Fulbeck was our first event back after skipping Clay Pigeon. The Friday of that round would have been practice, but Riley had a GCSE exam so we couldn’t make it. Then on the drive home from GYG the motorhome broke down and needed fixing before we could even think about preparing the kart for the next round.
Friday
Friday was practice only and a frustrating start. We had old tyres with plenty of laps on them — par for the course for us — but the kart had bigger problems than grip. The rear axle moved, binding the brakes and making the pedal unpredictable. After a couple of sessions the brake fluid was checked and looked shot, so it got replaced. Paul from JWR rebuilt the caliper with new pistons, magnets and seals, but the axle was still out of position so the kart never felt right. We did improve through the remaining sessions, though it was more about surviving the day than finding real pace. His best time was a 44.7 set in the middle of the day.
Saturday — Round 7
Practice
Morning practice began with the kart still not quite there, but Riley got on with it. Joe Weaver of Joe Weaver Racing was also competing, so Riley finally had the chance to share the track with him and pick up pointers by watching Joe’s lines. Best time: 44.874, good for 22nd out of 30.
Qualifying
New tyres came for qualifying. Riley’s best lap was 44.593 on lap 8, leaving him 25th on the grid.
Heat 1
Riley dropped to 28th on lap 1 after avoiding a turn 1 incident, then gradually climbed back through the field to cross the line 22nd. His fastest lap came on the final lap: 44.791. Post-race penalties pushed him up to 17th.
Heat 2
This one was all about recovery. Starting 25th from qualifying, Riley finished 18th with a best lap of 44.703 on lap 8. Solid middle section and a few clean overtakes made the difference.
Final
Points from the heats put him 19th on the grid. He fell to 22nd on lap 1 after a cautious start, then chipped away at the gap all afternoon. Carnage ensued at the end of the race when the leaders crashed in to the barrier at the second chicane leaving the track littered with gravel and tyre barriers. Karts also went off at the following left hander. The race was eventually finished under battenburg (slow/safety car) conditions. Crossed the line 12th, best lap 44.630 on lap 6, and penalties promoted him to 10th. First top 10 at national level, and he also picked up top rookie.
Saturday night
Replaced the shifting axle. While we were in there, spotted one of the axle bearings was on its way out and swapped that too.
Sunday — Round 8
No practice, straight into qualifying.
Qualifying
The new axle moved as soon as the session started. Regardless, Riley put together a solid lap — 44.736 on lap 7 — and qualified 24th. Coming round for the final lap the chain came off because the sprocket had moved.
Paul from JWR realigned the whole axle setup after quali, which fixed the shift problem. We also dropped a new chain and sprocket in.
Heat 1
An incident on lap 1 put Riley at the back. The same shunt also bent the track rod badly, but he kept driving and finished 27th. Best lap: 45.083 on lap 10. Penalties moved him up to 24th.
The kart was pulling to the left on the straights. We replaced the bent track rod and reset the front end alignment. Lasers showed it was straight.
Heat 2
Started 24th again. Got a decent getaway and was up to 20th within a few laps, then picked off a couple more to finish 18th. Best time of 44.659 came on lap 7. Post-race penalties bumped him to 17th.
He said the kart was still pulling to the left even though the alignment was correct. We’re now fairly sure the chassis has bent slightly in the shunt.
Final
Lined up 21st. Another lap 1 incident dropped him to 28th — last in the race. He kept his head down, held his pace and made sure he didn’t get lapped by the leaders. His pace was commented on during the live stream saying he had good pace and not likely to be caught by the leaders. Finished 27th with a best lap of 44.666 on lap 10.
Conclusion
Motorsport can be brutal, and this weekend had both ends of it. Saturday showed what we’re capable of; genuine top 10 result and top rookie at a national round. Sunday was damage limitation from the off — axle moving, chain off, a wrecked track rod and a likely bent chassis. Riley drove through all of it without too much complaint.
Big thanks to everyone at Joe Weaver Racing for the help all weekend, and to the rest of the team for the support.
The kart is now on the JWR jig for a full inspection. Hopefully the underlying issues get sorted once and for all.
