Calculated Descent – The Challenge. As part of itmsoil’s Jet challenges the latest was to design, build and race a Soap Box at the Whitehill and Bordon Soap Box Derby on the 27th May. For the uninitiated a Soap Box is a gravity powered kart, no pedals or motors.

There were a few regulations that our kart had to adhere to, weight under 80kg, at least three wheels, under 4 foot wide and 8 foot long and the brake must hold it on a slope at the scrutineering before the race.

Our team comprised of David Farnham, Sheridan Elliott, Stephen Phillips, Matt Pickles and Chris Kirkwood. There were originally two other teams, one of which would drop out before it even got started and the other lost so many members that Phil day stepped in to help the only remaining person Richard Marshall.

6th February (110 days to go) We had our first meeting, and discussed several items (in depth), and from this we decided Chris would be the driver and that the kart would have wheels, and we’d all have a think about a name for the kart. There was no real rush as we had 20 weeks before the race.

We were already planning the aerodynamic body that would take us to victory – or at least the finish line.

Whenever there was a spare minute we would discuss ideas on things such as number of wheels, whether cambered or vertical, aerodynamics, and the like.

11th March (77 days to go) After a few weeks (oops) a second meeting was convened and the name “Calculated Descent” was chosen along with the driver, Chris. The cheque for the entry fee was sent off and further discussions where had about design. We were getting good at having meetings.

Nothing else was finalised, but we did however decide the kart would use BMX wheels, scavenged from local recycling centres, as these would be easy to get hold of.

27th March (63 days to go) Our third and final official meeting took place in the Pub, at Bob’s drinks soiree. I’m sure we decided something but the memory is a little hazy.

Over the next week or so, various old wheels appeared, and a pair of racing go kart seats purchased from ebay for the princely sum of £1 (bidding completed at Andy Moore’s wedding reception).

We were now gathering a reasonable pile of scrap material – I mean parts, but time was passing rather quickly and we only had eight weeks before the race.

Between us we sketched out what we thought our three wheeled (we couldn’t find four matching wheels) kart should look like, and then Stephen converted our sketches to a design that Adrian Newey would have been proud of. He also worked out how much metal was required to achieve our design. This was duly ordered and we discussed things further, we were getting very good at the talking about what was to be done.

The metal arrived a week or so later, and we decided it was time to start joining bits together, good job Chris could weld.

The second team – the third had unfortunately dropped out - was making rapid progress with something that already resembled a kart.

30th April (27 days to go) We gathered after work and made the first cuts, yes we made more than one!, in fact three pieces were cut (one was about right) and were laid together. Wow it was looking good! It already looked like it would be quick.

9th May (18 days to go) Another evening and we actually got some bits welded together.

We were on the home straight now and still a massive 18 days to the start flag.

It also looked a bit like the latest design from our lead designer Stephen

New inner tubes and tyres were ordered, along with new bearings for the front wheels – an inspired decision by Stephen as it turned out.

12th May (15 days to go) It was decided, due to a bit of panic, that Sunday working was required, and that every night was now soap box night. Things began to take shape if a little slowly.

Checking the driving positions and comfort..

14th May (13 days to go) Well at least we now have one wheel attached, and thanks to one of Andor’s childrens old bikes, we have a rear brake and steering – if the brake can stop a three year olds bicycle it will stop a professional soap box.

For the first time Phil thinks we may actually have a kart to race in.

15th May (12 days to go) Another day, another evening in the workshop.

We now had to turn down the stub axles we had built so the wheels would actually fit on, this required precision engineering, as any play would result in wheel wobble and a slow kart.

We enlisted the help of the best man we could find (well afford) Mr Richard Wakefield. The result was better than we ever dreamed.

Now we had something with all its wheels, no steering or brakes (monir point), but all its wheels.

We even had time to do a bit of temporary corporate badging of the kart, Savvy and Victor would be proud – we’ll go for colour printing for the final version.

We decided it was going so well we had time for a weekend off! Oh and we ordered the brake cable – let’s hope the idea works.

22nd May (5 days to go) Our normal welder was absent tonight, so we had a newbie step in, who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? After a bit of coaching from Phil and a bit of practice he had a go at the real thing. It was only the brake system so hardly vital.

For those who don’t know, when welding, there are not supposed to be lots of sparks! To be fair, he was better than I’d have been and he did get better and the welding required was completed and stayed together.

It was then we discovered our first disaster, the steering didn’t work, the wheels turned in opposite directions when the handle bars where turned. The fault is identified and we’ll address it tomorrow

23rd May (4 days to go) The final supports are welded in place, the faulty steering corrected, all systems go. Brake sort of works.

The two karts are almost there.

24th May (3 days to go) The opposition (Richard & Phil) appeared live on Radio Uckfield this morning, being interviewed by the Terry Wogan of Sussex, Mike Ziolek. They talked a good game, but we’d see on the track who was best.

As the office closes for the bank holiday weekend, deep in the workshop the final adjustments are made.

Then just after 17:30 the roller door goes up and out comes the Kart for its inaugural test drive, yes with only three days to go it hasn’t actually been tested yet.

Thankfully it appears to roll, and even though I say so myself very well. With a bit of a push it will roll right around the building to the far end of the rear car park – and that is on the flat.

A few panels, are added to allow the Kart number to be attached, and a final modification to the handle bars and we are all ready for the testing at a secret location tomorrow.

25th May (Saturday – 2 days to go) Under a cloud of secrecy the testing is to be carried out somewhere in Sussex. We don’t want Red Bull protesting.

To begin the session all is relaxed. The first runs will involve letting the kart roll under its own weight only, the push starts will come later.

The first to test is Richard and Phil with “Loose Bearings”.

It’s a steady run, with no issues.

Next up is Chris with “Calculated Descent”, a few final instructions from Sheridan and off he goes.

It definitely looked a bit quicker, but both drivers used a fair bit of brake on their first runs. The next runs were a lot braver. With Sheridan unable to keep up, and of course Chris had to give the steering a full workout getting the rear of the kart sliding.

It was then decided to have a bit of a race with a push start.

It was a narrow(ish) win for “Calculated Descent”.

It was then we discovered the first racing casualty, a flat spot for loose bearings on a rear tyre and a puncture, ironically from a piece of swarf picked up in the machine shop.

Following a quick pit stop, the karts where loaded back onto the support vehicle and locked away ready for race day on Monday.

27th May (Race Day) The Bank holiday Monday dawned bright and dry, a huge relief for us as our brake was totally useless in the wet. The karts were picked up and we all headed across the border to Hampshire.

We were the first to arrive, and began our final tuning and adjusting of the troublesome brake.

The other competitors started arriving, the course record holders, followed by the winner of the solo competition - the event we had entered. Then some more quirky entrants.

There are lots of pictures at www.itm-ltd.com/Jet_Soap_Box_Derby/index.html

At 12:00 it was over to scrutineering. For legal reasons we will just say both cars passed and were accepted for racing. “Calculated Descent” was #4 with “Loose Bearing” #3

With the two itmsoil karts being drawn together the bragging rights were up for grabs.

As it had been on the Saturday, “Calculated Descent” won the race in a time of 0:47.4, with “Loose Bearings finishing in 1:00.8.

We were all delighted to see the Kart reach the Finish line, particularly as only a fortnight earlier it was little more than a pile of parts.

Chris announced that on the next run he wouldn’t touch the brake on the chicane as it’d be fine!

The times were announced and we thought we were probably about top 15, turns out we were 7th.

First Run Pos Cart No. & Name Type Weight Driver 1 Time Average

Speed * 1 15 Wacky Racer Team 72 Paul Kimber 00:41.5 21.71 2 18 Team Streamline Team 57 Dom Clements 00:43.7 20.60 3 2 Bordon Rocket Solo 75 Peter Welland 00:45.1 19.94 4 7 Green Meanie Solo 61 Steve Kingstone 00:45.5 19.78 5 1 Team Scraem 1 ** Solo 65 James Mears 00:46.3 19.44 6 16 Team Scraem 2 ** Solo 65 Dave Mears 00:46.9 19.19 7 4 Calculated Descent Solo 37 Chris Kirkwood 00:47.4 19.01 8 6 Lickety Split Team 50 Chris Tree 00:47.8 18.81 9 5 Free Wheeler (1) Team 49 Drew Munn 00:50.1 17.95

10 21 Pearce Thunder Racing Solo 80 Norman Pearce 00:52.6 17.11 11 14 The Lady Tickler Team 72 Ian Harvey 00:53.1 16.94 12 13 Bullet Proof Bomb Solo 80 Steve Blunden 00:55.1 16.33 13 19 Lammy Solo 20 Liam Horner 00:56.3 16.00 14 12 The Toob Solo 51 Chris Hartley 00:56.6 15.90 15 3 Loose Bearings Solo 70 Richard Marshall 01:00.8 14.81 16 11 Team Independents Solo 75 Iain Williams 01:02.5 14.40 17 8 Team Skaterham I Team 75 Darren Barnes 01:04.2 14.03 18 22 Subo On Tour 3 Solo 60 Denis Ellis 01:08.2 13.20 19 17 Free Wheeler (2) Team 49 David Munn 01:11.0 12.68 20 10 Team Skaterham II Team 37.5 Dan Skilton 02:24.2 6.24 21 9 Sub Sonic Solo 75 Greg Walker DNF -- 20 Grey Matter Racing Team DNS Olly Smith DNS --

The second run was similar to the first with both Karts considerably faster. In fact after chatting to the policewoman carrying the results I found that we were actually the second fastest on the run, beaten only by the reigning champion.

Second Run Pos Cart No. & Name Type Weight Driver 1 Time Average

Speed * 1 2 Bordon Rocket Solo 75 Peter Welland 00:39.5 22.81 2 4 Calculated Descent Solo 37 Chris Kirkwood 00:40.2 22.38 3 6 Lickety Split Team 50 Chris Tree 00:42.1 21.37 4 7 Green Meanie Solo 61 Steve Kingstone 00:42.2 21.31 5 16 Team Scraem 2 ** Solo 65 Dave Mears 00:44.3 20.33 6 5 Free Wheeler (1) Team 49 Drew Munn 00:44.7 20.15 7 17 Free Wheeler (2) Team 49 David Munn 00:45.8 19.66 8 18 Team Streamline Team 57 Dom Clements 00:46.3 19.44 9 15 Wacky Racer Team 72 Paul Kimber 00:46.6 19.32

10 14 The Lady Tickler Team 72 Ian Harvey 00:47.0 19.15 11 19 Lammy Solo 20 Liam Horner 00:48.5 18.54 12 21 Pearce Thunder Racing Solo 80 Norman Pearce 00:49.7 18.10 13 13 Bullet Proof Bomb Solo 80 Steve Blunden 00:51.4 17.51 14 11 Team Independents Solo 75 Iain Williams 00:51.5 17.48 15 3 Loose Bearings Solo 70 Richard Marshall 00:52.3 17.21 16 10 Team Skaterham II Team 37.5 Dan Skilton 00:53.5 16.83 17 12 The Toob Solo 51 Chris Hartley 00:54.3 16.57 18 8 Team Skaterham I Team 75 Darren Barnes 00:54.7 16.44 19 1 Team Scraem 1 ** Solo 65 James Mears 00:57.4 15.69 20 22 Subo On Tour 3 Solo 60 Denis Ellis 01:00.2 14.96 21 9 Sub Sonic Solo 75 Greg Walker Withdrew -- 20 Grey Matter Racing Team DNS Olly Smith DNS --

Unbelievably we now found ourselves in second place overall after the first two runs.

For the third run, we found ourselves racing the reigning champion. We got a fantastic start in no small part down to the powerful pushing of Steve and Matt, and found ourselves several meters up, by the first chicane, and by the time we reached the next turn almost 10m ahead.

Unfortunately due to our light weight we had good initial speed but on the long flattening final stretch we lacked momentum, and with only 5m to go the Bordon Rocket sailed past.

Third Run Pos Cart No. & Name Type Weight Driver 1 Time Average

Speed * 1 15 Wacky Racer Team 72 Simon Anscombe 00:39.2 22.94 2 17 Free Wheeler (2) Team 49 Andy Munn 00:39.9 22.57 3 7 Green Meanie Solo 61 Steve Kingstone 00:40.1 22.43 4 18 Team Streamline Team 57 Matt Bennett 00:41.9 21.48 5 5 Free Wheeler (1) Team 49 Brice Munn 00:42.2 21.32 6 1 Team Scraem 1 ** Solo 65 James Mears 00:42.3 21.27 7 2 Bordon Rocket Solo 75 Peter Welland 00:43.8 20.55 8 6 Lickety Split Team 50 Tony Talbot 00:44.2 20.38 9 4 Calculated Descent Solo 37 Chris Kirkwood 00:44.7 20.13

10 21 Pearce Thunder Racing Solo 80 Norman Pearce 00:47.1 19.10 11 14 The Lady Tickler Team 72 Leigh Cody 00:48.1 18.71 12 19 Lammy Solo 20 Liam Horner 00:48.8 18.46 13 13 Bullet Proof Bomb Solo 80 Steve Blunden 00:49.4 18.21 14 10 Team Skaterham II Team 37.5 Dan Holgardo 00:49.8 18.05 15 12 The Toob Solo 51 Chris Hartley 00:50.8 17.72 16 11 Team Independents Solo 75 Iain Williams 00:51.6 17.43 17 3 Loose Bearings Solo 70 Richard Marshall 00:52.9 17.00 18 8 Team Skaterham I Team 75 Jim Harmon 00:55.2 16.30 19 22 Subo On Tour 3 Solo 60 Denis Ellis 01:03.6 14.16 20 16 Team Scraem 2 ** Solo 65 Dave Mears DNF -- 9 Sub Sonic Solo 75 Greg Walker Withdrew --

20 Grey Matter Racing Team DNS Paul Brady DNS --

We headed for the last time up the hill for the final runs, now dreaming of a top ten finish, a huge change from when we arrived that morning, when all we hoped for, was not to be last, and secretly ahead of “Loose Bearings” – sorry guys.

The final run followed the same pattern as the third, with us getting away the faster, leaving the Bordon Rocket in our wake, but once again on the run in he sped past.

Final Run Pos Cart No. & Name Type Weight Driver 1 Time Average

Speed * 1 18 Team Streamline Team 57 Matt Bennett 00:36.8 24.46 2 15 Wacky Racer Team 72 Simon Anscombe 00:37.4 24.05 3 17 Free Wheeler (2) Team 49 Andy Munn 00:38.9 23.12 4 2 Bordon Rocket Solo 75 Peter Welland 00:39.2 22.95 5 6 Lickety Split Team 50 Tony Talbot 00:40.1 22.42 6 7 Green Meanie Solo 61 Steve Kingstone 00:40.3 22.35 7 21 Pearce Thunder Racing Solo 80 Norman Pearce 00:40.6 22.18 8 4 Calculated Descent Solo 37 Chris Kirkwood 00:41.6 21.66 9 5 Free Wheeler (1) Team 49 Brice Munn 00:43.2 20.84

10 14 The Lady Tickler Team 72 Leigh Cody 00:47.4 19.00 11 19 Lammy Solo 20 Liam Horner 00:48.5 18.56 12 3 Loose Bearings Solo 70 Richard Marshall 00:49.2 18.29 13 8 Team Skaterham I Team 75 Jim Harmon 00:50.4 17.86 14 10 Team Skaterham II Team 37.5 Dan Holgardo 00:55.9 16.09 15 13 Bullet Proof Bomb Solo 80 Steve Blunden 00:56.5 15.92 16 11 Team Independents Solo 75 Iain Williams 00:59.5 15.13 17 22 Subo On Tour 3 Solo 60 Denis Ellis 01:20.5 11.18 1 Team Scraem 1 ** Solo 65 James Mears DNF -- 12 The Toob Solo 51 Chris Hartley DNF -- 16 Team Scraem 2 ** Solo 65 Dave Mears DNF -- 9 Sub Sonic Solo 75 Greg Walker Withdrew --

20 Grey Matter Racing Team DNS Paul Brady DNS --

On the final run, Richard set their teams fastest time, breaking the fifty second barrier.

We all headed back to the ‘pits’ and waited for the final placings, fingers crossed top ten.

The team event and the fastest times where announced, then the announcement for third place “in an average time of 43.5 seconds…”, we looked at each other and said we nearly made top three… the announcer continued “in third place ‘Calculated Descent’” cue lots of cheering and back slapping.

Pos Cart No. & Name Type Weight Driver 1 Average Average Speed *

1 2 Bordon Rocket Solo 75 Peter Welland 00:41.9 21.48 2 7 Green Meanie Solo 61 Steve Kingstone 00:42.0 21.41 3 4 Calculated Descent Solo 37 Chris Kirkwood 00:43.5 20.71 4 21 Pearce Thunder Racing Solo 80 Norman Pearce 00:47.5 18.95 5 19 Lammy Solo 20 Liam Horner 00:50.5 17.82 6 13 Bullet Proof Bomb Solo 80 Steve Blunden 00:53.1 16.94 7 3 Loose Bearings Solo 70 Richard Marshall 00:53.8 16.73 8 11 Team Independents Solo 75 Iain Williams 00:56.3 15.99 9 22 Subo On Tour 3 Solo 60 Denis Ellis 01:08.1 13.22

10 1 Team Scraem 1 ** Solo 65 James Mears 01:51.5 8.07 11 12 The Toob Solo 51 Chris Hartley 01:55.4 7.8 12 16 Team Scraem 2 ** Solo 65 Dave Mears 02:52.8 5.21 13 9 Sub Sonic Solo 75 Greg Walker N/A -

The two teams

The Third Place winners with the trophy – roll on next year, now (we think) we know what we’re doing!