Published March 08, 2011 13:18
Loughborough A secure their second win of the season and a comfortable 3rd place whilst Oxford Brookes A finally get their act together at Buckmore
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2011 BUKC season took place at Buckmore Park in Kent. The circuit shot to fame four years ago as the place where Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton learnt his racing trade; and with its tight, technical first half followed by a fast flowing second half it is clear why this is a real drivers’ circuit.
A bitterly cold day on the North Sea coast awaited the drivers when they arrived, and as ever Round 3 would run in the morning consisting of six 25 minute races. The opening race saw last season’s runners up Oxford Brookes A take advantage of the 6th place starting position to win comfortably by just over sixteen seconds from Exeter A and Loughborough B. The most impressive drive of the race, though, came from Hertfordshire A. After the random grid put them in 28th on the grid, a stunning drive through the field saw them cross the finish line in 4th position, only 1 second behind second place finishers Exeter A who started 18 positions further up the grid.
After a lacklustre performance in race one, Bath A found some speed in the second race of the day to take the victory despite starting 20th on the grid. Exeter A took another second place, and a strong third place for Loughborough A kept them in the running for the Round 3 win as well. It was a surprise win for Sheffield A in race three, as the impressive newcomers held off close attention from Plymouth A and Birmingham A to take the victory and seriously boost their points tally.
After winning the opening race, Oxford Brookes A managed third in the fourth race – despite starting 26th – but they were unable to overcome Brunel A and Hertfordshire A who finished first and second respectively. Race 5 was one of the most exciting of the day, as reigning champions Loughborough A won ahead of Swansea A and Warwick A, but only just! As the three karts crossed the line after 25 minutes and 32 laps of racing there was less than 1 second separating them, and only 0.057 seconds decided second and third places on the podium. The final race of the morning was a more subdued affair out at the front with Southampton A winning, seven seconds ahead of Bath A who were a further four seconds ahead of Warwick A.
As the points were totted up at the end of Round 3, it was Loughborough A who had the most points overall; but with only the best three results counting it gave the Round 3 victory to Bath A. Oxford Brookes finished second with Loughborough completing the podium. Despite winning one of the races, Sheffield A ended up down in 21st position at the end of the morning.
The top 3 teams from Round 3: Bath A, Oxford Brookes A and Loughborough A
The afternoon would see three hour long endurance races which would rely more on consistency than outright pace. No team demonstrated this more clearly than Coventry A, who after finishing only 13th overall in Round 3 picked up second position in the first endurance race behind Oxford Brookes A. They had started 35th out of 36 teams, but were in the lead by lap 25 and there they would stay for the remaining 52 laps. Third place went the way of Warwick A, finishing over a lap behind Oxford.
The second endurance race would ultimately decide who won Round 4, with both Oxford Brookes A and Loughborough A competing. It was Loughborough A who won the race, after an amazing battle with Warwick A that saw the lead change four times in the last ten laps. Oxford Brookes could only manage third.
That win, combined with victory in the final race of the day meant Loughborough A won Round 4 of the BUKC. That final race of the day was fairly comfortable for them, finishing 42 seconds clear of Hertfordshire A and Oxford Brookes B. Oxford Brookes A took second place in Round 4 with Warwick A finishing third.
After the fourth round of the championship, it’s Loughborough A who are at the top of the table, having won both of the endurance rounds so far this season. Warwick A are 6 points behind in second place with a further three points back in third. A poor performance in Round 2 back at Teeside means that reigning champions Oxford Brookes are in fourth place, seventeen points behind Loughborough, but with the two worst point scores of the season, they are still in with a real shot at the title, when the battle continues on the 13th March at Llandow, Wales.
Report by Jack Nicholls
