British Super One Rotax Series, Round 7
from Graham Smith
The 2010 Association of British Kart Club national champions in the Rotax classes were confirmed at a sunny Three Sisters race track on October 10 as Tom Fawcett (Senior Max), Matthew Parry (Junior Max), George Russell (MiniMax) and Lucas Orrock (Max 177).
All had gone into the weekend leading their respective classes and with no major upsets came out as the confirmed champions. In Senior and Junior Max the winners also receive an entry for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals to represent the UK, plus second placed Max driver Jake Ball is offered a DD2 entry. They will join the other British drivers who have qualified from the Rotax Max Euro Challenge. Many congratulations to them all.
Above: Lucas Orrock won the title in the Max 177 class
pic - Chris Walker, www.kartpix.net
The entry stayed high with three out of the four classes requiring repechage races. And the Dadsons Masters Challenge had guest races, for the over 35 year olds where Melvin Francis took the honours in both finals.
MiniMax
Under a cloudless blue sky near Wigan in north west England Harry Webb had topped timed qualifying and popped in two heat wins, matched by Joe Byrne, and it would be these two setting the pace in the finals. Jack Aitken put his kart between them at the start of the first final, but within a few laps Byrne had put him down to third. Oliver Myers stormed through from his grid eight start to fourth, then entered battle with Josh White, eventually coming out on top. Aitken slipped back to a lonely third whilst Byrne tracked Webb all the way to the flag but finding no opening. Meanwhile Russell took a safe and steady fifth.
In the second final Jack Aitken skipped past Webb at the Pits corner to lead, but only for half a lap as Webb and Bryne drafted past at the end of the long main straight, leaving Aitken to fight with Myers and White. Again Webb and Byrne worked together to bolt clear, Byrne this time finding a tiny opening to snatch the lead for a short time until Webb took it back for the win. Russell tried to follow Myers past Aitken but bounced over the kerbs onto the grass and fell to tenth, potentially out of the points lead. But when Ashley England later made the same mistake, it aided Russell’s recovery to fifth, and the title. With his two wins, Webb had pipped Aitken for the vice-champion spot, Myers, Ryan Norris and Sam Ward next. The latter had been unable to race following a nasty crash on the practice day, even although cleared by the medics.
Results
MiniMax Final One: 1 Harry Webb (Tonykart); 2 Joe Byrne (Tonykart); 3 Jack Aitken (Gillard); 4 Oliver Myers (Tonykart); 5 Josh White (Tonykart); 6 Leon Hilleard (Tonykart).
Final Two: 1 Webb; 2 Byrne; 3 Aitken; 4 Myers; 5 George Russell (Tonykart); 6 Hilleard.
Above: MiniMax champ George Russell
pic - Chris Walker, www.kartpix.net
Junior Max
Sean Babington was the quickest in the time trials from James Singleton, but the latter had a heat exclusion for driving standards and didn’t really recover despite winning his other heat and the repechage. Babington won his two heats and Levi Coombs the other. Babington’s pace deserted him in the first final, as he was shunted down to fourth, firstly by Jack Barlow and Jack Marshall, then by Ash Hand. In fact it was Hand who leapfrogged the others to go out ahead and win. Hand made a clean sweep with a lights to flag victory in the second final, Babington finally drafting past Marshall at turn one whilst Chad Ryan came up to hassle them both. Barlow dropped back a little way at the end. Meanwhile Matthew Parry held his nerve, a brace of uneventful sixth places enough to seal the title over the challenges from Marshall, Babington and Barlow.
Junior Max Final One: 1 Ash Hand (CRG); 2 Jack Marshall (Tonykart); 3 Jack Barlow (Tonykart); 4 Sean Babington (Alonso); 5 Chad Ryan (Tonykart); 6 Matthew Parry (Kosmic).
Final Two: 1 Hand; 2 Babington; 3 Marshall; 4 Ryan; 5 Barlow; 6 Parry.
Above: Junior MAX champion Matthew Parry
pic - Chris Walker, www.kartpix.net
Senior Max
Quickest in timed qualifying was Michael Epps, from Barry Pullinger, Jake Ball and John Stewart. Epps then won two heats to Ball’s one, to put him on pole for the first final. But it all went wrong for the number 13 driver, Epps punted onto the grass after a slightly tardy start. Ball picked up the lead from Daniel Graham and Stewart which eventually resolved in favour of a win by Stewart after he nipped past Ball in the closing stages of the sixteen minute final. Graham fell a little back whilst champion in waiting Tom Fawcett kept Ollie Varney at bay for fifth.
Fawcett decided not to race in the second final, his kart now adorned with new number one numbers. Shaun Slavin hit mechanical problems and fell from fourth to last, losing third in the series to Stewart whilst Ball had come out as vice-champion. Many mid-fielders skittered off the track at the start of the second final, including repechage runner-up Ross Wylie who was later excluded. Ball’s pass on leader Stewart sent them both wide, Graham gratefully slipping through to fight with Edward Brand until Stewart made his recovery and leapfrogged them all to claim a mighty close win. Ball felt he had set his tyres just a little bit too low on pressures to make a winning pace and had to settle for fourth, whilst Brand came in third on his first outing on a Tonykart.
Rotax Max Final One: 1 John Stewart (Tonykart); 2 Jake Ball (Tonykart); 3 Daniel Graham (Kosmic); 4 Tom Fawcett (Tonykart); 5 Ollie Varney (Tonykart); 6 Edward Brand (Tonykart).
Rotax Max Final Two: 1 Stewart; 2 Graham; 3 Brand; 4 Ball; 5 Epps; 6 Varney.
Above: John Stewart rides the kerb
pic - Chris Walker, www.kartpix.net
Max 177
Stephen Cobb definitely had the speed, having topped the time trials and won one heat to David Griffiths in the other. But running into the back of Justin Edgar’s kart at the start of the first final cost Cobbs dear as he ran wide and fell to last. Edgar picked off Colin Davis, Griffiths and Lucas Orrock one by one with superior speed at the end of the straight and claimed the win. Meanwhile Cobb was on a fast recovery drive finally splitting Davis and Tom Holland for fifth. That placed him well for the second final as he slotted into third and soon had both Griffiths and Edgar behind him. Edgar was able to keep up, but not to re-pass, the win putting Cobb third in the championship, whilst Griffiths was runner-up. Orrock took it steady for fifth, the championship title in the bag. Davis had been squeezed at the start, his kart momentarily leaping into the air, and he fell to eighth, and fourth in the series.
Max 177 Final One: 1 Justin Edgar (Tonykart); 2 Lucas Orrock (Kosmic); 3 David Griffiths (X30); 4 Colin Davis (Redspeed); 5 Stephen Cobb (Birel); 6 Tom Holland (Alonso).
Final Two: 1 Cobb; 2 Edgar; 3 Griffiths; 4 Holland; 5 Orrock; 6 James Hogg (TBA).
Above: Stephen Cobb
pic - Chris Walker, www.kartpix.net
