Henry, Jaydan, Sam & Will @ Shenny

With the predicted rain for raceday looking ever more certain we launched the lads out onto the Oxfordshire based circuit for the penultimate test day of the summer series, having made significant ground in recent months we were hopeful of more progress and with two more DK engines returning to the nest we had plenty to do.

Having Henry and Will running for the weekend meant dad Dave had his hands full but was keeping the lads going despite a close run thing for the first session, Sam and Jaydan were concentrating on track specifics and both are now showing really well, the teams constant mentoring techniques are paying off and the pace they both showed during the day reflects the progress.

Raceday saw the monsoon arrive and the thoughts of a full day getting drenched were put aside as the weather apps managed to get it right, the rain began to ease during practice and it looked like slicks would be used, the thoughts of multiple changes were showing on Dave’s face!

Heat 1 saw the weather take charge but the lads did well, Sam at the top of the list had the rest not far behind him from the middle of the pack. H2 and Jaydan, Will and Henry fighting for P10,11 and 12, thankfully they didn’t trip over each other and that’s how they finished, Jaydan looking ever stronger. H3 and the call was made to go with the inters, it was a close call but the wrong one, Sam and Jaydan struggled to stay close to the middle but managed to get home, sadly for Sam he had lost 13 places based on the tyres……. that’s racing and we made what we thought to be the right call until the sun appeared on the dummy grid! H4 and Will is fired off on the start line, dejected he watched his brother from the start building, Sam finishes mid order again and with the times still slow overall we still need to find a little more for all the lads in the final.

For the final we made several adjustments, Sam gaining 8 places finished 12th but 6th fastest overall, possibly one of his greatest races we think, he was good for 6th as well but ran out of time in the battle, Jaydan struggled with a small issue, he was devastated after having driven so hard and doing well in recent times. Henry gained 3 places and his best lap time of the day, Henry now back after some time out is looking good and with track time will be back in the mix soon.

Will suffered a power loss related to his throttle mechanism, a day Will did not want but like his brother is getting steadily quicker and track time will prevail.

The team also this weekend showed off its hire kart in the new team colours, the team has received sponsorship from Cummins & Pope once again as we progress into 2017, this funding is providing many benefits for the team to grow as it operates in a particularly challenging area of the sport, we like to win of course, but our goal is to teach the novices and prepare them as they may or may not make the decision to move to the bigger teams, our race reports don’t always reflect the immense piles of trophies received or the fastest laps done but we report on our experiences, if you look down the grid at the bigger meetings and see us there from the top 10 back give the drivers a nod, we are having a great time and as you see at various tracks are always getting closer to the front, this is about the enjoyment of the sport, we are as eager to succeed but sometimes we get it wrong, it’s not always perfection here but the support the team receives form companies that support us such as Cummins and Pope, Walker Bros and Sawmills makes this journey far easier to bear for driver and parent.

Having the friendly support from the professional race teams such as Cliff Dempsey Racing also helps us to provide guidance and ongoing support for the transition to cars, yes we are a small team but we have a huge heart, keep it flat out there!

Supporters: Cummins and Pope - www.cummins-pope.co.uk Walker Bros - www.walkerbrotherselectrical.co.uk Sawmills Garage - www.sawmillsgarage.co.uk Without this support the team could not continue to operate on a low cost basis, the development of youngsters in karting at this early stage is vital to the continuity of our sport, Veneno will always be about the driver and is thankful for the generous support of its sponsors.