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8th round PCI-Karting Championship 2012 Report

2nd December at Whiteriver Park Collon Co. Louth

The last time this year I did call you to the karts for our last outdoor session of this year’s PCI-Karting Championship 2012. Whiteriver Park I picked as the weather being weather as JohnnyH would call it, to be on the safe side as with this time of the year we haven’t always the best of luck and if you remember two years back, snow prevented us even from going down to the village as we down here in the SE were hankering down, keeping the fire going and had another beer with the family who was stranded in our house.

So I thought with Whiteriver being convenient from the motorway it wouldn’t be that bad of a spin even if the weather wasn’t on our side. As it turned out weather wasn’t that bad but we still had the fun of struggling with slicks in the wet. And what a fun we had, I have not been so entertained since I started Karting and I am sure you could see me laugh all the way. Everybody displayed most entertaining action if it was now from practice to qualifying to the Final and most impressive was Richards’s wife Ciarda who Karted for the first time and definitively got the hang of it and enjoyed herself immensely under the trying track conditions. Needless to say it was wet and in GarC’s words “we learned to drift these things”.

I could see during the heats as all were trying hard and all had a spin here and there which added immensely and a fitting end to the last PCI-Karting Championship session of the season. As they say we kept the best to the last.

In the Final Alex’s Son Stephan was leading from his dad as Peter and Ben were hard on their heels with me in pursuit only with a spin on turn 6 I put myself out of any contention. At this point I was just really trying to stay ahead of Willy and the rest of the gang who followed hard behind me luckily I was able to do so as there was some incidents with some spinning off and I had a fight I thought with Caolain, Alex’s youngest son who had the speed but as I realised at the end he was already a lap down, so I wouldn’t have to fight as hard had I known but nonetheless it was a fair and equal battle and me finally taking the position I thought I was. I must say at this point we do take care of our people if we know they are there for the first time like Ciarda or Caolain who is just a bit over the 12year mark I think, as we always strife to be cautious rather than hurting anyone in the process of taking a position.

In the end it is not that serious what we do out there it’s more for fun with Friends. However I did hurt Ben last year at the indoor session in Kylemore and though I didn’t wanted to hurt him, in the heat of the battle I didn’t think hard enough to avoid it. It made me this year extra careful and always bearing in mind I drove with the thought all the time and it did pay off.

As the weather was wet and so was the track we were more drifting than turning in corners as I just hit the brakes before coming into a corner to have the kart pointing out of it and hit the throttle again heading for the next one. So it was the greatest of fun I have personally ever had since I took up Karting 4 years ago, as had everybody else from what I could see and when the Lads came in after the race they were buzzing, with GarC and everybody else echoing what I had thought. Alex came home with 3 wheels as one fell off and Ciarda had a fantastic day out and was just as much buzzing like all the Lads. Willy drove a determined race as he brought his new Boxster for his first outing to the venue and while on the track in his kart he enjoyed every minute of it.

There were some positions in the Championship to be settled and one of them was the battle between Ben and GarC and unfortunately GarC had to surrender 4th place as Ben drove a strong race by finishing 3rd, as well as for Willy it was another battle to put himself up the Championship ladder which he successfully did by finishing 6th in in the race and he managed to jump up the Leader board and is placed now 9th in the Championship.

The race ended with the following classifications of PCI-Members:

Peter 1st 15 points

Alex 2nd 14 points also recording the fastest lap

Ben 3rd 10 points

George 4th 8 points

Richard 5th 6 points but with joker 12 points in total

Willy 6th 5 points

Rob C. 7th 4 points

GarC 8th 3 points

 

So that’s it Gentleman another season is over and what an exciting season it was, eternal battles fought, lost and won with the greatest of fun and banter crowning at all occasions. This leaves the Championship Leader board for 2012 with the following classifications.

Championship Results:

1st Peter S. 105 points joker played in round 4 Galway

2nd Jacub 77 points joker played in round 5 Watergrass Hill

3rd George N. 75 points joker played in round 5 Watergrass Hill

4th GarC 54 points joker played in round 4 Galway

5th GarC 51 points joker played in round 6 Abbeyfeale

6rd Colm F. 36 points

7th Ciaran Fl. 34 points joker played in round 2 Kiltorcan Ballyhale KK

8th Andy 28 points joker played in round 6 Abbeyfeale

9th Willy B. 25 points joker played in round 5 Watergrass Hill

10th Connie 24 points with joker played in round 7 Santry

11th Alex 20 points with joker played round 1 Collon

12th Brian K. 15 points

12th PJ McA. 14 points joker played in round 4 Galway

13th Richard 12 points with joker played round 8 Collon

13th Paul S. 8 points

13th Billy N. 8 points

15th Mervin 6 points

I have compiled the Championships Leader board to the best of my abilities and have hardcopies of each of the rounds available if anyone would like to see them I therefor declare officially Peter our new PCI-Karting Champion for 2012 and would like to congratulate him to his fantastic achievement and as he would tell you it wasn’t an easy run all the time for him as everybody competed and battled fair and square for all positions if it was now in the wet or dry. I would also like to congratulate everybody from my heart who competed in this year’s Championship for your competitive display, the almost all the times exhibition style racing, the enormous undertaking you are committed to by participating while current economic conditions doesn’t make it easy. And don’t forget though I am organising it, you are the ones who make it happen compiling another successful season and for that I am forever grateful and I am proud to call you my Friends.

There is another season coming and I am looking forward to seeing you all again for more wheel to wheel action, drifting or sliding all the way. Anyone who considers coming to next year’s Championship, come on out and have the greatest of fun I promise, you want regret it.

With that I leave you for now and I wish you the best of festivities with your Families over Christmas

Many thanks, George


02/12/2012