KCV Round 2 Race Report

This is the fight we were looking for!

​On the back of a few less than stellar weekends, it was time once again to head back to the familiar confines of the Glimminge Ring at Uddevalla Motorpark, our home track, for the second round of the Karting Cup West Regional Championship Series.

Mechanical issues seemly corrected, it was was up to our young gun to muster the inner will to trust in the race machine and compete further up the field.

It was a crisp morning, with Autumn in the air, and the first free practice session was a jumbled bag of engine setting testing and chassis setup. A low 59s wasn’t anything to shout about here, but it was just FP1, and we could build on that.

For FP2 gearing and carburetor setting were tweaked slightly and tire pressures raised. This gave us 5th best time of the session, and Deven seemed to be settling in better as the temperatures rose as the sun peaked out from behind the wall of clouds.

It was a chilly day though, and the brief respite from the grey was just that, brief, and the air had the feel of Fall - it wasn’t going to get that much warmer during the day. All this meant for the team was a cooler temp setup on the kart. Narrow rear wheel base, high tire pressures back, slightly higher gearing.

​So this is how we went into qualifying. Deven wasn’t able to quite get the best out of the kart, still struggling slightly to get into a groove, and making…interesting is the best way to describe them - interesting racing line choices at the key turns 4, 9 and 11. Extra wide entries here seemed to be causing him problems on exit in these key areas of the track and losing time. This proved vital as well, fighting for 3rd place in qualifying was exciting and a big step up from the previous weekends, but in the end we lost out by just over a tenth of a second, which was enough to see us 5th again after qualifying.

The sudden realization, however that a podium was within the team’s grasp, was a shot of adrenaline for the whole team. The qualifying sprints would now be vital in the fight to move up positions for the grid placement in the Final. The starts would be key, as track position would prove to be decisive.

Unfortunately the first sprint race saw Deven bog down at the start after he misjudged the lights out and had to make a very short evasive maneuver to avoid the kart ahead which cost him. He thus wasn’t able to gain any places but then got in a fight with the quick number 96 behind him and lost touch with the 3rd and 4th placed karts defending his position. He eventually lost out to a tricky little turn 4 move that caught him out, and finished 6th. Not the best first race.

​All credit to Deven and to the team for putting in a solid, focused, and measure performance throughout.

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The second sprint was much better. A clean run off the start and some clever heads up decisions through the first sector of track saw Deven clear through to 3rd spot on the first lap, and he was able to keep this position quite comfortably through to the end of the race, although never could quite make contact with the top 2 after the first segment of the race. It was a solid performance and a repeat of that would see the team achieving their first ever podium in a major series.

The tension was palpable in the team leading up to the Final. Due to other results, Deven would be lining up 5th again after his 6th and 3rd place performances in the sprint races. The start was good, but in the chaotic tussle and jockeying for position, he didn’t manage to get through to 3rd again, but 4th, the 3rd places #82 kart from Lidköping winning out on the start and pulling a small gap after lap 1.

Deven charged him down though and by lap 3 of 14 he was breathing down his neck, and it was bumper to bumper racing for the final podium spot for 10 laps. To say it was nail biting for the team looking on would be one of the understatements of the season. It was an intense period that seemed to last forever. Lap after lap Deven showed the consistency and focus needed to fight for a top place. At one point, lap 7 or 8, he managed to get a better exit from the fast turn one and got up almost alongside for the pass into turn 2 but couldn’t quite beat his man to the apex, and did the smart thing and §§didn’t dive in recklessly. At the same turn 1 the next lap, he was caught out by the slower exit of the #82 and bumped him from behind. This produced a warning from the stewards, but lucking there was no front fairing and the intense fight continued.

Meanwhile the pacy #96, who had gotten a less successful start to the race, had made their way clear of traffic and was also now bearing down on the two ahead, also putting in their claim for the final podium spot. Suddenly it was a 3 kart race for 3rd, all bumper to bumper racing, and all very nerve wracking.

Credit to the drivers, they raced hard and raced well, and in the end when they crossed the line, it was the #82 who just held on to 3rd spot. Our man Deven came home 4th, his best ever result, and even though in the moment tears were shed in frustration at being so close to glory, yet so far away, it was a real injection of positive energy that has been injected into the team with this result.

The Team Principal had this to say, “Finally! That’s what I have to say - The Kid showed he can do it on his day with the right equipment and setup under him. All credit to him and to the team for putting in a solid, focused, and measure performance throughout. I’m so proud of everyone involved, especially Deven, as he showed the determination, skill and maturity to go the distance today. He’s going to sleep well tonight I’ll wager. We’ve been waiting for this kind of end result to our toils for a very long time. We started slowly this morning in FP1 but didn’t panic, just methodically went through our paces and worked our way forward all day. Awesome drives by big D in the 2nd sprint and the Final. Nail biting to watch, but so exciting to be up there fighting, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Deven was buoyant by the time the driver interviews came around, “4th place, baby! Love it. Should have had 3rd, but this is so cool as well, can’t wait to go again!”

And go again GrabkoGP shall, as in a week’s time it is the final round of the SKCC, this time in Helsingborg.

Follow us to find out how it goes! #grassrootsracing #grabkogp