BIKC Qualification Secured & Eyes on the Future 🏁
September felt like a month of closing chapters and opening new ones. A key qualification target was ticked off, and a bold step was taken that showed exactly where the focus is heading next.
BIKC Local Finals
Job Done ✔️
September started with the BIKC Local Finals, and as always, there was plenty at stake. Over 60 drivers set qualifying times are Farnborough, with only the top 20 invited back for the local finals.
Harvey warmed up for the locals with a race night, before heading into the finals themselves. The club made the decision to keep all karts in Speed 3, rather than the faster race Speed 4, due to the number of drivers who qualified who hadn’t had much time in speed 4. This changed the feel of the racing slightly — but for everyone, not just one driver.
The racing was close:
- Jamie Watson drove a great race to take the win
- Harvey finished P2
- James D completed the podium in P3
Interestingly, it marked the third year in a row that Harvey has finished 2nd at the local stage overall — a stat that shows just how competitive these events are year after year.
But results aside, the goal was clear from the start. A top 5 finish and to
👉 Qualify for Regionals
And with that box ticked, it was mission accomplished. We also learned that fate would have it that the regional track was going to be Brighton, where we had recently visited.
Saturday 27 September – Camberley
A Step Up, A Sacrifice & A Statement
Later in the month came a big decision.
With an eye firmly on 2016 and beyond, we decided to run Inters at Camberley as the seasons there was a dead rubber. What we didn’t fully appreciate at the time was that this choice would exclude Harvey from finishing the Cadet season at Forest Edge, where he was on track for a podium overall. There are plenty of drivers racing MSUK Cadets who also driver Inters, but, they only race Inters in non-MSUK events, so they get away with it. Unfortunately, as Camberly and Forest Edge were both MUSK regulated events, that was that!
That’s racing — and sometimes development has to take priority over results.
On track, though, the decision immediately showed its value.
Running the R200, Harvey set a new Camberley track record for the category, beating the best time that had been set earlier in the year. Even more impressively, despite being on the back of the Inter Rotax grid in a four-stroke, he was competing with and challenging the Rotax drivers throughout the day.
The step up in power was significant. The R200 demands much more physically, and adapting to that extra strength requirement was all part of the learning curve.
It was a clear signal that the move up is not just possible, but already competitive.
The day wasn’t completely drama free however. We did manage to damage the chain protector in one of the heats
September in Perspective
September wasn’t about collecting silverware — it was about direction.
- BIKC Regional qualification secured
- Experience gained under pressure
- A bold move up a class
- A track record broken
- And a clear look at what’s next
The foundations are being laid for the next stage of the journey.
Next up: October — and the Regional Finals for BIKC.
As always:
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👉 And keep checking back here for the next race review
Onwards 🏎️💨