Despite the best efforts of officialdom Jon drove his Birel kart to an impressive fifth place overall by the end of Sunday afternoon.



The weekend had started well, with the Birel Team making the trip to the 2006 Grand Prix Kartmasters, which is arguably the most prestigious one race weekend of the year. In company with the new team manager, former six-times World Kart Chamopion Mike Wilson, and Jon's team-mate Sauro Cesetti, the die was cast for a superb result.

 

During Friday practice the team approached one of the scrutineers to clarify if they could safely use the 30mm airbox, and they were given the all clear. With two heats safely in the bag, it was in heat three when Jon was 'pulled' in scrutineering after the race, primarily to have his airbox measured.  With the standard allegedly 23mm, Jon's airbox failed the check and he was excluded from the result of heat three. The scrutineer denied knowledge of his earlier comment, and although Lancaster Snr was given his protest fee back, the exclusion remained. It left a very sour taste in the mouths of the top class Birel team, who vowed never to come back to the UK for a future event, especially Mike Wilson who was truly incensed at the attitude he witnessed.



That heat three exclusion should in theory have destroyed Jon and Birel's chances completely. The fact that it failed to do so bore testimony to just how quick Jon and the Birel kart was. They would undoubtedly have won the British Kartmasters GP had the event been allowed to take its proper course.



Jon finished seventh in heat 1 of the Super Libre class that he was taking part in, just over three seconds shy of the winner, but with the fastest race lap of 44.52s to his credit. The intensely fought second heat delivered a third place to Jon, who crossed the line just 0.46s adrift of the race winner, in what was a slightly slower race. He was expected to deliver in heat three until he was excluded, which left Jon to escape the 'B' Final by the skin of his teeth, qualifying a poor 21st overall at the back of the
grid.

With a replacement 23mm airbox attached for the Pre-final, Jon displayed quite an astonishing pace, as he lapped in 44.93s, actually going just as quick as he had with the 30mm 'box, climbing his way forward to 14th place in the process. With the fastest lap at only 44.80s, Jon was proving that the scrutineer's decision had not curbed his desire to put matters right.



As for the 'A' Final Jon set another fastest lap of 44.65s, for which he was later awarded a trophy for the fastest lap of the meeting. "So much for some people thinking 30mm meant he would be quicker..." was one comment from a team member. With his Birel/TM kart all but flying, Jon forged his way from grid 14 and up to fifth place, with the leader almost in striking distance only 2.84s ahead of him. "No doubt he would have won", one observer commented as the flag fell. "By our reckoning he should have started off grid 2 in the Pre-final, and from there no one would have been able to touch him".



There was certainly some merit to that comment and the winner had good reason to be grateful that the fastest Birel driver had been side-lined earlier in the proceedings. Not that Mike Wilson felt any better about it.

The final round of the European Championship at Ampfing in Germany is now only two weeks away. Jon and Birel have a point to prove.