Thame Kart Racer In Winning Team

THAME Kart racer, Alun Rowe, lead the winning team in a close-run special memorial endurance race last week.
The Darren James Trophy race was the first to celebrate the memory of one of Klub Kart Racing, Aylesbury’s members who died earlier this year from cancer.

Darren James was a regular racer at Klub Kart Racing in Aylesbury, taking part in many race events and winning a host of medals and an army of friends.

Darren (37,) had bravely fought cancer for five months before he finally passed away on May 3, 2005. He left behind his partner of 14 years, Karen and three children, Gemma (18), Alex (18) and Anthony (11).

In honour of Darren?s memory, his friend Dave O?Connell organised The Darren James Trophy which he hopes to run annually. The event is an opportunity for family and friends to remember Darren through a sport that he was so passionate about.

“He was a great driver but karting events for Darren weren?t just the about racing but also for the social side, chatting with old friends or making new ones over a coffee,” recalls Dave.

The two- hour endurance race covered around 250 laps and turned out, as expected, to be a fiercely contested battle between nine competing teams.
The following is a race report from Dave himself:

It was the closest racing over 2hrs that klub kart and I have seen for a long time.
Team two took pole position with a time just 2 tenths in front of team one.
As the flag dropped to start the race, teams 2,1 and 10 roared away with what looked like three rockets taking off into the distance.

Team 1 were the first to pit after only 10 min with a strategy in mind which would turn out for the best later on.
Roy Craig of team 10 drove a stunning lap of 26.91 sec on lap 16 to which would became a bench mark.

With the first changeovers completed, the leaders were dropping down the places with great drives by the 2nd team members of teams 7, 5, 4 and my team, 3.

When I joined at the 20 min mark, we were fighting for 3rd place; some fantastic driving by Greg Bird for getting us to there.

I was staying out for 30 mins to try and keep us up with the lead pack and with other teams changing drivers we kept a good position until I got tangled up with an accident which lost us a lap.

Over the first hour the lead was changing hands with fantastic overtaking manoeuvres by all; there was nothing to separate the teams.

It was great to watch most teams at some stage of the race in the top three.

All teams were consistently driving laps in the 27 seconds which kept the racing close.

During the latter stages of the race most of the teams’ quickest drivers were on track and the battles for places were incredible; with nearly 200 laps done, the gap covering first to sixth place was only four laps.

The kart centre was amazed and excited with the racing.

Dave Larner of team 2 and Alun Rowe of team 1 were constantly trying to better the fastest lap of the race set earlier on by Roy. They were both so close when on lap 200, Dave produced his most stunning lap of the race. With a clear track in front of him and the bit between his teeth he drove 26.75.

Alun driving for team 1 was quietly going thru the field; his strategy had paid off and he was now leading the race but being hunted down by team 7.
With that in mind, on lap 221 Alun drove his fastest lap of the race with a 26.90. He held on the lead to win on lap 245.

Congratulations to Team 1 consisting of Alun Rowe, Gerald Ringsell and Thomas Lavita for winning the first Darren James Trophy.

I would like to thank all the drivers for a fantastic race and hope that you all come back next year.
I would also like to thank Klub Kart racing for holding this event and for their generous donation of