We'll start with some fantastic news - we have managed to secure both the Two Daves Racing and Proficient Security sponsored Formula Darley championship and the Mini Sound of Thunder championship at Darley Moor Round 7 this weekend (with a race meeting to spare). We have been competing in these two championships for the past five seasons, so are extremely happy to finally be crowned as champions!
We headed off to Darley Moor Round 7 on the Saturday afternoon. With the British round of the MotoGP world championship taking place at Silverstone, we couldn't resist watching qualifying session on TV before we set off, so arrived a little later than usual - but still managed to get scrutineed and signed-on on the Saturday evening, then settled down to watch Ice Age on DVD :-)
We headed off to Darley Moor Round 7 on the Saturday afternoon. With the British round of the MotoGP world championship taking place at Silverstone, we couldn't resist watching qualifying session on TV before we set off, so arrived a little later than usual - but still managed to get scrutineed and signed-on on the Saturday evening, then settled down to watch Ice Age on DVD :-)
Lucy's bike passed scruitineering first time!
Overnight there were heavy winds and rain that managed to overturn certain awnings in the paddock! By the morning, the rain had eased off but by 10am there were still puddles around, so we headed out for the Formula Darley qualifying session on wet tyres. We managed to get down to a low 1'09 lap time - which was two seconds faster than the 2nd placed qualifier - before the session was red flagged. After a short break, the session was restarted but we decided to not go out in order to save our tyres. With the track looking a bit drier, our competitors went faster and Kevin Bond reduced our advantage to just 0.11 of a second - but we managed to keep hold of pole position!
The following Mini Sound of Thunder qualifying session was damp and we also managed to be fastest in class, which put us 5th on combined starting grid for that race.
The following Mini Sound of Thunder qualifying session was damp and we also managed to be fastest in class, which put us 5th on combined starting grid for that race.
Ready for qualifying
After the qualifying sessions there was a presentation on the start line to commemorate the official opening of the "Joyce Wilson Memorial Medical Centre" (which hopefully we'll never need to use - but it's nice to know it is there!), then the medical vehicles did an honorary lap of the circuit before the day's racing began.
For our first race, Formula Darley Race 1, the track was still damp in places so we decided to go out on wets. After a good start, we got the holeshot into the first chicane. Kevin Bond was running close behind us and after five laps was only 0.3 of a second behind us. But a strong push to the end of the race meant that we built up a 3.5 second buffer and could celebrate going over the line when we became the 2016 Formula Darley champions!
For our first race, Formula Darley Race 1, the track was still damp in places so we decided to go out on wets. After a good start, we got the holeshot into the first chicane. Kevin Bond was running close behind us and after five laps was only 0.3 of a second behind us. But a strong push to the end of the race meant that we built up a 3.5 second buffer and could celebrate going over the line when we became the 2016 Formula Darley champions!
When we got back into the paddock, we only had ~8 minutes before we had to head back out for Mini Sound of Thunder race 1 - so we refuelled and, with only time to change one wheel, changed the rear to a dry tyre as the wet tyre was tearing up on the 'almost dry' track.
Wet front and dry rear due to limited time between races
The higher profile of the wet front tyre (compared to the dry front tyre) meant that our Kawasaki ER650 Supertwin had a slight tendency to run wide, so when the race started we stuck on the heels of Kevin Bond for the first half of the race until we got used to the handling, then made a move for the lead. We took the lead and pushed as hard as we could, but the overheating wet front tyre was holding us back. By the time the finishing flag appeared, we won with a 9 second lead.
With the morning races out of the way we had a couple of hours to spare, so celebrated winning the Formula Darley championship with some traditional champagne spraying - but the rider had to wait until the end of the day to drink any... :-)
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By the afternoon, the track was completely dry - making the tyre choice easy! With the Formula Darley championship wrapped up earlier in the day, we were able to relax and enjoy this race. Near the end of the first lap we took the lead and then proceeded to take the win by 12 seconds. Kevin Bond ran a safe race to secure himself the runner-up position in the Formula Darley championship, as he now cannot be caught by the 3rd-placed championship riders at the final round.
 Photo by Graham Mallen |  Photo by Graham Mallen |  Photo by Graham Mallen |
The final race of the day, Mini Sound of Thunder race 2, gave us the opportunity to also wrap up the Mini Sound of Thunder championship. If Kevin Bond was to win the race then we would need to finish in the top four to secure the championship. With our performances throughout the day we knew that we just needed to keep out of trouble and things should be fine - but this race proved to be the most interesting of the day!
When the race started we got boxed out at the entrance to the first chicane, then a late passing manoeuvre by Stephen Taylor into the following corner lifted up the 250cc bike of Jamie O'Brien, which then caused a series of moments that lost us a lot of places. After regrouping, we made a few places back through the opening lap but at the start of lap two, Jamie O'Brien ran wide and onto the grass and mud at the first chicane which again caused chaos and allowed the riders behind to get back passed again - at this point we were running in second to last in the race!
With the aim of staying out of trouble still in our head, we decided that the best thing to do would be to push hard, attempt to overtake the 'chaos causers' and then to get some space between us and them. We managed to achieve this by the end of lap two, but by the time we did we were 8 seconds behind the race leader with only 6 laps left to run. After putting in fast lap after fast lap (including a 1'02.06 lap - our personal best is 1'01.91), we managed to claw our way back to the lead battle and finally caught and passed 2nd-placed Kevin Bond on the penultimate lap, with leader Stephen Taylor just 0.7 of a second ahead of us going into the final lap.
By the half-way point on the final lap we were with the leader but could not make a pass into the back chicane, so would need to wait until the final straight to make a pass. Coming out of the hairpin and onto the final straight, we got a great drive then slipstreamed Stephen and took the lead. Into the braking area, we took a defensive line and braked very late - but Stephen had his own ideas and decided to do an "optimistic lunge" down the inside which almost ran us both off-track. We both managed to recover and pip Kevin Bond to the line, with all three of us crossing the line within 0.9 of a second.
When the race started we got boxed out at the entrance to the first chicane, then a late passing manoeuvre by Stephen Taylor into the following corner lifted up the 250cc bike of Jamie O'Brien, which then caused a series of moments that lost us a lot of places. After regrouping, we made a few places back through the opening lap but at the start of lap two, Jamie O'Brien ran wide and onto the grass and mud at the first chicane which again caused chaos and allowed the riders behind to get back passed again - at this point we were running in second to last in the race!
With the aim of staying out of trouble still in our head, we decided that the best thing to do would be to push hard, attempt to overtake the 'chaos causers' and then to get some space between us and them. We managed to achieve this by the end of lap two, but by the time we did we were 8 seconds behind the race leader with only 6 laps left to run. After putting in fast lap after fast lap (including a 1'02.06 lap - our personal best is 1'01.91), we managed to claw our way back to the lead battle and finally caught and passed 2nd-placed Kevin Bond on the penultimate lap, with leader Stephen Taylor just 0.7 of a second ahead of us going into the final lap.
By the half-way point on the final lap we were with the leader but could not make a pass into the back chicane, so would need to wait until the final straight to make a pass. Coming out of the hairpin and onto the final straight, we got a great drive then slipstreamed Stephen and took the lead. Into the braking area, we took a defensive line and braked very late - but Stephen had his own ideas and decided to do an "optimistic lunge" down the inside which almost ran us both off-track. We both managed to recover and pip Kevin Bond to the line, with all three of us crossing the line within 0.9 of a second.
So with Pole Position in both classes, the fastest lap in all four races, 3 wins, 1 second place & two championships wrapped up - it's not been a bad weekend! :-)
 Go Team Carson! |  Our championship winning machinery |  Cheers! |
The championship point standings now appear as per the tables below - with one round remaining (and a maximum of 36 points available in each class). Kevin Bond and Stephen Taylor will continue their personal championship battle into the final round, as the runner-up position in the Mini Sound of Thunder championship is still yet to be decided!
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Our championship wins mean that we will be attending the Darley Moor Presentation of Awards in February 2017 to pick up a nice couple of trophies!
This isn't the end of our season though, as we will be racing at BEMSEE Thunderbikes Round 8 (Snetterton 300) in mid-September, before returning to Darley Moor at the start of October for their "Stars at Darley" season finale.
And last but not least I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my supporters (if you're reading this - then that's you!), Dave Carson Snr, Steph Carson, Lorna Carson, Tim Poole of the Poole Performance Centre & I would particularly like to thank Michael Mulvaney from Proficient Security and Lavastorm for their continued support.
This isn't the end of our season though, as we will be racing at BEMSEE Thunderbikes Round 8 (Snetterton 300) in mid-September, before returning to Darley Moor at the start of October for their "Stars at Darley" season finale.
And last but not least I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my supporters (if you're reading this - then that's you!), Dave Carson Snr, Steph Carson, Lorna Carson, Tim Poole of the Poole Performance Centre & I would particularly like to thank Michael Mulvaney from Proficient Security and Lavastorm for their continued support.
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