27th November – Charity Team 2 hour endurance event!!

Charity Day – 27th November 2011 at 9:30am.  Wacky Racers event, 2 hour team endurance with 2 – 6 drivers in each team.  Up to 20 teams racing on track!!

£180.00 per team and during the race there will be a few suprises thrown in…true wacky racer style!!

Raising money for the Henry Surtees Foundation.

Points awarded for team fancy dress, trophies for the the top three wacky racers teams and booby prizes too!!

Call us to book your team in for the 27th November ASAP!!

Sam Fitzpatrick – 2011 Cadet League Champion

Ellough Park Race Circuit would like to congratulate Sam Fitzpatrick on winning the 2011 Cadet League Championship after a masterful display of wet-weather driving at the penultimate Round of the championship. In torrential rain Sam took his seventh win from seven meetings to claim his first title with a round to spare.

In only his first full season of racing Sam has shot up the ranks to become one of the most successful drivers in the championships history. He is the first driver to have won 7 consecutive races and has finished the last 11 meetings on the podium. Sam has also featured strongly in the EPKC Honda Cadet series and is looking good for a top 3 finish in the championship amongst some very experienced competition. For 2012 Sam plans to enter more MSA race meetings as well as having another shot at the EPKC title.

Ellough Parks Steve English commented on Sam by saying ‘Sam has had an unbelievable 2011 season with dominance that has never before been seen in any championship at the circuit. I’ve been involved in running the leagues for 10 years now and Sam is not only one of the most naturally talented drivers to compete but also the most down to earth drivers I have met. He’s a lad of few words but he certainly lets his driving do the talking! I would also like to thank Sam’s dad Mark for the help and guidance he has given to the new drivers in the League this year.’

Another driver to wrap up a title at the meeting was Harry Weaver who clinched the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title. Harry has been progressively improving including a couple of strong A-Final performances during the season. He has also been taking part in the EPKC Honda Cadet Series and has been steadily moving up the field.

The Final Round of the Cadet League takes place on Wednesday 23rd November with double points up for grabs. The runner-up spot in the series is still undecided with Oliver Grantham currently heading Mitchell Fenn and Callum Goldsmith, who took his maiden finish at the last meeting. For more information on the championship or for details for 2012 please phone 01502 717718.

Steady Seals Senior Win

With the end of the season fast approaching a full field of drivers took to the track for Round 10 of the Non-MSA Championships all hoping to keep themselves in contention for their respective titles.

The Libra cadet class was boosted by the return of championship leader Bradley Kent along with reigning champion Herbie Grout. In the Honda Cadet class most of the top drivers were in action with the exception of Michael Hughes who would miss his first race of the season due to other commitments. In the Minimax class championship leader Harry Holdbrook came into the meeting with a strong chance of clinching the title but would be pushed hard by his main rival Adam Hatfield. In Senior Rotax, Vince Mallett still held a healthy championship lead ahead of the titanic scrap for second headed up by Steven Knowles and James Canham.

The Libra Cadets began the days action with Heat 1 setting the tone for the day with a ferocious battle for the lead between Grout, Kent and Easykart driver Matt Round. The first heat would eventually go to Kent ahead of Grout and Round but in Heat 2 a lap 3 incident put Kent out of the running and earned Round a black flag leaving Grout clear to take the win ahead of novice driver Max Fenlon. Heat 3 saw Kent back on top earning him pole position for the Final. Kent took the early lead of the final but had Grout and Round right on his tail. On lap 4 contact from Grout sent Kent off at turn 1 demoting him down to third. At the flag it was Round who had got the better of Grout to take the win and with Grout receiving a one place penalty it was Kent in second ahead of Grout and Fenlon.

The Junior classes got underway a little too quickly for Holdbrook in Heat 1 as a jump start saw him demoted from first to third leaving Hatfield as the winner ahead of Lee Edwards. Heat 2 this time saw Holdbrook judge the start perfectly as he shot into the lead which he held to the flag ahead of Hatfield and Tye Mason. Heat 3 again saw Holdbrook take the win ahead of Hatfield and Mason placing him on pole for the Final. The final saw Holdbrook initially take a commanding lead but Hatfield closed the gap to within a second before dropping back towards the end. Holdbrooks win clinched the Minimax title, a great achievement in his first full season of racing. In the Junior Rotax class Benjamin Bee took all three Heat wins and the Final win to extend his championship lead while in the Junior TKM class Oliver Graham also picked up a maximum points haul in the absence of championship leader Mark Phelps with Tom Rushforth following home in second.

The Honda Cadet class saw 18 drivers gunning for victory and the first heat of the day went the way of the in-form Jean Sammut take a hard fought win by just 0.13 from series leader Archie Albone. Sam Fitzpatrick came home half a second away from the leaders with Oliver Grantham ever improving in fourth place. Heat 2 had to be stopped on the opening lap following a four kart pile up which Ben Kasperczak took the brunt of ruling him out of the restart. Also missing the restart was Perry Cooke after sustaining damage in the incident. The restart saw a repeat of Heat 1 with Sammut again leading home Albone by just 0.19 with Grantham this time in third place. Kal Miller was also looking strong in fourth but further back disaster struck for Fitzpatrick after a crash left him on the sidelines. Heat 3 saw Fitzpatrick strike back in the best possible way with a win after a stunning last lap pass on Sammut. Grantham continued to impress in third with Albone fourth after a spin just after half distance. Kasperczak also had a strong drive to fight through to fifth. With tensions running high and with his first pole position in his pocket Sammut got away quickly at the start leaving the pursuing pack trailing into turn 1. However Albone and Fitzpatrick were soon back on his tail and three swapped places countless times leaving the enthralled spectators wondering who would take the win. Behind the leaders Kasperczak again had driven through the field from thirteenth on the grid to fifth. At the flag it was Sammut who captured victory but had been deemed to have jumped the start earning a five place penalty. This took nothing away from the stunning drive he had put in as he had fought back from third to take the win. The penalty handed the win to Albone who also thoroughly deserved the applauds ahead of Fitzpatrick with Kal Miller an outstanding third, his best result to date by far. Kals drive was also noticed by the marshals who awarded him with the coveted ‘Driver of the Day’ trophy.

The Senior Rotax class saw a bumper field of 24 drivers take to the circuit and in Heat 1 they were led home by Harry Smith, who was last seen in action at Ellough Park in a Minimax. Following Smith home was the returning Simon Steady ahead of Jake Baker, his best finish since his return to racing. Championship leader Mallett had a torrid start to the day, throwing a chain while running fifth. Heat 2 saw the winner of the last two meetings Craig Pollard back on top, taking a new lap record along the way. He was followed home by Steady with Teddie Harvey third ahead of Canham and Smith. Mallett was again out of luck after crash damage again left him on the sidelines. After two second places Steady picked up the Heat 3 win ahead of Smith and Pollard, who again broke the lap record. Henry Riley came across the line fourth ahead of Harvey while Malletts day went from bad to worse with mechanical failure robbing him of a finish and ruling him out of the final. The Final got underway with Steady heading the pack but further back Jason Baker was tagged into a spin and was collected first by Stewart Hunting and then much more heavily by Aland Hunting. With Hunting injured at the side of the circuit the race was red flagged but after initial concern Huntings injuries were only slight. At the restart it was Steady who again shot into the lead ahead of Pollard. Behind the leaders Ben Kidd was putting in a great performance in third holding of Smith. Also impressing was novice driver Jak Warner who from the back of the grid had sliced through the field into ninth. At the flag it was Steady who just held off the charging Pollard, who had broking his own lap record again, with Smith just pipping Kidd for third and Riley crossing the line in fifth. Jake Baker continued his strong day with a seasons best sixth.

The penultimate Round of the championship takes place on Saturday 19^th November with practice running from 9am-11am with racing beginning at 12pm. To book a place you can either email the circuit or phone 01502 717718. Details for the 2012 championship are also now available from the circuit.