Reigning British Superkart Champ Platt retains title

Reigning MSA British Superkart Champion Paul Platt retained his title in a last round thriller that was in doubt right to the end. Words by Gary James.

Qualifying

The championship was poised to be a three way battle between Paul Platt, Dan Clark and Gavin Bennett. Superkarting-UK played host to the final rounds and unlike previous events, all the track action would take place on one day. After an earlier free practice session, qualifying took place in dry, cloudy conditions. Toby Davis was first out on track sporting a revised colourscheme in support of Cancer Research as his grandmother had been diagnosed with lung cancer. We wish her a speedy recovery. Paul Platt had struggled with a long brake pedal in free practice but when the time came to make his mark he put in a lap of 1m 24.478s to secure pole position. He pitted towards the end of the session to try different tyres but ran out of time. Dan Clark had managed to get hold of another Gas Gas engine after the problems he had endured at Snetterton in September. This was the motor that Paul Platt had used recently at Oulton Park to break the lap record. Dan was happy with the new engine but couldn’t get the balance of the kart to his liking. His time of 1m 25.482s was good enough to secure the second spot on the front row but worryingly was over a second slower than his rival. Toby Davis (1m 25.699s) headed row two and he was joined by James O’Reilly (1m 27.521s) who was having another run out on the Viper SK250. Gavin Bennett started the qually session on the back foot after seizing on lap 2 in free practice. But he managed to put in a time of 1m27.570s for fifth quickest. Stephen Clark (1m 28.737s) was sixth quickest, the leading four stroke and using a new Anderson chassis. The fourth row had Aaron Sifleet (1m28.737s) on another Gas Gas and Mark Vaughan (1m 29.403s) on the second of the Hondas. Rounding out the top ten were Charlie Johnson (1m 30.202s) and Tom Hatfield (1m 30.502s). James Hassall didn’t record a time when the engine sprocket came off so he lined up on row 12 and was joined by English Champion Trevor Roberts who also had a cold seizure in free practice and didn’t get out in qually.

Race 1

When the lights changed Davis made the best start to take the lead. But at the Gooseneck it all went wrong when he thought he could take it flat and spun, dropping back to third place. Crossing the line for the first time Platt led Dan Clark by 0.539s while Davis was fending off O’Reilly. Stephen Clark was next ahead of Bennett, Vaughan and Johnson.

On lap 2 Bennett spun at the Gooseneck trying to get past Stephen Clark and dropped back to 17^th putting his championship chances out of reach. Then the title took another twist when Platt pulled off into the paddock. A rear engine mount bolt had broken. Charlie Johnson also stopped when the water filler cap blew off.

So at the end of lap 2 Dan Clark led Davis by 0.86s, with O’Reilly in close attendance. Stephen Clark was the lead 450 with Vaughan up to fifth place ahead of Hatfield, Sam Moss, Andrew Gulliford and James Hassall. Gulliford’s race ended on the next lap when he selected the wrong gear and pulled off in a cloud of smoke.

Dan Clark extended his lead on lap 3 but he crossed the line shaking his head. Was the championship going to take another turn? Davis hit back on the following lap with the fastest lap of the race but Clark still led by 0.762s. Hatfield’s good drive came to nothing on lap 5 when he retired with a seized engine. That elevated Hassall who had charged through from the 12^th row. He passed Vaughan going up through Coppice on lap 6 to take fifth spot. However, at Hall Bends he had a massive off when a track rod broke. Somehow everyone avoided the kart, however Aaron Sifleet suffered damage to the nosecone while taking avoiding action. The red flags were thrown immediately and the result declared at the end of lap 5. We were all glad to see James walking around the paddock later, clearly shaken up and nursing a broken arm.

So the win went to Dan Clark by 0.980s and allowed him to close the gap on Platt in the championship. “There were no major dramas in the race and the shaking head was just down to a gear selection issue.” Davis finished a worthy second with O’Reilly giving the Viper SK a good result only 0.567s behind. Stephen Clark had a lonely race in fourth place to secure another win in the four stroke class. Mark Vaughan had his best result of the season to finish fifth.

Results

1 Dan Clark Anderson/Redspeed Gas Gas

2 Toby Davis Anderson/Honda

3 James O’Reilly PVP/Viper SK250

4 Stephen Clark Anderson/KTM 450

5 Mark Vaughan Raider/Honda

6 Sam Moss Anderson/Honda

Race 2

Platt led the championship by one point coming into the final race of the season but with grid positions determined by lap times from race 1 he found himself on the seventh row with a lot of work to do. Stephen Clark had a last minute drama on the dummy grid when the water pump was leaking but with the use of some silicon he was able to take up his spot on the third row.

Pole man Davis led the field slowly out of Barn Corner with the commentators remarking that it was a very orderly grid. When the lights changed he got away first while O’Reilly bogged down slightly.

At the end of lap 1 Davis led O’Reilly by 0.491s with Dan Clark in third place. Bennett was next with Platt already up to fifth place and looking threatening. Davis went grass tracking at the Gooseneck again on lap 2 and lost the lead dropping back to 7^th. Bennett was looking to get in on the action and challenged for second place at the left hander before the mountain but had a spin and dropped to the back of the field.

With two laps gone Dan Clark held a narrow lead over O’Reilly with Platt into third place. Stephen Clark was next, the leading four stroke ahead of Hatfield, a recovering Davis and Vaughan. Platt moved ahead of O’Reilly on lap 3 and closed in on Clark but he got out of shape challenging for the lead at the mountain and had to back off. Davis was making up time and set the fastest lap of the race on lap 3 as he moved into fifth place. Hatfield was holding sixth spot ahead of Vaughan with Aaron Sifleet in eight place, but losing water from his Gas Gas which spelt retirement on the next lap.

On lap 4 Platt took the lead but just before the mountain he skated off across the grass allowing Clark to retake the lead. O’Reilly also went off at the same place but was out of the race while Hatfield spun off at the hairpin. The track had become very slippery and lap times had dropped. So at half distance Dan Clark led Platt by 1.632s with Stephen Clark in third place. Davis was up to fourth ahead of the three Raider karts of Vaughan, Goodliffe and Roberts.

Platt closed in again on Clark and on lap 6 he swept past into the lead on the approach to Coppice. Despite a few scares due to the slippery track he kept Clark at bay. With one arm aloft he took the win to seal his fourth championship in a row and equal that of his engine tuner John Riley. A tearful Platt was speechless in parc ferme after an epic drive. Dan Clark was also emotionally drained having come so close to securing his first title. “We messed up on the chassis settings after the first race which resulted in the back end having too much grip and the front pushing on.” After dropped scores he had lost the championship by seven points.

Davis was pushing hard in fourth place and caught and passed Stephen Clark on lap 7 but at the flag the four stroke KTM got the better of the two stroke Honda. Mark Vaughan completed an excellent weekend with sixth place while Moss got the better of Goodliffe on the last lap to take sixth spot. Roberts race ended on lap 6 with a broken plug tip.