Season’s End

Or should that be Season’s Greetings?! Either way, the chequered flag has fallen on 2025 here at BJC Racing, so I thought I’d post one final update for the year before the mince pies come out!

Over the last few weeks I had the pleasure of competing at two championship finales, the first of which was at Castle Combe on 16th November, followed by the final SRK ‘sprint’ championship round at Daytona Milton Keynes.

Going into the final Castle Combe round, I was still hopeful of achieving my pre-season goals of winning the ‘masters’ championship, and finishing inside the top 15 in the overall standings. On a day when temperatures barely hit double figures, I would experience a rollercoaster of emotions where it initially looked like I would fail to mount any kind of challenge whatsoever, only for things to improve dramatically towards the end of the day before finding out that I had missed out on achieving one of my goals by a single point(!)..

Heading into this final event, three drivers were in contention for the ‘masters’ championship win; myself, Ceri Richards, and Andy Cullen. Ceri had been driving consistently all year, whilst Andy hit a real purple patch through the summer months which meant he went into the last round at the top of the table, ahead of me by five points. As I mentioned earlier, the day started off damp/greasy and only got wetter as the event went on (amazingly, it was the first ‘wet’ round of the year- It only took until  November!).

My initial practice session in the tricky conditions went well, and I was buoyed by seeing both Ceri and Andy struggle in their opening heats. I started my first race in 3rd position but the kart I had couldn’t have been more different than the one I had driven in practice, and I too fell to the back of the field - None of us were exactly covering ourselves in glory at that stage! Our fortunes then varied wildly for the remaining heat races; Ceri by his own admission struggled while Andy went on to win one of his other heats, and backed that up with two 2nd place finishes which scored him enough points to qualify mid-pack in the ‘B’ final. I followed up on my first heat by recording 2 x 3rd place finishes, and at that point it didn’t even look as though I was going to even be in the same final as Andy, let alone be able to outscore him by enough points to secure the masters trophy. However, things quickly began to look a bit more positive..

Starting from pole in my final heat, I was finally able to hook things up in a kart that did EXACTLY what I wanted it to, and I took the win ahead of Callum House, who was aiming for a top 5 finish in the overall championship himself. This result scored me enough points to put me on pole for the ‘C’ final -

Andy however would be starting mid-pack in the ‘B’ final, so I had to win if I were to have the slightest chance of beating him. I duly won my final (luckily for me in the same kart I’d had during my victorious heat race) which left me lining up in 7th for the B final. It all came down to this..

I made a good-ish start from the right hand side of the grid, immediately making up a position before committing to a line for the first corner which I hadn’t tried all afternoon, and lo and behold I found grip there whilst everyone else took the usual (wider) wet line -

This propelled me up to 4th place, where I was able to mix it with the likes of Aaron Bull and Callum House, who were fighting for a place in the ‘A’ final. All the while, Andy had dropped to the back of the field. As we approached the end of the race, I was trying to do the math in my head and was confident that if things finished as they were, I would at least tie with Andy on points. We returned to the pits following the end of the race, and waited patiently while scores were added up. Finally the time came for the podium ceremony, and while I was pleased to come away with the round 10 Masters trophy, I was desperate to know if I’d done enough to win the championship.. 

Unfortunately for me, Andy was announced as the winner by a single point (having pulled a Lewis Hamilton by gaining a position on the very last lap) but I can honestly say that he deserved it, even if I eventually have the upper hand on the day -

I’m already looking forward to going wheel to wheel with him again next season. Congratulations again Andy, you had a great year!

To round off the season, my long-suffering Fiance and I made the trip over to Milton Keynes for the final round of the SRK Sprint championship, on what would turn out to be a dry, cold (and long) day! Using Daytona’s fleet of ‘DMax’ karts (arguably the fastest rental karts in the UK) I knew I’d have my work cut out for me given it had been over a year since I’d last driven here, and a lot longer since I’d driven the DMAX karts (and I’d never driven on the layout that was to be used for this particular event). 

After only a short practice session, I started my first heat in 18th place, and finished in 17th. In my second race I finished 15th after starting 12th,  and then came final heat which was easily my worst performance of the day; I started in 6th but dropped to 18th after a bruising blast through the darkness. My paltry points total put me 9th in the ‘C’ final, where I was finally able to hook things up and move forward, but in the end it was too little, too late, and I ended up finish 5th, which was enough to at least secure me a top 10 finish in the ‘amateur’ class of the SRK sprint championship.. Nothing too much to get excited about I’ll admit, but for me SRK this year was an opportunity to visit some new circuits, race with some VERY quick drivers and generally try to improve my skill set, so in that sense I guess it was mission accomplished! 

(Side note - In my last heat and final I was something like 2 seconds a lap quicker than in my earlier sessions, which I think says more about DMax kart parity than anything, but I digress..). Whether I’ll be back in SRK next year I’m yet to decide, but regardless I’d like to offer my thanks and congratulations to everyone I raced with this year, and in particular the SRK organisers who had the thankless task of keeping everything on track - Well done!

With that, it’s time for me to sign off for the year. Have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I’ll catch you at the next one!

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

October Overboost

Happy Halloween friends and competitors!

It’s been a busy month here at BJC Racing with four events at three different venues across two championships -

Please read on to find out how things went:

Event One

SRK ‘Novice’ Championship

Q Leisure Brighton

Sunday 12th October (AM)

Summary: Very up and down event -

Qualified last in my group using a kart that was removed from use after the practice/qualifying sessions. I then went on to finish 5th in my first race and 2nd in race two, which put me 5th on the grid for the ‘A’ final, where I subsequently finished.. 5th!

**

Event Two

SRK ‘Sprint’ Championship

Q Leisure Brighton

Sunday 12th October (PM) 

Summary: Continuation from the morning event in terms of results -

In my first heat I started 10th and finished 11th, having been caught up in a multi-kart pile up on lap one. In my second race I started 5th and finished 6th, and in my final heat I started 4th and finished in 8th. This left me lining up on pole in the ‘D’ final, which I dominated to take my place at the back of the ‘C’ final, where I was able to gain a few more positions (having started in 13th place) to finish 8th, which equated to 33rd overall and 6th in class.

**

Event Three

CCKC

Castle Combe

Saturday 18th October

Summary: A much better event than other recent outings -

I recorded 1 x 1st, 2 x 2nds and 1 x 3rd in my heats, which put me on pole in the ‘B’ final, which I was able to win to join the back of the ‘A’ final. From here I gained further positions and crossed the line in 6th place (and first in class), keeping me in the running for the ‘masters’ championship and a top 15 (overall) finish in 2025.

**

Event Four

SRK ‘Sprint’ Championship

Buckmore Park

Sunday 26th October

Summary: Par for the course when it comes to the SRK ‘Sprint’ championship -

In mixed conditions on a track I’d never been to before, I fell from 4th to 10th in my first race, then went from 11th to 8th in my second  (on an drier track) and from 9th to 5th in my final heat. This put me in the ‘C’ final where I would line up 3rd in an unfancied kart. Having made an average start I was then tapped into a spin on lap two which dropped me to the back of field, meaning I finished 43rd overall and 9th I class.. Not a good day on balance, but I still enjoyed my first visit to Buckmore.

**

I only have two further events planned for 

this year; The final round of the Castle Combe championship on 15th November, followed by the SRK ‘sprint’ championship finale on the 30th. This is being held at the Daytona circuit in Milton Keynes, and I’ll be aiming to finish the season on a high -

Watch this space for an update!

Until then -

Drive safe, have fun (and look out for ghosts and ghouls!)

Ben

Autumn Apex

Howdy folks. How is everyone? All set for Autumn? I know I am! Since my last update, following the summer break I’ve competed at two further rounds of Castle Combe’s karting championship (where I’m aiming to try and win the ‘masters’ championship), and a round of the SRK ‘sprint’ championship, which was held at Rye House circuit on 14th September.

First up was Castle Combe on 24th August. Practice went well, further to which I went on to record 3 x 2nds and 1 x 3rd placed finishes in my heats, losing a potential win due to having a cold kart in my second race, which left me lining up in 4th position in the ‘B’ final. Unfortunately I made a poor start and was passed into turn one by one of my championship rivals, who then proceeded to squeeze me into the wall on the exit of the corner (the exact same thing happened to me at the SRK round at Castle Combe earlier in the year..) -

This dropped me to 7th position and earned the other driver a penalty, which was of little consolation as I was unable to make up any places for the remainder of the race. I left the circuit frustrated but determined to do better at the next round, which would take place towards the end of September.

Next up was SRK at Rye House, where amongst other famous names a certain Sir Lewis Hamilton honed his craft as a youngster. Unfortunately rain started more or less as soon as our event got underway, and didn’t really stop for the duration -

Not ideal circumstances in which to learn a new circuit but it turned out to be a fun challenge, providing you stayed away from the big puddles! With grids of 19-20 drivers in each heat race, I knew staying out of trouble and not making mistakes would be the order of the day, and my first two races went ok -

I finished 11th in my first race (having started in 10th), 7th in my second race (from 4th) before things went off the rails a bit in my third heat; One of the kart’s twin engines failed on the grid, leaving me a sitting duck and dropping me to last place by the end of the first lap. I returned to the pits to get the errant engine started up, and returned to the circuit almost a lap down on the leaders. I think I crossed the finish line in 16th place, but was awarded points for the position I started in due to the engine issue. Unfortunately I’d started in 14th, so again it was of little consolation. Still, that’s rental karting..

These results left me lining up toward the back of the grid for the ‘B’ final, where I was able to climb up to around 5th position during a heavy downpour before the race was stopped prematurely due to a large crash at the first corner involving several drivers (all of whom were thankfully ok!). The final results were therefore taken from the lap before, which saw me classified in 7th place, and 5th in the class I’m competing in.. So all in all, not a bad result given the circumstances. I certainly felt that the long trek to Hertfordshire had been worthwhile, and it was fun sharing the track with a lot of drivers I’ve had the pleasure of racing with over the years. I’m already looking forward to the next round, which is being held down near Brighton in early October.

To round off the month of September, I headed back to Castle Combe for round eight (of then) of the highly competitive 2025 karting championship. Heading into this round I was ranked in 19th place in the overall standings, and 4th in the ‘masters’ category (for drivers aged 40 and over). I knew I’d have to hit the ground running this round, as I couldn’t afford any further poor results if I was to achieve the targets set myself pre-season. The final two rounds will take place in October and November, and only a driver’s seven best results will count toward their overall standings at the end of the (ten round) championship.

Unfortunately for the second round in a row I found myself being forced into a wall, this time during my final ‘heat’ race, which dropped me from 2nd to last (5th) meaning that the points I’d accumulated from my other heats (2 x 2nds and 1 x 3rd) combined with this result left me lining up 6th in the ‘C’ final, where I was at least able to make up some places to finish in 3rd. Sadly, this wasn’t enough to get me promoted to the back of the ‘B’ final, which one of my championship rivals dominated. So it was another disappointing end to an event where I had high hopes of a good result -

My only consolation being that I felt like I’d driven well / did all that I could, and it was only because of the actions of an other driver that I didn’t come away with more points. With two rounds left of the championship time is now running out for me to deliver the results I need to become the 2025 ‘Masters’ champion, but if at the end of the day it doesn’t happen I can at least say I gave it my best..

Here’s hoping for a bit of rain at the next round to spice things up a bit!

In terms of my schedule between now and the end of the year, as mentioned earlier I’ll next be racing at the Brighton round of the SRK championship on 12th October, followed by SRK at Buckmore on 26th, Castle Combe on 15th November, before wrapping up the season at Daytona Milton Keynes at the SRK championship finale -

So I’m in for a busy couple of (hopefully successful!) months. I’ll be sure to post another update before Christmas!

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

Summer Season

Hi folks. How are we all? Doing well I hope!

Just a quick update today with the most recent goings on at BJC Racing, before the mandated factory summer shutdown :P

An(other) underwhelming SRK outing at Dunkeswell Circuit in North Devon back in June was followed by a sub-par performance at Castle Combe a few week's ago, due to a mixture of bad luck, iffy kart parity, some questionable driving standards and above all else my own failure to perform, so on Sunday 27th July I found myself back at Castle Combe for round six of the 2025 Championship, with an eye on getting my season back on track. 

After four heats where I scored a 1st, a 2nd and 2 x 3rd place finishes, I lined up 3rd on the grid in the ‘B’ final, where I finished 2nd on track but was handed a two place penalty for contact with another driver on the second lap; A frustrating error on my part given that I usually try and race cleanly, and was denied the opportunity to hand the position back as after contact was made the other driver subsequently lost further positions (and was given a black and white flag himself later in the race). Still, I have to take responsibility for my actions on track, and I know I need better results in the next couple of rounds if I’m to achieve the targets I set myself pre-season..

This latest result has left me in 14th place overall in the championship standings, and 1st in the 'masters' category, with four rounds remaining between now and mid-November. During the same period I'll also be competing in further SRK 'sprint' championship rounds at Rye House, QLeisure Karting (Brighton), Buckmore, and Daytona Milton Keynes.

Anyway that's it from me. I hope you all have a fantastic summer, and I'll look forward to catching up with you at a race or kart track in the near future.

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

Spring into Action

Hi all. Enjoying the weather? I know I am!

Following on from my last post, I thought I’d provide a Spring update on recent goings on here at BJC Racing:
Back on the 12th of April I was karting at Castle Combe at the second round of SRK’s ‘sprint’ championship. Buoyed by recent results at CCKC, I was hopeful for a more competitive day following a somewhat underwhelming round one. As it transpired, I scored enough points to reach the ‘E’ final, which I won in dominant fashion, and ended the day 35th overall (out of 66 drivers), and 6th in class. All in all I was happy with how I drove and, other than losing a couple of positions in my opening heat due to an overzealous driver squeezing me into the barriers at turn one (for which he was rightly penalised) I felt like I achieved the maximum given how ultra competitive the field was. The next round of SRK takes place at Dunkeswell on 8th June. Formerly known as Mansell Raceway, I’m looking forward to visiting this track for the first time and hopefully scoring some good points.

A few weeks later I had the pleasure of driving some beautifully fast cars around Thruxton motor racing circuit in Hampshire, during one of their ‘driving experience’ days. On a gloriously sunny day at the UK’s fastest track, I completed laps in an Alpine A110, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and a single seater racing car, sharing the track with Porches, Lamborghinis, and Tiff Needle giving passenger laps to unsuspecting ‘victims’ in a BMW M2 - What a great way to spend a few hours! The Aston in particular was just incredible, with approx. 400bhp and a good old-fashioned manual gearbox - Great stuff!!
For more info about Thruxton and their range of experience days, visit their website here: https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/experiences. I promise you, it’s money well spent.

Before the end of May I again found myself at Castle Combe for round 4 of their 2025 karting championship, having opted to miss round 3. On this occasion, I finished 10th overall and 2nd in class, having picked up a couple of wins during my heats. With my intention to enter eight out of ten rounds in 2025 (with only the seven highest results counting towards my final championship position) there is still plenty of time left to ensure I achieve my goals for the year, but I also know I need to step up my game slightly at the next round (which will be held on 22nd June) to give myself an easier time later in the year -
Watch this space!

Until then -
Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

March Madness ‘25

Hello! How’ve you all? 2025 going ok so far? I appreciate it’s been a little while since my last post so I thought I’d provide a little update:

After deciding to skip the ‘25 edition of the British Rental Kart Championship (held in January, in Milton Keynes) I made the decision to commit to competing in two separate rental kart championships this year, both of which kicked off in March. First up was Castle Combe’s Karting Championship, which is held over 10 rounds from March to November (min. weight 70kg, top 7 rounds count towards final championship position). I’ve driven in this championship many times over the years, with mixed results, but my aim this year is a top 15 overall finish (the championship usually attracts 130+ different drivers over the course of a season), as well as looking to win the ‘masters’ championship, which is a separate category for drivers aged 40 and over (yes, sadly I turned 40 in February, so I’m now officially old)..

Things started off well at round one (held on March 1st) -
Three heat wins (and a 5th..) saw me line up 6th in the ‘A’ final, where I was able to gain one place to finish 5th overall, and 1st in the masters category, which means that I came away from a sunny Castle Combe with a good points haul and some silverware too!
The other championship I’ve decided to enter this year is the SRK (Southern Rental Kart) ‘sprint’ championship, which is held between March and November at a variety of indoor and outdoor circuits across the south of England. Round one took place at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes on 9th March, and I was competing in the ‘SRK2’ (Amateur) class for drivers weighing 80kg+. This event would consist of a practice session, 3 x heats and a final for each driver, with each race requiring a minimum of at least one ‘pit stop’ (using Formula Fast’s high tech system, fine-tuned for the BRKC). Practice went well given it was my first visit to the circuit since January 2024, and the heats were soon underway -
In my first race I started in 2nd place but finished 8th, after making an invalid pit stop - A frustrating error on my part. I followed that up with another 8th in my second race (from 10th on the grid), and 5th in my third heat, having started 5th. This put me firmly in the bottom half of the field, and I would start the ‘F’ final from pole position. Despite my best efforts (and leading 2/3rds of the race) I was beaten to the chequered flag by the driver who started 2nd, thanks to the combination of an effective undercut by him, and me getting temporarily stuck behind an early stopping back marker - 
An underwhelming end to a low key day, it must be said..

In what was only my second ever SRK event, following an outing at Daytona Milton Keynes a couple of years ago, I did feel as though I underperformed on track, with my pit stop error and subsequent points loss in my first heat leaving with me a big job on my hands to climb the leader board. However, I believe I did my best in the following races so I wasn’t too disappointed at the end of the day. I finished 47th overall (out of 70 drivers), and 11th in class. A big thank you goes to the SRK organisers and the team at Formula Fast for putting on such a well-run event.

Before the month was over I found myself back at Castle Combe for round two of their karting championship, which was held on March 23rd. In cooler conditions than those encountered at round one, I was able to win two of my heat races and finish 2nd in the my other two, which put me on pole(!) in the ‘A’ final. With some very fast drivers starting immediately behind me I knew I was probably looking at a position in the top five at best, and that’s exactly how things panned out, with some aggressive jostling for position in the opening laps. Come the chequered flag, I crossed the line in 5th, right on the bumper of the driver in 4th who in turn was immediately behind the top three. While on the face of it dropping from 1st to 5th may not look great, I was still pleased with the way I’d driven all afternoon, and again came away with a trophy for finishing first in the ‘masters’ category -

What a month!

Next up for me is round two of the SRK sprint series, which will be held at Castle Combe on 12th April, before returning for round four of Castle Combe’s championship on 25th May. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted regarding I get on.

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

Season’s Greetings!

Hello all. Where has this year gone huh? If only I was as fast in a rental kart! I thought I’d put up one final post before the end of the year just to let you know what I’ve been up to, and what my plans are for 2025. 

Since my last update, I have raced in the final two rounds of Castle Combe’s Karting Championship (CCKC), finishing 4th overall in the penultimate event, before finally scoring a competitive podium with 2nd place at the 10th and final round. To say I was chuffed with that result would be an understatement, after years of competing in this particular championship.

In all likelihood I won’t be doing any more karting between now and the end of the year, however I am looking forward to attending the upcoming KartMania show at Silverstone. It’s been a long time since I’ve been and I’m excited to see how the event has grown since I last visited (back before the event was moved to Silverstone in fact!). KartMania takes place this weekend, and you can still get tickets ‘on the door’ if you are interested. All information about the show can be found here: https://www.kartmania.co.uk -

Perhaps I’ll see you there!

In terms of my racing plans for 2025, I’m still debating whether to give something like Club 100 a go, or some other form of 2-stroke karting. At the very least I’d like to be able to compete in a full season of at least one championship (2 or 4-stroke), and perhaps get a couple more ‘driving experience’ type days under my belt. I also decided against entering the 2025 edition of the BRKC (British Rental Kart Championship) in order to hopefully free up some funds to do more karting elsewhere.. No doubt I’ll be back in 2026 though! Once I firm up my plans I’ll be sure to post an update.

Until then -

Drive safe, have fun and have a great Christmas!

Ben

BIKC 2024 Update # 2

Ok, that didn’t exactly go to plan..

The long and the short of it is; I didn’t make the top 6 in my ‘local’ BIKC final. Gutted isn’t the word!

After a relatively competitive practice session, I was disappointed to find that (following a mandatory kart change) I was only able to qualify in 14th place out of 24 drivers, with my best lap time being 2/10ths slower than I had achieved in practice. This left me lining up 2nd on the grid the ‘B’ final, made up of the slower 12 drivers. My only opportunity to qualify for the  regional finals would have therefore meant finishing in the top 2 in the B final (which I duly did), and then to make my way up to at least 6th place in the ‘A’ final from 14th on the grid..

Sadly, I was only able to make up six positions to finish 8th overall in what was actually a competitive race (in which I set something like the 5th fastest lap), just running out of time at the end to gain two further positions. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, however other than my sub-par qualifying performance (which I attribute more than anything to a slightly off-pace kart) in general I was pleased with the way I drove on the night in what was actually a very competitive field of drivers. My congratulations go to all of the drivers who qualified across the different weight categories, and I wish you all the best for the regional finals!

Rather than getting down about not qualifying I’ve decided to pick myself up, dust myself off and enter the next round of Castle Combe’s Karting Championship, due to take place on 13th October. I may also look to enter the final round of the championship in November -

After a couple of relatively positive results at Castle Combe earlier in the year I’ll be hoping I can finish off my 2024 season on a high. I’ll be sure to let you know what I end up doing though!

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben