TKM Festival O Plate 9th/10th/11th August 2019

This is one of the biggest meetings of the year for TKM drivers, every driver has done their homework coming here for the weekend.

Friday 9th August 

Test day

I was buzzing to hit the track this morning but I soon knew something wasn’t quite right I didn’t seem to to have much straight line pace, back to the drawing board kart adjusted and set up re-done, we were back out this was slightly better but again something not quite right. Carb settings adjusted and off again, still lacking straight line speed 🙁 

We tried another engine after lunch and yes we were now showing the pace I was missing by half a second a lap consistently, this was reassuring as I started to doubt myself against the other drivers as these are more experienced than me as it’s still early days in the senior class, luckily I was able to use this engine for the rest of the day and I was soon showing the pace of the other drivers, so I confidently finished Friday testing. As soon as we came in it was noticed that my chassis had cracked, so this had to welded up luckily someone had a welder and this was soon sorted. My engine that was lacking power was going home with the engine builders to be looked at. 

Saturday 10th August 

My engine was back and we went to Scrutineering as with the festival engines are sealed and we also have a closed tyre meeting, so your tyres are controlled in Parc Fermé, you draw them and they get put on & taken off in Parc Fermé.

3 lap transponder check I was still unhappy with my pace but we put it down to my tyres being 2 race meetings old and they’d also done testing the day before.

Next up qualifying so the new tyres went on and off we went except my kart didn’t want to start so we finally got it started half a lap behind everyone else, so I settled the tyres in gentle then set about qualifying, I knew I needed to get in the tow of other drivers as I could gain about a tenth of a second a lap, found my slot and off I went but again I was loosing straight line speed 🙁 this made no sense to me. Unfortunately I knew my times were down and I was right I qualified 30th out of 32. 

We believe my engine was still not pulling the revs it was ment to so we set about finding a spare engine just as we were setting off to the grid to get ready for heat 1 the phone rang I had an engine. All hands on deck to get the engine scrutineered and sealed and my engine off and the next one on then to get to Parc Fermé and my tyres on it was tight but achievable with everyone’s help 🙂

Heat 1 started 30th finished 24th

Heat 2 started 30th finished 27th again pace was my issue, the kart just wasn’t underneath me.

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Sunday 11th August

Was another 3 lap transponder so we put my old tyres on for this and strangely I set my fastest time of the weekend and the kart felt better, this makes no sense even now. 

We went into heat 3 still confused started 30th finished 26th again my times were down again from the transponder check.

Pre final we started 27th just as we were about to go out it rained everyone on slicks and the rain still falling this was always going to be interesting, funnily enough this was my best result finishing 22nd, not bad for my first time in the wet on slicks in the seniors. 

Final I started 22nd finished 23rd my times improved slightly which again made sense as my tyres should of being going off the pace slightly along with everyone else’s.

I know I have many positives to take away from the weekend because my grid of drivers were very experienced and are out far more than me and it’s still only my 4th meeting back and the grid was full of drivers doing the British this year but for me I don’t understand the missing pace from Friday afternoon, I know I gave it everything I had and I should be pleased with what I achieved but I know I have more to give.

Talking to different people around the paddock that were in different classes to me I know I wasn’t the driver having this issue. 

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A huge thank you to Spencer for the loan of the engine, Team RSR that are as puzzled as I am, My dad who worked so hard on the spanner’s along with my brothers, Mum that does so much behind the racing scene and to my sponsors you guys are amazing and I can’t thank you all enough. I know we’ve not had the results we would like but bare with me ?.

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