Shenington Kart Club |
Shenington drivers all used transponders for their first 2000 meeting, allowing printouts with unofficial times. Drivers welcomed the opportunity to pick up results sheets showing times for all their laps to compare with the fastest in the race. The meeting was held almost exactly forty years after the first at the track, which attracted sixty entrants and six thousand spectators. This compares with the normal 250 drivers and few hundred spectators of today. Shenington will celebrate its fortieth anniversary year with a special Super Prix meeting in June and has brought out a Y2K commemorative programme. The meeting was a little down on entrants, with the club starting up two weeks earlier than usual. This allowed for 14 lap finals, some of which were dry enough for slicks, but the damp weather kept most people on wets. The track had enjoyed some resurfacing over the winter, as well as a new barrier to prevent corner cutting at Café corner. Noise reared up due in part to the lower limit, with many 100C and ICA drivers receiving warnings and one black flagged.
Formula Cadet
Heat 1: James Calado, Dale Bowkett, Matthew Gurney
Heat 2: Calado, Adam Foster, Marcus Allen
Adam Foster made it past James Calado on the second lap but the next time round he was many lengths back, just holding off Dale Bowkett. Calado went on for an untroubled victory.
Formula 100C and 100C/160
Heat 1: Michael Holloway, Andrew Tinsley, Oli Poyser
Heat 2: Sam Garford, James Whitby, Poyser
Holloways DNF and Tinsleys bad luck allowed Poyser and David Clarke to take the front row. Poyser spent a couple of laps out front, but Holloway took little time to reach the front. Tinsley had passed Holloway on his way to the front, but did not stay in front of him long. The former soon passed Poyser for second but then found himself fending off Alistair Goss, who was later excluded underweight. Clarke dropped from second to sixth on the second lap, but took inherited third after the exclusion.
125 Open and National 125
Heat 1: Lee Miles, David Fricker, Peter Connors
Heat 2: Fricker, Miles, Paul Johnson
Peter Connors with his recent acquisition retired before the start due to a broken earth wire. David Fricker led away, but the novice and returnee Carl Millington was soon past Paul Johnson and heading towards the lead, taking it with a few laps to spare. Frickers motor expired with a couple of laps to go and second placed Johnson was found to be underweight. This left only three finishers, Millington, Gary Bayliss and Alvin Carter.
Formula Junior TKM and Intermediate
Heat 1: Stephen Lane, Mark Roe, Alex Mortimer
Heat 2: Jack Gurney, Jason Dredge, Matthew Hogan
Heat 3: Sam Bainborough, John Close, James Nash
Heat 4: Ray Cobbing, Mark Roe, Adam Constable
B Final: Alex Mortimer, Jonathan Haysey, Daniel Hands, Jamie Croxford
Mark Roe led the first lap, then Jack Gurney found a way past. Next in front was Ray Cobbing with Stephen Lane up to join the party. Jason Dredge was forced to pit and refix his noise box. An equally fierce battle was raging over fourth, between John Close, Mark Roe and Sam Bainborough. Gurney retook the lead between Wilkins and Park, but lost it to Lane at the same place on the next lap. Trying to get it back at Stratford hairpin, Cobbing had the same idea at the same time and the two of them came off, leaving Lane with an easy win. Mark Roe took second, with Bainborough and Close some way behind.
Intercontinental A
Heat 1: Dean Haddon, Jody Whitmore, Matt Matheou
Heat 2: Ed Pead, Graham Stewart, Whitmore
Dean Haddon had been blackflagged for a mechanical problem in the second heat, and did not take part in the final. Chris Pinkney took the lead from the second row, although Edward Pead was soon past and away. Jody Whitmore spun down to last at Café corner. Greg Audetto lost fourth when his back bumper came loose. A long way behind the leader the fight for second hotted up, with a big last lap sort out leaving Richard Jenkins in that place, ahead of Whitmore, Stewart and Haysey.
Formula TKM
Heat 1: Andrew Taylor, Jonathan Barnes, Chris Everard
Heat 2: Ross Allen, Martin James Jnr, Jonathan Barnes
Heat 3: Matt Hall, Tristan Hignell, Richard Henry
Ross Allen sat on pole in his first ever Senior race. He would take the lead, but lose it to eventual winner Andrew Taylor within a couple of laps. Nevertheless second was a splendid achievement. Third placed Tristan Hignell was taken out another driver, dropping them both back. This left Jonathan Barnes, Richard Hughes and Mike Brinkworth in the minor places and there it stayed. Ross Allen got fastest lap.
250 National and International
Heat 1: David Preston, Scott Emberson, Lester Peters
Heat 2: Graham Lewis, Preston, Heath Marah
One or two were caught out by the new gearbox floortray rules, including Steve Harrold from his heat win. They must not turn down at all now. Graham Lewis took the lead from the standing start. Most of the field were on slicks, one of the few final where this was possible. Scott Emberson demoted David Preston to third but went off at Stratford hairpin. Champion Neil Burroughs took little time to come from the back to lead, and was comfortably ahead when he ran out of fuel with a couple of laps to go. Lewis also stopped soon after being passed for second, which became first, by David Preston. This left Steve Harrold second after his drive through, also claiming fastest lap.
Rotax Max
Heat 1: Nathaniel Freke, Charles Bowen, Richard Messenger
Heat 2: Bowen, Freke, Danny Whitmore
Charles Bowen survived a nudge from Nathaniel Freke at the start. This left Freke in front from Danny Whitmore and Richard Messenger. Bowen got his head down and clawed his way up to the front, taking Freke at Stratford hairpin with a lap or two to go. This made it two wins for the SRS Racing team. Alistair Fraser fended off the fast catching Richard Messenger for third.
By Graham Smith
Results
Formula Cadet
Formula 100C
125 Open and National 125
Formula Junior TKM and Intermediate
Intercontinental A
Formula TKM
250 National & International
Formula Rotax Max
This information is maintained
by Graham Smith, Club Secretary.
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