Start of the season shake down saw a mixed result on two unpredictable days weatherwise.
Main competitor was always likely to be Mickey Higham, who did a great job of avoiding Barnaby on track on Saturday testing, but was not found wanting on race day.
Barnaby stormed through in the wet from grid 14 to second place in the first heat, then dropped from pole to fourth in the second on wrong tyre pressures. For the final Higham lined up on pole with Barnaby P2, but again a wrong tyre choice saw him slide back to 6th place. The tyres began to work on lap 4 as he passed Matthew Parr and gave chase to the next pack, then disaster!!
Going into Garda, the brakes failed and Barnaby had to return to the pits, race over with a fractured brake line and no hydraulic oil. Result crap, performance right on the pace.
WHILTON MILL 30/01/05.
A big grid of 35 karts as everyone starts their preparation for the forthcoming season, a busy day with three heats and a final. The first heat saw 11th place from grid 20 after a spat with a local driver, who made disparaging gestures a fiercely contested corner and was then dispatched into the weeds for his trouble ! Next two heats each gave Barnaby 2nd place and third fastest on all three occasions.
Grid 6 for the final was a little harsh, and this position was maintained throughout the race as a replacement nosecone, ordered by the scrutineer, dragged on the ground through right hand corners!
Barnaby with an unfamiliar number, lapping Whilton Mill at high speed!
Many thanks to Liam Brennan for his help as a novice mechanic this weekend!!
BUCKMORE PARK 20.02.05.
The final preparation for the forthcoming Super One season started brightly with a well crafted win from grid 6 in heat one, but downhill from there!
After being baulked at the start of heat 2, could only make it up to 8th place struggling with a lack of power on the short straights giving grid 4 for the final, just behind Project One team mate Scott Malvern.
Scott led into turn one and was never headed but Barnaby's race got worse and worse until he ground to a halt with the front engine sprocket having sheared so in two finals at Buckmore Park in 2005, 2 dnfs and last place in the club championship winter series!!
SUPER ONE, BUCKMORE PARK RD 1.
After two days of testing, Barnaby was fairly placed in the top group of drivers, finishing practice in 13th overall on Sunday morning.
As is so vital in this championship, he provided 3 good heat finishes with a 2nd, 5th and 8th to grid up on position 6 for the A Final.
After initially sliding back to 7th place, Barnaby moved up to third early on in the race at his favourite Garda corner, a position he held until the last 3 laps, when an overambitious move left him back in fifth place.
On the last lap Sean Carter and team mate Scott Malvern tangled and Barnaby got alongside for third place in the race. As all three drivers aimed at the same bit of tarmac coming out of Garda, he decided to not risk losing the points and backed off finishing fifth in the race.
Points on the board though, and fourth place in the championship positions!
On Two Wheels into Garda. Photo courtesy of Enver Meyer Photography.
FULBECK, 27/03/05.
Not one to remember really, the most excitement being caused by the lack of a race licence and a mad dash home to try to find it! No need to worry, it was in the safe keeping of Super One official Sonja Game all the time!
As for the racing, the three heats produced three wildly different results but slightly better than most, including a spanking win in the second heat. Starting from grid four in the final, the first EIGHT drivers were slammed into the gravel trap at the end of the straight and the driver from grid 9 won the race. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.
The weekend was further compounded by then being knocked off for the second time in the race by a local club driver because 'He drives like a twat and deserves it'. When this muppet was asked what he had ever acheived and how he was in a position to judge such matters the answer was 'You are up your own arse. EHHH???
SUPER 1, FULBECK ROUND 2.
After a poor club meeting the month before, testing on Friday and Saturday passed without major loss of equipment or pace, and we looked good for Sunday.
Until the last lap of the first race, when both Barnaby and Andrew Wilkinson refused to give way on the uphill chicane, resulting in both spinning off and some solumn glaring in the pits afterwards!
However, two good results from the following heats sealed an A Final grid slot and high hopes from grid 14.
In a weird echo of the club meeting 16 drivers were shoved off at the first corner, probably victims of the driver who stated before the race started, staed that he was going to make a kamikaze start from the back of the grid!
Being the first to get going, Barnaby lost interest in just driving round for 16 laps on his own and rolled in 13th behind Project One team mate Tom Coller.
Barn and Tom Coller in the A Final at Fulbeck.
SUPER ONE, LYDD ROUND 3.
Two things missing from this round. We missed the club meeting before the round due to lack of energy and Russ had to do stocktake at work, with Project One's Matt Chatteris picking up the spanners.
Quick in testing in both wet and dry trim, the changeable weather held no terrors for the team, but it stayed dry all day for race day on Sunday.
Heat 1 was a grid 6 start, very quickly turned into 3rd place on the first chicane and then 2nd on the back straight chasing leader Paul Janes. Luke Caudle stormed past later on in the race and caught Janes, and all three drivers flashed across the line nose to tail with Barnaby at the back of the train. Good start.
A lonf wait for Heat 13 almost proved disastrous with the kart failing to start until Matt changed the plug and Barnaby joined the pack shuddering with the effort of pushing the kart the length of the straight! 6th place finish from grid 20 ensured a decent shot at pole for the final with a good result from Heat 17.
Starting from grid 14, after 3 laps up to 3rd place, enough for grid 2 for the final. Disaster then took a hand as JOsh Mulholland turned across the front of Barnaby stopping him dead and allowing the whole field back through! A fighting 14th place was enough for grid 7 for the final.
The start of the final was tentative with Barnaby, Scott Malvern and Steve Bartlett all nose to tail. All Project One team mates. They were soon challenged by Adam Constable and Adam Rodgers, and the 2 Adams and Barnaby's team mates drew steadily away whilst the chasing pack looked menacing. A long race for the spectators saw Barnaby finish 5th, and secure 5th place in the championship after three rounds.
PF INTERNATIONAL, 05/06/05.
With the prestigous Kart Masters Championship coming up in August, we decided to try a club meeting prior to then to learn some set up. As such the result was relatively unimportant, but we all turn up intending to win.
After arriving mid way through the day on Saturday for testing, we were anticipating playing catch up for the early part of Sunday. Club drivers at PF are a very well drilled lot and can often surprise 'out of town' Super One drivers!
Practice was held in semi wet conditions after overnight rain and Barnaby produced his party piece on slick tyres, being faster than all but one on wets and 2.5 seconds quicker than the next best slick driver!!
