ELF / Hill House Hammond Super 4 National Kart Championships.

Round 3 :- Fulbeck

 The Elf HHH / Super 4 Championship thunders on as the competitors visited tight yet demanding, Fulbeck for Round 3. A cracking entry in all classes provided plenty of entertainment and only one red flag, necessitated by the acrobatic attempt of Dave Eastham to leave the circuit, ensured a slick running of the event. Fortunately Dave was unhurt, unlike the fiat car he hit. The weather stayed fine throughout the day and everything was wrapped up before 5pm.With regard to championship positions Neil Burroughs (Nat), John Riley(Int) and Carl Kinsey (E) were leading their respective 250 classes, with Mark Fell (O), Kevin Pinder (Nat), and Dave Morris (Eur)the same in 125`s.

  Formula 250 National were first of the finals out, guest driver Martin Smith along with regulars Don Kennedy and Neil Burroughs had taken wins in the heats, with Burroughs securing pole for the final. At the lights it was Gavin Bennett, alongside Burroughs on the front row, who made the best start leading them down to the hairpin. By the close of the lap Burroughs had taken it up, Bennett had slipped to 2^nd with Malcolm Witts 3^rd, John Robinson 4^th and Kennedy 5^th, Andrew Walker was an early retirement as was Steve Foley. On the next lap Burroughs was already beginning to pull away from Bennett, Robinson had lost ground and was down in 11th, Kennedy had despatched Witts and was 3^rd, Kevin Ridley now held 5^th with Stephen Clarke 6^th. Burroughs continued to stretch his lead over the next few laps. Bennett had managed to hold the eager Kennedy at bay for two laps but once Kennedy was past he set about catching the race leader. With a clear track in front of him he quickly began to eat into Burrough`s lead. As the laps were rattled off Kennedy got closer and closer and with a half a lap to run he was right on the leaders bumper, unfortunately he was unable to put in a serious challenge before the flag fell. Bennett managed to hang on to 3^rd after Witts, Ridley and Clarke had pressed him all the way. Steve Harold had been chased by Andrew Smith throughout, with Steve Bennett holding off Roy Bennett at the flag.

  Paul Kennings and Carl Kinsey swept all before them in 250`E`, Kinsey taking 2 of the 3 heats. Kinsey took an immediate lead in the final and each lap continued to pull away from Kennings in 2^nd, Stuart Cryer was out early on, as was Paul Troalic, Paul had been holding 3^rd until he spun into the gravel at the hairpin and was unable to rejoin. With the field well spread out Kinsey looked set for a comfortable win until it all began to go pear shaped, mid race his engine was starting to sound sick and Kennings was now catching him, with 6 laps left Kennings moved to the front, a lap later even more woes for Kinsey as Tom Stambach went by into 2^nd place. Kennings continued on to take the win, Stambach would hold onto 2^nd with the flag saving Kinsey from being demoted further back by David Longstaff, Andrew Scott was the only other runner in 5^th.

F125 Europa is struggling for numbers, only 5 entries made the effort at Fulbeck, which is a great shame because for spectacle and close racing they give value for money. Tony Edney, Charles Long and Dave Morris all took a win apiece in the heats. A peach of a start from Dave Lucas gave him an early lead in the final from Morris, Long, Edney and Mark Leeson. Glory was only brief for Lucas as Morris moved ahead on lap 2, Long pushing him even further back on the next tour. Long was on a mission and on the following lap he swept past Morris into the lead, from there on he preceded eased away and on to victory, Morris headed the chase closely followed by Lucas and Edney, Leeson had been dropped off the back. Edney ran wide at the hairpin on lap 10 and effectively ended any hope of taking 2^nd, with a lap to go Morris did the same only his was more costly and it dropped him to last place, so Lucas picked up the pieces and took 2^nd with Edney a distant 3^rd.

  Paul Ozanne, Alex Pirozek and Dave Fricker each led home the 125 Open field in the heats, with Fricker taking pole for the final. Using his advantage well he moved swiftly to the front at the green light, Pirozek slotted into 2^nd. As the field swept through the chicane for the first time, contact put paid to any serious ambitions Richard Hanmer, Paul Ozanne, Jeremy Ferguson and Neil Hawley had of winning, although all managed to rejoin the race, albeit at the rear.  Out front Fricker continued to lead, Pirozek shadowing. Dicing for 3^rd Mark Fell and Robin Kingham were side by side as they ran down to the hairpin for the second time.  Into the braking area and Fell`s class 1 style of hanging the tail out, unfortunately just clipped Kingham`s front wheel and broke his track rod, Robin`s race ending in the gravel. Wesley Crankshaw now held 4^th from Dan Grieg, Peter Palmer and Alvin Carter. Very close over the next few laps but no position changes, Fricker continued to lead the field bumper to bumper behind. Fell improved to 2^nd on lap 6 and immediately began to press Fricker for the lead, Fricker defended but Fell swept past him on the straight within the space of a lap. Once past Fell began to ease away and would eventually have a comfortable advantage at the chequered flag. Fricker held onto 2^nd place taking his best finish of the year. Crankshaw had got the better of Pirozek on lap 8 but he fell back to 6^th, five laps later, that left Grieg, Palmer and Pirozek to hammer it out for 3^rd and after swapping places a few times it was Grieg who got his nose in front with a lap to go, Pirozek having to settle for 4^th, Palmer 5^th.  

Defending 250 International champ, John Riley had only dropped 1 point on arrival at Fulbeck and after taking the first two heats looked set to continue his domination, but in Heat 3 it was the no 7 kart of Jamie Blackburn who led them home.  From pole, Riley didn’t make the best of starts and it was Graham Lewis who led them round the opening lap, Blackburn had slotted into 2^nd from Andrew Holmes, then Riley and Dave Harvey. Mike Young managed excursion onto the grass at the start but did manage to rejoin. As the laps were rattled off, Lewis and Blackburn slowly pulled clear of Holmes, who was busy fending off Riley and Harvey, Rob Millar was next, then Richard Cornick. With a handful of laps to run it was still Lewis who led, Blackburn had followed patiently and was tucked right under his rear bumper.  With 3 to go Blackburn made a move for the lead, diving up the inside into the hairpin he swooped into the lead, Riley had managed to best Holmes, as did Harvey, midway through and had been closing down the leading pair and Lewis was now busy defending 2^nd. This eased the pressure on Blackburn and he would score his first win in the championship a couple of tours later. Lewis did take 2^nd place, just holding off Riley at the flag, Harvey would take 4^th, Holmes 5^th and Rob Millar coming home in 6^th.

  Five heats and a `B` final were needed to sort out the 125 Nationals, wins would go to Scott Neal, Graham Barker, Kevin Pinder and Jason Sammut (2) in the prelims with Richard Ward, Carl Hulme, Alan Moffat and Richard Woods qualifying from the `B` final.

 A clean start saw all 24 drivers negotiate the hairpin, headed by Matthew Bett, Kevin Pinder slotted into 2^nd with Paul Parsons 3^rd and amazingly that’s how they would finish.

Bett and Pinder quickly pulled clear, Pinder pressed hard throughout, a gap would open, then it would close, but Bett soaked up all that Pinder could throw at him and at the flag just half a kart separated them. Parsons had been left to circulate alone in 3^rd,after pulling away from the pack, Sandy Bonner had briefly held 4^th on the opening lap, but he slowly lost places eventually finishing down in 12^th, Mark Van Driel had taken over, and headed the group of 10 karts chasing Parsons, but after a great dice with Scott Neal, eventually 4th and Andrew Agnew 5^th, could only manage 14^th, after losing ground on the last lap. Dennis Gale, Jason Sammut, Dick Ayling and Graham Barker had also been in the group, Ayling going out after contact with Barker, Gale also fell back as he was overhauled by Sammut, Simon Scott, Richard Ward and Carl Hulme. Ward, who had started from the rear drove a super race to finish 6^th, picking of Sammut, Scott in the closing two laps.

  Robin Haworth