Red Lodge new Arrive n Drive Championship

[ghinzani]

Word reaches me from the East of the country regarding a new Arrive n Drive at the excellent Red Lodge circuit in Suffolk. Not too far from the Midlands, London or the lower reaches of the North too. I'l let Carl fill in the details, but great to see another good series opening up the sport to newcomers or those without the facility and/or inclination to be owner drivers.

[CanaryYellow]

Thank you very much, yes Red Lodge http://www.redlodgekarting.com/
are hosting a open kart series title "Formula RLK270".

The format will be as follows:

When: First Wednesday of every month starting 3rd August
Time: Signed in by 6pm for driver briefing

Karts Single engine Honda GX270 4 stroke, Biz chassis.

Qualifying: Upto 3x10 minute practice sessions, groups & karts drawn at random.

Race: Top % from each qualifying pool into A, B or C finals (depending on number of drivers competing) taking part in 1x30 Lap race on the 1200m circuit (approx 1 minute per lap).

Trophies for the top 3 in all finals. You should end up in a final with people of your own ability.

Cost: £44 per round. Deposit payable before the event will secure your place. Places are limited (max 48 drivers) and not available on the night.


Considering it costs £40 for 30 minutes arrive and drive on 240cc karts using the 700m circuit and you will get at least 40 minutes of time, 270cc karts and use of the full 1200m circuit this really is excellent value for money and as are many arrive and drive series an excellent low cost way to enjoy a years motorsport!

For more details or to reserve yourself a place contact the circuit direct on 01638 552316. You can also ask questions here, or using Red Lodge's twitter or facebook pages.

[CanaryYellow]

Just a quick reminder, entries need to be in by the end of Wednesday, round 1 is on August 3rd. Hope to see a few of you there!

http://www.redlodgekarting.com/2011/...conditions.pdf

[CanaryYellow]

Thank you all for your support, as of this evening we have just one spot on the grid remaining of the 48 so its going to be an A B and a C final on our very first night.

Looking forward to a quality nights racing, see you soon!

[ghinzani]

good to see it taking off, were but I nearer or on holiday in the eat! best of luck with it.

[CanaryYellow]

78 different drivers have contested the opening 2 rounds (which has become so popular we had to arrange an overspill day into Thursday) which has been a remarkable response to a fledgling series.

Some tweaks have been made, the most notable is that the driver limit has been capped at 32 per night as it was impossible to run 3 races and get everyone home at a reasonable time.

Just nine points (or 4 and a half places) separate the top 5 in the championship and with 1 dropped round allowed, Rounds 1&2.1 winners who have only contested one round each are also very much in the championship hunt mathmatically.

More details on the website, Red Lodge Kartings facebook or twitter pages and of course you can ask questions here.

[ghinzani]

Great stuff - any pics or videos of the action?

[CanaryYellow]

Comes with some slightly colourful commentary just to be warned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-pWMEwqudc


Links to a stack of Round 1's photos at the bottom (qualifying photos a bit better due to light & weather):

http://www.sprocketphotography.com/F...2500359%29.htm

[CanaryYellow]

1 round left and 5 drivers can win the F270 title, the A finals have been won by 5 different drivers. Very pleased to report every round has been sold out and 93 drivers have taken part so far.

Many thanks to everyone for their support so far, it has been a great success.

[CanaryYellow]

We have crowned our first F270 Champion, local driver Will Gibbs.

Chris Daines won the final round to become the 6th different driver to win in 6 A-Finals and he missed out on the title on the tie breaker having tied on points with Will.

Close to 100 people took part in the 2011 Championship and now we move into 2012 and a full 12 month race series. Anyone can enter, no membership fees just a one-off payment of £44 per round. Format remains the same as does the date (first Wednesday of the month).

A big thank you to everyone who took part this year and hope to see many more of you next year.

[dwf1]

Still too far away but if I ever move that way, I would take part.

[CanaryYellow]

Plenty of houses being built in Red Lodge at the moment.

List of stuff in Red Lodge:

0 Schools
0 Petrol Stations
1 Post Office
1 Transport Cafe
1 Pub
2 Kart Circuits

Red Lodge really ought to be crowned the karting capital of the UK.

[ghinzani]

Sounds like heaven!!

[dwf1]

Breakfast in cafe, karting all day and then a night at the pub! Sorted!

[CanaryYellow]

Dont recommend the first bit at all.

[CanaryYellow]

Round 3 finished tonight with the very much in form Ryan Watson taking a comfy win on the back of winning a trip to Renaults F1 factory courtesy of being the fastest driver during the Clic Sargent Challenge a week and a half ago.

Chris Daines maintains his championship lead with a defensive drive in second, Samuel Tearne continuing his improvement with a first F270 podium in 3rd.

Round 4 should be very interesting with the whole circuit resurfaced (and slightly redesigned) and the possibility of the release of the new 270cc karts in April.

There is also a very rare possibility that a one-off arrive and drive session on the 270s will be available from 5pm on the 4th April if enough drivers express an interest. You cannot do an a&d session at all on the 270s as they are used for events only. For more details call the circuit directly.

[Ayrton5enna]

Near to london ah would take me 3.6 hours to get down there via public transport.
Rules out another circuit for me, im stuck with sandown, team-sport, raceway docklands until i get myself a car or a good karting buddy to travel with.

[CanaryYellow]

Just to confirm the new karts will be in use on Wednesday, the new surface is very very grippy compared to what was there before.

[CanaryYellow]

The series continues with round 5 on Wednesday and with the new karts bringing the fleet total ever higher the prospect of 20 karts thundering around together looks on the cards.

I say thunder because its done nothing but rain for the last few days and the forecast shows no letup either. On the bright side the new circuits much improved camber and drainage means very little water sits on the circuit, so much so that wet weather laps have improved by over 10 seconds.

Space still available, as ever ring the circuit and book yourself a place.

[CanaryYellow]

New Heavyweight Class Launches

As the series continues to grow and evolve there will now be a heavyweight class introduced to run alongside the main series. Drivers over 80kgs will continue to race and score points in the main F270 Championship but will also score points towards the new Heavyweight championship which will run for the next 6 months (July-December) with the driver with the best 5 scores claiming the crown.

[CanaryYellow]

Formula 270 has moved into its 2nd year. Wow where did the time go?

20 entries in already (normally collect 6 or so entries on the day) so a big grid for Round 9 tomorrow at 6pm. The class for 80kgs drivers is proving popular and has helped increase the grid sizes a little.

As ever with up to 20 karts per final race there are spots on the grid available so if you want to take part in a 1 off round you are more than welcome. No joining fees, just the one off entry fee of £44 per round.

Just for good measure Club 2000 official photographer Sprocket Photography will be in attendance so you can have a more permanent momento of your day as well as glorious memories!

[CanaryYellow]

Round 10 has been and gone. One of the most exciting races of the year with the front 2 exiting the final corner side by side and having a drag race to the line. Sam Tearne may have missed out on the win by the narrowest of margins but he has taken the championship by the scruff of the neck with 2 wins and a 2nd in the last 3 months propelling him to the top of the tables with an intimidating lead. Only defending champion Will Gibbs can deny Sam the title now.

Not only that but the only 3 drivers to break 53 seconds are all F270 drivers and one of them competes in the 80kgs class.

Last month saw 39 drivers compete in 2 finals, just 1 short of maximum capacity.

Little doubt the success of the series owes much to the drivers and driving standards which has been top class as drivers continue to "self police" and give places back they feel they have unfairly taken. It has led to a great atmosphere and some competetive and top class racing. Long may it continue.

[CanaryYellow]

Round 11 tomorrow, a few places left if anyone fancies a race under the floodlights with somewhere between 14-19 others on circuit together.

We are down to a 2 man fight for the title and it could be won tomorrow but the 80kg class is still far from over as well as individual round glory so plenty to race for.

[dwf1]

haha will stick to the karting.....i'm already in the heavyweight class so don't want to put any more on

[CanaryYellow]

Shameless plug. Last call for drivers, round 2 on Wednesday.

£44 for 10 minutes qualifying and 30 laps (at a minute per lap) race. The entry list for Round 2 currently includes 5 novices and our first female driver of 2012.