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King Carl crowned at Shenington 

Millennium Motorsport’s Carl Stirling clinched the British Super 1 KF3 title with a double podium in the season finale, last weekend (4/5 October). 

The 15-year old had gone into the final round leading the points table, but expected to be hard-pressed by his season-long rival Mackenzie Taylor. 

Carl got things underway with a solid 3rd fastest lap in timed qualifying, whilst Taylor found himself down in 28th place after rain fell during his session. 

“This relaxed me more, knowing that he would not be breathing down my neck in the heats,” Carl explained. 

Starting from pole position in his first race, Carl opted for ‘safety-first’ and took 3rd place. However, a post-race penalty saw initial winner, Ashley Sutton demoted to 4th - moving Carl into 2nd place. 

In the following heat, Carl brought his Tonykart home in 3rd place, knowing that it would secure him a good position on the grid for the first of the day’s two points scoring finals.  

“I started from 3rd on the grid and in the first corner, moved into 2nd place. I sat behind (the leader) Patryk Szczerbinski for another lap, and then passed him on the start/finish line. From there, I drove as hard as I could, but with five laps to go had to defend from Patryk and Ashley (Sutton). I held them to the flag and was delighted to win. It was a major confidence booster and actually secured the Championship for me – although I wasn’t sure that I’d done it at this point.” 

With Taylor in 5th, Carl had indeed put the Championship beyond his rival’s reach - but was keen to end his final race of the 2008 season on a high. 

“I was leading the 2nd final, but made a mistake on the 4th lap, allowing Sutton and Szczerbinski through. On the same lap, at the hairpin at the top of the circuit I was hit from behind and my engine cut out. This caused a pile-up behind me, but I was able to re-start my engine and continue in 4th place. I re-took 3rd and I was able to hold off Sam Snell to the flag”.

With Taylor watching from the sidelines after being caught up in the earlier collision, Carl now knew he’d wrapped up the Championship and was obviously delighted. 

“I went into the last corner smiling so hard it hurt my face! All the hard work every single person in the team has put into me this year, paid off. I’m over the moon. I want to thank my mechanic, Spike who gave 110% commitment all year, (Millennium Motorsport owner) Dean Panrucker who has improved my racecraft and racing brain, Gordy (Gordon Finlayson) at GFR Engines who’s given me fast engines all season, Lee Johnston who helped me in the early days, and last - but definitely not least - Shane McFadden who’s always been there and wanted the best for me.” 

He added, “I’d also like to thank my mum and dad - who have supported me all year and deserve this as much as me – and my two brothers, Adam and Craig.”  

Carl - who adds the Super 1 to the British Open title he won earlier in the year - says “I think this (victory) lays down a marker that I didn’t have at the beginning of the year. When I won the Open title, people were asking ‘Who’s Carl Stirling?’ – now they know. ”

Stirling turns up the heat to leave Super 1 rivals Whilton 

Carl has one hand on trophy after brilliant win 

Carl Stirling is on the brink of adding the British Super 1 to his current Open Championship title - after taking 1st and 4th at Whilton Mill in Northamptonshire on Sunday (31 August). 

The Millennium Motorsport driver saw off a strong challenge from his closest title-rival, Mackenzie Taylor, to win the first of the day’s two points-scoring finals. 

The sodden conditions caused accidents and drama aplenty. As rain bucketed down, the slightest mistake would send karts sliding off the circuit or into one another. Despite a spirited drive from second-placed Taylor, Carl was able to complete the 16 laps distance and take the chequered flag for the fourth time this season. 

But not before Taylor had attempted a last, desperate throw of the dice. On the last lap Carl led by 4 to 5 kart lengths, and as the pair ran into the uphill Christmas Corner, Taylor left his braking very late and arrowed down Carl’s inside. They touched, and the crowd roared in apprehension as both karts fought for traction. Able to keep his Tonykart on the circuit, with all four wheels pointing forward, Carl squeezed the accelerator and pulled away to seal the win.  

“Mackenzie and I broke away and were able to open a gap over the chasing pack by a clear 8 seconds. We were much quicker than everyone else, but I couldn’t allow myself any mistakes. It was a highly pressurised race but I enjoyed it – especially the result!” 

With the Championship still very much in the balance, the pair lined up on the front-row of the grid together for the second final. As the karts began to accelerate across the line, Carl’s head snapped back as he received a whack from 3rd-placed driver, John Norris. This pushed the poleman forward and he held the advantage into the first corner, with Norris tucked in behind him and displacing Taylor.  

A mistake by Norris allowed Taylor through and he began to harry Carl’s rear bumper. A lap later and Taylor was through with Carl now fighting a rear-guard action to fend off Norris - “I was battling with John and this allowed Mackenzie to escape” Carl explained afterwards. “A mistake on my part allowed another kart through and once that happened, I decided to play it cool and go for the finish. At this stage, its all about points not wins. Points are what I need and points are what I got. Its all about the Championship now, not race wins or podiums.” 

Carl will take a 20-point lead to the final round (at Shenington in Oxfordshire, on 4/5 October) of British karting’s most prestigious Championship and knows that he still has the upper hand - “I just need a good result in the first final and that should wrap it up.” 

This weekend (6/7 September) however, sees Carl make his European Championship bow at Varennes in France. In July, Carl had to qualify for the main event at Alcaniz in Spain and incredibly finished in 8th place – having never raced abroad or at this level before. His team boss, Dean Panrucker said, “Carl’s inexperience won’t hinder him. I genuinely think he’ll be a contender. He’s got the potential to be European champion. I’ve got no doubt in my mind.” 

Carl echoes this, saying; “In testing (at Varennes), I was one of the quickest and believe that I’m good and fast enough to give myself a chance of winning.”

pics - Chris Walker/Kartpix

Stirling closes in on British KF3 title 

Carl takes another win to extend points lead - whilst brothers endure mixed fortunes 

Carl Stirling strengthened his Championship challenge with victory in last weekend’s (16/17 August) 7th round of the British Super 1 Championship, at Larkhall, Lanarkshire. 

The 15-year old from Northern Ireland also took an important third place in the 8th round to further stretch his lead in the title race, and take the psychological upper hand over his rivals. He said, “Points wise, it was a very good weekend. I’ve been on the podium in my last four races now and just hope that I can maintain that level of consistency in the remaining rounds.”

With a 24 point lead, the Millennium Motorsport driver is beginning to think that the Super 1 title is a realistic possibility - “For sure, that’s my goal but the main thing is to concentrate on the next race and make sure that I win that. If I keep winning or taking podiums, then the title will sort itself out.” 

The reigning O Plate holder had to overcome dramas in his two heats before putting his kart on P7 of the grid for the first of Sunday’s two finals. He describes how he won the first final, “I picked a driver off lap by lap until I caught the leader, Jake Dennis. I passed him and was able to open a gap of three kart-lengths which I held to the finish.” 

Eager to improve his 4th place in the Championship table, Dennis proved to be a tough customer in the second final. “Jake won it with a cheeky move. There was a bit of contact which dropped me to 6th. But I clawed my way back up to 3rd and was relieved to see the two guys closest to me in the Championship standings – Mackenzie Taylor and Alexander Albon – were behind me and dropping points as a result.” 

Whilst Carl was all smiles, his younger brother Adam - who also races in the KF3 class - wasn’t enjoying himself. After two crashes in the heats, Adam’s fortunes weren’t about to improve in the finals. “It was mayhem, so it was. There were lots of people crashing and bashing.”  

Also racing at Larkhall was big brother Craig, and like Adam, he was having a torrid time. After his heats, the 16-year old found himself down in 25th place on the grid for the first final but a strong drive saw him take the chequered flag in 12th place.

In the second points-scoring final, he came through to finish in 7th place, scoring sufficient points to keep him in touch with the Championship leaders. “I’m happy enough,” he said afterwards. “Considering that I started the first final in 25th and ended up inside the top ten isn’t too bad. The Championship is really close now and I’m aiming for a top three position. I’d be over the moon if I could do that. I’ll keep banging on the door until I get a lucky break.” 

Stirling on top in Belgian bun-fight 

Victory is icing on cake for Irish kart star 

arl Stirling’s superb season continued in Belgium last weekend (9/10 August) with a 5^th place on Saturday, followed by a crushing victory on Sunday. 

The 15-year old was competing in the 6^th and 7^th rounds of the Stars of Tomorrow Championship at Genk, just an hour from Brussels. 

On Saturday, Carl - the current British Open Champion in the junior KF3 class - qualified on pole position for the first of the meeting’s two points scoring finals, with a brace of heat wins.

After getting the jump on his rivals at the start, he initially led - but a developing problem with his engine saw him drop back to 6^th place. Finding that he could still run at the pace of the battling leaders, despite his motor woes, Carl was able to fight his back past fellow front-row starter, Sam Snell to take 5^th place at the chequered flag. 

Having raced in warm sunshine all day on Saturday - Sunday couldn’t have been more different; “It chucked it down all day” Carl said. With the wet conditions making the lap-times 18 seconds slower than the previous day’s in the dry, Timed Qualifying became very tricky. Carl succeeded in qualifying 4^th place, with his younger brother Adam just behind in 5^th.  

A 5^th and 3^rd in his two heats gave Carl third place on the grid for the final. Unfortunately 13-year old Adam fared less well, qualifying midfield in 17^th place. He explained why; “In my second heat, Carl ran me wide and I lost places. He apologised later though! But I was then hit by the same driver who drove me off the circuit in the first race.” 

The rain stopped in time for the final, but left a greasy surface that caught out the unwary. A blistering start saw Carl take an early lead, but a mistake saw him lose it, before quickly regaining it. Englishman Jake Dennis fought back and snatched the lead, but pressure from Carl saw him drop down to 4^th. Whilst Dennis fought his way back past Adam and Alexander Albon, Carl seized the initiative and opened a race-winning 7-second lead – huge in karting terms. “I worked really hard for that”, he said afterwards. “I’m now 2^nd in the Championship (after starting the weekend in 4^th place overall) and I’m very happy. It’s all coming together at the right time.” 

Adam was similarly pleased with his best performance yet in his first season of top-flight KF3 racing - and has now moved into the top ten in the points table. He said, “I was running in 2^nd place but my engine developed a problem mid way through the race. I couldn’t pull maximum revs on the straights and dropped to 4^th – which I guess, wasn’t too bad in the end but I had been game-on for a podium.”  

Next weekend (16/17 August) sees the boys return to British Super 1 series duties at Larkhall in Scotland, where they’ll be joined by big brother, 16-year old Craig - who competes in the senior KF2 class. 

Carl currently leads the Super 1 KF3 Championship and says, “I’m quick at Larkhall and my win at Genk was a big confidence booster, I’m quietly confident”.

Stirling work in Cumbria 

Brothers win, break a lap record and crash at Rowrah 

Carl, (pictured left)Adam and Craig Stirling showed their star quality at last Sunday’s (15 June) third round of the British Super 1 kart Championship. 

One of the favourite tracks on the calendar, Rowrah’s mixture of high-speed straights, testing corners and tricky chicanes is a true driver’s circuit. 

Small wonder then perhaps, that Carl won one of the two KF3 finals, whilst his elder brother Craig, set the lap record in KF2. 

In the packed junior category, the youngest of the three brothers, 13-year old Adam( right) fared less well - and was at a loss for the reason why. During Saturday practice he had been quick but his early speed eluded him on race-day - “I just don’t know what went wrong” he said. “I went from being on the pace to nearly a second off it. I was driving well and not making too many mistakes.”  

Just three tenths of a second faster than Adam in his qualifying session, British Open Champion Carl was further up the order in 14th position, but confident that he could gain higher places in the races.  

After a hard fought battle to work his way into the lead, Carl took a deserved first final victory - and also racked-up 50 valuable championship points. Behind him, Adam was the victim of a first corner crash and having dropped to last, was unable to recover further than 22nd place. 

Showing his increasing maturity and the fact that he’s now beginning to think about the title, Carl sensibly opted for points rather than outright glory in the 2nd final. He still found himself boarding the ferry home clutching another trophy – having taken 3rd at the chequered flag and the championship lead.  

He said: “The best result would’ve been two wins - but consistent finishes make the difference if you want to win the title. I always go to a race aiming to win, but points finishes are equally important. If I can keep finishing on the podium, that’ll win me the Championship.”  

In contrast to Carl’s obvious delight, Adam endured another difficult race but refused to be downcast: “It was quite disappointing really for me, but I’ll bounce back at the next race!” 

In KF2, 16-year old Craig (right)was experiencing the fortunes of both his younger brothers. In his second heat, he shattered the lap record and was justifiably delighted: “My time was four tenths of a second faster than the previous record. My motor just had unbelievable bottom end.” 

But after his and the Millennium Racing team’s elation, came disappointment. Having qualified well for the first of two finals, Craig suffered from clutch gremlins – dropping from 4th to 11th but still scored a hatful of championship points.  

In the following race, a crash dropped him from 10th to 20th - but a gritty drive saw him pass nine drivers to secure more points for his title bid. “I’m happy to be in 5th place overall. Obviously I wanted to leave Rowrah leading the Championship but 5th is okay”.

Stirling celebrates fantastic win 

Carl Stirling celebrated a “fantastic” Stars of Tomorrow victory last Sunday (8 June), at Whilton Mill - a circuit he’d never even seen before Saturday morning.  

Exam commitments kept the Millennium Motorsport driver from testing at the Northamptonshire track on Friday, which hampered his qualifying performance.The 14-year old - who won the British Open Championship in March, the first driver from Northern Ireland to do so in 16 years - said: “Testing went well, although I was two tenths (of a second) off the pace and was still learning the circuit when we went out for timed qualifying.”   

Team boss, Dean Panrucker was a little less modest: “Carl did very well. He’d never been to the circuit before, let alone try to qualify on it. He was 8th out of 28 drivers and just three tenths off pole. That’s how close it was.” 

Starting from the fourth row of the grid, Carl opened his account with a fine 2nd place in the first heat. In the second race, he survived a “hairy moment” – taking to the grass at high speed to avoid a crash in front of him – to finish 5th.

These two results gave Carl a front row start, alongside pole-sitter Macaulay Walsh.  “I dropped to 3rd at the start and the two leaders quickly established a good lead. I managed to catch Alex Walker (in 2nd), passed him and then set about catching Macaulay, who was now about ten kart-lengths ahead.”  

In just one lap, Carl slashed Walsh’s lead from seven tenths of a second to three. But as he inched closer, new 3rd-place man Jake Dennis arrowed in.“After five laps I was on Macaulay’s bumper, but Jake had caught me and made a move. He got past -but I did him back on the following lap.” 

Under braking for Christmas corner, Carl scythed past Walsh to take the lead. Leaving Dennis, Walsh and the fast-approaching Lewis Hall scrapping over 2nd place, Carl eked out a small advantage over his pursuers and held it to the chequered flag. 

Afterwards, Carl couldn’t contain his delight. “This is a fantastic win for me. I’ve never raced or even tested here before, and so to win is just brilliant.” Having had a disastrous previous round at Rowrah in Cumbria, Carl wants to build on his Whilton performance. “I came here expecting to do a damage limitation exercise after Rowrah, but the win changes things. I’m fourth in the Championship now, and really believe I can challenge to win it overall now.”