Following a set of fiercely contested heats for the formula Blue ‘0’ Plate, the grid for the Final became an eye opener. On pole position sat Michael Bell ( Bristol) with Serita Shone ( Weymouth)  along side. 2nd row had David Watts (Southampton)  and Stuart Gray ( Scotland) . The 3rd row was taken up by ‘new boy’ Richard Puddle ( Wiltshire)  and Russell O’Neill ( Reading).

The drama at the start of the Final started on the rolling lap when Serita Shone, on the front row, started losing coolant from her radiator. An extra rolling lap saw her re-connect the cap, but by then half of the coolant was gone! A fact which would come back to haunt her during the race. At the start, Serita shot into the lead ahead of Bell, Watts and Gray. By lap 4 Serita’s engine ( minus much of the coolant) started to overheat and had already risen to 85 degrees on the temperature gauge. In an effort to stave off a seizure, she screwed the main jet of the carburettor out to 3 turns, thereby richening up the petroil mix,  but decreasing the overall power.   Watts and Gray took full advantage and raced past. By this stage Anthony Cleal, who started in 13th position, after fraught heats, was up into 7th place. As the laps unfolded Watts, in the lead, gradually edged away from Gray, even though both drivers produced identical best times.    Cleal, scoring the fastest lap on the way through, managed to finish 3rd with Puddle scoring a very creditable 4th in this high profile event.  Serita Shone hung on to claim 5th place, a testament to her engine temperature management skills.
Once scrutineering was completed and the points awarded, by adding together start and finish positions, the various ‘0’ plates were presented. The open winner was David Watts with a 3 + 0 = 3 points score.   Stuart Gray finished 2nd overall to match his 2nd on the track with a total of 6 points. 3rd on the day was Serita shone with 7 points and Richard Puddle in 4th with 9 points.

In the Master ‘0’ Plate, Stuart Gray took a convincing 0 + 0 = 0  points Win over Russell O’Neill on 6 points and David Waldron on 10 points.  Gray claimed the Veteran and the Legend ‘0’ Plates with equal dominance, from Nigel Vickery and David Waldron in the Veteran section and Ron Shone and Chris Underhill in the Legend group.  Ron Shone did manage to win the Top Weight ‘0’ Plate from Phil Shears.

The Formula Blue grid now has little time to recover from this race. In 2 weeks’ they are in action again at the Lydd international circuit, in Kent, for the Final Round of the NKRA and Blue Challenge Regional Championship.
For more details and results please view the results page on the
www.planetkarting.uk  website or CLICK HERE

Serita Shone, by virtue of winning the September 12th Race at Clay Pigeon, moves up to 3rd place in the TABOR Championships. As a consequence, she now sits with a potential £ 300 available at the season’s end.
Russell O’Neill, who came second, extends his lead in 1st place over Mike Bell. Behind these three are Anthony Cleal and Ron Shone.
The next scoring round is at Lydd race circuit on 27th September.
To view the latest up to date positions and points PLEASE CLICK HERE

The Formula Blue’s were in action at the Clay Pigeon Circuit on August 9th. To view the exciting footage of the Final Race of the National Kart Racing Association Championship Blue challenge, round 3
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxF4KTvWraw

Tabor Karting will be in attendance, as usual, with their mobile shop at the Clay Pigeon Race Circuit on the 11th, 12th & 13th September for the Club meeting and the re-arranged 2020 Formula Blue ‘0’ Plates and the 2020 National Kart Racing Association Championship, including the Formula Blue Challenge ( Round 4).
Competitors requiring Tyres and/or specific spares for this event, please order and purchase your requirements in advance. Telephone (01305 774074 ) by 12 noon on Tuesday, September 8th, for delivery/collection at the circuit on the race weekend.
Thanks, See you there!

Following the cancelled meeting at Forest Edge on 6th Sept, of round 4 of the NKRA Championship and the Formula Blue ‘0’ plates, the Clay Pigeon Kart Club has come to the rescue. They have offered us a slot at their September 13th race meeting. There will also be practice options on the days prior to the meeting on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th Sept.
The entry list is now open and closes at midnight on Saturday 5th September. Late entries may be accepted, but if accepted they will be placed at the rear of the grid for all heats. All entrants must be a member of an NKRA affiliated Club and be registered with the NKRA.
TO ENTER ONLINE PLEASE CLICK THE LINK https://cpkc.alphatiming.co.uk/register/series

Sadly, we have just received the following statement from Forest Edge

” Regrettably we are having to cancel next weekend’s race meeting at Forest. The MOD have made a stance on Covid and unfortunately, at this time we are unable to change their mind. As a club, we have been very active on protective measures and I thank you all for that ” Chairman FEKC

Implications regarding the NKRA Championship Round 4 and the Formula Blue ‘O’ Plates will be announced shortly.

Competitors are advised that entries are open for the final NKRA Championship round, on 27th September, at the Lydd International Raceway.
There will be practice, for those who wish it, on Friday 25th & Saturday 26th September. For the Practice days and the Sunday race day please enter on the Lydd International website. The link for entries is at the foot of this news brief.
The entry list for Formula Blue will close at midnight, on Saturday 19th September. Late entries may be accepted, however, if accepted, they will be placed at the back of the grid for all heats. All entrants must be registered with the NKRA prior to the closing date and be a member of an NKRA affiliated Club.
PLEASE NOTE, WHEN ENTERING FOR THE FORMULA BLUE CLASS – ENTER UNDER THE SENIOR LIBRE CATEGORY ( WHICH IS LYDD’S
CATEGORY FOR THE VISITING CHAMPIONSHIPS)

To ENTER ONLINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

There has, over the past weeks, been a surge of interest in the Formula Blue Class.  However, because of the Covid 19 Pandemic situation, the  Italian factory that produces the Lynx, Maxi and Leopard engines have a delay in the supply, following lockdown.   TABOR report that with the exception of one Lynx engine, all new Engines in stock have been sold over the past month.
There is now a need for second hand / used engines to be available in order to fill the vacuum, whilst the manufacturers catch up with production.
Karters who are no longer involved in racing are invited to offer engines for purchase ( in any condition) to TABOR ,   Price is determined by 1) Bore; 2) History; 3) Condition. The engines used in Formula Blue must be box standard.   This does not, however, preclude some modified engines, as the “offending” part(s)  can, in many cases, be removed and replaced, as long as crankcase and /or cylinder are untouched. The offer price will obviously reflect such circumstances.
Interested parties are asked to contact TABOR on 01305 774074

Anthony Cleal, by virtue of his clean sweep with Pole position, race win and fastest lap, scored the minimum of 0 points at round three of the Formula Blue Challenge 2020. Held at the Clay Pigeon circuit on August 9th. Mike Bell and David Watts took an equal 2nd place on the day, sharing five points between them, though it was Bell who shaded the final. Russell O’Neill and Serita Shone shared the points for the 4th spot, with O’Neill finishing ahead in the Final. Overall in the Championship standings, David Watts remains in the lead with Cleal moving up into 2nd spot. Mike Bell shoots up from 6th to 3rd place, just ahead of Russell O’Neill. Serita Shone takes the last of the top 5 slots.
Cleal extends his lead in both the Blue Master and Blue Veteran sections. He leads from O’Neill and Stuart Gray in the Masters and Gray followed by David Waldron heads the Veterans group.
Despite losing points with an engine non-compliance, Stuart Gray continues to lead the Blue Legend group, though Ron shone and Kevin O’Neill have closed him down.
In the last subcategory namely the Top Weights, there is a new leader. Returnee Ben Joseph took pole and won the class, showing some of the flair he possessed all those years ago. Ron Shone moves up from 4th to 2nd, with Mark Cook slipping down from the lead to 3rd place overall.

The Championship now moves on to Forest Edge on September 6th.

For more results and details please view the results page on the
www. planetkarting.uk website or CLICK HERE

Scoring 26 points over the past 2 race meetings has allowed Russell O’Neill to firmly stamp his authority on the Tabor Championship, with it’s £500 first prize at stake. 2nd place continues to be held by Mike Bell who extends his lead over Ron Shone. The surprise package is Kevin O’Neill who shoots up from 7th place to 3rd place overall.
The next scoring round takes place at Forest Edge on September 6th.
For info. and points up-date please view the Results page on this
www. planetkarting.uk website, or CLICK HERE