Archive for 2010
Sutton Coldfield’s Riki Christodoulou won a Bentley organised Charity kart race at the Daytona Milton Keynes track on Saturday (20 March).
Riki, 21, set the fastest time in qualifying – by over six seconds – and with the help of cousin, Adam, and fellow racer James Calado amongst the six-driver “Jack Barclay’s Bentley Boys” team comfortably took the honours by three laps in the three-hour race.
“We had to make 11 pit stops and were given warnings and black flags to try and slow us down in an attempt to make it more of a race but it didn’t stop us winning,” added “Christo”.
“I won a cool trophy for the fastest lap of the day – a piston and other parts from the engine of a Bentley. All I want now is a drive for 2010 to go with it!”
The West Midlander, who finished fifth in his maiden British Formula Three Championship season and won the “Rookie Award” last year, won a Racing4 Charity kart race at Birmingham’s NEC in January.
Sutton Coldfield’s Riki Christodoulou took time out last weekend (27 Feb) from his desperate search for funding by contesting his second charity kart race in the space of six weeks.
The 21-year-old West Midlander who finished fifth in his maiden British Formula Three Championship season and won the “Rookie Award” last year claimed second place in the inaugural Race for Heroes Charity Kart Race.
“Christo” and his fellow “Loose Cannons” team-mates started the Six Hour race staged at the Daytona Milton Keynes track on the crest of a wave having won a 77-lap charity race at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (15 Jan).
“I finished 11 seconds behind the winner so was a little cheesed off we didn’t win again because I hate losing but had to remind myself it was for charity ,” reflected Riki.
“I went out for the last ‘stint’ on a wet track and was consistently lapping almost two seconds a lap faster than anyone. I led and pulled away but had to make a pit-stop and then picked up a penalty for an innocuous collision with another kart despite realising my mistake and allowing the guy back past me. My last stint lasted two hours and it was so annoying to just come up short.”.
Seventeen karts took part in the race which ended in complete darkness with Riki sharing his machine with four other drivers. Actors from British television programme, Dirty Sanchez, plus members of The Enemy, a rock band formed in Coventry, also raced.
Meanwhile Riki returns this week to the slow but vital prospect of finding the necessary finances to allow him to compete in 2010.
“It’s not going as planned otherwise I would have signed for a team and begun testing,” confirmed “Christo”. “Were in negotiations with a number of teams concerning various championship options but are unable to put pen to paper because we haven’t the required budget.
“It is very frustrating and demoralizing as whatever the championship, the racing season begins next month and time is running out. All I want to do is race and prove that I’m a winner.”
NEC Charity Kart Race
21st Jan 2010
On Friday 15th January I was lucky enough to take part in the annual Racing4Charity Kart race at the Autosport International show in Birmingham. The event was raising money for ‘Malaria No More’ and the final total was around £60,000!
The race is organised by David Brabham and Bill Williams, and they manage to bring drivers from all over the world to race in this event.
I was in the same team as last year, but we raced under a different name, ”The Loose Cannons” – one I’d dreamt up whilst on the phone to my good friend and team captain Duncan Tappy – it made us laugh, so we went for it!
We managed to win it last year, so with our spot on the podium at stake, we all wanted to make sure we would finish 1st again, obviously…!
The race was held in the Live Action Arena and was put together in just 20 minutes. The only significant problem was the red and white crash barriers, they didnt have any water or sand in them to weigh them down, and once the first few drivers got in the karts for practice, we were getting red flagged every two minutes with these big lumps of plastic flying up in the air!
Anyway, the race finally began and our team took the lead. Around 20 red flags later we were still out in front, but my cousin Adam Christodoulou was on the tail of our team mate Paul Rees, and so we were hanging over the pit wall screaming and shouting encouragement for him to keep pushing hard to stay in front,.
Adam passed Paul with just five minutes to go, but then Paul managed to re-overtake Adam for the lead again so we had a right race on our hands! The final two miniutes were crazy-intense! Adam pushed Paul out of the way, and with only one-and-a-bit laps to go so we were going mental about what had just happened. But after the next two corners it didn’t matter as there was no track left to race on! The fragile track boundaries had totally fell apart and barriers were flying around three metres up in the air, so the race was red flagged yet again, and as the rules state the result is based on the last full lap meaning we regained the win – which of course was the right decision after some dirty driving ;P
It was like we had won a Formula 1 race (well, sort of)! Bring on next year :)
Riki Christodoulou has got his 2010 season off to a flying start after winning a kart race in aid of charity on “home” soil for a second consecutive year.
The 21-year-old from Sutton Coldfield led his “Loose Cannons” team to a slender 0.509-secs victory in the 77-lap race at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre on Friday evening (15 Jan).
“Christo”, who finished fifth in his maiden British Formula Three Championship season and won the “Rookie Award” last year, also won the corresponding Racing4 Charity race 12 months ago.
“The last eight minutes were crazy”, commented Riki. “We were under pressure having won it last year and it was a close run affair right up until the chequered flag.”
Having qualified 12th on the 26-kart grid, “Christo” and fellow professional motor racing drivers Duncan Tappy, Paul Rees and Will Stevens plus two members of the public, Dave Fry and Shaun Traynor, swept their Loose Cannons team hit the front on lap six leading 19 of the opening 28-laps.
“Paul [Rees] led from lap 56 but then was held up in traffic allowing my cousin, Adam, to catch us up and snatch the lead with eight laps to run. I was hanging over the pit wall screaming and waving Paul on for inspiration!
“Paul re-took Adam before getting bumped out of the lead at the hairpin with one minute remaining but then the race was stopped when crash barriers flew through the air due to other multiple accidents. Rules stipulate results are decided on the lap before the red flag so that meant we’d won – again!”
The race featuring ex-Formula One drivers and some of the world’s leading sportscar drivers was part of the annual Autosport International Show and raised almost £60,000 for Malaria No More UK.
Meanwhile “Christo” is continuing to work towards his 2010 race programme. He added: “We’re in talks to get a budget for this season but it’s a slow process. I have to be patient but it’s hard. I still need major backing and investments to help me to race this year but there a lot of driver’s in the same situation due to the economic climate.”
About Riki Christo
Riki Christodoulou has been racing as long as he can remember. Through karts, Formula Renault and now in the British Formula 3 International series. Riki continues to compete in top flight motorsport as one of the UK’s most promising young racing car drivers.
