ALL STARS SERIES

ROUND 3, OAKLEIGH VICTORIA

17-18 July 2010

Mitchell travelled back to Melbourne this weekend for the 3rd Round of the Victorian All Stars Series at Oakleigh.  This track is physically demanding and a technical track to drive.  Friday practice was very productive with his lap times improving with each session in both JMax and JNL Classes.  An incident in practice saw Mitchell airborn and on landing he hurt his ribcage on the top of the seat.

Saturday morning we arrived at the track to a fine and dry day.

JNL - A great field of 26 entrants took to the track for Heat One.  The draw had placed Mitchell to start out of Grid 3, some great passing saw Mitchell in the lead after the first corner.  Unfortunately kart contact from behind spun Mitchell off the track and he came back on in 18th position.  With great determination he reached 12th position, only to receive the Black Flag when the nose cone came off after being hit by another kart.  Heat One was classified as a DNF.  Heat Two the draw placed Mitchell starting from Grid 23.  Mitchell survived through a very chaotic race start and passed competitors to be in 15th place and was travelling well until another driver tried to pass under him and hit his go kart off the track and into the sandtrap.  Another DNF.

After a long discussion between Mitchell and Paul a decision was made to withdraw from JNL not only for the event but in entirety.  Mitchell is going to concentrate on racing in Junior Rotax, a class he really enjoys and can improve his driving to the next level.

JMAX - Heat One and there was a strong field of 16, Mitchell drew Grid position 3.  After a good start he took the lead and by the 2nd lap he had pulled away from the nearest competitor.  With 3 laps to go the engine started popping, it was too lean in the carburettor.  Mitchell tried to rectify the situation, but unfortunately the other competitors caught up to him and passed him on the final lap.  Mitchell finished a close third, a great result.  The Second Heat with the reverse grid in play, Mitchell started 14th.  The race start was very hectic with everyone wanting to further their positions.  Mitchell came through the field to finish a respectable 7th position, another good result.

Combined points for the Heats gave Mitchell a Grid position of 7th for the Pre-final.  Mitchell made a great start and was progressing forward it was at this point that the pain from the rib injury proved too much and Mitchell pulled into the in grid, he had been in position 5.

After an examination by the Medical Officer at the track it was decided he withdraw from the race meet.  An unfortunate end to the event as Mitchell and his Hyper Stimulator Intrepid Kart were showing excellent pace and great promise for the weekends results.

GOLDEN POWER SERIES

ROUND 3, ROCHESTER VICTORIA

10-11 July 2010

Mitchell Griffin Motorsport travelled to Rochester in Victoria, a track that Mitchell hadn't been to before.

JMAX  - Mitchell was on the pace very quickly.  Practice and Heat One for JMax on Saturday was in wet conditions. In Heat 1, a great start saw him up in the front group after a calculated move he progressed up and went on to finish 4th.  A power failure at the track meant that Heat 2 took place on Sunday.  Once again the conditions were wet, Mitchell raced strategically and there were lots of position changes on the track. Mitchell crossed the finish line in third position.  A very happy team.  The pre final was started very confidently out of Grid 3 against very strong competitors.  On the third corner Mitchell drove his Hyper Stimulator sponsored Intrepid into 2nd position where he held his place in the place with a number of competitors right on his rear bumper.  He crossed the finish line in 2nd place, a great result against top quality driver.   Points gained durng the first three races gave Mitchell a starting position of 3rd for the Final.  Track conditions were good and Mitchell got a good start but unfortunately the go-kart was not quite right for the conditions.  Mitchell fought hard but only managed to cross the line in 4th position.  For his 2nd race meeting in JMax it was a fantastic effort and result.

Mitchell is loving racing his Intrepid in JMax and his confidence is building with each time he sits in the go-kart.

JUNIOR NATIONAL LIGHT - A field of 27 entrants had to be split into two groups as the grid held a maximum of 24.  This saw Mitchell start out of Grid 5 for Heat One, in wet conditions.  After a very congested first corner he came out in 8th position, once he settled into the race he drove back through the other competitors and finished a strong 3rd position.  The second heat was on Sunday with wet track conditions and Mitchell started out of Grid 7.  The start was very good but on the 2nd corner he was pushed wide and lost 5 or 6 positions. At this stage he knew it was going to be a tough race, he drove with great determination and made some great passes on the other competitors.  Mitchell crossed the Finish line in 3rd position.  The Pre final he started out of Grid 3 and with a good start and no obstacles he settled into a rhythm and had great kart control on a slowly drying track.  He handled the conditions superbly and after dicing crossed the line in a strong 2nd position. 

Combined points gave a Grid 6 starting position for the Final.  The start was mayhem and getting pushed out onto the grass and returning onto the track in 11th, he put his head down with determination and on the second last lap he caught up to the lead pack of 10 competitors and after a late move on the last lap he crossed the line in 8th.

The weekend experience at Rochester was very positive and we came away with growing confidence.

Mitchell Griffin Motorsport would like to thank CC Racing, Hyper Stimulator, Arctic Heat and GP Human Performance.

GOLDEN POWER SERIES

ROUND 2, ALBURY NSW

19th-20th JUNE 2010

The Second Round of the Golden Power Series at the weekend saw Mitchell race two classes for the first time, Junior Rotax and Junior National Light.  The hours spent on his Hyper Stimulator Race Simulator proved invaluable as the extra speed and power of the JMax did not pose a problem for Mitchell.  The strong combination of the new Intrepid Chassis and grippy Mojo tyres gave Mitchell the confidence to give his all in this new class.

JMAX- A field of eleven strong and experienced JMax drivers started on the Grid for Heat One.   Mitchell finished a very credible 6th in his first race and after some driving tuition and chassis set up changes from Clint of CC Racing Mitchell was looking forward to his second race.  He started  out of Grid 5 and he quickly progressed up to 3rd before a passing move didn't pay off and he lost positions and finished 7th.

Sunday morning and the carburettor session was in dry conditions but by the time Mitchell's Heat came around the rain had set in.  Mitchell handled the JMax with great confidence and skill especially as it was his first time in wet conditions.

Mitchell started the Final in Grid 6 and had a race plan.  The first corner changed his plan as a spin saw him in last position and chasing down the pack.  His determination and skill meant he was able to finish the race in 8th position.  Whilst chasing down the pack Mitchell recorded the 3rd fastest lap time of the eleven competitors in the Final.  

Overall, a fabulous JMax Debut and a very happy team.

JNL - A full Grid of 32 competitors took to the track on Saturday morning.  Mitchell drew a starting position of 24, and made his way through the field finishing in 17th position.  Unfortunately the transponder hadn't been attached and the penalty was the deduction of his points from the race.  Heat 2 Mitchell started from Grid 4 and drove a great race to cross the finish line in 2nd position.  This gave him a start position of 9th for the 3rd Heat on Sunday morning.

Heat 3 for JNL was also in the rain.  Having started in 9th Mitchell made his way to 5th position when a mistake from another driver caused herself to spin out in front of Mitchell.  As he had no where to go he impacted the side of her chassis.  The impact broke one of Mitchell's tie rods and caused a DNF.  The other driver went on to finish the race.

Starting out of 15th for the Final, he made a great start and progressed through the field to finish a strong 8th.

Despite the rain, penalty for no transponder and DNF the weekend was a positive experience and Mitchell is looking forward to the next round of the Series that will be in Rochester, Victoria on the 10th and 11th July 2010.

Mitchell would like to thank Hyper Stimulator, CC Racing and GP Human Performance for their continued support.