Vasco Lourenco Racing

My first Club 73 Karting race as part of Orange Apex Racing:

I took part in the first round of the Club 73 endurance championship at Thruxton kart centre. The track was beautiful, fast and physically demanding. Safe to say there is a lot to learn for the upcoming rounds... 😅

We started near the back but lost some places off the start, the pace was good but since we switched the kart before the race, it was cold. The pitstop also didn't go too well, and we lost even more time. During my stint I had a very slow kart, so I decided to change it. The kart I went into then had a big problem, when the fuel cap fell off and spilled fuel all over me! 🤣

We tried recovering what was left but in the end, we finished last, as swapping karts 4 times very much lost us a lot of time.
It was good fun, but we also have a lot to take and learn from. Hopefully next round at Ancaster goes better.

Photos by Jorge Lourenco

On Sunday I went to Castle Combe for Round 1 of the SRK Championship. It was a very wet day, as it was constantly pouring down throughout the day.

Heat 1: I started in 1st place, and got a decent start, however I couldn't adapt quick enough to the changing conditions, and I dropped to P2. I held my position to the line.
Heat 2: I started last place, but with an incredible start, I was 2nd by turn 1, and 1st place by the end of the first lap. I cruised to the finish line P1.
Heat 3: I started in 4th, and was 2nd after lap 1. I went for a risky overtake, and I unfortunately spun round under braking, dropping me to last. I recovered as many positions as possible, moving up into 3rd by the checkered flag.

Final: I started in 6th for the final, where the conditions improved slightly ahead of the race. By turn 1, I had moved into 3rd, and pulled a very large gap to 4th. 1st and 2nd started fighting, so I joined in, momentarily moving up into 2nd. On the last lap, I went for an overtake which didn't work out, and this half spun me and dropped me to 4th.

I am really happy and proud of my improvement compared with last year's finish. Well done to all of the Swift Cooper team for the fantastic results and wins in both juniors and cadets, and thanks to all the marshals for their bravery and determination in those miserable conditions😅

Photos by Jorge Lourenco