OPEN ENDURANCE KART CHAMPIONSHIP

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  2007 summer chaMpionship
ROUND 1 Daytona MK 		 
 
 
 
RACE REPORT		  
 

The opening round of the 2007 Open Endurance Kart Championship was held at Daytona Milton Keynes. With a tight timetable for the day the teams all had an early start. Fortunately with the sun shinning and a dry track it promised a great day's racing.

With several regular teams otherwise committed, the grid was solely composed of eleven Rotax Max's and three Biland's (there numbers also reduced due to the Super Series races the day earlier). The OEKC also welcomed three new teams to the Championship, Lost in Transit, Know Idea & Home Tech.

With the torque of the Bilands and the top speed of the Rotax's, this was going to be an interesting race around the twisty Daytona circuit.

Practice gave some of the teams a well needed rece of the circuit, as the track was relatively unknown to them. However it was the experienced Box Tech team who fell foul of the kerbs, throwing a chain off on turn one just before qualifying commenced.

The qualifying session saw an equal fate for the Rotax of Stanion Slicks, meaning they failed to set a qualifying lap and started from the back of the grid.

Appliance Maintenance took pole (with their Prokart Chassis Rotax) with Red Max Racing second & AJB (Biland) third.

Next came the four and a half hour endurance race to the chequered flag. The sun was shining hard and the practice laps had put plenty of rubber onto the track, and it was only seven laps in when the Biland of AJB set the fastest lap of the day with a 59.67.

The first of the casualties were the Stanion Slick boys whose brakes locked on, then 40 minutes later stalled on the circuit and wouldn't start. So after being recovered twice and being pushed into the pit lane backwards, it was a good two hours into the race until they drove into the pit lane the right way!

AJB who had been setting a stunning pace around MK until the rollers on the chain link came off, overheating the chain causing it to seize up. Cannonball Racingwere now the Biland on a charge and steadily picked off the Rotax's.

Red Max Racing had been leading the race as they came in for their first pit stop and giving the Bilands a run for their money. Disaster struck though as they exited the pits. Misjudging the speed of an approaching kart they entered the track only to touch and bend their axle.

The racing was clean, fair & fast with FDM, Home Tech and TT-Sport all being instructed by the CoC to watch their over enthusiastic driving. Stanion Slicks unfortuantely received a black flag for an advantage after contact with Box Tech which resulted in them posting the fastest lap of the day, but also missing out a large section of the track.

With almost two thirds of the race gone CannonBall Racing were up to 3rd. Then coming down to the Bomb Hole they clipped a kerb and threw the chain, Herby (the recovery vehicle!) was dispatched to recover them. At the pace they were settling they would easily of been challenging for the Overall win.

As the race came to the closing moments its was the teams who had driven strongly and kept out of trouble that would fill the podium. Box Tech's Russell Brewers could see the race leader TT-Sport only seconds ahead on the track as they started the final lap. He closed to within 4 seconds as the chequered lap fell, gutted that he had got so close and rueing the backmarkers that had slowed him. However TT-Sport had an extra lap advantage so the chase whilst entertaining was in vain..

TT-Sport took a well-deserved win, consistently on the front row of the grid in qualifying; they finally put their gremlins to rest to take their first win in the OEKC. Box Tech came home second with Red Stripe Racing third having worked their way from 11th on the grid. The three new teams acquitted themselves well for their first race in the Championship with Know Idea finishing 4th. Red Mist Racing having their first taste of the Biland in anger won the class and are now looking forward to using their own kart for the next round.

It's back to Whilton Mill on the 15th April 2007 for the second round of the OEKC, with new teams interested, and a strong base of friendly but competitive teams racing already, the championship is set to grow throughout the year, watch this space…!