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Mombasa Go-Kart CHAMPIONSHIP 2005

January Races – First Race day

General

The Mombasa Go-Kart Championship 2005 is a series of 8 race days, one per month. The Race series is intended to be fun and competitive. The detailed rules you find in the Galana Restaurant on the race track or on the Mombasa Go-Kart website. These rules are designed to ensure that all participants are threatened equally and fairly and that we get the most fun out the events.

The drivers compete as individuals as well as in teams of 3 drivers.

Points System / Team System

Points awarded throughout the year will determinate the 2005 Champions.

Team points are collected in the Pre-Finals and Driver points in the Final Races.

Races

We don’t race in categories, so heavy weights and light weights, juniors and adults, males and females all compete in the same races. To ensure that everybody has a chance and to prevent that there is a “Michael Schumacher” who is starting always in pole position, every race will be somehow different.

In some races we even have handicap starts, where the fast ones have to start
at the end of the grid. Like this, at the end of the year we will really know who the best Go-Kart drivers in Mombasa are.

January Race Format

The January race, the first one in this season, is a normal race without any handicaps and the following race program.

1) Qualifying: Every driver makes 3 laps. The 3 team drivers go together on the track. The Best-Lap times will then determinate the grid for the later races.

2) Pre-Final Heats: The drivers are divided in three groups of 9 drivers so that there is only one per team in a group. These groups will make the 3 Pre-Final Heats.

3) Final Heats: In the first Final Race we have the best 3 of each Pre-Final, in the next the next three and in the last the last 3.

All races are over 15 laps, so together with the Qualifying and the Races every driver makes 33 laps, about 17 kilometers. For sure, most of the drivers will feel their bones the next morning.

The Race

We briefed in the Galana Restaurant. Beside the direct view on the track we have there also 3 monitors and a big-screen were the race information is displayed. Together with the monitors in the pit-hall and at the race desk, drivers and spectators had during the whole race event information from the screens what is going on and when the drivers are called to the pit.

Qualifier:

The Qualifier laps started on time at 6:00pm. First team was KENYALASTMINUTE.COM. The Karts had new tires, so the first drivers were allowed to make two extra non-timed laps. After 40 minutes all 23 entrants made their Qualifier. Three laps is not much and most drivers need eighth or ten laps to reach there best times, so we did not see any record times.

Best Qualifier time was for Adnan Din from the COAST PEKEE (32.49),

This time is equal to an average (!!) speed of 55km/h.

Pre-Finals:

In the first Pre-Final Heat started Torben Rune in pole position followed by Nadeem Din and Alnoor Danjii. The race brought no changes in the positions. Not surprising, then all three drivers have almost the same track best lap.

The second race was with Adnan Din, at the top and followed by Beth Rune and Aniz Popat. It was expected to be an easy win for Adnan who is the track record holder (32.01) but in the last lap, Beth managed to overtake Adnan and went as winner over the finishing line. Also in the behind positions were a lot of changes. As third saw Anita Irwin the chequered flag. Two ladies under the first three!

In the third heat, Gary Sampson was holding the pole position, followed by Ashlin Bending and Muzahir Khan. From the start it was a thrilling fight between Gary and Ashlin. Ashlin who was for 5 months the track record holder was over many laps just a few centimeters behind Gary, touching him several times, keeping the race director and steward alert to give in the next moment a penalty, but Ashlin could manage it to overtake Gary before. Third on the finishing line was Shasa Thornton.

Finals:

For the Top Final Race, Adnan Din was starting in pole position in front of Torben Rune and Nadeem Din (Adnan’s brother). In the same race; Gary Sampson, Ashlin Bending, Torbens wife Beth, Alnoor, Anita Irwing and Shasa Thornton.

A good start and then it was getting very tight in the first corner, but all could manage to get through. Torben was for long time close behind Adnan. But after 10 laps Adnan who is 20kg lighter than Torben, was gaining more and more margin. Ashlin who was starting as fifth could overtake Gary again and also Nadeem who was involved in a collision. So the winner of the first Championship race was Adnan Din, Second was Torben Rune and Third Ashlin Bending.

The Second Final Race for the ranks 10 to 18 was won by Steve Webb and the third for the ranks 19 and above by Adil Mirza.

The Problem of Karts Selection

There was quiet a lot of discussion and complaints about Karts selection. The Karts were evaluated and selected to ensure that they are in a good state of repair and evenly matched. The selection was intended to be entirely random. But it does not automatically mean out of the hat. This procedure takes just too much time in a program of 6 races during two hours. Due to the nature of kart and group assignments, there is always an opportunity for a less skilled driver to challenge a seasoned driver. Sure, sometimes it may turn out that the fastest driver winds up in the fastest Kart – that’s racing! Any attempt to prevent this from happening would undermine the “random” nature of Kart selection.

Anyway, on the next race we will make the assignment more transparent. Karts will be on the grid in random order based on how they come off the track in the previous session.

Conclusion:

It was our all first Championship Race, we had no special incidents and there was no need for a penalty. It was a full success and fun for the drivers as well as the organizer. For the next races we have to improve the starts and be stricter on jumpers.

Adnan, Torben and Ashlin are leading, but 7 more races will follow each with a different challenge.

Driver Points after one Race

Rank	Driver	Team	Points
1	ADDY, Adnan Din	COAST PEKEE	20
2	TORBEN Torben Rune	KENYALASTMINUTE.COM	19
3	ASHLIN, Ashlin Bending	MTWAPPA	18
4	GARY, Gary Sampson	KENYALASTMINUTE.COM	17
5	ALNOOR, Alnoor Dhanji	Flying Fish	16
6	BETH, Beth Rune	KENYALASTMINUTE.COM	15
7	NADEEM, Nadeem Din	COAST PEKEE	14
8	NITSO, Anita Irwin	KENOZ	13
9	SHAZA, Shaza Thornton	KENOZ	12
10	KUKU, Steven Webb	Team 9	10
11	PAOLO, Paolo Rocca	MTWAPPA	9
12	ANIZ, Aniz Popat	Flying Fish	8
13	HEDGEHOG, Ivan West	ANGELL	7
14	WALTER, Walter Brun	Flying Fish	6
15	PATRICK IRWIN, Patrick Irwin	KENOZ	5
16	CHRIS ANGELL, Chris Angell	ANGELL	4
17	MUZ PEKEE, Muzahir Khan	COAST PEKEE	3
18	ADIL PEKEE, Adil Mirza	MIRZA	1
19	MAMBO BADO, Mark Jennings	MTWAPPA	0
19	RUHI PEKEE, Ruhi Mirza	MIRZA	0
19	ALI PEKEE, Ali Mirza	MIRZA	0
19	ANGELL, George Angell	ANGELL	0
19	SIMON SPRING, Simon Spring	TEAM 9	0
19	FLORIAN, Florian Schollinger	BLUE MARINE	0
19	BUNDY, Adam Bundle	BLUE MARINE	0
19	RUSTY, Steve Rodwell	BLUE MARINE	0

Team Points:

Rank	Team	Points
1	KENYALASTMINUTE.COM	14
2	COAST PEKEE	10
3	MTWAPPA	7
3	KENOZ	7
5	FLYING FISH	4
6	TEAM 9	3
7	ANGELL	0
7	MIRZA	0
7	BLUE MARINE	0