Tillotson T4 World Cup 2020 - Race Report
The inaugural T4 World Cup was held at the stunning Whiteriver Park, Co Louth on September 26-27. The two-day event saw some of the best 4-stroke kart racers from Ireland and abroad compete for the World Cup Title in the T4 Senior class (15+ years).
The event was organised by Tillotson Racing and run by Motorsport Ireland Karting. This ensured the event adhered to the highest of standards while providing drivers with an excellent race day. With a strong entry of 39 drivers competing in identical Tillotson T4 karts everyone present was treated to a fantastic event with extremely close racing. Trackside support was on offer over the course of the event from the entire Tillotson crew which helped every driver achieve optimal performance from their T4 package.
During Saturday’s practice sessions drivers experimented with many different types of kart set up, tyre pressures, along with changing gearing to maximise engine power. Whiteriver Park is a challenging race circuit with steep inclines, fast flowing corners, and tight technical sections all requiring the ultimate combination of kart set up and driver skill. At the end of Saturday many drivers were lapping in the same 1/10 of a second which was an indication towards some close racing on Sunday.
Drivers battled through a demanding race structure on Sunday where everyone competed in practice, qualifying, two race heats, along with a super heat to determine their starting position in the final which was Sunday’s main event.
The drivers were split up into four groups A-B-C-D to ensure they had lots of track space for their qualifying runs. These qualifying results would determine grid positions for their race heats which meant things were now getting serious and tension was building in the paddock as drivers entered race mode.
First up was Group A with Sean Purcell topping the time charts with a lap time of 55.547. Group B was keenly contested with Cathal McNally posting the fastest time of 55.504. Next up was Group C with Conor McPolin posting the fastest lap time of 55.189 which was the best of everyone in qualifying. Last out was Group D where Shane Burke achieved the best lap time of 55.624. These drivers guaranteed they would start their heats from the front row and it was finally time to start racing.
Heat races were fiercely contested producing some close and entertaining racing. Two Groups were joined for Heats meaning the order was A vs B, C vs D, A vs C, B vs D, where up to 20 drivers would compete in each Heat race. The 10 lap heats were physically demanding for drivers as the fastest lap time from qualifying no longer guaranteed a high race finishing position. Race heats were about consistency and keeping away from crashes or the dreaded bumper penalty. In T4 Series and World Cup event the front bumper penalty is +5 seconds which means drivers must be mindful of bumping into other karts on track which can dislodge the front bumper system.
We witnessed many strong come backs during the Heat races as drivers who didn’t qualify as high as they hoped had made up many positions, the alternative being some drivers who were expected to be higher had dropped down the order due to a combination of bad luck, crashes and penalties. Once Heat points were calculated we now had our front Row drivers for each Super Heat. Super Heat A vs D would be led out by Sean Purcell on pole and Evan Stapelton sitting off pole. Super Heat C vs B was going to see Conor McPolin and Cathal McNally on the front row with McPolin starting from pole following wins in both of his Heat races.
The Super Heats was the final chance for drivers to qualify for the main Final. Only 30 drivers would make the final grid meaning this could be the last race of the day for some drivers. Combined with the fact that the Super Heat carried double qualifying points there was a lot to race for to determine Final grid positions for the main Race.
Super Heat A vs D was first up with Sean Purcell taking a commanding victory followed by Ryan Nally and Red Bull drift athlete Conor Shanahan. Shanahan competing at his first ever T4 kart race was really finding his feet with constant improvement over the day and now featuring with a faster lap time than the race winner. Evan Stapelton was unfortunate to suffer a DNF which would hurt his starting position for the final. A bumper penalty for the fastest driver in the Super Heat, Shane Burke, also meant he missed out on valuable points towards his final grid position.
Next up was Super Heat C vs B. The Event format now meant that every driver had the opportunity to race against every other driver who was racing at the event. Conor McPolin took victory in this Super Heat with consistency of lap times being the primary factor towards his win. Cathal McNally took home P2 while having to hold back the ever-improving Ross McDonald who had his best finish of the weekend in P3. One of the drives of the day went to Alex Coby who finished 4th while posting the fastest time of any of the Super Heats of 55.342 after a superb showing considering she started from P14.
The dust had settled from an afternoon of race Heats which provided great drama. The starting grid positions were now posted for the Final. The Final was going to be a 14 lap race of winner takes all. Drivers were restricted to 1 set of Maxxis T4 race tyres for the event, so it was also about who had preserved their tyres the best for the final. Conor McPolin was starting on pole and the question was could anybody stop him from taking another victory. He had already won all his qualifying heats. Sean Purcell was starting off pole and after his strong showing with his Super heat victory it was hard to bet against him.
The final was introduced by Tillotson President, Charles Demirjian. Drivers brought their T4 karts onto the race circuit to take up their starting positions. There was a competitive feeling in the air as Charles conducted some brief driver interviews before it was time to start engines. The 30 drivers took to their karts and completed their warmup lap in perfect order, the race was started first time. The Tri colour was raised and the first ever T4 World Cup was running.
As with any high intensity race there were some casualties early on. Some of the close racing was a little too close and drivers were involved in racing incidents which left them out of the race. This was not the case for Conor McPolin who very quickly began to stamp his authority on the field. Conor made a break from the chasing pack and he had just enough space to allow himself some breathing room. In the early stages he was chased hard by Cathal McNally, Ross McDonald and Colin Smith but it was only a matter of time before these trio began to race for second place allowing McPolin to get away even further. Josh Mullholland who had been a front runner all weekend drove a fantastic race to finish P2 after battling his way through the field after early race incidents. At the end of the day it was Conor McPolin who stood at the top step of the Podium. He produced a dominant display to take victory and become T4 World Cup champion of 2020. Cathal McNally rounded out the podium taking P3 and it was well deserved from a driver who was competing in his first kart race in many years.
Tillotson T4 Series has rapidly become a popular gateway to kart racing in many countries throughout the World. The T4 Series runs a mono-brand Tillotson chassis developed to suit the Tillotson TPP-225RS engine and specifically designed Maxxis T4 tyres. To control costs, only stock chassis and engine components can be used in the series.
Since the initial launch of the 4-stroke cost effective karting category in 2019, T4 Series already has 150 drivers competing across many countries such as Ireland, UK, Holland, Belgium, USA, and new T4 Series planned globally for 2021. The T4 Mini Category which was also launched at the event will cater for younger drivers (8-12 years) meaning drivers of all ages can now avail of this exciting new platform of 4-stroke karting.
After the success of hosting the inaugural T4 World Cup in Ireland, Tillotson are already planning for the T4 World Cup 2021. The planning, organisation and weeks of preparation that went into the event from everyone involved lead to a memorable weekend which has paved the way for T4 Series to expand and grow.