ROLY MOLY RACING

Racing in 2012 for T T  Sport

Updated 24.04.2012

Daytona Milton Keynes: Round 2 of OEKC on April 22nd:

We were promised rain at some point during the day but it all started well with a nice breeze and some sunshine. After having found what we thought was a good set up in testing on the previous Monday we were hoping that we could carry it through to a good grid position on the race day, but we couldn't get the kart to go as fast, with Andrew suffering in particular from a lack of front end grip. We qualified in 11th place and Andrew had a good start, immediately making up places to 9th and then progressing up the leader board to 6th. By the time he got to 5th he was consistently in the 59s and on lap 61 he got 3rd and our fastest lap of the race at 59.092. We were in 2nd as other teams pitted ahead of us and after 65 minutes of racing, we also pitted. The changeover to James M was reasonable and he went out to re-join in 6th place. He was slower than Andrew but got a few  laps in the 59s and got us up to 3rd again before losing a place, although he was getting a bit faster as he got to grips with the kart and the track. Unfortunately at that point the engine decided to give up the ghost and seized at the beginning of the esses. It took the pit crew seventeen minutes to change the engine to our spare and get Thomas out on the track again. By this time we were in 17th place and Tom was having problems with a clutch that was locked on, and an engine that cut out on right handers. But he was very consistent and by the end of his stint after 65 minutes had got us 14th place. James T was now out and holding on to 14th position but was finding the kart very difficult to drive. After 21 laps he'd had enough and he came in to see if a different carburettor would help. A single lap convinced him that things were no better and he came back in. James M decided to try it and see if we could get the kart to the end of the race. He didn't have too many problems driving the kart but after just 13 laps, the clutch finally gave up completely and James coasted and pushed into the pit lane. That was our race over and we were credited with 19th position. A disappointing day's racing. Dartford Karting will once again replace the broken piston under warranty and we'll have the bottom end done at the same time, so we hope for a blisteringly fast engine at the next round at Whilton. And the rain? It rained for about 30 seconds in the last quarter of hour of the race and nobody took a great deal of notice. Full results are here.

Open Endurance Kart Championship 2012:

Only two rounds gone, but here is the current position.

The next round of the Open Endurance Kart Championship is back at Wilton Mill on May 20th and we'll be running in the repaired engine the day before. We'll only be a three man team as Thomas will be away in France mountain biking.

Congratulations to Box Tech who came first and HVAC 1 who came second. TT Sport came 3rd after KKC had their chances ruined by another kart rolling backwards onto the track in front of them. The resulting collision was enough to write off the chassis. The full results are here.

Once again we hope to be driving for TT Sport, who have just purchased a new Tony Kart chassis. See here for all the 2012 dates which have now been confirmed.

Tom Robinson's tips for making your racing more successful - have a look here.

Rotax Endurance Racing:

The only series if you're serious about endurance racing in the UK  is the Open Endurance series run at Whilton Mill, Milton Keynes, Lydd and, new in 2012, Rye House.. The dates for 2012 are here or on the Open Endurance Championship web site.

 

 

Tom Robinson and James Michell after getting 1st place in round six of the 2004 Southern Promax Challenge Championship. Yes I know its out of date, but its a nice photo of a good occasion and we haven't found a better one yet....