Tom, Alex and Luke @ Forest

Saturday - Practice Day

Turning out at Forest this weekend to look after Alex Preston on his first time out in a kart, we were also joined by Tom and Luke who were appearing for the fun element. With Luke in the company of Guy, Aston and Alex from the BRK stable this was looking to be an interesting outing especially with Guy proudly wearing his #3 plate from the S1 British Championships.

The test day was a fairly steady affair for the established drivers, a few tests here and there but generally a relaxed affair, it was a great moment having Tom and Luke back in colours if only for the weekend, both lads have achieved so much in such a short space of time and when able showed how strong they are on any given circuit.

Alex Preston found a new calm inner peace sat on the dummy grid for the first time, of course it’s a daunting moment for driver and mentor but 1 spin and 9 laps later Alex returned with a huge grin and all the bits of the kart in the same place…all good.

Alex progressed steadily through the day and managed to knock out a couple of 55’s although his consistent pace was generally early 56, we overheard a comment that Alex was running an unrestricted open T2 but the truth is that he was in 103kg trim with a restricted 2015 T2, we do not have a policy of deceiving the new driver, it’s a simple belief that you learn at race weight if it is available – you have to pass the ARKS in 103kg trim so it’s a huge mistake to run light then fail the 10% mark, we had made a good start though with Alex, Luke certainly needs to keep on his game being honest, Alex like another sibling in the team is not going to be left in the shadows and he will be ready to do his ARKS within a couple of sessions at current pace, great job Alex well done pal!

Sunday - Race Day

Tom & Luke were back on the grid for Sunday's race day, however as they weren't in the championship this was all about having a bit of fun and blowing the cobwebs away.

Both lads had already proved they were quick and it was noted by more than one that their return to the grid, along with Guy and Alex was going to give the club regulars something to think about.

For Luke, Heat 1 started badly with the usual Forest carnage in the opening lap seeing him get smashed out - he recovered though to finish 19th overall. Heat 2 and starting 12th, Luke showed his speed crossing the line 5th and right in the mix with the leaders. Starting heat 3 on pole, Luke led for a few laps before getting involved in an excellent duel with Ruben - both lads drove really well and fast, pulling away from the rest to cross the line side by side with Ruben taking the win by a matter of ths.

The final saw Luke starting in P5 and from the start he was right in the mix. Alex Eades took the early lead but with the championship leaders and Luke bearing down on him they all swapped places lap after lap. On the final lap, Ruben took the lead and Luke pounced to move from 4th to cross the line in 2nd

For Tom, he didn't quite have the same luck - great results in Heat 1 and 2 put him in the mix for a great qualifying spot in the final, but a broken wheel decided to part company with Tom's kart on the last lap of Heat 3 an the resulting DNF saw Tom line up P9 in the final.

However, you can never write Tom off, as many are aware, he's a charger and doesn't give up until he sees the chequered flag. As so it was, right in the mix, Tom was battling hard in a big group which saw him moving from 7th to 12th and all the places in between as the final went on. In the end he just couldn't break free to chase down the leaders and finished a very respectable 9th.

Both lads did excellent and showed they have what it takes to race at the front at any track.

The Veneno Team would also like to congratulate #16 Ruben Brown whose race win on Sunday secured him the FEKC championship - Ruben has spent some time with the team and is a regular competitior with the Veneno drivers - he's put in a lot of work over the last 4 years and this is a great acheivement for him and chief mechanic Spen - Well done!

It was also great to see our old F6 rivals - Alfie and Andy Glenie also turn out for the weekend - Alfie and Ethan had some great battles throughout the 2014 F6 season and it was good to see Alfie mixing it at the front.