SKCC Round 3 Race Report

​Third Time’s the Charm

This weekend the team was off to the internationally acclaimed karting circuit, Åsum Ring, in Skåne, Sweden. The track is the home of #Kristianstadkartingklubb and also the host of the 2021 FIA/CIK Karting World Championships. It’s reputation as a premier venue in Sweden and Europe as a whole preceded it as the team caravan rolled up into the pit area.

​The positive feeling of anticipation in the team was palpable during registration and technical inspections. Our racing driver was showing real pace improvements, and the disappointment of the semifinal crash in the previous round seemed a distant memory.

At the same time, everyone knew it was going to be a really tough race weekend. It was the first time at this track for all involved in the team, and due to the large entry list, there would be only one free practice session before qualifying. This meant ultra focus for our driver and his racing engineer, to try and learn the track and get up to speed at the same time, in one session, before the times started to count.

​The format would be similar to the previous two rounds. Due to the high number of entries, there would only be one practice session before a qualifying session where the best lap time determines your starting grid position for the two sprint races. The field is then split up into 3 groups, and each group races against each other. Sprint race results determine the starting grid for two semifinals, where the field is recombined into 2 groups. The combined top 34 places in the semifinals qualify for the feature race. Points are awarded for the top 19 places in the semifinals, and all positions in the feature final receive points.

​if you aren’t moving forward, you’re going backward

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Road to the Semis

A 1:05.781 lap time in practice was the best we could muster. It wasn’t the worst time in the field, but it wasn’t where we needed to be to fight for a place in the feature race at the end, and get those coveted first point of the season. So it was back to the tent and an intense data debrief with the pilot. Deven was giving the most mature feedback of the year to date and this allowed the race engineers to make a myriad of chassis adjustments on the racing machine as well as find time on the track in the 60 minutes between practice and qualifying.

​Then it was out again for the qualifying session, where Deven showed his form, and found almost eight tenths of a second on track to dip down into the 1:04s range, just cracking into the top 34. If this session had been to qualify for the feature final, he would have just made it. Encouraging, but still about a second off the pace we needed to be for the upcoming two sprint races.

Deven lined up 25th in his first sprint race, got a clean but not very quick start through the first corners, and then fought his way up 4 positions to 21st half way through the race. He then caught the next kart up and had an epic 4 lap battle for 20th, making a last lap pass down the main start/finish straight after getting a better exit from the final corner and using that and the draft nicely to get up alongside and beat his man to the apex of turn 1. However, it wasn’t meant to be and that same kart took advantage a a small misstep in the second to last corner by our man, and dove down the inside of the final corner recklessly, making contact with Deven and half spinning him. This allowed a kart from behind to get through, but Deven smartly managed to get going again and salvage 21st spot in any case in a race to the finish line with another back marker who was trying to take advantage of our misfortune.

​So a hard fought first sprint finishing 21st from a 25th starting position, and always moving forward as the day went along, clocking a best time of 1:04.259s, yet another eight tenths of a second faster than qualifying right on pace with the midfield battle. Encouraging, but at the same time we hoped that the little incident and the single lost position would come back to haunt us later.

​The second sprint race was saw another steely display from our young driver. The track was getting hot and sticky now in the midday heat, and times were improving slightly. Starting 24th, we got another shaky start, clean but losing a couple of positions which we then had to fight back during the race. We did, with Deven making some nice passing maneuvers and always looking forward, with no real threats at all from behind. He pushed hard for another 21st place finish, but couldn’t quite get close enough to make a move on the final laps. There had been a scary incident earlier on though. He tried to make a move on the outside of the turn 8 hairpin, ended up putting his outside wheels on the grass and barely kept control, but kind of miraculously saved it and was able to continue on without even losing position. So we finished 22nd in the second sprint, but another new best lap time of the day, breaking into the 1:03s range with a 1:03.958s lap was a positive going into the semifinal round.

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The Semifinals

So now it was the moment of truth. All that came before was compressed down into one end result - 18th on the grid in the semifinal. This meant our kid racer needed to simply gain 1 position to qualify for the feature final.

The starts were a weak point today, and something that really needs work on going forward. This showed again as Deven the Kid again was late on the gas at the start and lost a position going down into the first corner section. This time though, he got up to speed quickly and was able to take that position back before the end of the 2nd lap. Now he had 6 laps to catch up the 17th driver up the road, and he set about it with a vengeance. It was an epic battle. Even the commentator stopped watch the fight for the lead of the race and directed the crowd's attention to the fight for the last place in the feature race.

It was a yo-yo battle. Deven caught up, got on the back bumper, but couldn’t quite make a move stick, with the number 33 kart of Edwin Sääf defending valiantly for his life as Deven made attack after attack. However, after 4 laps of this, it appeared that it wouldn’t happen. Deven backed off a bit a gave a bit of a gap, and we thought it was all over. But it wasn’t. Coming around the last corner for the 7th time, Deven got an amazing grippy exit and came storming down the straight as a race steward held up the last lap sign. Deven wasn’t quite close enough to get alongside and beat Edwin to the first corner apex, and again we all thought it wasn’t going to happen. But Deven had decided otherwise. He simply didn’t brake at all for the turn 2/3 chicane, and dove down the inside of turn 2 and right past kart 33, taking him and everyone in the crowd by surprise. Edwin had no answer to the move, and Deven was past him. An audible oohh and ahhh rippled through the crowd and the commentator was equally impressed. He immediately showed his superior pace as well and drove off ahead, crossing the finish line in 17th to a credible applause from the stands, and making the starting grid for the final for the first time. Yet another last lap heroic effort from our up and coming rookie!

There were lumps in the throats of senior team members as they came down to the technical building to greet their racing pilot. Quite a moment for the team, and a really well earned first appearance. After waiting a few minutes for the official results and the feature final starting grid docs, it was clear. The little man had done it. He had improved and tenth and a half and was now down to 1:03.867s and with everything to fight for in the feature.

There was really nowhere for us as a team to go in the feature race but forward. Lined up on the final row, in the 2nd to last spot, 33rd of 34, we knew it was going to be a really tough ask to move up many spots, unless there was some kind of larger incident at the start that we could somehow avoid. However, the whole team was determined to find as many positions as we could and take advantage of any opportunities that came our way.

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The Final

​Yet another mediocre start put us on the back foot, but we were able to make a position on the start for the first time today, and as the 12 lap feature race progressed, Deven really found his rhythm. He was suddenly lapping in the 1:03.4s range, a whole half second faster than at any time previously in the day, only a second and a half off the leaders times. He duly moved up the field, making some smooth passing maneuvers in the early laps to get onto the back of a gaggle of 7-8 karts fighting to get into the top 20. He was slowly chasing them down, getting closer with every lap, but couldn’t quite connect to the back of them enough to threaten any more passing moves and at the end of the 12 laps we crossed the finish line in 29th spot. After the official results we moved up another spot to 28th due to a 10s penalty assessment to someone ahead for unfair driving. So our tapper young lad moved up 5 spots in the feature final and took the last multiple points paying position, scoring his first two points in the Southern Swedish Karting Championship Cup!

Team Principal Dan had this to say about the day, “We knew it was going to be tough going into the day, as Big D hasn’t been here before ever. But I cannot stress how impressed I was with his focus, drive, and maturity today. There is a saying in racing - if you aren’t moving forward, you’re going backward - and today the whole team showed that we are going nowhere but forward at the moment. We never got discouraged with our task today, we focused on positive development and not looking at what others were doing, and it really paid off. Really proud of the whole team, and especially The Kid, who got himself within a second and a half of the top experienced drivers today in just 6 sessions on the track, culminating in earning the first feature final appearance, and first championship points in this series. Now we pack it up and go again to yet another unfamiliar track in Kalmar in just a few days time before a well deserved summer break. Really looking forward to the next one!”

​The team’s young ace rookie had this to say, “Making the final meant everything to me today. The track was really fun to drive and I just kept getting faster and faster throughout the day. I found new places to improve and make passes with every race, and being able to fight and pass was amazing. I can’t wait for the next one!”

​So there you have it folks! Just a couple of days back at home base now, prepping for the cross-country trek to Kalmar and round 4 of the Southern Swedish Karting Championship Cup - don’t forget to register with the site to be notified of all new news and happenings - support #grassrootsracing, support Grabko GP!