Impressive showing at Kimbolton for 3DR!
Tuesday, 13 May 2008 12:42
30° of sweltering heat greeted the team all weekend for our first trip to Kimbolton as 3DR Motorsport. With Danny racing, and two new drivers in the awning, the weekend was set to be hard work if nothing else. Kimbolton had just been resurfaced with fresh tarmac, and corners were tightened, accumulating into an unknown quantity of grip on the circuit.

Saturday morning saw new drivers Milan Mach (British seeded driver) in Rotax 177, and Kyle Chesterman in Rotax Senior settle into life in the team. After preparation on the two karts was completed, Saturday unofficial practice could begin.

In 177, Mach spent the day running through engine components and tyres. A 4 tenth barrier over the field saw a massive performance gain for him in comparison with his last 2 year’s racing.

‘We managed to get the balance on the kart extremely stable for Milan today, and hit the nail on the head with jetting. Milan has seen an instant boost in performance today, and we will work our hardest to see that this continues into tomorrow.’ Team Manager, Tom Smith

In Rotax Senior, a strong grid of 32 karts lined up for Saturday practice. With a new track surface to learn, the emphasis was on testing with Danny. A test programme that involved kart balance and engine setup was successfully run through, and although he ended up 3 tenths off the pace, the team gained a good idea what was needed for the Sunday.

Anything that we learned with Dannie’s kart filtered onto Chestermans equipment, as the team used Saturday to work on Kyle’s confidence in the seat. A test programme was useful to identify a stutter at Turn 1, and Kyle ended up 1 tenth off the fastest on Saturday.

‘Kyle has been driving for 10 years’, so he has a good idea with driver feedback , and how to lap well. His performance has definitely been boosted by using the team for technical advice today, the area in which he usually struggles with his racing. I believe that if Kyle can carry through what we tell him, then a good result can be gained tomorrow. We have a chance of a 1-2 in seniors, and this is testament to how the team have worked on the balance of the karts today.’ Tom Smith, Team Manager.

After the track had settled over night, things quickly changed. During qualifying, 177 driver Mach achieved solid consistent results, allowing him to line up on pole for the race. The two seniors were a bit short on luck during the qualifying heats. Danny struggled with a stuck power valve in heat 1, but bounced back to take a 2nd and a 7th from 27th in the following two heats. Kyle managed a 5th, and a 7th in heat 1 and 3, but was taken out at the start of heat 2 starting at the front. He recovered to 11th by the end. Danny lined up on grid 5, with kyle a row behind him on grid 7.

Starting on Pole, some changes were made to the balance of Mach’s kart for the final. He quickly capitalised on his advantage off the start, and drove away from national front runners Lee Torrie (LT Motorsport) and Lucas Orrock (Paul Carr Racing). A bad accident on lap 10 caused the red flag to come out, and Mach lost all of the 2 second lead that had been built up. With a good restart, Milan instantly drove into the lead and opened up a 1 second advantage. However, on the final lap, Lee Torrie capitalised on a mistake from Milan at turn 1, and with a coming together, stole the lead. Mach had to settle for 2nd.

‘That was the best race that I have had all season. The team did a great job of achieving a perfect balance on the kart, and I had as much power as anyone on the circuit today. I am disappointed that I couldn’t hold on for one more lap, but feel that everything has been maximised this weekend, performance of all the kit, and myself.’ Milan Mach

The Senior Rotax race included 6 top drivers from around the country, including Danny. Starting on row 3 and 4 was not an advantage, but with the all important inside line for Turn 1, all was not lost. Off the start, 2007 club champion Dawson got away with 1998 Formula A British champion Rob Jenkinson. Kyle found himself in 8th, with Danny 4th. Lap 2 saw Kyle quickly dispatch of hopefuls Mulley and Turton, and setting off after the front runners.

On lap 3, Danny passed ex Super 1 driver Mark Walsh, and both drivers had a 2 tenths advantage over Dawson. Both of the karts were working superbly, as Danny closed onto the back of the front two, and Kyle easing past Walsh for 4th. At this stage a 1-2 was a certain possibility, with Danny and Kyle both fastest on the track.

A move on Jenkinson for 3rd that was heavily defended saw Danny slip back some 3 seconds behind Dawson, as Kyle got hit from behind by Walsh causing him to spin. A determined drive from Chesterman saw him come home 15th, but extremely disappointed! Danny fought hard, and eventually closed the gap to Jenkinson by lap 15. With backmarkers in the way, nothing could be done, and he crossed the line 1 second behind eventual winner Marc Dawson.

It is worth noting that Danny was quickest, and Kyle 2nd quickest in the final, with Danny securing the lap record for the track.

‘An excellent weekend just failed to deliver in the finals today. The team have worked tirelessly and have managed to put the fastest karts down in each class, so well done to them. Kyle exceeded expectation, and should have gone on to at least finish on the podium, and another strong showing from Danny was unfortunate not to turn into a win. If Jenkinson didn’t turn in on him aggressively then maybe this would have been different. Milan has driven brilliantly all weekend. A good performance shown by all. The new Kimbolton circuit is much improved and I have decided to book up the circuit for the rest of 2008 to show continued support.’ Team Principle, Don Russell.
 
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