On the 20th April the second round of the MiniMoto Racing Association (MMRA) British Minimoto Championship rolled into Larkhall, 20 miles South of Glasgow for another weekend of fast and furious low capacity, miniature GP racing competition. The first round at Llandow in South Wales had set a very high bar to follow but over the course of two days, both competitors and spectators were treated to some of the hardest fought racing I have seen, across all classes. The circuit itself reminded me of a smaller version of Cadwell Park and a walk of the track at dusk the evening before the meeting commenced indicated that it would be a very fast circuit with very high grip levels. The circuit had everything, fast sweeping bends, a very interesting 'bus stop' hairpin at the far end of the circuit before a sweeping 'traight', a tight infield double hairpin section and banked elements of the circuit running into a final flip flop downhill section to a tight final corner that was bound to create some last corner action.
Strong local support brought with it the best riders Scotland had to offer, some just coming to ride as a one-off, being the sole excursion North of the border for the MMRA, and this really stoked up the melting pot. Although some elected not to take championship points, they were still determined to take away some silverware and cause some upsets.
Saturday morning was the usual early start with sign on and scrutineering requirements and as the damp Scottish day broke it was clear from the paddock that this was going to be another popular round. With the official bits out of the way and the riders briefing completed the first bikes rolled onto the now dry track for a practice session followed by two fifteen minute qualifiers. The previous nights impression that this was a fast track were soon confirmed and those new to the circuit, a first visit here for the MMRA and therefore a lot of the riders, settled down to learn the track and pick up pace. And this they quickly did. Sometimes it is difficult to separate practice and qualifying from actual racing. Different people adopt different strategies towards practice and qualifying but the blinding speeds and times set clearly indicated that people were adapting to this track very adeptly and very quickly despite a number of high speed spills. Local circuit knowledge advantage for the Scottish riders was apparent but by mid afternoon it looked like everyone had been riding here regularly. It also appeared to be a track that suited all classes, with the sidecars and minimotos using the infield double hairpin while the big wheeled Metrakits carried straight on onto the banked section at the back of the circuit cutting out the infield. With the days proceedings drawing to a close the times posted indicated that Sundays racing was going to bring us a day to match the previous round, with some familiar names to the series mixed up with those not so familiar.
Rain during the night greeted the early risers Sunday morning leaving a wet track and the all-too-familiar tyre choice dilemma. Despite being a grippy track in the dry the early morning warm up sessions would have to be utilised to sort tyres but it was the Metrakits who were due to take the track for the first of their races with the anticipation of a repeat of some close racing seen at the first round.
Once again the spectators and watching racers weren't disappointed, with races producing some breathtaking dices conducted at an electrifying pace. Highlight of the day in the Senior classes had to be the Production B class races with the second race producing what to a lot of people was the race of the meeting with a six man scrap from start to finish. As the flag dropped 15 year old Grant Villette hit the front on the Fast Forward Racing RT2, determined to make up for being knocked off while in the lead of the first race and racing only the day after having laser surgery on a damaged shoulder, hotly pursued by Mark Wooff, 2006 Champion Chris Martin, his Havoc Racing team mate Lee Sweetland, Danny Hedger and Dave Perry on the Racetech RT2 inches behind. As they disappeared down to the bus stop and out of view it was Villette who emerged onto the back straight still at the front and showing great maturity despite this being his first year with the MMRA, holding off the pursuing group of riders lap after lap, even opening a small gap, with Dave Perry skilfully picking his way up to second of the scrapping followers with one lap to go as Sweetland disappeared from the pack. And what a last lap it was. As the riders crossed the line for the penultimate time it was Villette a few metres ahead of Perry with the front running pack led by Mark Wooff just feet behind as they nailed these tiny machines down to the bus stop and back onto the straight. As Dave Perry chased the back of Villette's machine edging ever closer Villette must have thought he had a start to finish win in the bag but as they came out of the infield hairpin complex Perry was almost in touching distance. As they hit the banking and the downhill section to the last corner Perry edged ever inches closer and as they braked for the last corner Perry went for a gap as Villette tipped his machine in and the watching crowd held their collective breath as Perry's front wheel caught the back of Villette's RT2 and they both went down, scattering the riders behind. In the scramble to remount Chris Martin seized the advantage to cross the line first, ahead of Mark Woof with a remounted Grant Villette crossing the line on one wheel with Perry remounting to come home in 7th. Although disappointing for Villette he came of age in this race and clearly marked his intention for the rest of the season as a potential future champion.It was one of those weekends where you could not rely on the weather reports from the BBC, the Met Office or one of those barometer gizmos that take pride of place in motor homes, caravans and under many a gazebo in the paddock. Nope, the man in the know was Stevie, the MMRA's host for the weekend, who can sniff a raindrop at a hundred miles. So if you were fortunate enough to have a casual chat with Stevie you would know it was going to be dry on Saturday with some very light showers on Sunday morning instead of trying to second guess what the overhead nimbus stratus was going to do.
The programme was curtailed to 3 races per class due to time restrictions but it did not detract from the quality of racing that was about to unfold.
Cadets Race 1
Scots duo Ewan Gray and Jason Mortimer headed the front row qualifiers. They were joined by Round 1 victor Josh Daley and newcomer to the series Sam Cherry. Jason got the flyer as the flag dropped and was closely pursued by Ewan, Sam Munro, who made a good start from row 2, and Sam Cherry. As they flew past the start / finish line on lap 1 it was Jason from Ewan, Sam Munro, Sam Cherry, Josh, George Powell, Niall Campbell and Harry Pullar....phew! Jason, Ewan and Sam Munro were swapping places at the front with Sam Cherry and Josh close behind. It was the leading quartet who made the break and there was really nothing in it. The bikes seemed to be perfectly matched for speed so it was going to be down to rider skill. Jason and Ewan crossed the line side by side going into the last lap. It was going to be a tough call to predict the outcome but it was Ewan who just had enough of an advantage powering through the final corner to take the win. Jason finished a fine 2nd, Sam Munro 3rd, Sam Cherry 4th and Josh Daley in 5th.
Cadets Race 2
Could Race 2 live up to the excitement of Race 1....you bet. Ewan dived into turn 1 ahead of Jason, Sam Munro, Sam Cherry, Josh and Niall. On lap 2 it was Ewan and Jason who were making the break at the front. Jason executed a......what you might say....a forceful move on Ewan to take the lead. Ewan got back him at the end of the straight when he let off the brakes and dived underneath. Then before you could blink it was Jason back in front again. They crossed the line on lap 6 with Ewan in the lead followed by Jason, Sam Munro, Sam Cherry, Josh and Niall. Sam Cherry disappeared from the radar somewhere near the bottom hairpin and Niall was looking over his shoulder as Harry Pullar closed in like a heat seeking missile. Ewan and Jason had pulled out a few metres and crossed the line side by side once more to start their final lap. It looked like Jason had a plan to pass Ewan at the first left hander just after the main straight but the race was red flagged before he had a chance to put his plan into action. Ewan was declared the winner with Jason 2nd, Sam Munro 3rd, Josh 4th, Niall 5th and Harry 6th.
Cadets Race 3
It was Jason's turn to make the holeshot with Ewan and Sam Munro just behind. Before the end of the first lap Sam Munro had edged into the lead with Jason, Ewan, Sam Cherry, Josh and Niall taking up their familiar positions. Sam Munro was fighting to keep Jason and Ewan at bay. No matter what the youngsters tried they could not find a way past Sam. Ewan squeezed in front of Jason but could not do anything about the leader. Josh and Sam Cherry were having a good dice just behind the leading group and further back George and Harry were catching Niall. Sam managed to eek out a few metres as Ewan and Jason were messing up each other's lines as they battled for 2nd. After another frantic race long battle it was Sam Munro who took the chequered flag with Ewan in 2nd, Jason 3rd, Josh 4th, Sam Cherry 5th, George 6th, Harry 7th and Niall in 8th.
Junior Production B Race 1
The proddy bikes screamed off the line with Harry Coomber in the lead and Luke Helm, Jason Mortimer, Ewan Gray and Sam Cherry pressing hard. Jason made a superb pass round the outside of Luke to move into 2nd. Jason soon closed the gap on Harry and was looking for a way past but Harry was defending his line like a pro and Jason was having no joy. Ewan closed up on Luke and was piling on the pressure. Ewan out braked Luke but by this time had lost too much ground on the leaders. Harry kept his cool to take the win followed by Jason, Ewan, Luke and Sam.
Junior Production B Race 2
Harry made another lightning start and laid the challenge down to the rest of the field. Harry led after lap 1 closely followed by Jason, Luke, Ewan and Niall Campbell. Suddenly Luke's bike appeared to slow and he was overwhelmed by the pack. Harry and Jason were the riders on form and pulled a gap from Ewan. Meanwhile Sam stormed into 4th place. Jason put an incredible move on Harry by riding round the outside at the left hander just after the main straight. Harry had no answer as Jason gradually stretched his advantage. Jason took the win with Harry in 2nd, Ewan 3rd, Sam 4th, Josh 5th and Niall 6th.
Junior Production B Race 3
Disappointed after his 3rd place in the final Cadet's race of the day Jason was in a determined mood and was not going to settle for anything other than a win. Jason got the better of Harry this time to lead into turn 1. Harry had a go at the end of the main straight but Jason let off the brakes to keep the advantage as he peeled into the turn. Jason led as they passed the stripe with Harry in 2nd then Luke, Ewan, Josh, Sam and Niall. Jason was in dominant form and extended his lead over Harry, Luke and Ewan. It was Luke who showed great determination to haul in Harry and nip past him as they crossed the line for the final time. Jason took the win followed by Luke, Harry and Ewan.Round 2 of the MiniGP British Championship was hosted by the West of Scotland Kart Club. The track is located on the outskirts of Larkhall near Glasgow. The track is an excellent mix of corner types and is a great test of rider ability. The Club made everyone very welcome and the track and the facilities were presented in first class condition. Bradley Ray was looking to build on his 100% record from Llandow in the MiniGP50 Class but could Kyle Ryde or Harry Comber have a say in the proceedings? The quartet of Fraser Rogers, James 'Flick' Flitcroft, Luke Helm and local lad Jason Douglas were set to do battle again after an exciting Round 1 in the MiniGP70 class.
MiniGP50 Race 1
The drama commenced before the grid had completed their warm up lap with Gary Winfield on his immaculately prepared machine taking a tumble rounding the final bend. All was well however and Gary took up his position on the grid. The track was damp and particularly slippy as the overnight rain was the first sign of precipitation for over 2 weeks. The riders seemed to be a little over excited for the first race of the day with Bradley Ray pulling a stomping wheelie and Aaron Climpson stalling on the line when the flag dropped. George Powell also had a problem getting off the line but got going again when his fuel tap was turned to the on position. In spite of his airborne starting antics it was Bradley who got the holeshot followed by Harry Comber who made a lighting start from row 2. Bradley immediately pulled a gap from Harry who was hotly pursued by Kyle Ryde and Stuart Wilson on the Saltire Suzuki sponsored machine. Harry succumbed to Kyle's pressure and dropped to 3rd position. Stuart was lining up Harry for a pass when the race was red flagged for the paramedics to attend a fallen rider.
At the restart it was Bradley once again in front followed by Stuart, Harry and Alex Metcalf. Aaron Climpson stalled his machine again and eventually got going once the pack was out of sight. Kyle eased past Stuart into 2nd but had a big ask to close the gap on Bradley who had already pulled a commanding lead after 2 laps. Alex retired with mechanical problems which was a huge disappointment as he was running at the sharp end. Bradley was controlling the race from the front with a comfortable gap to Kyle but it was Stuart and Harry who were entertaining the spectators with some close racing. Aaron retired his Domino Pizza machine and the race was red flagged for a second time with a couple of laps to go when Kyle slid off while trying to close the gap on Bradley. A result was declared with Bradley taking the win from Stuart and then Harry.
MiniGP50 Race 2
An incident free start to race 2 saw Bradley once again making turn 1 his own, closely followed by Kyle, Stuart and Harry. The track was drying and the riders were becoming more confident and really going for it. Most riders had opted for wets as there were still damp areas just off the racing line. Bradley was stretching his lead with every lap and the interest focussed on Alex and Aaron who were having a ding dong battle mid-field with Aaron eventually getting the upper hand. Bradley took a comfortable win over Kyle. Stuart in turn had gapped Harry to take 3rd place.
MiniGP50 Race 3
If you were a betting man the money was on Bradley to take the holeshot. The favourite didn't disappoint the punters and led from start to finish. As the riders stormed past the start/finish line on lap 1 it was Bradley followed by Kyle, Harry, Stuart, Ian Raybon, Aaron, Alex and Gary. Kyle rode admirably and at times looked to be closing the gap but Bradley's pace was just too hot. Stuart was pressing Harry for 3rd and was determined to find a way past. Meanwhile the battle for 5th was heating up with Ian, Aaron and Alex swapping places. The action got too hot for Alex at one point as he took to the grass when his bid to pass Aaron went pear shaped. Stuart made a tenacious move on Harry to move into a podium position. Alex regained his composure after his grass tracking and showed determination to pass both riders in front of him and move into 5th spot. At the flag it was Mr 100% Bradley followed by Kyle, Stuart and Harry.
MiniGP70 Race 1
The riders were given 3 warm up laps to get accustomed to the damp conditions. Luke Helm looked confident during the warm up and was circulating at almost race pace. Pole setter Fraser Rogers made the holeshot with Luke, Jason Douglas and James Flitcroft on his tail. The pace was scorching at the front. Fraser was holding the advantage over Luke with James moving into 3rd ahead of Jason. On lap 4 of the 20 lap race Fraser started to extend his lead slightly and Jason was being dropped off in 4th. As they crossed the line after 7 laps it was Fraser, Luke, James, Jason, Luke Hedger and Niall Campbell who had steadily moved through the field from the back of the grid. At mid distance Luke and James were closing the gap on Fraser and Jason, also gaining in confidence, started to up the pace. Acea Webb was a faller at the notoriously slippy final turn. Unfortunately his machine was too damaged to continue racing. There were exciting dices behind the leading four with Luke Hedger and Niall Campbell battling for 5th and Daniel Booth and Alex Olsen scrapping for 7th position. Meanwhile at the front James engineered a way past Luke and Jason found a second wind as he rapidly closed in on the leading pack. Jason was soon on Luke's tail. Both pilots were riding really hard as Luke fought to retain 3rd position. Jason dived up the inside at the turn leading onto the start/finish straight but missed a gear on the exit allowing Luke to move in front. But Jason was in determined mood and forced his way past and set about reeling in James Flitcroft. With 1 lap to go James was caught out by some backmarkers allowing Jason to storm into 2nd. Fraser took a deserved win with Jason in 2nd, James 3rd, Luke 4th and Niall in 5th.
MiniGP70 Race 2
The warm up was cut to 1 lap. Most riders retained their wets although the racing line was completely dry. Fraser made a flying start and led the pack down to the bottom hairpin. Jason Douglas and Luke Helm had a coming together with Jason coming out of the stramash with a missing footpeg. As the leaders crossed the line on lap 1 it was Fraser out in front followed by James, Charlie King, Luke Hedger, Alex Olsen, Niall Campbell, Daniel Booth and Luke Helm. The drying conditions were suiting Fraser and James who pulled away at the front. Charlie and Luke Hedger were having a good scrap and things were hotting up behind them with Daniel and Luke Helm closing right up on Niall Campbell. Jason battled on bravely but could only circulate at cruising speed with no footpeg. The leaders were starting to lap the slower riders by lap 16 but James pushed a little too hard and slid off directly in front of Niall who did well to take avoiding action. Fraser now had an unassailable lead over Luke Hedger but it was Daniel Booth who was on the move and swiftly found himself in 3rd place. James was trying to salvage some points but lost it big time on the fastest part of the track with his bike making an acquaintance with the trackside barrier. The race was red flagged and a result was declared with Fraser taking the win with Luke Hedger 2nd, Daniel 3rd, Charlie 5th and Luke Helm in 6th.
MiniGP70 Race 3
James' big off in race 2 didn't seem to phase him and he let Fraser know that he meant business in the final race of the day by leading into turn 1. James crossed the stripe on lap 1 in the lead with Fraser tucked in behind and local lad Jason Douglas giving chase. The pace at the front was too much for Luke Helm and he dropped back from the leading bunch. It didn't take long for Fraser to show his superiority with a nice move on James to take the lead. Jason's luck had deserted him today as his bike coasted to a halt just as he was lining up James for a pass. It turned out that his carburettor had worked loose, most probably caused by his shunt in race 2. Daniel Booth was having another cracking race and moved ahead of Luke by mid distance. Fraser took the win with a 7 second advantage over James, Daniel was an excellent 3rd and Luke Helm finished in 4th.
