Motors TV Round 1 Llandow Saturday 17th February 2007

Having received positive vibes from Friday testing, Saturday the track was drier and so Intermediates were needed for the first three sessions of untimes practice. We tried to check all the front runners, and thought Mike was quickest, but Martyn Lyell was on his pace. I timed practice it was no shock when Mike was second to Martyn, so effectively second in the championship. Starting on the back row Mike and Martyn fought through the pack, with Mike reacjing 4th place and Martyn slightly further back. As always Matt Bell was quick, as was Steve Napier and Tucker, so if I recal Mike Comber had a six point lead after Round 1. A full report will follow.

MOTORS TV PRACTICE

Just a short call from Mike to say that in the wet on Friday on the new tyres we collected from Talko this week, he was over a second quicker than any other drive timed by DK.

As money is very tight, he reverted back to his old set and was a second slower, but still as quick as the rest who were mostly using new rubber. The new rubber is there for Saturday and Sunday should the extra pace be needed

ANDREW GRANGER ESTATE AGENTS & CHARTERED SURVEYORS

Mike would like to officially announce his thanks and gratitude to Andrew and David Granger for their support for the 2007 season. Andrew is involved in many business and social interests, but it was in his role as the Senior Partner of this leading Leicestershire business that prompted his support of Mike. He read about his exploits in the local papers and then received a mailshot just before the 2006 Festival.

At the first sponsorship meeting back in October, he said " I first noted the name and then the potential that Mike might win the Festival. My son David then kept an eye on Mikes website, and we noticed that he was winning every major kart competition he entered, so David e-mailed them to arrange a meeting to see if we could assist in 2007. At the time Mike had yet to win the National Championship, so that was a bonus".

A few meetings followed where it became clear that David, Andrews son, was Production Editor of the Red Bull F1 Bulletin, and had the journalistic and PR skills to develop Mike beyond Karting.

The injection of cash will fund the direct costs of Motors TV, which Mike was keen to do in 2006, but only the Senior TKM class was selected. Until Granger appeared. for 2007 he was going to have to drop the Super 1 or club rounds as our budjet would only go so far. Mike had planned to attempt the Super Libra Series with Maranello, and then either do ICA or give up!

Now thanks to Andrew Granger & C0, we can offer them the European TV coverage of 16 million viewers, plus his appearances in Super 1 will allow some National coverage. We are still seeking another sponsor to assist with this competition, or two other local sponsors, one to cover our Whilton Mill costs and another to cover Kimbolton.

To Andrew Granger, they need to attract potential clients from all over the country to select them to find a suitable Leicestershire home or business location. Locally they can use our exposure to introduce property developers to their vast range of services and clients. Davis has kindly made contact with the local press, who will be covering Mikes exploits.

Finally the staff and clients of Andrew Granger & Co will be attending some of the local race meetings and a couple of track days we will organise once the weather has improved. We hope that we can assist our sponsor by introducing them to Karting parents, drivers and team owners looking to settle in Leicestershire or develop in Leicestershire. Please contact us or our sponsor via our website or theirs as shown above.

You can find the Andrew Granger & Co. Website here...

NO PFI PRACTICE DUE TO THE WEATHER?

I felt sorry for Terry at the weekend, as he was due to test the CRG on Friday, but instead had to collect it from Talko and use the Saturday at Kimbolton to test it. Fortunately he had bought some wets and they were the new batch. Most of the Maxxi red tyres being sold by the vendors up until last week had been manufactured in March 2005, so were almost 2 years old.

Not a problems when all drivers are on the same old hard compounds, but when the fresh batched arrived several top drivers such as Luke and Will on the Gillard said that they thought they were upto 2 seconds a lap quicker.

No one had stocks of the new rubber on Saturday, but some teams knew about it and were 'lucky' enough to have the advantage. As the track dried the advantage was lost and by the final it was time for slicks. For some reason the final was red flagged. the report is below.

Terry was lucky enough to get extra practice by entering the races on Sunday at the back of the grid. I think the CRG handled quite well in the damp conditions, very similar to the Maranello Rotax Chassis.
The only trouble will be trying to lose grip in the summer, which also applies to the Tony Kart. As you can see from the photograph, Terry (33) was using Mike's wet helmet and still able to take the dry line, while Mike (58) was able to pass on the TEC-MEC using the traditional wet (outside) line.

LLandow this weekend should be similar in terms of the weather, so we must get a fresh batch of wet tyres from Talko for the team members. Fingers crossed for a podium on Mikes first Motors TV.

Tough Weekend for Mike

Kimbolton: Sunday February 11, 2007


SUNDAY’S club championship round at Kimbolton wasn’t a race to remember for national karting champion Michael Comber.
Poor conditions, a new chassis and old tyre stock meant a disappointing three heats with a best position of 21st.
But, despite a collision in heat three and a water-filled air filter in heat one, the 16-year-old from Thrussington managed to make it up to 10th place in the finals… just before the race was abandoned.
And this was after a poor start to the weekend.

Mike said: “I was very unhappy with the practice on Saturday because it was clear that new tyres which other teams had been supplied with were giving them more than a second a lap advantage.
“On race day most were on the new batch of wets, but we had to try slicks in the hope that by trying something different we might gain an advantage and it could have worked.”
In the finals Comber was 30th on the grid, his lowest place in a final for years.

With the conditions and poor tyres, his team Klaassen Motorsport had wanted a top ten finish so it was mostly mission accomplished - but with hopes for a better result next weekend.
Mike’s manager, Rob Comber, said: “This was our worst result for years, but let us hope that this bad luck is out of the way and that Mike can compete strongly at Llandow next week at rounds one and two of the Motors TV competition.”

These races will be shown on the Motors TV channel this time next month.
For more on Mike's challenges for the rest of the year, stick with us up here on the blog or visit Mike's official website at www.michaelcomberracing.com

ARC

It looks as if Mike will not be on an ARC for 2007. Despite his choice to change, Mike would like to publically thank Graham and Ash for their help in assisting him secure his titles in 2006 by providing the trackside support, and to Phil and Jill for the injection of funds that assisted the company to move forward and secure its first National Championship.

PFI FRIDAY

Mike and Motors TV team mate Terry Langley will travel to the Lincoln circuit for testing on Friday. Terry plans to test the latest TKM & CRG chassis, and Mike has been invited along to offer Terry some advice as its over four years since he last drove the circuit. Those who read this column will appreciate that Mike droveon TKM chassis in 2001, 2001 and 2003. Since then he has tried several manufacturers products, which include ARC chassis from 2003 to 2006, JKH V3 and V4 plus Venom Ultima, Attack and Sidewinder. Jade and DK were both reasonable, but top of the list has been Maranello and TEC-MEC.

Rumour has it that James Bean will be there as will Matt Shawyer, both former TKM champions, so it should be a good day for the lads, providing it keeps dry and warm.

The plan was for Terry and Mike to drive on the same make of chassis for 2007, so TKM now have the chance to convert Mike. Terry has already tested on an ARC and will also test the TEC-MEC before making his final choice. What ever the outcome, both will use engine and technical support from Klaassen Motor Sport from Kenilworth in the Midlands.

Following the Friday testing, the team move to Kimbolton on Saturday for more testing of engines before both race on Sunday. Joining them will be Jesse Smart the former Junior 4th seed, probably on the TEC-MEC Mike used to gain a third at Whilton at the end of January.