Kelvin "Rowdy" Hassell

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Race Reports, News & Views
 

August
Stockhatch - Silverstone

It was all go for the AHM-MWR race team on the 27th and 28th of August, when the team went to Silverstone for the 750 Motor club race meeting. Kelvin 'Rowdy' Hassell took over the #94 Citroen Saxo for the Allcomers Handicap race on Saturday. The handicap system allows low powered cars like the Saxo to race against high power/ high downforce cars like the Radical PRO6. A fuel pump failure led to a poor qualifying position and brake problems during the race led to a 15th position finish which became 9th after the Handicap system was applied.

 

Team owner Alan Hassell, who was booked to race the #94 car on Sunday, later announced that he would be stepping down to allow Kelvin to race in Sunday's Stock Hatch Championship race. AHM-MWR's regular driver Tom Simpson took a personal best qualifying position of 19th in the Sunday morning session, driving the #60 Saxo. Brake problems again hampered the performance of the #94 car, eventually retiring Hassell from the session.

 

Simpson put in an excellent race performance, moving up to 18th in the 34 car field, before the chequered flag, an excellent result in only his second season in the highly competitive Stock Hatch series. Hassell cheated his faulty brakes by having the AHM-MWR team remove the rear brakes altogether. Despite the lack of stopping power, Hassell moved up to 20th from his 25th place grid but dropped back to 24th before the flag.

 

Hassell said, "This is a good starting point for the #94 car, we have had a lot of teething troubles getting this far, but now we can concentrate on getting both cars to the front of the field."

 

The AHM-MWR team will be back out at Oulton Park in two weeks time. Alan Hassell will be at the wheel of the #94 with Simpson driving the #60. Meanwhile, Kelvin Hassell will be with the Roots V8 Racing Team at the Budweiser 200 European Late Model Series race in Belgium on the 4th of September.

 

ELMS - Ipswich

Brighton racer Kelvin Hassell had a average weekend when the European Late Model Series went to Ipswich for it's only U.K visit this season. The 32 year old was, once again, in the #77 Roots V8 Racing Ford, avoided wrecks in heat one to take fourth, but only managed 6th in both the second heat and the final.

 

"I am pleased to bring the #77 home with no damage on it but it is not the results I wanted." Said Hassell, "We expected a win here but I just couldn't clear the traffic. Very frustrating."

 

Hassell was the "fan favourite" to win the final according to a poll held on the European Late Models facebook page. "I am disappointed for the Roots team and disappointed for the fans." said Hassell.

 

Hassell's weekend was far from bad though, Frenchman Vincent Lehouck had fuel problems and didn't make the start of heat one. Both of the Race Car Direct-UK cars came home with extensive damage, as did the two Revolution Racing cars of Kerian Dynes and Chris Richardson. The last casualty of the night was ASBF Chevrolet of Paul Bowman who retired with a power steering failure.

 

"If we were racing for a championship, this would be a good result!" Reflected Hassell, "But really we are just coming out to win races, we just want to show how good the Roots V8 Racing cars are."

 

The European Late Model Series returns to Belgium in a weeks time where Hassell will be looking for better results.

 

June

The European Late Model Series moved to Venray in the Netherlands for the fourth and fifth rounds of their 2011 season. The 6 races held over the 12th and 13th of June were the first to be held on the new 1km high banked oval at Venray. It was the first time the series had raced in the Netherlands, and it was also the first time this season that Brighton based racing driver Kelvin Hassell, would join the series.

 

Hassell, driving the #5 Chevrolet Impala for Roots V8 Racing, started 7th for race one but quickly showed form by picking of cars on the way to a three way battle for the lead. Marc Stegmeyer from the Netherlands was leading on his home track when Hassell arrived at the front with Frenchman Jean Vasseur in tow. The three traded paint and metal as they each took turns at leading the race. Eventually, Vasseur and Hassell broke away from the Dutchman and continued their own battle for the lead. A late race spin by one of the back marking cars led to a full course yellow which ended the race with Hassell second from Vasseur.

 

For the second race, Hassell was moved down to 15th on the grid. A tight pack of midfield cars racing two and sometimes three abreast meant that Hassell could only move up as far as 7th before becoming mired in the traffic.

 

Kelvin (in 5th position) starts to hunt down the leaders at Venray

 

Hassell was moved a little further forward for the final race of the day and was quickly on his way up the order when he was involved in a collision with Raptor Racing's Jos Jansen retiring the #5 Chevrolet from the race.

 

Overnight rain cleaned the track for the Monday races. Despite many of the challengers opting for brand new tyres for the second day, Hassell was still able to salvage two third places in the first two races of the day. However, the longer third race took it's toll, And although Hassell managed to move up to sixth early on, he had dropped to eleventh by the flag, as the Chevrolet's tyres had no more performance left to give.
Hassell said, "We were supposed to get new tyres before the race weekend, but a break down in communication meant that we didn't get them. These tyres were a meeting old before we got here. I suppose we did pretty good really. A big thank you must go out to Chris and the Roots V8 Racing team for getting me out here this weekend."

 

The European Late Model Series continues in Belgium at Warneton International Speedway, this weekend.
 

March

Kelvin "Rowdy" Hassell will be spending more time racing in England this season, starting with a return to Brands Hatch. The Brighton based driver has spent the last five seasons racing in the European Late Model Series for Roots V8 Racing. The European Late Model Series only has limited races in the UK and, for 2011, the series announced it would only visit the UK once during it's 16 race schedule. Hassell, however, has chosen to drop the Belgian rounds of the European Late Model Series in favour of racing with his father's race team, Alan Hassell Motorsport, located in Polegate, near Eastbourne. Kelvin will share one of the teams Citroen Saxo VTRs with his dad, Alan Hassell. The duo will be racing up and down the UK, taking turns in the 750 Motor Club's Stock Hatch Championship and Allcomers races.

"I have raced the Saxo before," said Kelvin "I can say it is a lot different from a Late Model, but it is still an amazingly fun car to drive."

 

Kelvin poses with the Saxo he will race in 2011     Picture - Kayleigh Sparks

 

The differences are quite drastic. The front wheel drive Citroen Saxo is much smaller and nimbler than the big American rear wheel drive Stockcar and, although the Citroen's 1600cc engine has been fettled to perfection at Alan Hassell Motorsport, it is still only 1/4 of the power of the mighty 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8 used by the Late Model.

 

Alan Hassell will begin his Stock Hatch season on the third of April at Mallory Park. Kelvin will join him in the AHM Citroen Saxo at Brands Hatch on 17th of April. The pairing will then visit Cadwell Park and Snetterton before Kelvin resumes his European Late Model Series commitments in June.

 

The first race in Kelvin's European Late Model Series campaign with the big Roots V8 Racing Chevrolet will take place at Venray, the new 1 kilometre banked oval in the Netherlands.
Kelvin will also be competing in the European Late Models only visit to the UK. Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich will host the British round of the championship on the 6th of August. There will be plenty of action as the big cars race into the night on the smallest oval track on their schedule.

 

With two different cars to race and a full season ahead, it is hard for Kelvin to find time to relax. When he does find the time to relax, he likes nothing better than to fill that time with more racing! Between ducking in and out of Europe to race cars, Kelvin has joined the Brighton Karting Club.
The Brighton Karting Club is, as the name suggests, a Kart club based in Brighton. The club organises a professional looking championship using outdoor rental Kart races around the Sussex area. The aim is to provide a professional but cost effective way to go racing. The club is open to anyone so even the complete novice can go and mix it up with the clubs top drivers.
"This is a great way for people to get a taste of the sport with minimal outlay. You don't even need your own race suit and crash helmet!" Enthused Kelvin, "It's a friendly club and everyone is out for a good time. I am proud to be a part of something that gets new faces into motor racing!"

 

If you fancy some wheel to wheel action against some like minded individuals check out the Brighton Karting website at www.brightonkartingclub.com