A Glorious Weekend at Hoylake for Round 1 of the UK Kitebuggy competition

The first round of the English national series run by the Parakart Association took place last weekend at the great venue of Hoylake in the north of England.  This was the first time that the English series has held the first round this side of Christmas and it was a huge success.

UK Kitebuggy competition round 1

Matthew Job reports:

When we woke on the Saturday morning we were greeted with lots of sun and about 20mph off shore wind, a great start to the weekend.  The beach looked to be in a great condition with no water in site.

Everyone was eager to get out on to the bank so a big queue formed at registration, which was over very quickly and out onto the sandbank it was.  Most people managed a few practice laps before the pilots briefing was called.

The first race quickly followed and was, as usual, a 40minute mini-enduro.  The kite of choice for most of the PL riders was the 6.5m.  A good start was had and the race was underway.  Adrian Lavelle quickly gained the lead as we headed towards the first mark with Ryan in second and  me 4^th, an easy corner for us leaders but a big pile up occurred behind us with many kites on the ground. Over the next two laps I gained ground on the pilot in 3^rd and was able to get past which left Ryan Mcgavin as my next target.  The next few laps I couldn’t make up any ground on Ryan, but wasn’t losing any either.  Mean while Adrian’s lead was ever increasing- how? I don’t know!  The wind had been building through the entire race and on the final lap a mistake by Ryan allowed me pass and in to 2^nd.  I think the pressure was getting to him!

Results were Adrian 1^st, Me 2^nd, Ryan 4^th and Alison 19^th (I think Alison was caught up in the first corner pile up!)

In the second race we all changed down to the 5.4ms, this and the remaining races were the usual 3 lap affair.

A good start was had and everyone made it though the first corner cleanly this time. Adrian had assumed the lead again with four of us battling closely for the next 4 spots. This continued for the whole race, a minor mistake by anyone of us would have proved very costly, but on the last lap as we approached the finish line it was me in second.

The results – Adrian 1^st, Me 2^nd, Ryan 4^th and Alison 16^th

A short break for lunch and it was time for the third race.  As the wind had dropped a little, it was back to the 6.5m for me.  Yet another good start for us all with the 3 of us in the top 4 places.  As we were now more familiar with the course the best lines were getting rutted and wet, it was becoming more challenging on the corners to get though cleanly.  A small mistake on the second lap and I dropped to 8^th, but was able to quickly regain 6^th. The final lap was a bit of a procession, although I gained ground on the pilots just in front of me it wasn’t to be and 6^th it was.

Results were Adrian 1^st, Ryan 3^rd, Me 6^th and Alison steadily improving at 15^th

For the fourth and final race of the day the wind had shifted a little so the route though the start was more of a reach, so it was a very fast start.  I made a good start and was in second again for the first lap following Adrian with Ryan closely behind.  We quickly caught some back markers on the second lap and while avoiding them I unfortunately tangled one of the tips of the kite which I couldn’t get out.  This allowed Ryan into 2^nd followed by a fair few other riders.  Unfortunately I was unable to regain that many places so it was a disappointing 10^th!This time it was Adrian 1^st, Ryan 2^nd, Me 10^th and Alison improved again at12^th

This concluded the racing for the day and as such was a very good start for Peter Lynn Vapor riders.

On Sunday it was like a different season.  It was cold and the bank was hardly visible covered in a low fog and no wind to speak of.  As the forecast looked good we headed out on the beach.

The fog quickly cleared and we managed to get a little bit of practising before the pilots briefing was called.  At the briefing the race officer announced that there was insufficient wind to start a race, which was a surprise as we weren’t using our biggest kites, but a check with other wind meters and the consensus was correct, low wind but I guess very dense, perhaps we need to change the rules here!!

We decided to run a “fun” race as everyone was ready, which was underway quickly. Adrian, myself and Ryan all chose the 9.4m’s, which was a good choice as immediately after the start the wind picked up.  Adrian took the lead early on with Ryan in 2^nd.  I was a little further behind in 4^th but chasing hard. I could make no progress during the first two laps as we were all very evenly matched.  On the third lap the wind had increased further and a mistake by the pilot in third allowed me to take the place and then a gust caught Ryan, lifting him from his buggy, which unfortunately resulted in him losing a few places.  Adrian 1^st, Me 2^nd.  Having had such a good race it was disappointing that it didn’t count towards the series!

As the wind now measured higher on the wind meters it was now possible to run races that counted for the national series.

The second day  of the Hoylake UK Kitebuggy competition

The second race of the day was underway quickly and the 11.2m was the kite of choice for me.  By the first corner Adrian had gained the lead with me in 2^nd and Ryan in 3^rd.   Behind us however there were some interesting place changes lower down the field.  After another interesting start, with a pile up at the first mark and some pilots unable to reach it without tacking.  Alison found herself vying for a place with one of the top UK pilots for two laps, managing to keep the prototype kite being flown at bay all the way around.  On the last straight of the last lap however, the wind picked up slightly, which left Alison over powered and going sideways and watching the back axle of her fellow competitor just reaching the start line ahead of  her as she finished 12^th  yet again.

I had a very good start in the third race being 1^st through the start gate and continued in this place during the first lap with Graham Steel close behind, on the second lap Graham momentarily took first place.  However on the next corner while vying for the lead Adrian and Graham collided kites, Adrian was the winner in this case as Graham’s kite collapsed onto mine which resulted in us both losing a few places which I was unable to recover. Adrian 1^st, Ryan 4^th, Me 6^th.  Alison finished 12^th having been in 7^th place at the start of the race, but with 7 pilots in very close contention for mid-field places everyone was affected by the slightest change in line or fluffed turn by pilots ahead of them with the order changing several times during the race as people took evasive action to avoid tangles at various points.

The wind remained constant for the rest of the day so it was the 11.2m for the remaining two races.  In the 4^th race the start was good and I was in 5^th place, which I maintained throughout the three laps.  Adrian was at the front battling hard with Graham, but was the eventual winner.  Alison had a very good race and managed to avoid any trouble at the start and during the race, coming in10^th place.

The 5^th and final race of the day quickly which was again uneventful as everyone was now accustomed to the course concluding with Adrian 1^st, Ryan 3^rd, Me 5^th and Alison     12^th.

This concluded the racing for the first round of the 2012 PKA National Series.  The overall results can be found on the PKA website at www.parakartassociation.co.uk with the standing for the Peter Lynn rides summarised below:

Adrian 1^st

Ryan 2^nd

Matt 4^th

Alison 14^th

Let’s hope the weather is this good for round 2.

Cheers Matt,

Thanks to Lauren McGavin for the photos.