UK Karting - The UK 24hr Endurance Race 2005

Results & Reports
The UK 24hr Endurance Race 2005

The UK 24hr Endurance Race 2005
19th-21st August 2005 - Whilton Mill

After 9 months of preparation and some frantic action in the last month due to a change of venue, the scene was now set for the 2005 UK 24hr event at Whilton Mill.

Thursday morning and co-promoter Ted Poole was already preparing the refuel bay whilst yours truly was busy performing a PB anti rain dance. In true form the 3-day event was blessed with fabulous weather and not a wet tyre in sight.

Although the event was not scheduled to start until Friday at noon, Thursday lunchtime witnessed a continual flow of trucks, motorhomes and trailers, entering the circuit and by Thursday evening the pits, paddock and camping area, had started to resemble an expensive refugee camp.

Friday morning and race administration was a very busy place to be. Some of the team’s driver line ups, read like a who’s who of European karting, enhanced by teams from Scotland, Isle of Man, Norway, and Holland. Unofficial practice took place from noon to 6pm, followed by a jaw dropping model helicopter display, courtesy of “Modelworld” and then hog-baps and beer, courtesy of the promoters.

Race day had arrived at last and after pre-race practice and qualifying, DXI-Sin had taken the pole from Karting 4 Middle East. Title holders Team X made up the 2nd row with AJB 2 followed by MWC Installations and top clubman class qualifiers, World Thunder and Westco who would start in an unprecedented 6th and 7th places overall.

Race Start

After a perfect start, Karting 4 ME, DXI-Sin, Team X and Autotekk all took their turn at the head of the field, with Autotekk taking the lion’s share of the lead. Kart-tv were one the first teams to encounter a serious mechanical problem, dropping them back to 34th place followed shortly by the RAFMSA kart team and Apex Racing. After 4 hours of racing, the top leader board was as follows, Autotekk, Karting 4 ME, DXI-Sin, Racing for Holland, AJB1 and Pro Gem, with World Thunder as top clubman class contenders in a creditable 10th place.

By 6pm the ever-present Team X had slowly worked their way up to 4th place and by now a third of the field has already visited the pits with unscheduled stops due to an array of mechanical failures. Team X then had a steering column failure causing them to pit and duly fell 7 laps behind the leaders, Karting 4 ME.

At 8pm, as the sunset, the floodlights came on and Karting 4 ME were now 2 laps clear of Autotekk, with DXI-Sin a further lap adrift. Team BAR had moved up to clubman leaders from World Thunder and Westco had recovered to 3rd place in class and 15th place overall. By 10pm Karting 4 ME had extended their lead over Autotekk to 3 laps, likewise their lead back to 3rd place DXI-Sin, had also increased to a 3 lap lead. Racing for Holland had moved up to 4th from a recovered Team X, with AJB 1 and 2 in close attendance.

At the midnight hour and half way through the race, Karting 4 ME were looking like strong contenders for the title, holding a 4 lap lead over Autotekk. DXI-Sin had dropped back with a small mechanical problem but AJB 1 were going like a steam train in 3rd place, with Team X hard on their rear bumper and both had far from given up the fight.

By 2am the paramedic had started to get very busy, with an array of driver aliments in the form of hand blisters, bruised ribs and minor cuts a busies. This event was proving so gruelling and demanding, that only those teams with the highest level of fitness and preparation would achieve their expectations. Even some of the big named teams were finding things tough and for those teams who were competing in their first 24hr race, the mission looked almost impossible.

The karts were struggling too, with many teams resulting to the welding gear and engines and clutches were being changed with gay abandon. Casualties included Misfits. Dalesman, Team Bowood and DDC Racing. Team X then suffered the a crushing blow and lost 15 laps to the leaders when the rare occurrence of a snapped brake pedal potentially put paid to their chances, meanwhile Karting 4 ME moved relentlessly forward having covered 1279 laps by 4am in the morning.

Racing At Night

As the sun rose, Karting 4 ME were a country mile clear of ABJ 1 and Racing for Holland and the winner looked likely to come from one of these three. Mechanical problems, in the early hours of the morning had hit title contenders Autotekk, AJB 2, Teamtec, Pro Gem and Team X and clubman class leaders Team BAR, were imminently to suffer a mechanical failure which would sadly lead to their retirement.

By 6am, long term leaders Karting 4 ME were forced to pit with a mechanical problem that would likely see the title beyond their reach and AJB 1 took up the lead from Racing for Holland. With just 3 hours of racing to go, the front leader board read, AJB 1, Racing for Holland, Autotekk, Karting 4 ME, AJB 2, Pro Gem, Team X, Team Tec and Apollo who were now leading the clubman class from Europelaw and Rogue Racing.

Autotekk were then forced to pit once again, spoiling their chance of a podium finish and it was a race to the flag between AJB 1 and Racing for Holland, with just 2 laps separating them, with Karting 4 ME in 3rd place.

With glory and the chequered flag in sight, AJB 1 charged for the finish line in a blaze of fireworks, having completed 1912 laps and almost 3 laps clear of Racing for Holland, with Karting 4 ME just taking the final podium place from a hard finishing Autotekk.

After a short recuperation period, Kelvin Nicholls carried our extensive post race scrutineering, which confirmed that all karts had complied with the technical regulations. The presentation ceremony then got underway with live radio update to The Isle of Man, a video production crew and more photographers than there were karts; the victors were then presented with their honours. Prizes included French holidays from sponsors, Parkcastle, GameRacers, tyres from Zoom, goodies from Prokart Engineering and Kartsmart, together with stunning glass column trophies and some emotional moments for those who received special awards.

So came to an end, the 2005 24hr event and as teams de-camped, there was already talk about next years event.

Winning Team Photo

Results

Overall
1 AJB 1
2 Racing for Holland
3 Karting 4 ME
4 Autotekk
5 AJB 2
6 Pro Gem

Clubman
1 Apollo
2 Europelaw
3 Rogue Racing

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