Steve Plain on his way to victory in the final at Shenington

The final round of the 2009 Short Circuit championship headed off to Shenington amid great anticipation. There were 3 drivers who had a realistic chance of lifting the title at the last round, and there was definately an air of excitement in the pits during the weekend. All the drivers this year have "lifted their game" as results have shown, and numerous drivers have recorded personal best lap times wherever they went. This event also saw the single best race for many a year, with heat 2 being a real hum dinger. It was almost impossible to keep up with the changes in track position, and provided wonderful entertainment for the spectators. So - this was it, the final push to the finishing line for the title of 2009 Short Circuit Champion.

Heat 1

Any doubts about weather conditions for the weekend were dispelled as it was a dry meeting throughout the weekend with no possibility of any rain. Heat 1 was a start to finish victory for guest driver Steve Plain, who although has only competed in one meeting previously this year, showed his intention of making his mark on the final weekend of the season. Following behind after the first lap was Paul Fowler with Lee Plain and Dan Bury in hot persuit. By the time lap 3 had come around, Charles Morris had made his way through the pack into 4th place, and had both Dan Bury and Paul Fowler in his sights. However, disaster struck for Paul Fowler as halfway through the race, his 4th gear went awol, and completed the race with only 3 gears slipping down the field in the process. 

On lap 5, Morris found his way around Lee Plain, with Graham Payne also making his move on Dan Bury into 4th position. Further down the field, there was some very entertaining racing with father & son duo Chris & Neil Callaghan mixing it up with Mike Coombs and Neil Hancock.

As the chequered flag dropped, Steve Plain took the honours, from Charles Morris in 2nd and Lee Plain in 3rd.

Result

1st Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Lee Plain  4th Graham Payne   5th Dan Bury  6th Chris Callaghan

Heat 2

As mentioned earlier, heat 2 was a fantastic spectacle of how 210 racing, and karting in general should be. You had to have eyes in the back of your head to keep up with what was going on with places changing backwards and forward all the time. 

From the off, it was Chris Callaghan who led the race with Dan Bury and Graham Payne chasing him down. On lap 5, Bury made his move past Callaghan, but the youngster was having none of it and retook the lead on the following lap coming out of the chicane.  By the time another lap had been completed, Charles Morris was also in the mix with the leaders, and passed both of them to take the lead. While all this was going on, Graham Payne was sat right behind, ready to make his move and take advantage of any mishap. After all this had took place, 2nd and 3rd between Bury and Callaghan was to change another twice with an unbelievable exhibition of hard and competitive but fair racing. Spectators from various camps were going berserk watching in the stand - thrilling stuff indeed!!!

By the time the final lap had come around, just to show that he wouldnt be forgotten in all this, Graham Payne made a move on Callaghan for 3rd place.

For sheer entertainment value, this race was without doubt the highlight of the season. Well done guys.

Result

1st Charles Morris  2nd Dan Bury  3rd Graham Payne  4th Chris Callaghan  5th Lee Plain  6th Steve Plain (guest)

Heat 3

 Now that we had got our breath back, it was time for heat 3. After an early showing with John Morrish heading the field away, Steve Plain again sprang into action taking to the front on lap 2. Graham Payne and Paul Fowler made their way through the tightly bunched field to take 2nd and 3rd respectively. From the very back of the grid, Charles Morris cut his way through to 6th by the 4th lap, which also saw the luckless Lee Plain taking an early finish.

Special mention should be given to Sam Atkinson and Tony Vacca in this race who were having a real tussle further down the field. Back at the front, Paul Fowler managed to slip by Graham Payne on lap 5 to take 2nd, and a lap later Charles Morris  hauled himself into 4th place. Another noticable good performance was that of John Morrish to finish in 5th.

Result

1st  Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Graham Payne  4th Charles Morris  5th John Morris  6th Tony Vacca

FINAL

Nerves were really jangling on the dummy grid as the title of Short Circuit Champion had all come down to this very last race of the season. Charles Morris, Dan Bury and Graham Payne needed to give it there best shot if they were to be crowned champion. Graham needed to finish at least 10^th behind Charles!!!!  Dan had unfortunately had a nasty DNF in heat 3 and was waiting in the wings for either one of them to falter.

Right from the off, guest Steve Plain took the lead from pole, but there was a tightly packed bunch close at hand of Graham Payne, Paul Fowler, Lee Plain, Charles Morris and Dan Bury with hardly any distance between them. On lap 4, the order was Steve Plain, with Charles Morris in 2nd, Lee Plain in 3rd Paul Fowler in 4th followed by Graham Payne and Dan Bury.

The next lap saw a nasty looking incident at Wilkins, with the leading group all getting tangled up and tripping up over each other. The outcome of this was that Lee Plain was sidelined for the rest of the race, as was Graham Payne who was lucky to walk away unhurt after attempting to restart his kart and coming to grief. Everyone at this point breathed a sigh of relief, as it became apparent that it looked a lot worse than it actually was, and Graham had been incredibly lucky.

As the race again settled down, Steve Plain was increasing his lead over Paul Fowler with Dan Bury and Charles Morris taking up the 3rd and 4th places. With 2 laps to go, Morris got by Dan Bury for 3rd place and held it to the chequered flag. In the process, not only had he got 3rd in the final, but secured enough points in the process to claim the title of 2009 Short Circuit Champion. Guest driver Steve Plain finished off his excellent weekends racing with victory in the final.

Result

1st Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Charles Morris  4th Dan Bury  5th Neil Callaghan  6th Neil Hancock

 CONGRATULATIONS TO CHARLES MORRIS - SHORT CIRCUIT CHAMPION 2009

Race Report - Martin Jones & Kate Bateman

Mike Coombs (7) leads the pack away in heat 2. Also pictured - Dan Bury (2) Neil Callaghan (77) John Morrish (38)        Lee Plain (11)  and Chris Callaghan (30)

Little Rissington in the heart of the Cotswolds was the host of round 6 of the Short Circuit Championship, and also up for grabs was the coveted title of Midland Champion. The weather was good to us all weekend, and the usual 2 day format of the Midland Championships again gave us some very entertaining racing, and some very unusual results. Right from the start of heat 1, it became apparent that the meeting was going to throw up some unusual results, and most drivers had a weekend of mixed fortunes one way or another, and a fair amount of drivers finding out that racing on the grass isn't to be recommended!!

Heat 1

After a false start, thankfully the grid got away to the marshalls satisfaction on the 2nd time of asking. From the very first corner it was Lee Plain who led away, followed by Chris Callaghan, Adrian Watkins and Mike Coombs, with Graham Payne and Dan Bury also in close contention. Plains lead just stretched out as the race progressed, but on lap 2, Championship leader Charles Morris retired with a broken barrel stud. This was to be the start of his "topsy turvey" weekend!!

Meanwhile, as lap 5 approached, Paul Fowler made his way past Mike Coombs to claim 4th place. Up at the front, Plain was still pulling away, and Callaghan Jnr was holding his own in 2nd. By lap 8 though, Fowler had closed him down and slid past into with Adrian Watkins, Mike Coombs and Dan Bury claiming the minor places.

Result

1st Lee Plain  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Chris Callaghan  4th Adrian Watkins  5th Mike Coombs  6th Dan Bury

Heat 2

After the action of heat 1, the drivers had Saturday night to breathe new life into their equipment in preparation for the remaining races. For the start of heat 2 - see the photo at the top of this report!! A resurgent Mike Coombs fled from the start to take the lead, and was well clear at the first turn. Mike certainly has found some of his best form of late, and is putting in some very useful and consistent performances.

On lap 3, Chanpionship Title contender Dan Bury found his way past into the lead, and was quickly followed by Graham Payne. This time, its would be Lee Plains turn to get struck by the mechanical gremlins early on, and he retired on lap 2.

It was good to see 2009 Long Circuit Champion Simon Bateman competing in the "cut and thrust" of Short Circuit racing, and by lap 4 he had forced his way through the field into 4th place, followed by Chris Callaghan and Adrian Watkins. On the very last corner, Bateman made his move on Coombs to grab a very deserved 3rd.

Result

1st Dan Bury  2nd Graham Payne  3rd Simon Bateman  4th Mike Coombs  5th Chris Callaghan  6th Adrian Watkins

Heat 3

 Without a single point to his name after 2 heats, Charles Morris lined up for the 3rd an final heat with a point to prove and a Championship Title to contend. By this point, it was obvious to all and sundry that his 2 previous retirements could end up costing him dearly, and if he was to salvage anything at all he must start scoring big points again and very quickly.

As the lights went out to signal the start, Graham Payne led away from Simon Bateman Paul Fowler and Charles Morris. By lap 3, Morris had charged into 2nd, behind one of his closest championship contenders Graham Payne. These pair had a tremendous couple of laps close racing, but Morris eventually found his way past to take the lead.Meanwhile, Paul Fowler was progressing nicely in 3rd place,and he managed to get the jump on Graham Payne for 2nd. Following this mayhem were Lee Plain and Simon Bateman. Further back, there was an amazing battle going on between Mike Coombs, John Morrish and Neil Hancock.

When the chequered flag dropped, Morris took the win and his first points of the weekend, followed home by Paul Fowler and Graham Payne.

Result

1st Charles Morris  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Graham Payne  4th Lee Plain  5th Simon Bateman  6th Mike Coombs

FINAL

There was plenty to race for in the final, as not only did it earn much needed championship points, but the coveted title of Midland Champion 2009.

After 2 disastrous heats, Charles Morris found himself on the back of the grid, but as the lights faded, he made an absolute storming getaway, navigating his way through the tightly bunched pack, and making up an incredible 9 places after 1 lap. Graham Payne was leading after lap 2, with Lee Plain snapping at his heels ready to take advantage of the slightest mistake. Disaster struck for Lee Plain though as he fell by the wayside on lap 3, which now left Charles Morris chasing down Graham Payne. On lap 6, Morris made a lunge down the inside of Payne, and made it stick to take up the lead. Meanwhile, just behind these two, Dan Bury Simon Bateman and Mike Coombs were having a "Battle Royale" trading places back and forth, while further back Paul Fowler, Adrian Watkins and Chris Callaghan were having their own race to decide the minor placings. After 12 gruelling laps, Charles Morris took the chequered flag and the Midland Champion title, with Graham Payne and Dan Bury holding on for 2nd and 3rd respectively.

As the 210 Short Circuit Challenge now moves on to the final race of the season, it really is hotting up with the title wide open. There are 3 drivers in particular who are all in with a good chance of lifting the title, and the last round at Shenington on October 18th promises to be a real cracker.

Result

1st Charles Morris  2nd Graham Payne  3rd Dan Bury  4th Mike Coombs  5th Simon Bateman  6th Paul Fowler

Race Report - Kate Bateman & Martin Jones

The 5th round of this seasons Short Circuit Championships took place at Kimbolton on August 9th. Marking the start of the second half of the season, championship points are all important now in the rundown to the end of season. The weather was kind to us all weekend, and it was a real pleasure to visit this friendly club in the heart of Cambridgeshire. 

Heat 1

From the start, it would be Neil Callaghan who the field through Stow Corner and the Willows and away down the main straight. In hot persuit was Championship Leader Charles Morris with Graham Payne and Lee Plain also in contention. Behind this leading pack, there were several drivers all jockying for position down the straight that included Dan Bury, John Morrish and Adrian Watkins.

On lap 2, Morris made his move and slipped past Neil Callaghan to take the lead, and Lee Plain and Graham Payne also followed suit to take 2nd and 3rd. After an awful start which saw him drop to the back of the pack, Paul Fowler was making useful progress through the field picking his way through and hauling himself up to 6th place by lap 5. Meanwhile up at the front, the first 3 positions remained constant to the chequered flag, although disaster struckfor Neil Callaghan who had to retire on lap 6 with a technical problem.

Result

1st Charles Morris  2nd Lee Plain  3rd Graham Payne  4th Dan Bury  5th Paul Fowler        6th John Morrish

Heat 2 

Eventual winner of the meeting Lee Plain stamped his authority on the 2nd heat, leading away from the start and was never challenged right down to the chequered flag. However, although he was having a race on his own, there was some terrific scraps taking place behind him, notably that of Graham Payne Charles Morris and Dan Bury with all 3 of them scarpping over third place. Paul Fowler had another good race holding his second place and earning more useful points towards his championship tally.

Behind these leading 5, Adrian Watkins was really motoring, untill he was black flagged on lap 7. Adrian Watkins - black flagged???? Surely not? It was possibly the most bizzare black flag incident for one of our drivers seen in years. The wind had pulled the zip down on his race suit, and try as he could, he couldnt get it back up. Consequently for safety reasons, they marshalss had no option but to bring him in and his race finished rather prematurely. Needless to say, there was a mad scramble round the pits later for a supply of safety pins!!!

Meanwhile as the race continued, Lee Plain held on to his lead, with Fowler second, and the third place battle eventually being sorted in the favour of Charles Morris.

Result

1st Lee Plain  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Charles Morris  4th Graham Payne  5th Dan Bury       6th Neil Callaghan

Heat 3

Away from the start of heat 3, it was John Morish of Crewe who hit the first corner in front, with a whole gaggle of drivers snapping at his heels. By the time the pack was heading down the main straight, Dan Bury was leading with Charles Morris on his tail with John Morrish in 3rd. This race turned out to be a real "hum-dinger" up at the front, with never more than a couple of karts length seperating Bury and Charles Morris. By lap 5, Paul Fowler had hauled himself up into 4th place with Neil Callaghan Adrian Watkins and Chris Callaghan having their own race just behind. On the penultimate lap, Lee Plain passed Paul Fowler to claim 4th.

Back at the front, it was still as close as ever between Bury and Morris, and for the last 2 laps, it was real "bumper to bumper" stuff with some real hard but fair racing between these two. Eventually as they crossed the finishing line, it would be Bury who managed to hold on for the wi, with the gap between him and Charles Morris being recorded as 0.38 second!!!

Result

1st Dan Bury  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Graham Payne  4th Lee Plain  5th Paul Fowler       6th Neil Callaghan

FINAL

The final at Kimbolton promised to be a real "nail biter" with 3 different drivers winning the earlier 3 heats. Charles Morris, Lee Plain and Dan Bury had all been heat winners and now it was time for the final showdown.

As the lights went out to indicate the start, it seemed like the whole of the front 2 rows stuttered and faltered away, with no-one particularly getting a good clean start . By the time he got going, Championship leader Charles Morris found himself in 9th place. However, as things sorted themselves out, Dan Bury took the advantage and hit the front, followed by Lee Plain, Neil Callaghan John Morrish and Chris Callaghan. By lap 4, Paul Fowler had dragged himself up to 4th making good ground through the field. On the very next lap,Lee Plain was right on the tail of keader Bury, and made his move down Hines straight drawing level, which gave him the advantage as they turned into Stow corner.Once he had passed, he steadily increased his lead on Bury. By this point, Charles Morris had retired with mechanical gremlins - and this failure was to cost him dearly when the championship points were calculated.

Meanwhile, a good battle was going on between Coombs, Watkins, Morrish and both Callaghans. Mike Coombs (who hadnt had much luck in the heats) eventually coming out on top of this particular battle.  As the chequered flag dropped, Plain took the victory with Dan Bury 2nd and Paul Fowler 3rd.

Result

1st Lee Plain  2nd Dan Bury  3rd Paul Fowler  4th Graham Payne  5th Mike Coombs         6th John Morrish

Race Report - Martin Jones & Kate Bateman

Expectations were running high for all of our drivers at this the prestige Long Circuit Event of the year. Again it was held at the fabulous Cadwell Park circuit, and yet again, the weather played its part in the proceedings. During the course of the weekend, wind, rain and some sunshine all had an effect on the weekends racing.

Saturday

The two races programmed for Saturday would count towards championship points. In order for Bateman to win the championship he had to finish in front of Pooley and Thompson in at least two races. Timed qualifying saw Bateman clinch pole, with Thompson alongside and Plain and Pooley completing the second row. Thompson, unfortunately, was unable to compete in either of Saturdays races due to major mechanical problems. 

Race one was dominated by Bateman, Pooley came in second with Plain in third and if Whyte had had a few more laps may have caught and passed him, but remained in fourth.

Race two saw Bateman take an early lead, however he was quickly caught by Morris who by the end of the race was the length of Park Straight ahead of him Morris took the win, Bateman continued to drive a steady race securing his win as Long Circuit Champion 2009. Pooley clinched 3rd, Plain 4th and Woodward 5th.

Sunday

Pre Final

With the Pre- final as the last championship race to count for points, the day saw the seeded 2009 numbers 1 to 3 already claimed. The rest were up for grabs. As the karts entered the track donning slick tyres it began to spit with rain, on the rolling lap the skies opened and by the time they arrived on the grid rain was torrential. After one horrendous aquaplaning lap, the race was red flagged and declared wet!!! The restart (still raining) saw Thompson take the early lead until Bateman passed him at Park corner. Morris was in 3rd, Plain 4th and Whyte 5th. On lap 4 Morris had caught and passed Bateman at Chris Curve, Plain was now 3rd and Thompson 4th. On the next lap, Thompson was back up to 3rd to give chase to Bateman. Over the next few laps Thompson sat at the rear of Batemans kart. Morris took the win and with a little over exuberance from Bateman in his attempt to stay in front of Thompson, he found himself facing the wrong way at Mansfield therefore Thompson motored past and as Bateman regained the track, Plain also passed narrowly avoiding him.

Results:- 1^st Charles Morris, 2^nd Don Thompson, 3^rd Lee Plain, 4^th Simon Bateman and 5^th Tom Whyte

Congratulations Simon Bateman 2009 210 Long Circuit Champion

THE FINAL – GP

The weather still hadn’t given in and as the lights changed, Thompson and Morris climbed the mountain side by side closely followed by Plain and Bateman and being pursued by Woodward, Pooley, Masson, Whyte and Coombs. As the lap continued, Morris managed to pass Thompson in the dip along Park Straight however Thompson would never lose sight of Morris’ rear bumper.

By lap 3, Whyte had managed to fight his way up the pack claiming 6th followed by Masson and Coombs. After two more laps, as the leaders approached Charlies, Thompson was able to get in front of Morris once more, however was once again thwarted as Morris regained his position into Park corner. Plain and Bateman were still going steady in 3rd and 4th as the leaders battled it out. On the final few laps, things were hotting up which saw the off of Masson at Hall Bend and Whyte gaining a place over Pooley. As they drove to finish line side by side, it was Morris who punched the air victorious to take the win from Thompson, these two put on a spectators delight and commiserations must go to Don who kept up the challenge throughout the whole race.

Results:- 1^st Charles Morris, 2^nd Don Thompson, 3^rd Lee Plain, 4^th Simon Bateman, 5th Pooley and 6^th Coombs.

Report by Kate and Sian Bateman

Congratulations 2009 210 GP Title Holder Charles Morris

Congratulations also go to the following drivers claiming their seeded numbers for next year.

No 1     Simon Bateman

No 2     Bob Pooley

No.3     Don Thompson

No.4     Charles Morris

No.5     Lee Plain

No.6     Tom Whyte

No.7     Tim Woodward

Round 4 of the Short Circuit Challenge took place at Shenington, and also incorporated the coveted "O" Plate title. After the previous 3 rounds, all the signs pointed to another superb meeting, and we weren't disappointed. Guest driver for the meeting was former 210 Champion Steve Plain who looked to have lost none of his flair and ability at the practice.The meeting itself was a 2 day event, with one heat on Saturday, and a further 2 heats and the final on Sunday.

        
Heat 1
As the drivers left the dummy grid for the first heat, there were a few spots of rain in the air, and by the time they had all lined up in formation, the track was really greasy and slippery. Under the tricky conditions, the first few laps were more than a little difficult to navigate, and there were a few incidents as a result. At the start, Adrian Watkins was slow to get away, and an unsighted Sam Atkinson collected him as the lights changed. A lap later, both Chris Callaghan and Mike Coombs fell by the wayside, followed immediately by Paul Fowler and Dan Bury. Thankfully, after the first couple of laps, the rain stopped and the track dried out really quickly for the remainder of the race. Charles Morris took advantage of the earlier mayhem to take the lead, but Steve Plain made his move at the end of Stratford to claim the position on lap 4. Graham Payne held 3rd place, while a much improved Neil Callaghan held on to 4th.

Result:- 1st Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Graham Payne  4th Neil Callaghan  5th Adrian Watkins


Heat 2
As Sunday dawned, it was a pleasant change to have a more relaxed approach to the day, with only 2 heats and a final left to compete. That is except for Dan Bury, who was competing in the 210's, the 250's and the historics!!
As the lights went out to indicate the start, it would be Shenington specialist Mike Coombs who was to take the early lead, which he held for 2 laps, over Paul Fowler, Steve Plain, Chris Callaghan and Charles Morris. By lap 4, Steve Plain had again found his way through to the front of the pack, with Championship leader Charles Morris tucked in behind in second place, followed by Paul Fowler, Chris Callaghan and Dan Bury. Steve Plain then managed to extend his lead as the laps ebbed away, and Graham Payne charged his way through the field and eventually passed Dan Bury at the Stratford hairpin to claim 5th position.

Result:-  1st Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Paul Fowler  4th Chris Callaghan  5th Graham Payne  6th Dan Bury  7th Neil Callaghan  8th Adrian Watkins  9th Neil Hancock  10th John Morrish

Heat 3
Steve Plain made his intentions clear, leading the race from start to finish. However, the race was far from a procession, as behind the leader, there was all manner of battles going on for the minor places. Inside 3 laps, Charles Morris had launched himself through the field, rocketing from 9th place at the start to 2nd. By this time though, Steve Plain had increased his lead, and was uncatchable. Another superb performance was that of Mike Coombs - starting from the very back of the grid, and thanks to some superb overtaking maneouvres ploughed on to claim 7th. Up at the front meantime, there was also a monumental battle going on for 3rd place between Dan Bury and Graham Payne, with Payne claiming the position on lap 10.

Result:- 1st Steve Plain (guest)  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Graham Payne  4th Dan Bury  5th Chris Callaghan  6th Neil Callaghan  7th Mike Coombs  8th Neil Hancock  9th Adrian Watkins  10th John Morrish

FINAL & "O" PLATE TITLE
The final and "O" plate title promised to be a real battle, as Charles Morris and Steve Plain lined up alongside each other at the start. However, as the lights went out, it would be Plain who took the advantage, as Morris made a slow getaway and dropped 3 places further down the field. By lap 3. Morris had regained his 2nd place, overtaking Graham Payne at the exit of Stratford. The chase was well and truly on, and Morris clawed his way back to within 1.5 seconds of the lead. Lap after lap it looked as if we were to be treated to a nail biting finish. Behind the two contenders for the title, other battles were going on between Chris Callaghan and Graham Payne, while Dan Bury was making some unconventional yet totally fair moves in the middle of the field. By lap 10, Bury had fought his way up to 4th place, and a lap later overtook Chris Callaghan to claim 3rd. Mention must also be given to a battle that was taking place further back, with John Morrish and Tony Vacca squabbling over poisition lap after lap - Morrish eventually the victor of this one.

Meanwhile, just as things were hotting up at the front, Charles Morris' gear lever decided to come adrift, and by lap 11 was really struggling and dropping back. Then, later on in the same lap, disaster struck as his big end decided to expire, putting him out of the race. This left Steve Plain clear to take the victory, followed home by Graham Payne and Dan Bury with Chris Callaghan in a very creditable best ever 4th place.

Result:- 1st & "O" Plate Winner - Steve Plain,  2nd Graham Payne,  3rd Dan Bury,  4th Chris Callaghan,  5th Paul Fowler,  6th Neil Callaghan,  7th Adrian Watkins,  8th John Morrish,  9th Tony Vacca

CONGRATULATION TO STEVE PLAIN - 2009 "O" PLATE WINNER

Race report - Martin Jones & Kate Bateman

 2009 O Plate Winner Steve Plain being shadowed by Graham Payne and Charles Morris

2009 Short Circuit "O" Plate Podium From Left To Right
Graham Payne (2nd) Steve Plain (1st) Dan Bury (3rd)

 After the sunshine and heat at Fulbeck, the 210 Short circuit roadshow headed off to Little Rissington in the heart of the Cotswolds. The weather was a real mixed bag, with Saturday practice being particularly wet and slippery. However, after a damp start to proceedings on Sunday race day, the track dried out well and although lap times were down due to the track being quite "green", racing was as entertaining as ever.

Heat 1
After the first lap, it was Lee Plain who headed the tightly bunched field, with Charles Morris, Paul Fowler and Chris Callaghan all tucked in behind. On the next lap, at the first turn, Morris made his move on Lee Plain taking the lead, and Graham Payne overtook Chris Callaghan for 4th place.
Positions stayed pretty much the same untill lap 6, by which time Dan Bury had made his way through the field, and was crawling all over the back of Graham Payne. On the next lap he made his move on Payne to take 4th plcae. On the very last lap, Lee Plain (who was in a comfortable 2nd place) developed a misfire, and the closing pack were reeling him in fast. Both Paul Fowler and Dan Bury were able to pass him, as he galantly held on for 4th place.

Result:-  1st Charles Morris  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Dan Bury  4th Lee Plain  5th Graham Payne  6th Chris Callaghan


Heat 2
The front row of the grid was filled by Graham Payne, Neil Callaghan and Zac Hurst. As the lights went out it was NeilCallaghan who made a tremendous start away from the grid. At the same time further down the grid, Dan Bury decided to try his hand on the grass and lost an enormous amount of ground, and found himself at the back. On the first lap down the back straight, Charles Morris overtook Neil Callaghna for the lead, while there was a batlle roal going on for 3rd between Graham Payne and Paul Fowler. Meanwhile, Lee Plain was making his way through the field like an express train, and by lap 5 was challenging Morris for the lead. On lap 6 he made his move at the end of the main straight and took the lead. Down the field, mention should be given to both Dan Bury and Mike Coombs who from the back of the pack at the start, both fought hard to gain creditable positions at the chequered flag.

Result:-  1st Lee Plain  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Paul Fowler  4th Graham Payne  5th Mike Coombs  6th Dan Bury

Heat 3
Neil Hancock led heat 3 away from the start, but with Charles Morris in close contention and closing fast, it was not long before he took the lead on the back straight. Dan Bury and Graham Payne also made their way through, with an ever improving Mike Coombs battling away in the mix.
By lap 4, Charles Morris had almost the length of the main straight as his advantage over the rest of the field, and Lee Plain had fought bravely throught the field to climb his way into 2nd. However this was to be short lived, as on lap 6, his hand went in the air to indicate mechanical problems had got the better of him and he was out of the race. Morris continued to drive away from the rest to win ny a comfortable 10 seconds.

Result:-  1st Charles Morris  2nd Dan Bury  3rd Mike Coombs  4th Graham Payne  5th Neil Hancock  6th Adrian Watkins

FINAL

As the drivers waited on the dummy grid for the final, the rain again threatened to dampen the proceedings, but thankfully (for once) it held off for the 210 final. After 3 exciting heats of racing, the final was again an enormously entertaining affair, with the luckless Lee Plain threatening to take the honours after chasing down Championship leader Charles Morris, only to be denied by a stripped drive belt.

Dan Bury was to set the early pace, but he was passed on lap 2 by Morris, with Lee Plain, Paul Fowler and Graham Payne all in contention. Plain found his way past Bury  by lap 4, and set about chasing down Morris, and was reeling him in at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, a tremendous tussle was taking place further down the field, with Adrian Watkins, Mike Coombs and Neil Hancock having their own race. By lap 6, Plain was right with Morris, and then the mechanical gremlins took their toll, which left Paul Fowler in 2nd followed by Dan Bury and Graham Payne. These positions stayed the same untill the chequered flag, but on the very last lap, Mike Coombs managed to overtake Adrian Watkins for 5th place.

Result:- 1st Charles Morris  2nd Paul Fowler  3rd Dan Bury  4th Graham Payne  5th Mike Coombs  6th Adrian Watkins  7th Neil Hancock  8th Neil Callaghan  9th John Morrish  10th Samantha Atkinson

Race Report - Kate Bateman & Martin Jones

On a blistering weekend at Fulbeck, Lee Plain turned up the heat in the Short Circuit Challenge to win the final in impressive style. Once again, as the 210 circus rolled into Fulbeck, we were made very welcome by the organisers, and had a good weekends racing.

Heat 1

From the front row of the grid, it was Graham Payne who showed first, ahead of Chris Callaghan, Adrian Watkins and Neil Hancock. By lap 5, the field had settled down with Payne taking advantage and increasing his lead, while the chasing pack now consisted of Dan Bury, Charles Morris and Paul Fowler.

At the start of the following lap, Morris and Bury were side by side, but Morris took the racing line and managed to slip past into 2nd. Meanwhile, up at the front, on the very next lap, disaster struck as Graham Payne had brake failure at the end of the straight. Thankfully, driver and kart were not damaged, but it did put him into the grass bank and out of the race.

Result:- 1st  Charles Morris  2nd Dan Bury  3rd Paul Fowler  4th Mike Coombs  5th John Morrish  6th Chris Callaghan

Heat 2

Charles Morris stamped his authority on the second heat, leading it from start to finish. However, as we have seen in most races this year, there was much overtaking and jostling for position behind the leader. At the halfway stage, Morris led from Dan Bury, Graham Payne, Lee Plain and Mike Coombs.

On lap 6, Lee Plain passed Graham Payne to claim 3rd, and a lap later made his move on Dan Bury to finish 2nd.

Luck was not with Graham Payne it seemed, as he retired with electrical problems.

Result:- 1st Charles Morris  2nd Lee Plain  3rd Dan Bury 4th Mike Coombs  5th Paul Fowler  6th Chris Callaghan

Heat 3 

Continuing his much improved form of late, Dan Bury hit the front first in the 3rd heat followed by Lee Plain and Paul Fowler and Charles Morris in hot persuit. 3 laps later, Morris made his move on Dan Bury and outbraked him with a last gasp maneouvre at the hairpin. From this point onwards, positions stayed pretty much constant untill the end of the race, but there was some bizarre scenes at the end when the last lap board was shown twice. A few drivers thought the race was over (when it wasn't!) and were frantically waved round again by spectators. Thankfully, no positions changed as a result of the confusion. Plain went on to win the race, being the first driver of the season to take points off Charles Morris.

Result:- 1st Lee Plain  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Dan Bury  4th Graham Payne  5th Adrian Watkins  6th Chris Callaghan

FINAL

As the final approached, the hot weather conditions were starting to make things a little uncomfortable for the drivers. But as the adrelaline kicked in, it was Charles Morris who set the early pace, with Dan Bury and Lee Plain chasing him down. Plain managed to find a way past Dan Bury on the 2nd lap, while Chris Callaghan, Paul Fowler and Adrian Watkins filled the minor places. It looked as if Charles Morris would be romping away with the win yet again, but Lee Plain chased him hard untill by lap 5 he was right on the tail of Morris.

On the very next lap, in a wonderful overtaking maneouvre, Plain passed Morris at the "bus stop" to take the lead which he held to the chequered flag.

Result:-  1st Lee Plain  2nd Charles Morris  3rd Dan Bury  4th Graham Payne  5th Paul Fowler  6th Chris Callaghan

Race Report - Kate Bateman & Martin Jones

Snetterton Round 3 L/C Challenge

Weather had been forecast for rain but we had another lovely day following Fulbeck, only one committed driver turned up at both circuits and he really does need committing!!!!! Timed practice was eventful for Don Thompson, first time out on an unfamiliar circuit; he quickly discovered that a right hand corner awaited him after a tight left consequently finding his braking point in the kitty litter. Don has acquired a very useful trolley containing all necessary equipment for any dummy grid eventualities; this has affectionately become known in the Bateman camp as his life support system. Unfortunately it wasn’t equipped with a duster, air blower and Mr. Sheen!!!!!

Simon Bateman clinched pole for race one

Race 1

It was a close call for Batemans as his engine died on the exit of the assembly area, but luckily help was at hand from the Mediterranean, well muscled, tanned physique of Tony Vacca’s legs pushing at 30mph!!!! (Julie you would have been impressed I was). He eventually caught up the pack and as they went through the lights it was Thompson who took up the lead, until Bateman muscled his way passed at the Esses, Thompson’s favourite corner!!!! From this point on Bateman continued to edge out a lead, eventually coming in to claim maximum points. As for Pooley and Thompson they put on a superb crowd pleaser, continuing to dice throughout the whole race, on occasions swapping places up to 3 times in one lap. However with only a whisper separating them it was Pooley who claimed second spot.

Result:- 1^st Bateman, 2^nd Pooley and 3^rd Thompson

Post race saw all 3 karts with identical weights!!!

Race 2

It was Bateman who made the best start from his pole position with Thompson and Pooley once again joined at the hip. On lap 3 Pooley powered passed Thompson along the finish straight and by lap 5 had put a large gap between himself and Thompson, unfortunately Thompson was suffering having had a barrel stud go. He also had to keep an experienced eye open as a gaggle of karts passed him through Russell’s. By lap 6 Pooley began to close in on Bateman and who knows if the gaggle of karts hadn’t slowed him down and 10laps had been completed the end result may have been different. However Bateman came in victorious to complete a perfect day’s score with Pooley 2^nd and Thompson 3^rd.

Congratulations a perfect 100% finishing rate guys.

Race Report Kate Bateman

It seemed one needed to be equipped with all weather gear for this event. Round 2 was held at Anglesey on May 9^th an unfamiliar circuit to the 210 drivers but a favourable one. An unexpected 3^rd race was programmed and as agreed by the drivers this would be our UK Cup meeting instead of Snetterton. The first 2 races of the day would score towards the championship allowing the 3^rd for the ultimate battle for the ‘0’ plate. Unfortunately I was unable to attend so I’m handing you over to my capable daughter Sian who hopefully will become a suitable replacement in the future.

Race 1 

Bateman started from pole due to the fastest time in qualifying followed by Thompson and Pooley. From the start it was Bateman who took the lead closely followed by a duelling Thompson and Morris, Plain and Pooley completed the top five, with Pooley bravely choosing slicks in the damp weather conditions. On lap 3 Bateman remained in the lead however Morris had gained a second place over Thompson unfortunately a few laps later Morris retired with mechanical problems. This allowed Thompson to regain his 2^nd place also moving Plain and Pooley up a place

Result 1^st Simon Bateman, 2^nd Don Thompson, 3^rd Lee Plain.

Race 2 

As the lights changed to green it was Thompson who flew to the front with Lee Plain close behind. This duo was then followed by Bateman, Pooley and Morris. By lap 2 plain had fought his way into the lead and Morris had taken 4^th place from Pooley. However, once again the luckless Morris retired leaving the others to battle for position. On the last lap Plain also retired from a great lead moving Thompson to the front and Bateman and Pooley to 2^nd and 3^rd.

Result 1st Don Thompson, 2nd Simon Bateman, 3rd Bob Pooley. 

Race 3 

This was Morris’ chance to retain his 2008 title of coveted ‘0’ plate. Thompson had problems in starting and so started at a disadvantage half a lap down. From the word go Morris took the lead from Bateman followed by the trio of Pooley Thompson (who’d quickly caught up the pack) and Plain. On the 4^th lap disaster struck again for Morris, who pulled into the pits losing his chance to defend his title. By lap 5 the final positions had been set and it was a drive to the finish. Bateman came in victorious.

Result 1st Simon Bateman, 2nd Bob Pooley, 3rd Don Thompson. 

Congratulations Simon

2009 210 Challenge ‘0’ plate Champion

Trophy winners for the meeting:-

1^st Simon Bateman

2^nd Don Thompson

3^rd Bob Pooley

Report Sian & Kate Bateman

SHORT CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 1 - LITTLE RISSINGTON 5/4/2009

Heat 1

As soon as the lights changed, it was to be a much improved Neil Hancock who showed first, closely followed by Lee Plain, Dan Bury and Adrian Watkins. Hancock bravely held on to the lead for 3 laps, but the next time round, Lee Plain found a way by, and charging through the field were Graham Payne and Charles Morris. By lap 5, Plain still held the lead followed by Charles Morris, Graham Payne, Dan Bury and Neil Hancock. On the next lap, Morris found a way past Plain on the first turn. Down the field there was some almighty battles going on with Hancock and Fowler tussling for position, and just behind them Mike Coombs Chris Callaghan and Adrian Watkins were squabbling for the the minor places. As the chequered flag fell, Morris took the win with Lee Plain second and Graham Payne third.

Result 1st Charles Morris  2nd Lee Plain  3rd  Graham Payne  4th Dan Bury  5th  Paul Fowler  6th Neil Hancock

Heat 2

Dan Bury made an absolute dream start to head the field, but by contrast, last years champion Charles Morris made a dreadful getaway and after the first lap found himself back in a lowly 9th place. In true champions style, he picked his way through the field, and by the third lap was in 2nd position!!! Mike Coombs was battling away in 3rd with Lee Plain, Graham Payne and Chris Callaghan all in close contention. With just 3 laps to go, Morris found his way past Dan Bury to take the lead. Again, down the field there was some tremendous racing underway with Andy Worton, Adrian Watkins and Paul Fowler not giving each other an inch. As the flag dropped, it was Charles Morris who had increased his lead over Bury and Payne

Result  1st Charles Morris  2nd Dan Bury  3rd Lee Plain  4th Graham Payne  5th Mike Combs 6th Chris Callaghan

Heat 3

In the early stages of the race, we saw Adrian Watkins first take up the lead, then on lap 2 Lee Plain fancied the honour, the the following lap Mike Coombs showed his intentions by taking up the position. By lap 5 Morris swept past on the pits bend to take up the lead. 4 different race leaders in 5 laps!!!! This was getting all too much for some of us - my adrenaline never pumped like this when I was racing!! Morris managed to hold the lead from here on. Fantastic racing was going on all throught he race. On the penultimate lap Graham Payne, Lee Plain, Mike Coombs and Chris Callaghan were going at it "tooth and nail", while further back, Dan Bury, Paul Fowler and Adrian Watkins were also dicing for position. The next time round, while on the final bend of the last lap, an exuberant Chris Callaghan spun in spectacular fashion while trying to overtake Mike Coombs. Morris took the flag with Lee Plain second and Graham Payne 3rd.

Result  1st Charles Morris  2nd Lee Plain  3rd Graham Payne  4th Mike Coombs  5th Dan Bury  6th Paul Fowler

FINAL

So very often, when the 3 heats have been packed with action and plenty of overtaking, the final can sometimes be an anti-climax, but not today. As they lined up at the start, Graham Payne had to take up position at the back of the grid due to earlier mechanical problems on the dummy grid.

 After the first lap, Morris again made a less than perfect start and found himself being swallowed up by half of the field. Lee Plain showed first, with Dan Bury and Mike Coombs chasing. By lap 2, Morris had found his way up to 2nd position, and then a couple of laps later hit the front and stayed there for the rest of the race.

However, by lap 7, all the action was going on further down the field, with the best racing seen for many a long time. As they came over the line for the start of lap 8, you could throw a blanket over Hancock, Coombs and Payne, and not far behind, Adrian Watkins looked as if he was attached to Paul Fowlers rear bumper. Most of the field then started to spread out, but for the next 4 laps, Payne was crawling all over the back of Hancock in order to find a way past. On the last bend of the last lap it looked as if a tiring Hancock had gone wide enough to let Payne by, but he just managed to hold on to 4th place by the narrowest of margins.

Result  1st Charles Morris  2nd Lee Plain  3rd Dan Bury  4th Neil Hancock  5th Graham Payne  6th Mike Coombs

Race Report - Kate Bateman / Martin Jones

Noteworthy Pitside Gossip

1. Following on from Charles Morris attempts to try his hand at anti-clockwise racing at Mallory recently, Sian Bateman has thrown down the gauntlet and asked all drivers to modify their gearboxes, as she is attempting racing in reverse. Rumour has it that she is putting in some pretty useful performances at a recent practice event!!!

2. A much improved Neil Hancock was asked at Rissington how come he has made such progress. Mmmmm. Could it be that he is using the correct size rear wheels now????????

Charles Morris - winner of Round 1 in the Short Circuit Championship

2nd Place - Lee Plain  

                                                                          3rd Place - Dan Bury

All photos are courtesy of Len Slack and copyrighted

LONG CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 1 MALLORY PARK MARCH 22nd 2009

Race 1

Morris clinched pole position after a most decent time posted in timed practice. It seemed Bateman had the best get away and as they approached Edwinas Bateman led with Thompson, Morris, Pooley and Whyte steaming along behind. By lap 3 Whyte was up to 2^nd with Thompson giving him some serious hassle, Pooley was lying in 5^th having nicely avoided a 250 entering into Edwinas. By lap 6 Bateman, Whyte and Thompson were equally spaced to give chase through the Esses and into the hairpin; Morris had dropped back and wouldn’t appear on the next lap. On the next lap only Bateman with a charging Whyte appeared out of the Hairpin, Thompson had slightly overcooked it in a valiant attempt to pass them both and landed himself in 4^th spot behind Pooley. As they say its not all over till the fat lady sings and on the last lap only Bateman appeared into Edwina’s with Pooley in 2^nd and Thompson 3^rd, Whyte’s carb had become detached into the hairpin and as he looked down to reattach it the Armco was heading at speed towards him, with a few expletive deletives muffled by his helmet he just recovered to cross the line in 4th. Bateman took the first win of the season.