Mladý Forman útočí na čelní pozice v anglickém MSA SUPER 1 Championship

Last weekend, young Czech kart driver Jirka Forman took part in Round 3 of the prestigious British MSA SUPER 1 CHAMPIONSHIP series at Rowrah, Scotland. As the weather was sunny this time, as opposed to the two preceding events held in wet weather conditions typical of the British Isles, Jirka Forman was able to take advantage of his experience from the Continent. The free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday suggested that Jirka might achieve a very good result in the forthcoming races. However, the situation changed considerably in the timed practice held in the early evening on Saturday, as mechanic Josef Bodurek explained: 'We fitted the second engine for the timed practice, together with gears with a higher gear ratio. Unfortunately, this combination did not meet our expectations.' Jirka really was struggling, and came only 41st, which put him at the back of the starting grid for the qualifying.

The mechanics were working till late at night, replacing the engine, carburettor and the gears. The chassis set-up was changed as well. And, here is the account of the subsequent Sunday finals, as provided by the young driver himself: 'This time, the kart was running perfectly. In Heat 1, after starting 24th, I finished in 11th. In Heat 2, after fierce battles, I claimed the tenth place. This put me to the finals with a wide margin. In the first final race, I claimed the 12th place. Moreover, my fastest lap time was the second best among all the finalists. In the second final race, I did not manage so well, as I had an accident on Lap 2. I had to chase the pack afterwards and fight my way through the field. So, I had to settle for the 21st place.'

Despite the not quite perfect second final race, Jirka has been doing very well in the British Championship series. He is among the top ten drivers of the current standings permanently, and is in a position to contest even a top three spot! We will see how he is doing after a two-month break, when the British championship series goes on once again in Scotland, at Larhall. In the mean time, the qualifying for the European Championship will take place.