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Sam steps up to Super 1 British National Championship

January 2011

After only one full year competing at club level, Ashbourne kart racer Sam is stepping up to compete in the British National Championship in 2011, up against the best young drivers at circuits across England, Scotland and Wales.

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“Competing at this level will be a big challenge for me as I have never been to most of the ciruits before and the competition will be very difficult”  said 15 year old Sam.

 

Sam has joined Belper based Litchfield Motorsport for much needed race support in the Super 1  National Championship.

Local newspaper the Ashbourne News Telegraph dedicated the back page to the story along with great interest and support from Sam’s school. Click here for local Ashbourne  press coverage.

Click here for Super 1 web site.

Sam WINS as 2011 season kicks off

We said it wasnt far away! Sam dominated the timesheets all weekend at Kimbolton as the 2011 season got underway. Even a first heat collision couldnt prevent our boy from achieving his maiden event win. Qualifying 5th in the final, he picked them off one by one, setting fastest lap in the process, and brought it home for an emphatic victory 0.7s ahead of the chasing Letts (pictured in second).

Big thankyou to Litchfield Motorsport for their support this weekend and all the kind messages and congratulations we have recieved.

2011, bring it on ….

Bumped out of third place at Kimbolton

Last event of the year and another tale of what might have been! Despite struggling for setup during saturday practice Sam qualified in a creditable 5th place even though he was taken out in the first corner of heat 2. Pace in the final was even better and he was up to 3rd before being hit from behind and demoted to 8th. Not happy 😦

Single incident ruins Kimbolton result

Despite good speed throughout the weekend, Sam was unable to convert that into a result due to a single incident in heat 2. The resulting qualifying position made the task too tall in a massive TKM grid full of quality drivers. We can home a disappointed 11th. Full race report to follow.

Another heat win in the wet but luck deserts Sam at Rissy

Despite a runaway victory in heat 1 in greasy drying conditions, getting caught up in other peoples accidents prevented Sam converting the early success into another trophy. But another encouraging and competitive weekend to end the Rissy season. Full race report click here.

Last lap incident costs Sam at Kimbolton

With a strong qualifying position in 3rd Sam’s recent run of form continued as he challenged the front runners in a strong grid containing a number of the Super One boys this weekend. Despite slipping a couple of places in the final Sam’s tyres came on towards the end of the race and he worked his way back towards the front. As he made a claim to recover his 3rd place on the last lap it all went wrong and that little bit of luck deserted us. Sam limped home in 8th place. Full race report here.

So close to the top step at Rissington

The job was done. Sam won his first heat in the wet, qualified in pole, posted fastest lap of the day, and led the final right up until the final 2 corners. What could possible go wrong? Wrong footed by a backmarker, Sam tried to defend with a disasterous result. Gavin Pitt pounced through the last corner and beat Sam to 1st place by just 0.1 of a second. But what a result. Well done Sam – your time will surely come soon. Race report here.

Rye House charity event

What does a racing driver do in his spare time? Well race obviously! Sam had a guest drive at the Ben automotive industry charity karting event at Rye House in Hoddesdon this weekend. In torrential rain, and on slick tyres, the two youngest drivers – Sam and teammate (and good friend) Matt England – dominated the timing boards to bring Unipart Team GES home in first place after a 2 hour endurance race in twin engined prokarts. Such was their dominance, only one other team finished on the same lap as our boys!

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BEN is the UK’s only charity for those who work, or have worked, in the automotive and related industries, as well as their dependants. Providing practical, emotional or financial support they also have a range of care centres across the country to care for older people in our communities. Team GES and Unipart raised thousands of pounds in sponsorship for this event. For more information, or to donate to the charity click here.

Ashbourne News Coverage

Local sports reporter has run a story on Sam’s result at the Midlands Champs. Big piece on the back page!. Now a local celebrity 😉 It helps being the only Ashbourne competitor in Junior TKM…

Click here.

One step closer – huge result at Kimbolton

Sam took one step closer to the top step by snatching third sport on the last corner of the final, finishing 1/100th second in front. Mixing it with the Super One boys all weekend this represents a major achievement in only our first full season. A big thank you for all those people who helped us solve the brakes issue – you know who you are. Race report here.

Sam takes trophy at Midland Champs

But we did it the hard way! Our boy was one of the fastest out there during this two day event at Little Rissington in Gloucestershire. Only the weather and sticky brakes prevented an even better result, but 6th place from a field of 35 was just reward for an eventful and thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Race report here.

Flying solo at Whilton Mill

Just Dad and Sam this weekend at Whilton Mill in Daventry. Steady progress in the heats came to a crashing halt as another kart launched over the top of our boy making quite a mess of our new Tony Kart and dashing our hopes of a good grid slot for the final. Finishing 7th was a recovery though not what we came for! But hey, the sun was shining and we were racing. It was great to be back in the paddock after a few weeks off. Full race report to follow.

 

Solid finish at Rissington but …

Sam ran well in the heats and Final to claim a solid 8th place out of 31 entrants, but we came away just a little disappointed that our pace just tapered off on Sunday and we found ourselves defending more than planned. Full race report to follow.

4th place at Rowrah – despite the Cumbrian weather

Rowrah is a fantastic technical drivers circuit built in an old quarry. Atrocious Cumbrian weather made it difficult to learn in the wet but as the track dried during Sunday race day Sam recovered from a disappointing wet heat one to come through the remaining heats well,  finishing 4th in the final and just missing out on another trophy. Full race report here.

Maiden heat win for Sam whilst testing new chassis

Sam stormed through the weekend on the new Tony Kart Viper chassis this weekend at Rissington achieving his maiden heat victory with some comfort. He was robbed of his first Rissington trophy by a red flag in the final. In the restart the engine flooded and wouldnt fire – so they started without him. Sam started the final plumb last! Full race report here.

Press coverage

Sams 4th place achievement at the East Anglian Trophy Meeting was covered by the Ashbourne News Telegraph this week. See the article here.

Big incident at Superprix ruins Sam’s weekend

Despite showing great speed throughout practice, Sam’s weekend came to a crashing halt in Heat 1 when his race engine siezed mid-race and started a chain of events that left Sam thrown out of his kart and sprawled in the middle of the track. The rest of the weekend was just about repairing the kart and getting back in the seat. No lasting damage to either kart of driver, just Dad’s wallet!! We live to fight another day. Full race report here.

The boy is back. Sam takes silverware at the East Anglian Trophy Meeting

With a point to prove Sam was on the money all weekend at this prestigious Kimbolton meeting and, more importantly, stayed on the track all weekend! Stunning pace and some shrewd setup calls resulted in Sam taking fastest TKM lap of the meeting, knocking 4 tenths off his PB and finished 4th overall.

For all you karters struggling out there, every dog has his day ….

Full race report here.

Great speed but poor results at June Rissy

Sam showed fantastic speed during the June meeting achieving PB after PB resulting in almost half a second improvement compared to our previous Rissy best. Unpredictable weather, a couple of driver ‘faux paus’ and the usual scrapes meant the results didn’t quite do justice to his speed. A finish in 15th was a half respectable result from a very exciting day. Full report here.

 

Mention and pics in ‘Southern Karting’ magazine

Sam featured in two photographs in Southern Karting Magazine’s April edition. Featuring the March Kimbolton meeting Sam is pictured leading heat 1, and recovering from the grass in heat 2! Click here for more info.

Four DNF’s in one day

So why are we smiling 🙂 ??  Resorting back to our old Jade Elite chassis for a weekend to re-establish a base line, Sam was fast right through the weekend. For the first time this season we were racing at the pointy end of the grid! Who cares about the DNF’s, we were racing again. Game on. Full race report here.

Not just battling the elements at Rissy

Another tough weekend chasing setup at Rissington. Two first lap clashes put Sam at the back of the grid for the ‘A’ final for another character building meeting. Too depressing to write a race report 😦

What a difference a day makes

Great progress made during Saturday practice as Sam and Jason find more speed from the Octane chassis, finishing the day as fast as anyone on track. Something changed overnight as our Sunday race pace was almost 1 second off the Saturday lap times for Sam. Full race report here.

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Recovery drive from Sam in the Final

Another tough weekend for Sam got even tougher when the kart wouldn’t start on the dummy grid in the final!! By the time Sam left the pit lane the rest of the grid was halfway around the circuit preparing for their rolling start. Despite starting 10 secs behind everyone else, Sam caught up and fought back to finish 14th out of 28. Full race report here.

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Last lap incident sums up the weekend

Despite the sunshine all weekend at Kimbolton, we struggled for overall pace all through the event. Confidence under braking gave us rare moments of glory including leading heat 1 for a couple of laps, but our lack of pace through Kimbolton corner made Sam vulnerable from attack with the inevitable result. Full race report here.

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Top 10 finish at first Rissy event of the year

A solid top 10 finish at Rissington on a new derivative of the Octane chassis but a weekend of small mechanical niggles left us a little disappointed at the result – we have set our sights a little higher!

Full race report shortly.

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2010 kicks off at Kimbolton

Sam finally got to test the new Octane TKM chassis developed by DPRS’s very own Jason Dredge with NJR Motorsport. It was great being back in the paddock and back at Kimbolton even if it was freezing cold. New regulations and new tyres make for an interesting 2010 season. Full race report click here.

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“Flippin dangerous” is how the local press describe Sam’s Shenny experience.

Any publicity is good publicity! Sam attracts more press coverage in December even if it was for just being upside-down. Local publications the Derby Telegraph and the Asbourne News Telegraph both ran the story of Sam’s heat 1 crash making him quite the local celebrity. Click here for more on the newpaper articles or click on the link below for the full Shenington race report.

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Another first – upside down at Shenington….

Motorsport can be dangerous. We found that out this weekend at Shenington. First race, first lap, third corner. Came to a halt upside down. Race red flagged. Fortunately Sam escaped completely unscathed and convinced the medics he was fine. He even jumped back in the kart for the next race! Scary moment for driver and mechanic though. Full race report here.

 

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Another trophy at Kimbolton!!!

We like Kimbolton! Sam had a really good run at Kimbolton this weekend against some very strong competition. The weather threw in some challenges for tyre choices making the grid very tense. After a slight tangle in the final Sam came home in 4th – an amazing result in his rookie year.

HKRC put on a fantastic Remembrance Day display too, with tanks, jeeps and a fly past.

Full race report here.

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Red Bull Racing visit

SamRandonRacing were invited to a 1-2-1 tour around the Red Bull Technology Centre in Milton Keynes last week. It was fascinating to see how the cars are made, tested and supported by the 600 strong workforce at RBR. They have expanded massively from the old Stewart/Jaguar days – it is no fluke they are now seeing success.

Within days of our visit to the factory, drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber scored a fantastic 1-2 in Abu Dhabi.

Good luck to the whole RBR team for 2010 from the SRR team!
Many thanks to our host Steve, and to Nick for arranging the visit.

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In the press again

Sam’s progress in JTKM this year is attracting quite a bit of local interest. This time the Derbyshire Life and Countryside publication printed a piece headlined “Racing Force”, covering Sam’s Kimbolton pole. Click here for details.

Novembers Karting Magazine also ran the Kimbolton race report.

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Rain affects play – Rissington 1 Nov

With a shortened program due to torrential rain on Sunday morning, Sam salvaged a respectable Final result [ 13th of out 30 ] despite two frustratingly disappointing qualifying heats. For race report click here.

 

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14yo Sam tests Citroen Saxo race car!

During school half term Sam had the opportunity to test the thrill and performance of a fully race prepared Citroen Saxo VTR, as raced in the 750 Motorclub’s SAXMAX Championship. Graduates from the SAXMAX series have gone on to race in BTCC, Renault Clio, National Formula Ford, Formula Palmer Audi and others. Started in 2006, the Saxmax series, which is based on the Citroën Saxo VTR 1996-1998 model, is a series for 14-17 year old drivers. Full report click here.

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Bad day at the office – Shenington weekend doesn’t go to plan!

Despite the fantastic autumnal weather, our return to the Shenington circuit in Oxfordshire started badly and progressively got worse. The weekend ended on a new low of black flag and a trip to the Clerk of the Course’s office for a ticking off, not for any driving transgression – but for repairing the kart on circuit. Race report here.

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Best showing at Rissy so far – Rissington 3/4 Oct

Despite a scary accident at the end of heat 3 with wheels flying around at head height, Sam had his best outing yet at Rissington and still managed a respectable qualifying grid position in the final. After the usual bumping and boring in the midfield Sam finished a very respectable 11th out of 24 but, more importantly, showed he had the raw speed to run at the front.

 

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New PB lap time – Whilton Mill Sep 26/27

Despite disappointing race results Sam was fast all day Sunday, challenging some of the top drivers in the heats. Shame then a couple of trivial mechanical failures thwarted attempts to convert the speed into race results. Full race report here.

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What is it with Rissy? First lap woes at Rissington –  Midland Championship Sep 5/6

In a bizarre weekend Sam failed to complete a single first lap in any of the four races without incident and spent most of the weekend consequently playing catchup. In every race he drove really well, achieved very fast lap times (including a PB for this circuit) and overtook many in the process. Then in a real turnaround of luck, starting from 26th Sam avoids all the trouble in the Final and brings it home a fantastic 10th out of a Midlands Champs field of 34.

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Sam smashes his PB lap time in the Northants sunshine – Whilton Mill Aug 22/23

On a surface giving faster and faster lap times, and on a freshly rebuilt kart [plus a very glamourous pit crew – see left]  Sam smashes his personal best lap time in almost every session over the weekend knocking off a full second by the end of the meeting. After a very hard fought final with very few place changes Sam came home a solid 10th after a race long 4-way battle for 8th place. Full race report here.

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Sam grabs his maiden TKM pole position and successfully converts it to a podium finish – Kimbolton Aug 8/9.

This weekend 8/9 August at Kimbolton circuit near Huntingdon, Sam blew away the local heroes on a circuit we have never visited before to secure his first TKM pole position, podium and trophy. This is a major achievement in his rookie year at this level and surpassed all expectation. Full race report here.

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Well it wasn’t another DNF ….. Sams run of bad luck continues – Rissington 1/2 Aug

After 3 respectable results in the heats Sams luck ran out on the first lap of the final as the field of 28 funelled into the first corner. Chaos ensued and Sam came off worst again –  tapped from behind, spun around and then punted backwards into the weeds. Yet again the clutched engine kept him going and he spent the next 12 laps trying to make up the half lap gap to the back of the field. Full race report here.

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First DNF but ran strongly – Whilton Mill 25/26 Jul

Despite the official classification of a DNF (did not finish) Sam drove really well all weekend. Picking his moments for inspired overtaking but just as importantly knowing when not to make a dive. In the end, the front bumper gave up the ghost after a weekend of abuse forcing Sam to retire, but we were already a lap down due to earlier incident. Said bumper ended up in the bin! Full race report here.

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Tough weekend ends well at Rissington 4/5 Jul

Despite a hard weekend chasing the right setup plus a few kart issues, Sam saved the best for last and ran really strongly in the TKM Final at Rissington this weekend. Starting from a very disappointing 21st on the grid (due to poor heat results) he was running in the top 10 by the second lap, eventually finishing 12th. Fantastic result from there. Full race report here.

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Black plates / blue plates explained

We’ve made many references to the colour of number plates during our race reports and the status of ‘Novice’. Several people have asked us to explain the difference and relevance. As we’ve just graduated from black to blue, we can now explain. Click here for more information.

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Sam throws away black plates in style – Whilton Mill 27/28 Jun

Sam finished his final novice weekend in great style grabbing his third Novice trophy and thoroughly mixing it with the “blue plates” by finishing 10th overall out of 21 starters. All this despite our usual steep learning curve, this time wasting most of Saturday struggling to find a setup due to our practice tyres well beyond their sell by date! Almost asleep on his feet by the end of a hot muggy weekend, Sam still found time to tear up those black plates and replace them with shiny new blue decals. Click here for full race report.

 

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A career best finish for Jade

Our very own Girl Racer, Jade Paveley, achieved a fantastic 2nd place in the Welsh Kart Championship.

Jade competed in the Welsh Kart Championships at Llandow Racing Circuit in south Wales over the weekend of June the 21^st and 22^nd finishing with a career best to date with a fine 2^nd place overall in the Championship Final.

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We’re on Twitter!

Pushing the boundaries with new technology!! – we’re trialing the new phenomenon sweeping the Internet world.  Twitter is a service for people to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. We will write short updates, called “tweets”.  Our text message “tweets” on race weekends will be automatically posted on this web site – see the RACE DAY TWEETS section in the menu.  If you have a Twitter account, follow us directly at SamRandonRacing.

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Great run, disappointing result – 6/7 Jun, Rissington

Despite a very wet Saturday, Sunday was slick tyres all day. Sam ran strongly through all 3 heats only to have the weekend ruined by two incidents in the final which left him finishing frustrated and at the back. Click here for race report.

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Gallery now updated – 1/6/09

Check out our picture gallery of Sam and friends at various karting events this year. More pics to come. Click here.

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Fun in the sun – 24/25 May, Whilton Mill

Great weekend at Whilton Mill, Sam mixing it with the blue plates and another Novice trophy. Click here for race report.