Wheel to wheel tussles between motor industry PR rivals are back for 2016: it’s the third annual Karting Grand Prix from the Southern Group of Motoring Writers.
Already a winning formula, having raised nearly £8,000 for charity over the previous two years and delivered hours of fun for the SGMW’s industry colleagues, one ingredient has changed: timing has switched from February to April (Thursday 14th), though the venue remains the same – the demanding all-action three-tier circuit at TeamSport, Crawley.
And that decision was an early winner, because this year’s grid filled in record time, so fast that the SGMW had to squeeze an extra team into the line-up to avoid disappointment.
“Yes, we have 21 teams competing this year,” SGMW chairman Chris Rees confirmed. “And it was a bit of race for the last few places, which bodes well for competition and rivalry on the day.”
Group publicity officer Steve Loader said the fortuitous change in timing was originally due to feedback from the 2015 event:
“We needed to avoid a Catch-22: if we don’t open the venue’s huge wall vents, everyone chokes on emissions, but if we do then everyone gets very cold in February – and there were complaints.
“And that scotches rumours that we changed to April after pressure from Geneva Show organisers, worried that the Karting GP’s explosive impact on February’s industry calendar was stealing their limelight. Please ignore such speculation - it was not started by the SGMW.”
More seriously, chairman Rees added: “We are very proud of the success of the GP, which hit the right buttons from the start. What had been planned as a one-off, is now established in the calendar.
“Let’s face it, so many F1 racers have been hooked after starting in kart racing: the noise, the adrenalin, the proximity to the track, the illusion of travelling at much higher speeds, all of these deliver fantastic atmosphere, and our PR colleagues clearly love it.
“However, the SGMW would like to make a polite request for this third year: that teams follow the spirit of amateur racing and recruit their drivers only from their PR department or those immediately connected with it, and not professional racers.
“We want to keep the spirit of the event competitive but open to all, including novices, who don’t need a Lewis Hamilton wannabe climbing all over their backs.
“As ever, the marshalls will be vigilant about over-zealous driving, but we realise we can’t really police this, so we hope teams will respect our efforts to keep the playing field – or racetrack – as level as we can, for the enjoyment of the majority.
“But we do want the event to be competitive in another way: it has now raised £3,325 and £4,350 for charity in successive years. Can we top the previous year’s figure once again? I hope so.”
Money raised previously has gone to a cause close to the SGMW and its readers’ hearts: Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.
However, in a bid to spread the karting cash around, it was decided to donate this year’s funds to the neighbouring Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust, in similar need of generous support with around half of its lifesaving calls being to road accidents, missions typically costing £2,700, and fuel costs of £200/hour to keep a chopper in the air.
The 2015 Karting GP was hard fought, with three of the top four teams separated by a single point, but Peugeot won by five with 142 points and received the competition trophy, based on a splendid Moto-Lita leather-covered sports steering wheel and relinquished by 2014 winner, FIAT, which took a creditable fifth.
The other podium places were 2 – Renault (137 points) and 3 – Audi (136) with Ford narrowly missing out on 135.
The competing teams were (in no particular order): Jaguar, MINI-BMW, Vauxhall, Newspress, Suzuki, Volvo, Citroën, KSS Air Ambulance, Peugeot, FIAT, Audi, Porsche, Lexus, Ford, Renault, Land Rover, Hyundai, Performance Comms, Toyota and Honda.
And this year’s grid is:
DS AutomobilesFordHondaHyundaiJaguarKIALand RoverLexusToyotaMazdaPeugeotPorscheRenaultSkodaSuzukiVolkswagenVolvoPFPRPerformance CommsEssex and Herts Air Ambulance TrustNewspressThe SGMW Karting GP was created by members Kevin Haggarthy and Massimo Pini and executed by Chris Rees.
