Unstoppable Ash takes top honours in the First two rounds of Stars
Sunday, 04 April 2010 00:00
Easter weekend at Rowrah saw the 2010 Formula Kart Stars Championship get underway by staging a double headed meeting. Friday's practice showed Ash to be consistently quick, his kart performing flawlessly and well on the pace.
Saturday and Round 1. Ash was quick to stamp his intent right from the off. In Qualifying and the heats Ash started on pole, and that's where he stayed. Winning Heat 1 by a margin of 4.8 seconds and Heat 2 by 2.28 seconds from the second place man and P1 Karting stable mate Fraser O'Brien.
Leading the way from pole position
The convincing wins Ash had demonstrated in both the Qualifying and the Heats put him on Pole for the start of the A Final. Josh Parker alongside on P2, with Charlie Streather on P3 and Fraser O'Brien on P4. Ash was able to take a clean start again pushing on right from the off. Ash's relentless pace averaged out at .5 of a second per lap on the other 26 competitors who were left reeling in his wake. Ash took the finish line a full 10.69 seconds ahead of the second place man, an overwhelming victory to claim round one of Formula Kart Stars.
Sunday Round 2, buoyed up by his performance of the previous day Ash was more than ready to do the business. This was pretty much a re-run of the previous days performance. Ash was showing a ballistic performance.
The second heat Ash comfortably took the chequered flag in first place, however a subsequent technical infringement stripped him of the win. As a consequence Ash's start position for the A Final was going to be 24th of a field of 26, disastrous result after all the hard work Ash and the team had put in.
Brendan Ash's dad said " I spoke to Ash just before the final and said sorry mate all that hard work you have put in. It doesn't look like today is going your way." Ash replied " Don't worry dad. I'm going to come from the back all the way to the front - this one is mine." I thought to myself this is a tough ask - but he seemed pretty determined to vindicate himself particularly in view of the previous heat.
The start came and Ash was off like a man possessed - by the end of lap 1 he had already made up 12 places into 12th - From Lap 2 he relentless picked off the opposition one by one with the ruthless efficiency and consistency of a mchine. The trackside commentator almost having difficulty to keep up with the action and probably going for a lay down in a dark room afterwards. By lap 14 of the 17 lap race Ash had taken the lead from a battling Jacob Huntstone. The next 3 laps was a little nip and tuck but Ash was able to take the finish line by .8 of a second.
Ash on a mission
When asked in interview "At what stage of the race did you know you were on for the win", Ash replied "Lap 3" - This surely will be one of the memorable drives of the Championship, going a long way to silence any critics. Brendan said " Red mist or pure determination, not sure which - To sum up in two words ‘Gob Smacking'.
Ash on the top step for the second time in two days
Exceptionally fast’ Hand lauded for ‘great potential’ on maiden single-seater try-out
Saturday, 27 March 2010 21:35
He had never driven a single-seater before, indeed never so much as set foot inside a racing car at all – but still that didn’t prevent Ash Hand from turning heads on a hugely impressive test outing at Bedford Autodrome, with assessors left waxing lyrical about the young Nuneaton star’s ‘fantastic’ performance, ‘exceptional’ speed and ‘great potential’.
Ash was one of five leading contenders from the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone-backed Formula Kart Stars (FKS) British Championship to be invited to Bedford for a special shoot-out, the winner of which would receive a £10,000 bursary towards a season’s competition in the Formula Palmer Audi (FPA) junior single-seater series. The 15-year-old earned his place for having thoroughly dominated the second round on the 2009 FKS calendar at Kimbolton, brilliantly triumphing by nigh-on five seconds – a near eternity in karting terms.
Ash gets ready to take to the circuit, first time out in a single seater
“I found out I was going the week beforehand,” he revealed. “I was really excited about it, though I didn’t really know what to expect, which meant I wasn’t too nervous until it got to the point of actually getting in the car. I didn’t have any idea how hard it was likely to be – though I knew it would be tough to get through to the final three, and that if I was going to do that I would need to push.”
Ash was out on the circuit at PFI International, the home circuit of the Trent Valley Kart Club. He had competed in the 4 rounds of the Winter Series.
Ash finally took the top step of the podium, registering two wins and a second in the four rounds of the winter series, 177 points out of the maximum 180.
He went into the final meet of the series 7 points ahead of Matt Parry and only 2 points clear of Andy King. It was all to race for in the 'A' Final. What an eventful race it turned out to be.
Ash started from P2 on the grid, and by the end of Lap 2 had taken the lead from Pole sitter Jack Marshall. Lap 4 saw Marshall briefly regain the lead. A tangle during that lap allowed Matt Parry and Josh Parker who were both on a charge to take 1st and 2nd places respectively.
Ash held on to the tail of Parker until the 7th of the 13 lap race, regaining a place and now with Parry in his sights. Parry was able to hold his position to the finish line.
It turned out that Parry had left the circuit, cutting across one of the bends allowing him to rejoin the circuit in 1st place thereby gaining an advantage. Parry failed to yeild that advantage, an ajoudication by the Clerk of the Course dropped Parry by 2 places back into his righful 3rd place behind Ash and Josh Parker.
Ash said " I am delighted to have won the Winter Series. We only came here in the earlier rounds to get some pre season race practice in and I found myself in a position to win. Some of the races were in terrible conditions and we also had a couple of mechanical problems, but it all came good in the end".
Ash's 2009 Karting awards at the Autosport International Show
Saturday, 16 January 2010 00:00
On Saturday 16th Jan Ash attended at the Autosport International Show, which is held each year at the NEC to collect his Awards for the 2009 Formula Kart Stars Series and also the Super 1 series. The show is well attended each year by both motorsport participants and enthusiasts.
An appreciative crowd of karters saw Ash recieve his Bernie Ecclestone Driver of the day Award from none other than the current reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button. The prize he and a number of other recipients walked away with was a fantastic expenses paid trip to be the guests of none other than Bernie Ecclestone himself at the 2010 F1 Grand Prix being held at Moza in Italy.
Ash receives his Driver of the day award from the reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button
No champagne but giant party popper help the 2009 Formula Karts Stars Winners celebrate with a bang
Ash was also there to receive his award for an overall eleventh place finish in the 2009 Super One Championship.
Line up of the 2009 Super One Championship Winners
During the day a number of other events were held, Ash was priviliged to be among a number of karters who attended a racing Workshop hosted by David Brabham a member of the 2009 Le Mans winning team and youngest son of Jack Brabham who in 1966 was the only person ever to win the motor racing world championship whilst driving one of his own cars the Brabham-Repco, which also took the constructors championship.
Formula Kart Stars - Round 9 - Whilton Mill
Sunday, 18 October 2009 15:22
Ash wins the final Round of Formula Kart Stars 2009
Ash started the Final of round 9 from P3. Behind the pole sitter Matt Parry and Ollie Varney, by the end of Lap 1 Ash had dropped a place to Lee Napolitano. Ollie Varney who started out on P2 suffered badly during the first lap dropping down to 7th place. By the start of Lap 2 it was Parry leading, Napolitano 2nd and Ash running in 3rd place. This is how the positions remained for the next 3 laps, on lap 5 Ash was able to take the opportunity to pass Napolitano and take 2nd. The race was now on to catch the Junior Karts Stars Championship winner Parry. The next 11 laps saw Ash slowly reigning Parry back in unitl Lap 17 when Ash was able to pass Parry who was allowed to run on his new race number of '1'. This was how the race positions remained until lap Lap 26 of the 27 lap race, a lunge by Parry put him briefly back into the lead, only to have it snatched back by Ash on the last lap. A sprint to the finish line saw Ash take the win by .03 of a second from the title holder Parry.
Ash said " Towards the end of the race it was a bit intense, but I was absolutley delighted to take the win. Matt had already won the championship and didn't need to race this last one, but without him on the track and going for it, it might have been seen as a hollow victory. Matt has however been superbly consistant throughout the championship - well done matey."
Shenington Super 1 - Round 5
Monday, 31 August 2009 09:42
The weekends racing at Round 5 of the Mobil Super 1 Championship at Shenington was filled with incident for the P1 Racing team.
Ash had a good day on the Saturday and was well up on the pace, however on Sunday things started to go wrong. In the first of Sundays heats Ash's kart was not performing as it should have despite starting at P7 he struggled to bring the kart across the finish line in 11th. A few adjustments to the kart set up and in the Pre Final Ash's kart is looking a lot more competitive.The poor result in the preceeding heat put Ash at P9 for the start. By lap 6 he had moved up into 6th and then a three or four way tussle on the start finish straight ends up with Ash's kart being launched into the air, and deposited on the infield of the track. By the time he got going again Ash had lost a lot of places making it impossible for him to recover his race position in the amount of time left. As a result of the crash one of the side pods was severley bent out of place and he was flagged for a technical. A quick stop off at the pits straightened it out, but by the time Ash rejoined the race he was at the back with all hope of a decent grid position for the grand final gone.
Ash started the final near to the rear of the grid at P23 and soon started to make his way through the pack. Ash was fortunate in that he was able to avoid the mayhem in front of him resulting from the crash involving his team mate Elliott. A red flag brought the proceedings to a temporarye halt while Elliott recieved treatment and the track was cleared. The race was restarted and Ash went on an immediate charge relentlessly ploughing through the field to make up 14 places by the time the chequered flag went out.
On the up side however Ash had spent a fair bit of of Sunday with race champion Oliver Rowland who is currently preparing for the up coming KZ1 World Cup at Sarno this Saturday (6th October). Ash said " I was really pleased that he could spend time with me. I really learnt a lot by just talking with him. The tips he gave me did make a difference, It's just a shame I couldn't have put them into practice from somewhere near the front of the grid. I now know a little of what makes him the champion driver that he is and hope that all goes well for him this weekend."
Ash with kart star Olver Rowland
Whilton Mill disappointment for Ash
Thursday, 27 August 2009 16:43
Whilton was not Ash's best weekend. The first of Sundays heat saw Ash involved in a collision with one of the other competitors. The impact was such that the steering arms had shattered, the steering colum was bent, a minor twist in the chassis and Ash had sustained a minor wrist injury as a result. A complete rebuild of the steering and a tweak to the chassis were required.
Ash checks out his steering following a collision in heat 1
Subsequent checks after the event found the repair to the twist in the chassis following heat 1 had sprung back and was the cause of the handling problems. Brendan Ash's dad said " Of course Ash was disappionted at the result, both he and we know that he is capable of a much better result than that obtained. The Chassis has been jigged up and is now spot on for the next round of Super 1 at Shenington.
Ash Hand crowned British Grand Prix Junior Rotax Champion 2009
Ash, congratulations to on your well deserved success, a brilliant drive and an even more brilliant win. A big 'Well Done' from all your family and friends, and we all look forward to seeing that 'GP' plate on the circuit in the coming weeks.
Image : Chris Manison - P1r.co.uk
The Kart Masters GP is held every year at the PFI circuit in Lincolnshire and is the UK's most prestigous karting event attracting the best drivers in the major classes.
Ash started the grand final from row three of the grind in 6th position, his kart was sporting the number 36 which incidentally was the number he had in his rookie MiniMax year.
Ash in one of the heats - Image Graham Smith
The start saw pole sitter Matt Parry relegated to fourth place behind Andy King who took the early lead followed by Ollie Varney and Ash. King was unable to maintain his grasp on the lead when he was passed by Ollie Varney and then by Ash who was close on his exhaust.
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Ash wasn't having any part of being the support act to Ollie Varney to and when the opportunity presented itself Varney found himself looking at the back of No. 36 pushing away into the distance ahead of him.
Webster took the race to Varney and it was Webster that emerged victorious in taking the second place spot.
Ash drove a more or less faultless race to finish 2.07 seconds ahead of nearest rival Josh Webster, with Varney coming in third.
Ash taking the chequered flag - Image Graham Smith
Team principal Richard Amos said " Ash put in a spectacular performance, and didn't put a foot wrong, combine that with the set up of the kart which was spot on; it's a winning combination that will make a few sit up and take notice. Everyone connected with the team are absolutley thrilled at the result - Only one word for it 'BRILLIANT'."
Ash with the coveted GP Plate - Image Graham Smith
Listen to Ash's post race comments interview conducted by www.karting1.co.uk
Ash Hand - Formula Kart Stars Round 5 - PF International
Following the disappointment of Ash's weekend at Larkhall his outing at PF International in round 5 of the Formula Kart Stars Championship continued to beset with problems.
The pre final was delayed by several hours due to an ongoing racing incident. During the delay the weather closed in and rain hit the circuit. The kart was changed over to wet tyres, however because of a ruptured tyre bag he ended up having to go out on a set of unscrubbed rubber. The grip just wasn't there ans Ash struggled with the kart to simply keep it between the white lines. Despite going off on P2 by lap 5 he had lost 9 places, eventually crossing the finish line in 12th.
The Final started with Ash on P10 by the end of lap 1 he had made 5 places into 5th position where he remained for the majority of the race. Lap 14 and a cat and mouse tussle with Will Hunter eventually pushed Ash across the finish line in 6th place.
On the back of last weekend it wasn't the result that we had hoped for. But as it's only about halfway through Ash is still hopeful for a good finish in the Championship come October.
Red light spoils Super 1 championship for Ash
Friday, 17 July 2009 00:00
Ash Hand - Super 1 - Larkhall - Round 4
Following the long haul up to Larkhall for round 4 of the Mobil Super 1 championship, the return journey was tainted by the bitter taste of a penalty being imposed during the first of the two finals.
The team has always advocated the use of the Unilogger to help level out the playing field and prevent infringement of the rules. The Unilogger is a device which basically monitors the axle speed over the engine speed, and is therefore able to collect data in respect of clutch slip. Should a clutch slip past the prescribed limit it is signified by displaying a red light.
Ash had good qualifying rounds and was well on the pace recording the fastest lap in heat 2 , as a result he went into the the first of the two finals from fifth on the grid. All was going well and he took the chequered flag set for a convincing second place. That is until he came off the track and the Unilogger was showing a red light. This rightly resulted with the intervention of the Clerk of the Course. Early indications from the collected data showed the clutch had started to slip some eleven minutes into the fifteen minute race, the clutch slip was occurring right at the top end of the rev range, this was further supported by the Alfano which showed Ash's pace to be dropping away. The decision of the Clerk of the Course was to give Ash zero points for the first of the finals and resulting in him going off in the final right from the very back of the thirty strong grid for the second final.
The officials had the clutch stripped and cleaned, and the kart held in parc ferme until the final. Despite all the whispers and inevitable finger pointing that went on around the paddock, Ash showed a maturity well beyond his years and unbowed started the second of the finals from rear most on the grid and determination to prove a point. It has to be said he drove like a man possessed to make up eighteen positions to take 12th, and again record the fastest lap. Having come off the track one of the officials commented "Well I think that has just proven a point".
Brendan reflected " It's a bitter pill to swallow, and realistically it's cost Ash a shot at winning the championship, I think the best we can look at now is third place. I know Ash is bitterly disappointed. The points he would have picked up would have put him third in the championship table. The data showed the clutch starting to slip well into the race is something that the team or Ash couldn't have any influence over, more than that it also showed a disadvantage us. This could have happened to any of the drivers out there and is likely to happen again at some point in the future. Uniloggers are good but the rules say it's an infringement regardless of the data. I think the Clerk of the Course used as much latitude as he could by zero pointing Ash and putting him at the back of the grid for the second final. I'm sure if it had been shown that we had gained any advantage Ash would have been excluded from the meeting. I feel the rule needs to be looked at and the Clerk of the Course allowed to view each instance on the available data and if considered appropriate to let the actual race result stand despite Uniloggers red light. I know this is a serious concern as a number of other teams and engine builders have already beein touch to find out what happened; they now realise, it could quite easily have been themselves affected. I'm proud of the way Ash dealt with this. His drive in the second final was outstanding and had he started from where he should have, he could have quite easily won. The kart having been in parc ferme between the two finals, it's performance in the final demonstrating you do not have to bend the rules to be quick. You just need the kart set up to be spot on and the driver to be focused and we had both in spades".
Ash was upbeat about the whole thing saying "Of course I'm disappointed to see the top step of the podium slipping away because of this. Come the end of the championship I will be up there; maybe not the top step this year though. Look what's happened to Lewis Hamilton this season; I've taken a lesson from him - I might be down but I'm certainly not out yet, it's not over until that last chequered flag drops in the last race of the championship - anything could happen yet"
There were no indications during the 10 minute test sessions that there was likely to be a problem, however we believe that the longer duration of the race it'self may have a had bearing on the tempreature / viscosity of the chain lube used, and that it's this, that's could be at the root of the problem. P1 Racing will continue to work with the officials to ensure that we all get to the root cause as we don't want for ourselves or anyone else to fall foul of this issue again.
In conclusion the Unilogger data MUST be used or what is the point of having Unilogger in the first place and then to compound it further with the rules; because the Unilogger is showing RED it must be an infringement, never mind what the collected data says. We all understand the officials have a difficult job to do, so the sooner the data is correctly analysed to determine if there was a benefit/advantage gain or not the sooner we will all see the real benefit of the Unilogger
