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F100cc Lights Up Rye House and Breaths Life Back into Karting!“Do not look at the weather! PLEASE do not look at the weather I don't want to know!” “Oh it's going to rain, isn't it?” It was going to take some sort of divine intervention to deliver a weekend of sunshine to Rye House for the first ever F100cc race. Every weather report said rain on one of the weekend days. It's November, it has to rain, Axle Rose says so! But someone, something, was looking after Rye House last weekend as F100cc lit up the ear drums of the HKC paddock. What was happening was more than just a race, it was an event, a 'happening'. And the glorious sunshine was the seasoning that added the spice to a special weekend.
To be part of race that was purely about the heritage, the essence, and the just goddamn awesomeness of the most awesome racing vehicles ever to grace this planet was more than just a privilege.
Video from F100cc at Rye - Turn Volume UP!
What was just a thought during a conversation a couple of months ago, F100cc was born from a desire to finally end the gloom and doom that has infected karting over the last several years. The endless moaning and muttering about the current state of karting made more noise than the modern generation of karts themselves. Something had to be done! Thankfully Alan Reynolds - Club secretary of Hoddesdon Kart Club - was receptive to our concept of creating a class that celebrates what makes karting so special for drivers and teams – 100cc direct drive pure karting! We were good to go! F100cc was on!
You know when you are on to a good 'un when masses of people are approaching your kart with smacking great smiles on their faces. It's something you see all too little nowadays, and showed the fire still burns brightly in many karters out there. 100cc karting is very much alive in the hearts of racers!
One of the major drawbacks of driving in F100cc however is you miss out on actually watching the karts! A rather pleasant dilemma to be in however. One of my favourite moments of the weekend was on Saturday when I was accelerating out of the second hairpin at Rye House when I heard Gareth Nicolai's aircooled Reedjet screaming it's nuts off down the main straight. I thought my engine sounded good!
Kevlyn Woodhead's and his very own 1997 Wright/ICA also put on a show for the first heat. It started trickling with rain in the morning for the first heat, and on slicks, Kelvyn provided a masterclass in stylish, yet proper fast driving. The first ever race in F100cc was won by a 13 year old Wright Kart and a wonderful sounding air-cooled Parilla Reedjet. Stunning stuff! The mix of water-cooled and air-cooled engines allowed spectators to enjoy the range of sounds created by these karts. From David Baldwin's Rotary Valve Vortex to James Harridges classic Rotax DSD. And don't be fooled into thinking the water-cooled engines would decimate the older generation air-cooled engines. Kelvyn Woodhead proved how competitive they can be by finishing 2nd on an engine that literally had not burnt the castor/petrol mix for 13 years!
In the end it was New Zealand's Mark Elder who dominated the weekend. Him and his TopKart/TM package was just rapid all weekend, despite his tyres being a good 400 laps old. He was untouchable and drove flawlessly. Whatever Maxxis has done to make their new generation Green Label tyres they've done something right. Every driver had their story about their journey to the race. Richard Puddle, for example, went through hell and high water to get to the race, it was astonishing he made it. Lewis Tindall was experiencing his first ever 2-stroke race. David Baldwin hadn't seen his engine run to Saturday afternoon. Alex Nuttal experienced his first ever senior race, safe to say he absolutely loved it. Alex Withers was back racing after his successful NATSKA days. Gareth Nicolai is just a pure karter through and through. James Harridge used an engine that hadn't been run in many years. There's something about 100cc that makes all the struggles worthwhile. It was an absolutely stunning weekend and the noise that echoed around Rye House will not be forgotten. If you want to taste the best karts on the planet, and not just be someone on the sidelines watching in, the Hoddesdon Kart Club will continue to run the class. So if you want to get involved check out http://www.properkarting.com/ for the regulations and http://www.hoddesdonkartclub.co.uk/ for details on how to enter. Final Result 1. Mark Elder – TopKart/TM DNS - Richard Puddle Fastest Lap: Mark Elder 36.20 |
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