Joined Oct 2008
6K Posts | 5K+
In Cider
Well, its come to the time where i've calmed down enough after my race weekend at Donny to come back on here and give you all the news. Many thanks for the good luck wishes, unfortunately the event summarised the luck i've had this season.
Got to Donington Friday night. Set up camp even though it was freezing cold AND pissing it down. Got up Saturday morning and got the kart ready. Went to go and start it..wouldnt start. So we pulled it and pulled it, then pushed it and pushed it and still not even a fire. We check the fuel, we check the spark and change the plug to be sure. All seems good. We then put a drop of fuel into the combustion chamber. Not even a hint of starting. So by this time Practice comes and goes and I miss it, which leaves me thoroughly pissed off! Upon closer inspection, my dad had fitted a new iginition stator and fitted the terminals on the coil the wrong way around. It was really annoying and he was very apologetic but we all make mistakes....still I was pissed but relieved the damn thing ran.
So I go out in Qualifying on old tyres and a greasy track. 3 laps in I lock the rears up under braking for the final chicane on a damp patch. I hold it, but run about 5ft off the track, and get the kart pretty muddy, ..... So I do another 3 laps by which time the engine starts running hot, an issue which I believe to be a partially blocked rad and I shall be fixing over the winter. Much to my relief I am not last (not by 7 places woo!).
Race 1...kart looks ready to go, as am I and the track is dry. So I make a stonking start and make up 6 places by Redgate, at which there is a pileup that eliminates 4 other karts. So i'm 10 up going down the Craners, great! Then, I outbrake some dude coming into the old hairpin but as I hit the power, the engine just stutters and coughs. Great. So I nurse it back to the pits whereby my dad thinks I was involved in the turn 1 crash so doesnt see me in pitlane. A friend fiddles with some things and out I go again but after 1/2 a lap same problem. So as I come into the pits the race is stopped due to a massive accident (guy was ok and discharged the next day). After a while and frantic work (along with stupid ideas from some people) we find out 2 screws have come out of the reed block and were sitting on the petals, leaving it loose...luckily they didnt go into the motor!]
So, I borrow a replacement from another driver but they wont let me out in the restart as they say I was deemed to be a retirement before the red flag was shown, .......s. Then, to top it all off, the ....... who earlier in the year told me to use that reed block design says 'Yeah I'd get a Vforce 3, those Vforce 2's are known for doing that"....thanks a bunch ......., why didn't you tell me that in March!!!??!
So race 2, the kart is ready to go and I hope to end the year on a high. I'm near the back this time but the kart feels good. Then...coming out of Coppice onto the Dunlop straight the engine just cuts out. I try fiddling things and bump starting it with any momentum I have left so I can get it back to the pits but no joy, it comes to a stop halfway along and I have to unceremoniously get out (like an upturned turtle) and push it off the track. Its than that I notice the spade terminal that connects the stator to the coil has snapped off. And what really really pissed me off was this was a brand new part and had done a total of 6 laps from new, what are the odds huh??!
I'm sure some of the racer here know how horrible it is to get keyed up for a race only for it to end on the warmup lap, I was seething! So there you go, lets hope 2011 brings some better luck.
The irony of this is had SS56 turned up he may just have beaten me.
Got to Donington Friday night. Set up camp even though it was freezing cold AND pissing it down. Got up Saturday morning and got the kart ready. Went to go and start it..wouldnt start. So we pulled it and pulled it, then pushed it and pushed it and still not even a fire. We check the fuel, we check the spark and change the plug to be sure. All seems good. We then put a drop of fuel into the combustion chamber. Not even a hint of starting. So by this time Practice comes and goes and I miss it, which leaves me thoroughly pissed off! Upon closer inspection, my dad had fitted a new iginition stator and fitted the terminals on the coil the wrong way around. It was really annoying and he was very apologetic but we all make mistakes....still I was pissed but relieved the damn thing ran.
So I go out in Qualifying on old tyres and a greasy track. 3 laps in I lock the rears up under braking for the final chicane on a damp patch. I hold it, but run about 5ft off the track, and get the kart pretty muddy, ..... So I do another 3 laps by which time the engine starts running hot, an issue which I believe to be a partially blocked rad and I shall be fixing over the winter. Much to my relief I am not last (not by 7 places woo!).
Race 1...kart looks ready to go, as am I and the track is dry. So I make a stonking start and make up 6 places by Redgate, at which there is a pileup that eliminates 4 other karts. So i'm 10 up going down the Craners, great! Then, I outbrake some dude coming into the old hairpin but as I hit the power, the engine just stutters and coughs. Great. So I nurse it back to the pits whereby my dad thinks I was involved in the turn 1 crash so doesnt see me in pitlane. A friend fiddles with some things and out I go again but after 1/2 a lap same problem. So as I come into the pits the race is stopped due to a massive accident (guy was ok and discharged the next day). After a while and frantic work (along with stupid ideas from some people) we find out 2 screws have come out of the reed block and were sitting on the petals, leaving it loose...luckily they didnt go into the motor!]
So, I borrow a replacement from another driver but they wont let me out in the restart as they say I was deemed to be a retirement before the red flag was shown, .......s. Then, to top it all off, the ....... who earlier in the year told me to use that reed block design says 'Yeah I'd get a Vforce 3, those Vforce 2's are known for doing that"....thanks a bunch ......., why didn't you tell me that in March!!!??!
So race 2, the kart is ready to go and I hope to end the year on a high. I'm near the back this time but the kart feels good. Then...coming out of Coppice onto the Dunlop straight the engine just cuts out. I try fiddling things and bump starting it with any momentum I have left so I can get it back to the pits but no joy, it comes to a stop halfway along and I have to unceremoniously get out (like an upturned turtle) and push it off the track. Its than that I notice the spade terminal that connects the stator to the coil has snapped off. And what really really pissed me off was this was a brand new part and had done a total of 6 laps from new, what are the odds huh??!
I'm sure some of the racer here know how horrible it is to get keyed up for a race only for it to end on the warmup lap, I was seething! So there you go, lets hope 2011 brings some better luck.
The irony of this is had SS56 turned up he may just have beaten me.
