fine them $100m right now. Not
for trying to stay in the Inters (this trick has been tried before,
hmmm, IMSD, In It To Bin It come to mind), nor for demonstrating
anything but the spirit of C100, indeed bringing it into disrepute.
No, strip ’em, tar ‘em and feather them for thinking we wouldn’t
see through such a catalogue of lame excuses for not being promoted,
‘I’m a lazy sod’ (clearly, but not for a different reason), ‘Atmosphere’,
‘Friendly’, ‘sleeping in’ and dodging the bullet by of all things
just ‘changing the name!’ “Ow! Sherwood… NO!!!” Arguably with Howard
Kayman’s stock rising to ‘Audi obsessed Rookie ‘ringer’ status’
and most of his HK circle regularly appearing in Clubmans (in Prems)
and doing it without annoying the grandees of late. I’d at the
very least expect ‘Stunts and Sugar Hut to move up, along with
WBR (who would have finished 9th in Prems and won Clubmans had
they repeated the winning 130laps in the morning race), Mini Racers
and Le RML. Do the right thing!
Off my hobbyhorse. Behind Kieron Wright’s and Jordan Hill’s taking
only 5 laps each to qualify on the front row, Tartar’s Steve
Girolami took the whole session to break into the top 3 and
demote Mense,
another driving a minimal 5 laps and looking to go long into
the race, back to P4. Off the start, as is often the case
the inside
row into turn 1 got the better getaways. We’ve already heard
of Mense’s bad shot selection, he was joined in slipping
back by Jordan
Hill on P2, “Off the start I was dropped to an inevitable 3rd
being on the outside for the first bend, but some really
clean and respectable
driving from all meant there were no incidents and we all got
off to a good start.” Girolami latched on to Wright’s bumper
and went
to the lead. Mense had fallen behind Mini Racers off P5, as
well as Russian Mk2’s Marc Laukam from grid 7, who’d also passed
Back
To Reality on P6. Hill soon closed down WBR, moved on to Tartar’s
bumper and by the 5min mark Sugar Hut were leading a leading
sextet which had broken clear of a peloton headed Back To
Reality who
in turn would shortly be replaced by Clutchless Duo 10secs
off the lead. Of course having taken a run at 10mins qualifying,
Tartar and Mini Racers pulled out for fuel before the quarter
hour. Hill
peeled off at 20mins, Mense then moved up from 2nd to lead,
Josef
Wright following Le RML into the fuel bay, giving Club16-48
a lap on the front, before ‘Stunts closed the cycle on 25mins.
With the field reset, at half an hour Sugar Hut’s Eddie Hall,
by dint of an excellent fuel stop, was 10secs ahead Soldano and
a double stinting Josef Wright, with a tenuous ‘grouping’ of Tartar,
Mini Racers and Russian Mk2 behind, then Club16-48 led Panic Racing
the rest of the field at 30secs off the lead. Everyone held station,
Tartar and Mini Racers pitted again but were moving back on to
the standard fuel strategies, save for Wright getting his groove
on, he’d chipped 3secs out of Sugar Hut by the time the leading
group went for fuel again on 40mins. Once again Sugar Hut were
exemplary in changing drivers, Hill returned with another 5secs
taken out of the field in the fuel bay, but in the lapped traffic
Kieron Wright had already pulled that advantage back in as many
laps. Pushing hard Jordan Hill took too much kerb, too often and
Sugar Hut’s exhaust let go. At 50mins WBR led Le RML’s Dan Mense
by 8secs, Tartar were half a lap down in 3rd, while 10secs behind,
Mini Racers were working hard to hold off Russian and Panic Racing,
Mel Broxis, “Not much to say about our race, apart from the kart
really was hard work and our pit stops were almost as shocking.
We could have done a lot better.”
At 65mins, Kieron Wright made way, handing over a 5secs lead,
for his brother, Soldano had returned to Le RML the lap before,
so Josef began pushing out their lead and took a firm control of
the race. Cunning Stunts would take another 12mins to make their
3rd stop, so were running as high as 3rd, but when they stopped
for fuel, their kart showed them back to more like its true, and
disappointing pace, ‘Stunts filtering in well off the lead lap
in 8th place, but at least in touch with a group consisting of
Russian Mk2, Tartar, Club16-48 and Mini Racers racing the last
40mins for 4th place, in fact the leader of this group was only
10secs behind 3rd placed Panic.
With another round of fuel stops complete and only one remaining,
Kieron Wright was holding Le RML to the finish, the race for 3rd
was not so clear and was indeed being dragged into the clutch of
teams that had been circling around 4th. A snapshot at 30mins to
go, put Cunning Stunts 3rd but a fuel stop behind, but running
so long, they might have missed a trick of a last lap fuel stop,
which works well at Bayford, and they were well placed in the back
half of the lead lap to work it perfectly, as Panic Racing were
just slipping off the lead lap while Mini Racers, Russian, Tartar,
Club16-48, Loose Heads and even Sugar Hut 10th were covered by
just 12secs and in with a shout of 4th, but Stunts could not hold
on the lead lap through the leader’s final fuel stop. By far the
most rapid of the teams was again Sugar Hut and Jordan Hill, who
ran through from 10th to 4th as most of the fuel stops were executed
around 15mins from the finish. Another quick fuel stop and Sugar
Hut trucked out of the pit lane in 6th, 12secs behind Panic, but
with Tartar and Cunning Stunts ahead, who were both by now off
the lead lap and requiring their final stops, Panic would hold
on by 2secs to 3rd from Sugar Hut at the finish. Andy Clarke short
stinted ‘Stunts and returned ahead of Sugar Hut, Dan Sherwood,
“Paul Djuric had been out on track and with his greater experience
of the kart he had adapted a bit better and was a bit quicker than
he was in our first stint. Similarly Andy seemed to work around
the kart situation and with our position we decided to run longer
than usual and do a late splash n dash, keeping Andy in the kart
to avoid losing time changing lead weights for me to go out and
finish. This meant we were able to do a super quick last stop and
get out, quite remarkably and shockingly in 4th! But Sugar Hut
ran us down with a few minutes to go, as there was no way with
our kart could keep pace with them. Andy managed to keep the ‘Minis
behind him and to our total surprise and elation we came in 5th.
I actually have no idea how we did this. The kart was by an absolute
mile the worst we have ever had. We thought we'd missed out on
winning the title at this race as we believed we needed 4th or
higher, but after the announcement and some quick checks of the
maths, we realised it was Minis who needed to win to create that
situation, so obviously we were delighted.” The Minis could only
manage 6th, Mel Broxis, “Still from 12th in the championship last
year to 3rd this year is quite a leap for us, which leaves just
one race left and I really hope its a good one!!!” Eight seconds
behind WBR on the road, but reality a lap down, meant a last lap
stop would also not work for Tartar and when it actually came it
hurt, dropping Girolami and Jon Cooper from 3rd to filter back
in 7th, and ahead of Loose Heads also a lap down. Russian Mk2 and
Club16-48 rounded out the top ten a further lap down.
Contributors
Jordan Hill
Daniel Mense
Dan Sherwood
Josef Wright
Mel Broxis
Photography
Mel Broxis
Contributions for the final round by Email to Bard on chris-simpson@ntlworld.com
