County’s young racers are on the right track
FOLLOWING a successful year, Wexford Motorclub Youth Academy is gearing up for 2018.
2017 saw the second year of the Wexford Motorclub Youth Academy bring its students through their paces in various workshops built around motor sport.
This pioneering academy for Irish Motorsport Development saw two lucky students, ‘Cadet’ Jack Murray, from New Ross, and ‘Junior’ David Hamilton, from north Wexford, drive in a round of the Motorsport Ireland Kart Racing Championship.
They were brought under the wing of NCM Motorsport with Noel Carey and Ken Daly. With their knowledge and experience within the sport, Noel and Ken helped both Jack and David successfully complete their year at the academy with a works drive within their team.
Three other students, Shane Brauders and Eoin Kinsella, both from Wexford town, and James Egan, from Davidstown, Enniscorthy, got behind the wheel of the NCRS prepared Peugeot 106, driving at Mondello in the Irish Rallycross Championship.
All the students got a chance to work in a team and showed their support for the overall winners of the academy for 2017 while at the events.
2018 promises more of the same adrenaline filled action for its students, with a few surprises promised. Wexford Motorclub Youth Academy has always aimed to keep learning fun so that everybody can enjoy themselves while gaining valuable knowledge from their experiences.
Jack Murray said the preparation for the works drive he won with the Youth Academy started almost a month before the race. Jack also won two test days with NCM Motorsport, the first at Athboy Kart Center in Co. Meath.
‘When we got there we were shown the karts for the first time and we had to help get them ready. Then we had to do a service to check everything was working. We then started to get all our gear on like our suits, boots, neckbrace, and rib protector,’ said Jack.
‘So we got into the karts for the first time, they were so much different to the ones in R-one karting. They were so fast compared to R-one, they were hard to get used to, but we got there eventually,’ he said.
‘I had a couple of bumps, and like when I crashed my kart first, where I went over the kerb sideways and broke the chain and sprocket off! I didn’t realise the curbs where so dangerous and rough. But after all of the racing I was very sore and tired, it was a long day but so much fun.’
The second test day was at Whiteriver Kart track.
‘When we arrived, we had to make the kart, it had no engine on it, or wheels, and I had the wrong seat, so we got a loan of a seat and made it fit!
‘But our time on the track was much easier because we knew what to expect and how to handle the kart so we didn’t crash as much this time! I did crash a couple of times, but Ken was watching me and he saw what I did wrong and he was able to tell me what to change, and I did change. Then I started to go really well, and had some really good fast laps. It was a great day in Whiteriver. I really enjoyed it.’
Jack said that on the race weekend, he left his house at 5 a.m. and got to
I WENT OVER THE KERB SIDEWAYS AND BROKE THE CHAIN AND SPROCKET OFF. I DIDN’T REALISE THE KERBS WHERE SO DANGEROUS
Whiteriver at 8 a.m. to find his kart waiting for him, complete with youth academy stickers too.
‘I was surprised to see so many NCM karts. So, the testing started and I was very very nervous and was very scared, but then when I got into the kart and I started getting used to it a bit. Then I wasn’t so nervous. The testing was so different to the other test days, so many karts on the track at the one time,’ he said.
jACK SAID THAT In the first heat he finished seventh and he had a battle for sixth all through the race.
‘in the second heat I finished sixth and I kept up with the pack and had some good battles and it was really good. Noel in NCM said I was doing well and keep it up and to push hard in the next one.
‘But then in the last heat I had a big off into the first corner, another kart hit me and knocked me backwards into the bank. I nearly fell out of the kart. I even burned my arm on the exhaust! I got going again and pushed really hard and finished eighth.
‘So, this meant I qualified 8th for the pre-final. I had a good pre-final race, with some good battles again and I finished eighth in that. So that meant that I started on the fouth row of the grid in the final.
‘It was a very hard race, the others were so fast! I drove my best and I finished eighth. I brought the kart in with no more damage. Ken and Noel where very happy with how I drove I finished eighth overall but I had a great day, and I will do it again,’ he said.
‘ The one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the pace of the day. Garry said it would be fast, and I knew the schedule from my projects, but when you add the driving to everything else it’s very hard but brilliant! We barely were in off the track from a heat or the final when we had to prepare the kart again, and sometimes repair it!
Jack said he wanted to thank all the men from the Wexford Motorclub, especially Garry Bradley and Jonathan Looby and the people from NCM especially Noel Carey, for giving him the opportunity and Ken Daly for driving all over the country for test days and for preparing the kart and servicing it.
‘So, thank you for this opportunity to everybody involved, and I had so much fun, oh and I am now looking to buy my own kart!’ The next Workshop is on Saturday, February 3, in NCRS Garages, Enniscorthy, at 10 a.m. Contact Garry Bradley - 085 7313711.