COVKARTSPORT . . .

Good news for our members!

Pete Realf and Nick Stanley are always working hard, behind-the-scenes, on behalf of the members of Covkartsport. They are frequently asked to travel to review and test-out new and existing circuits (Stu Lindsay works equally hard on this website and the club newsletter). Pete and Nick will then enter into disussions with those circuits, if suitable, in order to bring them onto the Covkartsport calendar at the best possible value for our membership. The most recent activity, in this respect, has taken place at Rednal (link) in Shropshire and at Priory Park (link) near Tamworth with a view to using them both in 2010.   Please scroll right down for information on Priory Park discussions.

Thanks to a tip-off from excellent club member, John Stanton, we travelled to test out a new 1 km (1000 metre) circuit at Rednal in Shropshire and, to our very pleasant surprise, we found it to be a superb drivers circuit! It was well worth the trip!

Turn-1 (above): taken flat-out from wide on the left!

We entered into successful negotiations with the circuit-owner, Mike Rees,  and we have booked Rednal for our 2010 Championship. He and his team are friendly people, with a good background in motorsport and have the same ideals as our own!

This now means that we should be able to provide 7 different circuits for the 7 rounds of our Main 2010 Championship.

Whilst this circuit is a superb fast and wide track, the facilities can best only be described as basic - although the circuit owners have stated that they will be starting work on a large brick-built clubhouse very soon! They have also stated that their entire fleet of Biz Thunderkarts will be replaced with a new fleet of Biz Thunderkarts at the end of 2009!

Big serated curbs: best to stay off them if you want to keep your teeth!

As already stated above the circuit is extremely wide with plenty of overtaking opportunities. In character it is quite similar to the Shenington track - if you know Shenington. However it does have big red/white serated curbs on all of the apexes and, whilst the tarmac is very wide indeed, there are very few run-off areas - like the Leicester Stretton or Birmingham Wheels circuits. There are no slow corners - just a very good mix of fast and medium speed corners which allow the driver to get into a good flowing rythm. At a very full one kilometre long this is not small for a kart-racing circuit!

Turn-3 (above): this left-hander can also be taken flat-out!

Turn-1 is a fast (flat-out) right-hander similar to turn-1 at both Hooton Park and at Rissington. A fast straight follows with braking into a sharper right-hand bend and then a short straight. This is followed by Turn-3, a sharp left-hand bend (but still flat-out), which brings you onto the back straight. Charge along and dive into a big chicane with a last minute touch on the brake (like "Bruno" at Shenington) and then out onto the straight again and into the top corner which is similar to "Wilkins" at Shenington with a very similar exit! The final part of the track resembles the outward section of Dunkeswell Race Track - like a snake with a quick succession of twists and turns (6 corners: 3 right and 3 left) that reward the thinking driver with a fast entry back onto the start/finish straight. Phew! That was good - 11 corners and 3 fast straights - a circuit where accuracy, consistency and thinking ahead will reward you with those vital tenths!

The Chicane (above): flat-out entry, touch of brake, then straight back onto maximum power by the centre of the chicane to hurl yourself out of the exit with controlled oversteer!

The circuit have 20+ karts so it is not a problem for them to allow us to run 15-kart grids with plenty of spare karts in reserve. They agreed this without any hesitation!

Above: Some of Rednal's current fleet of Thunderkarts in the pitlane.

Rednal is just 85 miles northwest of Coventry and only 2 miles off the main A5 road. Turn right onto a minor road several miles before Oswestry and follow the Montgomery canal to the village of Rednal. The circuit is just through Rednal on the site of an old airfield - so it is very flat.

We think that Rednal will make a good exciting addition to our calendar!

For more information press this link:

REDNAL KARTING

The circuit really is wide -  that's Peter Realf  in the picture above

Circuit facilities are a little basic but there are portakabins, seating, refreshments and toilets and a viewing area on top of the portakabins! However, these are scheduled for replacement!

Report and photo's: Nick Staveley Stanley & Peter Realf.

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PRIORY PARK CIRCUIT

near TAMWORTH, Staffs.

Negotiations are currently taking place - but we are satisfied that there has been a huge improvement under the new owner/management who have been in place for two years and, during that time, we have heard very good reports!

This is the cafe inside Priory's comfortable clubhouse.

They have exceptionally good modern two-story clubhouse facilities with superb viewing. They also have a brand new fleet of 14 karts and they are able to offer us 10-kart grids which the former management were never able to do! Interestingly they are retaining their old fleet of karts for "Arrive-and-Drive" and lesser-known corporate events whilst saving their new fleet for known good events - like us! What a good idea! With less strain on their new fleet it will be easier for them to maintain them in good order! OTHER CIRCUITS PLEASE TAKE NOTE!

The Chicane (above) - note plenty of safe grass run-off!

Downhill into the final hairpin turn (above) - not nearly as tight as the infield hairpin at Sutton because the circuit is considerably wider!

 

Priory Park Clubhouse (above) - It is very nicely fitted-out. Please note the 4 windows in the comfortable viewing lounge on the first floor - you get a great view of the entire circuit from these windows!

We used Priory park for Covkartsport Championship meetings from 1998 to 2003 but we dropped them because they were then (the old owners) not willing to invest enough money into maintaining their fleet of karts in adequate serviceable order. We now hope to return!

Peter and myself tested 4 of Priory's new karts out on Friday 25th September 2009. We swapped over karts and we drove them for long sessions. They handled really well and there cannot have been 1/10th of a second difference beween any of these karts! The circuit is surprisingly quick for a short circuit and you can get into a nice rythm. There are 7 corners (4 fast, 2 medium and one slow)and a chicane on one of the straights which you take flat-out with a wiggle of the steering wheel. 5 are right-hand corners and two are left-hand on this clockwise circuit which is very wide and has plenty of safe run-offs! Good job really because Pete nerfed me off the circuit at the infield corner - naughty boy!

CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE PRIORY PARK WEBSITE.

N. Staveley Stanley, President.

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