Power to the People
August 2010 |
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The local Team Dynamics put down their banjos to make their annual appearance at this Suffolk venue and, like last year, stuck it on pole. We Are The People lined up second and Kam Racing were an impressive third. Just Buck returning to the fold having recovered from his broken leg. The Rookies, Skid Marks and Akita V1 rounded out the top 6 ahead of the championship favourites Pantera Racing who lined up 7th.
“It was all about getting a clean lap really. It was quite busy out there and there were a few yellow flags so I found some space and made it count. It was a pretty good lap and I’m happy with it. We’ve been here for the last three years and always put it on the front row but we’ve never finished inside the top ten so we’ll be trying to put that right this year. If we can get a top three we will be delighted.”
With Andrew Green, Kevin Rivers, Guy Goddand and Paul Price running as a 4 man team, maintaining a position at the front was always going to be difficult because strategically it doesn’t work well with the pit windows. Still, that was the least of their worries as they got the jump at the start. Too much of a jump as it happened because they crossed the line ahead of the Intermediate pole man and were given a 40 second stop and go penalty for their efforts.
This promoted We Are The People and Kam Racing into first and second with the rest of the field holding position as usual.
The mid-field battle was being held between the likes of Colin Riddy Racing, Angel Racing, The Skid Marks and Fear Are We Wacing – all of the above battling for the title of gayest name in endurance racing as well. Further back and Team DSA, Trailblasters, Self Preservation Society and Pony Express were propping up the rear of the grid.
Over the first half of the race all eyes were on Pantera Racing as they moved their way back into a podium position. Sadly they would suffer their first mechanical gremlin of the season which dropped them down the order and cost them their 6th straight top 3 finish.
“We had an exhaust change so we lost a hell of a lot of time in the pits there but we’re still in contention I think and there is some time left so we could still be on for a good result. I hope we can still get a podium and we’re all being consistent out there again, which is what we’ve been aiming for all year.”
Sadly, the time lost in the pits would be too much to claw back and they would clock up their worst result of the season. Still, on current form this is likely to be a dropped score so they have little to worry about at the moment.
Kam Racing were having their competitive showing for a few races. Justin Buck was hoping for some good points and possibly challenging for a podium finish.
“We qualified well and made up some places at the start so that was good. The front guys are a bit too quick for us and I couldn’t keep pace with them but we’ve got a good kart and if the other guys in the team do a good job as well we might be in with a chance of a podium. We’ve dropped back a bit now but we might be able to get back there.”
We Are The People had a commanding lead by this stage and looked unlikely to be threatened. SMJ had worked their way into contention after a poor qualifying performance and the 2 Akita teams were battling for honours. Chris Burgess:
“The race is going really well for us. We’re battling with our sister team and looking like we are on course for a podium at the moment. Anything can happen but the kart is good so we’ll have to see.”
As the race reached its climax, it was a rather convincing win for We Are The People who took their second win in 3 races. SMJ Racing finished a whole lap behind them in second while Akita V2 once again beat their sister team; the two of them sandwiching Kam racing who finish fourth.
We Are The People’s South American stand-in, Jose Soler, was modest in terms of his contribution to the team.
“We had a good day. We had a good kart and were on the pace all day. We managed to keep it up there all throughout the race but all credit to the guys because they did a great job. I might possibly do a few more races with them – who knows?”
Despite their misfortune, Pantera Racing still have a commanding lead in the championship as we enter the second half of the season. If We Are The People do all the remaining races and keep up their current form, they could well be up there come the end of the season. They cannot afford any bad results. On current form, I really can’t see any other teams being much of a threat at the moment. The likes of the Akita teams, The Skid Marks, SMJ and Fear Are We Wacing need to up their game if they are to pose a threat.
The next race is Clay Pigeon in Dorset. It’s a great track and often produces exciting races.
