Rotax Mini Max Super One Competitors for 2011
Gunn
becomes British Super One Minimax Champion
..
Round 7 of the Super One National Series was held at the Manchester
and Burton Kart Club, commonly known as Three Sisters, near Wigan
on October 15/16th. This large circuit is only minutes away from
junction 25 on the M6. The weather forecast was encouraging for
the weekend, mainly dry with possibly a light drizzle on Sunday.
Amazingly, the forecast was correct. Friday's testing was conducted
in dry weather, with Gunn generally obtaining the fastest time.
Two of Gunn's main rivals, namely Jack Mitchell and Harry Webb,
were also quick. The time qualification {TQ} on Saturday didn't
quite go to plan, with Gunn obtaining the second fastest time overall.
In TQ, the drivers were split into two groups, with Gunn in the
first {slower group} with no benefit of seeing what times to beat,
unlike those in the second group. Just the luck of the draw!!! Gunn's
time of 44.96 s was only 0.16 s slower than Harry Webb. The top
twenty drivers were covered by only 0.69 s! It is this tight at
this level of karting.
There were to be three heats at this Round in the Championship.
Gunn having obtained second fastest time was drawn in group B. Groups
A v B and B v C were to race on Saturday, with the remaining heat,
A v C to take place on Sunday morning.
Gunn was to start his first heat on the front row alongside Webb
and being on the outside of the track for the first bend was at
a disadvantage. During the race, Gunn initially dropped back to
4th place, but recovered to 2nd place behind Webb during lap 4.
Gunn momentarily took the lead during lap six to then drop back
to 3rd behind Webb and Mitchell. This order continued until lap
13 when Gunn had to take to the pit access road at the bottom of
the start/finish straight. Gunn was then seen exiting the pits back
onto the track to drive slowly around the circuit to take the chequered
flag in last place. Not a good start to the meeting! Back in the
Tooley Motorsport awning, the reason for Gunn's pit-road exit was
soon found. A low positioned brake pipe had worn through, having
touched the track surface
Gunn said I was lucky
that the brakes didn't fail at another part of the circuit, like
the fast Valley section. Gunn obtained the fastest lap at 44.89
s during lap 12. This was a new lap record for the Valley circuit
at Three Sisters, the previous record being set in September
2007. Maybe Gunn's fast time was due to having limited braking!
In the second heat {B v C} Gunn started on pole and maintained this
position for the 15 laps to obtain the fastest lap of 44.97 s, the
only driver to 'get into the 44's'.
After
numerous 'double checking' it was clarified that Gunn would have
to finish Final 1 in 6th place or better to win the Championship,
assuming Mitchell, Gunn's main rival, won both Finals. Due to the
first heat problems, Gunn started Final 1 in 13th position and made
an excellent start to be in 6th place by the end of lap 3.During
lap 15, Gunn had moved into 2nd place momentarily, but dropped back
to 4th and then 5th by the end of the 21 lap race. Mitchell, unfortunately
for him, was caught up in a tangle with White on the penultimate
lap and finished the race in 9th place. Gunn obtained the second
fastest lap of 45.10 s only 3/100 s off the fastest lap set by White.
Gunn
had become the British Super One
MiniMax
Champion, in his first season of
Minimax!
{Note:
It was decided by the Team that Gunn would not take part in the
second Final, as to risk any exclusion {that could be caused by
others ~ re British Kart G.P. PFi
..} would be extremely
foolish! }
After
the race, Gunn was 'overcome' with emotion, having won such a prestigious
Championship. The congratulations that he received from other drivers,
John Hoyle {Super One}, Chris Walker {Kartpix} and other Team managers
was amazing
. The Tooley Motorsport
team and the remaining band of supporters ~ Dad {Ian}, Jack Harvey,
Cooke's Couriers, Burnside Catering, Richard Labrum {Website Manager}
and Friends should all take a large pat on the back!
The
final Championship table is shown below:-
Well done Ross ................................
Gunn leads the Championship and increases his lead on drops
..
Round
6 of the Super One National Series was held at the fantastic Paul
Fletcher International {PFi} circuit, home of Trent Valley Kart
Club ~ see links page for details, just off the A1 near Grantham,
on September 24th/25th. Gunn had not been 'in the seat' since Round
5 at Buckmore Park, mainly due to financial constraints! When he
started testing on Friday, he wondered how he would fare against
the majority of the other drivers. Most of these had been testing
and racing since Buckmore Park! Although the weather forecast was
somewhat 'depressing' for the weekend, Friday's testing was conducted
in dry weather. Gunn, depending on the circuit traffic, was generally
in the top 3 regarding times. Jack Mitchell, one of Gunn's main
'threats' was showing great speed for most of the day. The time
qualification on Saturday would 'tell all'
.. but
Gunn, along with others, was caught out
.
Saturday's
initial practice session was held in dry conditions, but as the
karts were assembling for time qualifying, the sky looked very threatening.
Gunn made a slower than normal start to get into the pace and just
as the rain came {about 8 laps into the session} he recorded a time
of 47.96 s. This secured 5th place on the grid for the two heats
that would follow. Fastest lap was produced by Jack Mitchell with
a time of 47.65 s. The top 10 drivers were covered by 0.39 s
close or what!
After
qualifying, Gunn reported to the Tooley Motorsport team that power
seemed to be down and this was confirmed by the on-board data recording
system. With electrical problems being the suggested reason for
power loss, the main wiring loom was changed along with HT coil
and sparking plug. As the karts entered the assembly area for Heat
1, the heavens opened {see image below}. Most karts {probably all
karts} at this stage were set up for dry conditions and with only
limited time to 'make the grid', panic ensued. Mechanics were seen
changing gearing, suspension set-ups and checking tyre pressures
of the wet tyres. Some karts didn't make the grid and were put to
the back, regardless of their qualifying time. Gunn just made it
to the grid to take up his 5th position. The rain at this stage
was very heavy, the track covered with water.
The heavens open at the start of Heat 1. Gunn
takes an early lead in Heat 1.
During the formation lap, Jack Mitchell came to a halt due to water
ingress. After the start, Gunn took the lead during lap one and
maintained this to the end of the race, followed by Josh White in
second place and Philip Rawson in third place. Gunn was only 4/100
s off the fastest lap set by White.
On
Sunday, the remaining Heat was run, followed by the points scoring
Finals. The weather on Sunday morning was glorious; in fact it became
very warm. Heat 2 produced a fantastic race, with Gunn starting
5th on the grid. Gunn took the lead on lap three but then dropped
down to fourth during laps four and five. This constant changing
of positions carried on throughout the race between Gunn, Rawson,
Mitchell and Mills. Then the band was joined by Webb who had driven
an excellent race from 15th position. During lap twelve, Gunn took
the lead but then dropped to third behind Webb and White. The last
lap was an absolute classic with four karts trying to make the line
in first place. The end result was Rawson, Gunn, Webb and White
{the first four places}. The time covered by these 4 karts was 0.66
s after and 10 minute plus 1 lap race. Gunn obtained the fastest
lap of 47.17 s. Gunn would start the finals on pole. If this Heat
wasn't enough excitement, there would be more to come!
Final
1 was held in dry conditions with Gunn holding his first position
up to lap 6 when he dropped to second behind Harry Webb {runner
up in last year's MiniMax Championship}.
Gunn
lying second behind Webb in Final 1.
During
lap 8 Gunn slipped down to fourth behind Webb, White and Rawson.
By lap fourteen, Gunn had moved back to second place having taken
White and Rawson. Gunn took the lead on the penultimate lap to cross
the line in front of Connor Mills and Josh White. Yet another hard
fought race; with places changing throughout the 20 laps.
Winning
Final 1
Gunn
again started Final 2 {The Grand Final} on pole
.
but during lap 5, the chasing pack of White, Mills, Webb, Mitchell,
Pay and Knott made the correct moves to put Gunn in 7th place! By
lap 9, Gunn had moved back to 5th position, having taken Pay and
Rawson. Gunn took Mills in lap 11 and then took White, Mitchell
and Mills by the end of lap 18. Gunn crossed the line as the winner
after an amazing race. Gunn's time was only 6/100 s off the fastest
lap.
This
victory makes Gunn's sixth Final victory in the last eight Finals
~ if you exclude the Final victory at Rowrah, where the scrutineer's
card was incorrectly written!! Gunn now leads the Championship on
outright points scored and has also increased his lead on drop scores
to 23 points.
To see full Championship Table go to :
To see Ross Gunn at PFi Super One MiniMax ~ Final 1 win go to:
To see Ross Gunn at PFi Super One MiniMax ~ Final 2 go to:
Not
bad for his first season in MiniMax!!!
Tooley
Motorsport At PFI (26/09)
PFI was the host for the penultimate round of Rotax super 1, being
one of the best venues in the Country the whole team were looking
forward to this visit. Going into this round there was a lot at
stake as 3 of the 6 drivers in Tooley Motorsport were all in seeded
positions, Adam Mackay in Junior max was 9th on drops, Dan Fazzone
in Mini Max was also 9th on drops and Ross Gunn was leading the
Championship on drops.
Throughout practice both the Mini Max were quick having a very good
end to the day on Friday, with Gunn being quickest and Fazzone going
3rd quickest. Qualifying brought misfortunes for the team as Dan
had problems at the start which meant he dropped out of the pack
losing the tow, this resulted in Dan qualifying 8th . Gunn was in
the pack so had the advantage of a tow but had electrical problems
causing him to qualify 5th.
Race day again included a lot of mischief with the first hairpin
keeping its 'crash and bash' reputation, Fazzone was the victim
of the domino's effect causing most of the front of the kart to
be bent. Gunn however got through this and battled with White and
Webb throughout the 15 minute final to come out on top. Final 2
again brought misfortune for Dan, being the victim of a harsh decision
from the stewards who excluded him from the race.
Gunn set off on pole for the main final but knew it was going to
be hard, and his thoughts turned into reality when White pushed
him onto the grass going into the chicane putting him back to 7th.
However the win was still achievable and in Ross's sights, he picked
his way through the top 6 and got to the leader which was Mitchell.
Performing an outstanding move on Mitchell in the garage complex
gave Ross a bit of breathing space. This then gave Ross his 3rd
double win of the year.
There
are still spaces left in the team for next year, so do not hesitate
to contact Tooley Motorsport - details at www.TooleyMotorsport.com
Report
courtesy of the UK Karting website www.karting.co.uk
Part
of the Drivers Parade The
finish straight at PFi
The
new 'flyover' at PFi; opening soon! The
new circuit improvements at PFi
Gunn
increases his lead on drops in the Championship
..
Round
5 of the Super One National Series was held at Buckmore Park, just
off the M2 near Chatham. Gunn had not raced at this circuit before
the meeting, held on July 23rd/24th. The only visit was a testing
session on the previous Saturday. Gunn said he was somewhat tentative
about the meeting, as Buckmore Park was the home track of one of
his main Championship rivals, Jack Mitchell. Gunn showed his skill
yet again by winning the Grand Final, with a little help {read more},
to extend his lead on drop scores to 8 points. In front of
family and friends, Gunn was taken around the circuit in the parade
car
. "A nice touch", he said. The event took
place in excellent weather conditions, in fact it was possibly too
hot for racing, with most of the drivers looking 'hot and flustered'
after each race.
The weekend started with testing on Friday, with Gun immediately
showing his skill by setting the fastest time! When asked what he
thought to the circuit, Gunn said that it was "Very testing,
with tight corners and fast downhill sections." On the Friday
evening, the 'heavens' opened and rain was very heavy during the
night, with everyone in the Tooley Motorsport Team expecting a wet
track in the morning
. BUT the track was dry and
the weather stayed like this for the remaining two days. Gunn qualified
fastest to take pole position for the first and second heats on
Saturday and Sunday. This was Gunn's third pole position in timed
qualifying in the five rounds of the Super One series! Gunn's time
of 39.83 s was 0.11 s faster than second place man Luke Knott. Jack
Mitchell was third fastest with a time of 39.98 s. The top 25 competitors
were covered by only 0.62 s; the top 10 were covered by 0.35 s!
The
first heat took place on Saturday. With Gunn complaining of bad
neck pain, he made a good start but lack of experience of the circuit
showed on lap 8 when Jack Mitchell and Ben Hingeley took Gunn going
into Hairpin two {see circuit layout in images below}. Gunn held
on in 3rd place until a similar manoeuvre happened, this time by
Dave Wooder and Luke Knott. Gunn crossed the line in 5th place,
but was promoted to 4th when Hingeley was excluded from the results
for damage to his kart.
As
in previous rounds, the program for Sunday was
.
the second heat and the two Finals. Gunn started the second heat
in pole position. Gunn lead the race from start to finish, crossing
the line 1.96 s in front of second place man, Harry Webb. So with
a 4th place in the first heat and a win in the second heat, Gunn
started the first Final in second position, this meant that he would
be on the outside for the first right-hander, not a position that
favours well! In the opening 'melee', Gunn dropped to 4th on the
opening lap, but retook 3rd place on lap eight to finish in this
position. After the 24 lap race, Gunn was only 1.05 s behind the
winner, Luke Knott. Home man Mitchell was in second place, just
0.1 s in front of Gunn.
Gunn would start the Grand Final on the 'inside for the first corner'
in third position. Yet again Gunn made a 'poor' start, not helped
by another competitor getting away from the line 'somewhat slowly'
and dropped to sixth position by the end of lap one. Gunn started
to regain positions
. by the end of lap 5 he was
in 5th position, by the end of lap 6 in 4th position, by the end
of lap 8 in 3rd position
at the end of lap 11
Gunn was in 2nd position having taken Dave Wooder. This meant that
Mitchell was the only driver in front. During the start of lap sixteen,
Mitchell had a very unfortunate mechanical problem with his rear
wheel breaking away from the kart. The wheel hit the grandstand
roof and then bounced back onto the track! Mitchell went into the
safety tyres very heavily, indicating how fast these karts are travelling.
Luckily Jack was uninjured, but it was a nasty way to finish his
race. As a result, Gunn took the lead and crossed the line 0.37
s in front of second place driver Dave Wooder. After the race, Gunn
said that he didn't want to win the Grand Final as a result of Jack's
accident, but as they say
.that's racing. Gunn
checked that Jack was ok after the race and gave him his 'commiserations'.
This victory makes Gunn's fourth Final victory in the last six Finals
~ if you exclude the Final victory where the scrutineer's card was
incorrectly written!! An impressive record.
There
are more images of this meeting in the Gallery
The
Super One report is indicated below:-
MiniMax
Ross Gunn's weekend got off to a good start as he pipped Luke Knott
by a tenth in the timed qualifying and converted it into a fourth
and win in the heats, the other taken by Jack Mitchell over Dave
Wooder. Ben Hingeley would start the first final last after an exclusion
for a rear bumper infringement in a heat, but he would storm through
to ninth. As Mitchell hared off with Knott, Gunn was leapfrogging
Connor Mills and bridging the gap. Knott took the lead at the bottom
hairpin and pulled almost a second on Mitchell and Gunn. For the
second final, Mitchell took a huge lead on the first lap and appeared
untouchable to the chasing pack until with seven laps to run, a
rear wheel hub slid off the end of the axle, instant retirement.
Wooder, Knott were joined by Gunn and Hingeley in a rare battle,
now for the win. Knott fell to fifth behind Mills whilst Gunn and
Wooder broke clear of Hingeley to give Gunn the win. Knott had recovered
to third but his stout defence faltered in favour of Hingeley and
Mills.
Results
MiniMax
Final 1
1 Luke Knott (Tonykart) 24 laps in 16m07.58s; 2 Jack Mitchell (Tonykart)
+00.95s; 3 Ross Gunn (Tonykart); 4 Connor Mills (Alonso); 5 Dave
Wooder (Alonso); 6 Samuel Oram-Jones (Tonykart).
Final 2
1 Gunn 24 laps in 16m12.73s; 2 Wooder +00.37s; 3 Ben Hingeley (Tonykart);
4 Mills; 5 Knott ; 6 Pay.
Circuit
plan of Buckmore Park.
View
of Buckmore Park.
Another
victory after the Grand Final.
After
the Grand Final {courtesy of Simon Burchett, see links}
To see Ross Gunn at Buckmore Park Super One MiniMax ~ Heat 2 win,
Final 1 and Final 2 win go to
Gunn
on target at Round 4 in Scotland........
Round 4 of the Super One National Series
was held at the West of Scotland Kart Club {Larkhall}. Gunn yet
again showed the rest the way home, by winning his second heat and
winning the points scoring first and second Finals. This time no
administration errors prevented Gunn from scoring maximum points,
which dramatically improved his position in the Championship. Gunn
moved up to 4th position and is leading the Championship on drop
scores! The event took place on June 25/26th in reasonable weather
conditions. This was Gunn's first race meeting at this interesting
circuit, located 20 miles South of Glasgow. Although the journey
from Gunn's home is about 320 miles, the journey was worthwhile
In
warm conditions, very surprising for Scotland, Friday's testing
went very well. Gunn again appeared to be the fastest and admitted
that this was probably his favourite circuit. Everything looked
good for Saturday qualifying, which again took place in dry conditions,
although light showers were threatening. Gunn qualified fastest
to take pole position for the first and second heats on Saturday
and Sunday. Gunn's time of 39.82 s was 0.09 s faster than second
place man Ben Hingeley. The top 25 competitors were covered by only
0.83 s; the top 10 were covered by 0.33 s!
The
first heat took place on Saturday afternoon in dry but cloudy conditions.
After leaving the assembly area, prior to the start, Gunn retired
after only completing ¾ of a lap. On returning to the Tooley
Motorsport awning, it was found that the carburetor float bowl retaining
nut was loose. As a consequence, petrol had been leaking out and
the kart
.."just came to a halt". This was not a
good start to the meeting. Now Gunn certainly had a lot to do to
succeed in the Finals.
The program for Sunday was
. the second heat and
the two Finals. The weather was slightly overcast, with the occasional
spot of rain and light showers. The temperature was a total contrast
to the previous hot day. Gunn started the second heat in pole position
with the track dry enough to run on slicks. Gunn lead the race from
start to finish, crossing the line 5.15 s in front of second place
man, Hingeley. Gunn obtained the fastest lap, with a time of 39.92
s., 0.19 s faster than the next fastest placed driver. In fact Gunn
was the only driver to be in 39 'seconds'.
So
with a DNF in the first heat and a win in the second heat, Gunn
started the first Final in the 'mid field' position of 15th place.
To win was a vast challenge, especially with the standard of drivers
at this level of event. The race started with an accident on the
opening corner, resulting in injury to one of the Marshalls. As
a result the race was 'red flagged'. After the restart, Gunn progressively
climbed through the field and by the end of lap seven had reached
eighth place. At the end of lap ten, Hingeley, Rawson and Bartholomew
came together and Gunn, who was rapidly closing in on this leading
group gained from this racing incident. At the end of lap 14 Gunn
was in fourth place, to take second place during lap fifteen. Gunn
moved into the lead on lap seventeen to win the first final from
Luke Knott by 1.71 s. Gunn yet again had the fastest lap of 39.80
s, Gunn being the only driver in the '39s', This was a fantastic
drive
..
The Grand Final in comparison was 'somewhat tame'. Gunn lead from
start to finish, but Mitchell was not making it easy throughout
the race. Gunn crossed the line only 0.39 s ahead after 24 laps.
Gunn again obtained the fastest lap.
In
summary ~ Pole position in Timed Qualifying, Won second Heat with
Fastest lap, Won first Final with fastest lap, Won Grand Final with
fastest lap. The word 'impressive' comes to mind.
The
Super One report is indicated below:-
MiniMax
Ross Gunn showed his pace all the way from timed qualifying, leading
Ben Hingeley and Harry Webb in that, and taking the second heat
whilst Luke Knott won the first with Gunn failing to finish the
first lap. Hingeley led the first final starts, the first attempt
quickly stopped to attend to Chinese driver Zhou Guan Yu's crash,
and luckily he walked away. Webb thrust his kart ahead, whilst Jack
Bartholomew leapfrogged Knott. Mitchell and Webb continued to trade
the lead, Hingeley and Knott also having a quick exchange. Then
Hingeley collided with Barthomolew and Philip Rawson, and collected
an exclusion later. Gunn had reached the lead group, carving through
to the front to make a break over Knott and Mitchell with Webb fiercely
defending fourth from a long train of karts. In the second final,
Gunn led all the way with Mitchell on his tail, but a late race
challenge was thwarted when an errant backmarker got between them.
Knott took a lonely third whilst Josh White found a way past Webb
for fifth. Hingeley stormed up to seventh from the back.
Results
MiniMax
Final 1
1 Ross Gunn (Tonykart) 24 laps in 16m14.18s (39.80mph); 2 Luke Knott
(Tonykart) +01.71s; 3 Jack Mitchell (Tonykart); 4 Harry Webb (Tonykart);
5 Connor Mills (Alonso); 6 Josh White (Tonykart). Fastest lap Gunn
0.39.80s.
Final 2
1 Gunn 24 laps in 16m05.38s (47.28mph); 2 Mitchell +00.39s; 3 Knott;
4 White; 5 Webb; 6 Josh Price (Tonykart).
Unstoppable
at Larkhall (05/07/11)
Tooley
Motorsport do the double again with Ross Gunn, this time at the
Scottish race circuit Larkhall. Also qualifying in the top 3 was
Adam Mackay, after winning both finals here last year he was confident
going into this round. Competing for the team was Dan Fazzone, Ross
Gunn, Harry Howes, Oliver Skingley, Adam Mackay and Keiron Bowness.
Throughout
testing both the mini max were very promising putting in fastest
laps all day and there was only 1 tenth of a second splitting each
driver, putting them in a comfortable position for the racing. Qualifying
allowed Fazzone to put his pace into practice and put himself on
7th and Gunn managed to qualify pole for the 2nd time this year.
The heats provided good constant finishes for both of the boys apart
from Gunn suffering a mechanical failure, this put Gunn on 15th
and Fazzone on 8th for the finals. Dan managed to battle throughout
final one but ended up back in 8th, Ross had an outstanding drive
from 15th and won the race leaving all the competition behind in
his tracks whilst posting the fastest lap by 2 tenths of a second.
Final 2 brought more glory for Gunn, posting the fastest lap and
winning the race putting him 1st in the championship on dropped
scores. For Dan, final 2 wasn't as good as the team aimed for him,
he was slicing through the field and got up to 6th chasing the leaders
down to then be took off the track by another driver, this left
Dan picking up the pieces in 16th leaving him in 8th in the Championship.
In
Honda Harry Howes again was improving vastly throughout the weekend
but had to retire after his 2nd heat due to problems, he had good
battles in the heats with the championship contenders and is getting
better each time out.
Junior max brought great racing to the super one scene yet again,
Mackay brought the Tooley Motorsport kart home in 3rd position in
qualifying missing out on pole by a narrow 5 hundredths of a second.
Keiron Bowness struggled and could only manage being 3 tenths off
pole position, this meant he qualified 18th in group. For Skingley
electrical problems caused him to retire after 2 laps, enforcing
a DNF. The heats allowed both Mackay and Bowness to excel bringing
in two top 3 finishes, Keiron driving from 16th to 2nd. Skingley
was very quick throughout the heats lapp ing within hundredths of
the leaders, but as he set off from the back he struggled to get
the finishes he needed. This put Oliver in the repercharge with
another 19 drivers, the pace was there but viscous battling meant
he ended up in 9th position.
Mackay was setting off 5th for final one with his team mate, Bowness,
setting off 3 positions behind him, Mackay dropped a few positions
when the rain fell at the start but when it dried up he picked his
way back through to 8th, after missing a corner and taking a cut
through (losing 2 positions) Mackay then got a 15 second penalty
demoting him to 25th. Keiron had a disappointing start and got caught
up in the first corner incidents leading to a DNF. Final 2 allowed
Mackay to slice his way back through getting up to 12th position,
recording a lap that was only beaten by 2 people in the race. Keiron
again struggled from the back and only managed to finish 21st gaining
8 positions.
There
is still room for you to join the winning team in mini max, for
further information please contact either Andrew or David at
www.Tooleymotorsport.com
Photographs
courtesy of Chris Walker/Kartpix.net
Pole
position for the Grand Final Gunn
wins the Grand Final
Trophy
Presentation after the Grand Final TV
interview after Grand Final
To see Ross Gunn at Larkhall Super One MiniMax ~ Heat 2 win go to
To see
Ross Gunn at Larkhall Super One MiniMax ~ Final 1 win go to
To see
Ross Gunn at Larkhall Super One MiniMax ~ Final 2 win go to
Gunn
shows the way home at Round 3 of Super One
..
At
Round 3 of the Super One National Series at the Cumbria Kart Racing
Club {Rowrah}, Gunn showed the rest the way home by winning both
of his heats and also crossing the line in 1st place in the two
Finals. This was an amazing feat for someone in his first season
of MiniMax. The event took place on June 4/5th in near perfect weather
conditions, but unfortunately a small 'administrative' error took
the shine off the perfect weekend.
On
Friday, testing went very well in sunny conditions. The circuit
looked in perfect condition for this important round of Super One.
As at the O plate meeting the previous weekend, Gunn was clearly
the fastest, but with no rain, Gunn said that he would have wanted
to test in the wet, as the forecast for Sunday [Finals day} suggested
that rain was anticipated. Everything looked good for Saturday qualifying,
which again took place in hot conditions. Engine temperatures were
a concern
qualifying in the end didn't quite
go to plan, with Gunn qualifying on the front row but with a 2nd
fastest time of 47.57 s. Luke Knott qualified on pole, with a time
of 47.40 s. The top ten in qualifying were separated by only 0.5
s
. it was that close!
Gunn's first heat took place on Saturday afternoon in near perfect
conditions. Gunn took the lead into the first corner with a brilliant
opening plunge, but Knott took back the lead during the opening
lap
To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax - Heat 1 win go to
Gunn held 2nd place and retook the lead during lap nine, to take
the win after fourteen laps by 2.27 s from Knott and a hard chasing
Mitchell.
Sunday was to be very busy for the Tooley Motorsport team, with
the second heat and the two Finals. Sunday weather was slightly
overcast, with the occasional spot of rain. The temperature was
a total contrast to the previous hot day. Yet again Gunn started
the second heat on the front row and maintained 2nd place until
lap 3. The top three, Gunn, Mitchell and Knott had a tussle all
the way to the line, leaving the rest of the 'pack' by a margin
of 4 seconds at one stage. On lap 12 Gunn took the lead from Mitchell
and Knott but then dropped back to second behind Mitchell. On the
final lap, Gunn took the lead again to hold this position to the
finishing line.
This was Gunn's second heat win!
To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax - Heat 2 win go to
The first Final started just after14.00hr, with Gunn on pole after
his 'fantastic' showing in the two heats
.. "It
can't get any better" he said. The weather was overcast and
a few drops of rain made the track slippery after the warmth of
the previous day. The Super One website reported the 1ST Final as
follows:-
MiniMax
Ross Gunn made a break at the start whilst others spun on the tricky
damp surface, leaving Ben Hingeley to find Jack Mitchell up the
inside at Paddock bend. Josh White and Harry Webb joined in the
fight as Hingeley retrieved second place. Seeing he could not possibly
catch Gunn, Hingeley set up a near race long defence, at one point
having thirteen karts in a long train behind him but he managed
to hang on, Mitchell, White and Webb next in line. "I wasn't
even driving at full speed at the end, just trying to save the tyres
for the next final," said Gunn.
It
was a masterful showing of driving, with Gunn crossing the line by
a margin of 19.35 s! This could well be the largest margin of a race
win in the history of Super One MiniMax.
The
second final, started around 16.00 hrs and although overcast, stayed
dry for the forthcoming 18 lap Grand Final. Gunn yet again was on
pole. The Super One report is indicated below:-
Hingeley
leapt into the lead at the start of the second final, and Gunn found
himself demoted to third by Webb at the first hairpin whilst another
four mid-fielders spun off. Fast redressing the balance, Gunn leapfrogged
both his rivals, Hingeley demoted down to fifth, and then surprised
to have Philip Rawson through as well, never really recovering.
Webb was chasing Gunn in vain, and had a quick exchange with Lemuel
Pay to delay him further. From third Keith Donegan made an error
in the chicane, losing several places. Then Pay was hung out to
dry, leaving Webb on his own and Luke Knott heading the third place
battle. Knott swooped past Webb down the hill, but on the last lap
Gunn seemed to think the race was over and was caught by the pack,
having to defend vigorously to keep first place. Knott was eased
to the outside falling to fifth on the road, in favour of Webb,
Pay, Rawson and Knott. But Gunn was distraught
to be excluded when it was found he had put down an old seal number
for his engine, whilst Mitchell was excluded for a too
wide kart, and Harry Campey for ineligible sidepods, Webb now the
winner.
Motors
TV Interview.
Gunn
was interviewed by Motors TV after the race and admitted that he
did think the race was over, as he saw the crowd clapping around
the track! Gunn said that he soon realised that the pack was on
his heels and managed to 'fight them off', to cross the line in
the lead.
To see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax ~ Final 1 win go to
After the tremendous feeling of satisfaction having won both heats
and both finals, it was found in Post Race Scrutineering, that a
wrong engine seal number had been written on the scrutineering card.
Gunn was naturally feeling annoyed at his mistake
.
Gunn was excluded under S1 Reg 2.7.2 . He scored zero points for
the second final, but was officially informed by the Clerk of the
Course, that the second final could be counted as a 'drop score'.
To rub salt into the 'post-race wounds', Gunn calculated that he
would have been leading the Championship if the 2nd final had been
'counted', BUT rules are rules
After
such an outstanding weekend, it was a great pity to end this way
..but
Gunn had certainly proved that he is a main contender for the Championship
and even more determined to succeed at Round 4 at Larkhall.
Gunn shows the way home on lap 16 in Final 1 ~ the pack is out of
sight!
To
see Ross Gunn at Rowrah Super One, MiniMax ~ Final 2 'win' go to
Gunn' fires up' at Round 2 of Super One
..
The
2nd Round of the Mini Max Super One Championship took place at Shenington
Kart Club, 10 miles NW of Banbury, Oxfordshire, on April 9th and
10th. The weather stayed fine, even warm at times, during the whole
weekend. Not only did the sun shine, but Gunn also shone at only
his second appearance at Super One.
Testing
went extremely well on Friday with Gunn running the fastest for
most of the day. There was only one problem during one of the test
sessions, when another competitor spun in front of Gunn in the chicane.
Gunn had nowhere to go! The kart chassis was thoroughly checked
by Tooley Motorsport and a new track rod was replaced, as the old
one was 'definitely banana shaped'!
During the 10 minute practice session on Saturday, Gunn registered
a time of 43.7 s, this being 1/100 s inside the lap record! Only
times in races count towards setting lap records, but it did indicate
that Gunn was in a great position for the forthcoming Timed Qualifying
session. Gunn was drawn in the first session and obtained the fastest
time of 43.96 s. He was the only driver out of the 17 in his session
to 'break into' the 43's. In the other Timed Qualifying session,
the fastest driver was Piers Hickin with a time of 44.09 s. So Gunn
was on pole for both heats that would follow. A fantastic achievement
bearing in mind his limited time in Mini Max.
In Gunn's first 15 lap heat, he maintained the lead up to lap 13,
losing out to a 'hard pressing Hingeley'. Gunn dropped back to 2nd
place, but retook the lead, to cross the line 0.13 s ahead of Hingeley.
This was Gunn's first heat victory in Super One ~ not bad for his
second meeting! In Gunn's second heat, which took place on Sunday,
he yet again started in pole position and had a tremendous battle
with Piers Hickin, Josh White and Ben Hingeley. Gunn maintained
a healthy lead until lap 11 when he was taken by a 'working together'
White and Hickin. In a last lap incident, both White and Pay lost
out and Gunn benefited, to cross the line in 2nd place, 0.55 s behind
Hickin. As Hickin had two heat victories, Gunn would start his first
final in second position ~ brilliant to be on the front row at this
high level!
In the first FinaL, Gunn maintained 2nd place for most of the race
behind Hickin and eventually took the lead during lap 13. White
took the lead during lap 15 but things didn't 'go to plan' in the
final few laps. Driving standards yet again came into play, with
Gunn suffering from some forceful action by the chasing competitors
~ similar to Whilton Mill! As a result, Gunn crossed the line in
5th place, having gained one place on the last lap. Following an
enquiry in front of the Clerk of the Course, three drivers were
penalised by 4 places. Gunn gained 2 places as a result and finished
his first final in 3rd place.
In the Grand Final, Gunn started in 3rd place and took 2nd place
on the opening lap behind White. These two broke away from the squabbling
pack behind; the only change was Gunn taking the lead on lap 17,
to be then overtaken again by Josh White on lap 18. Gunn attempted
to take the lead on numerous occasions, but White defended extremely
well to take the win by 6/100 s after 22 laps! This was to be Gunn's
first podium visit!
A great weekend's work by all concerned, especially the driver!
Gunn moves up by 4 places in the Championship to lie 5th, only 7
points off the top three.
To see Ross Gunn at Shenington Super One, Minimax
- First heat win, go to
To see
Ross Gunn at Shenington Super One - MiniMax Finals 2011, go to
Gunn
on target at Round 1 of Super One
The
first Round of the Super One Mini Max Championship took place at
the Whilton Mill Kart Club on March 12th and 13th. On Saturday Gunn
qualified 5th {out of 32 competitors} with a time of 46.73s, only
0.09s off the fastest lap set by Jack Mitchell. This was very impressive,
bearing in mind this was Gunn's first Mini Max Super One outing
.
Conditions
stayed dry during the Saturday racing, so the controlled slicks
were used throughout the two Heats that followed. Gunn was drawn
in Group B {following his 5th placed qualification time}, so his
two heats took place on Saturday namely AvB and BvC. The remaining
heat CvA would take place on Sunday. This meant that Gunn would
not know his grid position for the first Final until Sunday morning.
Gunn was 4th on the grid for the first Heat {see image}.
First
Heat on Saturday in 4th
Gunn
maintained 4th position until the 13th lap to cross the line in
2nd place, 0.49s behind the winner. He obtained the fastest lap
of 46.81s, 0.15s faster than the 2nd fastest lap. In Gunn's second
heat, he started 3rd and finished 2nd with again the fastest lap
of 46.74s, 0.24s faster than the second fastest lap. Gunn was very
pleased with his performance on the opening day of the Super One
Championship.
On Sunday, the weather threatened to rain but managed to hold off
for the remainder of the day. After the final heat was run, Gunn
would start in 3rd position in the first Final to be run over 15
minutes plus 1 lap. Gunn made an excellent start taking Jack Mitchell
in the opening lap. Gunn maintained 2nd place until taking the lead
during lap 13. He maintained the lead until lap 18. The chasing
pack of 4 karts managed to get with Gunn by 'working together' and
rather forcefully pushed Gunn to the outside of the track. Gunn
eventually crossed the line in a still very respectable 7th place,
1.6s behind the winner after 20 hectic laps. An enquiry followed
in front of the Clerk of the Course, into the manner at which the
chasing pack had 'forced' Gunn to one side. Camera evidence was
apparently inconclusive! This delayed the second Mini Max final
by nearly 30 minutes.
Gunn started the 2nd Final in 7th position and made a good start
until the race was red flagged due to problems to some competitors
during the opening lap. After the restart, Gunn found that the kart
was not running correctly ~ maybe due to a slow tick-over setting
or the carburation fouling due to slow speeds during the slowing
red flag lap. As a result, when the race restarted, Gunn crossed
the line in 30th position {at the back of the field}! The next 15
minutes ' plus' was a perfect demonstration of how fast Gunn can
drive. In the first 5 laps he passed 13 karts! At the end of the
race, he had passed 18 karts in total, at one point taking 4 karts
in the corner named The Boot. He obtained the 2nd fastest lap of
46.72s, only 0.05s off the fastest lap. Gunn eventually finished
in 12th position, 7.55s behind the winner after 20 laps! The front
pack was never going to be caught, with the advantage they had gained
over a 'spluttering' Gunn at the start, but it was very apparent
that he was closing in on this group throughout the race. The term
often used is
. he ran out of laps!
Circuit
venue ~ Whilton Mill Kart Track, near Daventry.
Gunn
gets another mention in Motor Sport News.........
Gunn
takes the lead in his first Super One final............
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