BRAZILIAN CUP - WHILTON MILL - APRIL 2007

This is a charity event organised by Whilton annually because there are 5 weeks available this April, so the club use the extra week to good effect. The event attracted a smaller than normal field, but most who attended in the TKM classes were front runners in both MotorsTV and the Super 1 National Championship. As current championship leader, Mike was expected to be a leading contender, and didn't let the spectators down.

The format was different, with a timed qualifying where Mike was last, as his spark plug failed on his second lap, follwed by a 30 lap pre-final and the proper Final. Starting from the back of the grid in the Pre-Final, Mike managed to get to 5th place, which was as good as we wanted. At Whilton you don't want places 2 or 4 as you always get pushed out onto the grass. It's a weakness of the circuit and something that should be addressed.

As anticipate in the final, Karts in positions 2 & 4 didn't make the first bend, and Mike was soon into second place. Karts in positions 4 & 6 made a chain of 5 Karts for the first 10 laps, with places changing on a regular basis. The final lasted over 30 laps, which is twice the normal race distance and over 20 minutes of driving at or near lap record pace.

With such close racing, it was all down to mechanical reliability and driver fitness. The first 'package' to fail was a chain guard on Luke Caudles Kart. He received the mechanical flag and after a few laps came into the pits. We believe this is the first time Luke has been beaten at the circuit this year. By then Mike was back in front and looking to gain a well earned victory, but unfortunately he sucummed to a late braking move by Will Reed with about 10 laps to go, which snapped a bumper bolt.

The bumper was secured to the chassis by a tie wire, so couldn't fall off, but it did affect the handling, and he dropped to forth. With 3 laps to go and no change to the bumper, Mike was then given a mechanical warning. According to the rules he had 3 laps in which to come in and get it checked. The final flag was produced, and Mike checked by the scrutineers and passed. By this stage Mike had dropped back to forth, so was off the podium, so no pictures I am affraid.

Then to his suprise and that of his manager David Klaassen he was called to the Clerks office!

After 20 minutes of a debate where the Clerk made several wrong assumptions and conclusions, he fabricated a reason for Mike to be excluded and given 4 points. This was in the opinion of the team and his fellow competitors totally out of order, particularly at a Charity event. I would have been worth protesting at a National level, but as the appeal money would have gone to the MSA rather than the Charity, Mike just accepted it as fate.

We do find it strange that in the 5 years of Karting, Mike has only ever received points at Whilton, and never for bad driving, while he has been removed from races a number of times and no one has ever been called up to account for their poor driving.

It's silly actions like this that make you wonder why you do it, and when you see clubs struggling for entrants. More to the point actions like this don't help to encourace new blood. Spectators were bemused why Mike was excluded as at no time was the bumper dangerous and he came in after seeing the flag twice. Any more poor decisions like this and Karting will be one driver less in 2008, or possibly even sooner if luck like this continues!

We now have a two week break before the next round of Super 1, as Mike has decided to drop doing the club rounds at Kimbolton and probably at Whilton in future as the risk of gaining more silly points out weighs the benefits of winning a club championship.