BUKC 2014

Back at Uni for my MA, I'm able to race in the British University Karting Championship again. Studying for my MA at Coventry University means I'm racing for the Coventry team for 2014.

As a University of Leeds graduate and a founding member of the Leeds University Union Motorsport Society (way back in 2009), I still have a massive soft spot for the Leeds team and so wish them all the best this year..."Unnnaaayyy." But with our A team at Coventry being so strong thanks to a good level of experience, this is probably my best chance of fighting for the Championship ever.

Fellow Coventry University student and motorsport photographer, Stu Stretton, was drafted in to produce the highlights video for the Qualifying races held in November 2013. Ahead of the first round of the Championship at Buckmore Park on 12th February, he's pipped our team as one of the favourites. Let's hope he's right; I certainly can't wait to find out.

MotoGP: 2013 Australian GP

Jorge Lorenzo managed to claw his way back into MotoGP Championship contention thanks to a dominant win at Sunday’s hectic Australian GP. His main rival and Championship leader Marc Marquez left the race with no points, meaning the leading two riders will arrive at next weekend’s Japanese GP with just 18 points separating them.

The fast flowing layout and new ‘sand paper’ surface of Philip Island meant pit-stops were introduced to reduce the risk of tyre failure. But despite the challenge of mandatory mid-race bike changes, two-time world champion Lorenzo was able to fight off an early charge from the Repsol Hondas of Marquez and Danny Pedrosa. Pushing his Yamaha M1 to the limits, Lorenzo pitted on lap 10, with the young Spaniard of Marquez coming in one lap later.

Rejoining the track as Lorenzo and Pedrosa approached turn one at 215mph, Marquez clipped Lorenzo as the Yamaha rider slid back into the lead of the race. But pressure was soon to ease for Lorenzo as Marquez received a black-flag with just five laps remaining; the stewards announcing that his 11^th lap stop was outside of the agreed pit window and therefore worthy of exclusion.

As a result Lorenzo was able to comfortably take the win ahead of Pedrosa, whilst MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi fought off Britain’s Cal Crutchlow for the final step of the podium.

With 50 points up for grabs, the MotoGP title showdown is still very much intact as the circus heads to the penultimate round at Japan’s Montegi.

Top 5 Championship Standings after 16 rounds:

1. Marquez – 298 points
2. Lorenzo – 280
3. Pedrosa – 264
4. Rossi – 214
5. Crutchlow – 179

I've Just Seen Rush The Movie; And I Liked It

I know I'm not the only one who's been waiting all year for this film to come out. Rush is a movie that has promised to be everything; featuring a script good enough for the Hollywood masses, and adrenaline filled racing footage to satisfy the most hardcore F1 fans.

I'll be honest, despite being incredibly excited to see Ron Howard's take on one of F1's most exciting seasons, the closer it got to the film's release date, the more apprehensive I became about it turning into a typical Hollywood picture, destined to join the very long list of good, but not great films. Thankfully I was wrong...in part.

Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers in here as I'm not talking about the storyline, although you already know that right, since it actually happened? Well, most of it did, but this film does of course include some scenes to spice up the script. One scene in particular springs to mind: about halfway through the film, Hunt is shown to basically assualt a journalist, which I am not certain actually ever happened (although rumour seems to suggest it could have done). In the film however it seems the scene was added in order to emphasise the growing respect Hunt had for Lauda, as this journalist had been a little disrespectful to the Austrian earlier on, but it's a scene that doesn't really fit in to me.

But anyway, aside from that small questionnable part, the film is largely accurate. Hunt is the partying playboy, Lauda is the quiet, calculated racer. The script does a good job at portraying the drivers, and the footage of racing is effective at portraying the fast paced, adrenaline filled job these drivers had. 

One thing I will say is the motorsport fans amongst us will not be fooled by the dressing up of Brands Hatch to look like Monza, as well as the shaking of cameras to blurr out the fact the cars being filmed are moving quite slowly. But given that many of these cars are the real, original chassis' so driving them at danegerous speeds would be out of the question, as well as that filming each race on location would be quite some task, these small things can be overlooked. The film does a good job at highlighting many of the difficulties an F1 driver faced during a race, and so I am hopeful it can also serve as an eye opener for the less informed viewers amongst us.

However, there is one thing I think this film, and pretty much every other motor racing film I have ever seen (apart from TT 3D, actually) is missing. That is footage and a potrayel of one of the biggest challenges a racing driver faces pretty much every second they are behind the wheel...driving on the limit. Rush does a good job at highlighting speed, a good job at showing the lack of visibility in rain and a good job of showing the horrors of an accident. But it doesn't show how at many points during a lap, a driver will be hanging onto the car, fighting it and constantly correcting it. Instead it has footage of some power slides that are clearly the result of a very heavy right foot rather than actually being on the limit. There are a few scenes with some real lock ups that help to add realism to the footage, but it's hard for an F1 anorac to not notice the way a lot of these incidents are very scripted.

Nevertheless, without using more CGI and without risking smashing up priceless machinery, I suppose pushing Hunt's actual championship winning car to the limit would be impossible. So working with what he had, Ron Howard has done a very good job.

One area in particular where the film really excells, is in its use of sound. We all know that F1 is quite often defined by the sounds, and so capturing the raw engine notes and gearbox details, has no doubt been very effective in causing many F1 fans to produce wry smiles and shivers down their spines during the film. I even really loved the including of noises when cars clipped kerbs and spluttered on over run; very realistic. Maybe Formula 1 should take note and add some proper audio to today's live races...

All in all, I really did enjoy the film. The racing footage was as good as it could be, and with many of the cars being used actually being the genuine articles, it was even more impressive. The sounds were fantastic, the script was effective, and even the acting was top notch. So overall, as a hardcore racing fan myself, I have to say, Rush is very much worth going to see. Go and see it in the cinema too, as I have a feeling that without the big bass surround sound, the film will be significantly less effective.

What Top Gear's Reasonably Priced Car Taught Me About Kia

We've got it all wrong. We've been so far off the truth all this time. You see for years I have been in numerous pub discussions where the conversation has involved something along the lines of "if you drive a Kia, you drive a washing machine," or "Korea can't make cars." Well I've got news for you pub go'ers, Kia don't make washing machines, and Korea can make cars. I know because I've driven one, a special one. So special that it's been seen by tens of millions of people and met Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. The Kia I'm talking about is the ex Top Gear Reasonably Priced Car, one of the 3 manual ones that know nothing outside of being thrashed ruthlessly on track by A list celebrities.

Well one sunny Thursday, it was my turn. I was given the keys to the world famous C'eed, which the Kia event girls told me was standard, barring a roll cage and bucket seats. So essentially, I was climbing into a 5 door hatchback that competes with the likes of the Ford's Focus and Vauxhall's Astra. Unsurprisingly then I didn't expect it to be much of a thrill, plus this was a Kia, the boring washing machine makers that don't make washing machines.

Now I had ridden in a 400bhp Evo X FQ400 earlier, plus I'd thrown my far quicker Clio hot hatch around the track all morning, but for some reason after just a few corners the car I loved driving the most, was the Kia. And this was strange, because if you were beside me in the C'eed, you'd see 3 fairly generous sized rear spaces for passengers, a full working selection of electronic luxuries including a radio, climate control and steering wheel buttons, and that impossibly unsporty Kia badge staring me in the face. 

Yet as I flicked the car into the flat out banked left of the Rockingham straight, the car felt nimble and eager. The engine didn't provide tonnes of neck snatching power, far from it actually, but it was more than happy to rev freely all the way to just shy of a cheeky 7000rpm. And the nose, what a nose. The C'eed was one of the most compliant and nose happy cars I had ever driven, with every turn of the wheel seeing the front point sharply at the apex like an excited puppy jumping at a thrown stick. The rear was more than happy to just about hang on, seeing me 4 wheel drift a 5 door family hatchback through Rockingham's high speed turns, with unbelievable commitment and the biggest grin on my face.

What was I experiencing, why was this happening? How could this car be so happy away from what I thought would be its comfort zone, parked outside an OAPs house? I still don't fully have the answers for that, but I do know that I have now completely changed my opinion of Kia. The chuckable car, the chatty event girls and the lack of washing machines in the line up all tell me one thing, Kia is a modern, fun car maker with high ambitions set towards taking on more established European brands. They're so set on doing this, they're prepared to offer their brand new cars to Top Gear with inevitable deathly fates awaiting them. Who can forget the Kia bloodbath at Twickenham only a couple of seasons ago? It made the Kia girls very sad, as they stood on the sidelines and watched their "babies" being smashed to bits. But full credit to Kia, they do it all in the name of good fun. 

And it's doing wonders for the brand, because people like me step out of their Reasonably Price C'eed and say "Can I have another go?" What a great thing for a manufacturer to hear about their car. Plus with the sportier ProCeed now on sale, Kia have firmly entered the hot hatch market competing against far more established European and Asian names. 

So yeah this brand Kia, they don't make washing machines apparently, but they're up for a bit of a laugh and make some pretty fun cars. Not what you expected right?

If you fancy grimacing at some awful commentary, as well as giggling at some interesting shots of my knees, here's my onboard footage from Rockingham where I sampled the ex Top Gear Kia at racing speeds.

Moto GP And Its Wheely Brave Men

Once you've gotten over this post's terrible attempt at replicating a typical British tabloid's headline pun, you might be surprised to see that it is also about 2 wheeled machinery rather than my usual waffle around cars. But after watching the weekend's US Moto GP at Laguna Seca, I couldn't help but form a gigantic cloud of opinions around the men that hammer around international racing tracks on high speed motorcycles. I couldn't help but find myself on Autotrader late that night, scrolling through listings of Kawasaki Ninjas and Honda Fireblades in an attempt to one day experience something similar to what these riders, no, heroes, experience when they risk life and limb in order to win.

The US GP, a race barely half the length of what I'm used to watching Formula 1 drivers deal with, was fantastic. The weather was calm, bike reliability was good and there were few incidents, so from a distance the race might seem a little uneventful. But look a little closer and you'll see that not only was the race full of drama, but also heroic determination and some good old, hairy chested bravery. Funnily enough though, much of that bravery came from probably the least hairy chested, baby faced rider called Marc Marquez. You may have heard of him, he won a couple of junior level world championships before landing a ride in the 2013 Moto GP season, and he's something of a star.

Marquez is a rookie, yet in his maiden Moto GP season he has not only rewritten the record books by being the youngest pole sitter and race winner in history, but also by fearlessly racing wheel to wheel with the Championship's most successful rider, Valentino Rossi. You may have also heard of him, he's the guy who had to leave his native Italy in order to just go to the shops without being mobbed by hundreds of fanatical fans. Marquez seems unphased by Rossi's legend like status within the Motorcycling community, as he not only passed Rossi into Laguna Seca's daunting corkscrew, but he did it around the outside. In the football world this could be attributed to nutmegging a world class striker, or a sort of near KO against a boxing heavyweight. Marquez then raced on towards the race's pole sitter, Stefan Bradl, who is also a rookie to the premier motorcycling championship, and defiantly took the lead. His move into the final corner was slightly less dramatic, but equally as impressive as his rear wheel slid left to right under heavy braking. Having never ridden a proper motorcycle, let alone on slick tyres at racing speeds, I was overly impressed and in absolute awe at this youngster's talent.

But my amazement didn't end there. As the riders crossed the line and entered the pits, the coverage panned to Dani Pedrosa and double world champ, Jorge Lorenzo as they clambered off their bikes, expressing emotions of pain and relief. These men had both recently had huge offs resulting in injury, with Lorenzo for example having only just undergone surgery on his shoulder days before the race. Most people are bed ridden, or at least allowed a week or 2 off after undergoing what is a fairly severe surgery, but Lorenzo hopped onto his motorcycle and raced for over half an hour around what is a very dangerous and physical track. And he managed to do this with the world's very best, even finishing 6th, behind the other badly injured racer of Pedrosa. I'm so used to seeing top level footballers exacerbating injuries on the pitch, and even Formula 1 drivers mention fear of injury whilst they clamber into comparably safe cockpits. Yet Pedrosa and Lorenzo chose to ride despite risks of further injury, in order to keep their championship hopes alive. No matter what sport you love or how much you might hate motor racing, you have to have respect for men like these.

And finally, and probably most importantly, all of these riders, even the ones who rarely make TV coverage or the news headlines, are all heroes of sorts. Because they are racing the world's fastest motorcycles, around some of the world's most challenging circuits, in a sport where riders still die. The memory of Marco Simoncelli's death is still very fresh within the Moto GP community, with less than 2 years having passed since his fatal Malaysian GP accident. Just one year before that Shoya Tomizawa had died aged 19 in the Moto2 class, showing just how dangerous Motorcycle racing still is. Formula 1 racers are risking life and limb each time they step into the car, but there is no doubt risk is even higher when you're clinging onto a high powered, two wheeled bike with little more than a few millimetres of leather separating your skin from a high speed tarmac sanding. I have no shame in saying it, even as a long-term F1 fan who once hoped to race in cars. Moto GP riders, are wheely wheely brave.

Sorry..

One Off The Bucket List: Spa Francorchamps Track Laps

Last weekend was pretty amazing for me. Not only did I get to watch some of the world's finest classic racing machinery pound around Spa at the Spa Classic, but I also got to drive around the legendary circuit myself in my dad's little MG F VVC.

Now my dad is normally quite a macho, lager drinking lad who tells stories of getting drunk and punching men in his youth. But on these fairly steady laps, he was a pretty nervous passenger who is very thankful that the GoPro didn't pick up his screams for me to "Brake! Brake!"

Although the laps were far from flat out, the chance to drive up Eau Rouge and around La Source hairpin was truly a dream come true. I can only hope one day I will return, perhaps in my 182, to challenge this famous circuit at far more adrenaline pumping speeds.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from my weekend, followed by some footage from my track laps.

A 1987 Argo JM19C races towards La Source

Mechanics frantically try and fix a misfire on a '79 Lola T 298 BMW

Spa-Classic Endurance cars line up in the pits ahead of their race

An Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV approaches the grid

A battle scarred '65 Bizzarrini 5300 GT

A '79 BMW M1 faces Eau Rouge in the paddock

Our MG F on one of Belgium's many beautiful country roads

And finally our onboard track footage:

Tyres Tyres Tyres: Has F1 Gone Too Far?

Formula 1 of late seems a far cry from the Schumacher dominated days of yesteryear. Instead of the multi million Pound  precession of cars we were once faced  with, racing today is far less predictable and overtaking is plentiful. Yet this seemingly vast improvement in racing, is often overshadowed by a significant factor in modern F1: tyres. F1 tyres have taken a leading role in determining the finishing order in races of late. Drivers and cars that are able to preserve their tyres are rewarded with far fewer visits to the pits. But has this damaged what many visualise as the World's fastest sport? Have F1's tyre issues pushed the sport too far from its roots?

The slick tyres used by today's current crop of F1 teams, are made solely by Pirelli. Pirelli were instructed by the FIA, F1's governing body, to create tyres that provided good grip for a short period of time. The intention was to create a challenge for teams with races requiring 2-3 pit stops. However the weekend's race at Barcelona showed how too much tyre wear means drivers are forced to run well within their limits in order to lengthen tyre life. The tyres have become a significant challenge, requiring continual management.

Jody Sheckter had to manage his innovative P34 in 1976

Nevertheless, if we look back over the past 60 years of Formula 1 racing, it is clear to see that racing drivers have rarely been flat out all Sunday long. Generally there has always been a factor that required managing, whether it be gearbox, engine or brake related. Drivers are not just there to push to the limits, but also ensure their machinery can carry them to the finish. In the 50s and 60s the main limiting factor tended to be mechanical, with a lengthy list of racers who 'Did Not Finish' often falling victim to engine and gearbox failures. Through the decades reliability improved, but high performance turbo engines in the 80s were still fragile beasts that needed heavy management over a weekend - they ran up to 600hp less during races than qualifying in order to just survive.

Today however, reliability is so good that races see few mechanical failures with engines competing in 3 to 4 races per season before requiring any rebuilding. Engines and gearboxes require very little management from drivers as a result, with simple engine mapping adjustments providing teams with confidence their cars will see out the distance.

Locking wheels can destroy a tyre in seconds

Especially from the fan's point of view, tyres are the main factors that require management. Many have voiced their disgust, and even 3 times F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel explained that his Red Bull RB9 could go far quicker over the course of a race if the tyres weren't such a limiting factor.

These issues do not seem to exist because something requires heavy management. Instead it's the fact it results in drivers circulating tracks 10 seconds off their potential pace. We even notice teams instructing drivers to "not fight" against others due to focusing entirely on their own race stint. Most of Barcelona's overtaking came in the form of DRS assisted straight line passes, whilst both Button and Vettel showed little flare when defending positions from attack. This meant despite the number of overtakes being sufficient, each was far less dramatic than many F1 fans would hope.

DRS assisted passes are often less dramatic

The Australian and Bahrain races were thankfully far better and so we can only hope that future races will be closer to them, but Barcelona should certainly serve as a lesson of what we don't want. F1 is the pinnacle of Motorsport, both in terms of drivers and car technology, so the last thing we want is a formula where neither of these things are being pushed to the limits.

The Alonso Philosophy: Round 3 Of The Club 100 Lightweight Sprint Championship

The 3rd Round of the Club 100 Lightweight Sprint Championship took place on the 28th April at Rye House in Hoddesdon. Here's my summary of my day's racing.

Located just a short drive from my home in North London, Rye House is my 'local'. Except this local doesn't serve lagers, but similarly it does have a habit of leaving you a little sore the next day. Rolling out of bed at a not so painful 7:30am, I was excited to return to a track I must have driven around 1000 times. Clear blue skies with promise of warmth meant conditions were thankfully also looking perfect.

Not long after we arrived at one of F1 stars Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton's old playing grounds, in true Club 100 style the racing got started as quickly as possible (the event organisers firmly believe in working to 'the sooner we get started, the sooner we go home'). Having to focus myself for qualifying, my attitude for the day's racing took influence from F1 World Champ Fernando Alonso's consistent performances last year. I figured since the Club 100 season is long and filled with variety, consistency is key. Inspired by his success I targeted podiums for both of the day's races, deciding that points were more important than 'binning it' when chasing that extra place, better to finish the race and grab what I can.

QUALIFYING

Despite it being early morning and the first time I'd sat in a kart for a couple of weeks, with this probably being something like my 1001st lap of Rye House, I was able to immediately settle into a rhythm and start chasing that perfect lap. The pace soon came and my laps were good, with just a few outliers here and there, mostly thanks to traffic. Using every inch of the backbreaking kerb at Pylon (shown in the title pic), I was taking some serious risks.

Upon my return to the pits, it became apparent just how necessary those risks were; pole position by 2/100ths. Doesn't come much closer than that.

Pole position over the start line

RACE 1

Sitting on pole position for Race 1, I was by no means confident. The tiny margin between myself and the pursuing karts meant there was little chance of me breaking free from them if everyone remained settled. But speeding over the line, my start was clean and fast as I swept into Stadium bend. Feeling confident enough not to defend, I pressed on with setting fastest laps in order to drag myself out of the danger zone.

This is when it became apparent that my kart had just a few issues. It didn't lack straight line speed, but an out of line steering wheel began to trouble turn in, with a suspected tracking issue as the problem. This coupled with a heavy vibration meant my working conditions were far from ideal. Nevertheless, I pushed as hard as I could only to be out dragged into turn 1, painfully conceding 1st.

Conceding the lead

Despite the loss, it was here that I really began to 'earn my money' (unfortunately in reality my money likes to travel in the opposite direction). To chase down the new leader I had to race my socks off, setting qualifying lap after qualifying lap with my less than perfect kart. I soon began to match the leader's pace, but the threat of attack from behind later into the race meant I chose to defend rather than attack, remembering consistency is key.

The final result saw me just crossing the line in 2nd, disappointed not to get the winners trophy, but very pleased with the 127 Championship points.

RACE 2

Due to only setting the 4th fastest lap in Race 1, I lined up 4th on the grid for Race 2. As I crept out of the pits to begin our warm up laps, I recognised the machinery; this was Race 1's kart. I immediately returned to the pits to swap to another kart, that wonky one wasn't costing me another race. Once I'd joined the formation lap it seemed as though the decision to swap was the right one. No vibrations and a straight steering wheel, I felt much more confident.

Accelerating over the start line, I managed to maximise my position and slot into 4th; nothing spectacular, but what I had to do. I was happy to realise that I was actually now quicker than the karts ahead, so sitting on the final podium positioned kart's bumper, I was able to notice several key areas where I was quicker. But accelerating back onto the straight in what I thought was a prime slipstreaming position, it became clear my afternoon's kart struggled on the straights. Despite my overall good pace, the lack of top speed made it near impossible to make a clean overtaking manoeuvre for 3rd. In a desperate attempt to move forward, I placed my kart's nose on the inside of turn 1, hoping to force the kart ahead into a mistake. Instead I found myself on the outside of the following corner, which allowed the chasing kart to slip through into hairpin 1. I'd gone backwards rather than forwards.

Regaining 4th before snatching 3rd from the off line kart ahead

Remaining focused and hopeful of a way back through, I pressed on and thankfully squeezed back into 4th as the karts ahead squabbled into hairpin 2. I was even able to steal 3rd from of the out of position kart in front, as he ran wide after a failed attempt at taking 2nd. I suddenly found myself on the tail of 2nd place; this was my chance to snatch the place and break free of the pack, in the same way the current leader had managed to do early on.

Sat on the bumper of 2nd, despite every attempt at carrying momentum and getting that good exit onto the straight, I couldn't quite match the straight line performance of his kart. Almost losing sight of 'Alonso's consistency philosophy', I had a couple of fairly ambitious lunges over the course of the following laps.

Tight squeeze: lunging for 2nd

Thankfully I saw sense when a late braking manoeuvre almost saw both of us out of the race. As we crossed the line for the last lap, I decided to defend my position rather than jeopardising points in trying to steal 2nd. Still, 3rd was far from safe as I had to defend from a late onslaught from behind. To my relief I managed to hold on and grab that final podium position, but more importantly I'd secured a healthy sum of 124 points.

No wins, but 2 podium finishes, Rye House was good to me that day. To top it off I was the highest points scorer of the day, so even though the silverware didn't display it, I felt good as I had come home as the number 1 driver for the day.

I now find myself leading the Championship as we head into Round 4 at Ellough Park. I won't be racing then however, due to getting an exciting chance to drive the Spa Francorchamps F1 circuit in Belgium that weekend (a very valid reason to miss a round I'm sure most will agree). Thankfully though, the Club 100 Championship allows you to drop rounds, so through default that missed round will be one of my dropped days. My Championship hopes are therefore very much alive.

Check out my onboard footage from Race 2 at Rye House:

Unfortunately due to a lack of funds, I had to withdraw from the 2013 Championship despite being the leader at the time. I hope to race in a Club100 kart soon.

Better Late Than Never: Round 2 Of The 2013 Club100 Sprint Championship

The title above applies to not only my days racing, I'll explain why shortly, but also the publish date of this post. Not my most prompt piece of writing, but here it is; an update of my day's racing the weekend before last, better late than never eh.

Bayford Meadows, the circuit that gifted me my first win, as well as my first Championship way back in 2003. A place with some great memories, most of them very vivid and seemingly far more recent than a decade ago. I wish I could have said the same for the racing lines however, as I quickly realised my on track memory was far from anything useful. But never fear, the sun was out and the afternoon's racing was about to commence, so I was feeling excited to jump into a kart and back onto what was very a special track to me.

Back on track at the place of my first win

QUALIFYING

My feeling for the circuit in qualifying was actually better than expected. My previous evening's YouTube research had meant I had a good understanding of the basic layout, which enabled me to pick up the racing lines fairly quickly. I completed several clear and smooth laps so was hopeful to have secured myself a grid position at the sharp end of the field. Unfortunately, much to my disappointment this was not the case, as I lined up in 11th for Race 1. Apparently, despite my initial thoughts, there was a lot of work to do.

Fighting up from 11th on lap 1

RACE 1

Sitting towards the front of the midfield and rolling up to the start line, I was thankful to be on the inside as the karts muscled together. Immediately I was able to gain 2 places before I'd even approached the first corner, followed by another 2 as we approached the infield. I was now in hot pursuit of the leading 6 drivers with every intention of winning the race; funny how things can change so quickly.

A couple of laps in, the leading pack had begun to space out but the pair immediately ahead began tussling   quite heavily. I was able to take advantage of their fight and nudged my way past them both into 5th, placing me a second or so off the back of the 4th placed driver. The following few laps saw me trying my utmost to latch onto the leading karts, where I was also still learning the racing lines and details for that perfect lap every step of the way.

Thankfully I began to 'click' with the circuit, and before I knew it I was driving up to the back of the 4th placed kart. Stealing a tow along the start/finish straight, I nosed ahead of him into turn 1. The leading trio had a slight edge over me, something I knew I could decrease if I had the race time, but unfortunately the chequered flag was shown too soon for that to work. Still, I crossed the line in a surprisingly strong 4th; if you'd have offered that to me before the race, I'd have certainly grabbed it with both hands.

Racing through the last corner

RACE 2

After my strong showing of pace in the closing stages of Race 1, I went into Race 2 expecting to at least be a contender for the win. Accelerating over the start line on the outside I unsurprisingly fell back to 5th into turn 1, however I quickly snatched the place back in the next corner. The following laps saw me chop and change position, fighting with the group immediately behind the leader. Our tussling caused the leading kart to begin to break away slightly however, and to my annoyance instead of focusing on trawling him back in, the surrounding karts seemed more focused on fighting for the 2nd best place. During this hard fought tussle I did manage to work my way up to 2nd, but quickly fell back to 5th after an opponent had what can only be described as an optimistic lunge and 'hung me out to dry'.

Instead of doing the natural thing and acting out on my anger through over driving, I had to calm my emotions and focus on dragging myself back into contention. Thankfully, everything began to fall into place and as my pace remained strong the karts ahead continued to battle. This helped me to claw my way back towards them, quickly dive past and then break free from their ongoing conflict.

Crossing the line in 1st

After the 2nd placed kart came off whilst fighting for the lead, I was faced with just 1 kart in front, albeit a couple of seconds down the road. Driving some of the most immensely focused laps of my life, I was surprised to find myself on the bumper of the leader far quicker than I had expected. As we crossed the line for the last lap, I glanced back and saw that there was a small cushion between my bumper and the still bickering karts behind. The leader defended into turn 1, as well as into turn 2. However he left the door ever so slightly open into turn 3, and acting on impulse I lunged alongside him. Squeezing him on the exit he clung on and proceeded to lunge back into the following 2 corners. I gave him room but carried momentum, meaning he not only wasn't able to pass, but was also pushed back to 4th by the pursuing karts who'd now arrived on the scene. Defending and parking my kart on all the apexes for the remainder of the lap, I happily crossed the line for the win despite leading for less than two thirds of just 1 lap. I think it is safe to say that this one was very much better late than never!

So thanks to the day's successful racing I went home with not only a winners trophy, but also a bundle of points that propelled me up to 2nd in the Championship. And with at least another 6 rounds to go, it's all still very much to play for.

Check out my onboard footage for Race 2:

Round 3 of the Club100 Sprint Championship will be held at Rye House in Hoddesdon on the 28th April.

A Bubble Spitting V12? Well Done Aston Martin

In rather timely fashion, Aston Martin have confirmed that they'll be entering a zero emission racing car into the daunting Nurburgring 24 hour race this May. The car, based on their road going Rapide S, is far from similar to those quiet electric racers mentioned in my recent post 'Will Green Cars Always Sound Boring?' Instead this green racer will be fitted with a more familiar Aston Martin 6 litre V12, with the ability to emit nothing but water thanks to it's hydrogen conversion. This will be the first hydrogen powered car to not only complete a lap at the Nurburging 24 Hours, but also the first to compete in an international racing event.

The hydrogen powered V12 is boosted by 2 turbos, essential to ensure the burning of hydrogen is as efficient as possible. The car will also use conventional petrol for much of the race, however Aston Martin have confirmed at least one lap of the circuit, nicknamed the 'Green Hell' by F1 World Champion Jackie Stewart, will be driven under full hydrogen power.

This may only represent a sneak peak into what the future holds, but it looks to be a significant step towards the goal of one day seeing a full grid of hydrogen racers growling through the forests of the Nurburgring. A fitting location given its serious mechanical challenges and naturally beautiful, tree lined surroundings.

The 41st Nurburgring 24 Hour race will take place on 19th-20th May, with the race starting at 4pm CEST / 3pm BST.

Don't bring back Neanderthals, they'll be better at racing

Neaderthals could dominate F1

They say people who live in higher altitudes have stronger hearts due to the reduced amounts of available oxygen. This means when they compete against us sea levelled beings, they can expect a slight natural advantage, since stronger hearts can mean stronger athletic abilities. So imagine my disgust as I read that scientists are considering the idea of bringing back the Neanderthal species with reconstructed DNA. The athletic ability of a species much closer related to our ancestral apes, would be impossible for us humble humans to compete against.

I mean, do the scientists want us to face a future of dominated sport? Sprinting, long distance running, spear throwing: all Neanderthal specialities. And don't get me started on Motorsport. You thought the Schumacher era was bad, imagine a Neanderthal dominated sport, forever! The skills required to be a good F1 driver include reactions, precision, hand to eye coordination and athletic fitness, which funnily enough seem to be very suited to Mr Neanderthal. People are already starting to get sick of the current Vettel era; so please science, don't damn us to another one, especially one from another species!

Lewis Hamilton: Best When Behind The Visor

Lewis Hamilton, viewed by many as one of the fastest drivers to ever grace an F1 car. Phenomenal performances and aggressive racing, Lewis has brought some serious entertainment to World Championships of late. For this you'd expect him to be universally admired, yet there seems to exist more dislike for him than you might expect. So what does Lewis have to do to gain full respect amongst the world's elite racers?

I like Lewis Hamilton I really do, and that would not normally be expected for someone who has a soft spot for a pair of scarlet red cars. I often find myself admiring Lewis as a driver, but outside of the car he really hasn't made it easy for himself to become very popular. You may remember Lewis' misinformed accusation that Jenson Button, his team mate at the time, had unfollowed him on twitter. It was an incredibly awkward mistake that inevitably led to an embarrassing apology. You may also remember when Lewis revealed secret McLaren telemetry on his Twitter account, which created visible tension between McLaren's seniors and himself. Both of these very public incidents seemed to show a slightly hot headed Lewis that was unsurprisingly harder to like than say, the Felipe Massas of this world (what a nice guy).

Stevenage's (or is it Brooklyn's) Lewis Hamilton looking pretty Hip Hop

Thankfully, Lewis now seems to take an air of caution with his words on Twitter, recently only creating offence to the eyes of followers through his decisions to post pictures of himself dressed like an East Coast rapper. Although I suppose dressing in his native Stevenage colours wouldn't improve the situation much (Air Max tracksuits aren't great on a grown man).

Lewis has suffered 'hiccups' in other areas however, not least with the press. The lowest point came after his Ali G comments resulted in an unintentional racism storm back in 2011. Perhaps as a result of that, it does seem that he has now begun to manage his answers when faced with tricky questions, meaning he's joined the ranks of drivers who shield their true feelings behind a wall of generic "we'll see" and "maybe" responses. In many ways this is a shame as most fans want to see real emotion from drivers, but it's sure to keep the teams and particularly the sponsors happy, and they write the cheques!

Hamilton was fantastic through the junior ranks

Nevertheless, in my opinion Lewis doesn't even have to say anything to the cameras, or have to add a new twist to his Tweets; he just has to drive. I mean there's no denying it, Lewis is fantastic behind the wheel. From looking across his entire career, Lewis has demonstrated raw talent and natural speed in a range of racing machinery. It is true that he was fortunate enough to have had a push and significant funding from McLaren to get him to where he is today, but nothing can take from the fact he has demonstrated his worthiness and ability throughout. Even ignoring his successful junior years, his arrival in F1 was more than spectacular. Partnered with World Champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren, it was fair to assume it would be a very steep learning curve for Lewis. This didn't seem to phase him however, as he even managed to beat Fernando with competence and control not normally seen until several years into a driver's F1 career. We can't forget that had it not been for just a couple of costly errors and unlucky mechanical issues, Lewis could have been F1's first rookie World Champion.

Lewis celebrates his 2012 Canadian GP win

"But he's always been in a competitive car" I hear you say. This is true for the most part, but even if we were to ignore the results and focus entirely on his driving, his on track ability is nothing short of outstanding. Of all the current F1 drivers, his choice to set up the car in such a way that allows it to move about underneath him, creates some of the most fantastic on board footage and highly impressive driving. His style seems to be most prominent when he is on the absolute limit, where he seems comfortable with a significant amount of rear slip. This style was even evident not long ago on the BBC's own Top Gear, where Lewis managed to reduce the fastest Top Gear track lap time in the 'very normal' Suzuki Liana, by over 1 second. Stick him in anything on 4 wheels, and you can be confident Lewis will wring its neck.

So despite his colourful antics in the paddock and less than perfect image, when he sticks on the helmet and is belted into his car, I am a big Lewis Hamilton fan. Let's hope that 2013 will be the time he does the talking on track (but not in the Kimi Raikkonen "leave me alone" sense however!). Maybe then Formula 1's wider fanbase will begin to finally accept Lewis for what he really is, a phenomenally talented racing driver and wholly deserving World Champion.

Flappy Paddle Gearboxes: Not A Problem For The Playstation Generation

It's a well documented change taking place in the motor industry right now, with sports cars and now even hot hatches using them. A tool of the digital age that is dramatically changing the characteristics of driving. I'm talking about semi-automatic gearboxes, or flappy paddles as they're often called. Petrolheads far and wide have voiced their disgust at the lack of involvement these gearboxes bring to driving, but manufacturers are obviously confident they will sell. So surely someone must like them?

Semi-automatic gearboxes are becoming increasingly used in new cars, meaning no more does a driver have to slide through the gears with a heel of throttle and kick of the clutch. Instead, a simple click of a paddle located just behind the wheel is all that is needed. The resulting backlash of concern voiced by the petrolhead community about this loss to the driving experience, may have caused several to predict that these gearboxes would remain unattractive to enthusiasts. But I think it's quite possible that some of these sceptics have failed to notice a change in expectations for the 'ultimate' driving experience. A change that has been brought about thanks to video games.

Video games expose the coolest kids to driving long before they're 17

For many, their first memory of driving came when they sat on their fathers lap and were allowed to steer the family saloon around a car park. Others first experienced motoring at the turn of their 17th birthday, behind the wheel of a sorry looking hatchback that according to mum, was "plenty fast enough." But in recent years, many new drivers have had a taste long before they were able to steer their way onto our roads. Gran Turismo, Grid and Colin McRae Rally are just a few to name of a large number of racing and driving video games on offer to kids. These games require little more than the humble controller to simulate a steering wheel, throttle, brake and gearbox. It's here that many kids have their first experience of driving, and it's here they will have their first experience of a flappy paddle gearbox. These controllers often replace the gearbox with buttons, normally one for up and another for down, much like a proper semi-automatic box in a modern sports car. So long before they've learned how to wiggle a stick through the cogs of a conventional box, these gamers will already be an expert with a semi-automatic system.

The 2013 RS 200 comes with few added 'gamer gimmicks'

Semi-Automatic gearboxes are also often accompanied by other 'gamer friendly' gimmicks. Some new cars, including the 2013 Renault Clio RS 200, are available with software that pump engine noises of iconic sports and racing cars through the interior speakers, mimicking the revs of the cars actual engine. To the purists amongst us, this is another step away from actual driving. But for gamers, I can see this being a heavily used party trick to convince passengers you really have fitted your Clio with a V8. And surely, deep down inside of us all, there lies a little part of us that wants to be Lewis Hamilton when behind the wheel. I'm not proud to say it, but I myself have occasionally found myself mouthing an F1 like engine note whilst I race through the gears. It's not pretty, it's not pure, but it sure is fun. (Yes I'm a big kid).

Thanks to Gran Turismo and Grid, even children can drive a Ferrari...kind of

It's for this reason I think the youngest generation of drivers will be warm to the idea of a semi-automatic box before they even start driving. These gearboxes add to our inner Lewis Hamilton, bringing our little hatchbacks and saloons just that bit closer to the driving experience of a Formula 1 car. And lets not forget, those reduced CO2 numbers and improved performance figures will most certainly please our more environmentally aware teens. For the vast majority of drivers and 90% of journeys, semi automatic gearboxes are a perfectly acceptable and very useful tool. To be honest, they really are just better at changing gear.

Manual was good enough for Aryton...

But, (of course there had to be a but!), for those pure enthusiasts who prefer their Sennas to Hamiltons, it would be hard to argue that a semi-automatic gearbox doesn't remove a major component from the art of driving. Those who drive for pleasure rather than purpose, would lose the excitement felt when they stab at the throttle as they slip down the gears, mastering the heel and toe technique that drivers like Senna and Mansell perfected in their Formula 1 cars. Yes semi-automatics are a faster, more efficient way of changing gear, and yes they would probably be the weapon of choice on a qualifying lap. But for those fun Sunday drives where the stopwatch stays at home, I think it's fair to say that without a gear stick and clutch pedal, an irreplaceable part of the ultimate driving experience is lost.

Far From Perfect: Round 1 Of The 2013 Club100 Sprint Championship

Round 1 of the Club100 Lightweight Sprint Championship was held on the 24th February at Buckmore Park in Kent. Here's my account of my day's racing.

Standing trackside at 9am with what felt like icicles forming on my face, I did begin to wonder why I'd exchanged hard earned cash to be here. Sprinklings of sleet and a stabbing wind made the near freezing conditions feel almost arctic. Many would have turned around, gone home and climbed back into bed. But not us racers, because as soon as we heard the bark of a 115cc engine and inhaled the smell of 2 stroke racing oil, all we wanted to do was go racing.

QUALIFYING

A succession of races from the various classes then led into the Lightweight Qualifying. The morning's bitter wind hadn't gone but at least the sleet seemed to have halted. Being the first time I'd sat in a racing kart for over 6 months, I felt a little apprehensive. To add to my concern, as I rolled out of the pitlane it became clear just how little grip was available to play with. But taking advice from the late Colin McRae, "If in doubt, flat out," so I was soon throwing the kart into turn one with a handful of opposite lock.

After a solid couple of warm up laps the kart felt good and grip increased, so I pushed on to see what I could do. Almost immediately I caught another kart and nosed alongside him. It turned out he hadn't noticed me and as a result fired me straight into the wall, my first "oh cock" moment of 2013! It was a fairly substantial impact that sent me piling into my own steering wheel, which I'm sure would have almost certainly bruised a rib or two had I not been wearing my rib protector. After confirming all limbs were still attached and that the kart was straight, I moved it into position to restart. As soon as I was rolling I had to forget about my impact and get hunting down that fast lap.

2 laps on I found some clear air and sliced through the corners, nailing my braking points and completing a smooth lap without any mistakes. Each one of my following attempts was hindered by traffic or yellow flags, so rolling past the chequered flag I knew that that lap had to be the one. To my suprise it placed me on Pole for the first race, with just under 2 tenths of a second advantage over 2nd place. Not a bad start to the day!

Racing towards the start line

RACE 1

Sitting on pole for the first race, I was a little confused as to why I was on the left side of the front row despite this circuit being clockwise. Failing to gain an answer it was then suddenly time to start and begin the rolling up laps. So cruising along on the outside of the front row (which I later found out WAS the wrong side, the grid in the pitlane did not reflect the actual grid!) we approached the start line and revs slowly began to rise. Screaming past the waved Union Jack we hurtled into turn 1, and as expected those on the inside were able to nose through. I exited turn 1 in 3rd but managed to squeeze back into 2nd through the infield. The following laps had me chasing down the leader, with there being several notable areas of the circuit where my pace was better than his.

Buckmore Park isn't the easiest circuit to pass on, with it's narrow width and flowing corners. But if you are going to pass, generally the easiest places are into turn 1 after stealing a tow up the hill, or in the tight infield with it's low speed hairpins. Unfortunately for me my Jack Daniels ribs addiction meant I was 7kg heavier than the minimum weight limit, so stealing a tow wasn't possible as my kart had to lug my pork filled butt up the hill. As a result, passing the leader in the first sector was much more difficult. But my confidence remained intact, as I felt I could bide my time, pull away from the chasing karts and then pick a clean spot to overtake for the lead.

As good as that plan seemed, it didn't account for one tiny problem; backmarkers. Our leading group of karts were soon to face the challenge of clearing lapped traffic; traffic that in some cases more closely resembled moving road blocks. Unfortunately for me, I caught several of these karts in sections where time was most easily lost. As a result my grip on the leader was loosened and he began to maintain a significant gap. To add to this, an early braking backmarker caught me by surprise into turn one, and despite my best efforts I was unable to avoid punting him off.

Caught by suprise: Punting off an early braking backmarker

This unfortunately was the final blow to my race, as the resulting penalty meant despite crossing the line in 2nd, I was relegated to 6th. Not what I'd hoped for, but there was always race 2 to redeem myself...

RACE 2

After my strong pace in the morning, I knew my target for race 2 should be to come out on top. So sitting P3 on the grid, a small amount of confidence had begun to brew behind my tinted visor. Rolling out of the pits I took extra care in making sure tyre temperatures were at optimum, to help avoid a repeat of the mornings poor start.

Despite my tyre warming efforts, accelerating up to the start line it immediately became clear that my kart wasn't going to co-operate as I'd hoped. Opening up the throttle I watched the surrounding karts creep forward  as my engine struggled to pull itself into the power band. As a result I fell back from the leader into turn 1, and was edged wide by fast accelerating karts behind. Falling back into 5th I was frustrated that my confidence had turned to desperation as I watched the leading pair edge away.

I was lucky to sneak back into 3rd after the pair ahead ran wide in turn 8. From here I began to regain hope that I could draw in the leaders and chase that win I so wanted. But this hope was short lived as I battled sluggish straight line speed, and almost immediately fell back to 4th after being out dragged into turn 1. To add to my misery, whilst chasing 3rd place I got greedy on the kerb of Cafe Curve, throwing me out wide and costing me time.

Pushing hard: Despite my best efforts I couldn't catch the leaders

From here it was a race of damage limitation, with the leaders out of reach and unimpressive straight line speed meaning I was chasing points rather than trophies. Pushing as hard as I could I still lost another place, eventually crossing the line in 5th. (Somehow this turned into a 4th after the race - most likely due to a kart ahead receiving a penalty).

Despite the potential shown after qualifying pole, I ended up leaving Buckmore Park empty handed. The only thing I had to show for my weekend was a very sore back thanks to my morning impact (tyre walls aren't as soft as they look!) Nevertheless, it felt great to get back out racing. Lets just say I'm looking forward to proving myself at Round 2.

For those of you who'd prefer a video, here's my onboard footage of Race 1:

Round 2 of the CLUB100 Lightweight Sprint Championship will be at Bayford Meadows in Sittingbourne on the 14th April.