Round Two for RAF Waddington Vulcans Race Team

Race 2 of the 2023 Armed Forces Karting Championship began with a 8 hour drive up to bonnie Scotland from RAF Waddington to RAF Lossiemouth, our home for the next 4 days. Setting off at around 10:30am and not arriving until 18:30. Thursday morning we left Lossie bright and early and headed to the track. Upon arrival we quickly began unpacking the 7.5T lorry and two 50/50 vans full of karts and equipment. The hasty erection of our miniature village meant that we had extra time on track in the afternoon to give karts and drivers a shake-down and first taste of the technical Boyndie circuit.

Friday, we had a rarity in Scotland this time of year, glorious sunshine, and a warm dry track. Making the most of it, all karts were quick to get out on track for a full day’s practice. With kart 50 missing one of its drivers, the TP decided to give the drivers of 53 and new arrival Liam the chance to jump into the hot seat with a bit of healthy competition of who can put down the fastest times in the kart. With 53’s driver Luke having brilliant pace and feeling at home in Kart 50, the TP chose him as his co-driver for the race weekend ahead. Once driver line-up had been finalised, it was all about chipping away at those lap-times and figuring out the best set up for the new track with all karts improving as the day progressed. Finding the fastest setup however seemed difficult to master due to the increasing temperature of the track throughout the day, especially when the weather predicted for the race wasn’t so pleasant.

Flt Lt Ling had great pace from the get-go on Friday, looking seriously quick considering not driven at Boyndie before and it being only his second race weekend in a premier kart, this gave him the confidence to push the kart and it only needing minor setup adjustments for the race on Saturday.

Saturday, Race Day Race 1

Unfortunately, an overcast and colder day compared to practice. We qualified strong considering with 52 starting in 4^th, 50 in 10^th, 53 in 12^th, 51 in 22^nd and 54 in 23^rd. Lights go out and racing begins with 53 having a blistering start off the line, overtaking 5 karts by the second corner moving them up into 7^th place. After the chaos of the start, the race settles down and the drivers get into a rhythm with all karts making up places throughout their stint. Rapid fuel stops and a tremendous effort from the pit crew pushing the karts down a lengthy pit lane, allowed us to maintain positions and even gain a few more places. With race one entering its final minutes, 52 managed to maintain position in 2^nd military until an unfortunate collision with Brize Norton kart 73 into the final hairpin, resulting in a damaged engine and them having to retire from the race. Luckily, down to a brilliant drive from 50, we finished with good points having climbed to 3^rd military and 53 finishing 9^th military. But all karts finished higher than qualifying, with 51 gaining an outstanding 8 places from their starting position and 54 in 17^th moving up by 6.

Race Day Race 2

Qualifying for race 2 didn’t go as well as race 1, possibly due to a sudden drop in track temperature. All karts starting further back than the previous qualifying. 52 – 10^th, 53 – 18^th, 50 – 19^th, 51 – 25^th and 54 in 30^th. Race 2 begins and all karts get through the first corner carnage unscathed settling down for the long race ahead. The drivers focused on consistency and slowly working their way through the pack, apart from 51 who charged their way through early on in the race bringing them into the top 10 by half way. With the pit strategy running a lot smoother second time around, all karts made gains thanks to the quick response to yellow flags and the rest of the field having to slow, reducing the damage of a pit stop. With only minor issues of contact and 50 being mounted by another kart, luckily all karts came home to see the chequered flag. Although not finishing in the top spots, it was still an epic drive by all drivers. Final race results; 52 – 8^th , 50 – 11^th, 51 making and impressive 13 places to finish in 12^th, 53 – 15^th and 54 in 25^th.

Flt Lt Ling’s weekend.

After a relatively successful first race in the Premier class, Flt Lt Ling was looking to gain more AFKC points at round 2. Due to the long trip to the Grampian Kart Club in Scotland, the usual 10-15 kart grid was reduced to just 5 entries. Ling would be starting all 3 heats from the back of the grid, owing to his novice status.

Heat 1 started well, gaining a place on the first lap and moving up to 3rd on lap 4. However, whilst pushing to close in on the kart ahead, Ling ran wide in turn 1 and got caught on the uneven kerbing, hooking the kart onto the grass and dropping back to last place. He re-joined and finished the race in 4th, with another kart suffering a mechanical issue.

Heat 2 saw two places gained on lap 2 when two karts came together going into turn 1. Ling moved up to 2nd on lap 7 with an overtake on the main straight, finishing closely behind the leader and taking the fastest lap in the process.

Heat 3 also started well, moving up to 4th in the chicane and gaining 3rd on lap 3. Ling moved up to 2nd on lap 4, and made a move for 1st a few laps later. The first overtake attempt didn’t stick, however another attempt the following lap proved successful. Ling kept the lead for the remaining 5 laps to win the heat and claim the fastest lap.

With progress made in all 3 heats, Ling would start the final on the front row in 2nd place. After a poor start, things got worse as he ran wide into the fast left hander, losing grip on the rear tyres and spinning onto the grass. After heaving the kart back onto the tarmac, he looked to make up the 26 second gap to the next kart ahead. During lap 4 an incident between 2 karts put one out of the race, and the other shown the Black flag, meaning disqualification. This put Ling in 3rd, now behind 2nd by 23 seconds. Fast laps were put in for the remainder of the race, finishing only 3 seconds behind 2nd.



Whilst a successful weekend with silverware for both 3rd place and Top Novice, disappointment was felt with the possibility of a better finish. The kart had strong pace all day, only let down by a couple of on-track mistakes by pushing too hard. With much learnt and some confidence gained, Ling goes into Round 3 at Rye House leading the Novice Championship by 60 points, and 3rd in the overall Premier Armed Forces Karting Championship.

Text and photo courtesy of John Blondel and the RAF Waddington Vulcans Race Kart Team