UK Super One Rotax Series, Round 7
Tweet| 18 October 2012 |
from Graham Smith
Edgar’s Hyundai Super One Rotax Series Round 7: Shenington 13/14th October 2012
Several of the new champions had to fight hard for their titles at the last round of the Rotax Super One Series, others had an easier ride. The meeting also determined the British drivers who will attend the Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portugal. 150 drivers raced at Shenington in Oxfordshire, the track in its 52nd year of operation, and the weather was kind.
TAG-Heuer UK demonstrated their high speed start line camera system at the meeting. The Lynx camera can take 3000 frames per second and can be used to determine close finishes and missing transponders.
Above: Connor Mills, took out the MiniMax title on a small budget - he didnt test all season!
pic - kartpix.net
Honda Cadet
Samuel Pooley, Chris Lulham and Luke Wooder were at the top of the timed qualifying session, whilst championship leader Sandy Mitchell only made tenth and Kiern Jewiss made no time at all. Both heats were won by Wooder as he tried to catch up on the points drop at PF International and put himself in a good position for the finals. Rory Hudson had a setback with a one lap penalty in a heat. Pooley joined Wooder on the front row for the first final, several came off at the start including Lulham, Morgan Porter and Connor McCarthy but Wooder was establishing a lead with Jewiss leapfrogging Elliot Harvey then helping to push Wooder and himself clear. Harvey was trading third with Mitchell, relegating him to fourth on the last lap whilst Hudson had stormed through to fifth. The win was crucial for Wooder’s title hopes as he entered the second final. Amazingly Mitchell catapulted into the lead demoting Wooder, but his lead was short lived as he fell back. Wooder regained the lead momentarily only to fall to fifth and be forced to start the climb back through. Pooley it was who usurped Wooder, that was until Harvey settled into his pace and grabbed the lead, which would last to the chequer. Wooder came up to second whilst Mitchell was hung out to dry at the Café corner, dropping to seventh but battling back to fourth. Jewiss tookWooder, but the latter’s third place was good enough for the title by two points over Mitchell and Jewiss. Wooder was quick to thank Project One, RPM engines and Dan Holland Racing for his success.
Final 1 -
1 Luke Wooder (Project One) 19 laps in 16m 17.43s; 2 Kiern Jewiis (Project One) +0.07s; 3 Elliot Harvey (Zip); 4 Sandy Mitchell (Project One); 5 Rory Hudson (Project One); 6 Sam Pooley (Project One).
Final 2 -
1 Harvey 19 laps in 16m33.55s; 2 Jewiss +0.09s; 3 Wooder; 4 Pooley; 5 Hudson; 6 Mitchell.
Above: Luke Wooder
pic - kartpix.net
MiniMax
Connor Mills was in the driving seat for the title if all went well, and he set himself up pefectly for the first final with two heat wins, Philip Rawson taking the other. Steven Prentice had a heat exclusion and £200 fine separately but won the repechage, where Flashman Finneran and Tristan Charpenter both were excluded. Mills would be joined on the front row of the first final by Lando Norris with Guan Yu Zhou and Harrison Thomas behind. Zhou was quick to move into the lead, Mills, Norris and Thomas right behind then a long train of karts queuing behind the Chinese driver’s defence. Thomas Day was given a drive through for contact, dropping him out of eight. Thomas eventually managed a pass on Norris but as they fought Zhou got away clear by nearly two seconds. It emerged after the race that Mills had done enough to clinch the title, and he did not need to go out for the second final. Proving that small budgets can succeed, Mills has used the same kart and engine all year, never had the budget to practice and test at club meetings and used only one extra nose fairing throughout. Dave Wooder and Edward Tansley were amongst those off at the start of the second final, although Tansley reached eighth by the end of the race. Establishing himself at the head of a huge train of karts once again, Zhou was defending, but then Thomas ran into Rawson, Norris and Zhou who all went off the track, and Connor Hall took the lead, albeit soon to be passed by Daniel McAuley. Thomas had just taken the lead then he received a drive through penalty, but still came back to 14th. Hugo Bently Ellis was having his second MiniMax race out of Cadets, his first in Super One, and finished seventh although he had been as high as third. McAuley’s Tooley team mate Dan Zelos leapfrogged Finlay Hutchison, who later plummeted down the order to 21st whilst Rawson, Norris and Zhou were all climbing back after their off’s to third, fourth and fifth. McAuley was absolutely delighted with his first rather unexpected win. Norris, Rawson and Zhou would finish the season in that order in the final points table behind champion Mills.
Final 1 -
1 Guan Yu Zhou (Tonykart) 21 laps in 15m57.54s; 2 Connor Mills (Tonykart) +1.60s; 3 Harrison Thomas (Tonykart); 4 Lando Norris (Tonykart); 5 Philip Rawson (Kosmic); 6 Connor Hall (Tonykart).
Final 2 -
1 Daniel McAuley (Tonykart) 21 laps in 16m00.05s; 2 Dan Zelos (Tonykart) +0.22s; 3 Rawson; 4 Norris; 5 Zhou; 6 Jack McCarthy (Tonykart).
Above: Guan Yu Zhou
pic - kartpix.net
Junior Max
Ross Gunn needed good results for the title, and he was definitely on form by topping timed qualifying over Jai Nijjar, Josh Price and Josh White then winning both his heats, Price the other. Ryan Anderton came out first in the repechage but his day didn’t go well as he was excluded from the second final. Gunn and Price swapped the lead in the first final a couple of times early on, then Gunn got a break whilst Harry Webb was defending against the rest. Price had dropped back a little and indeed would only finish seventh after a 2s penalty was applied to Raoul Hyman. Danny Keirle had come past Tom Harvey and settled into third but putting pressure on Webb, with Oliver Myers and Jay Goodwin some way behind Harvey. Kyle Fowlie, running second in the points table, could only finish 19th after being fifth on the opening laps whilst White was excluded apparently for contact with Greg McKenzie. In the second final Keirle dived past Gunn to lead a couple of laps, but then was put back by Price who held on until the chequer. Myers followed through to second, but soon had to give way to Gunn, who traded the place with Keirle for a few laps. The local driver Keirle came out on top, whilst Gunn was shuffled back to seventh, still safe for the title over Fowlie who only managed tenth.
Final 1 -
1 Ross Gunn (Tonykart) 22 laps in 15m57.11s; 2 Harry Webb (Tonykart) +01.74s; 3 Danny Keirle (Jade); 4 Tom Harvey (Tonykart); 4 Oliver Myers (Tonykart); 6 Jay Goodwin (Tonykart).
Final 2 -
1 Josh Price (Tonykart) 22 laps in 15m58.23s; 2 Keirle +04.43s; 3 Myers; 4 Sam Marsh (Tonykart); 5 Ben Hingeley (Tonykart); 6 Jai Nijjar (Tonykart).
Above: Josh Price
pic - kartpix.net
Above: Ross Gunn is off to the World Final sin Junior MAX
pic - kartpix.net
Max 177
Lucas Orrock started off the weekend intending to race although he had clinched the title at the penultimate round, but after being fastest in timed qualifying, events in the first heat decided him against continuing. That left the way open for some great lead battles. Tom Holland had a good break at the start of the first final, but was soon reeled in by Matthew Nicholson, Dominic Russell, Colin Davis and David Griffiths. Russell leapfrogged all the way to the head of the pack, with Holland pressing him hard on the last lap, whilst Nicholson was shuffled back to fifth as Davis maintained his advantage over Griffiths for third after having passed with a lunge at Park corner. Although Holland had a very brief tenure of first place in the second final, Russell soon established himself in that spot whilst Griffiths and Holland tussled over second until he was forced into defending over the last couple of laps. Holland sliced underneath Russell at Stratford hairpin and whilst they held each other up Griffiths got the chance to speed past into the win. Nicholson followed but was excluded so Russell and Holland were on the podium. Holland has beaten Griffiths to the runner up spot in the championship.
Final 1 -
1 Dominic Russell (Tonykart) 22 laps in 15m 54.70s; 2 Tom Holland (Alonso) +0.12s; 3 Colin Davis (Tonykart); 4 David Griffiths (GMS); 5 Matthew Nicholson (Tonykart); 6 Andrew Cole (GMS).).
Final 2 -
1 Griffiths 22 laps in 15m59.22s; 2 Russell +0.36s; 3 Holland; 4 Cole; 5 Davis; 6 Scott Clee (Alonso).
Above: Dominic Russell
pic - kartpix.net
Rotax Max
Sean Babington, already the EuroMax champion, needed to race for a minor place, the only mathematically possible challenger being Charlie Eastwood. Although fastest in qualifying and winning one heat, Babington only made fifth on the grid, whilst Oliver Hodgson and Harrison Scott won the other heats. Eastwood’s challenge disappeared after he and Daryl Henderson were shunted into the tyres at the start of the first final, so a cruise to a steady fourth was more than enough for Babington to seal the title and decide not to race any further. Hodgson soon lost the lead to Harrison Scott, with Ash Hand splitting them and pulling away at the front. Ed Brand ran into Josh Collings and was excluded so would start at the back of the second final. That turned out to be disastrous as a huge pile up at the first hairpin destroyed his kart. Scott gradually went clear of the battle for second between Hodgson, James Singleton and Hand who finished in that order after Hand was given a one place penalty.
Final 1 -
1 Harrison Scott (Tonykart) 23 laps in 16m15.53s; 2 Ash Hand (Alonso) +0.21s; 3 Oliver Hodgson (Tonykart); 4 Sean Babington (Alonso); 5 Jack Barlow (Tonykart); 6 Jack Saffery (Tonykart).
Final 2 -
1 Scott 23 laps in 16m17.40s; 2 Hodgson +0.65s; 3 Singleton; 4 Hand; 5 Saffery; 6 Andy King (Intrepid).
Above: Sean Babbington
pic - kartpix.net
Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals
The drivers selected for the Grand Finals (subject to them accepting the invitation) are:
- Junior Max: Ross Gunn and Kyle Fowlie
- Senior Max: Charlie Eastwood and Oliver Hodgson (Sean Babington & Harrison Scott already have their places)
- DD2: Lucas Orrock and Tom Holland
- DD2 Masters: David Griffiths and Colin Davis
Above: Daniel McAuley, MiniMax
pic - kartpix.net
Above: Max177 driver David Griffiths will race DD2 Masters at the World Final
pic - kartpix.net
Above: Elliott Harvey, Honda Cadet
pic - kartpix.net
Above: Senior Max, Harrison Scott
pic - kartpix.net
