Club 2000 | Round 3 | 5 March 2022
Because of the non-stop rain the day before, we started with a very wet track. Throughout the day, there were intermittent showers and it seemed as though whenever the track started drying, it would rain again. Nonetheless, it was a great day of racing.
Honda Cadet
It was another round of domination from Teddie Cooper (79) as, for the third round in a row, he took home maximum points. Newcomer, Zac Champney (61) was very quick, took 2nd in the heats and after a rocky start in the final, he made a great comeback to finish 7th. Kevin Ivanov (50) was also new to Club2000 and showed impressive pace, taking 3rd in heat 3 and the final. Lucien Smith (43) was racing hard with anyone who was in his way and managed his first podium finish in the second heat. The fastest lap was set by Teddie (79) - a 53.705 in wet conditions.
Heat 1
It was a clean start apart from an early getaway from Harlie Cooper (82). Coming around the Esses on the first lap, Alfie Hull (19) suffered a spin and Ethan Okoro (34), close behind, spun in reaction. Alfie Rich (27) and Lucien Smith (43) both had good starts, passing the driver ahead of them by the end of the first lap. Lucien (43) and George Phillips (44) had a good battle from 180 into the Warren where George (44) stayed ahead. Kevin Ivanov (50) was pressuring Harlie (82) until Harlie (82) suffered a spin and Kevin (50) inherited his position.
Heat 2
As Zac Champney (61) pulled away from the Dummy Grid, his kart began spluttering. Determined, he continued along the straight at a snails pace and the issue cleared. On the start, John Richardson (48) and Harlie (82) had a good reaction to the lights. Lucien (43) had a good first lap and passed George (44) and Alfie R (27) to take 4th. George (44) also lost out to Theo Hamilton (30) on the start but, on the next lap, he passed Theo (30) along the back straight. On the lap after that, Theo (30) lost another position to Kevin (50) after having a spin around 180. Meanwhile, Alfie (19) (who had dropped to the back after lap 1) pulled off into the pits and retired. Coming around the Esses, George (44) lost the rear and spun, allowing Kevin (50) to take 6th. A lap later, Kevin (50) continued his great pace and passed Alfie R (27) and George (44) followed him through. Meanwhile, coming around the Warren, Lucien (43) executed a great switchback on John (48) for 3rd place.
Heat 3
This time around, Lucien (43) suffered on the first lap with a spin coming around the Warren. George (44) didn't have the best of starts either after going off onto the grass at the French Curve. On the other hand, Kevin (50) found himself in 3rd after passing Lucien (43) and John (48). While pressuring Alfie H (19) on the second lap, George (44) got a bit too close and spun his rear around - picking up a B/W warning. The other Alfie (27) was having a better race up to this point, taking 4th from John (48) after a good start and a good move on the second lap. On lap 4, after pressuring Harlie (82) for a while, Lucien (43) had another unfortunate spin and lost another couple of positions. George (44) capitalised nicely from this though and passed both drivers for 7th. A lap later, Lucien (43) started regaining some positions, passing Alfie H (19) out of 180 then Harlie (82) soon after. The chequered flag came out just before he could pass George (44).
Final
Again, Harlie (82) was a bit too keen to get going and picked up a jump start penalty. Coming into the French Curve, there was contact between John (48) and Zac Champney (61). Zac (61) was much worse off considering he spun and dropped to last. John (48) was given a B/W warning and continued racing in 2nd. Lucien (43) and Theo (30) had good first laps since they took 4th and 6th respectively. After a couple of laps, there was some more contact but this time between Kevin (50) and Theo (30) where Theo (30) was showed hard defence and pushed wide around 180; resulting in a B/W warning for Kevin (50). On the next lap, Kevin (50) switched his defence to attack, got alongside Lucien (43) into the French Curve and fought side-by-side coming through Senna. Since he had the inside, Kevin (50) cleanly stayed ahead. Meanwhile, Zac (61) was making a comeback. Up to this point, he had passed three drivers and made it up to 8th. George (44) was pressuring Theo (30) for a few laps until he executed a great switchback around Paddock and took 6th. Another couple of laps later, Zac (61) made a lunge to the inside of Theo (30) into the French Curve - it was brave and it paid off. Coming into 180 there was some side-by-side contact between the pair and Theo (30) ended up in the tyres and sadly didn't continue racing.
1st – Teddie Cooper (79)
2nd – John Richardson (48)
3rd – Kevin Ivanov (50)
4th – Alfie Rich (27)
5th – Lucien Smith (43)
Clubman Results
In the Honda Cadet class, any driver who has never finished within the top 5 in a final participates in the Clubman class. Trophies are awarded to the highest finishing drivers within this class alongside their Honda Cadet results.
1st – Kevin Ivanov (50)
2nd – Lucien Smith (43)
3rd – George Phillips (44)
4th - Zac Champney (61)
5th - Alfie Hull (19)
Minimax
It was only Alex Chlebiej (7) in a Minimax this round and the novice got a lot of practice in for when he's hopefully joined by a bigger grid in the future. Apart from a couple of moments, Alex (7) drove well and was consistent throughout the day in the challenging conditions. His fastest lap was set in the second heat - a 58.921
Junior Rotax
Alex Beale (43) seemed to be in top form this round as he had his first and second ever podium in a Junior Rotax. Seamus Cox (79) seemed quick this round too. Despite a poor start in heat 2, he managed to redeem himself and didn't concede any positions for the rest of the day. Jenson Weston (34) managed to extend his lead in the championship and reigning champion, Matthew Copsey (97) couldn't quite take any points from him. Along with maximum points, Jenson (34) had the fastest lap - a 49.961 in Heat 3.
Heat 1
Qualifying was cut short for Matthew Copsey (97) after having an off at the French Curve and retiring - Thankfully he was okay and joined us for Heat 1 albeit in 7th. Sam Cooper (44) started pole and Jenson Weston (34) initially had a slow getaway but coming around Senna, he took the lead from Sam (44) with a bit of muscle. Elliott Reed-hughes (95), who started behind the pair, had a spin into 180. When he rejoined, he was unfortunately last. Matthew (97) had a good first lap and made it up to 3rd by the end of it. A couple laps later, Finnlay Stubbings (58) spun into the French Curve and Ben Thompson (30) spun shortly after into him. The red flags came out and while Steve the Paramedic checked the pair over, the race was called.
Heat 2
Seamus Cox (79) didn't have a great getaway from the lights as his kart seemed to bog down. Elliott (95), on the other hand, had a great start and gained 4 positions by the end of the first lap. Sam (44) had lost a couple of positions, leaving Matthew (97) and Alex Beale (43) to inherit 2nd & 3rd. Seamus (79) began a charge to the front and he started by passing Cameron Pottle (7) up the inside into Senna. Next, he passed Jason Ducis (16) to the inside of the French Curve. Cameron (7) followed a couple of corners later with a great switchback around 180. Elliott (95) was continuing his pace too and made a good move to the inside of Anthony Ward (33) into paddock for 5th. Adam White (13), who held 7th since the start, was beginning to pressure Anthony (33) but he became vulnerable to Seamus (79) and was passed just a few laps from the end. Anthony (33) defended well and kept 6th.
Heat 3
Jenson (34) was slow on the start and Matthew (97) took the lead. Over the next lap, Jenson (34) was pressuring hard. Despite Matthew's (97) defence, he created a gap to the inside into the Warren, and passed for the lead. Sam (44) had a good start this time around and had passed Alex (43) for 3rd. Seamus (79) continued his work from the previous heat and was hot on the heels of Anthony (33). Coming around 180, he pulled off a switchback and took 6th. Adam (13) began pressuring Anthony (33) and as he was attacking, there was contact - Adam (13) picked up a B/W warning and Anthony (33) dropped a couple of positions. On the last lap, things went from bad to worse for him as he spun coming around Paddock and dropped a couple more positions.
Final
After starting 10th, Jason (16) impressively passed three drivers by the end of the first lap and took 7th. Seamus (79) had passed Alex (43) by the end of the first lap but Alex (43) fought back on the next lap and retook 4th from him. Elliott (95) had a great day up to this point, considering the comeback he'd made after his start to heat 1. Coming into Paddock, he made a mistake and collided with the tyres. Understandably, he was fuming and his day sadly ended on a low. Meanwhile, Alex (43) was looking quick and began pressuring Sam (44) for a spot on the podium. On lap 6, he made the move and took 3rd. On the last couple of laps, Adam (13) was pressuring Jason (16) but the chequered flag came out before Jason's (16) defence could fail.
1st – Jenson Weston (34)
2nd – Matthew Copsey (97)
3rd – Alex Beale (43)
4th – Sam Cooper (44)
5th – Seamus Cox (79)
Junior TKM
It was just William Briant (97) and Liam Bermoy (27) this round and the pair were tacked onto the back of the Junior Rotax grid. The track was treacherous yet the pair did well to drive cleanly in the conditions. There were a few moments between them but, overall, it seemed like a great day for them. They both found themselves mixed up in the Junior Rotax pack on occasion and both kept the driving clean, consistent and of a professional standard. The fastest lap was set by William (97) - a 56.311 in Heat 3.
1st – William Briant (97)
2nd – Liam Bermoy (27)
Junior Prokart
Unfortunately, with only three in attendance, it was a class that lacked much excitement this round. Oscar Coughlan (62) was still getting to grips with his kart this round and the conditions weren't helpful. Even Rocky Clements (23) had a couple of moments on the soaked track. Alfie Campbell (40) set the fastest lap of the trio - a 54.170 in heat 2.
The first heat was the most eventful of the three, though. Oscar (62) had a couple of spins on the first 2 laps which plunged him quite far back. Rocky (23) had a spin on lap 2 also but was stuck facing an immovable tyre wall. Once his knight in shining armour, Will the Marshal, had pushed him back, he was in last and driving hard to catch Oscar (62). On lap 5, the chase was over as Oscar (62) had a spin around Paddock and around the Esses shortly after, donating 2nd back to Rocky (23).
During heat 2, Oscar (62) had a more serious spin around the Esses and caught the tyres lining the outside of the track. Thankfully, he was okay and everyone continued racing.
On the final, Oscar's (62) kart dropped an engine. Once he realised he was driving an overweight cadet, he pulled in and had his engine restarted to continue.
1st – Alfie Campbell (40)
2nd – Rocky Clements (23)
3rd – Oscar Coughlan (62)
Senior Rotax
Another Formula270 regular, Jenson Holloway (3) joined Club2000 this round and with his track knowledge, I'm sure it's only a matter of time until his pace is podium worthy. Stuart Smith (92) took away maximum points for the first time this year and was mostly unchallenged for it despite a drop-down penalty he picked up in heat 3. James Saville-stones (51) and Josh Twitchen (25) had some proper close battles but kept it totally clean all day. Occasional entrant, Adam Forrester (18) had a good day too, despite a bit of a moment in heat 2. Stuart (92) set the fastest lap in heat 1 - a 49.661.
Heat 1
On the first lap, Bryn Evans (77) and Vincent Anderson (21) spun around 180 and dropped to the back. Next lap, Adam Forrester (18) made a move to the inside of Stuart Smith (92) up to the French Curve and took 4th, however, Stuart (92) then picked up the pace and passed him on the following lap. Coming down to Paddock, Stuart (92) had a great run and passed Michael Thompson (90) for 3rd. It was so close between Josh Twitchen (25), Stuart (92), Adam (18) and Michael (90). Meanwhile, Bryn (77) was making a charge to the front after his unfortunate first lap and made a good move to the inside of Jenson Holloway (3) into Senna. On lap 4, Stuart (92) took the lead from James Saville-stones (51) and Adam (18) took 3rd from Josh T (25). A bit further back, Bryn (77) was still pushing and passed Michael (90) and then Charlie Flux (86) with a great lunge into 180. Next in his sights was Josh T (25). Coming up to Senna, Bryn (77) snuck up the inside, taking 4th. After a couple laps of pressure, he then passed Adam (18) and finished his charge with a brave move to the inside of James (51) into the French Curve for 2nd.
Heat 2
It was a cleaner-than-usual start and the pack funnelled through Senna quite uniformly. Stuart (92) and Vincent Anderson (21) lead after the first lap until Bryn (77) went for a good move to the inside of the French Curve and took 2nd from Vincent (21). A bit further back, Adam (18) moved to the inside of James (51) and took 6th. Michael (90) and Charlie (86) were having a good battle, especially when Michael (90) flew sideways through the French Curve side-by-side with Charlie (86). On lap 4, Josh T (25) made his way past Josh C (12) who began to look vulnerable to Adam (18). Soon after, Adam (18) pulled off a switchback around 180 and passed Josh C (12) but, around the Esses, he spun and undone his hard work. Josh T (25) found a way past Vincent (21) a few laps from the end for 3rd but Vincent (21) wasn't quite ready to give up his position. On the following lap, he retaliated with a nice switchback from 180 up to the Warren and defended hard to maintain 3rd place.
Heat 3
It was a bit of a mess around Senna on the first lap. Bryn (77) was late on the brakes, punting the rear of Adam (18) which sent him into a half-spin. Stuart (92) just behind, didn't have much time to react, ran into Adam (18) and got a drop-down. On the second lap, it was much cleaner and James (51) made a clean pass up the inside of Michael (90) for 7th. Despite the sloppy start, Adam (18) still had the lead until, coming up the back straight, Stuart (92) had a good run and passed him into the Esses. On the following lap, Bryn (77) made a good move around the Esses onto Adam (18) and took 2nd. Just a lap later though, Bryn (77) retired and Adam (18) assumed 2nd. After passing Charlie (86), James (51) was in 5th and close behind Josh T (25). James (51) moved to the inside into Senna and the pair fought side-by-side up to 180 where James (51) cut-back, got a quick exit and passed Josh T (25). It wasn't over though - coming out of the final corner, Josh T (25) got a great exit and passed James (51) along the start/finish straight but, around the Esses, Josh T (25) ran wide and donated the position back. On the next lap, again, Josh T (25) had a great exit but this time out of the Esses. He barely got past down to Paddock where James (51) was bravely late on the breaks and kept 4th. Meanwhile, Michael (90) had a spin around Paddock while under pressure from Vincent (21) and lost his place to him. After his mighty battle with James (51), Josh T (25) was under pressure from Vincent (21). Coming into Senna, he ran deep and lost 5th to him.
Final
A much cleaner start this time. Bryn (77) had a great second lap, passing Vincent (21) then Josh T (25) with a nice switch-back through 180. Like heat 3, a great battle was forming between James (51) and Josh T (25). Despite Josh's (25) defence, James (51) made his way past around the Esses. On the following corner though, Josh T (25) cutback and got a great exit to stay ahead across the line. Meanwhile Bryn (77) had passed Adam (18) for 2nd and Matt (85) passed Vincent (21) out of 180 for 6th. A couple laps later, Matt (85) was continuing his charge, passed James (51) and began putting pressure on Josh T (25). Next lap, Charlie (86) got a good run out of Paddock and managed to pass Michael (90) along the straight. Coming out of 180, Matt (85) had a great exit out of 180, got alongside Josh T (25) and passed through the Warren.
1st – Stuart Smith (92)
2nd – Bryn Evans (77)
3rd – Adam Forrester (18)
4th – Matt Davey (85)
5th – Josh Twitchen (25)
Senior Rotax 177
Rob Reeve (15) returned to his usual pace this round after a rough time last round but it didn't come without some difficulty from Nick Aitken (21), especially in the dying stages of heat 2. Also towards the end of that heat, Sam Yaxley (97) and Jamie Allen (34) had a great, clean battle for the last 3 laps. They both drove well for the rest of the day too, until Jamie's (34) day was cut short by a dropped chain in the final. Rob (15) had the fastest lap and set it in heat 3 - a 49.907
Heat 1
It was a cracking, clean start. Trevor Palmer (36) had a good couple of opening laps, passing Justin Clarke (48) up the inside into the French Curve for 7th. Towards the front, George Friday (52) was already feeling pressure from Rob Reeve (15). After a few laps, George (52) switched his defence to attack and passed Sam Yaxley (97) for the lead coming out of the Warren. Nick Aitken (21) joined the battle for the lead at this point, following Rob (15) through as he passed Sam (97) coming out of the Warren. A lap later, into the Esses, Rob (15) pulled alongside George (52) and took the lead. Another lap later, Sam (97) lost a position to Nic Carlton-smith (7) after the pair battled beautifully side-by-side from Senna up to the Warren. On the final lap, Trevor (36) passed Joshua Townsend (1) up the inside into the Esses.
Heat 2
Nick (21) took the lead almost immediately from Tony Cohen (23) and Rob (15) was just behind him after the first lap. After starting 12th, George (52) took 8th by the end of the first lap and continued his pace onto the second lap with an overtake on Joshua (1). On the following lap, George (52) had a great exit out of 180 and passed Jamie Allen (34) up to the Warren. Meanwhile, Phil Patience (66) was pressuring Nathan Cullabine (19) until he passed up the inside into the French Curve. After pressuring Sam (97) for a couple of laps, George (52) executed a switchback through the Warren and took 5th. Shortly after, he was directly behind Trevor (36) and passed him up the inside into the Esses. Coming out of the French Curve, Sam (97) lost the rear and only just managed to hold it. Jamie (34) managed to sneak past sideways Sam (97). Sam (97) wasn't giving up, though, and the pair battled side-by-side from Senna to the Warren where Jamie (34) stayed ahead. On the following lap, Sam (97) bravely moved to the inside of Jamie (34) into the French Curve and stayed ahead into Senna. Coming out of the Warren though, Jamie (34) had a great exit and got alongside Sam (97) and coming through the Esses, Jamie (34) stayed ahead. Meanwhile, Rob (15) was pressuring Nick (21). On the last lap coming out of the Esses, Rob (15) had a great run and just got ahead of Nick (21). Out of the last corner, Nick (21) took a late apex and got alongside Rob (15). It wasn't enough for the win though, and he came across the line just 0.026s behind.
Heat 3
Coming around Senna on the opening lap, Trevor (36) had a spin and with nowhere to go, Tony (23) ran into the side of him, picking up a drop-down penalty. Both drivers were okay but Trevor (36) retired from the race. Rob (15) assumed the lead and George (52) was close behind in 2nd. Towards the back, Nick (21), Jamie (34) and Andy Goodwin (85) had great starts and passed 4 drivers as a trio on the first lap. Coming around 180, Joshua (1) got onto the rear of Andy (85), pushing him wide so he picked up a B/W warning. Sam (97) profited nicely from this and followed Josh (1) through for 9th. By lap 4, Nick (21) had passed Justin (48) and George (52) for 2nd but with a gap of 8s to Rob (15), his chances of catching him were a bit slim. As the race continued, the gap kept increasing and Rob (15) took the win almost totally unchallenged this time around.
Final
It was a clean start until, coming through 180, Trevor (36) tagged the rear of Justin (48) which spun him round and dropped him to 11th. On the following lap, Justin (48) gained a position back by passing Dan Jones (11). Jamie (34) had a good start, on the 3rd lap, he passed Sam (97) for 5th place but not long after, it all fell apart in one lap - Coming out of the kink he ran wide then coming through the Esses he dropped his chain and retired. Continuing his comeback, Justin (48) made his way past Nathan (19) and with Jamie's (34) retirement, he was promoted to 8th.
1st – Rob Reeve (15)
2nd – Nick Aitken (21)
3rd – George Friday (52)
4th – Nic Carlton-smith (7)
5th – Trevor Palmer (36)
Standings
Gallery
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