On track with Geoff: Kent Police Race Saturday 20th Oct 07

This is a two hour race, the second of the Kent Police Races this year.

As is the norm, I team up with Dave, a retired Kent officer, and on this occasion, Kevin.

Our team name is F>A>S>T (Fathers And Sons Together - as usually one of our sons is with us), and we have won the event on numerous occasions. It is usually an opportunity for me to have some fun racing AGAINST Richard, and we entertain the crowds with our dicing over the opening 40 minutes.

Some of the teams

Unfortunately, with Richard still being in Kenya, he had not entered a team, so I would have to find my entertainment elsewhere.

I don't know whether it is a deliberate attempt by Bayford to handicap us, by on the last couple of occasions we have definitely not had the best of the machinery. On this day, Kevin went out first and handed the kart to me. He told me the brakes were suspect and I found this out at the first corner when the pedal went to the floor - they weren't just suspect, they were non-existent!!! I changed the kart, did about three laps and one of the chains came off. The mechanic tried to blame me, saying I had run over a kerb - I was mid corner and nowhere near the kerbs when it jumped off!!!

So, on to our third kart and I had not had the opportunity of setting a decent lap time. Dave took over and then promptly returned to the pits - an engine had cut out... It was restarted and tweaked and away he went again. We ended up 2nd on the grid of 9 karts.

Dan - fast and dangerous!!

The start was a little chaotic, and we still did not have machinery to match the other front runners, but I maintained their pace having dropped to third, then moved to second and was taken out the next lap by 'Dan' in third. He just lunged into turn two in a move that was never going to work. Dan is a small guy and consequently quite quick, setting the fastest lap of the race. He doesn't have any race craft though and cannot maintain his pace.

I dropped to 5th, but within a few laps was up to third again and eventully made my way into the lead and started to pull away.

I didn't have it all my own way though. The pit board was coming out showing me that I was being caught, so I couldn't relax for the whole 40 minutes I was on track.

Next out was Kevin, and he drove a consistent race, handing over to Dave in the lead.

Kevin exiting 'The Rise'

It was a little frenetic at the end for the silver and bronze trophies, and an entertaining battle to watch, but through consistency, good race craft and three experienced drivers we brought kart number 5 home in the lead, two laps ahead of second place.