BIKC 2024 Update # 1.5

Just a quick update today folks to confirm that I have qualified for my ‘local’ British Indoor Karting Championship final, which will be held at Teamsport’s Avonmouth venue on 12th September.

Around 150 drivers across multiple weight categories recorded qualifying times for BIKC in Bristol, and my combined (average) lap time saw me rank 11th in the ‘heavyweight’ class. My next goal will be to finish in the top 6 at the local final, further to which I hope to go on to represent the area at a ‘regional’ final, the location for which is kept secret until after the local finals have concluded.

My congratulations go to all of the drivers who qualified, and I’ll see you later in the month :-)

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

BIKC 2024 Update # 1

As mentioned in my previous post, I’m currently in the process of attempting to qualify for the ‘local’ final of the British Indoor Karting Championship, which is a competition run by Teamsport. To do so I must rank inside the top 24 drivers in my weight class, with best lap times being taken across multiple sessions between June and August (with each driver needing to record at least three lap times across separate events)*. 

As of today I have recorded two qualifying times, set during a 45 minute ‘members’ race on 20th June, and an ‘arrive and drive’ session on 15th July.  This means that I only need set one more time between now and the end of August to be eligible to qualify, but in all likelihood I’ll end up doing a couple of extra events to ensure I give myself a better chance of ranking highly within the top 24. If all goes to plan, I’ll then compete in the local final which is scheduled to take place on 12th September. The top drivers from that event will then go on to race in a ‘regional’ final at an as-of-yet undisclosed Teamsport location in October, ahead of the ‘national’ final in November (which will be held in Warrington) - Wish me luck! 

*There is still time to enter BIKC 2024. If you wish to do so, or would like more information about the competition, check out the website here: https://bikc.co.uk. I’ll be sure to post another update regarding my progress in the coming weeks.

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben

Hello

Welcome to the new look home of BJC Racing on Blogger!

Here you’ll find updates regarding all of my karting and motorsport-related activities. If you’re not already doing so, please feel free to follow BJC Racing’s pages on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/uvQg5zdtZWcN1RBT/?mibextid=LQQJ4d) and Instagram (@bjc.racing). Any likes and shares are very much appreciated!

So, what I have been up to in 2024? As is now tradition, my ‘season’ started in January at the annual British Rental Kart Championship (BRKC) event, held at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes. After mixed results over the last few years, it was my personal aim to finish in the Top 50 (with 100 drivers competing in all). Unfortunately once the points were added up I was officially ranked in 52nd place, but level on points with the drivers who were classified in 50th, 51st, 53rd and 54th, so not a complete disaster. The most surprising thing was that I ended up being more competitive in the races where I expected to struggle, whereas I under performed in my first and last heat races to the detriment of my overall position. As usual though I had a great time and it was fun catching up with some people who I only get to see maybe once a year. If you’ve never entered BRKC I would seriously recommend it. It’s such as well-run event and there are some fantastic prizes on offer. Full details can be found at their website: 

https://www.britishrentalkartchampionship.co.uk

Since January I’ve only raced in a handful of other events, most notably a ‘members’ race at Teamsport’s Avonmouth track (where I finished 2nd in class), two rounds of Castle Combe’s Adult Championship, finishing 4th and 5th (overall) respectively, and most recently a ‘Superchamps’ round at Daytona Milton Keynes. Using their 4-stroke Sodi karts, I finished 13th overall and 5th in class, so all in all I came away pretty happy with that result, especially given my lack of familiarity with the karts and the track layout used on the day (‘Linkback / Cliffdrop’, if you’re interested!).

In terms of what I have on for the rest of ‘24, I’ll soon be turning my attention towards trying to qualify for the British Indoor Karting Championship (BIKC) regional and national finals. To do so, I first need to set three separate ‘qualifying’ times between now and the end of August, further to which a ‘local’ final is held for each weight class. The top drivers from that will then progress to the regional final, etc. With Teamsport (BIKC’s organising body) adjusting the ‘heavyweight’ class down to a minimum of 85kg, I feel that this should allow me to be competitive - 

Certainly more so than I would have been at the heavier end of the ‘middleweight’ class (for which driver must now weigh between 70 to 85kg). I’ll be sure to post updates as to how I’m progressing in regards to this particular competition.

Until then -

Drive safe, and have fun!

Ben