
	OPEN ENDURANCE KART CHAMPIONSHIP

______________________________________________________


	summer chanpionship ROUND 2

	RACE REPORT
	Round 2 of the 2006 Open Endurance Championship took the teams to Daytona in Milton Keynes. 18 teams attended the meeting with, for the first time, the Open Class being the largest class with 8 entries. The class had a good mix, with 2 CVT spec Senior Maxes, two Senior Maxes that where running out of class (and only scoring class points), two Pro Extremes, a TKM 4/ and a ProMax. 6 Senior max teams took part, as did 4 ThunderKart teams. With this being the first visit to Milton Keynes for the championship, the 30-minute practice was very busy. Most of the teams dived into the pits just before the green flag fell for the start of qualifying, but as soon as the flag fell, they made their way back to the circuit The two CVT spec Senior Maxes of CV Racing and KKC were immediately on the pace, both lapping at an average speed of 45 Miles per hour. The Open Class Senior Max of The Litigators was just 0.1 of a second behind the 2nd place kart of KKC, with Red Max Racing in 4th place just 0.1 seconds behind The Litigators. The fastest ThunderKart, with a 1m04.608 was Team Slick, with less than 0.3 seconds covering all 4 karts in the class. Red Mist Racing and Cannonball Racing actually both set identical times of 1m04.900. Unfortunately for WGS 2, their kart stopped out on circuit during the qualifying session, and with just 5 minutes of the session remaining, they had to wait to recover the kart. The 15-minute gap saw frantic activity for many in the pits, and all but WGS 2 made it to the grid in record time. WGS 2 however, were still rectifying their qualifying problems when the race started. As Daytona's new starting lights changed from Red to Green, CV Racing made a superb start and quickly pulled out a lead on the track, followed by The Litigators, Box Tech and KKC. Once the handicaps were added, the leader board looked very different. The ThunderKarts and Pro Extremes, both very evenly matched, were at the head of the field, with the faster karts all having to chase hard. At the 1½-hour mark, Red Mist Racing held the lead from SAS Racing by just 1.66 seconds. Cannonball Racing held third place. Ace of Aces led the Open Class, running 5th overall, whilst Box Tech held the Senior Max lead and 9th overall. With Daytona running a recovery vehicle, and full course yellows being applied whenever it was on circuit, any team breaking down on circuit would have an impact on the race. WGS in the TKM 4/, not having an onboard starter, were the first to have a problem when one of their drivers spun on circuit and the engine stalled. A rush to the pits for the teams when the recovery vehicle joined the circuit made the pit lane a busy place in deed. This lead to a queue in the fuel bay for several teams, although the effect of this was lessened by the fact that those still on circuit were circulating at a reduced speed. With 3 hours of the race run, the ThunderKart teams still had a good lead, with Cannonball Racing holding first place from Red Mist Racing. Red Max Racing led the Senior Max class and was only 5 laps behind the leader. Their lap times were 4 seconds a lap quicker than the ThunderKarts, so it looked like the finish was going to be very close in deed. The Litigators held the lead in the Open class, just 6 seconds behind Red Max Racing, and they were only 25 seconds ahead of Ace of Aces, who were their main competitors in the Open Class. With the final stages of the race approaching, the weather decided to make things interesting for all teams, with rain falling long enough to make the change to wets necessary. Some teams decided to try and stay out in case the rain subsided, but when it did not, they had to pit. When the rain started, Cannonball Racing had a lead of approximately 40 seconds from Red Mist Racing, who in turn was just 6 seconds ahead of SAS Racing. The Litigators were the Team on a charge, their Parolin chassis being well suited to the circuit at Milton Keynes. With a two lap deficit, but a 4 second a lap advantage they were more than capable of passing the lead ThunderKart. CV Racing were also fighting hard, just 20 seconds behind The Litigators. Disaster was about to strike Red Mist Racing, who still fighting for overall victory and held the lead. A chain failure out on circuit in the closing stages saw them lose vital time being recovered, and once the kart had been returned to the pits, the damage was irreparable in the time remaining. Their disappointment was quite evident. With just 15 minutes of the race remaining, The Litigators took the lead on the track from SAS Racing in the ThunderKart who were just 21 seconds ahead of Cannonball Racing. CV Racing were also chasing, and with their CV Transmission system working well around Milton Keynes, giving them at least a second advantage over the standard Senior Max entries. With the Chequered flag being readied, The Litigators led from CV Racing and SAS Racing. Box Tech however had been charging through the field since the rain fell and on the final lap had SAS Racing in their sights. The Litigators took the chequered flag first & the Open Class win, with CV Racing in 2nd place. With neither of these karts having a handicap, however, they were only eligible for class points and positions. Box Tech in the Senior Max & on faster wet rubber were lapping considerably quicker than SAS Racing in the Thunderkart. Midway round the last lap they caught & passed them to take third across the line, 1st Max & Overall first place on handicap. SAS Racing took 2nd Overall & 1st Thunderkart, a lap ahead of Cannonball Racing and Team Slick. Ace of Aces were next in their Open Class Pro Extreme. The visit to Milton Keynes for Round 2 gave the Championship a chance to show itself off to a new audience, and also gave the teams a chance to race at a new venue. It was received well by both the teams, and the circuit marshals, one of which said the race was the most exiting he had seen for a long time. With new teams on the horizon, the target of over 20 karts per round is more than achievable, and gives us a great springboard for the Winter Series and beyond. The closeness of teams running to the handicap system shows that the system is working well, and gives them a good chance of overall victory, regardless of the outright speed of their class. The Overall results after handicap were: 1st Box Tech (Senior Max), 2nd SAS Racing (Thunderkart) , 3rd Cannonball Racing (Thunderkart). The class results were: Senior Max - 1st Box Tech, 2nd Red Max Racing, 3rd Running MT ThunderKart - 1st SAS Racing, 2nd Cannonball Racing, 3rd Team Slick Open Class - 1st The Litigators (Senior Max @ 170kgs), 2nd CV Racing (CVT Senior Max), 3rd Ace of Aces (Pro Extreme) TYRE PRIZE Went to Red Mist Racing who were chasing hard for the win throughout the day but couldn't make the finish after a mechanical problem.

Regulations