February 20th 2005

 

Andy produced a spectacular drive in round 3 of the MBKC WInter Series at 3 Sisters with pole position and a comfortable win on the 20th of February.

After last months poor track conditions, the circuit had been repeatedly cleaned and a clear improvement was apparent as slicks were used all day, with cold but sunny weather dominating the entire day.

After a win from pole in heat 1, and a 9th from grid 28 in heat 2, Andy lined up on pole for the final with Anthony Rainford alongside, John Halliwell and Paul Phelan forming row 2. Andy retained the lead at turn 1 and was never headed, stretching his lead to just over 1.5 seconds in the 12 lap final from Paul Phelan, Halliwell slipping back in 3rd towards the end with carb problems.

This result moves Andy into the lead in the Winter Series, 27 points ahead of James Duxbury.

 

Heat 1

A completely dry but cold day saw everybody on slick tyres. Andy was given pole for heat 1 with Peter Crease alongside in 2nd. A clean start saw Andy hold his position, and it would turn out to be John Halliwell from 7th on the grid who would be the first to pursue Andy. However as the race unfolded, Andy began to fractionally extend his lead, as Halliwell slipped back behind Crease due to carburettor problems.

At the line; Andy, followed by Peter Crease, John Halliwell, and Alistair Curry closing out the top 4, having a solid drive from 12th.

Andy set the fastest lap of the heat with a 47.445 on lap 7.

 

Heat 2

Most of Andys work, as seems to be the case so far this year, had to be done from right at the back of the grid in the 2nd heat. Alex Jones, who had been looking quick in practice, formed the front row with Luke Johnson. Oliver Johnson and Mark Rainford on grids 3 and 4 respectively. Andy was gridded way back in 28th and had to finish in around the top 10 to clinch pole position and a healthy 25 championship points.

Andy made a good solid start, from a decent rolling lap and start by the poleman Jones, and quickly set about making up places.

Into the double-apex left hander for the first time, and an ambitious and inexperienced lunge from Dean Golba, midpack, resulted in him taking himself off the track, causing chaos behind him. Vanessa Murphy span directly in front of Andy in sympathy and it was a case of finding a way through the karts littered across the track!

As the front 3, consisting of the two Rainford brothers, followed by Luke Johnson, stretched their legs ahead of the main pack, Andy continued to pick off drivers one by one. Again he benefitted from another spinner at the double-apex left, and managed to get himself a stones-throw away from grabbing that pole position and the lead in the Winter Series.

In the closing stages of the race, Andy made a cheeky move on John Halliwell on the exit of the valley, immediately after which Halliwell posted the fastest lap of the race at a 47.533, one tenth fatser than Andy's 47.601 on the same lap!

Mark Rainford held off his brother, Anthony, to take the heat win by 0.062 secs, Luke Johnson still with them but unable to find a way through in 3rd. Alex Jones dropped to 4th, some way back from the leaders. Andy finished the heat in 9th, which gave him his 3rd career final pole position!

 

FINAL

Andy had claimed pole position for this dry and bright, albeit still very cold, final. This meant that no matter what happened in this race, due to the absence of James Duxbury, Andy would leave the meeting in the lead of the Winter Series, leaving a fantastic finale at the Platinum Cup event on the 20th of March. However, Andy wanted to capitalise on his pole position and extend his lead at the front.

Anthony Rainford had taken 2nd place on the grid with his 9th in heat 1 and 2nd in heat 2, followed on row 2 by John Halliwell, with a solid 2 heats, in 3rd, and Paul Phelan taking up 4th place.

After a chaotic false start where Alistair Curry slid into the back of Paul Hooper, collecting Noel Devery from further back, Andy made a good, clean start and held off Rainford into turn 1, and quickly built himself a small gap to John Halliwell who had passed Rainford at turn 1.

Into lap 2 and Andy had built himself a cushion of about a second, from Paul Phelan, who ousted Halliwell from 2nd spot at the start of the 2nd lap.

Andy continued to gradually, slowly but surely ease his way away from the chasing pack, Phelan also easing away from Halliwell. Most drivers held station until lap 10 of 12 when a battle ensued between Halliwell, the 2 Rainfords, and Paul Hooper, Hooper with a last corner dive to take the place from Anthony Rainford.

Andy took the chequered flag by 1.536 seconds from Paul Phelan, probably Pauls best drive for some time, followed 3.5 seconds later by an ailing Halliwell in 3rd, his carburettor gremlins showing their face once again. Hooper followed Halliwell closely in 4th, just ahead of Mark and Anthony Rainford. Luke Johnson had a quiet final and slipped a further 2 seconds from the Rainfords, 7.551 seconds behind Andy at the line.

Anthony Rainford surprisingly set the fastest lap of the final, and indeed of the day, with a 47.261. Mike Jones sneaked in a faster lap then Andy, in 14th place, with a 47.308. Andys fastest was 47.342. Paul Phelan had a late charge as Andy avoided passing a backmarker on the last lap, and posted his fastest of the race, a 47.435.

The most improved driver of the weekend must have been Jack Oldham, with a solid effort in 8th place and a respectable fastest lap. This was a definite improvement from earlier rounds where he had teething problems making the transition form the Junior TKM class, definitely a driver to look out for in future rounds.

This result puts Andy in a commanding position in the winter series with 122 out of a maximum 150 points, followed by James Duxbury on 95 and John Halliwell on 85.