http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk en-gb goodlifferacing.co.uk 2009-9-9T00:00:00Z goodlifferacing.co.uk http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#48436 After a short break since the start of August we were at Mallory Park in Leicestershire this weekend for the final round of the British Superkart Championships where if I gained 2 good results could win the 250 Challenge class. Untimed Practice After having the engines looked at after Castle Combe the idea was to try and get to grips with the circuit however things didnt go according to plan after leaving the pits and taking the first lap at a fairly gentle pace to check everything was ok I crossed the start line to build up a bit more momentum and easy my way into the session this is where my world went spinning again. Just as I was about to turn into the flat out Gerrards bend the engine seized and spun me around taking a trip through the gravel trap and stopping by the air fence. As I stood on the bank watching the rest of the session I started to wonder what I have to do to get past this corner as this is where I got knocked out in the warmup meeting back in March Qual... 2009-9-9T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#46824 This past weekend saw us take in the 3rd meeting in the space of a month. We were at Castle Combe in Wiltshire forming one of the races in their Summer Racing Carnival as with last weekend the karts were again being filmed for a transmission on Motors TV later in the summer. The 125 Open class championship races were on the Saturday with the MSA championship races being on the Sunday I took the opportunity to enter on the Saturday to gain some knowledge of another track I have never been on before. Both days were to feature a 10minute free practice session 10minute qualifying session and 2 10 lap races for the karts. Saturday Races Saturday was all about checking the kart setup gearing and carburation and more importantly getting me used to the track as it has a fair amount of undulations that feel like constant bumps and a lot of off camber corners. Free Practice I ended up 7th of the 14 or so 250s that had also elected to use the day as well. Qualifying meant I ended up 8th fast... 2009-8-12T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#46236 This past weekend saw us take in the 2nd meeting of 3 over a busy summer period. This time we were at Donington Park as a support event to the televised Superleague Formula races on the full GP circuit. The karts were also filmed and will hopefully be on tv sometime during the autumn. Free Practice Again as is the theme for the whole of this year it was another track i had to learn and fairly quickly. I had another piston to run in so spent the first few laps taking it fairly steady on the engine and trying to learn the track what made it even more difficult was that the track was wet. The session went without any dramas the kart felt like it was handling well. I was very suprised to see the timesheets at the end of the 20 minute session to learn i was 4th fastest of the 250 Nationals and 9th overall including the Divsion 1 Twin cylinder karts. I didnt feel to be pushing hard in fact i thought i was going too slow shows how much the driver knows some times Qualifying Free Practic... 2009-8-3T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#45235 This last weekend saw us make the short trip up to Cadwell Park to tackle 2 more rounds of the 2 Superkart championships I have entered this year plus to take part in the biggest Superkart event in the country the MSA British Superkart Grand Prix. It was going to be a long weekend as I had also paid for the extra test day that was available on the Friday to get dialed into the circuit and to hopefully try out the latest 2009 compound Bridgestone tyres. So of we set early on Thursday afternoon to get the awning setup and sorted. Friday Testing The plan for Friday was to do just 3 of the 6 sessions that were on offer to run in a new piston and then try to do some back to back testing with the Dunlop tyres we have been using and the new Bridgestones to decide which to use for the championship races on the Saturday. However things didnt go quite too plan after a large rain shower overnight Thursday night I elected to miss the first session of the day. During the next session I... 2009-7-20T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#44169 Weekend of Disappointment This weekend saw us travel down to Snetterton in Norfolk to take in the next 2 rounds of the 2 championships I have entered this year after a busy 2 days at Anglesey last time out this weekend was to be slightly more relaxed with Qualifying on Saturday afternoon and 2 races on Sunday. Qualifying Qualifying went well after spending a few laps learning the circuit and getting temperature into the tyres I set about trying for some good times at the end of the session after completing 12 laps my best was a 115.836 which was good enough for 11th place on the grid for the first race on Sunday morning the kart was handling well and we had got the gearing about spot on. Race 1 The first race on Sunday morning was due to take place at 1025 the sun had come out and the weather was really hot. Unfortunately the race was a bit of a non event for me as we came out of the assembly area and the start of the main straight and down the straight behin... 2009-7-1T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#41527 This weekend saw us travel from one side of the country to the other to take in 2 more rounds of the 2 championships I have entered this year Anglesey in North Wales was the destination and it was going to be a busy weekend as the 250 Challenge races had been moved to the Saturday as there were too many entries to have all of the karts on the track at once on the Sunday. After using the Bridgestone tyres at Thruxton in the first 2 races of the championship we moved back over to using the Dunlops for this weekend and also had some different exhausts to try over the weekend. Saturday 250 Challenge Races The order of the day was a 20 minute qualifying session and 3 x 10 lap races the 2 points scoring races for the challenge being the last 2 so we had a free race to use as a bit of a warmup to the circuit. We were on track with the 125 Open class and 210 National class for the day Qualifying Qualifying went well after spending a few laps learning the circuit and gettin... 2009-5-13T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#39852 After many months of testing and preparing we finally started the 2009 MSA British Superkart championship on Easter Monday at Thruxton in Hampshire the fastest circuit in the UK. The karts were the first qualifying session out on the track at 0855 so it was an early start and we had to be on it straight away to secure a good grid position for the 1st race later in the day. Like virtually all of the circuits this season I am having to learn the tracks as we go so it would be a tall order Leaving the pitlane at the start of the session I took the first lap at a fairly gentle pace just to get myself reacquainted with everything after the accident at Mallory Park a few weeks earlier. Once I started to open the engine up and dial myself into the track I could tell we were off the pace by a fair margin coming up through Church corner and up the long Woodham Hill to the final chicance I was getting nowhere near maximum revs we had been too optimistic on the gearing with the wind blo... 2009-4-15T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#38646 After many months of waiting we headed to Mallory last weekend to try and get some valuable experience of the circuit prior to the final round of the British championship to be held there in September. The weather also seemed to be decent for a change. We had set the Kart up to try out the Dunlop slicks rather than the Bridgestones we used on Long Circuit last year to see if there was to be any increased performance from running with them and i was hoping for a good result from the day to take confidence into the 1st round of the championship at Thruxton in 3 weeks. However the day didnt really produce what i had hoped for going out in qualifying i took the first lap or so fairly steady to bed in some new discs and pads and to make sure i had some temperature in the tyres along with working out the circuit. Once i felt more confident i started to open the engine up and was starting to see the lap times fall the kart was handling well and the engine pulling well so things were looking... 2009-3-24T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#35523 We have just come back from another test session this time at Fulbeck to check out one of the engines after taking delivery of some race fuel during the last week to test that our carburation is right. Although the main reason again for the test was to get some more mileage on me using the left foot braking again. The test seemed to go really well i am now starting to feel more confident using the left foot to brake i dont go with the right foot to hit the brakes anymore so that has to be progress I have more feel with the brakes so we have decided to stick with that setup for the upcoming test at Oulton Park how i get on with it on a long circuit is still a question mark. The engines seemed to be running well and the carburation is somewhere in the ballpark so things are looking good for the Oulton test. The engines have now been taken off the karts and this week will be going back to PFP Services for a bit of a check up and while we are there the chassis will be put on the flatbe... 2009-1-24T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#34931 Finally i got to sit in the seat of the kart since the end of October and hear the engine run I wondered what was missing from life after 3 months of sorting out moving house and decorating and the usual stuff that comes with life. I took the short circuit kart out at a rather cold Kimbolton yesterday for a bit of a testshakedowndriver reminder After driving down with the temperature probe in the van showing anywhere between minus 1 and minus 2 i knew we werent going to be in for a day where it felt like the bahamas but we do these things in the name of sport We mainly took the kart down so i could try getting on with left foot braking and a hand clutch we have tried this before and never really got on with it mainly due to not giving it enough of a chance. As i took to the dummy grid for the first practice session there was still ice on the grid But i had to give it a go although we were out on slicks as the track was dry just cold. After 3 rather short 67 minute sessions i had... 2009-1-11T00:00:00Z http://www.goodlifferacing.co.uk/page2.htm#34403 Well at long last 2009 is here After what seems an eternity since my last race meeting in the final round of the Super 4 in October we can now finally start getting on with the preparations for our assault on the 2009 British Superkart championship. Over the christmas break the website has had a total redesign as the old one was a bit dated and had not been updated for a while. In a couple of weeks the testing starts ready for the season Kimbolton on 10th January is the first destination to get a feel for the kart again after not being in the seat for over 2 months. Then all being well i will do a club meeting at Fulbeck towards the end of January to put a few race miles on the equipment and probably more importantly me We will then be heading to Oulton Park in February for some Long Circuit testing hopefully by then the race motor will be back from its winter overhaul and we can have a play with that as well 2009-1-1T00:00:00Z