The 2002 Pro Kart Endurance Championship

Winter Series Round 1 - Milton Keynes - 24 November

A precipitation cessation and a good turn out of quality teams, set the scene for this, the first round of the Winter Championships. The track was damp and would refuse to dry until the closing stages of the race, which resulted in one of the closest finishes I have ever witnessed.

In the dying seconds of qualifying, Eau Rouge stole the pole from Grilli Corse with Team X and SZR making up the second row.

Eau Rouge leads the pack

Within a few minutes of the start, Team X took the lead with Eau-Rouge glued to their rear bumper and after 30 minutes racing, Tube Technics had come up to join the party. At the 1-hour mark, a rear axle problem befell the Tube Technics team and despite recording one of the fastest laps of the day, this problem effectively put them out the running. Westco then came up to join the leading pair and these three were nose to tail as the first fuel stop window approached. As the race settled down again, Team X, Eau Rouge and Westco were still covered by just 4 seconds and Teamworks had moved up into 4th place.

As the half way stage approached, there was just a hint that the track may be starting to dry and many teams were now putting in their fastest laps, with the whole field still on wet tyres. Meanwhile, Eau Rouge had now regained the lead and edged out a 40 second lead from Team X, Teamworks moved up to 3rd spot just in front of an ever quickening Team Focus, with Westco and Spencer Motorsport making up the top six. With all the leading teams having completed their second fuel stop, Eau Rouge had increased their lead over Team X to a lap and a bit, whilst the ensuing pack all started to close up on one another and the hint of a dry line had at last started to become a reality.

Take off for Team X

With an hour and a half to go, the order remained Eau Rouge, Team X, Teamworks, Focus, Westco, Grilli Corse and Spencer's, with all eyes on the remains of some very shredded wets on what was now a definite dry line.

Panic then set in, with many teams pitting for slicks, some by choice and others not, and some stayed out on wets to their peril. In the closing stages Westco were going backwards with all sorts of problems, Focus went past Teamworks and Team X moved up to 4th place. With just 20 minutes left, the leading kart of Eau Rouge started to slow and Focus were on the hunt. Similarly Team X were catching Teamworks and it was all getting very tense. A combination of some extremely rapid lap times from Focus, and a slow puncture on the Eau Rouge kart, constituted a 3 seconds per lap difference, with just a handful of laps remaining. On the penultimate lap, Focus and Eau Rouge were together and with the chequered flag literally in site, Focus seized the opportunity to win by just 3 seconds and Team X stole 3rd from Teamworks on the line, by 0.2 of a second.

Eventual winners - Focus

After a terrific days racing, it was all over to the pavilion for the presentation and a well-deserved drink at the bar. Round 2 of the championship returns to Daytona Sandown Park on the15th December where the much-awaited lap of honour by certain well-known karters, wearing nothing but a pink thong, will take place in the name of charity. We wait with baited breath.

RESULTS - ROUND 1

Overall Winners

Clubman Winners

Report & Photos by Paul Bowler.

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