2013-12-09 09:17:19.2
IMSD Racing scored a fine 3rd place finish at Bayford despite racing with a kart that was not 100 percent at its best. The trio of Stephen Deuchar, Ian Wilson and Eddie Hall again had to change karts during practice due to handling difficulties in the first kart. Although the spare kart handled well the top end was slightly flat, leaving the team to struggle. Eddie explains:
“Stephen bought the first kart in after a few laps complaining of bad under steer. The tester took it out and came in to get the pressures adjusted in the front. For some reason they decided to put us in a spare kart. Stephen went out for a couple of comparison laps and said he thought the kart felt a bit flat compared to the first. I went out and it felt OK but, Like Whilton, it wasn’t until I was running with other karts that it became evident how much it was missing. I am surprised just how far off the pace we were in qualifying because it felt alright and I was running with Graeme Coombs from SC Racing on the track and he didn’t seem to be much quicker...”
Eddie qualified way down in 20th place. He initially made up a few places over the first couple of laps but came off worse during a frantic battle in the mid-field and dropped back. Biding his time and picking off a few in the mid field, Eddie slowly started to climb back up the order. As has been the case for most of the season, the team left Eddie out longer than most and he came in for the first driver change in 8th overall.
A slick pit stop brought Ian Wilson out still in the top 10 and first in the Clubman class. Ian continued to make good progress and maintained a similar pace to the main contenders, despite the lack of top-end from the engine.
There was a drama when Ian came in for the second changeover. A kart had just entered the fuel bay just as he peeled off into the pit lane. Ian had followed another kart into the pit lane and had to queue, losing well over 15 seconds.
Despite this mishap, Stephen continued the good run of form, putting in consistent lap times and maintaining their position at the sharp end of the Clubman race.
Eddie went out for his second stint and immediately became embroiled in a battle with old Inters sparring partner, Stuart Brierley. Initially getting the upper hand, Eddie slipped past into turn 3. The lack of power was evident as Eddie struggled to hold on to the position and again fell back behind a train of karts.
Ian went out again and enjoyed a clear track to put in some more consistent lap times and firmly establish the team as contenders for a podium.
Stephen decided to put Eddie in the kart for the final stint of the race and he rejoined the track third, two seconds in front of the next team and just two seconds behind HB Racing. Again, the lack of power was painfully obvious as Eddie fell back into the clutches to the fourth place driver. Defending hard, Eddie managed to hold off the challenge for the last place on the podium and even started to reel in Brierley over the last few laps. Eddie crossed the line in third, tucked under the rear bumper of second placed HB Racing – who scored their first podium of the season.
Eddie was happy with the result. “I think we did a great job as a team. Our kart was not 100 percent today and there was very little we could do about it. Despite one blunder, our pit stops were brilliant and our strategy was good. I think to finish on the podium and finish in the top 10 overall is a pretty good achievement and we should be proud of how well we did.”
Despite losing more ground to II2BI – who won the race – Eddie is not too despondent. “We are still very close in the championship. There are still two races to go and we are only 20 points behind – anything can happen”.
