Velocity Motorsport

News

2007

Podium for Albones secures 2nd in Championship at Buckmore - October 2007

After a long hard seasons racing the Super1 season finale was held at Buckmore park. This was always going to be a tough weekend with the Mini Max championship being wide open. Both Velocity drivers Billy Albone and Bill Cowley were in contention for the championship spoils however both needed to show good form at Buckmore. Bill Cowley started as he meant to finish by breaking the lap record in practice and sending a signal to all his competitors with some awesome hard overtaking. Billy Albone meanwhile was staying out of trouble and biding his time. Both Velocity drivers found good setups following on from recent testing and preparations by the Velocity personnel seemed to have paid off. Race day came and both drivers showed signs of form with good heat results putting them 3rd and 4th on the grid for the final, unfortunately championship contender Ash Sutton was on 2nd place meaning all he had to do was follow the two Velocity drivers home to secure the championship. The final was a hard fought race with both Velocity drivers giving Sutton a hard time they were both, however, fair as is the team ethics. Billy Albone eventually came in 3rd with Cowley following Sutton home in 5th. This ended a fantastic year of racing for Velocity Motorsport. The team has been in contention for a podium at every single race! The result left Billy Albones 2nd in the Super1 British Championship with Cowley finishing 4th unfortunately just 2 points of finishing with the number 3 plate. Both drivers are now set to move up into the Junior Max category where undoubtedly they will once again be class of the field.

Tough time for Chris at World Finals - September 2007

Following on from excellent form in the European Championship the team were out at the FIA World Cup race for KF2 at Mariembourg, Belgium. Chris was to be racing with Velocity Mechanic Carbon in the JRP (Mark Berryman) awning for this event once again supported by Maranello. The event proved to be very tough with the team struggling to find the right setup for Chris and the cooler conditions not suiting the Maranello chassis at this circuit. Chris raced well and gained a 11th and 15th and only needed a top 20 finish to qualify for the final. It was not to be however as a first lap incident of which Chris was an innocent bystander resulted in a mechanical failure. Mechanic Carbon was gutted, "We had a great showing in Salbris and looked set to make it into the finals here, so to be denied by a mechanical failure is horrible, we have had some ups and downs in our time together racing but this surely has to be one of the worst feelings for me and especially Chris but that’s Karting I suppose, its been a real roller coaster but I am determined to go away from this a stronger person, next year I will come back with Chris a stronger better prepared person and am determined to have our opportunity at standing on that World Championship grid". The performance of Chris had made the big teams sit up and notice throughout the year and there has been much interest in his abilities so this is definitely a positive for him and Velocity.

Preparation for season finale goes well at Buckmore with Victory for Albones - September 2007

Velocity Motorsport drivers were out in force at Buckmore Park testing for the last round of the British Championship. Testing went extremely well with drivers Louise Richardson and Bill Cowley setting the pace in practise whilst Billy Albone once again showed his natural race craft to take the win of the club meeting.

Louise shows strong form at Wigan

The 5th round of the Super1 Championship saw the team head to Wigan and the 3 sister’s circuit. Pre meeting testing had gone well with victory for Billy Albone in the Gold Cup and a win for Bill Cowley in the Rotax cup, Billy Albone also set a new lap record! Unfortunately the two Bills struggled at the Super1 meeting with what the team believed to be bad tyres. It was therefore left for the Richardson family to fly the flag. Louise was on superb form winning 1 heat and being right up there in the others putting her right up the sharp end for the final. Junior Max driver Andrew was also showing good form putting in a good lap in qualifying and racing well, he would eventually finish a season best 5th in the final due to consistent fast lapping with what was arguably the best set up kart. Louise was less fortunate however after leading the early laps of here final she was rudely punted of, the accident took her radiator clean of which meant she had to instantly retire, a disappointing end to her promising weekend she must surely be due for a win soon!

 

Good Form for the Richardson’s at PFI sees them in with a shout for Club Championship - September 2007

With a break in Super 1 action Velocity drivers Louise and Andrew were once again present at the PFI circuit were they have been contesting the club championships in Junior and Mini Max. Both drivers head into the end of the championship year with a good chance of taking overall spoils. Good recent form has seen both drivers finish on the podium at the recent meetings. Velocity Motorsport will be supporting the pair in their attempts to take championship spoils. Good luck!

 

Cowley wins biggest trophy in Karting - Rotax Cup -  August 2007

Velocity drivers Bill Cowley and Billy Albone were both out racing at Wigan in preparation for the upcoming Super 1 round. Team Manager Andrew Dawson was present assisting the two testing for the upcoming Super 1 round, as it turned out this was actually a really big race to test at! The 3 sister’s track was once again holding the Rotax cup which has the reported biggest trophy in Karting! After an administration error with his entry unfortunately Billy Albone had to start at the back for each heat meaning he was up against it but did well to qualify 8th. Bill Cowley meanwhile was showing his mettle and race hard to qualify in 3rd. The 3 Sisters track has long straights so slipstreaming is key and a major slipstreaming battle commenced in the final. Billy Albone initially slipped back to 15th after a bad start but set about chasing down the leading pack which was lead by Bill Cowley. A great battle was occurring and Bill Cowley went into the last corner in third place but with great skill picked out a gap whilst the leading 2 were defending there position slipstreaming his way to a fantastic victory winning the biggest trophy in Karting. Billy Albone came in an eventual 4th place smashing the lap record in the process, great preparations for the Velocity team!

 

Fantastic team effort gives Velocity the GP plate with victory for Billy Albone, 2nd for Bill Cowley and 4th for Louise  - August 2007

A fantastic weekends racing saw Velocity Motorsport’s Billy Albone take victory in the TVKC Karmasters GP meaning that Velocity are now Kartmasters champions.

After winning Super 1 at this circuit and being the class of the field in testing the team went into the race in confident mood but knew that anything could happen and it sure did! 1 poor heat apiece for all its drivers meant that Velocity's drivers started down the field for the pre final. As the team went to the grid the black clouds began to build above the circuit everyone was wondering what was going to happen. With a dry circuit and rain in the air all drivers started on dry tyres, 5 laps into the race the heavens opened and light rain began to fall. The 3 Velocity Minimax drivers used their track knowledge and took care into the treacherous braking zones, Billy Albone almost seemed to be laughing in his helmet as people slid of all around him. Then as the Velocity drivers had made it to 5th and 6th respectively the track began to dry and this is when they knew they had to push and work together. They soon dispatched the 4 Karts in front of them and set about sprinting into the lead, Bill Cowley made a very intelligent decision towards the end of the race to almost stop on the start finish line to enable him to start third on the grid for the main final giving him a far better starting position for the main final. During the lunchtime interval the heavens really did open and heavy rain persisted up to the start of the race so it was all change back in the awning as the team changed all the karts onto a full wet set up. The race was started under very heavy rain, the two Bills got away well and showed great skill as the Kart aqua-planed all over the circuit. Billy Albone won the race with Bill Cowley unable to do anything about the amazing wet weather consistency shown by Billy Albone. The vast crowd in the grandstand however were willing on another of Velocity’s drivers as Louise was driving fantastically coming through the field another lap would have seen her on the podium but Velocity was happy to settle for 1st 2nd and 4th!

Team manger Andrew Dawson commented "Today has been a great result for me personally as we won in both the wet and dry and unofficially smashed the PF lap record in practise, as a mechanic this is the third time I have won this event with 3 different drivers in 3 different classes so this makes me feel very proud. Billy drove fantastically to take the win".

 

Louise battles hard to take 5th at ‘O’ plate - July2007

Velocity Motorsport team members were out in force at the O plate at Whilton Mill, the entire team were at the circuit supporting the Richardson’s Brother and sister duo Louise and Andrew. Louise raced excellently in the early stages of the race making up several spots and fighting hard with eventual winner Ashley Sutton, the Final was a long race as is expected for the one of British championship race and unfortunately Louise started to struggle towards the end of her race making a few errors which let the leaders get away it was still a fantastic result for her to finish 5th at this event after having shown true pace all weekend.

 

Chris Brown battles hard in European championship wining 2 heats and finishing 2nd in pre-final. - July 2007

After a superb showing at the European qualifies at Essay Velocity went into the European Championship KF2 finals with an open mind as to what could happen. The event was held at the vast 1500m Salbris circuit, a track neither Chris nor mechanic Carbon had seen before. This event was to be a first for Velocity as the team was truly running as a privateer but was receiving backing from Karting manufacturer Maranello and engines supplied by GFR. The conditions were hot with the air temperature in the high thirties and touching 42 degrees on the final race day. The conditions however did not deter super fit Chris who started the event as he meant to go on by pulling out an absolute scorching lap time in qualifying to put himself 3rd in the entire classification giving himself pole in his group for the heats. Chris was delighted "This just shows we made some last minute changes to the Kart set up and gearing and Dad worked his magic on the carb and away I went!". The heats went superbly with Chris showing true class by wining 2 heats and finishing second in his 3rd meaning he qualified a fantastic 2nd overall behind Tony Kart Works driver Will Stevens and ahead of the factory Maranello driver Miquel Monras. The first final went to plan with Chris coming home second, the pace being unbelievably close. "I think I am more nervous than Chris" commented Carbon as post race scrutineering and preparations for the main final took place. Unfortunately, it was not to be, Chris was attacked from behind at the first corner in what looked like a pre rehearsed move in what was a massive race in all the drivers careers. Chris did not give up however and dug in and did amazingly well to claw his way back from 34th to finish 18th at the flag, the effort taking to much out of his tyres to get any further up the field in the sweltering heat.

 

Velocity went away slightly disappointed but massively proud as the team had competed with the best at European level and beaten them, we are determined to get back and carry on our ‘giant killing’ was the feel as the team left the circuit full of adrenaline.. The team would like to thank Maranello Kart, GFR engines (Gordie almost missed his plane home for us as this was his best result to date in a European race) and Mark Morrisey ‘dude’ who kept the awning well chilled! Due to the result the team has been invited to the World Cup race to be held at Mariembourg in Belgium which will be another first for Velocity!

 

Bill Cowley takes maiden Super 1 win at Rowrah - Velocity takes 1st and 2nd - Louise recovers after horror smash to take heat victory  - July 2007

 

The third round of the championship saw Velocity's team travelling to Cumbria to the fantastic Rowrah a track that all drivers love. This event saw team driver Louise make a come back after a horrific head on smash in a recent PF club meeting which concussed both drivers involved and totally wrote of her kart. Velocity team members we happy to see her up and about let alone racing again and she did it in style! All 4 Velocity drivers showed good pace in what was a crucial round in terms of the championship standings. Velocity was that dominant that it won all three of the mini max heats with each of its drivers. This was a major first for Louise it being her first heat win at this level and what a time to do it! The 2 Bills were in dominant form and qualified at the head of the field, Bill Cowley had shown awesome form during the heats and used his head when racing with his team mates in the heats. Unfortunately, Andrew Richardson (Velocity's Junior Max driver) had had an unlucky excursion during one of the heats putting him down the order and Louise had a very unfortunate mechanical fault which meant that she would start mid pack. The Minimax finals saw Bill Cowley and Billy Albone trading the lead but working together in a manner to extend the lead, A mistake by Billy Albone on the Pits corner proved critical and enabled Bill Cowley to take the win with a flawless drive, Louise fought hard and made it into the top 10 despite smashing her brake disc and over heating her brakes. Bill Cowley's father Nige was ecstatic and hugged just about everyone in the pits! Well done Bill on your first National A win!

Another fantastic day for Velocity coming home in 1st and 2nd and seeing the 2 Bills moving into a commanding position in the championship.

 

Chris Brown Qualifies in style for European KF2 finals - June 2007

Velocity members were out in force at the Essay circuit in central France at the qualification event for the European championships. Chris was racing in his first big European race with usual mechanic and Velocity team manger Andrew Dawson present. The racing was tough with the level of competition being extremely high but the team went about the qualification in a very professional manner, Chris knew after qualifying 18th for the first final that all he had to do was finish and he would qualify for the championship finals and that he did in style! With the pressure lifted Chris could go and enjoy himself in the main final after set up changes to suit the Maranello Kart to the fast flowing circuit by mechanic ‘Carbon’ and carburettor tweaks by Alistair (Chris’s Dad) and Velocity technical guru Chris was off like a bullet and impressed everybody with his overtaking and sent shockwaves through the professional Karting world by posting fastest lap of the weekend and finishing fourth overall which was an absolutely superb result for the team and Chris just showing what ingredients the Velocity Team is made up of. Velocity now looks forward to more giant killing at the European finals in Salbris with Chris being seeded 4th going into the event!

 

Billy Albone wins Gold Cup - June 2007

Congratulations Billy Albone on another fantastic win at the gold cup at the wigan 3 sisters track. Billy made this win look easy after some good judgement by Velocity personel on the set up. Unfortunately the only downside for the TV cameras present was that Billy was that far in front he looked like he was in a race of his own!

 

Billy Albone wins 3rd round at PFI - May 2007

Velocity's home track saw Billy Albone take a superb Victory in the 3rd round of the Super 1 championship. Bill Cowley was unlucky to be taken out of contention by Oliver Walker but this lead to Bill showing what he was really made of with an awesome drive from the back to get up to 7th with him also taking the fastest lap. This day however belonged to Billy Albone who carried out a text book drive and drove away from the field whilst they were battling, championship contender Ash Sutton congratulated Bill in post race scrutineering by saying "he was just too fast when it mattered and drove away from us, I had nothing left to catch him!" Velocity celebrated the win in usual fashion at their home track by paying a visit to the bar! Velocity Team boss Andrew Dawson was overjoyed, "this has been a fantastic result everything went to plan and all the teams testing came into play seeing all our drivers at the sharp end of the timesheets".

 

Billy Albones Wins First round of British Super 1 Championships - March 2007

With pre season testing showing good form for all Velocity drivers it was time for the testing to be transformed into results. The First Super 1 championship round was held at an unusually sunny Clay Pigeon, Velocity Driver Billy Albone showed fantastic pace during the race day heats to qualify 9th despite a crash in 1 heat, fellow Velocity Drivers Louise and Bill Cowley also showed good pace despite there own separate incidents. A great start in the final saw Billy shoot into the top 5 on the first lap a strong mid section of the race saw him cleanly move through to a podium position prior to a superbly thought out move on Stuart Sellars for 2nd. Unfortunately Bily could do nothing to catch the race leader who had obtained a commanding lead by this point so settled for 2nd on the road. This large lead was later turned into disqualification as post race technical scrutineering showed that oversize components had been used in the engine. This news promoted Billy Albone to be the winner, Velocity driver Billy comented to the local press ‘ I did the best I could in the race and had settled for second but its great to take the win as it’s a boost to my championship ambitions’. Team manager Andrew Dawson was delighted, ‘ it was a great result for us today with Billy, Bill Cowley drove fantastically toward the end of the race also and made up so many spots I lost count it was a good result that he came through to 7th from the back I believe he also got the fastest lap so it shows our testing and preparations at Velocity have gone well over the winter.

 

Lousie Richardson had a number of unfortunate incidents but showed that potential for good results is available for later in the season, Brother Andrew raced well all weekend and managed to finish 6th overall which was a Personal best for him at Super 1 British Championships.  

 

Richardsons show well in winter Championships - February 2007

Fast racing Brother and Sister Andrew and Louise Richardson have been busy all winter honing their skills in Preparation for a hectic 2007 racing season. Both have completed many laps of testing at home circuit PF international supported by Velocity Motorsport Personnel. An increase in form over the winter months have shown a consistent upturn in form meaning both have shot up the winter championships standings, Andrew finishing 3rd overall and Louise 2nd. Velocity have been praised over the progress which has been made and is hoping this good form will continue into the 2007 championship season.

 

Cowley wins on Whilton and Clay warm up - February 2007

Velocity Motorsport’s drivers have been out racing in recent weeks in the run up to the new season. Team Driver Bill Cowley has been showing great form turning his pre season testing  pace into race victories driving on his BRM Mininmax supported by Ogden engines. Fellow velocity driver Billy Albone has been making a come back after a long lay of at the end of the 2006 season regaining form with every outing. Bill Cowley won both at Clay Pigeon in cold but dry conditions along with race victory at Whilton Mill in treacherous conditions, at Clay Bill was followed home in 3rd by Billy Albone, Louise Richardson showed impressive lap times at Clay. Velocity’s Junior Driver Andrew Richardson raced well to take the pre super 1 club meeting victory at Clay making it a double victory for Velocity at the meeting, this was despite last lap confusion caused by the officals miss counting the number of laps!. The results look promising for a successful 2007 for Velocity Motorsport!

 

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