British Super One MSA Series, Round 1
from Graham Smith
Two new classes made their national championship UK debut at the Ginetta Super One MSA Series Round 1 at PF International, Formula KGP and Super Cadet amongst a total 155 competitors. That included the TKM classes, now part of this ‘MSA’ series which incorporates the MSA Junior British Kart Championship for KF3.
Above: KF3 winner Callan O'Keefe
pic - kartpix.net
Regrettably the senior MSA British Kart Championship for KF2 has not attracted sufficient entries and has been put off until a single weekend event later in the year. The KF3 class has changed over to the current CIK homologated ‘hard’ Bridgestone, and the drivers were consequently about three tenths slower than last year.
Some of the entrants were guesting to give them track time before the upcoming CIK-FIA Northern Qualifier at the beginning of May. The meeting has been televised for Motors TV.
Above: Joe Porter won TKM Extreme
pic - kartpix.net
Comer Cadet
As Lando Norris took the lead in the first final from pole chased by Daniel Ticktum, Alex Stott had been on the outside front row but dropped to midfield on the opening corners. Dean McDonald joined the lead fight until his engine seized leaving Shanaka Clay in that spot until he fell many places. The fight for third was now between Josh Smith, Dan Zelos and William Taylforth in that order after much trading of places. The heat was turned up at the front as well, Ticktum and Norris swapping merrily until Ticktum crossed the line first, but his pass was deemed unfair so he was given a 3 place penalty. Jamie Caroline was docked five places so the second final was delayed whilst appeals were heard. In that Norris and Ticktum roared off again with Zelos pouncing at the end for the win amongst all the defending of places. Enaam Ahmed headed the next group in fourth after carving up from a grid fifteen start. Smith unfortunately failed to finish the last lap. Fuel samples were sent for analysis but found all clear.
Above: Dan Zelos, Comer Cadet
pic - kartpix.net
Super Cadet
Only eleven drivers entered for the new class, a disappointing number for the organisers. Polesitter Owen Griffiths would be devastated when his engine was slow to fire and he had to start from the back, but he buckled down to reach fourth. Prima team-mates Billy Monger and former WTP driver Sean Gee pulled away, with Gee having one turn in the lead but Monger soon re-asserting himself. Cory Stevens had a fine first lap to spend the race in third. In the second final Griffiths fell back at the start but came back through to narrow the gap to the lead duo of Monger and Gee. He snatched second with a lap to spare, whilst Harrison Thomas kept in touch with fourth.
Junior TKM
The Junior TKM finals for the 100cc air-cooled British engines were easily the best of the weekend, with Oliver Basey-Fisher unable to establish precedence in a massive five way battle. Toby Sowery, Danny Keirle, Matt Davies all had turns leading as well until Basey-Fisher’s rear bumper broke and he was flagged in. Keirle hit the front, whilst Sowery made a successful move on Jack Partridge for second, giving Keirle just enough space for the win. In the second final, Keirle hit the front until Partridge went by. Even although they tried to work together they were unable to break away, as Sowery carved past in what was now a six kart dice. Misjudging a yellow flag situation, Keirle fell a few places but managed to retrieve third, whilst Partridge stoutly defended second letting Sowery go clear for the win. Basey-Fisher leapfrogged up to sixth, then fell again to eighth whilst Jake Walker collected fourth.
TKM Extreme
The first attempt at a start was aborted due to a massive pile-up at the first hairpin. Once underway, despite kart damage, Joe Porter roared ahead whilst Josh Waring and Rob Wallace traded second. Eventually Wallace dropped off the radar to finish seventh, with James Bartlett back to third. Will van Es had some clashes with Ashley Jones earlier but recovered to fourth whilst Jones reached third but had his bumper bent from a collision behind sufficient to be forced to pit on a mechanical flag. For the second final Porter was totally in control, whilst Bartlett, Waring and Ash Crossey contested second. The latter dropped back in favour of Michael West whilst Jones carved through to sixth behind Alex Thomas.
MSA Junior British Championship KF3
The Irish-domiciled South African Callan O’Keefe topped timed qualifying and won both his heats with ease. In fact he pulled over four seconds clear of Roy Johnson in the first heat. Connor Jupp completed a hat-trick for the RFM team, winning the other heat. But Johnson surprised O’Keefe on the third lap of the first final to assume the lead, before briefly giving way to the current vice-champion Ben Barnicoat, who led a lap until slipping back to sixth as O’Keeffe assumed his by now customary lead position and put in some quick laps to go clear. Jupp finished the best of the rest albeit almost two seconds in arrears whilst under lots of pressure from Johnson, with Sam Webster watching from behind. Matthew Graham had to start at the back of the heats after his kart dimension was found outside the regulation limit in timed qualifying, and stormed through from a grid 20 start to sixth. O’Keefe kept Johnson at bay in the second points scoring final, whilst Graham and Barnicoat tangled at the second hairpin, the former out leaving Barnicoat to salvage ninth. Jupp took third over the line but was penalised a place for passing George Russell on a yellow flag, elevating the latter to the podium. The 14 year old Finnish driver Aatu Moilanen, guesting for circuit familiarisation, carved through from last to sixth place.
Formula KGP
Michael Simpson was utterly dominant in the new class throughout the meeting. Tom Fawcett and Steven Napier diced for second until Napier retired with an engine problem whilst Mark Litchfield, who had missed all of the Saturday qualifying and races due to personal matters, carved his way through the field and relieved Fawcett of third with a lap in hand. Denis Gorman had taken over second after the Napier – Fawcett dice came to an end. Simpson was ten seconds to the good in the second final, whilst Litchfield’s engine exploded in the chase. That left Gorman and Gornall fighting fiercely, with Gorman retrieving second at the end only to end his race in the barrier when Gornall re-passed. Stefan Di Resta, brother to the Formula One driver, fought is way to third over Jason Moore, John Pike and Jake Hughes whilst Fawcett slipped to what became sixth. Gornall was initially excluded for his part in the incident with Gorman, but an appeal reduced the penalty to five places. He has now appealed that to the National Court so the results are provisional.
Above: Michael Simpson, 1st Formula KGP
pic - kartpix.net
Full results and points on www.s1series.co.uk, and the next round is at Shenington in Oxfordshire on 7/8 May.
Results
Comer Cadet Final 1
1 Lando Norris Tonykart
2 Alfie Brown Zip
3 Josh Smith Zip
4 Daniel Ticktum Zip
5 Dan Zelos Zip
Final 2
1 Zelos
2 Ticktum
3 Norris
4 Enaam Ahmed Zip
5 William Taylforth Zip
Super Cadet Final 1
1 Billy Monger Birel/LKE
2 Sean Gee Birel/LKE
3 Cory Stevens Birel/LKE
4 Owen Griffiths Wright/Parilla
5 Max Stilp Zanardi/LKE
Final 2
1 Monger
2 Griffiths
3 Gee
4 Harrison Thomas RK/Parilla
5 Stilp
Junior TKM Final 1
1 Danny Keirle Jade
2 Toby Sowery Intrepid
3 Jack Partridge Jade
4 Matt Davies Jade
5 Jake Walker Jade
Final 2
1 Sowery
2 Partridge
3 Keirle
4 Walker
5 Ryan Green Tonykart
TKM Extreme
1 Joe Porter Tal-Ko
2 Joshua Waring ARC
3 James Bartlett Tonykart
4 Will van Es Tonykart
5 Charlie Bruce-White Tonykart
Final 2
1 Porter
2 Bartlett
3 Waring
4 Michael West Tonykart
5 Alex Thomas ARC
KF3 Final 1
1 Callan O’Keeffe (F.Alonso/Vortex)
2 Connor Jupp (F.Alonso/Vortex)
3 Roy Johnson (Topkart/IAME)
4 Sam Webster (Topkart/IAME)
5 Matthew Graham (Zanardi/IAME)
Final 2
1 O’Keeffe
2 Johnson
3 George Russell (Intrepid/TM)
4 Jupp
5 Dylon Phibbs (Tonykart/TM)
Formula KGP Final 1
1 Michael Simpson Birel
2 Denis Gorman Maranello
3 Mark Litchfield F.Alonso
4 Tom Fawcett Birel
5 Justin Edgar Tonykart
Final 2
1 Simpson
2 Stefan Di Resta Birel
3 Jason Moore Tonykart
4 John Pike Maranello
5 Jake Hughes Birel