General Info
Peter Knibb and his wife, Jane, had their first baby, a boy called Samuel. Both mother and baby are fine …… not sure about Peter. From every one involved in karting at Warden Law we wish them well!

Christmas arrangements are as follows. Yes we are closed on the 25th but we are open for testing on the 26th and everyday that week.

Questionnaire...... we recently asked you to complete a questionnaire to help us improve the service and facilities we provide to you our customers. Many thanks to those who have responded. How ever we would appreciate it if we received more to help us build a representative picture. We will enter all names that return the questionnaire into a tyre draw so you could easily win twice over! If you
did not receive it or you have lost it contact Emma who will send you another.

Lockers....... continue to be in demand with a waiting list. Sometimes we forget to ask and you forget to pay! So to simplify matters we are asking you to agree to a direct debit system where payment is made for the quarter. In addition a new contract has been drawn up to formalise the arrangements. A lack of paperwork has been a problem in the past and I do read the internet occasionally! Please talk to Chris Keniry if you want a locker in 2006.

Junior 4 Stroke......... as many of you know the step from Cadet to Max is expensive resulting in us losing drivers for ever from the sport. Mark Tate has linked with Prosport to develop a Junior Prokart class with a difference. Using standard GX 160 engines coupled with a weight of 152 kg (to be conf) and using cheap tyres (circa £55 / set that last for ever) the karts will be quick, readily available but cheap to run. We will run them as a separate class for the 2006 Fun Championship starting in February. We will also allow Junior WF engines, which are available shortly, to run alongside the Junior Prokarts. We are also looking at the possibilities of an alternative 2 stroke class that has low cost in mind both to buy new under £2k using low cost tyres (to be conf.). Why do we accept overpriced tyres and engines for Rotax in the U.K. when the same tyres and engines are available in Europe at a significant discount? Cheaper karting results in bigger grids which is better for you and better for us!

We have enclosed the 2006 WLKC Membership form ……please return them asap along with the cheque payable to WLKC. We will no longer send out Newsletters to anyone who did not join in 2005.

Practice for owner drivers is changing. From January 2006 owner drivers cannot be on the circuit at the same time as Hire Karts. You are always welcome to telephone the KNE office for advice as to when you can practice. I see no problem with every day mid week plus Saturdays and Sundays when bookings allow. When owner drivers are present we will extend breaks between hire kart practice and race sessions to get owner drivers onto the circuit. Once we get busy (April onwards) there will be no practice on Saturdays except for the MSA weekend. Owner driver practice will end at 7pm mid week with no one signing on after 6pm. Costs for practice in 2006 will be £35 non members before 2
pm and £25 after 2 pm, with the usual £5 deduction for members. To avoid conflict and disappointment we recommend that you always ring during office hours for advice as to when to come.

Presentation night is getting close …… have you bought your tickets yet? If not please contact Allison Johnston on 0191 373 4339 asap. We will be presenting the 3 karts to the winners of the Rookie Challenge being Tom Shipman (Jnr Max), Connor Rowntree (WTP)and Lee Bourner (Mini Max). If you have one of the Championship Trophies / Shields please let us have it back as soon as possible.

Fun Meetings
Was it wet? The Fun meeting got off to a bad start following a torrential downpour just before racing commenced. The flooding made driving conditions difficult for all drivers. KNE will have a second attempt to construct a drain to reduce / prevent such flooding in the future. We will also re profile the area between the off-road area and the Dog Leg to reduce “run off” when heavy downpours occur.

Leaving the circuit during a race……we believe that some drivers forget the correct procedure as and when they decide to leave the circuit during a race. Please raise a hand to indicate that you are slowing down, move off the racing line long before the corner and exit the circuit slowly and in control. Once or twice recently we have seen some careless driving by drivers leaving during the race.

Winter Championship...... by popular demand! We have agreed to run a 3 round Championship with rounds on 11th & 27th Dec 2005 and 15th Jan 2006 with 2 rounds to count. On each occasion we will use 3 different circuits. The usual classes will run plus an experimental Junior Prokart Class (see Prosport above). Further details from the KNE reception.

MSA Meeting
Return your MSA renewal forms for your 2006 licence as soon as possible. Anne’s advice is to upgrade your licence to Nat A if you have 6 signatures. Keep a photocopy if you send your licence away for an upgrade. Two drivers were fined £36 each for non production of their licence when signing on.

Despite advice during the drivers briefing to all drivers about the need to finish, even if it means taking second place, we had a disastrous finish to the Junior Max final. All officials want to ensure that the racing is safe as do most parents. As the circuit operator I also want to see the highest standards of safety throughout the day’s racing to keep my insurers happy and my premiums low. What took place
was, in the opinion of both Clerks, both reckless and unnecessary. The drivers had each received a warning flag at the beginning of the final so were referred to the Stewards of the Meeting for this second infringement. They decided that both were equally to blame and fined both drivers £150 each, excluded them from the results and endorsed them with 4 points on their licences. As points last for 12
months one of the two drivers is on an automatic ban next year if he collects any more points as he competes in Super One. Was his brain in gear on the final lap? Was first place at Warden Law really worth such aggressive driving for some one not involved in the Club Championship?

A point to consider for new drivers entering MSA events …… by entering and signing on for an MSA meeting you are accepting the rules and regulations of the MSA. If the Clerk of Course wants to speak to you about an incident on the circuit you are obliged to stay and discuss it with him. If you turn your back on him and walk away you run the risk of losing your licence under the disciplinary procedures. MSA officials do not make the rules but we do have to apply and enforce them.