Film-reel

Oliver Rowland - 2011 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner

2011-12-05T13:57:00.001Z

Image copyright www.mikehayden.info.

In an earlier Blog update I wrote about Oliver Rowland, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing ever since he started as a young 8-year old Cadet karter, following some earlier on-track family battles with his dad Dave, who sadly is no longer with us - he would have been one mighty proud parent. So it gives me pleasure to hear that Oliver picked up the latest McLaren Autosport BRDC 2011 Award last night, in a prize that includes a £100,000 boost to his 2012 season's budget, as well as a McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 test, along with a host of other prizes.

Oliver has had a quick rise to potential stardom since leaving karts (above pic taken at the 2010 Monaco kart cup when we last met), and especially this year when his growing CV was boosted by finishing the 2011 season as the Formula Renault UK runner-up. It was an effort that the 19-year old found was recognised by the Award judging panel, whom he also had to further impress during the recent track and interview tests, which ultimately led to the presentation of this prestigious Award.

Oliver has always been a young driver willing to speak, although on this occasion he perhaps had not been expecting to be declared the winner. "I don't know what to say," he said after hearing the news. "It's been a difficult year for me. I lost someone very close to me in Martin Hines, who passed away this year. He's helped me for six or seven years. I've had lots to learn this year in my first year of Formula Renault. I have learned a lot and now I'm here. I just can't believe it."

On his way to winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, Oliver had to better the man who actually took the Formula Renault UK championship ahead of him, Alex Lynn, the talented Tom Blomqvist.

As the latest winner Oliver joins an impressive list of former winners, which to name but a few include 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, former grand prix winner and ITV commentator David Coulthard, IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, and Peugeot sports car star (and ex-F1 driver) Anthony Davidson.

Wedding of the Year 2011

2011-09-12T22:20:00.000+01:00

The 'new' Mr & Mrs Hayden were married at the weekend, when Liz and Jonny tied the knot at the lovely Saint Mary Church in Stone, with everyone retiring to the nearby Inn on the Lake afterwards.

With bad weather in the build-up to the weekend, and bad weather afterwards, to say that Saturday was perfect could be an understatement... it could not really have been any better! Even the DJ during the evening party, offered the comment that he had not been at a wedding reception where he had seen so many people enjoying the occasion.

Naturally yours truly took most of the photographs, with Kat, a family friend also helping out in her own inimitable style, to make sure that photographically, Liz and Jonny would have plenty to choose from for the planned album.

It really was a fantastically enjoyable day for both families and friends.

Lewis - when life was not so frantic!

2011-08-30T13:43:00.000+01:00

Looking through archives can reveal photographs that one can forget they had, although it made me smile when I came across this one recently. The name on the left breast could give the game away, although it is unlikely any motor-sporting fan would not know who this was straight away..?

Believe it or not we were actually in the same race at that year's Autosport NEC event far too many years ago, and I reckon Lewis must have had the better kart, as he was able to pass me quite easily on an impossibly short bit of track - well, that's my story anyway and I'm sticking to it..! That, and the fact that at the time I probably weighed twice as much, as the former F1 World Champion.

He was of course immensely talented even then, and he always made a point of speaking to me whenever we met, which is going to be a positive bonus in my book. Since he made it to F1 though access has been anything but easy...

Nyck De Vries

2011-08-18T13:57:00.004+01:00

The young chap in the middle is a Dutch racer called Nyck De Vries, and he is more destined for Formula 1 than Lewis Hamilton ever was, and Lewis' appearance at the highest level was more-or-less guaranteed! Nyck is the complete driver, not just talented behind the wheel, but he also has a personality to match, and hence becomes a sponsor's dream.

At Zuera in Spain last week in the final round of the WSK European Championship, where Nyck sealed the title, he was knocked from pillar to post, as he was used for a bit of target practice. He dropped down the running order, and yet by the time the chequered flag came out, he was back at the front and easing away for a very worthy victory. And yet he did not waste too much time by unduly criticising his rivals:

"Karting is a great racing school that teaches you fair play," he said after the race. "But you do not become a champion by pushing your opponents. I wanted to absolutely conquer the title on my last year in karting, and now it's a 'done deal'! Our performances have been excellent and constant throughout the four WSK rounds. Now I want to prepare at best for the last meetings of the World KF1 Championship".

A 'done deal' indeed - especially when not forgetting that Nyck De Vries has already been signed by the McLaren Formula 1 team for their driver development programme... and by being on a similar programme with a rival F1 team at Red Bull, it did not do a certain Sebastien Vettel any harm, did it..? Young driver programmes are the way forward for young kart racers and Nyck is certainly on the ideal path to benefit from his link with McLaren-Mercedes

A most deserving young champion and one worth watching out for in the future. Just do not waste any time trying to get decent odds at a bookmakers though - it seems they have cottoned on to the likely potential of this talented racer already!

Glan-Y-Gors Super One (North Wales)

2011-06-13T19:34:00.000+01:00

The demanding picturesque track of Glan-Y-Gors in North Wales, sited between Corwen and Betwys-Coed on the A5, played host to round 4 of the British S1 Championship this weekend, where the track drowned under a deluge in the (allegedly) drought ridden country!

Under immensely difficult conditions, where their Formula 1 'big brothers' were suffering from the same weather conditions at more or less the same moment in Montreal, some skilful driving displays were delivered for the bedraggled crowd.

Racing Steps Foundation driver Ben Barnicoat drove exceptionally well in the prestigious KF3 class, whilst his efforts in the final (see image above) clearly showed the effort he was putting into his performance. Towards the last few laps he was pushed hard George Russell, forcing Ben to rise to the challenge. "I knew I had to get everything perfect on the last lap to pull a tiny margin," he said afterwards, "so I could take the win... and that is exactly what I did!"

Photograph Copyright

2011-05-04T15:42:00.000+01:00

Photograph Copyright.

As a professional photographer with an Internet presence, I frequently come across examples of my work being copied without permission. Although this can be frustrating, it has not yet caused me too many sleepless nights, even though theoretically speaking, when bearing in mind that photography is my business, and I take photograph’s to generate an income to live on, I am actually losing money by allowing such unauthorised reproductions of my copyright work. Or worse still with no reference being made as to who the image author was. But then I am an easy going sort of bloke... up to a point.

It is increasingly evident that their is a general misunderstanding regarding photography copyright, most of which is due to vague personal interpretations of copyright law, and particularly in the modern age, how copyright of photographs applies to the Internet. Generally speaking having a copyright allows the author of a photograph, (in other words the person who took it, which for these terms of reference will be yours truly), to retain control over when and how any image is copied, transmitted, duplicated, and/or reproduced, for any purpose.

Concerns with photographic usage, and copyright transgressions, have without doubt become more commonplace following the increase in popularity of digital cameras, camera equipped mobile telephones, and of course usage on the Internet. It means that large numbers of people now have the freedom to take and share images, and on the whole some might even argue this is not necessarily a negative point, but.... It is now far too easy to copy or post a copied image somewhere on the Internet, without copyright clearance from the author, and image duplication on Facebook is a prime example of this potentially unauthorised usage.

Some people, even those aware of copyright issues, might even think that if an author has placed an image into the public domain, then no copyright violation is taking place if it is copied. How simple life would be if this was true. One pro-photographer recently found that an item of his work had not only been copied (hardly good news to start with), but was being sold as a limited edition print by A N Other (very bad news indeed, especially for the transgressor, who theoretically could end up with a limitless fine if sued, which doubtless he was!).

If an author’s photographs are being copied or reproduced on the Internet (or anywhere else for that matter) without permission, then depending on the circumstances and the goodwill of the copyright owner, the ‘copier could simply end up with a letter of warning, should the author wished to go that far, pointing out that copyright has been infringed and to remove the offending image immediately. For most people this course of action would normally be sufficient. Court action would usually only need to be considered if the person responsible for reproducing the image chose to ignore the warning, or more importantly was enjoying financial gain from the use of the image. It could end up being an expensive mistake.

It has often been heard said, erroneously, that unless the image is labelled in some way with the author’s name and an official © style copyright notice, then copyright no longer applies. This again is simply not true and has been the case in the vast majority of countries for over 20 years. The original author retains copyright regardless, and these rights are still retained even if the image did not have a © or similar label stating this. If someone is intending to use someone else’s photograph, just because it was not tagged or watermarked, it does not mean copyright no longer exists. The safest way around this is to assume that every image on the Internet is copyrighted, which means steps should be taken to obtain the authors permission, before attempting to reproduce it anywhere else.

There is also another general misconception where, by copying an author’s images, the person copying the image is providing free advertising for the author. This too is false. Some authors of the photograph might be happy to accept this and not take any action, but it is up to them to personally decide if they even want the (free) advertising. The bottom line is that anyone who wishes to copy an image should (MUST) contact the original author, and obtain permission for the use of an image. Personally I would always recommend that this is done in writing, if only to avoid any ambiguities on how the chosen image(s) can be used.

One of the more regular failings is that if an image is found in a public place, such as on Facebook, or in an Internet blog or forum, and then because it has been published into the public domain, people believe they can simply copy the image and reproduce it elsewhere. It seems many folk either believe, or are aware of but choose to ignore the fact, of how, just because an image is in the public domain, the author has waived copyright. This is never the case unless it is specifically stated otherwise, such as: “These images are available without copyright for free use”, wherever the image appears. So unless the author specifically states this then copyright remains in place.

Copyright law is there to protect images and prevent potentially nefarious individual(s) from flouting copyright law, and reproducing an author’s images for their own purposes without payment. It is also designed to stop those individuals from being landed with a claim for possible substantial sums of money, to compensate the author for potentially ‘lost’ income.

It is definitely easier to ask the author first before trying to take the law into your own hands. You might, after all, even receive a surprisingly positive reply. And for Facebook users in particular, starting by making it clear who the author of the original image was would, for me anyway, be a solid enough starting point!

Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T13:44:00.003+01:00

Probably the biggest secret so far of 2011 (not), the marriage of Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton, is now less than a day away, and as my invite to be the Royal Wedding official photographer did not arrive, or more likely it was lost in the post, I wondered just who had got the job in my absence?

Well, the official photographer for the day is apparently a French chap called Hugo Barnard, who has actually been working with the Royal Family for a number of years. It seems that Hugo will be using a Hasselblad H4D-50, a 50-million-pixel medium-format DSLR, costing a measly £25,000. Nice work if you can get it..!

Seriously though Monsieur Barnard is a photographer with impressive credentials. Born in 1963, and educated at Harrow, his work has been published in Tatler Magazine since 1993. He has photographed many famous people, and of course, he was the official photographer for the marriage of Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles in 2005.

Unfortunately, at £900 a licence, just to be a stills photographer on the side-lines, I will not be there...

Images from the Royal Wedding can eventually be found within the web-site for the National Archive of Wedding & Social Photography.

Jiggy is Back

2011-03-20T22:38:00.000Z

James (Jiggy) Gornall, the former British Formula TKM kart champion, BARC Formula Renault champion, and British GT champion, made a successful return to mainstream kart racing this weekend, in the opening round of the 2011 Super One Series at PF International, when he fought from a lowly grid position into a superb runner-up place... until officialdom struck!

Using his new Formula KGP Intrepid/BMB, and operating from racer Benjy Russell's camp, Jiggy recovered from 12th in timed qualifying, to take a solid 2nd place finish in the second final behind the outstanding Mike Simpson, only for problems with the MSA Steward being announced later this evening (Sunday), following a 'late in the race' clash with another driver.

Undoubtedly more news will follow on this story as it develops... as it most surely will!

Strawberry and Cream

2011-03-17T13:16:00.001Z

Not quite the summer yet, although the early arrival of Strawberry and Cream onto the first podiums of the year in the British Super One Championship, is definitely a good way to start.

With the opening Rotax round taking place at Whilton Mill last weekend, the Sheffield based Strawberry Racing Team delivered an exciting start to the new season, with podium finishes in nearly every final on Sunday afternoon.

http://www.strawberryracing.co.uk/2011_news/1d.htm

With a talented team of young drivers coming through the ranks, 2011 is likely to be a strong season for all concerned on the new Tonykart/Cream comination.

2011-03-14T10:08:00.000Z

The opening round of the Rotax Super One 2011 National Championship was held this weekend at Whilton Mill, but with heavy rain in the morning, and a leaden overcast sky for most of the day, it stayed bitterly cold throughout the day. When the sun finally burst through the clouds late in the afternoon, it might have lifted the spirits, but it was too little too late.

Speaking with Karting magazine colleague Adam Jones track-side, and then again later with former champ Tristram Oman, the Senior Rotax Max victor, Edward Brand, won the final on his Strawberry Racing Tonykart, despite taking part with a suspected broken arm! It was a remarkable achievement by Brand, because to win any Super One Championship round is a significant achievement on a driver's CV, let alone when carrying such an injury.

My best wishes for a job well done goes out to Mr Brand, who on this performance, must now be one of the favourites to lift the Senior Rotax title in six months time.

2011-03-08T12:12:00.000Z

BBC2 recently ran an excellent documentary about two of the rising stars of British motor-sport, which can be found on the BBC i-Player:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zgy75/My_Life_Series_2_Boyracers/

Jake Dennis, the 2010 U-18 World Champion, racing for the RSF (Racing Steps Foundation), and Ben Barnicoat, who spent most of 2010 racing in top flight events as a family funded privateer, but who achieved McLaren Mercedes recognition by seasons end, are names to look out for in the future.

Although rivals last year Jake will be amongst the Senior ranks in 2011, where he will be pitting his skills against multiple champions from across the world, whilst Ben will remain in the Junior ranks. Undoubtedly, both will meet again on-track in the coming years as they progress up the racing ladder.

Both have names that the British public should try to remember, because they are part of the elite British talent who are coming through karting.

SG Petch Abarth Champs (Round 2), Middlesbrough

2011-03-06T20:13:00.000Z

Round 2 of the SG Petch Abarth Championship took place today at the Tees-side kart track, where James made his first appearance of the year for Karting Magazine and Hayden-Media, in dry and sunny conditions.

It started well with grid 3 after timed qualifying out of an enormous grid of 36 drivers and karts, but as the pack powered into the right-hander at the bottom of the hill on the International circuit, James was hit from behind and spun through 180 degrees. Fortunately the pursuing drivers parted like waves as they avoided contact, leaving James to re-start 36th and last. From that moment on though he 'flew', impressively carving his way from the back to 7th place, to within a few seconds of the fight for 4th position, but perhaps more importantly, setting the fastest race lap in the process!

Up at the sharp end Simon Marshall initially indulged in a tough fight for the lead with Scott McNicholas. Once they got within the back-markers though around mid-distance, it allowed Simon to break clear, leaving Scott to fall back into Craig Brock's clutches, in what was a nose-to-tail finish for 2nd place.

The next round of this impressively supported championship will take place on the first Sunday in April.

Harry's Christening

2011-02-27T21:04:00.000Z

Today was an enjoyable Sunday when two friends, Joanne and Lee, asked me to take photographs of their son Harry's Christening.

Mixed weather made outdoor pics a little hit and miss, but on the whole everything went well - I got more than enough images to make the family book I am preparing worthwhile for the proud mum and dad.

Harry played his part well although he was not too keen when the holy water gave him a mid-day hair wash!

Tada-san

2011-02-15T12:03:00.001Z

Sad news seems to have been too much in abundance of late, and so it continues with the news that Tada Takano, an ace Japanese photographer and friend, has died.

I first met Tada-san in 2007 at the World Cup in Suzuka, and then again in 2008, when the above photograph was taken (Tada-san can be seen in the middle with the biggest smile!).

He and his wife Norika looked after me over the weekends of those two races, making travel and eating more acceptable, as they indulged my western ways so far from home.

In 2007 whilst in Race Control I was aware of a 'shadow' over my shoulder when I was mounting my U/C (ultra-compact) 70-300 Sigma lens onto a Canon camera. With the large' dinner-plate' zoom lens mounted on his shoulder, Tada-san grinned and offered the prime words of wisdom: "Ahh, cute!" The embarassment meant I bought a 'proper' Canon lens before I returned one year later, which thankfully earned his approval.

My thoughts are with Norika at this time - he was a good bloke to know well.

Getting what you pay for.

2011-01-31T11:27:00.000Z

I read an interesting article recently that more or less matched my own thoughts on the costs associated with wedding photography. It made me wonder why us poor wedding photographers even bother to get up in the morning, especially with so many half-wits spending weekends earning untaxed beer money with their own uninsured, unqualified, poor version of wedding photography.

Most folk are likely to have heard about the brides and grooms who have not received their wedding albums, or the job that the so called professional did was so bad, they cried for weeks afterwards. In other words, the photographer wrecked the wedding, and their memories were ruined. But is it a case of you really do get what you paid for?

Some out of work people are quick to see where they can make a fast, undeclared buck on top of their dole money, available from a few weekends work of quick snapping, before hobbling off to Asda for the one-hour wedding prints to be made. These characters, the hardy weekend warriors, might probably even account for more than half of the wedding images taken throughout the week..? Pay cheap – suffer the consequences..?

And yet the real photographers, those who can do the job expected of them, who are tax registered, properly insured, and expect the couple to be like-wise insured, are slowly reducing in numbers as the weekend warriors do their bit to ruin hopes and wishes.

It was with some amusement when a potential customer said they could get a similar level of service from A N Other, including a ‘proper’ digital album, for supposedly half my cost. I suggested she do it, and hopefully she kept smiling afterwards, because I knew it was not possible. But out of curiosity I researched the lady photographer in question. True enough, I found her price, but then there was the small print. This was for a maximum of three hours work (and not just on-site, but from where she lived and return), so on-site left maybe two hours? Additional time was then charged at £100 for each 30 minutes extra, so before you knew it that cheap product had suddenly becoming rather expensive...

If it is going to be done properly a true pro will not rush through with a scatter-gun approach, firing away at will, hoping enough images will be acceptable to make a poor quality album that would cost the picture-taker (I really cannot use the word photographer), less than £50 to make.

Money is not everything, but I believe you really do get what you pay for, which from a real pro photographer, is going to be quality, commitment, a love for the job, and standard of service.

Make sure proper research is done and be wary of dealing on cost alone – it could be a painful experience.

Lancaster Update

2011-01-27T15:20:00.000Z

With a short break away from the gym, and following on from my previous Blog entry, after Jon undertook a kart test on a new Birel/BMB Formula KGP chassis at PF International at the weekend, he was in high spirits over the following days. In company with his father, 'General' Dave Thomson, and of course yours truly,(with Hayden-Media stickers on the radiator and side-pods), it was exciting to see that Jon was as sharp and as quick as he had ever been at the wheel of a kart.

In a master-class of modest understatement he said: "Well it was great to get back driving again, but being quick is what I do! It was good training and it felt great to have the old team back together, with dad, 'Generali' (Dave's nickname), and you, although we were missing Marky Mark (Rose) who was away this time in Italy (Jon had previously carried out a pre-Xmas test with Mark Rose of MRM Motorsport, who was a former British kart champion in 1993). As part of my pre-season preparations it could not have gone any better!"

It would be worth the wait just to once again see Jon in a kart race, but until his 2011 racing programme has been finalised, which should be soon, the rest of the karting fraternity can rest easy - he might decide not to return!

2011-01-26T18:27:00.000Z

Happy Birthday Laura. So hard to believe it is now nearly two and a half years since the wedding!

2011-01-23T16:44:00.000Z

World Series Renault Formula 3.5 racer Jon Lancaster, returned to his 'roots' at PF International this weekend, when he put a new Birel/BMB (Formula KGP) kart through its paces.

The former World vice-Champion kart ace soon got into the swing of things, and in spite of the bitterly cold conditions, where temperatures struggled to rise above 1 degC, Jon was very quick indeed!

Depending on his racing programme for 2011, Jon remains undecided if he will race karts this year, but if he does decide to do so, his presence back on the karting scene would definitely create added spice!

Craig Dolby - SuperLeague Formula driver

2011-01-17T14:34:00.000Z

Whilst walking the 'camps' at the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham on Saturday, I came across former kart racer Craig Dolby, who despite being immersed in conversation with one of the many visitors to the show, caught my eye as I walked past. I was impressed to find that Craig remembered me from an international event, and was even more impressed when he pin-pointed the race to Bombarral in Portugal... in 2002!

Craig has moved onwards since those early karting days in his career, and 2011 marks his third year in the growing ranks of SuperLeague Formula, an impressive formula that is showing popularity amongst football fans, as each team supports an international football club. In Craig's case this is Tottenham Hotspur, and his car, as the photographs show, looked quite superb. And as all good racing drivers must be able to do, Craig can talk the 'talk' and so becomes a sponsor's dream driver.

With 750bhp V12 engines, these machines are not for the faint of heart, with 20 drivers competing for prize money in excess of 5,000,000 Euros, over 12 action-packed weekends across no less than four continents.

The chances of Craig taking the SuperLeague Formula title in 2011 are strong, more so now that he has two years of experience in the formula to draw upon. And perhaps more to the point the rewards are high, with the better drivers able to earn a good living from the races, and especially the champion overall. With 100,000 Euro to the winner of each race, and 1,000,000 to the champion, it is perhaps not too difficult to appreciate the merits of competing in this series.

With races in Italy, Portugal, Holland, Germany, Spain, Belgium, China, and the UK, SuperLeague Formula is truly international, with Craig's British appearance scheduled for Donington Park over the weekend of 6/7 August 2011.

Leonardo Panayiotou

2011-01-16T15:58:00.000Z

At the 2011 Autosport Show being held at the NEC in Birmingham this weekend, I met one of the most confident young racers in my career.

7-years old Leonardo (Leo) Panayiotou, who is not yet old enough to race, but is already being driver coached by former kart champion and BTCC and sports car racer, Luke Hines, is destined to make his karting debut this year.

Panayiotou Snr is certainly not putting his young son under any pressure to race. Having said that it is difficult not to be impressed by the evident professionalism, if only to make sure that if young Leo's desire remains strong, his preparation for mainstream karting will have been second to none.

With a plan that includes Leo making his Super 1 Championship debut before the 2011 season ends, it is a debut that I for one will be watching very closely.

Watch this space..!

Sad bereavement to OEKC team

2011-01-11T15:46:00.001Z

Robert Bedwell (far right on the front row), has been in touch to inform me of the passing away of 'Chunky' (Graham), who is second from the left on the front row. This photograph was taken two years ago at the prestigious Wembley 24 hour race, when we raced the Daytona Rotax Max karts just before Xmas 2008.  'Chunky' was a quick guy and his passing will be felt deeply by his team-mates and friends.

As part of the Allstars team, when James and myself were part of the team led by Rick Parfitt (Jnr), we raced against the enduro experienced OEKC outfit, so can speak with first hand knowledge of just how quick they are.  Led by Russell Willcox from Box Technology (blue race suit back row), who both sponsors and organises the OEKC series, Robertn told me that without Russell's generosity and passion, it would be a very different series without his support.

'Chunky' received his final chequered flag on Saturday 9 October 2010, but in his memory, a memorial race is going to be held at Whilton Mill on 6 February 2011, when a copy of the photograph above will be on display. It is an event that will be an open endurance race, mainly for Rotax Max karts, although the Series regularly have Pro-karts and Bilands on the entry list, with each category receiving an 'equaliser' by way of a number of laps credit.  Robert informs me that this makes for a very interesting and exciting end to their endurance racing, as the different fuel strategies and reliability finally play out.

It sounds to me like a fitting way to remember a well-respected team-mate and friend, who will be sadly missed by all the OEKC competitors, and our thoughts are with his family.

2010-12-21T13:45:00.000Z

Crikey, it was cold this morning, with -10 degC showing on the thermometer, as my shaking, frozen fingers, fiddled with the camera settings for this unique event, over 400 years since the last happening.

All told the results were not too bad, but as expected a long'ish exposure was needed, which tended to burn out the highlights. After using several shutter speeds, and taking a dozen or so pics, I decided to upload the image shown above.

Unless some new wonder drug appears, I do not think I will be around for the next winter solstice lunar eclipse!

2010-12-02T18:37:00.000Z

What do you mean you want a job doing in 10 minutes..?

With 14 inches of snow between the cars on the drive and our side-road, and then another 100 metres to the main road covered by almost the same amount of snow, a four-wheel drive on snow tyres would have been needed!

Roll on the summer...

Teesside Karting

2010-11-11T12:44:00.000Z

As races go the one held Teesside Karting at the weekend, by some of the former rivals from the 2009 Warden Law Thunderkart series, was a classic.

Over a 40 minutes race our Hayden-Media and Karting Magazine driver, James Hayden, making a return to the track after a 12-month absence, became involved in a superb fight for the lead between eventual race-winner Daniel Laws, and 3rd placed finisher and Warden Law champion, Craig Brock. James was more than happy with his 2nd place after such a long absence. All three had led at some point during the last 10 minutes, with Daniel just taking the win over James by 1.272s, with James 0.161s ahead of Craig!

With my last race, because of injury, being two years ago now, when I took part in the Wembley 24-hour meeting, it almost made me wish I had been part of it..!

Cracking stuff guys!!!

Tristram and Lynsey

2010-11-11T08:13:00.000Z

I had the privilege of covering the engagement party of former kart racer Tristram Oman, and his fiancee Lynsey Stoddart at the weekend, in an excellent gathering of friends and family in Stockton-on-Tees.

Back in 2004 I reported from Sharm-el-Sheikh in Eqypt, when I covered the Rotax World Finals, where Tristram had won all his heats and the pre-final, took pole position for the main final, only (as predicted...) for him to be 'taken out of the race' at the first corner. It was the only way he would have been beaten, because in a honest, straight-forward fight, he was unbeatable.

It has to be said that Tristram was the sort of racing driver who had the ability to achieve more success had he not become a team boss instead.

Andrew Lancaster

2010-10-20T13:58:00.000+01:00

It is with immense regret that the death of Andrew Lancaster was notified to me on my return from Monaco. Andrew had been the victim of a building accident in Bradford, when he was buried under a pile of rubble at a construction site after a trench wall collapsed.

Andrew was one of those charming, unassuming characters, who once told me he was quite happy to take a back-seat, and stay out of the limelight, in his bid to help his younger brother, Jon, reach the highest levels within motor-sport. Jon, of course, competed in World Series by Renault in Formula 3.5 this year with Fortec Motorsport, and with his foot in the door of reaching his Formula 1 ambition, both he and his family have been devastated by this accident.

Words can mean so little during moments like this, but our thoughts are with all of the Lancaster family at this sad time.

Monaco 2010

2010-10-16T18:42:00.001+01:00

The 14th Monaco Kart Cup got underway this weekend, and my 'room with a view' delivered the above scene when I opened the curtains this morning, after the Star Princess had moored on the jetty just inside the harbour during the early hours.

As far as the racing goes, qualifying and some of the heats were held under a hot, sunny sky, although the clouds that threatened rain after gloomily appearing across the top of the mountains, thankfully failed to produce the anticipated downpour. The evening forecast for the remaining heats and finals on Sunday (tomorrow) though leaves a lot to be desired...

Early indications in all three classes (Endurance/KF3/KZ2) on todays evidence remain too open to predict, although Jack Hawksworth in KZ2 looks very quick, as he bids to overcome a mechanical failure in the first of his heats. It was also pleasing to chat to Oliver Rowland, who is also appearing in KZ2. His dad was due to come to this race to watch Oliver in action and he will be sadly missed.

Dave Rowland

2010-10-03T22:42:00.000+01:00

Details remain unclear, but the sad news this weekend would suggest the passing away of Dave Rowland, father of Oliver, the 'rising star' in karting signed by McLaren Mercedes, to follow in the steps of Lewis Hamilton.

Dave was a great bloke, very friendly, and obviously a strong supporter of Oliver's racing career.

We, as a family, used to race against Dave back in the mid-1980's in 100 National, and have followed Oliver's career closely ever since he was a young Cadet kart champion.

Our thoughts go to the family at this sad time.

Vicki Butler-Henderson

2010-09-22T13:43:00.000+01:00

on behalf of Karting Magazine I had the pleasure of meeting Vicki Butler-Henderson at the weekend, who really was one of the most charming people I have ever met. With a true passion for motoring exotica, and the faster the better, Vicki is highly entertaining to listen to when she speaks of her work.

To car and/or motor sport aficionados Vicki does not need any introduction, but her time on leading TV shows such as Top Gear and Fifth Gear (the latter's latest series is due out in October next month), means she has been able to drive and race some quite exquisite cars. And from this she has brought out a new book for the Christmas market "100 Sexiest Cars - The Hottest Hundred" by Carlton [ISBN: 978-1-84732-638-6].

Her favourite? Well the Bugatti Veyron came 3rd, and the Porsche 911 Carrera S was 2nd. For her top car you need to buy the book, and with a signed copy on offer in a Karting Magazine competition next month (November issue), this is the chance to get a personlaised copy before opening any presents on Christmas morning.

Norwegian Adventures

2010-08-09T13:34:00.001+01:00

Add the Queen Mary 2 ocean going Cunard liner (not a cruise ship folks...), to the stunning Fjords around Norway, makes for a superb scenic view. And yet in spite of its vast size the floating majesty is dwarfed by the mountains, some as high as 1,000 metres that surround her. And with the ever-present cloud layer rarely clearing the summits, what better view could a landscape photographer ever ask for?

British Grass-Track Championships 2010

2010-07-14T16:46:00.000+01:00

For the third year in succession I covered the 2010 British Grass-Track Championships near March in Cambridgeshire, on what was one of the hottest days of the year so far.

With sun-burnt calves, whilst trying to dodge the dust as I kept the sun behind me, the tractor and 10,000 gallon water bowser was used to spray the dusty track. The dampened surface worked well for the race immediately after the dowsing (see pic above), but after that the dust returned.

With former European Superstox champion, Ivan Russell, on hand to present trophies to the seven classes, congratulations must go to the youngster Scott White, who went on to win a British title for the third year in a row, whilst 90cc graduate Harry Hensby won the junior 4-stroke 125cc title.

2010-06-22T09:16:00.000+01:00

Beautiful weather greeted the competitors for a round of the Super 1 Championship at Rowrah in Cumbria over the weekend. After five wet meetings from the last six, race day on Sunday made it two dry races in a row. Cumbrian weather will have to be careful - I might need sun-cream..!

Superb racing, spoiled only by the odd pedantic protest, came from all four classes, with Mark Litchfield reigning supreme in Formula SKF. The PF International entered former British Champion was untouchable - fastest in timed qualifying, winner of both heats, and winner of both finals. A boring day at the office for Mark.

Jacob Nortoft in KF2 continued his winning ways from his race win at Genk in Belgium a few weeks ago, when he took control of his class for a well-deserved victory. The junior KF3 category meanwhile fell to the Racing Steps Foundation supported youngster, Jake Dennis, whose international experience in 2010 is clearly being put to good use on home turf.

And finally in Cadets it was Tom Harvey who showed he could sustain serious pressure from his rivals, when he kept all and sundry at bay on his way to the chequered flag, to maintain his Series points lead.

The drive of the race though came from Dylon Phibbs in KF3, where after a disaster in timed qualifying, and two similar 'disasters' in his heats, meant he was confined to a low grid slot. To then be able to care his way up the running order, reaching 6th place by the flag in the main final, as he put pressure on the driver immediately ahead of him, was quite impressive stuff. Another lap or two and 5th place was on the cards. The young racer just needs to start from the front now...

Le Mans 24 hours

2010-06-14T09:36:00.001+01:00

Anthony Davidson, together with his team-mates Alexander Wurz and Marc Gene, drove a stunning race yesterday in France, when they came close to a podium finish in the Peugeot 908 HDi LMP1 car.

Anthony had led the race at one stage, but a night incident with a Ferrari, and then an electrical problem that took some time to fix, delayed them for awahile, until Anthony, in the sole surviving trio of team Peugeot's, was told to "push"... and "push" he did! Sadly what appeared to be a turbo failure with just 2-hours remaining, when Wurz had Audi under pressure for second place, ended their day.

Naturally there was controversy, when a back-marker GT2 car decided to visit the barriers in the Porsche Curves, and since Anthony was blitzing the Corvette driven by Emanuel Collard at the time, the commentators and forums provided some unjust commentary and statements.

Scruting of the TV footage clearly shows Anthony was not only very quick and setting fastest race laps, but he was also on the racing line, and on the inside of the Corvette as they went into the left-hander. As a journalist, I would have reported how the Corvette driver should have been aware of his position, and the fact he was being lapped again, but instead lost control on the 'marbles' and hit the barrier.

Anthony receved plaudits from his team for a superb effort, whilst others berated him for his supremacy on the track. "I'm a racing driver," Anthony said, "and I had to take a few risks." And racing drivers are paid to win, if necessary by taking risks, and are not paid to acquiesce with an 'after you...' mentality.

Well done Ant..!

2010-06-04T14:25:00.000+01:00

The pleasure of photography comes from having a good subject (or subjects), and delivering a result that makes a client happy.

I had the pleasure of doing such a job this week, where the two sons of a proud mum wanted both indoor and outdoor (a glorious sunny day in the beautiful contryside outside Bradford in West Yorkshire) photographs taking.

Having to handle a camera for a living can be such a hard life..!

David Sutton

2010-05-28T12:27:00.000+01:00

One of our leading lights in motor-sport, David Sutton, a former British kart champion, accepted an offer to race in a round of the Euro Max karting championship this coming weekend, at Wackersdorf in Germany, using an Alonso Rotax powered kart.

Our Dutch contact in Germany, Bas Kaligis, reported just how quick David was in practice as he prepared for qualifying, where David had in fact set the fastest time of the week so far, until a fateful session yesterday.

On what is probably the slowest corner of the Wackersdorf track, David was struck by another driver as he overtook the slower kart, which pitched his own kart into a roll. David's mechanic Ben, who was out with him, felt if the accident had happened on a quicker part of the circuit, David would probably have been OK. As it was, the kart flipped on top of him and this has caused a lot of physical distress to the British ace.

Reports this morning from the hospital in Germany, would suggest that David is unlikely to be allowed to leave until Monday at the earliest. He has broken ribs on both sides of his body, what appears to be a fractured shoulder, a broken wrist, and air on one lung that is being monitored. For a lean, strong, and tough driver like David, who looks the 'racing driver' part, he no doubt owes his fitness to not being in worse shape.

Get well soon buddy!

Karting greats Past, Present... and Future..?

2010-05-12T14:52:00.000+01:00

Round 4 of the WSK Series at Genk in Belgium over the weekend bore witness to one of the greatest kart drives, when the 15-year old future champion of Formula 1, the little Dutch ace Nyck De Vries, dominated the mighty of the 'blue riband' Formula SKF category.

The 1993 British Formula A champion from 1993, Mark Rose, of Mark Rose Motorsport, who now runs Hazz Truelove in Formula KF3, is happy to claim that De Vries is the greatest kart driver he has ever seen... and Mark's driver selections over the last 20 or so years have been rarely wrong.

See with Mrk above is Nyck, together with the two Truelove brothers Matt and Hazz, who finished a fine 8th overall in his own final.

Hairy stuff in Genk..!

2010-05-09T10:27:00.000+01:00

Lucile Cypriano of France provided early action in the opening laps of the final Formula KF3 heat in Genk, Belgium this morning. It is good to see that despite being airborne and rotating left, she has the presence of mind to have full left lock on the steering to try and control her direction..!

Ricky Flynn Motorsport driver Nicolas Beer though is controlling this class at the moment, and after another heat win this morning is now in a good position for this afternoon's main final.

WSK Euro Series - Genk, Belgium

2010-05-08T11:59:00.000+01:00

Gloomy and overcast conditions started the weekend for the penultimate round of the 2010 WSK Championship Series, but this did little to stop a good start for the British contingent, when Ben Cooper won the opening heat of the Super KF formula.

Driving for the Kosmic Racing team, Ben took his Kosmic-Vortex to a solid win, crossing the line unchallenged for the first of his three heats. He currently lies in sixth place in the Series on 45 points, and all is not yet lost, although it will be a hard task to close down on the top 3 who are quite a few points ahead of him.

York Railway Museum

2010-05-05T14:54:00.001+01:00

It has been many a year since I last visited the York Railway Museum, and must be one of the best 'free' places to visit in Yorkshire.

The 'Duchess of Hamilton', from memory, was not in residence the last time I was there, but images of this sleek, streamlined steam train was needed by a customer, who also wanted to be in the final pics. As those are of a personal nature they are not shown here, but I liked the view of the 'Duchess' from the front, which I felt gave a striking and dramatic impact.

A trip to the York Railway Museum should be on most people's list, and not just for the railway enthusiasts.

From the Archives

2010-04-19T12:30:00.001+01:00

How karts have changed over the years..?

Whilst looking through some archived images I came across the above pic of yours truly, when I made my race debut at Fulbeck in Lincolnshire on novice plates (or what is now more commonly accepted as being a 'rookie'), in the 100 National class.

It was a scorching hot June day in 1984, and the kart was my brothers' (Andrew and Kieran) Premier chassis (from the late Brian Wilson stable) using a Parilla TT27 engine on Bridgestone tyres, and which was fresh from a race win at Wombwell the previous month in Andrew's hands.

It was a traumatic day as I had only been able to get in five laps practice the previous weekend at Lindholme before an engine problem intervened on the older TT22 motor. The problem remained on the TT22 for first practice when the engine refused to start, and so we switched to the race-winning TT27 for the second session, only for one of the more experienced green plates to spin on the first lap and wipe me out! I was able to re-start, and with the grand total of three laps to learn the track, plus the five laps from Lindholme a week earlier, I was into my first race!

Starting 29th I finished 11th, and then in the second heat after starting on grid 30 (all novices had to start at the back of the grid), I finsihed in 10th place. With no experience, but with two good results against the class opposition of the time, I was on a high, until Andrew found a fracture in the chassis that we could not repair.

The fracture obviously came from the earlier 'hit' at the chicane in practice, but unknown to me it had also kinked the rear axle. When Kieran subsequently drove the kart at Wombwell the following week he declared it undriveable. He asked me if I had felt a vibration at Fulbeck, which of course I had, as I remembered how my blurred eyes had watered from the vibration, but I thought that was normal..! No experience remember, I just thought that was what karters put up with. I'm pleased to say young bruv was quite impressed by my latent prowess!

Fun days.

Zuera 2010

2010-04-16T13:20:00.000+01:00

OK, maybe a bit of artisitic licence has been used, but my frustrations at not being able to go to Zuera in Spain for the next round of the WSK series, will be evident from those who know me. Up until early this morning my evening flight with Ryanair from Stansted still seemed a possibility, but then the weather problems made even that an impossibility. And even if I had, somehow, been able to get to the track, the problem would have then been trying to get back.

At least there are a few benefits by not being able to travel to Spain today, and decorating the house is not one of them. Eurosport has Jon Lancaster's first race of the year in the WSR Formula 3.5 event tomorrow (after a 22-hour drive to Motorland Aragon in Spain), we then have the Chinese GP on Sunday, and I have a load of requests from Glan-Y-Gors drivers to see if I have any images of them from the last Super 1 round a couple of weekends ago. Leading TKM driver Randal Lynn has even made a tentative offer to race with 'Hayden-Media' logos, so that is something esle that I now need to look at...

The next WSK race is at Genk in Belgium next month. Perhaps the ash will have cleared by then..? If only to stop me having to suffer from cancellation charges..?

Glan-Y-Gors TKM Super 1

2010-04-12T09:30:00.000+01:00

My season opened in North Wales last weekend with the TKM (and Honda Cadet) round of he 2010 Super 1 Championship, at the pictureseque G-Y-G circuit, where some excellent racing was on offer.

To say it was a bit chilly on the highest part of the circuit was perhaps an understatement, and with the distant mountains covered in snow, apparently from a snow fall just a couple of days earlier, maybe an extra thermal or two would not have gone amiss..! And after coming back from Asia just a couple days earlier where the temperature had been closer to 40 degC, instead of the 5degC at G-Y-G, maybe I had good reason as I struggled to avoid camera shake!

Randal Lynn (pictured) had an accident with Charlie Bruce-White in Extreme TKM when both had been fighting for the lead, leaving the way clear for Ryan Cole to take a closely fought win. Over in Honda Cadet meanwhile Billy Monger was a worthy and ecstatic victor, with James Peace (Junior TKM) and Michael Rich (Senior 4 Stroke), mounting the top step of the podium in their respective classes.

Zuera is next on the schedule in two weeks time in Spain, for another round of the 2010 WSK championship, so further news to follow soon...

Top Step of the Podium

2010-04-05T09:45:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, and because of a sojourn in Asia I have been away for awhile so this Blog update is later than it would otherwise have been, but Anthony finally returned to the top step of the podium after winning the Sebring 12-hour race for Peugeot.

Teamed up with his Austrian ex-F1 friend Alexander Wurz, and the Spanish ace Marc Gene, the three of them won a tense and exciting race, with Anthony overjoyed at being in charge of a 'proper' racing car again.

It was curious at the weekend when commentating for 5 Live in the Malaysian GP, when Ant and David Croft received a text suggesting Anthony was criticising Force India..? Whilst he would no doubt wish to be able to get into such a car, and would arguably be quicker than either Sutil or Liuzzi, the fact remains that the Peugeot LMP is, as Anthony put it, a "race winning car", and that is the difference.

Anthony signs at last...

2010-02-25T11:03:00.000Z

After being left stranded in the wilderness by short-sighted Formula 1 teams, especially where years of loyalty to one team since 2001 have counted for nothing, it is satisfying to report that Anthony finally has a race-seat sorted for 2010.

He did test for the Peugeot sports-car team in 2009 at Paul Ricard, but despite his rapid pace he lost out to a Frenchman at the final reckoning. Thankfully the Peugeot bosses have recognised the talent in their midst, which led to Ant being signed to drive in this year's Sebring 12-hours, and the Le Mans 24-hours. He will be partnered with his old Austrian friend Alexander Wurz, and the Spanish ace Marc Gene, in what is not just a potential race-winning LMP-1, but also a race-winning driver combination.

It was about time some good news emerged from 2010...

2010 plans now settling into place

2010-01-29T15:29:00.000Z

The new 2010 Yellow Pages directory will be out soon, anticipated for February 2010, when my new advert (see above) will appear for the first time.

With the plans in place 2010 promises to be a good year, and once the racing season calendar has been settled, you are likely to find me setting-up shop on spare days, either at The Range near North Bridge in Doncaster, and/are at the Lakeside Outlet on the outskirts of Doncaster close to the M18.

Do not be afraid to call in for a chat, or to even view what is on offer. With the latest digital wedding albums that few people in the area can probably match for the cost, together with canvas prints, exclusive limited edition prints, and images 'burnt' into wood, courtesy of my networked colleague James Scatchard of Photo-Etch, most people should find something different that might tickle their taste buds.

PF International test with Jon Lancaster

2010-01-24T11:51:00.000Z

It seems like a long break over the winter months, with the recent heavy snow having an effect on events nationwide, but it was satisfying to be able to get to PF International this weekend, as part of the Jon Lancaster family team.

Jon's 2010 season should be settled early next week as he puts in place exciting plans for this year, with potentially Formula 1 just on the horizon. And nothing could be more befitting than Jon, who ain't so 'little' anymore, when bearing in mind his race-winning seasons in Renault World Series 3.5 (2009), European Formula 3 (2008), and European Formula Renault (2007), which of course followed his highly successful final year in karting in 2006 as the Vice World Champion.

Jon has retained close links with Ronnie Sala at Birel, one of the leading karting marques of the 21st century, and as a means of keeping Jon's eye sharp in preparation for his 2010 season in Europe, Ronnie, along with his former karting engine man Fred and GKS Lemmens, had provided a brand new chassis and engine for the PF International test.

A full report will appear on http://www.jonlancasterracing.com/, but needless to say, Jonny Boy had an exciting time back on the karting season after almost a four year absence.

End of season - final round

2009-11-27T13:38:00.000Z

The final round of the Warden Law Thunderkart series took place a the weekend, where Hayden-Media driver James just missed out on a top 3 placing in the championship, despite missing three of the 10 rounds held. The above image shows James ahead of circuit boss Ian Lawson.

Only three drivers out of the 49 who at some stage took part in the championship competed in all 10 rounds, and with the bonus points on offer for doing so, in what had been a tightly contested series, those three finished in the top 3 places.

Craig Brock had enjoyed a reasonably consistent year to emerge as overall champion, after steadily overhauling Daniel Laws later in the year, after Daniel, gracious in defeat, had suffered a few more troubles than Craig had perhaps done in some of the finals. Tony Little had been there or there abouts in the early stages, but a poorer second half of the season compared to what he had enjoyed at the start, left him 3rd overall.

James was therefore joint 4th with Marino Pili whom he had outscored during the last few races, with Tony's 10-point bonus giving him that championship 3rd place by just two points. James though, despite not being able to drop any low scores as he had not entered enough races, was left rueing the 8-point penalty that had been unjustly meted out back in April. A top 3 had been his aim by the end of the year - it had been a narrow miss for him!

Anthony Davidson - Formula 1 driver in waiting

2009-11-13T10:40:00.001Z

Black and white images can be quite striking , especially with the predominance of colour as part of current thinking, but in the right place, and with the right subject, they can grab attention.

Whilst one of the great modern day injustices is played out, with the supremely talented Anthony Davidson still waiting on the side-lines of Formula 1, whilst lesser individuals are short-listed for a 2010 drive by short-sighted team bosses, I will do all I can to promote Anthony to the masses.

Wearing my Karting Magazine race-suit, and driving the Hayden family ex-Stuart Smith 1995 Super 1 British Championship winning TKM kart, Ant showed that he had not lost any of his karting skills when he tested for 'us' at PF International in 2009.

I have a draft book of Ant's life story in waiting, with currently over 300 pages presently written covering his racing life since he was 15-years of age, and containing facts and figures that no one else is even aware of, let alone able to publish, and of course with exclusive photographs...

Formula 1 in 2010, with a good drive naturally, would raise his public profile to make publishing the book in 2010 a distinct possibility..? Then again I might just try to self-publish it anyway, because it would make a great life story of a families struggle and achievement, with an exclusive short-run supply? If it happens... watch this space!

Jon Lancaster - Rising Star

2009-11-13T08:45:00.000Z

It is easy to forget sometimes just what photographs one has, but whilst glancing few some files this morning I came across this one of Jon, with me, which was taken in the pits at Donington in November 2007.

Andrew (my brother) and I have been with Jon for almost 10-years now, maintaining his web-site (www.jonlancasterracing.com) from his early karting days, through to his current exploits, where he is at the moment out at Paul Ricard in France testing in GP2, a formula that is just one short step away from Formula 1.

In just three short seasons since his final European karting year in 2006 with Birel, Jon has been a winner in Formula Renault (2007), Formula 3 (2008), and Formula 3.5 World Series by Renault (2009) - all told an astonishingly remarkable achievement.

Roll on 2010...

Ken and me...

2009-11-06T08:37:00.001Z

One of the highlights from the recent Monaco Cup kart race, was being able to help out 'ace' commentator Ken Walker, (whom I first met in Egypt at the Rotax World Finals, which were held at Sharm-el-Sheikh in 2004), in the Commentary Box.

Ken needs no introduction to motor sport aficionados, and is one of the most complimentary, nicest, and helpful of people a photo/journalist on his travels can hope to meet.

At Monaco we had a lot of fun as I tried to keep up with Ken's commentary, watching the timing screens and on-track action using the TV monitor, hoping I could offer some extra bits of news that he could pass on to the spectating masses along the side of the famous street track.

Monaco is an awesome place and is worth a visit just for the experience. And with three visits in 13-months I must now be something of an expert anyway..! In terms of overnight costs, the Hotel Ambassador must take some beating, being within a 7-minute walking distance of the start/finish line, but perhaps more importantly, being a fraction of the cost of the nearby Marriott.

The image above shows Carlos Sainz Jnr taking a curious peek to his right, son of the famous World Rally Champion, and who was competing in the Formula KF3 final just a few minutes after this photograph was taken. A highly talented young racer with a potentially great future ahead of him, Carlos Jnr won the final with absolute ease... Most definitely a name to watch for the future.

British victory

2009-10-19T15:24:00.000+01:00

The British outfit Kartograph won the six hour endurance in Monaco on Sunday, after a sterling effort at a time when penalties were being delivered like confetti at a wedding! Kartograph avoided problems, drove with style, and with reliability on their side, it was a worthy and winning performance.

Piquet Sport took 2nd place, picking up a number of 'stop-go' penalties on the way, but in all honesty were lucky to have the second step on the podium. On one of the pit-stops to serve a penalty, they not only re-fuelled and changed drivers, but failed to correctly heed a 'stop-go' at the same time, with Piquet staying only momentarily in the penalty box. A penalty should be served separately, and last a lot longer than a few seconds.

This was important for Dean Hawkey's team, who pulled back an amazing 9 laps after a disaster in the first of the three two-hour races, when the engine would not start after a driver change. Had Piquet Sport won and Team Hawkey been 2nd a protest would have been lodged, but as it was 'only' for 2nd place, the British team settled for 3rd place overall.

French racer Adrien Tambay, racing with Jules Bianchi, had an amazing escape earlier in the race, following a big shunt in the swimming pool complex when he hit the barriers very hard indeed. Fortunately he was thrown from his kart, which on this occasion was the better option than staying with his bent machine. Pale he might have been, but like a trooper he was back out on the track later in the race.

Monaco Kart GP

2009-10-17T18:27:00.001+01:00

Superb weather conditions greeted the drivers for the Monaco Cup, covering the KF3 junior drivers, the outstandingly quick KZ2 gearbox aces, and the KF2 TM powered 6-hour endurance teams.

Run over three two-hour events, two of the endurance races were held today (Saturday), where the no,39 team was led by Nelson Piquet Jnr, the (former?) F1 driver who last raced for the Renault F1 team, until the Singapore race fixing scandal rocked motor-sport. Despite a big problem during the last 15 minutes of the 4th hour, Piquet hung onto the lead, but only by 24s from the British outfit Screen 4 Life, with Kartograph, another British team in 3rd place.

The winner of race two though was the impressive British outfit led by Dean Hawkey, who but for an engine problem in race one would have been leading the event overall. They had started race two 9 laps down on grid 15, but by winning race two and more0or-less stering clear of trouble, ended Saturday only 5 laps adrift, after a superb recovery of 4 laps, no mean feat in this company!

Only one KZ2 heat was completed and that went to the ever consistent Intrepid driver and Dutch champion, Bas Lammers, who had said earlier this afternoon how much he "loved this circuit", which incorporates part of the Formula 1 track round by the swimming pool complex and LA Rascasse...

In KF3 Carlos Sainz Jnr was impressive, with the expected pace from Nyck De Vries sadly lacking at the moment. Hopefully the Zanardi mounted team can make some changes overnight to give the Spanish champion hotter competition?

Zuera, Spain - WSK Championship

2009-09-27T18:52:00.000+01:00

After the World Cup at Alcaniz around one hour south of Zuera, the WSK racing had to be good to match what took place the previous week - and to be honest it was!

Not only was it hotter with clear blue skies and blazing sunshine, but the on-track action at Zuera was just as frantic. Just ask Ignazio D'Agosto after the Formula KF2 pre-final... he was one mighty unhappy chap.

Where happy chaps are concerned though look no further than Bas Lammers. He was awesome a couple of months ago at Wackersdorf in Germany, and he was awesome again today in Formula KZ2. On the grid for the pre-final just minutes before the start I asked Bas if he could win today from row four, sat on grid 8? "Of course," he said with a grin, "it will not be a problem for me." I thought he might be joking - he wasn't, and he won quite comfortably!

As for the final later in the afternoon, he led the first lap from pole, dropped to 2nd on lap 2 afetr CRG's Rick Dreezen took the lead, and then fell behind his Intrepid team-mate Jeremy Iglesias on lap 10. Final lap and Bas was still 3rd with one corner remaining with Dreezen just ahead. He pounced and took 2nd place with 100 metres to go, only for Iglesias to celebrate (!) before he passed the chequered flag, leaving Bas to sweep past to win by 0.090s! The pic shows what is now coming to be the 'Bas Jump' after he has won.

Karting Magazine will carry a full report in the November issue due out on the second Wednesday in October.

Form book just went out the window...

2009-09-20T17:15:00.000+01:00

For 17 of the 18 laps the World Cup final progressed more or less as expected, with several place changes for the lead taking place between Matteo Vigano, a tardy starting Brandon Maisano, and Felice Tiene, with no one showing an advantage over their opponents. Smarrazzo though was struggling in the early laps and had dropped to 9th place.

Holding station in 4th place was David Da Luz (Zanardi-Parilla), but he later admitted he did not have the pace to pass the three ahead of him. The final lap changed all that when Vigano pulled into the pits to retire, leaving Maisano and Tiene to make contact at turn 4 in a move that gave Tiene a 3s penalty. From the dust and confusion emerged a 'shocked' Da Luz, leaving the Portuguese driver to take the World Cup victory. A recovering Tiene was behind him, but with the penalty, Vandoorne from grid 15, and who had been 9th two laps from the finish, was promoted to 2nd place, with the Italian resident Australian youngster, Mitchell Gilbert (Kosmic-Vortex), an equally shocked 3rd overall.

Incredible..!

Awesome - Brandon Maisano

2009-09-20T14:47:00.000+01:00

As pre-finals go this one really was quite "awesome". From grid 12, after a heat DNF, Brandon Maisano drove his LH-Maxter as though it was turbo-charged, making up 5 places on the first lap alone, taking the lead before the end of lap 10 with 2 laps remaining. He then eased open a one and a half second gap as his pursuers, and early leaders, fell over each other in confusion.

After swapping positions throughout, Tiene finally slipped past Vigano in the dying moments of the race, with Smarrazzo all over the back of Vigano as they crossed the finishing line, with less than 0.6s between the three of them. A cracking final is now expected, due in less than two hours, where it remains to be seen how much life Maisano took out of his Dunlop tyres in his titanic drive!

For the British contingent, Chris Lock suffered and fell rearwards, but European Champion Jordan Chamberlain kept his cool, and from grid 10 made his way forwards to finish in 6th place, just over 4 seconds adrift of Maisano. He has not got the Frenchman's pace, but a podium remains a real possibility for the Williams Motorsport driver.

Finals now pending...

2009-09-20T11:57:00.000+01:00

Only the two finals now stand between the 34 qualifiers and the Formula KF2 World Cup, where Matteo Vigano has taken pole position for the pre-final, ahead of Felice Tiene and Aniello Smarrazzo. The other hot-shot, Brandon Maisano, had a bad result in heat 3, so he is back on grid 12 with a lot to do to beat his three main rivals.

Over in 'Brit-land' European Champion Jordan Chamberlain is on grid 10, which is a respectable place for Jordan to be and allows he the chance to move towards the top six for a good final grid position. Chris Lock has also done well and has qualified on grid 18, although rather him than me in this mid-pack!

As the on-track temperature started to rise, British driver Josh Fielding was heading towards qualification until a shunt took him out of the final heat, although seeing his aggressor on the other side of the track proved a little too much for Josh. Fortunately an alert Spanish marshall came to a quick decision, proved equal to the task, and brought a charging Josh crashing to the ground, before he did something to his opponent that would have earned the wrath, and potential ban, from the officials.

Sunday morning...

2009-09-20T09:49:00.001+01:00

First blood to Matteo Vigano in the opening qualifying heat this morning, with Felice Tiene (above) taking honours in the second of today's final three heats, with the third and last race due out at 11.30am (local time).

British pride has so far been carried by Ben Cooper and Jordan Chamberlain, who both looked quick in the last heat, although Lock, Fielding, Carter, and Blundell have a lot to do to recover from any trials and tribulations experienced yesterday.

The driver parade is scheduled for 13.00 this afternoon, with the pre-final due out at 15.15, and then the main final at 16.50.

KF2 World Cup - another update...

2009-09-19T16:48:00.000+01:00

Crikey, this guy is looking good! Italian Tonykart driver Aniello Smarrazzo had looked quick earlier this morning, but he has certainly kept his pace alive throughout the first day. The final qualifying heat of the day went his way quite easily, as he romped home to an impressive two second win over no less a driver than Felice Tiene...

Ben Cooper had found his feet in the last heat as well, until the last lap board appeared when his exhaust "popped" as he crossed the start/finish line, and his race was over when well placed. So at last Shaun Carter had something to cheer about as first Brit home in 12th place, just ahead of Chris Lock. It has been a trying day for Shaun so he needed a good result to sleep on, before the final qualifying heat tomorrow morning.

On current evidence I'll have edge my bets - Vigano, Smarrazzo, Tiene, or Maisano? If anyone other than one of those four lifts the World Cup tomorrow afternoon, something will have gone badly wrong in all four camps!

KF2 World Cup (update no. 3...)

2009-09-19T14:32:00.001+01:00

The temperature is rising, heading towards the late 20 deg C area, as Matteo Vigano heads towards the first corner at the start of one of this afternoon's qualifying heats. Vigano is already marking himself out as a potential World Cup winner, as he becomes the first driver of the event to win two of the qualifying heats.

Back in the pack on the outside of this photograph is British driver Ben Cooper on his Tonykart-Vortex. Ben avoided the incidents as he came through to finish in a commendable 6th place, and only 1.4s adrift of the winner. He needed a good result though after the problem he suffered in the first heat.

KF2 World Cup (update...)

2009-09-19T13:28:00.000+01:00

Cracking stuff from Brandon Maisano of team CRG, who won the first heat this afternoon on his Dunlop shod LH-Maxter, in fine style. Maisano is one of those rising stars in karting who is always there, or thereabouts, in major karting events, so it is no surprise to find he is at the front in the World Cup qualifying heats.

Both British drivers Chris Lock and Jordan Chamberlain were in this heat, with Lock taking 11th place within six or so seconds of the winner, although Chamberlain appeared to be in difficulties after his first heat success, finishing down in 15th place. Shaun Carter though was still in the wars with a DNF after just 9 laps being added to his first heat exclusion result.

Formula KF2 World Cup, Alcaniz, Spain

2009-09-19T10:45:00.000+01:00

Today I am live from the impressive new 5.2km Formula 1 standard circuit at the Motorland facility of Ciudad del Motor de Aragon near Alcañiz, where the equally impressive kart circuit stands in its shadow at an enormous 1,700 metres in length. Warm and sunny conditions are on hand to greet the 80 drivers from 18 nationalities, who had been selected for the 2009 CIK-FIA World Cup, possibly the main Formula KF2 event of the year.

The first heat has just finished where the Italian diver Matteo Vigano (see pic above), competing with the MGM Racing team, took an easy win on his Birel-Parilla outfit.

The top British driver was European Champion Jordan Chamberlain, who won the European title at Essay in France recently. Jordan brought his Williams Motorsport entered Tonykart-TM machine home into 5th place just over four seconds behind the winner, which bodes well for the young British ace.

More to follow as the weekend progresses.

Laura and Paul

2009-08-29T15:45:00.001+01:00

Laura and Paul celebrated their first wedding anniversary last week, and it gives me pleasure in offering my congratulations, not to mention allowing me to take some superb photographs from Hellaby Hall ceremony, to the Stowe School (Bucks) reception last year.

Some weddings are a pleasure to 'shoot', but with the Stowe venue, it is likely that this one was probably the best so far.

I expect to take more photographs of Laura, a stunning former model, on a future date, although with her being a "mum-to-be" in waiting, I might have to wait longer than planned..?

My heartfelt wishes to you both - but Vancouver is such a long way..!

Thomas Knopper

2009-08-28T18:52:00.000+01:00

It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Thomas Knopper during a kart race in Germany recently.

A former European Formula KZ2 champion in 2007, I last saw Thomas race at Wackersdorf just a few short weeks ago, and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Fatalities in karting are rare and the circumstances of Thomas' accident are unkown, but it is important that steps are taken to try and prevent a similar accident happening again. Karts are very fast these days, so if an Italian karting magazine is suggesting track improvements need to be made, then there should be no "if's" or "buts".

JFDI as a fomer kart champion once said!

TKM Festival (Whilton Mill)

2009-08-16T18:19:00.001+01:00

Superb weather and excellent organisation at Whilton Mill, all contributed to some excellent racing at the 2009 TKM Festival meeting.

Sam Brown dominated the TKM Extreme final, took the top step of the podium, but already there were rumblings of a problem in scrutineering. Sorry folks but correctly completing a 'scrute' card is not rocker science - I have covered far too many races during the last 20+ years, where drivers who have performed superbly well on the track, end up being excluded from what was a major result in their careers. So step forward Rory Mowbray, the new TKM Extreme Festival champion.

As for the rest Ashley Jones was, in my judgement anyway, the 'driver of the day', with a stunning victory in Junior Elite - well done buddy! Oliver Hodgson meanwhile, whom I have already 'blogged' eslewhere after a well-deserved win recently at Kimbolton, was suitably awesome in the Junior Festival race after a difficult weekend. The 'Open' champ won as easily as Jones did in his race - it would have been worth seeing them have another head-to-head at Whilton...

2009-07-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

The latest round of the Thunderkart Sodi W Series Star Cup was held at Warden Law on Sunday, with congratulations to Craig Brock who survived to take the overall win, after spending 12-laps in the final driving defensively to keep his main rival at bay.

James Hayden, whose last four races have rewarded him with a 1st, 1st, 1st, and 2nd, was clearly the fastest driver on the day, taking three of the four fastest laps from the day's proceedings, including the fastest lap of the event.

Speaking from experience it is immensely frustrating to be stuck behind a quick but slower driver, with whom you have little choice but to spend 12-laps running nose-to-tail, or side-by-side (albeit always on the outside), but lacking the straight-line speed to make an overtaking move 'stick'.

"I was 'gutted'" James said after the race, "because I was so much quicker, but Craig was too defensive to get past safely. For this race they included the chicane on the main straight, but I reckon if they had not done that, I would then have had enough in hand to pass him on the outside anyway. But with the shortened straight after the cicane there was no longer enough space to get the run I would have needed down the outside of him."

It always brings home something the Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson once said to me when he used to race in karts around the world. "You know Mike I have never driven defensively. If someone is faster then why risk having them take you off. Should they get past because you are not quick enough to beat them, then let them go. Maybe after they have gone by you might find the speed needed to re-launch an attack, but defensive driving and deliberately blocking another driver? No. All you need is the wrong driver behind you and a barrier is waiting for you somewhere - not all are patient!"

So well done James on showing the patience to keep the observers off your back.

2009-07-19T22:18:00.000+01:00

With the postponement of the Thunderkart Challenge until next Sunday, Ben Hyland's (from PPiK in Leeds) new Sodi World Series RX250 class replaced the day's proceedings at Warden Law this weekend, when a nice dry 'window' was found in the weather. The pace was hot all day and my substitute James finished a solid 2nd on the road for Karting Magazine, until he was penalised with a one place penalty, which dropped him to 3rd place.

To be honest the move from James was an excellent one, and was certainly a move that I would have taken given the same circumstances. He made a superb exit from the final corner just a few laps into the race, pulling alongside the two ahead, for a three kart run to the first corner of the next lap three-abreast, with James on the inside. It was spectacular stuff, but if a driver who has lost his place turns in when he shouldn't, and the driver on the inside is penalised, then the penalty is a touch unfair - but that's racing!

The next Sodi WS RX250 race is at PF International on 9 August in a few weeks time, which should give the drivers a few things to think about on the fast sweepers of the Lincolnshire track..

Kimbolton - Formula TKM 'O' Plate Championship

2009-07-16T10:08:00.000+01:00

The 'O' Plate (Open) Championship for Formula TKM took place at Kimbolton on Sunday, with two fine vicories going the way of Oliver Hodgson in the Junior ranks, and Daniel Butcher-Lord at Senior level.

The final corner at Kimbolton can always be relied upon to provide entertainment in a closely fought race, and the Senior final did not disappoint when both leaders collided, to leave Butcher-Lord, who had expected fire-works and had hung back, to take a well-deserve victory.

Hodgson meanwhile had gone into the Junior race as the defending 2008 'O' Plate champion, and with his main rival Ashley Jones rising admirably to the occasion, the spectators were treated to an exciting race as the two of them swapped the lead several times. After several side-by-side moments Hodgson, just, took the win, but he was very complimentary to Jones, which is always a nice thing to hear.

British National Grass-track Champs 2009

2009-07-05T22:26:00.000+01:00

The weather forecast for the third National Grass-track Championship, near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire on Sunday was decidedly grim, but in the event it stayed warm all day, and for the better part of the sfaternoon, quite sunny too.

Guest of Honour and top racer Carl Breeze, who is currently contesting the 2009 Ginetta Championship, but not yet fully recovered from that awful Oulton Park shunt a couple of months ago, was on hand for the trophy presentations for the new 2009 Champions.

As seen in previous years there are some talented drivers on the grass-track scene, and it is apparent that this class of racing provides a great deal of suitable driving expeience, for those youngsters ready to graduate to the road, let alone elsewhere in the sport.

The day produced several new and worthy British Champions, with a full report, with photographs, due to appear in the next issue of Karting Magazine due out the second Wednesday in August (September issue).

Silverstone - Racing Steps Foundation

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

Before the major World Series by Renault event at Silverstone this weekend, the Racing Steps Foundation, who are tasked with funding selected up-and-coming British racing talent, arranged a photo-shoot and media day in the BRDC Club at the famous Grand Prix track. The five chosen drivers, all supremely talented, and all with outstanding karting CV's, were on hand to meet with the members of the media.

From left to right in the above photograph is karting champion Jake Dennis, with Formula Renault winner James Calado next. Top representative Oliver Turvey is in the middle, racing in the 3.5 litre Renault World Series class, and fresh from his astonishingly competent victory in Monte Carlo just a few weeks earlier. Next along is the superbly laid-back Jack Harvey, now in Formula BMW, but who won the Asian-Pacific title at Suzuka in Japan last year, with last but not least, another rising karting star Jacob Stilp, whose father Daniel and his uncle Jonathan had in previous years set earlier roots for Jacob to grow from.

The Racing Steps Foundation (RSF) is vitally important to these five drivers, and is an incredibly forward-thinking organisation that provides these talented individuals, with funding to help take them up the racing ladder, at a time when their racing careers might otherwise grind to a halt.

Formula 1 is possible - could Oliver Turvey be the next British driver, with RSF support, to make that move..?

Bas Lammers - Eurpean Champion

2009-06-30T22:11:00.000+01:00

Ignore the fact that Swiss Airlines are incompetent when it comes to looking after your luggage, which was evident by the fact that they 'lost' my case on both the outbound and inbound flights to and from Nurnberg in Germany via Zurich. So if we ignore that sorry fact, then the European Formula KZ1 and KZ2 Championship at Wackersdorf over the weekend, was really quite an enjoyable event.

In Dutch ace Bas Lammers the Formula KZ1 class European title has gone to a truly worthy driver, which means the Intrepid team for whom Lammers drives, pulled off a major coup when they signed Bas to drive for them. In company with his young and promising 16-year old team-mate Norman Nato, who is clearly a future champion in the making, Intrepid is now perhaps 'the' major force in International gearbox karting.

Hot and humid over the whole weekend, the 80% chance of rain on Sunday failed to materialise, although it is unlikely Lammers would have been affected by the weather, as his skill in the wet is just as good as it is when it is dry.

The only pity, one of two, is that Lammers is not British.

And as for the other pity, where is my luggage please Mr Swiss Airlines..?

Two out of two...

2009-06-22T19:45:00.000+01:00

As the Thunderkart Challenge (SodiWSeries) reaches the halfway point at Warden Law near Sunderland, James took his second consecutive win at the track on Sunday, with a conclusive victory from grid 3 in the final.

Series points leader Daniel Laws led from pole position, chased by Simon Levers and Karting Magazine's James, as the three of them pulled away from the rest of the chasing pack. In his bid to get past though whilst James pateintly waited, Simon tried a doomed overtaking move on Daniel, which led to both of them being delayed, as a smiling James, who took a blow to the side of his kart as he swerved to avoid Simon, swept into the lead.

With rain the day before and the day after, Sunday had been perfect racing conditions, with Chris, the man in charge, supported by his marshals, once again ruling like all good officials should. My job as photographer was the easy bit...

John Mills - 50 years and counting...

2009-06-19T11:48:00.000+01:00

Next month's Karting Magazine, which is due out on 8 July 2009 (August edition), is likely to have an interview with John Mills, the head man at John Mills Racing based at PF International.

Pictured with is wife Sheila (as shown in pic), John, now thankfully on the mend after an illness earlier this year, and his family team, celebrate 50 years in the karting business in 2009, which is an extremely commendable achievement, especially in what can be the fickle sport of motor-racing.

His brother Roger, who competed for the British Team with former top karter Paul Fletcher back in the 1960's, helped me with the article, and I am grateful to both John and Roger, not to mention the many members of this family run business, for the help given to me with this story.

Here's to the next 50 years guys... Cheers!

Front cover - Karting Magazine (July '09)

2009-06-12T13:29:00.001+01:00

Immensely satisfying..!

These are the only words to describe the feeling when a magazine gives you a front cover!

I covered the Anthony Davidson test a few weeks ago when he took three different TKM karting chassis' around the PF International circuit, where the former Honda and Super Aguri F1 driver had a terrific time.

The article and images from that test are in this month's edition of Karting Magazine (July 2009), which is out nw, and taking pride of place as the lead article in the mag this month.

My heartfelt thanks go to the editor Mark Burgess for choosing me over the many others who tend to get the majority of covers, which just makes the photograph that has appeared on the front cover, as shown aside, all the more satisfying.

Ant called me yesterday just after he had covered the obligatory 10 laps at Le Mans, where he has joined the Gulf Lola Aston Martin LMP1 team, and his co-drivers, former F1 driver Jos Vesrappen, and Darren Turner. They are up against the odds with the Audi and Peugeot diesel cars ruling from the front, which Ant reckons are averaging six seconds a lap faster. "I'm not worried", he said, and over 24-hours things can happen. They just need to have the odd problem or two and we'll be looking to beat them".

David Sutton - BARC Renault

2009-06-05T13:23:00.001+01:00

David Sutton from Team AVAGO, who is being strongly supported this year by Hayden-Media, had an eventful outing at Oulton Park.

The Cheshire track was the venue for the opening round of the BARC Formula Renault Championship, where David had to overcome a serious front brake problem and worn out tyres. To fight his way forward from a lower than expected qualifying result due to locking brakes though, was a commendable achievement for the teenage karting graduate.

We met up with David this week to find that a full strip and re-build of the car after Oulton Park, had revealed a number of maintenance issues that needed to be adressed, which had not been evident after the Team AVAGO outfit had bought the car. With these problems corrected, and with his first single-seater race start under his belt, it means that David approaches the next two rounds at Snetterton in Norfolk, in a much stronger and more confident frame of mind.

RX250 Masters Cup (Warden Law)

2009-05-28T07:50:00.000+01:00

Bank Holiday Monday marked the first ever RX250 race in the UK at Warden Law near Sunderland, when the opening round of the Sodi W Series 'Masters Cup' race took place.

There was a good turn-out in sunny weather conditions, where Karting Magazine was represented by my youngest son James, who took the speed of the faster RX250 kart in his stride.

From grid 5 in the second final, after being pushed off the track in the first final, he emerged in he lead after just the first corner, set the fastest lap of the race on lap 4, and pulled out a comfortable 5 second lead by the halfway mark. He then dropped into 'cruise mode' and throttled back, to win the race by just under 2 seconds. It was a remarkable effort from a driver in only his first season of racing, against some rather more experienced karting competition.

If future events are run with the same level of organisation, as that shown by Ben Hyland from the indoor karting centre PPiK in Leeds, then the future prospects for this new corporate karting venture looks very sound.

Fulbeck - 50 years and counting.

2009-05-28T07:39:00.001+01:00

The Fulbeck circuit in Lincolnshire, which used to be a former RAF bomber base in World War 2, has since 1959 been the site of a demanding kart circuit. Which means that in 2009 it marks the 50th anniversary for the Lincolnshire Kart Club.

Historically Fulbeck is important to me, and not just because it is a "driver's track", as it was also the venue for my younger brother's very first kart race in August 1983, the scene of my own novice debut in 100 National in June 1984, and where my journalistic career started at 'grass-roots' level in June 1988, thanks to the then club secretary Pat Connelly.

I was proud to be invited back to cover the May event last weekend for the Club, for the next race report to appear in the edition of Karting Magazine due out on 8 July 2009, to celebrate the 50th anniversary event.

The weather was amazing with beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine, not to mention some exceptionally good racing. Pictured is young Alfie Brown in Comer Cadet, who took a fine victory in the final of his class.

2009-05-22T08:59:00.000+01:00

The opening round of the 2009 BARC Formula Renault Championship takes place this Saturday at Oulton Park in Cheshire, where former karting champion David Sutton will be making his single-seater race debut.

Sadly owing to other commitments over the weekend we will not be able to watch David in action, although we are at the team base last night to take a series of photographs before they left for the track. Another important part for us though is the fact that David's newly liveried TeamAvago.co.uk racer will be carrying 'Hayden-Media' logo's on the cockpit side and nose section of the car this year.

We will be giving our close support to David throughout 2009 as he bids for this prestigious single-seater title in his maiden year.

His progress can be followed at http://www.davidsutton.info/ where we will be replacing his current site for a newly updated version in the coming weeks.

Warden Law - Star Cup (May '09)

2009-05-17T19:58:00.001+01:00

Round 4 of the Sodi W Series survived the weekend monsoons, with a few hours on Sunday morning remaining dry.

The entry list was down to 17, quite a few less than in April, which the race official reckoned was down to the 'wusses' expecting rain!

'My' driver James though, with the new 'Karting Magazine' race-suit, was in fine form, again taking grid 5 for the final, after being let down by one poor kart draw in one of the three heats, but delivering a superb final dice with three of his closest rivals, Simon Levers, Marino Pili, and Dylan Atkinson. Less than 1 second separated the four of them at the chequered flag, in what was described as one of the best, cleanest, and sportsmanlike fight for position seen at the track.

And the images from the event were good too, so all in all it was a good day for 'Team Hayden' and Karting Magazine.

Anthony Davidson - Formula 1 driver

2009-05-16T16:57:00.000+01:00

In an exclusive test for Tal-ko, using three different TKM karts, I arranged for F1 driver Anthony Davidson to return to his roots for an article due out in the July edition of Karting Magazine.

Anthony, which is often abbreviated to Ant, had last tested at PF International near Newark way back in January 1996, before he started his European karting campaign with Terry Fullerton, which culminated in him signing with the BAR-Honda F1 team on his way to Grand Prix stardom.

For how Ant got on you will need to get hold of a copy of Karting Magazine (July edition), which is due out on the second Wednesday in June, but needless to say he had a superb day, spoilt only slightly by the truly appalling weather until mid-afternoon when a brief, dry weather window was found.

TKM boss Alan Turney said it all after the test when he commented: "Isn't he a wonderful guy - so easy to work with and talk to, with no airs and graces..."

That's our Ant, a bloke who should be back full-time in Formula 1 with Brawn GP..!

Ready for the next round

2009-05-08T18:59:00.000+01:00

The new Karting Magazine race-suit from MiR arrived this week, but with yours truly being out of racing action, the race-suit's new debut will be down to James, as he returns from Eqypt on Sunday morning, ready for round 4 of the Sodi World Series on 17 May 2009, at Warden Law near Sunderland.

The bright red and silver race-suit should make for a colourful set of pics from the event, and with James borrowing my Jon Lancaster Alpinestar gloves (which he wore when he finished as Vice-World Kart Champion three years ago) to match the suit, could a win be on the cards for James..? After that unjust penalty last time out he is determined to make a suitable amendment to his points total..!

Warm day kart racing

2009-04-28T17:07:00.000+01:00

I covered the third round of Ian Lawson's exellent corporate series at Warden Law last weekend, where I was also providing support to my son James who was taking part.

James had a good day finishing 2nd in one of his heats, carving his way through the pack, after starting from the back row of the grid, before eventually lining up on grid 5 for the main final. The problem with racing events though is that some of the reports 'marshals' send to race control tend to have little bearing on what happened.

In James' case he was given a points penalty for allegedly driving into another competitor. The truth was that the "other competitor" was recovering from an 'off', and was driving slowly down the middle of the track. James went for the inside, which is what I would have done, only for the 'snail' to take the racing line, which is a definite 'no-no' in such circumstances, only to bleat about it afterwards. Things go wrong though when a marshal witnesses only half the scene and arrives at the wrong conclusion. I rest my case.

Nevertheless the series is a good one to be associated with, and now forms part of the prestigious Sodi World Series, which gives the 2009 championship some added prestige. Ian also had the new RX250 on display, which he would have let me drive, but my arm injury is not yet ready to be put to the test - wise discretion won over valour!

April mid-month update

2009-04-17T12:38:00.000+01:00

It was my first major race meeting of the year on Sunday, where the second round of the Mobil 1 Super 1 National Kart Championship was held for the TKM and Honda Cadet classes. There were the usual pedantic protests from some people, but it was pleasing to find the three main Super 1 Clerks of Course, Phil Cox, Alan Bryant, and Rod Taylor were laying down strong markers for how competitors should behave in 2009.

Following an abortive kart test some years ago, this was actually my first visit to the Glan-Y-Gors track in North Wales, and quite an impressive place it was too. Naturally it was helped by the fact it was sunny and warm (for April..!), with arguably the best scenery (picturesque mountains) at any British race-track.

So who emerged as one worth watching? Howard Lucas' driver in TKM 4-Stroke, Steven Welsh, was certainly one to keep a note of - every race I have seen Steve take part in he has been at the front. Billy Monger in Honda Cadet looked quite useful too, coming through from a less than ideal grid slot to take the final podium step in 3rd place.

Mid-week I had the privilege of taking photographs for Stephanie Rudd's 21st birthday in Sheffield. Her parents, Peter and Bridgette, liked what they saw at a wedding I covered recently, so made sure I was drafted for the big 2-1. The best part of being a photographer is having a 'model' who is a natural in front of a camera, and where Stephanie was concerned getting her to smile was no hardship at all (see above)..! The funny part though was watching her mum trying to copy her poses... Stephanie's best friend Kat also had very photogenic eyes that sparkled. The session went well and I think the results speak for themselves.

Warden Law just off the A1 motorway near Durham is next on the agenda this coming Sunday, where Ian Lawson's excellent Thunderkart series (round 3) is due to take place. Now had I not fractured my left elbow and arm in January, I would have been leading that Series by now...