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Follow Marcus in the MG X-POWER K Sports 1600 cup 2002
Final points tally 2001 from 12 rounds: 67  -  Awarded K Sports 1600 Best Newcomer of 2001

Marcus's new car for 2002
2002 Race Fixtures and Reports, click here.
What happened in Marcus's first racing year 2001
My best finish in 2001  (Classic Clubmans at Lydden Hill)
My best K Sports championship finish (Mallory Park 2001)
Getting started in motor-racing
About K Sports 1600
Raising money for Macmillan Cancer relief

2001, not bad. My first year in motor racing. The K Sports 1600 championship, organised by the BARC, the BRDC and the Clubmans Register, was an excellent hunting ground for a beginner, not too expensive, gentlemanly most of the time and very competitive. I finished 10 out of 12 races in the points, with a total of 67 points. Thanks to friends and colleagues I was able to raise £5000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief (£4,500 when the photo was taken and more has come in since November). I was driving Ian Megson's 1978 Mallock Mk18 BW sports racing car (No.39) for each of the races in the 2001 championship.
32 cars turned out for the K Sports race in August 2002
But for 2002 I am running the 1984 Mallock 26/27 SG, the yellow car in the photos above and below which I acquired in October 2001 from Allan Elphick. The car is lighter than some of the others, which is a benefit given that I weigh close to 200 lbs. I have six nose cones, which is another benefit given the readiness with which they shatter when you come off the track! All the engines in the series have the same power (122 bhp) as the MG Rover K series engines are all prepared by two authorised shops and sealed to prevent further tweeking. We have all had to fork out £200 for transponders in 2002 so all the timing will be automatic and accurate to one zillionth of a second.

I started taking videos of races from the digital video camera mounted on the roll hoop behind my head. The resulting videos are wonderful fun.You can see some of them online by clicking one of the VIDEO buttons in the results sheet below
Video camera mounted above my head... ready to roll
As last year, low budget sponsorship opportunities are available: main attraction is to be with an amateur teams at great circuits with no crowds. My  sponsor is Pressurised Aircraft Leasing Ltd., the owner/operator of a six-seater pressurised 210 knot Piper Malibu Mirage registered G-PALL and based at Wycombe Air Park, West of London. Have a look at the relevant page on
    http://www.G-PALL.com

Talking of big money, the K Sports series is being sponsored this year by MG XPOWER. We are the fourth of their racing enterprises (Le Mans, British Touring Car Championships, Rally championship and us) so it's rather prestigious. And it means there will be prize money for the top ten finishers in each round (not a lot but worth going for). The down side is that our efforts to get new drivers into the formula has been successful and there are about a dozen new cars and drivers in the championship. All the more difficult to get into the top ten.

Check out the other links on

The fixtures list for 2002 and after each race the report from my point of view:
 
Date Circuit
*a
 Tues 26 March Clubmans Track Day at Mallory Park. Click here
*b
 Mon 1 April BRSCC Special GT championship at Castle Combe. Coconut at a coconut shy. DNF. 
1
 Sun April 28  Rockingham. The whole event was cancelled because the track had to be resurfaced. 
2
 Sat/Sun 12/13 May Pembrey. Speed OK, mistake not OK DNF 
3
 Sun 26 May Cadwell Park. Wrong tyre choice, cracking races 8th
*c
 Sat/Sun 15/16 June Lydden Hill sports & saloon races  -  first win
4
 Sat 22 June Oulton Park. Wrong set-up, 2nd lap contact DNF
5&6
 Sat/Sun 6/7 July Croix-en-Ternois (2 races) Cut-and-thrust races, 2 finishes13th and 11th 
7
 Sat/Sun 27/28 July Croft 10 lap ding dong 14th
*d
 Sat 3 August Castle Combe BRSCC Special GT Championship Big boys are the coconuts14th
8
 Sun 11 August Snetterton not my favorite circuit19th
9
 Sat 24 August Silverstone 32 on the grid and a first lap to dream of 14th
10
 Sun 8 September Snetterton another frenetic thrash 12th
 11
 Sat/Sun 21/22 Sept Brands Hatch miscreant charges from the back 17th
12
 Sun 29 September Mallory Park consistently quick lap times and a top ten finish 9th
13
 Sun 13 October Thruxton - race cancelled - Marcus finishes the year 10th in the K Sports championship
 *e
 Sat 26 October Silverstone: Birkett 6 hour relay race - Rovers Return team 6th
*f
 Sat 3 November Rockingham Clubmans Invitation Race BRDC - Adrian Brown's first win - 8th
*g
 Sun 10 October Snetterton: BRSCC Winter Series -  1st in class in Russ Leaviss's 2 litre Mallock. 5th
*h 
 Sun 17 November Brands Hatch: BRSCC Winter Series in the dry using Russ's 2 litre Mallock. 7th and 7th

Note: * in the left hand column indicates a race which is not part of the Clubmans K Sports 1600 championship. I intend to compete in these races just for the experience and the fun.
DNF: did not finish
MG XPOWER K Sports 1600 Cup round in bold

Note: (Championship Sporting Regulation 1.5.1) In accordance with MSA regulation B.8.4 the organisers reserve the right to amend the published list of dates and rounds, in which case, all registered competitors will be informed of the amendments by Official Bulletins posted to the address specified on the Official Registration Form.
 
 

This page updated 4th February 2003  version 10

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