North West semi-finals

[VXRforMe]

So I got an email today saying I have made it to the regional semi-finals for VXR Driver of the year. Need to race some go karts around a track...I didn't expect to get through so now do not know what to do.

Turn up and thrash it round a track I guess - anyone else got through??

[zletsgo]

Congrats - and good luck for the next round 8)

[nicfred]

yep me tooooooooooooooooo

[mac326a]

I got en email today too! Amazing, couldnt believe it. :)

Looking forward to belting round a track for a bit then.

Where are your heats taking place?
Mine is in manchester, so it says - saturday september 13th

[Netstar]

Im at Wessex Raceway, Salisbury on the 20 September

[spoons]

WOOOHOOOOO, I'm in again this year....

Congratulations
Steven, you made it through!

Well done. There were thousands of entrants, but based on your skills, reaction speeds and knowledge, you've made it through to the semi-finals of the VXR Racing Driver of the Year 2008!


On Sunday 14th Sept, you'll demo your driving in the adrenaline-fuelled semi-final karting race at F1K Loughborough.

[matt_fd3s]

Had my email through today, pretty amazed I got though even the first bit really. haha. Certainly wasn't expecting it

My round is at Loughborough on the 14th - looking forward to the challenge to be honest!

[capri1987]

Just found out now that im in the semi finals! I so didnt expect to get through to this bit, I will be at Daytona Manchester on the 13th of september, anybody else going to this location should find it easy to spot me as i'll be driving a stupidly loud 2.8 capri (im actually a ford fan... :oops: )

[VXRforMe]

I got en email today too! Amazing, couldnt believe it. :)

Looking forward to belting round a track for a bit then.

Where are your heats taking place?
Mine is in manchester, so it says - saturday september 13th

I am in manchester too on the 13th, should be a laugh!

[B@zz@]

Hi All,

I'm thru!! Good luck to all.:D

8)

[capri1987]

any of you guys planning on going and getting some practice in? anybody with any actual experiance?

[Mark_J]

I'm planning a sneaky trip to Wessex raceway sometime this week. I used to race these karts a few years back, so I'm pretty confident. It helps when you only weight 8 and half stone too! :lol:

[Buzzlightyear_2]

HI, guys + girls i'm through going to Manchester on the 13th. Now my question is anyone live around the stoke-on-Trent area and fancy meeting up at a karting track? get a practice in, reason i ask it's cheaper if we get 8 or more people.

If not good luck to all anyway!!!!!!

[Voxer]

Hey Hey!:grin:

Meza through to, gonna enjoy this.:auto:

[evo1lee]

i got through surprisingly, im also at manchester on the 13th, trouble is i've only ever been in them sort of karts once so im not very confident.
ah well il give it a go though

[squall6677]

any of you guys planning on going and getting some practice in? anybody with any actual experiance?

Yes I'm looking to go learn the track and yes I do have experience, used to race with a couple MSA holders in batley every week.

If anyone is thinking of going down their put down some dates and make an event of it. I know for sure there will be at least one person at each venue who has held a race license before so you can gaurantee they're going to learn the track, why be the one with a disadvantage?

And your asking if anyone has any experience...
Well I'm sure if you've never sat in a Kart you going lose, and if you don't know your racing e.g. when to brake (e.g. not in the middle of the damn corners!) you'll most likely lose. So yes the people that go through to the semi's Grand Prix will have experience in Karts (not necessarily racing), and those that go through to the final will have had more (most likely the ones who know about racing). But everyone out there who can get 3 seconds off the fastest "Club" lap around silverstone in a car, yet has never been in a Kart, you need to get practice in everyday until you forget about going fast in a car and start thinking about going fast on the racing line (including every brake point, every turn in point, every accelerate point etc).

Then when you get to finals you can start adding what you learnt in a Kart, add that to going fast in a car and you'll be club record holder and most likely 3 seconds of the BTCC time instead.

So once again everyone good luck, and yes I'll be chasing you round them corners! 8)

[squall6677]

I'm planning a sneaky trip to Wessex raceway sometime this week. I used to race these karts a few years back, so I'm pretty confident. It helps when you only weight 8 and half stone too! :lol:

I doubt your weight will have a big impact in these slow karts, at 5BHP (Honda GSX100) you'll be looking at 1 tenths slower for every kilo heavier. Although with 30BHP Karts (Rotax Max 100cc) you'll be looking at closer to 5 tenths for every kilo. Back when i used to race regularly I've kept pace with a 6.1/2 stone 13 year old (he holds an MSA licence and has won a few O plates). and then again on sloppy days I've been beat by 15 stone guys (no it was not the karts).

So your weight is not going to help unless you get to the finals, but your race experience might (if you have got qualifying experience too I'll be expecting something from you ;).

[Emz]

Hi everyone......I'm in too so I'll be seeing you on the 13th Sept!!! I'll be gettin plenty of practice in before then hopefully!

Just out of curiosity are there any other girls who got through??? :)

[streamline]

Im in aswel!! :D

Im going to manchester :D

[B@zz@]

Well I'm sure if you've never sat in a Kart you going lose, and if you don't know your racing e.g. when to brake (e.g. not in the middle of the damn corners!) you'll most likely lose.

I'd only ever been in a kart once before last week, but I've driven cars, trucks and bikes for years. Perhaps that's what helped me match the local track record when I was karting last week? Having read through all the forum posts from this year and last year, it seems like it's not going to be *just* straightforward technical ability, but a mixture of skill, tenacity and luck.

I'd be interested to know if John Allison was a karting supremo prior to the competition last year??? ;)

[mike154]

yep!! i got through too!! woo hoo. see you in manchester on the 13

[blootoonvxr]

Is any one going to edinburgh for this??

[squall6677]

I'd be interested to know if John Allison was a karting supremo prior to the competition last year??? ;)

I'm sure he had a bit of practice, Besides, he beat a finalist who previously held a race license.

[Mark-L]

Hi all,I will be in Manchester on the 13th too. Rather excited!
I've done a lot of karting over the years so I am fairly confident however I may have to go for a little practise this month just to be on par with the locals:lol: Mostly been doing track days the last few years which should help in case I get through to the final,just need to get back in shape now:oops:

I live 1/4 mile from last years winner John,so it would be nice to make it 2 in a row for the town;)

[aaronmullan789]

I'm through to the semi finals for this years competition. I went for practice yesterday in manchester. Put it this way, unless you are about 5ft 2 and weight about 9stone ya got no chance of getting to the final. Very little chance to overtake and a track that doesn't flow very well. Good luck everyone, I won't be in the final being 6ft and 13stone.

[mac326a]

I'm through to the semi finals for this years competition. I went for practice yesterday in manchester. Put it this way, unless you are about 5ft 2 and weight about 9stone ya got no chance of getting to the final. Very little chance to overtake and a track that doesn't flow very well. Good luck everyone, I won't be in the final being 6ft and 13stone.

I fear the same too, 13st 10 and 6ft aint a good combination in these little things!

Anybody been down for any practice yet?

Whats are peoples lap times at daytona Manchester?

[B@zz@]

I fear the same too, 13st 10 and 6ft aint a good combination in these little things!

Anybody been down for any practice yet?

Whats are peoples lap times at daytona Manchester?

I've been down to Manchester a few times over the past few weeks, and I'm going to race in the Open GP today, 2 practice sessions booked over the week. Sounds like overkill, but I'd never karted before this competition - I entered for the VXR racing experience and because I ***LURVE*** driving.

I've lost over 8lbs in an intensive fitness program (I run every day 'til I'm bolloxed), and my lap times are dropping. Somewhere below 25s now. 8)

Manchester will see get everything I've got and whatever the outcome, I'll know I gave 100%

[mac326a]

Bazza? you are not per chance called Barry Scott are you?

[B@zz@]

Bazza? you are not per chance called Barry Scott are you?

That'd be me. 8) I saw you there yesterday?

[mac326a]

Yes, you were in the first arrive and drive we did yesterday. You did a faster lap than me in that one, about 2 tenths or so. It was all on the lap time sheet they gave out after.

Although I did get faster in the 2nd session straight after.

Im gonna go again shortly to see if i can break into the 24's was only a few hundredths of a second off yesterday. :P

[mac326a]

If not it probably just means ive eaten too many pies!

[B@zz@]

If not it probably just means ive eaten too many pies!

I know the feeling, I'm starving right now, but I did a 4 mile jog this morning and don't wanna have to do another one tonight to work off an over-indulgent lunch! :p

Yesterday's times for my first half hour were good, but they swapped my kart half way through the hour session for a right dog - it didn't matter what I did it just wouldn't get below the 25. I think it's because my time in the first half was faster than the instructor's. ;)

Anyway, I'm going back on Friday to give it another hour or 3, hopefully get a good kart and nail 24.5. 8)

[B@zz@]

So you'll be Rod? If so that was the second session - driving 'the dog' :confused:

My first session I pulled out a 24.923, I wasn't unhappy with that but know I can get lower.

BTW, what session are you in on Sat?

[mac326a]

Indeed.

I am one of the last ones to go i think. Sign on at 16:00 ish.

How about you?

[streamline]

Im 2pm i think :D i guess i will see u boys ther?

[B@zz@]

I'm in the last session too. Looks like we might be racing. ;)

[streamline]

TBH this go carting stuff wont prove anything, they should have organised a track day and got us to take a real car round....

[B@zz@]

I don't entirely agree - the principles of karting apply to racing cars as well, but I think the shame is that there isn't an intermediate round between the karts and the boot camp - the karts would sort the serious drivers from the friday night Hamiltons, then a couple of hundred of us could do track days like you suggest.

From what I gather, the quality of *some* of the semi-finalists would leave a track day looking like a bad day in Bosnia without some way of filtering the 'chaff'.

I've approached this from the start as though I'll be stepping into a racing VXR next season - fitness training daily and working hard to master the karts at Manchester. For me the karting is going to be some fun before the real work begins.

That said, I wish everyone luck, and hope that if I'm beaten to the flag, it's by someone who has taken it seriously and worked hard to get there.

Ooops, sounds like a lecture. ;)

[mac326a]

I kind of agree with some of both of what you're saying.

If everyone could drive equally as well (which they cant of course) the guy who might be in great physical shape but weighs 2 or 3 stone more loses out when in a little kart. Of course this hardly matters as much when racing a VXR or a touring car about.

So I can see:
TBH this go carting stuff wont prove anything, they should have organised a track day and got us to take a real car round....

Although its true in the other sense that it would look like a warzone with all the un-vetted erratic cretins that may turn up to a track day. I mean damn, you even see it in a karting - people doing weird, dangerous and completly unsporting things that don't just shaft themselves but everyone else aswell.

This is gonna be terrible if it happens on saturday during your qualifying heat, all you will have on a 500m track is yellow flag after yellow flag and no chance of setting a fast lap. Lets hope for sporting behaviour.

I would have preferred, if it has to be karting, for it to have been at some where like the outdoor 3 sisters place at wigan. There they have more powerful twin engined karts on a wider track that allows, where appropriate, some overtaking without some fool taking you out or spinning off in front of you every 5 mins.

I also think the daytona track is prohibitively short.

But anyway, thats just me. :-|

I still prefer motorbike racing! :lol:

[mac326a]

BTW Bazza, was it you who paid for the tuition from the instructor that day? :P

[mac326a]

I'm in the last session too. Looks like we might be racing. ;)

Assuming we both get the one of the finals, yeah!

[B@zz@]

BTW Bazza, was it you who paid for the tuition from the instructor that day? :P

Nope, not me.. That was James Byrne, another of the VXR semi-finalists.

I spoke to him and another guy afterwards, and it seems most of those that have bothered themselves to get down and practice are in the same boat - serious guys who just want to give it 100%.

Looking at the previous finalists and Rich Gray (one of this year's finalists at Edinburgh), they aren't the tiny tearaways that you tend to see gobbing off at every Open GP, but dedicated drivers looking to make a dream come true.

Or that's it for me at least. 8)

[streamline]

I don't entirely agree - the principles of karting apply to racing cars as well, but I think the shame is that there isn't an intermediate round between the karts and the boot camp - the karts would sort the serious drivers from the friday night Hamiltons, then a couple of hundred of us could do track days like you suggest.

From what I gather, the quality of *some* of the semi-finalists would leave a track day looking like a bad day in Bosnia without some way of filtering the 'chaff'.

I've approached this from the start as though I'll be stepping into a racing VXR next season - fitness training daily and working hard to master the karts at Manchester. For me the karting is going to be some fun before the real work begins.

That said, I wish everyone luck, and hope that if I'm beaten to the flag, it's by someone who has taken it seriously and worked hard to get there.

Ooops, sounds like a lecture. ;)



Carting and Driving a real car are two different things, don't get my wrong I'm good at carting but Im Miles better with a car..
We will just have to wait and see tbh. Like you say the carting is for having a laugh and when we get through to the next stage that's when it all begins :D

[B@zz@]

Carting and Driving a real car are two different things

I don't disagree, but they do also have fundamentally similar skills to master. I'd go as far as to suggest that a kart is probably a closer relative to a race-prep'd car than my comfy sports saloon with it's softer suspension, power steering and Clarkson's driving hits in the CD player. ;)

Either way, Manchester is going to be a good day, hope to see you there. :grin:

[streamline]

Let the Game Biggin :D