OEKC Round 3 & 4 – Clay Pigeon
June 24th 2018
We visited Clay Pigeon in Dorset for the first time in OEKC. We had a very difficult Saturday trying to find a good setup for this track. We also had the new engine which needed to be run to determine the gearing needed for this track. We had a lot to do within a short period of time as testing was split into sessions.
After a great deal of hard work and head scratching, we found a setup which was not perfect but the best we had found all day and moving in the right direction for race day.
During practice on race day we continued with setup and found a really good balance. Our time needed to make the desired changes compromised qualifying so we would start second from last on the grid but with these changes the kart felt very strong.
Race 1:
Brad started race one. He immediately picked through the field to forth with some great passes. Third place was next as he hunted down second position. Lap times were very good, comparable to first position. Disaster struck! One wheel too far over the kerb and a big accident. Luckily Brad was ok. Race one was over as we recovered the kart for repairs. With fresh new parts fitted, we were ready for race two.
Race 2:
Richard started race two and picked through the field in the same manner as race one. We were up to third in no time at all. Hunting down second place proved a little more difficult. Every time we got close, they made their way pass the back markers quicker. Once we were in striking distance we had a great battle over 5-6 laps and eventually came out on top. We were now hunting first position.
We completed our fuel stop and driver change. Brad now continued to chase first position. We were now quickest on track. Our setup and new engine were proving to be very successful when another problem struck. Our engine power valve decided to stick which causes a huge loss of power. Brad pitted and we changed the part. This incident caused us to drop to fifth. We were 1 lap down on forth and 3 laps down on third. We were still very quick and picked off forth position which is were we finished. We were half a lap short of third.
An unfortunate day but the new engine proved to be a great addition which allows us to compete competitively with the front runners again.
