LYDD SUPER 1 ROUND 5

Following last years success, this year has been a testing one in many ways. At most rounds of the championship, Mike has been on the pace by the end of Friday and very confident. The TEC-MEC chassis is just one amongst may JKH or Tony varieties, but it does its job well and is competative. This season, the Saturday on a new set of tyres causes the chassis to 'grip up', which in the wet is an advantage, but in the dry, it then struggles to get out of the corners quickly allowing others to slipstream and pass on the entry to the next corner. Initially Mike was able to drive defensively, but now as the circuits get warmer, the team are looking to lose grip.
The race rubber seemed to make matters worse, and times qualifying was only a few tenths off the pole, but at this level differences are measured in 1.100ths of a second, so Mike was just out of the top 10. In the first heat, he gained a few positions from his starting position but in the second, he started last and withing a lap his chain guard snapped, so he was forced to retire. In the final heat, he progressed well through the field, until the tyres became too hot, gripping the kart up even more.
The final grid position on row 10, was one of the worst this season, but with the clouds coming in and the track getting cooler, Mike started to make progress. At Lydd the kirbs are very high, and destroy a Kart over a weekend. This proved to be the case, as a stub axle snapped a front wheel off at the end of the main straight, sending Mike into the 'kitty-litter' and out of the final.

Congratulations must go to his young team mate, Billy Baxter. who won his first heat in Juniors, and then drove to his first podium in a Super 1 Junior TKM final. Hopefully some of Billy's luck will rub off on Mike when here returns here in a month for the Motors TV championship.