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ISSUE 2 THE 22ND OCTOBER 2013 PURPLE SECTOR WWW.THEPURPLESECTOR.COM DE BOLTZ-MILLER SMASHES 24HR RECORD 50 YEARS OF BUCKMORE CRG EYES SUDAM GAME & PITTINGALE WIN AT CASTELLETTO HERBERT PLATT TAKES 3RD BRITISH DEMOS SUPERKART CHAMPIONSHIP 135CC AT BUCKMORE Cover photo of Johnny Herbert by Simon Burchett INTRODUCTION From the editor I’m overwhelmed with the response to issue 1 so we’re now back with the second one, with some design improvements! There will be regular polls about what you’d all prefer in what is after all your magazine. Congratulations to Myles Apps for his ABkC Honda O Plate win, and equally well done to Barnaby Pittingale (Easykart Masters) and Bobby Game (KGP) for their International titles - both of those guys have been winning races for as long as I can remember. Mary-Ann Horley Press Releases & Advertising We welcome press releases although we can’t promise to publish them in their entirety. Please send anything for publication by 5pm on Monday. If you do want to guarantee your message will be heard exactly as you want it, please contact us for advertising information. Contact Details Web www.thepurplesector.com Email [email protected] Phone 07876792129 Twitter @PurpleSector26 Facebook facebook.com/purplesector Postal Address Unit 19, PF International Kart Circuit, Brandon, Lincs, NG32 2AY Please send any letters for publication to one of the above GENERAL NEWS de Boltz-Miller smashes 24hr record Lloyd de Boltz-Miller drove into the history books when he set a new Guinness World Record at PFi on 8th October following a gruelling 24 hours at the wheel. The freelance motorsport consultant first hit the headlines in 2009 when he set a new British and European record before going on to claim the World Record the following year. However, America’s Trey Shannon pushed the distance to 845 miles in 2011, sending his English rival back to the drawing board. Two years were devoted to planning this latest assault, with de Boltz-Miller determined to bring the record back to Britain. “We’d planned to run an aggressive strategy, as I wanted to be the first through the 1000 mile mark,” said de Boltz-Miller. “With Trey having covered 845, we’d need to push it but also create a good buffer. However, it came to light that a disputed claim of 1,054 miles (set in 2012) may have still stood. As we couldn’t talk to Guinness we needed to adjust our strategy to break this and Trey’s record. This meant that for the entire 24 hours I was going to have to consistently lap the circuit in less than 34s and that my pit stops couldn’t last more than four minutes each time. My fastest lap on low fuel and new tyres in testing was 30s dead. This meant I had to drive the entire record like a sprint!” Despite their communications equipment failing before the attempt had begun, prompting Lloyd’s support crew to invent a range of interesting hand signals to ‘talk’ to him from trackside, everything was going to plan during the opening few hours. De Boltz-Miller survived some exciting moments during his fourth stint when his water bottle holder broke, leaving his drinks container to empty its contents at the first corner, which made for a couple of interesting moments. “Throughout, the package - CRG Black Star chassis and IAME X30 engine - worked flawlessly,” Lloyd said. “We had a single issue with a sticking throttle cable but my mechanics, Shaun and Russell Carter, replaced it in just three minutes during my ninth stop.” As the hours rolled on, keeping de Boltz-Miller focused and informed without a radio led his team to try some interesting experiments, as Lloyd explains: “They tried to make life a little comical. I would come out of the last corner to find them gesturing, dancing, building human pyramids and even spelling words with their bodies on the gantry over the track. One of the film crew wrote a sign and held it out to me. It said “Make History” and this served to really put the bit between my teeth.” The physical toll also began to have its effect: “Whilst the circuit had been chosen for its pace, its physical demands were very much of an unknown over distance, but soon revealed themselves. Because of the high-speed, sweeping corners and minimal opportunities to rest, it meant that after around 10 hours the effect on my mind and body was similar to that which a very high aero car exerts on a driver. I’d have to hold my breath before entering Turn One as I was loaded with the effects of G-force for around 8s plus. But this is what I wanted - the ultimate test!” To further keep him focused on his task, friends joined Lloyd out on the circuit in their own karts and creating new competitions: “Riki Christodoulou joined me for three stints and it was a real tale of cat and mouse as we traded lap times. Olly Walker also came out and the rivalry saw me bang in my fastest time of the event a 29.61s after around 20-21 hours of running.” This tactic almost had a catastrophic effect on the challenge though, as Lloyd reveals: “I was broken though. My team had to lift me out of the kart for the last five stops, but I continued to smash the time sheets! I also had an ‘off’ 40 laps, during which I dropped half a second off pace due to agonising stomach cramps. Going into my penultimate stint I couldn’t grip the steering wheel and decided to stop using the front brakes, which are operated by a lever by the steering wheel which you need to pull firmly. Despite all my aches and pains, my speed was still good and my final stop sent me out with just over an hour to go. With 50 minutes remaining I started to crank up the pace and finally broke the record with 38 minutes remaining.” Although he had achieved his goal, Lloyd used the remaining time to put the record beyond doubt: “I wound on the pace and was lapping within a hair’s breadth of my fastest lap, every lap! I was going hell for leather. It was my chance to make history and put the record out of reach. I was 100% dialled and the clock was ticking. I really feel this was the drive of my life!” Photos by Lou Boileau More Information • Lloyd’s new world record is 1081.66 miles. As a key part of his 24 hour challenge, he is also raising money for Cancer Research UK. Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/24hrWR. • Lloyd could not have achieved his goal without the support of a dedicated team of friends and family, plus factory assistance from CRG SPA, IAME and Strakka Racing. • For more information and updates you can follow Lloyd on Twitter, just go to @deBoltzMiller or visit his website, www.lloyd-miller.com. News in Brief After 42 drivers had raced wheel to wheel at Buckmore in a series of heats and Prefinals, victory finally went to Dartford’s Myles Apps. Zip driver Apps won the last big national event for the Honda drivers by over 7s from Rory Hudson and Matthew Hopcraft, battling terrible weather as well as more than a full grid of competitors. The fastest driver on the track was Super One champion Kiern Jewiss who finished 13th and the top Clubman driver was Oliver Appleby. Results ABkC ‘0’ Plate Honda Cadet results.pdf Trent Valley Kart Club is proud to support the North of Ireland Karting Association’s Masters Award in 2014. A new concept in 2013, the Masters Award is given to a driver who has finished in the top three at the NIKA Championships and name is pulled at random from a prize draw. The lucky recipient will receive a fantastic prize package which allows him/her to compete at the 2014 MSA Kartmasters British Kart Grand Prix at PF International kart circuit. Many 2013 kart drivers tested on Monday in Formula Renault 2.0 at Barcelona in an official collective test. George Russell, Max Verstappen, Alex Palou, Vasilly Romanov and Lorenzo Pulcini were some of them and Russell finished up 4th overall. Overall test times are here. ROTAX RL Racing to run winter training camps in Lanzarote The first of the popular training camps runs between 6th and 22nd December at Gran Karting Lanzarote and returns to the Canary Island on 3rd January and runs until the 10th. “We’ve selected Gran Karting Lanzarote not just for the terrific winter weather but also the different features and benefits it offers to us and the driver,” says team principal Steve Armstrong. “The track has a nice variety of corners and offers long laps. This presents drivers with a series of technical and physical challenges. Also, the much better weather is an obvious advantage, as the dry conditions create the opportunity for a greater and more consistent number of laps, in which to fine tune the driver and their equipment.” He adds: “The daily schedule consists of a lot of seat-time - up to 300 laps per day - plus we devote plenty of time to detailed analysis of the driver and their kit. I genuinely believe that the RL Racing Department training camp makes you fitter, faster and better prepared for the new season.” More Information • Call Steve on 07843 586416 or contact him via [email protected].

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