Vroom Kart UK #007

SPECIAL ON TRACK WITH PDB TEAM

N

U K .

7 J U

LY

MA 2

0

GA Z

14

£

4

INE

WILSON

W E I

FIGHTS BACK

TEDDY WILSON SETS THE PACE IN THE THIRD ROUND OF THE SUPER ONE MSA BRITISH CADET CHAMPIONSHIP

V E

2014 RGF PREVIEW A LAP IN VALENCIA

R P

SOS KART

SIMPLE MAINTENANCE FOR BRAKES P.2

ABkC News JUNE MEETING

CELEBRITY PAUL DI RESTA

PHOTO © CHRIS WALKER

KARTING, EMOTION & PASSION

annual subscription £ 39 for UK (12 issues) £ 21 (6 issues)

to subscribe send an e-mail to info@vroom.it

£ 52 for rest of Europe (12 issues)

CONTENTS OKKART SRL Via Mozart, 1 - 04011 Aprilia (LT) Tel. + 39 06 92 06 23 56 Fax +39 06 92 58 732 info@vroom.it - www.vroom.it

www.vroomkart.com

JULY 2014 - N. 7

info@vroom.it www.facebook.com/vroomkart twitter.com/vroomkart

66

44

GIULIANO CIUCCI GIULIANI (Editor in chief) cggiuliano@vroom.it FABINA GAVILLUCCI (Executive editor) fgavillucci@vroom.it WALTER GUCCI wgucci@vroom.it SALVATORE MURTAS smurtas@vroom.it MARIA VERRENGIA mverrengia@vroom.it

news 10

ABKC STEERING GROUP - June Meeting

14

MONDOKART - News & Previews

18

YOUR TKM GUIDE Fix your bumper

20

ROTAX MAX BEGINNERS TIPS Mounting your engine right

22

BIG BROTHER - 2014 TKM S1 SCHOLARSHIP Learning to deal with the elements

24

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW Paul di Resta

30

TALKING TO John Vigor

34

2014 RGF CIRCUIT PREVIEW A lap in Valencia

76

VINTAGE - Shenington Revival

82

AUGUST RACING CALENDAR

SPECIAL CONTENTS Maurizio Voltini CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE H.Beaudette, BMKC P.O., BRP-Rotax P.O., G.Butterworth, Club 100 P.O., LGM P.O., B.Malin, D.Pastanella, REV, G.Robinson, SKRC P.O., G.Smith, TVKC P.O., C.Walker, I.Ward SUBSCRIPTIONS info@vroom.it PRINTERS: GMG GRAFICA srl via Anagnina, 361 - 00188 Roma - Italy on behalf of Grafiche Professionali via Sequals, 4 - 00188 Roma - Italy Registered at Law-court in Latina N°714 date: 19.10.2000 © Copyright 2000 – all rights reserved.

RESPONSIBILITY: Unauthorized reproduction wholly or in part of texts and graphic material and translations of the same is forbidden unless prior authorisation has been given by publisher. All reports and illustrations received as contributions by the publisher will not be returned even if these are not published, and the magazine assumes no responsibility for their safety, even in case of rare examples. Neither does the magazine assume any responsibility for articles published therein or any errors contained. All articles published are without patent right; furthermore articles bearing a registered trade mark will be used at contributors risk.

34

72

race 40

SUPERONE MSA SERIES RD.3

44

SHENINGTON SUPERPRIX

48

ROTAX EURO CHALLENGE RD.2

52

CIK EUROPEAN KF-KFJ CHAMPS. RD.2

54

CLUB 100 SPRINT CHAMPS. RD.4

58

LGM SERIES RD.4-5

60

BAYFORD MEADOWS KC CHAMPS. RD.4

62

BUCKMORE PARK CLUB CHAMPS. RD.3

64

TVKC CLUB CHAMPS. RD.3

technical side 66

SPECIAL - At Castelletto with PDB Racing Team

72

SOS KART - BRAKES MAINTENANCE P.2

7

ABKC JUNE 2014 MEETING

BY G.SMITH / PICS C.WALKER

SHARING VIEWS WITH

MEMBERS The latest news from the Association of British kart Clubs June meeting

THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE TOWARDS THE END OF SEPTEMBER, LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING ANY REQUESTS FOR CLUB DEVELOPMENT GRANTS AND BIDS FOR O AND E PLATES. 10

VROOM UK

Another busy steering group meeting commenced with a minutes silence for the terrible rally incident in Scotland then a resume of member’s visits to recent meetings. It was interesting to note that EuroMax is now giving an automatic 5s penalty to anyone who received a warning flag, said to be reducing incidents.

Super One had had two wet rounds but the standing start trials were very successful in reducing first corner incidents and body Surveys are being damage. Some clubs were undertaken by down on entry numbers, the MSA on those who did Forest Edge had tried timed qualifying and Colin not renew licences... The Wright reported on a MSA alsoorganised a useful visit to the non-MSA event at Lydd. Rowrah Stakeholders Meeting on 19 June had an increase in Junior TKM whilst Fulbeck was struggling to attract juniors. There was a very good long circuit meeting at Bishopscourt and new Northern Irish representative Stephen Tosh said World Formula was their biggest short circuit class. Some circuits were accused of focussing too much on track limits, the white line rule

allegedly being not being entirely clear.

Nigel Edwards reported on his first meeting as chair of Kart Committee. A number of new initiatives have been put into action, but some have a tortuous route seeking approval through other committees and panels. These were aimed firstly at reducing costs by looking again at the requirements for a medical in short circuit karting, by aiming to reduce the cost of the start karting pack, and simplifying the ARKS test procedure perhaps just for single club use. It was noted that the current trend is to reduce the age of medicals for children, allegedly due to them not getting medicals or eye tests at school any more. Surveys are being undertaken by the MSA on those who did not renew licences and to new licensees to find out their route into karting. The MSA also organised a Stakeholders Meeting on 19 June with the morning for the trade and the afternoon for the clubs. Clubs were invited to send a representative.

Clerking and Driving Standards are being closely observed and the Kart Committee are seeking a trial of the ‘International’ system where the Stewards decide the penalty. Thirty drivers so far have had final warning letters from the MSA

VROOM UK

11

LEARNING TO DEAL WITH THE ELEMENTS

BIG BROTHER 2014 TKM TKM SCHOLARSHIP WINNER MATT ENGLAND HAS THE WHEELS FALL OFF IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE...

Now, if I am honest my first two S1 events at Shenington and Rowrah had not been my greatest flag waving exercises. But it was all new and as we set out for GYG in deepest Wales, although I had not been there before, we were hopeful for a turn in form.

One of the things that had scuppered Rowrah was the weather and we were really hoping for some dry conditions at GYG. But as we headed into unknown territory it was lashing it down. My heart sank.

That sinking feeling got worse when the trailer suddenly lurched to one side and a wheel disappeared into the dark. That was all we needed. We had a broken hub, it was peeing it down and we had to dump the trailer

22

VROOM UK

KM S1 SCHOLARSHIP chained to a lamp-post. It could only get better…I hoped!

Once Dad mended (actually bodged) and retrieved the trailer, we set about trying to find some time. We struggled. The balance didn’t seem right, too much understeer, snappy rear end – yet all the time on exactly the same Veloce kart, Vercoe and Forsdyke are at the top of the sheets come rain or shine.

To be honest I struggled all weekend, not helped by ever changing weather conditions, which put maximum emphasis on knowing exactly how to change the kart to get the best from the changing circuit. It also underlined the need to know exactly how to change lines from dry to wet – something that is individual to every track and which is only learned through experience.

Qualifying, heats, finals…the track conditions changed and I just never quite got on top of the conditions which left me feeling very frustrated as a driver and my father equally frustrated at not being able to nail down a solution.

The only good news was that Dad managed to get some help from the family of driver Gemma Wainwright to leave our trailer with them till it is properly sorted.

The families in racing at S1 are so very helpful.

So back home and time for an analysis of where we have gone wrong. Sadly we have gone from being right on the pace first time out with the kart to dropping back. And it seems to be me having the problem and not the other sister karts. The Veloce kart was brilliant when we got it so why am I struggling now when

the others are on the money?

First, we have obviously got to do some serious checking to ensure that the kart is not bent, out of alignment, have a cracked joint or whatever. That means a total strip down and very careful check of everything.

test day is more about simply finding the way around. It is not looking for tenths of a second, it is finding the corners, learning the braking points and trying to fine tune the lines.

We have already found one thing which is a rear axle bearing with a lot of play which is odd for a nearly new kart and might indicate some kind of accident damage.

And then of course it rains and it all goes out of the window and there are a whole load of new lines to learn and some new techniques for the wet, which I have never heard of before, let alone used.

More than that we may have upset all the weight balance in the kart. I am tall and I cannot drive the kart with the seat in what is reckoned to be the best spot.

However it was quick when I first drove it with the seat in a good place for me. But since then we have changed the position of lead, and we have tried different seats. Maybe we have lost the way a bit.

So I have been told I have got to watch what the key drivers do and follow their lines, wet and dry. Copy them and find the best solutions to the circuit. We still have to get the set up better, but we are understanding more and we are recognising that driving across the country to new places is a real challenge in every way.

One of the things that had scuppered Rowrah was the weather... we were really hoping for some dry conditions at GYG.

On top of that we clearly don’t have the experience of using new tyres all the time at circuits which have all sorts of other soft rubber running around. Add to that dealing with quickly changing conditions, wet settings, pressures, etc…

Fingers crossed Larkhall with a new wheel on the trailer and a new approach might just do the trick!

Then we come to probably the most critical area. I don’t know these new circuits. I have never seen them before so for me the

VROOM UK

23

YESTERDAY

TODAY TOMORROW

PAUL DI RESTA RACING AS A PROFESSIONAL

BY ROBERTO CHINCHERO - PHOTOS: ACTUALFOTO, C.WALKER (KARTPIX.NET)

During the early phase of the 2014 F1 World Championship, Daniel Ricciardo has been one of the (few) surprises of the year. We have to acknowledge that the Australian managed to beat his team mate, Sebastian Vettel, deserving important recognition. Since the 4-time champion made his debut in the top Formula (back in 2007) it has always been difficult for his rivals, no one excluded. And also in the lower Formulas, things were much the same.

However, there is one exception.

In 2006, Vettel was in Formula 3 ASM team and the Paul di Resta, from Scotland was next to him. The fight was hard, an Di Resta prevailed after a duel to the last blood. When he was just twenty, Dario Franchitti’s cousin seemed to be heading to the top of world motorsport events, but something went wrong. Having no cash to back him, nor a setup like Red Bull that launched Vettel’s career, Di Resta found an offer to race as a professional on his plate, an offer for the DTM Championship.

He took up the challenge, and for 4 seasons he was one of the Mercedes official drivers, winning the 2010 title and managing to get podium place for 50% of the events raced.

Then he was called by F1, but an experience that lasted from 2011 to 2013 turned out to be less satisfactory than expected, in fact, last year he was without a real chance of remaining in the Circus. From this he was called back to DTM, yet his chances for a Formula 1 comeback are not over.

After three seasons in Formula 1, you go 24

VROOM UK

back to DTM, finding a new generation of cars. How did you feel about that?

«I felt at home going back to Mercedes, seeing the number of years I have spent with this manufacturer. I went back to work with people I already knew well, and some others who have replace those who had been moved to the Formula 1 programme. The car itself isn’t at all like the one I used to drive up to 2010 (technical regulations have changed a lot... author’s note) and I have had to work hard to adapt for the pre-championship tests.

I think it is much more difficult to go back to DTM from Formula 1 than vice versa, but I think I am at a good point. Although there is a lot of work to do on the car before I’ll be able to fight for the win, I am quite satisfied of how things are going».

Is the response of the car really like that of a single seater?

«Absolutely. The DTM is no longer a Touring car like the ones used in the previous generation of vehicles, conceptually it’s a single seater with a roof over your head.

The response is the same, even if by looks it seems like a vehicle deriving from the Tourism series».

The data concerning your previous experience in DTM is amazing: 50% of podiums out of the 42 races you competed in. These are numbers that set you up for the protagonist role also for 2014.

«Obviously, when I decided to come back to this championship, I did so aware that I still had a good chance of winning. I drive for a

VROOM UK

25

TALKING TO

JOHN VIGOR

ARRIVE AND DRIVE at its best The concept is simple: well-maintained karts equipped with highly performing engines for those who want to feel the excitement of speed without the hassle of ownership. Boasting a fleet of 45 brand new karts, John Vigor’s Club 100 is ‘Arrive & Drive’ karting at its best.

REPORT S.MURTAS / PHOTOS C.WALKER (KARTPIX.NET)

30

VROOM UK

For those who can’t be bothered – or can’t afford - to own a highly performing go-kart, Club 100 is the best programme available running multiple formats, various championships for different levels and weight categories across the country.

Now in its 21st season, Club 100 boss John Vigor gives us an overview of his highly successful series.

“Club 100 is celebrating its 21st season this year. It was actually started back in 1993 by Martin Howell, my brother in law, and I acquired the company in 2004. Earlier on this year we had our 21st anniversary event at Rye House in Hoddesdon, where our company was based for nearly five years, so in a way we went back to our spiritual home.”

NEXT ROUND OF THE SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE HOSTED AT BUCKMORE PARK ON 1-2ND AUGUST. FOR MORE INFO AND DATES VISIT WWW.CLUB100.CO.UK

How did the idea of Club 100 come about?

“Martin and his son Gareth, who was racing competitively at the time, had the idea when Gareth told his dad to put a TKM engine on one of our corporate karts. At that time we used to run test days at Buckmore for the general public with twin Honda engine go-karts, and when our customers tried the converted TKM kart (TKM engines mounted on Zip chassis) it was an immediate success. So people started suggesting us to run a championship with the modified equipment, and that’s how Club 100 Series started. We had about 12 karts put together with around 30 drivers, and it’s grown ever since, going from strength to strength.”

How has it changed over the years?

“From a very simple concept, now we run multiple formats, various championships for different levels and weight categories, and we have a membership base of around 1,500 drivers. We visit all major MSA-licenced circuits in the country, though the series is mostly raced in the Midlands and south of England. The farthest we will go this years is GYG in north Wales, as to take all our equipment up north would be way too expensive.”

What’s the biggest novelty of 2014?

“We have introduced a new fleet of karts, the Birel N35, which uses the new stickier Vega RH8, a tyre designed

by Vega and Birel specifically for the N35. It’s a bit faster and people are enjoying it very much. We also changed few of the championships and the schedule to make our series more exciting.”

Why do people find your series so attractive?

“I believe Club 100 is renowned as the highest level, affordable karting before people buy their own kart, which as you know entails quite an investment.

And the success of the series has also spread abroad. We’ve been to Spa, Belgium, several times, to Essay in France and some other occasional venues across Europe. Every time we take Club 100 abroad people compliment us for the quality of the series.”

For the past 8 years you have been also in charge of the promotion of Easykart UK Championship. How do you combine arrive & drive with owners’ racing?

“Actually the two work quite well together. In a way, Easykart is the

VROOM UK

31

PREVIEW

CIRCUITO LUCAS GUERERRO, VALENCIA

SMOOTH, FAST AND TECHNICAL

The circuit that will host the 2014 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals unveiled by BRP-Rotax test driver Darrell Smith, exclusively for Vroom.

People at BRP-Rotax have done it again!

When everyone started speculating on a return to an Italian circuit previously visited as hosting facility for the 2014 Rotax Grand Finals, BRP management came out with a brand new circuit in one of the most spectacular, well served areas in Spain.

Only few kilometres away from Valencia and its superb coast, Circuito Lucas Guererro is set to be one of the best venues the event has ever been hosted in.

Over 1,400 meters long and 9 meters wide: these are the numbers of International Karting Lucas Guerrero. Especially designed for Karting, with a very technical area and succession of fast turns, where the engine stays at high rpm all the way, the Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero will have the privilege of hosting the 15th edition of the Rotax Grand Finals on 25-29th November.

34

VROOM UK

Following the first series of tests carried out by the Rotax team to understand the ideal set up of the four karts that will be used in Valencia, some more tests and an official race will precede the highlight event of the season.

Following some contractual details leading to an unusually late announcement of the venue, the event was put together by BRPRotax management with the support of distributor for Spain and Portugal Arnaldo Frias, who approached circuit owner Lucas Guerrero with the opportunity to host the highlight annual meeting of the most successful single-make series in the world.

Guerrero, a former national karting champion and consummate GT driver, eagerly jumped on board speeding up the final works to complete the facility, which promises to be one to remember.

Track features: track surface is extremely smooth, with 3 magnetic strips. The asphalt is very similar to that used at the F1 Grand Prix in Valencia each year. The layout of the track is very fast and flowing, with a technical middle section, 13 corners and 2 chicanes. The chicane leading onto the main straight is not so difficult but still requires a cautious approach. The kerbs are low and smooth, but once again during our testing, very slippery.

The 2 straights (front and back) are fast, with a full acceleration time of around 10 seconds. The track is plenty wide enough with many overtaking opportunities. Very good asphalt run-off area into turn one should there be anyone out of position, with the rest of the layout looking safe and gentle on equipment.

Paddock area: nice size to accommodate everyone, and a very large area designated for the mechanics viewing area.

The track is completely flat, so the whole track can be viewed from any surrounding areas.

CIRCUITO LUCAS GUERERRO, VALENCIA (SPAIN)

Track length: 1,428 metres Track width: 9 metres Avg Speed DD2: 90 km/h

The opinion: “during our test, the circuit was extremely slippery as a result of the dust settling and no rain since the track had been completed. The racing lines will vary slightly as the grip goes down, as will the gear ratio. With the high speeds and smooth surface, this track is a lot of fun to drive on, and will be a challenge for all drivers who will qualify for this year’s Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Final,.” says Smith.

VROOM UK

35

SUPER ONE MSA CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE

RND.3, GLAN Y GORS, 24-25th MAY 2014

WEBSTER CLAIMS MAIDEN KZ1 WIN The ART Grand Prix/Racing Steps Foundation driver rose to the challenge in the senior MSA Championship grabbing an exciting win.

40

REPORT H.BEAUDETTE / PHOTOS C.WALKER (KARTPIX.NET)

VROOM UK

With its new club house and spectator area complimenting the stunning North Wales backdrop, Glan Y Gors one of the most picturesque circuits in the UK – played host to the 3rd round of the Super One MSA Champs.

KZ1 - On home soil Welshman John Pike claimed pole position in the MSA British Senior Championship by a whisker from points leader Henry Easthope but in a rougher than usual opening heat it was Denis Gorman who edged out Easthope

with two laps to go to score his first win of the year after a number of drivers, including Pike and Scott Allen either retired or were delayed by contact.

Easthope won heat two with ease from Pike and a fast starting Will van Es and he repeated that performance in the first final, beating van Es to the line by nearly four seconds. Behind them Sam Webster forged through the field to take third place following a series of stunning overtaking moves into the final corner, which was a sign of things to come in final two.

With rain making conditions more treacherous than usual van Es made his customary

swift getaway to lead as Webster lost ground but before long the ART Grand Prix driver was picking up places in the same fashion as he did in the first final, passing Easthope for third at his favourite overtaking spot before pulling off an audacious move on van Es for the lead at the end of the long Dragon straight.

Once in front Webster pulled

away majestically and took the chequered flag by more than ten seconds for his first win of the year. Easthope and Allen completed the podium after the unfortunate van Es was tipped into a spin and finished 11th.

IAME CADET - Having narrowly escaped the arrival of rain, Teddy Wilson took advantage of the dry track to set the pace in timed qualifying with

Tom Wood, Lewis Thompson, Kiern Jewiss and Jonny Edgar completing the top five. In the subsequent wet heats, Wood and Thompson were able to keep Wilson from top spot as they claimed the victories. But with the track dry again for Sunday’s first final Wilson was able to claw his way to the front and hold off Jewiss over the final lap to take the win.

Behind the victorious Wilson,

Jewiss finished comfortably clear of Thompson, Edgar and Alex McDade after several incidents in the closing stages broke up the lead group.

The fall out of one of the more contentious collisions meant that the second final would be moved to the end of the day.

Things finally unravelled as the train threaded their way through the sharp downhill right hander known as

VROOM UK

41

SHENINGTON SUPERPRIX

RACE

SPELLFAME SHENINGTON SUPERPRIX & ABKC TKM O PLATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, SHENINGTON, 15th JUNE 2014

A MISS FOR THE WINNERS 44

VROOM UK

Two hundred drivers entered the annual Spellfame SuperPrix along with another eighty historic and classic karts giving on track demonstrations, the trophies handed out by reigning Miss Great Britain Ashley Powell.

REPORT & PHOTOS G.SMITH

Perpetual trophies are given for the club classes, along with sponsored fastest lap trophies in each class. Since the event is not just about the racing, but also about the social side with a bar, hogroast, disco and live music, many stayed on in the bar area to watch the England football match on Saturday night, also thanks to the nice weather with no rain.

Honda Cadet Oliver Clarke had a good battle for supremacy over Alex Eades in Honda Cadet, whilst a little further back on

the track Connor Kearney came out on top of Jonathan Lawrence in the Comer category. Connor Merrifield and Jonathan Robertson held station for third and fourth in the Hondas.

JUNIOR TKM Alex Forward led all the way to win the ABkC Junior TKM O Plate national championship but met tough opposition from Shea Pearce and Dino Lee. Forward was very much on form winning two heats, Matthew Taylor the other. As the race wound down, Forward was given a tiny break with Lee forced to

change tactics from attacking the leader to defending at the head of an eight kart queue but he still succumbed to Anderson Chilcott on the last lap. Team Arden-backed Forward said: “I managed to keep a small gap for almost all the race.”

TKM EXTREME A contentious senior TKM Extreme final had Matt Davies initially excluded for his pass on leader Chris Renwick, the latter sliding off at the Wilkins hairpin. A group of five karts were contesting the lead until Renwick went off, leaving Davies heading James Ogden who had got ahead of Scott Jeffs. Davies said: “I was on the inside and

he came straight over on me.”

The Stewards agreed and Davies won his appeal only to be excluded again for taking his kart out of parc ferme without permission before it was checked. That gifted the title to James Ogden from Jeffs with Danny Allin close behind. “It was a tough race, I started fifth then it was just a case of getting through the carnage,” said the winner.

IAME CADET Caden McQueen had to retrieve the lead in IAME Cadet from Thomas Smith and work hard on the final lap to stay ahead. Three karts had tumbled out at the start, then Christopher Draper held off Jamie Mead,

VROOM UK

45

ROTAX EURO CHALLENGE RND.2

RACE

CASTELLETTO DI BRANDUZZO (I), 1st JUNE 2014

THREE DOUBLE WINNERS IN CASTELLETTO The second round of the Rotax Euro Challenge saw De Conto (DD2), Webb (Senior) and Preining (Junior) take the spoils on a summer like weekend in Italy.

REPORT & PHOTOS T.DECK (RGMMC MEDIA)

DD2 A tight qualifying practice saw Paolo De Conto stopping a laptime of 48�046 to grab the pole over Rotax Winter Cup winner Sean Babington.

Third fastest was Frenchman Anthony Abbasse edging Jordon Lennox-Lamb in fourth. After winning each of his three heats, the Birel factory driver gained his second pole-position after Genk for the prefinal. Behind him Sean Babington was in good shape. With two wins and a 2nd place, he proved to be the runner-up in the ranking thus putting Lennox-Lamb, Andreas Backman and 48

VROOM UK

championship leader Ben Cooper in chasing role for the prefinal. In the prefinal Paolo De Conto had a brilliant start, only Babington able to keep close to the leader until the halfway mark. Towards the end the gap got bigger and the Italian celebrated a save victory in front of Babington. Behind the leading duo, Michael E Christensen from Denmark kept hold of the 3rd position. But this was only a flash in the pan since he had to give way to Lennox-Lamb, Ben Cooper, Andreas Backman and Anthony Abbasse. The

latter made his way up from 15th on starting grid due to an electric problem in the heats. No change on the top in the final. Again De Conto did not show any weakness and completed a dominant weekend by taking another victory on home soil. Behind the Italian it was Babington again who followed in the Italian’s slipstream. But as the race approached the halftime Babington lost performance and ground. So it wasAbbasse and Cooper seizing their chances one after another, pushing Babington back to 4th place. In the

ROTAX DD2 FINAL P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 19 21

N 656 626 601 602 665 611 660 620 638 605 633 606

Driver Paolo De Conto Anthony Abbasse Ben Cooper Sean Babington Jordan Lennox Lamb Andreas Backman Damien Vuillaume Joshua Collings Michael E Christensen Xen De Ruwe Martin Pierce Barrie Pullinger

NAT ITA FRA CAN GBR ITA SWE FRA GBR DNK BEL IRL GBR

CHASSIS Birel Sodikart Birel Tony Kart CRG Tony Kart Flandria Kart CRG Tony Kart ART GP Praga FA Kart

GAP 19 laps 2.328 3.419 5.707 6.345 6.737 7.080 7.272 7.333 9.889 21.997 22.469

DD2 CHAMPIONSHIP P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

N 601 665 611 626 638 641 658 602 620 660 661 619 604 606 608

Driver Lennox Lamb, Jordon Backman, Andreas Abbasse, Anthony Cooper, Ben Christiansen, Michael E. Eerden, Bryan Formal, Daniel Babington, Sean Collings, Joshua Vuillaume, Damien Kalesis, Filippos Schirmer, Marcel Kancsar, Ferenc Pullinger, Barrie Ludi, Kevin

NAT GBR SWE FRA CAN DNK NLD CRI GBR GBR FRA GRE DEU HUN GBR CHE

CHASSIS CRG Tony Kart Sodikart Birel Tony Kart CRG CRG Tony Kart CRG Flandria DR Tony Kart Birel FA Kart Kosmic

GENK 33 50 22 55 28 46 16 44 25 43 27 49 26 47 32 24 19 45 31 29 29 48 15 42 3 36 17 40 24 41

LAGHI 31 50 32 48 30 47 29 52 28 44 21 42 27 39 33 49 23 45 25 46 24 22 16 37 26 41 8 32 3 27

POINTS 164 157 151 141 140 139 139 138 132 131 123 110 106 97 95

Left, the DD2 drivers just before the start.

Poleman Paolo De Conto (656) makes a great showing in Castelletto dominating the final. Below, Harry Webb (215) has a superb weekend in Castelletto where he took all his heats, prefinal and final.

Pierce down in 33rd position, the only other Masters driver who managed to qualify for the finals. But in the prefinal Morgado got involved in a collision, which forced him to retire. So Martin Pierce inherited the prefinal win and repeated that success in the final, as Morgado finished 2nd of the Masters (24th at the flag). end Abbasse took a deserved 2nd place ahead of Cooper who managed to defend the championship lead.

One of the most

astonishing results was reserved for the DD2 Masters category. In qualifying practice Cristiano Morgado from South Africa took the 6th fastest time in the overall grid thus being undoubtedly the best driver of the Masters classification. In the heats the multiple Grand Finals winner continued in brilliant fashion. He felt quite comfortable in the front of the grid and underlined his skills by grabbing an amazing 8th place in the heat ranking, which in the end was far in front of his direct opponent Martin

Senior Max After adding the three qualifying groups, the frontrunners of each session were finally the ones arranging the pole-position among themselves. In the end it was the reigning European junior champion Guan Yu Zhou from the UK setting the benchmark by 48�927. Right behind him his fellow countryman Harry Webb had an awesome comeback in the Euro Challenge. He was only 0�031 slower than his teammate and VROOM UK

49

CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP KF RND.3 / KFJ RND.2

RACE

GENK (BEL) 15TH JUNE 2014 / ZUERA (ESP) 1st JUNE 2014

KF RND.3, GENK (BEL) After the second round of the European championship saw favourite for the win, Callum Ilott out of the game, and his teammate Tom Joyner rising at the top, Dane Nicklas Nielsen managed to pick up a just reward for his hard work in the previous races. The Dane tops the scoreboard with 76 points and has to watch out because Britain’s Ilott, second, follows 9 lengths behind. Lando Norris is among those who can still make it although his early retirement in Genk (due to engine failure) while he was in the lead, has really been a draw back for him.

PROTAGONISTS

NICKLAS NIELSEN

SUPER BRITS AT EURO CHAMPS After the penultimate round of the KF European Championship we see who the protagonists and possible final winners could be.

52

VROOM UK

REPORT & PHOTOS D.PASTANELLA

Kosmic standard-bearer is the one who has managed to be always constant always up with the leaders in the previous two rounds and thanks to his success in Genk he is the favourite for the title win. Fifth in qualifiers he does well in heats making a determined attack in the prefinal. A very determined Ilott takes him by surprise in the final, but Nielsen makes the most of the instant that the Britt hesitates and ends on the dirt; Nielsen presses hard takes over the lead and goes on to grab win.

CALLUM ILOTT This British driver is probably the one who has done best in the three rounds held so far; he is very fast and concrete out of the pack, mature in drive style to deserve title win. His crash in Zuera and consequently getting 0 points puts him behind the leader, Nielsen who precedes him by 9 points. Not many really, and although he has to do al all uphill race

in attack, he is still favourite in the next round that will be held at PFI.

TOM JOYNER Ilott’s team mate seems to have found his pace after a surprise win in Zuera.

After a slow start, the world champion at last has found his shine and chases the leading duo but never getting close enough to attack; he just lacked that bit of extra brio to attack for win. Norris’ stop changes his fourth place to a European championship podium place and puts him on equal points score as Norris.

NOTE WORTHY For Lando Norris, the history of one season is sometimes written just for one misadventure. Miles and miles of racing, leading and setting the pace in this final, probable championship leader, imagining doubling his last year’s results, the English driver in force with the Ricky Flynn Motorsport team is betrayed by his engine. He is third in the championship, but at 23 points from the leader, catching up is almost a mission impossible.

KFJ RND.2, ZUERA (ESP) In the second round of the Junior direct drive championship, a new protagonist has come to the limelight: Swede Anton Haaga proves unbeatable on the Spanish circuit of Zuera, putting pressure on the championship leader Enaam Ahmed.

PROTAGONISTS

ANTON HAAGA Anton Haaga (Kosmic/ Lke) hits bull’s eye in heats; he repeats himself in the prefinal and gets maximum points with final win, even if some thought that he wouldn’t have been able to keep up the pace to the end. Even when he slipped back into fifth during the first lap, Haaga however gave the impression that he could make the difference. With these results he is in the fight for the title (third provisional place for him with 40 points – 7 points from the leader).

ENAAM AHMED For the first time after a brilliant start to the season we see him in difficulty. 22nd in qualifiers nearly half a second from pole and difficult heats uphill chasing his rivals, led to believe that it would be a bitter weekend for Ricky Flynn’s team. But as often happens to special talents, they reward the public with excitement and the maintain first place in the championship, up fro grid 18, uncomfortable place mid way through the pack, and comes through to grab a brilliant third place after the final. A race that really puts him up as favourite number one for the European Championship title win. However, there are still two rounds to go and his rivals certainly won’t stand there and watch him.

DAN TICKTUM Infinity standard bearer, after some difficult races, he grabs a second place.

With a very fast Haaga out of the way, he gets the best result possible this weekend reaching a good fifth place on the provisional championship score board. The sensation is, however that there isn’t much room for improvement and the young Brit is capitalising as best as possible his technical packet. It doesn’t seem as though he will be able to aim for victory but his talent and his determination certainly back him all the way… We’ll see.

Below, the four kart train led by Nielsen (103) in Zuera with Norris (120), Lorandi (132) and Kari (129) in tow. Top right, KFJ podium with Haaga, Ticktum and Ahmed.

Top left, Nielsen tops in Genk over Ilott and Joyner.

KFJ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING AFTER ZUERA (ESP) P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

N 202 223 254 204 201 216 239 211 212 238

Driver Ahmed, Enaam Defrancesco, Devlin Haaga, Anton Sargeant, Logan Ticktum, Daniel Beckmann, David Petrov, Artem Vartanyan, Alexander Mick Junior Martinez M., Eliseo

NAT GBR USA SWE USA GBR DEU RUS RUS DEU ESP

EQUIPMENT FA Kart/Vortex/Vega Tony Kart/Vortex/Vega Kosmic/LKE/Vega FA Kart/Vortex/Vega Zanardi/Parilla/Vega Tony Kart/Parilla/Vega DR/Tm/Vega Tony Kart/Vortex/Vega Tony Kart/Vortex/Vega Crg/Tm/Vega

ITA QH ITA F ESP QH ESP F POINTS 6 25 0 16 47 10 16 9 11 46 5 0 10 25 40 0 20 8 10 38 0 6 2 20 28 0 8 7 7 22 3 0 5 13 21 4 13 4 0 21 9 9 3 0 21 7 0 0 9 16

KF CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING AFTER GENK (BEL) P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

N 103 106 119 120 129 132 104 115 121 102

Driver Nielsen, Nicklas Ilott, Callum Joyner, Tom Norris, Lando Kari, Niko Lorandi, Alessio Tiene, Felice Hiltbrand, Pedro Van Leeuwen, Martijn Basz, Karol

NAT DNK GBR GBR GBR FIN ITA ITA ESP NLD POL

EQUIPMENT Kosmic/Vortex/Dunlop Zanardi/Parilla/Dunlop Zanardi/Parilla/Dunlop FA Kart/Vortex/Dunlop Tony Kart/Vortex/Dunlop Tony Kart/Parilla/Dunlop Crg/Parilla/Dunlop Crg/Parilla/Dunlop Zanardi/Parilla/Dunlop Tony Kart/Vortex/Dunlop

ITA QH ITA F ESP QH ESP F BEL QH BEL F POINTS 7 9 8 20 7 25 76 9 25 3 0 10 20 67 0 6 6 25 0 16 53 10 16 7 11 9 0 53 0 20 9 13 6 0 48 6 0 2 16 0 13 37 5 13 10 9 0 0 37 8 11 0 5 0 5 29 0 10 0 0 4 11 25 4 7 0 7 0 0 18

VROOM UK

53

A T

C A S T E L L E T T O

D I

B R

LOOKING FOR NEW TER

66

VROOM UK

A N D U Z Z O

RITORIES

W I T H

P D B

T E A M

When you go to a track that you have never seen before, it’s like going into an unexplored territory with all the incognitos there may be. Let’s see how a professional team like De Bruijn’s tackles such a situation.

REPORT: M. VOLTINI – PICS: D. PASTANELLA

T

ravelling to unknown and unexplored places: I think we have all felt like explorers of days gone by when one goes to a new track with his kart for the very first time. And yet, it is a situation that sooner or later one has to face, it’s only second to when one got into a kart for the very first time. Not only, is something that really widens a driver’s experience, or he would get into the routine of repeating manoeuvres that he learned on his home track, so it’s better to tackle new circuits, they increase experience and teach you to handle different situations, making the driver more aware of the different types of corners (and also tackle fast or average speed tracks); and “last but not least”, as each track has it own peculiarity, make racing more interesting, allow the driver to feel new emotions and excitement.

YOU ALWAYS CHANGE AT THE TOP Let’s not forget something important, particularly for anyone who is thinking about a career at a professional level: whoever competes in international championships is more often than not taken to races held on tracks that they have never tried before, because it isn’t said that you usually go to the same tracks every year. In these alternation, you only find teams that have been going for a long time and perhaps, every other year they can go back to race on a track that they have already seen, so the previous experience is something worthwhile compared to rivals who are there for the first time.

VROOM UK

67

v

S.O.S. KART INSTRUCTIONS F WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT BRAKES AND BRAKE-MAINTENANCE AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME GIVING MORE IMPORTANCE TO BRAKE FLUID AND CLEARANCE GAP BETWEEN PADS AND DISC ON A DATED OLD 100 CC ENGINE.

Photo 1 and 2. After having cleaned the outside of the master cylinder, take the cap off but leave the washer that acts as a gasket underneath it.

Let’s start with the brake fluid: after having cleaned the master cylinder, take out the filler cap leaving the gasket underneath it (usually an aluminium or copper washer) there. (photo 1 e 2) Filler for bleeding brakes is not indispensable, but helps a lot, without it you would need much more time.

The filler (photo 3) comes with three different adaptors (M6-M10 and 1/8”) to make it compatible with all the master cylinders you may find: after having found the one which is compatible with the master cylinder, put a bit of Teflon on the filter (not the one that couples with the master cylinder!) and screw up the tap at the bottom of the filler.

Screw up well to the master cylinder and half fill with DOT 4 brake brake fluid. (photo 4) The brake fluid must 72

VROOM UK

always be taken from a new sealed filler, avoid using let over brake fluid that we might have in our garage for heaven knows how long, because brake fluid absorbs humidity very easily and then it transforms into vapour bubbles when the system warms up and, this reduces efficiency drastically…

Now open the tap (red lever - photo 5) and slowly press the brake pedal, but not all the way down 3 or 4 times, so as to let any air bubbles, if there are any, out of the master cylinder and filler.

As you are doing this, you can see the different shades that the old brake fluid in the system are respect to the new brake fluid you are putting in. (photo 5) Let’s continue with the brake calliper,

Photo 3. Here it’s the filler used for bleeding and for changing the brake fluid: usually it is supplied with three adaptors with different thread (M6 – M10 – 1/8”) so as to make it compatible for nearly all the master cylinders that you may find on the market.

take out one of the bleed screws, let the brake fluid run out until you see clean oil come out, then shut off with the screw and then carry out the same operation on the other side of the calliper. (photo 6 and 7) While you are doing this, keep an eye on the level of brake fluid in the filler and if necessary, add some more to make sure that there is always some in there so that no air gets

Photo 4. Screw up well, by hand, the tin for draining to the pump and if necessary, in case of oil filtering through, you can use a spanner.

FOR USE ... AND MUCH MORE!

BY REV

NG

Photo 5. Half fill the new filler with DOT 4 brake fluid, taken from a new tin, slowly press down the brake pedal a few times so that air bubbles, if there are any, will come out of the master cylinder and the tube that connects the tin to the tap. As you can see there is a remarkable chromatic difference between the new and old oil…

Photo 6 and 7. Take out the screws that act as avent on the brake calliper, let the old oil run out (let it run into a tin) until we see the new clean oil come out, then close and clean the calliper and chassis of any oil residues there may be.

into the braking system.

A warning: “burnt” brake fluid must be disposed of appropriately in the various collection areas you find in the national territory and not thrown down drains…

Let’s clean the clipper and the chassis, remove any brake fluid residues, slowly press the brake pedal a few times to get rid of any air bubbles, if there are any, in the master cylinder and shut the tap at the bottom of the filler.

Check to see that as soon as the master cylindering element of the master cylinder starts moving the calliper pistons move too, and when the pads touch the disc the pedal gets hard and is no longer spongy: in this case you have to repeat the bleeding operation because there is air in the system. If everything is ok, unscrew the filler off the master cylinder and put the cap back on, clean

Photo 8. As you can see, the brake pads are a bit too far from the disc, they are more worn on the upper part: this means that pedal stroke is long and braking is not very immediate.

Photo 9. All you have to do to remove the calliper is take out the two big nuts that fix it to the chassis. Probably to make this operation easier the seat brackets that are above it must be taken off too.

all traces of brake fluid from the master cylinder and move on to the second phase…

Lately pedal stroke has become a bit too long and braking isn’t quite ready… the time has come to restore the right clearance between pads and brake disc.

(Photo 8) If we look at it carefully (photo 8 and 11) we will see that besides being several mm from the disc, they are also worn unevenly, the upper part is worn out more.

Now let’s see how to restore best conditions.

Usually the pads can be removed without having to take out the calliper from the chassis, but often, as in this case, the screws that fix the disc to the disc holder stop them coming out.

We should proceed by removing the calliper from the chassis, and to do this all you have to do is take out the two big nuts that lock the seat brackets, if there are any, that might make the operation difficult. (photo 9) Take out the safety screws and the return

screw of the pads. (photo 10 and 11) Now that we are holding them we must decide whether they must be changed or not: in our case the minimum thickness of the friction material is still quite a lot and we opt to restore, with the help of a friend who will level it with a milling machine making the surfaces parallel.

If thickness had been a few mm less, it would have been undoubtedly better to change them.

During milling it is better to take safety measures not to breathe in the powder…

After having flattened them, the pads will be even further than the disc, and to restore the right distance from it you can use the specific steel sheet shims to put between pads and pistons. (photo 12) Once the return screws have been fixed to the pads it is important to check and memorise how much friction material there is left, before the le return screws ruin the disc. (photo 13) Small parenthesis: VROOM UK

73

SHENINGTON REVIVAL AND REUNION 2014

Few images of the classic Shenington SuperPrix Revival meeting. Above, the superb gearbox karts lined up on starting grid.

Far right, Luke Hines, son of legendary Martin, in an old 100cc Zip and a Mark Allen badged 250 National Zip, using his Dad Martin’s overalls and helmet

76

VROOM UK

LARGEST ENTRY

EVER The 2014

Shenington Revival and Reunion was the biggest ever with over 85 karts on display complementing Shenington’s Super Prix meeting.

REPORT B.MALIN & T.BRINKWORTH / PHOTOS G.SMITH

VROOM UK

77

VROOM POINTS

Here’s were you find your copy of Vroom UK

4

8 10

7

6 5

9 1 3

1

2

DARTFORD KARTING – OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR

www.kartstore.co.uk contact Maria at sales@kartstore.co.uk BAYFORD MEADOWS KC www.bmkr.co.uk contact Ian at info@bmkr.co.uk

SHENINGTON KC www.sheningtonkrc.co.uk contact Graham at Graham@sheningtonkrc.co.uk

BUCKMORE PARK – DARTFORD KARTING www.kartstore.co.uk contact Maria at sales@kartstore.co.uk

TRENT VALLEY KC www.tvkc.co.uk contact Clare at clare@tvkc.co.uk

CUMBRIA KC www.cumbriakrc.co.uk contact Malcolm at malcolmfell@yahoo.com

WHILTON MILL KC www.whiltonmill.co.uk contact Debbie at debbie@whiltonmill.co.uk

FOREST EDGE KC www.fekc.co.uk contact Colin at carolyne.wright@btconnect.com

ZIP KART www.zipkart.com contact Nicky at info@zipkart.com

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

LLANDOW KC www.llandowkartclub.co.uk contact Colin at llandowcompsec@hotmail.co.uk 6

AND IF YOU ATTEND THE SUPER ONE SERIES, FIND IT AT THE S1 INFO CENTRE

VROOM UK

81