C-100 End of Season Review 2007 - LW
Introduction
It’s that time of year again and once again through popular demand
I’ve decided to compile the now legendary SD Sprint championship
top 10. As I say every year, the opinions expressed within this
article are solely mine and not that of the rest of the C100 team
so it’s me you can thank or me you can argue with about the content
of this article!
One thing to emphasise is the basis of my rating which retain
to how well a driver does compared to how well I believed they
would have done at the start of the season and also I put a lot
of emphasis on results (wins and podiums) and less emphasis on
consistency although I except this is also important over the course
of a season.
I’ve continued the ‘best race’ and ‘worse race’ category for those
in the top 10 and this relates to what I consider was that driver’s
strongest/weakest race performance of the year. I’ve cut out some
of the other categories I used to have on the grounds that we now
have three championships so I have more to write than in past seasons
but I have added a section within each category that does highlight
some key performances from drivers outside the top 10 for those
that didn’t make it in this year. I’ve also made some of my now
famous predictions about the season ahead based on what I know
at the time of writing….
Enjoy…
Final championship position in brackets.
1 (1) Jon Pethick
2 (2) Oliver Allwood
3 (3) Andrew Smyth
4 (4) Vince Bond
5 (5) Zac Seward
6 (8) Dan Gore
7 (6) Trevor Fowell
8 (10) Matt Brooks
9 (25) Simon Young
10 (7) Steve Townsend
Just missing out on my top 10:
- John Whiteley
- Karl Suter
- Steve Kendell
- James Norris
1. Jon Pethick
Of all the three reviews this was the hardest in terms of determining
the top 2. Everything else was straightforward in the LW class
although I except it looks a tad similar to the actual top 10!!!
The reason the top two was the hardest decision is because I firmly
believe that Jon Pethick is not the fastest or the most rounded
driver in the LW class (that honour in my opinion falls to Oliver
Allwood) but at the end of the day I just couldn’t take away the
fact that Jon came from no where in 2007, won four races and actually
won the title on merit. When the season started it was obvious
that Vince, Oliver and Andy were probably going to emerge as the
three title contenders so how on earth did Jon Pethick transition
himself from a relative nobody in 2006 (no offence here Jon!) into
a title contender for 2007.
Jon smade a quantum leap from 2006 and he made it immediately
by hunting down Vince Bond in the wet at Buckmore Park and making
a neat pass on championship favourite on the last lap and then
survived a number of desperate attempts over the course of the
final half lap and then had the confidence to laugh it all off
despite nearly being wiped out by Vince at the final corner!!!
Cool as well as quick….. For those that thought this might have
been a fluke, round 2 provided further evidence of Jon’s potential
when he stormed through from mid field to win yet again, two out
of two in the wet but could he perform just as well in the dry?
Shennington swiftly answered that question when he edged his way
into the lead of a frantic 6 way dice for the lead although on
this occasion he had to give best to Andy Smyth but never the less
two firsts and a second seemed to indicate the championship was
over already!
However and as in all forms of motorsport it wasn’t going to be
that easy and the next three rounds opened the title up to his
fellow contenders. That said, he was heading for a sure fire podium
at Clay in the wet when the kart expired within sight of the finish
line which was extremely tough on Jon and good points dropped.
At Rye House back in July he put it all behind him to run off into
the distance for an easy win whilst he battled through 5th at Buckmore
at round 9 before splashing round to another podium in the wet
at Clay. The pivotal race really came at Bayford Meadows in October
and when it mattered most it was Jon that came out on top after
a race long duel with Oliver Allwood, wining his 4th race of the
season and meaning he had the upper hand as the championship moved
to the season finale at Rye House. Knowing a top 6 was good enough,
Jon was careful not to make a mistake in the final and as others
slid off or made overly optimistic moves Jon got the job done with
a sensible and safe drive to third, his 7th top 3 finish of the
season and one that secured him a first ever title.
No doubting his pace in both wet and dry conditions and his race
craft was first class at times. I’m not quite sure what happened
at Rye (round 4) or Llandow but he really struggled at both events
whilst he looked ever inch a champion contender at all the other
races. On the downside I think he needs to learn from the likes
of Andy Smyth about how to how to take set-backs on the chin and
I’d like to see him take a slightly more active role within the
club, perhaps helping some of the newer drivers etc but take nothing
away from his driving skills or his ability to deliver results
when the pressure is on. It is with a some regret that Jon informed
me that he will only contest 2 or 3 races in 2008 but he promised
to be back for a full season in 2009 and he will consider the option
of racing in the Prems in 2008 as opposed to racing in the LW class
although I suspect the lack of sufficient track time and the desire
to show off the number 1 plate will mean he does actually revert
to racing in the LW class on a few occasions this year. Great season,
job well done, more wins than his competitors and a great example
of having self belief and really raising your game in between seasons.
Well done Jon.
Best race Buckmore Park Round 1
Worst Race Rye House round 4
2. Oliver Allwood
As inferred above, I honestly believe that Oliver Allwood was
the best all round driver in the LW class in 2007 and had it not
been for missing round 2 and a slight dip in form at rounds 3 and
4 I think he would have beaten JP to the title. It was clear to
see after his debut in 2006 that he was a top driver and with his
extensive MSA background it was a 50/50 call for me as to whether
he was a Premier or LW driver in 2007. To see him winning races
and challenging for the LW title was therefore no big surprise
and at times (Buckmore Park round 8) he was quite simply in a class
of his own. He must be very disappointed not to win overall but
5 consecutive top 2 finishes in the last 5 races of 2007 showed
his class and underlined why he is consistently the fastest driver
in the class.
He started the year with a charging drive from the back of the
A final to third at round one before inexplicable missing round
2. He looked decided average at Shennington and Rye although in
fairness he still finished in the top 12 on both occasions. He
seemed to be back on top form at Clay in the wet where he was best
of rest behind a fired up Vince Bond whilst 6th at Llandow was
really 4th with a two place penalty after knocking over a cone
right before my eyes at the first chicane early in the race! With
just a couple of podiums to his name it didn’t look that promising
really at the mid point of the season but the second half was outstanding
starting with a second behind JP at Rye and then the performance
of the season as he obliterated the opposition at Buckmore to win
the A final by the length of the main straight!
After leading for a while in the wet at Clay he ended up second
again followed by another second behind JP at Bayford and it was
this result that really made the difference in the race for the
title but try as he might he could do nothing about JP on this
occasion. He came out guns blazing at the final round and put it
on pole and led most of the race to win his second event of the
season, securing second overall 4 points behind Jon at the final
whistle. Perhaps my only criticism is why he didn’t win more races
and he will have to up his game to ensure he is consistently on
top form when he moves to the Premier class in 2008. On that subject
I’ve got bags of respect for Oli for making this move and I think
it will be tough for him in 2008 but he has ambition and a desire
to succeed and I think he will do OK and hold his own in 2008.
Great season, just missed out on the title but a really top rate
driver who is clean, fair and very much respected in the paddock.
Best Race Buckmore Park Round 8
Worst Race Rye House round 4
3. Andy Smyth
Whilst its fair to say that this was a three way battle for the
championship and all three contenders appeared quite evenly matched,
it didn’t take a great amount of thinking to slot Andy Smyth into
position number three in my top 10. Yes he won more races than
Oliver Allwood, but he just didn’t finish high enough on enough
occasions to really give himself a fair shot at the title come
the final round. Andy was another driver that I personally would
have slotted into the Premier class in 2007 and so it was again
no surprise to see him win races and become a title contender but
unlike Oliver we all have to remember that Andrew is actually still
very young and without that much karting experience so what he
achieved should not be underestimated.
The difference between Andrew and the two above him really came
down to a number of slightly average performances at rounds 1 and
2 and also rounds 5 and 6. In between that he was outstanding and
I think he impressed me the most at the final round when his world
really fell apart in the heats and yet he managed to stay calm
and then put in the drive of the season as he fought his way through
from the back of the B final into the lead of the A final!!!! More
of that later….. It was a slow and unimpressive start to the season
although he did actually secure pole at round 2 before throwing
it all away in the wet early in the race. However, he picked himself
up to win a thrilling 6 way battle at Shennington driving a very
mature race to put an even bigger than usual smile on his Dads
face!!! Full of confidence, he secured pole at Rye House a month
later and led from start to finish showing that he could not only
battle his way to the front but he could also defend over the course
of an entire A final as he held Darren Pullen at bay throughout.
Two 7th places at Clay and Llandow were perhaps a little disappointing
after two great wins whilst 6th at Rye was equally unimpressive,
the damage now being done in terms of losing points to the high
scoring Allwood and Pethick.
However, he looked on top form at Buckmore Park in August as he
secured pole but he was powerless to stop Oliver Allwood running
away with the A final on that occasion. In difficult wet conditions
at Clay a month later he dispelled any myth that he couldn’t drive
in the wet by winning another epic A final after seeing off Bond
and Allwood to firmly re-establish himself as the third title contender
but it all fell apart in the heats at Bayford and a rather messy
and uninspiring A final left him with no more than an outside shot
of the title at Rye House in mid November. As noted above, things
then went from bad to worse as he seemed to come off in every heat
and then retired from heat two when his kart oiled up. Despite
the set-backs he never once complained. He never lost his temper
and he never blamed anyone else and I really admire and respect
him for this. He then picked himself up and stormed through from
something like grid 18 to secure a place in the A final before
storming through from the back (grid 25?) to lead the A final after
just 4 laps!!! Unfortunately a back marker bulked him and he dropped
to second on this occasion but he certainly put in the drive of
the season and more than that, he demonstrated his ability to cope
under extreme pressure and recover from a very bad set of heats!
I have a couple of minor criticisms and they are that I don’t
like the way he over defends at times, almost to the point of driving
others off the track which I find unsporting and dangerous but
I’d stress it’s not a regular occurrence. I also didn’t like the
fact that he skipped the briefing at Rye (R4) which I find a tad
insulting but he was quick to hold his hand up and assure us it
wouldn’t happen again! II don’t think there is anything to be gained
from staying in the LW class in 2008 and I think if he wants to
grow as a driver he needs to move to the Premier class and whilst
I accept it will be a struggle it will help to enhance his race
craft and his pace. It’s ultimately his call but I for one would
find any 2008 LW successes rather shallow given the fact that Jon
is not racing and Oliver has moved up. Great season, three well
taken wins (all under different conditions) and the recovery of
the season at the final round which was outstanding.
Best race Rye House Round 11
Worst race Bayford Meadows Round 10
4. Vince Bond
Whilst I’m really disappointed in most of Vince’s performances
this year I had to place him fourth in my top 10 because none of
those below can claim a race win or as many front row qualifying
positions as Vince. Vince was of course my pre season favourite
and armed with his extensive experience at both MSA level and C100
this should have been a walk in the park and I still struggle to
explain away how he finished 62 points behind the eventually champion.
As I noted already he was the best qualifier and I think this is
where experience kicks in and this really should have positioned
him for both multiple race wins and numerous podiums all of which
he seemed to let slip through his fingers.
The other problem Vince has is that he can’t seem to accept the
fact that sometimes you have to lose or give up a corner and this
is his major downfall as a driver. Take round 1 as an example.
Pole position, shot off into the distance but got caught on the
final lap by Jon Pethick. Lost the lead, lunged at JP at the last
corner and spun himself out. Plain stupid and 127 points lost.
Yes I know its frustrating to dominate and lose the race on the
last lap but when you are beaten you are beaten and you have to
accept it. That said, it took my criticism for round 1 on the chin
and admitted fault and I admire that in him. He bounced back for
a cracking drive through to third in the wet at Whilton Mill followed
by 4th at Shennington, a race he should have won but it was again
a valuable points addition. He then reverted to round 1 form at
Rye when he seemed to completely lose the plot at mid distance
in the A final and surprise surprise having been involved in some
outrageous barging with a number of others he again spun himself
out (Vince do you see a pattern emerging here!!!). Again, stupid
overly aggressive driving that cost him a lot of points.
Yet again, he took it on the chin and then put in the performance
I had been expecting all season by securing pole at Clay in the
wet and then running away for his one and only A final win of the
year having completely dominated all day long. Brilliant! Llandow
was a non event and he never seemed to get going all day whilst
4th at Rye in July was a little more like it. In terms of results
that was really it and the rest of the season was nothing short
of average although yet again he threw away a great opportunity
at Clay in the wet (again, learn to settle for a top three or four…)
whilst in fairness a kart failure at the final round probably cost
him a top three on that occasion. So, under performed for sure
and certainly failed to turn some great qualifying opportunities
into real results. Has to learn to concede a corner and that it’s
OK to finish second or third on occasions. Has to ease off on some
of his overly aggressive driving which makes him unpopular with
his fellow drivers and I think if he can just take some of these
criticisms on the chin and make some changes over the winter then
he has a chance of being champion in 2008. However, should he fail
to heed this advice then expect another season of missed opportunities.
Didn’t live up to my expectations (or his own!) but its all there
for the taking if he can just learn from his 2007 mistakes.
Best race Clay Pigeon Round 5
Worse Race Rye House Round 4
5. Trevor Fowell
Trevor is really the only driver (outside the top 3 above) that
has really delivered over and above his potential in my opinion.
I compare his performance to Jon Pethick because he came from no
where and made an immediate impact by finishing second at round
1 after Bond took himself out at the final corner, but take nothing
away from Trevor’s performance that day which really was outstanding.
Fair to say he is probably more at home in the wet but then I often
believe that real talent shines through in the wet and he has certainly
mastered the art of extracting maximum performance from a kart
in the wet (as proved at Clay later in the year as well). It’s
a pity he also missed round 2 (also wet) whilst the next two dry
races yielded little results but in the wet at Clay in May he stormed
through to 5th and secured another useful stash of points.
Llandow, Rye and Buckmore were again fairly average performances,
but not top 10 and in reality I was starting to label him as the
Stuart Symonds of the LW class as he seemed to deliver at the wet
races but not at the dry races. Sure enough, another wet and soggy
Clay race in September yielded another great result (4th) whilst
he seemed to finally be getting the hang of a dry race track with
7th at Bayford. The final race looked likely to deliver another
good result but kart failure wrecked any chance of ending the season
on a high note but he once again shone in difficult wet conditions.
No doubting he needs to work on his dry whether performances but
I’m impressed at his ability to master the rain and deliver consistent
top 5 results when it’s wet. Another thoroughly nice person who
is both clean and sporting and a driver who I think could spring
a real surprise in 2008 especially when it rains!
Best race Clay Pigeon Round 9
Worst Race Rye House Round 4
6. Zac Seward
Zac is another driver who didn’t really deliver to the best of
his ability and if anything he had what I would describe as an
invisible season where he just didn’t establish himself as the
regular front runner and race winner that he should have been.
He only contested 8 races though and hence his overall championship
position of 5th (joint 4th on points) isn’t perhaps as bad as I’m
making out but I can’t help feeling he will be equally disappointed
at what was a below par performance. The frustrating thing for
me is that I know Zac has real potential and he is one of these
really nice genuine people that I just will to do well and hence
I was cheering him on at Llandow when he turned in what was the
sort of performance I had been expecting from round 1 although
ultimately he had to give best to Richard Higham on that occasion.
The other highlight was second at Whilton Mill in the wet at round
2 but his season was interrupted by non appearances at Rye and
Clay although as noted above he bounced back hard at Llandow to
secure pole and lead for most of the race before having to give
best late in the race. Whilst the remaining 5 races saw him consistently
score points in the top 10 (ish) he didn’t really look like a front
runner and I can’t really explain why. He may just need to be slightly
more aggressive in the heats in order to start nearer the front
in the finals and I’m not sure if a lack of track time (I don’t
think he does the endurances?) is impacting his ability to dial
in swiftly enough on sprint race days. In summary, two great second
places but not a consistent front runner or championship contender
which I was expecting.
Best race Llandow
Worst Race Bayford…
7. Dan Gore
In my opinion, Dan is a future champion and race winner just waiting
to escape from mediocre results and performances!!! OK, so a rather
flippant opening statement but I am firmly convinced that Dan is
a driver who is going to be a real star in the LW class in 2008
and he had better not disappoint me! Whilst his performances in
2007 were a little average at times he underlined his potential
by a series of fastest laps that really proved that he is one -
if not the fastest - driver in the class. Now, and as we all know,
being fast is one thing but translating pace into results is what
its all about and that’s the bit that Dan has to work on and sort
out before the 2008 season gets underway. The highlight of the
season was third at Rye House back in July but I also think he
finally delivered at Bayford when he put it on pole before making
a mess of the opening few laps all of which again is down to race
craft, confidence and experience.
He is fortunate in that he contests the Endurance races so he
dials himself in nicely for the sprints but more often than not
he lacks the ability to string three good heats together and is
also a little too accommodating on the opening laps of A finals
and hence leaves himself a little too much work to do in fighting
through the field. The pace is there as noted above especially
in the dry although I think he needs to do some work on his wet
weather driving to round him off as more complete driver. What
I also like about Dan is that he is the fairest driver on track
and he seemed devastated to have clashed with John Whitely at Bayford
and was just so apologetic afterwards and quick to ensure that
his apology was noted in the race report! Whilst I admire this
he may just have to be a tad more aggressive at times in order
to finally win races but not at the detriment of his core values
of fairness and sportsmanlike behaviour. In summary, didn’t really
deliver but laid the foundations for what I think is going to be
a great 2008.
Best race Bayford Meadows (heats)
Worst race Clay Pigeon Round 4
8. Matt Brookes
When you consider Matt missed four races, a place in the top ten
overall was actually quite a good achievement although like so
many others in the LW class it was his inconsistency that let him
down. It was really sad to see him break his wrist at the penultimate
round at Bayford that effectively meant he missed both that race
and the last round and I really hope that it mends properly and
hence allows him to contest the 2008 season without fear of any
further damage or re-occurrence. The season started well enough
with a fine 5th at round one in the wet and this was followed by
two mediocre performances at Whilton and Shennington before a 7th
place at Rye. He missed Clay and then put in his best performance
of the season at Llandow where he led the A final for a handful
of laps after a great tussle with Zac Seward before finally having
to settle for third. He missed round 7 at Rye and took 7th in the
wet at Clay before breaking his wrist at round 10.
I don’t think there is any doubting his pace and he was more than
capable of qualifying well and winning heats over the course of
the season but as noted above he has to analyse why he was so inconsistent
at times. The one area of criticism I have is that I think he is
a little ‘pushy’ a times on the track (good example was when he
nudged Karl Suter wide at turn one at Rye Round 4…..) to gain position
and I find this both unnecessary and unsporting. I want to see
him clean up this side of his driving in 2008 but overall this
was a step in the right direction and despite an unfortunate end
to his season I’m fairly certain he is one of 6 drivers who are
clear championship contenders in 2008. Let’s hope that wrist heals
up over the winter months and then let’s see Matt really deliver
a consistent set of top 6 results in 2008.
Best Race Llandow
Worst Race Shennington
9. Simon Young
The top 8 were fairly clear cut for me whilst my final two slots
were more difficult because there were so many LW drivers that
did well every now and then but no one really performed consistently
compared to the top 8 above. So the best of the rest for me was
Simon Young who shot to prominence with a fine third at Shennington
back in April. Simon only contested 7 races and seemed to lose
a little bit of interest in the second half of the season but he
did score two podium finishes over the course of the season which
was a bit of a deciding factor when it came to who should slot
into the lower positions of my top 10. I think Simon benefits from
racing in the Endurances and he was certainly on top form at Shennington
as noted above.
Like so many others he really has to work on his consistency.
The pace is there and he has proved his ability to mix it at the
front of the A finals with two fine thirds (the second coming at
Buckmore Park in August) but other then this he wasn’t really in
the top ten that often. For sure he needs to compete in all the
sprint races in 2008 and then focus on both his qualifying in order
to get himself down the sharp end of the grid for the finals and
he is another driver that may just need to be a tad more aggressive
on the opening laps. Two great results, really nice bloke (may
be too nice at times on track) and a season when he shot to prominence
in the LW class.
Best Race Shennington
Worst Race Clay Pigeon round 5
10. Steve Townsend
So many drivers could lay claim to this final slot but in the
end I gave it to Steve Townsend because he fulfilled a career long
ambition of scoring a podium during the course of 2007 and he also
proved to be a very consistent frontrunner over the course of the
season. Steve has of course been racing in C100 since 1996/7 and
loves his racing but I was particularly pleased to see him do well
in 2007, in particular taking his first ever podium at Clay back
in May. Seventh overall was a really solid result and he did it
through a bunch of consistent top 10 finishes rather than out and
out pace but he turned opportunities into results when it mattered
with one exception. He only once failed to make the A final (Shennington)
and finished in the top 10 five times over the course of the season.
The highlight was of course Clay helped of course by Jon Pethick's
retirement on the final lap but never the less he was up there
at the sharp end of the A final throughout that A final and really
deserved to take third place that day. He should have done the
same at Clay again later in the year but allowed himself to get
hustled out of third on the final lap by Pethick and Fowell but
5th was still another good result along with a 5th at Llandow in
the dry back in July. He will need to up his game in order to become
a championship contender in 2008 but 2007 must have been great
for his confidence and if he can just be even more consistent inside
the top 10 then he could just be the surprise of 2008. In summary,
every one was delighted for him at Clay back in May and I just
admire and respect the fact that he is always there, rain or shine
and a driver that is what C100 is all about.
Best Race Clay Pigeon Round 5
Worst Race Shennington
Just outside my Top Ten.
- Karl Suter
- John Whitely
- Steve Kendell
- James Norris
- Richard Higham
So many Lightweight drivers did really well in 2007 and so many
of these can lay claim to a podium or an outstanding drive and
hence it was fairly hard to draw a line between who made it into
my top 10 and who didn’t. Only one driver that finished in the
top 10 didn’t actually make it into my top 10 and that was Karl
Suter and my reason for very clear. Over the course of the season
Karl demonstrated the ability to be a consistent top 10 driver
but he failed to deliver what so many others did and that was score
a top 3 finish. He improved his race performances substantially
compared to 2006 and whilst he acknowledges he has a lot of work
to do on his wet weather performances he really shone at times
in the dry, none more so than at Shennington, Rye (round 4) and
Llandow but as I noted below he failed to really deliver at both
Rye and Llandow when a top 3 or 4 was clearly on the cards.
John Whitely is a long term C100 driver that I thought would do
really well this year so it was disappointing not to see JW stand
on the podium at all especially given that fact that he remains
one of the fastest drivers in the class. Yes he missed a few races
that didn’t help his cause but he also failed to deliver in reality
despite a good start to the season that saw him finish 6th and
5th at the opening two rounds. He has to deliver in 2008 and he
has to start stringing together much more consistent qualifying
performances in order to give himself a chance of getting results.
Steve Kendell is a real talent and he produced two of the most
memory drives of the season despite only contesting just three
races! I really want to see him contest the full season in 2008
because he has championship contender written all over him. He
charged from the back of the grid to 5th at Shennington and then
put in an even more impressive charge to come from the back to
4th at Llandow! Strangely enough when he qualified down the front
at Bayford he didn’t do so well in the final so maybe he needs
to start down the back all the time!
Despite missing 4 races (what is wrong with these LW drivers!!)
James Norris was a much improved driver in 2007 and he was both
consistent and fast. He took his one and only podium finish when
he finished third at Rye back in April after a lonely but sensible
drive that day. He then went on to finish 5th twice more, once
at Rye again in July and again at Bayford later in the year. He
finished 22nd overall having missed a number of races but this
was a polished performance and one that will give him confidence
to do well in 2008. The final driver just outside my top 10 is
of course Richard Higham who was a race winner at Llandow mid season
but really didn’t do anything other than that. He never got out
of the B final in the first five races and hence I think he surprised
everyone when he stormed from grid 18 to win at Llandow. As noted,
he never really repeated this performance although there were flashes
of similar speed at times but the results never materialised. Did
he get lucky at Llandow or was he just unlucky during the second
half of the season, well 2008 will give us the answer.
And what about the rest?
There are a lot of drivers that did really well in 2007 and in
particular it was good to see some new blood start to make an impact
as well as seeing some of the old school score decent results during
the course of the season. Tony Simpson started the season as one
of the drivers I expected to do well but really had a rather average
season ruined by average or poor qualifying results. The first
three or four races were ok but he just seemed to lose his way
after that and will really have to re-think his approach in 08.
David Palmer was one of the finds of the season and whilst he didn’t
take the class by storm he certainly looked quick in the wet and
consistent in the dry. He took at 6th at Clay back in May after
qualifying down the front and scored an equally impressive 7th
at Buckmore in August. Watch out for this this man in 2008 because
having spent a year leaning the ropes I think he is a dark horse
for the coming season.
One of the most remarkable performances in 2007 was the development
of Josh Hill who emerged from no where to be a front runner, a
potential race winner and another dark horse for 2008. He made
progress throughout the year and at Clay (Rd9) he sneaked into
the top 8 which was followed by a charging drive to fourth at Bayford
the following month. He then went one better to storm up into the
lead of the A final at the last round before an altercation between
himself and Oliver Allwood left him waiting for a pusher kart!
Regardless of this he served his intention and made a lot of drivers
sit up and take notice and there is no doubt that Josh will stand
on the podium at some point in 2008. Seth Deuchar had a typical
learning year in C100 and whilst the results were perhaps slightly
disappointing he certainly showed he had the pace at times and
with a full season under his belt he should now have some solid
sprint experience and be better placed to build on his 2007 results.
Some of the older school looked much more at home in the new LW
class and this included the likes of Keith Segal and Jim Rutledge.
That said, I was perhaps expecting to see the pair of them be regular
top 6 finishers but once again Keith seemed to let himself down
by spinning out when running in a strong position whilst Jim seemed
to struggle for pace at times and didn’t even manage a top 10 finish
which was a tad surprising!
Around mid season I was convinced that James Akehurst was about
to emerge as a regular front runner but he seemed to fade a little
over the course of the season and never really lived up to that
mid season promise. James has experience which counts for a lot
but he seemed to either suffer with poor qualifying or get himself
involved in other people’s incidents which led to below par results.
A lot of work to be done here if he wants to be a front runner
this year. Andrew Osborne was another driver to shine at times
in 2007 and I think he may be a more serious threat to the establishment
in 2008. He has pace and is young and keen but also needs to get
stuck in and be more forceful at times. He showed his pace by winning
a number of heats from the front but he has to learn how to fight
his way through and he also needs to eat a lot more and fill out
a little! Rob Yates has his moments as always but he continues
to be inconsistent and unable to deliver results aligned to his
pace. His experience is wasted at times but I admire the fact that
he enjoys his racing and I’m certain he will up his game this year
and deliver some top 10 finishes.
In terms of the rest I think we have some emerging talent in the
form of Darren Pullen (second at Rye back in April 07) although
quite where he disappeared to after mid season is a mystery to
me! Michael Perfect took pole at Shennington but fell back down
the order when racing got underway and is another driver who is
capable of much more whilst Ashley Davies is making some progress
and should emerge as a more rounded driver in 2008. I think Colin
and Alan Beckley are great examples of drivers that benefited from
a bunch of LW drivers moving to the Premier class in 2007 and it
was great to see them both make a string of A finals and continue
to enjoy their racing. Of the rest, it was disappointing to see
Steve Kite drop out mid season after some really impressive performances
early in the year, same with Tim Gibson whilst Ray Morgan did much
better whilst a HW driver and surely results are more important
than his friendship with JW and RY(!!).
2008 Predictions.
There are a few unknowns here but we know that Jon Pethick will
contest no more than a handful of races (and may even move to Prems)
whilst Oliver Allwood is now a Premier driver. At the time of writing
Andrew Smyth’s plans were unclear and its now common knowledge
that Derek Beckley is stepping back to LW’s for 2008 although the
latter is only likely to contest a handful of races as well in
2008. I have seen the entry list for round one and it is missing
a number of leading drivers but I’m sure they will get booked in
before March 2nd!
At the time of writing Lee Kemp has entered the LW class (claiming
to be rusty blah blah blah) and should he contest the entire series
then the championship is pretty much over before it starts! Lee
is an ex Super 1 MSA racer who is very rapid and should really
be in the Prems (which he will be if he runs away with the first
two races…). Other then Lee, its pretty wide open although again
we don’t really know what Andrew Smyth is going to do in 2008.
I’ve also just heard that Eddie Hall is in for the season so I
think we can count Eddie as a potential contender and race winner
accepting he hasn’t done Sprints for a while. If you put Kemp and
Smyth to one side you have a gaggle of 2007 front runners and up
and coming drivers who could all be in with a shout in 2008. These
include Vince Bond, Dan Gore, Trevor Fowell, James Norris, Steve
Townsend and David Palmer. I think all of the above could be race
winners and championship contenders whilst we have to wait and
see if the likes of Zac Seward, Josh Hill, Matt Brooks and John
Whitely actually enter because they would qualify to join the list
of potential race winners above along with the rapid Steve Kendell
who tends to only contest a handful of races each year.
So, Lee Kemp is obviously the clear title favourite whilst Smyth
would present some level of opposition along with Bond and Gore
(if the latter two get their act together in 2008!) whilst the
dark horses will be Josh Hill and Eddie Hall. 17 newcomers (at
the time of writing) could mean there is a few new hidden talents
on the grid in 2008 but we will have to wait for round 1 to see
if this is really the case.
