Buckmore Park
Club100 Sprint Finals 2022 - Round 11
Getting there
Buckmore Park is actually one of most accessible UK karting circuits I've visited so far. Pretty straightforward to and from Chatham Station and public transport doesn't feel miles away. The venue offers modern facilities and stunning countryside views, and the main event itself - fantastic. Although fog levels seem to be incredibly low here, not great for visibility. More on that later.
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| Buckmore Park - Bite Size Track Guide. |
A fast-flowing circuit, Buckmore Park is a highly regarded circuit among club racers. Plenty undulation, camber changes and overtaking opportunities. Yet a few fellow competitors were getting me shook because I did not book a test session beforehand. I've not really considered, having only entered a few races to get a taste for the club and championships. Although, this meant that as opposed to 30 minutes compared to some opponents who did book testing, I had 3 laps to acclimatise: during the practice laps preceding heat 1.
The Heats
The format is a pre-determined grid of 3x heats. Each heat, 7 minutes in total, guarantees drivers a front, middle and rear starting position so as to offer competitive balance. The overall results from all heats determine who makes which final, classified A, B and C. Novice "Class 3" drivers like myself usually land in the C final, although opportunities are there to break through into the next finals.
1st Heat P15 --> P16
I dropped from P15 to P17 by lap 1, but gained a position the following lap. After that, I was generally off the pace, the karts ahead starting to edge away. This was an overt example of how a test session prior to the race event can better prepare you for racing. So a bit like at Rye House, I was the slowest in Heat 1. Except this time, I did not finish last. And that was on merit of fending off the attack from the two karts behind. I was rather satisfied I could hold position as a result and knew where to find more lap time into the next session.
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| Photograph by John Patterson @johnnyp5000 |
2nd Heat P18 --> P10
I've dropped to last by lap 1. Cool, but I have pace to sort that out now. I'm starting to enter overtaking mode. Quite quickly, I complete a bold move into The Esses. If you read the track guide, that's not an overtaking area. But I had a better exit out of Hairpin 2 and knew my kart would realise itself out of the low-end revs before the kart ahead to get alongside and have my nose in front by corner entry. I took full advantage of the inside line and, sensing the kart on the outside back out of it, kept flat on the throttle to assert their position as mine.
Another neat little overtake at Pullmans - I dive into the inside where the door had been kept open, then defend into Garda, perhaps my favourite part of the circuit as its late apex and camber change enables you to really lean on the kart on exit.
Some poor etiquette by two karts ahead enables me to gain two positions on Herbert Rise. One of them completely leans their bumper against the rear-side of the guy in front and takes out their rival, in a straight line. Not that I could complain, as I went onto finish P10, +8 from grid position. But I became really sceptical about how to battle these guys going forward. If you don't know who you're racing and see these antics going on, do you become aggressive to protect yourself or drive overcautiously which might compromise your own competitiveness? This would be something I would psychologically have to overcome for the next heat.
If not for the bollocking JV gave everyone straight after this one.
3rd Heat P11 --> P13
The fog became really low at this point. So did the overall audacity of everyone out on track, as racing standards significantly improved following the much-needed "counselling" from the club director. As for the misty weather, I don't think I've experienced anything like it. Water droplets outside my visor and condensation from breathing inside my helmet, even with its vent slots - a doubly frustrating issue. Luckily, some Zeiss anti-fog wipes provided by Scrivens prove outstanding for both my glasses and visors. Although, the condensation became so bad that after every session, I'd take off my helmet to find my visor soaked like it had been raining.
I provide this trivia by means of giving the 3rd heat some intrigue, as it was a pretty non-event. Lap times were slower in this session. In fact, the heats, in general, were pretty messy for most of whom I spoke to between races, so all to play for in the finals.
Finals
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| Photograph by John Patterson @johnnyp5000 |
C Final P8 --> P9
4th fastest lap.
I start on the outside. Tom Angier, a heavyweight entry prior to our event, debriefed that starting on the outside already guarantees you a drop of at least 3 places, especially as it had been raining throughout the weekend. For sure, the outside line proved very slippery. So starting in 8th, I knew the best thing to do, once we'd escaped the wheel tracks past the start/finish line, was hog the middle of the circuit. Which you'll be able to see Kart 181 do if you watch(ed) the Live Stream (7:06:15).
'No heroics into turn 1,' says radio engineer Jeff from the F1 game. Yeah, tell that to these lot! 1 bump, 2 bump, 3 bump - 5! I take the licks out of Conways unscathed. But then someone goes spinning right in the middle of the circuit ahead of us into Hairpin 1 (see the tank slapper I instinctively withstand from them in the braking zone at 7:06:30). The melee that ensued means I've dropped too many places to accept whatever position I'm in now. Then later on in the lap, into Garda, someone else goes spinning. My instinct says, evade towards the inside line, but neither of the karts involved wanted to spin themselves out of the way. So, I've had to take the safer route and go completely wide off track to avoid the collision (7:07:05). This invites karts following to capitalise on the desired inside line so that I've dropped to P16 by the end of lap 1.
Now I have to persevere. Focus on where my own pace can take me. I've set the 4th fastest lap time. What are you going to do with this pace? Pick off drivers one by one, timing each overtake to perfection, that's what! I'm starting to feel myself push the limits with confidence. I've reached P12 and need to reduce the gap to the karts in front by almost 5 seconds. It's a sprint race, so not much laps to do so, but I'm catching up a second a lap and making this attainable.
Last lap and I've cut the gap down from 4 seconds to 1. I'm right behind a 4-kart train for P8. Based on the general racing standards on the day, I know one of these guys are going to make a desperate, last gasp move. Into Garda and indeed the two karts directly in front collide. I capitalise, collect a position off one of them, but then have my exit line blocked by the other kart escaping their altercation. I slipstream them to the line, but run out of track (7:18:43). I have to settle for P9, penalties applied elsewhere, at the flag.
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| Photograph by John Patterson @johnnyp5000 |
I finished P10 in my previous sprint entry, my first sprint, at Rye House. Here at Buckmore Park, P9. Plus, those who were my nearest rivals at Rye House, I had gained positions on this time out. I spent much of this round recovering ground from first lap chaos rather than using my pace to build from my start position. As such, the overall result was rather mediocre, considering the lap time was there to finish much higher up the standings.
Still, as many fellow competitors agreed on the day, Buckmore Park is an incredibly fun circuit to race! Part 2 in a few weeks' time for the final Club100 race event of the year. While I did well to enter their Experience championship as an Intermediate in Planet Lydd, I'll be looking to establish more formidable grounds as a Novice this time out.