Championnat Romand 2003

[Henrik]

There is all this talk at present about the Champcar World Series that has just kicked off the 2003 season, and also F1 that is about to start soon. Rumours are flying around, and excitement is building. There is controversy in the air, and the media is keeping a close watch on the development. But far too many are neglecting the really interesting motor sport series which is also about to start its new season, the Championnat Romand de Karting!

As I will be contesting in the Championnat Romand, participating in the newly created Biland series, I thought it was time that I began a proper thread about all this, so as to keep all you Shamuists up to date with some real racing!

Winter has been far too long, and I have ranted about the cold temperatures we have had here this year under other threads. The cold and the snow has seriously complicated winter training and preparation, but I have been able to work on a number of things. My new kart is all prepared to start the racing, having been properly run in back in October last year. A complete servicing has been made since, new tires purchased etc., and I will be bringing it out of storage next weekend.

I have also invested in some hospitality facilities, as a new pit tent has been purchased so that I will now be able to have a proper presence in the paddock throughout the season. A new transporter is being considered (well, an old beat-up second hand truck is being looked at to be converted in to a kart transporter), and with a bit of luck will be available for the first race to be held on March 30th in Lyon. So things are looking good for the Almighty Motorsport team!

There is also a major rumour at present that we will have some formidable competition this year. It seems a competitor who holds more World Championship titles than Michael Schumacher will attend one of our races in my category. Rolf Biland, 7 times Side Car World Champion, and also the creator of the Biland Kart engine, is said to attend one of our races, together with former F1 racer Marc Surer!! So, I’ll be going up against some really serious competition!!

I’ll keep you posted here as things develop, let you know how testing is going, and provide you with some race reports.

It’s going to be a great karting year!!!!!

[daSilva]

Henrik,

I'm really looking forward to hearing all about your exploits. And if you can beat Biland and Surer, maybe your F1 career isn't over yet.

[greg99]

Da Silva - entries are still open for that race and, given that yours truly is the competition boss , I am sure you can get a VIP treatment throughout the weekend.

So, are you coming or are you coming?

[daSilva]

What was the date for that? ;D

But you know I wouldn't want to embarrass a 7 time champion and ex F1 driver. Hehe.

[pabs]

That's great Henrik!! I am sure you will kick ass this season with your new kart. Please do keep us posted.

...And also I'd like to point out that Almighty Motorsport is the only FPTOM team that actually competes in Motorsports ;D

WAY TO GO DRIVER 1A!!

[greg99]

Very good point Pabs. But please don't forget who rules the championship Almighty competes in....that means that Dream Power is the only FPOTM team to have someone in a position of authority in an FIA sanctionned championship.....and with the FIA backing me up I can disqualify Almighty for no reason - none whatsoever....


NEVER underestimate the power of a woman ;D ;D

[Henrik]

Okay, had my first test session of the new year today.

Things went fairly well, although I still am having some problems with the cooling of the engine. Must find a solution, because my engine begins overheating, which is not a good thing for a race engine (or for any engine for that matter!).

Lap times were good though, roughly 1.5 seconds better than with my old kart.

Oh, and had a great session trying to overtake today. Went up behind some drivers more or less doing the same lap times as myself, and managed each time to do some conclusive passes. Great fun. Spun once....

Good news, either I'm fit (although I have not been working out like I should) or my new kart is much less physical than the old one.

[Henrik]

Time for an update!

After my last test, my kart was brought to the Biland factory to resolve the over-heating issue. It turns out that it was a result of air-bubbles forming in the engine. There seems to be a recurring problem with the purge of the cooling circuit, but the factory have now placed a special purge tube that goes between the engine and the radiator. I can see instantly if there is any air present in the circuit, and complete the purge.

While the kart was at the factory, they also took the time to implement the latest improvements to the engine. As such, I now have new stiffer valve springs installed, and the oil vacuum has been removed as this was not necessary. Both changes should increase the power output slightly. Also, some parts that had proven to be a bit weak and prone to breaking have been replaced.

So, next Saturday it is off to the Lyon circuit. A 1'350 meter beautiful track, with a perfectly smooth surface. I'll be testing all Saturday, with my mechanic on site as he will also be competing in the Rotax Max category. Race is on Sunday, with the technical control starting at 7:00 in the morning!!

Am I excited? To paraphrase Pabs from another thread....FUCK YEAH!!!

Here's a drawing of the track layout:



And this is how the circuit setting is. As you can see, there are a number of tracks in the complex, and the competition track is the one in the upper left corner:

[Henrik]

So I'm back after a long karting weekend, and fresh out of the jacuzzi. Muscles are a bit sore, but then again it was the first race weekend of the year.

So, how did it go you ask, well it was eventful.

On Saturday we got to the track fairly late, due to so traffic jams and stuff, but we finally arrived and I was able to set up my new paddock tent and all. Makes for a really nice place to be now, and this way I can work on the kart and sit and have drinks in the shade, and I can assure you, with the weather we had this weekend it was needed.

After preparing the kart, I go out on the track with a bit of apprehension that I might still have my over-heating problems. It is really sunny and hot, and the temp stabilizes at 62°!! Woohoo, everything is as it should! Time to work a bit on those lap times.

I soon realize that I have a problem I have never experienced before. Too much grip! It's amazing the grip that I have, but so much so that instead of sliding in corners, the front begins to jump, ripping my arms off!! Very painful, and not at all good for the lap times. I try increasing the pressure, and it helps a bit, but not much. In the end I figure that it should actually be fine next morning as it will be very early for the qualifying, and the track will be a lot less grippy. So, I finally decide to call it a day. Back to the paddock, and give the kart a proper cleaning.

Later in evening, a group of us get together and have a bbq in the paddock, everybody talking about how the track had been, and the problems each one might have had. A perfect evening if you like!

Next morning alarm goes off at 5:50, which is actually 4:50 since we switched to daylight savings time. Ugh! Arrive at the track and the stress begins.

I get my kart out, and prepare for the technical control, which is being handled by a good friend of mine who came to the track with us. He looks at my tires, and a bit embarrassed mentions that my front tires are not the correct ones! I have never thought to check them, as I have assumed that the shop would have put the proper ones on. Instead I have some super softs on in the front, which would explain the grip problem from the previous day. Now I begin to panic as I see my first race go down the drain for a technical problem! Then I remember that as of this year, we have a guy with a service van in the paddock, and I quickly check if he has a pair of front tires for me. He does! Run around, get the new tires mounted on my rims, and back to the technical control. I’m in!!! Phew…..

Time to line up for the 5 minute warm up, and my kart will not start as the battery does not have enough charge. Not to worry, I have a back-up with me (yes, I have learnt a thing or two over the years!). Okay, get out, but with the cool morning temp, by the time I get the engine up to temp, it’s time to stop again.

Qualifying. Kart starts fine, and I’m off. It’s feeling much better now with the proper tires on, and both the engine and the tire temps are soon up in optimal condition. Get some good fast laps, and I have still an amazing grip! I never had grip like this with my old kart. There is so much grip, that in one tight left hander, as I get on the gas to exit quickly, my kart actually goes up on two wheels!!! I can’t believe it, and so I end up being a bit too careful in that corner the following laps. Well my time allows for a 5th overall in my heat, and a 3rd in my category.

Race one. Now I’m pumped! Time to fire up the engines, and mine hesitates a bit, but finally comes to life, and we are off for the warm-up lap. This is heaven! Come around, and the flag drops, only for the guy right in front of me to almost stall!!! A bunch of guys pass on the outside, and I lose like 5 positions. Oh well, since most of those are running with the 2 stroke Rotax engine, I should be able to get back up top quickly. I soon begin over taking some guys, and I’m having the time of my life. This is just too much fun! Then on lap 7, I’m catching another guy, and as we reach a sharp left, he spins off. Then, as I hit my brakes, I instantly spin off before I even have time to understand what happened. Somebody has leaked cooling fluid on the track! Damn!!!! Jump out of my kart, push it out of the gravel, and get back in the race. I’m not sure how many places I lost, but it doesn’t really matter. Problem though is that I’m now too careful braking for that corner, and my lap times begin to suffer. Still, I manage to overtake two guys, and begin hounding down a third. As he sees me, he starts closing the door all over the place. In the end, I don’t manage to get by, but it was still so much fun. I think I get 5th overall, and 3rd in my category.

About an hour later it’s time for the second heat. This time it is decided that my category will be starting some 20 meters before the others, since we are a bit faster. And so the race ends up being un-eventful as I keep my third place all the way through until the end. I have to say I was getting a bit tired near the end, and my lap times were down about a second from what I was doing before. Still third, which makes me third overall for my category!!! Yeah!!!! My first podium finally after three seasons!

What a day!


P.S. I should perhaps add that we were only three in my category today….but hey, a podium is a podium!

[Henrik]

I put some pics in the photoalbum, in anybody is interested. I tried putting a link here, but as is sometimes the case, the Photoisland site is not working too well.....

[Henrik]

Okay, here is my pit/hospitality tent



And here is the podium (with the no.2 seeming very eager to get out of there!!):

[Wycco]

Well done Henrik... That deserves a beer...

Glad to see you managed to emulate the great Takagi at one point this weekend!!!



Oh PS- yeah, well done on the podium too!

[daSilva]

Congrats.

Sounds like you had a blast, and the Kart worked well for your first race. Too much grip, LOL.

[Henrik]

Race 2.....

Yep, we barely had time to breath between the races this time. Now I know the F1 guys have a race every 2 weeks, but for us the interval used to be longer. Not a big problem this time as I really did not have any particular problem to resolve with my kart, other than getting a fresh set of tires. Oh, I have ordered several sprockets to be cut in two so that I can more easily change them, but they are not ready yet, and so I went to race 2 with the same sprocket as before.

On Saturday I drove up to the track, which is situated in a nice calm place in the French Jura mountains. I have always liked this track as it is fairly fast and technically challenging, but a bit short and it has one seriously dangerous left-hander we take flat out. The biggest problem though is that the paddock is tiny, and so when I got there, it was very difficult to find a spot to sent up my tent. I managed in the end and soon had the kart out of the trailer and prepped to go.

The temperature was much lower than two weeks earlier, and it had been raining all morning. The track was dry, but still slippery. As a result, the kart would slide like I like it, and so I just worked a bit on the set-up to try and get some decent times. Being in a bit of a hurry to get back to our indoor track to help out Greg, I basically did 20 minutes on the lap, cleaned the kart, and packed up for the day.

Sunday morning we had to be at the track by 7:00, and it is an hour and a half drive from our place. So, up early, and race to the track. It was a very chilly morning, with the mountains being covered in frost. The track was okay when we got there, and since the sky was clear, as soon as the sun came out, we all started feeling better. In talking with some other guys, it turned out we would be 5 in my category this time, so no more guaranteed podium J. Well, what I really want is a bit of a fight on the track, and I really wish we would soon be 10 or so competing.

The qualifying went well, with my lap times consistently improving. In the end I got the 4th spot on the grid, but my difference to the really fast guys was now down to 0.5 second. That’s on a lap of around 43 seconds. Now I know I can still improve on this, and so I feel things really are going in the right direction.

The first heat was not much to write about. Got a decent start, and kept my 4th spot until the end. I did notice however that it was in the first 3 laps that I lost some ground on the guys in front, but after that I kept the pace. As it turns out, I’m too hesitant in the early laps, not feeling confident of the cold tires. Seeing how the others go, I realize I can push a bit harder in the opening laps.

Heat to had the grid inversed, and so I was starting in 2nd. As the flag drop, I felt I got a good start, but coming up to the first corner it got too tight, and I backed off!! I thought I let two guys through, but Greg said it was three. Actually what happened was that right at the start I gained apposition, and then actually lost it in the first corner. So in a way we were both right. Then I started hounding the guy in front! Problem was that after a few laps, one guy who was behind me, and clearly faster, slipped through. Down to 5th!!! Oh well, I knew I could get the other guy in front of me, and so I put the pressure on. Finally I got a great opening, and slipped through on the inside of a tight right-hander. The next lap, coming in to a hairpin, I was really surprised to see him come back past me. Actually after the race, he told me he never though he would be able to make the corner, but he did! After that we fought like crazy! It was really exhilarating, and I was having the time of my life. I would come up alongside of him, but he would hold steady. Now there is this really fast right-hander I mentioned earlier. I got up alongside of him as we started approaching this corner. Now I thought eh would give in, but no! Instead we ended up going side by side through it, both flat out! And the fight continued, until finally he made a mistake and slid off briefly enough for me to get by. So, another 4th place, and 4th overall.

Okay, I know it could have been better, but it was just so much fun to fight the closely, and I mean rubbing like every lap, for 17 laps. That is what I go to the track for!!

So, now that I’m back home, relaxing, I feel great, and I know I can do better next time……

P.S. I’ll have some action shots up soon as a friend brought his camera.

[Henrik]

Round three of the Championnat Romand is quickly approaching, and I hope to have my new sprockets by then. The track, Circuit de L'Enclos, is one that I know very well, being the first track I ever raced on. It's a nice and fast track, some physical corners and a very difficult hairpin. The donwside is that the track surface has not been maintained as it should, and so there are some holes starting to show. Especially in one left hander that is taken flat out, and so you don't want to get it wrong there!!

Here is a pic of the track:



And here is an aerial photo:



The paddock is fairly big at this track, but as the photo shows, it can become rather packed at times!!!

Hoping the race will be dry again, although last year we had our only wet race at this track.