Driver Journal James 'Adam' Pell - J. A. Pell & Son Motorsport - #66

Driver Name
James 'Adam' Pell
Driver Number
#66
Team Name
J. A. Pell & Son Motorsport
Facebook
@JAPellAndSonMotorsport
Instagram
@japellandsonmotorsport
Website
https://www.japellandson.co.uk/motorsport/
Primary Sponsor
https://www.japellandson.co.uk
Photography By
Paul Babington & Various Others
Cover Image & Info - Updated 26/08/2021

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Since 1998 J. A Pell & Son have been involved in the world of Motorsport. Itโ€™s a great family orientated sport and hobby, which incorporates our business and itโ€™s core values perfectly. Not to mention a fantastic wind down from the world of general life and work! You can follow the journey of โ€˜J. A. Pell & Son Motorsportโ€™ on and off the track.

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Powered by Grice Racing Engines


Competitor at Bayford Meadows Kart Racing Club

KartingForum.co.uk
Founders of KartingForum.co.uk
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Our Original Driver Journal Entry - Posted 19/08/2020
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First test day at Bayford Meadows after 13 years. The old man and my best mate โ˜

In a bid to give everbody a bit of insight about myself, guess I'll get involved! ๐Ÿ˜

The Beginning....
First name James (After the old man), but everybody calls me by my middle name...Adam (Long story). Where did it all start? Growing up around Motorsport as kid I was either Karting, short oval racing with family, glued to the TV watching F1 or Touring Cars. Thinking about it, playing various kinds of racing games too. I remember as a kid having a go in a Kart on holiday, done pretty well and the bug bit. We started Karting around 1998 quite religiously, spending most weekends getting track time in. Starting off in rental Karts at 'Brentwood Karting' and then progressing onto being an owner driver, in a Zip Cadet some time later. Brentwood was great, though the 'old' track is now gone and has been replaced/upgraded. Here's my short and probably boring story ๐Ÿคช

The Test Day?!
I got the opportunity to go for a test session in a Comer Cadet, at the time with a 2 stroke W60 engine. It was at Rye House, dark...raining..never driven the track before or the class of Kart on offer. Things were nearly called off but the old man assured the fella all will be fine. He was thankfully correct and both myself and Kart left the track in one piece. Great fun and I would imagine a big smile from ear to ear, from myself and the old man.

ZIP Kart, Thanks Mr Karting!
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Circa 1998 I would think - 7/8 years old - What's HD?โ˜
'Mum & Dad' financed the first Kart and got me into the seat. We bought the ZIP Kart from the late and great Martin Hines, Mr Karting! I remember the day very well still. Such a great fella and really made us feel at home around the shop, nothing was too much bother. A few hand shakes later and a "Enjoy the Kart kid" from Martin, we picked up our first proper taste of Karting. The memories started being created and the legacy began! We was regulars at local tracks such at Rye House and Bayford Meadows. Ended up completing my ARKS test and getting a club license.

The Search For Power!
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Circa 2001/2002 - 10 / 11 years old โ˜
I remember Cadets was great, but I was always heavy. The search for more power a new buzz began! We skipped Mini Max and progressed into Junior Rotax. I remember it was a time where TKM was very much in the forefront of Karting classes and the 'new' Rotax classes were very much up and coming. Being quite young and going out in a Junior Rotax was quite an eye opener, the power felt very much alive and kicking. Again, a great opportunity came up and I test drove a Junior Rotax on an Eglem chassis from the late 'Trackside Karting' at Bayford Meadows. Same again, very apprehensive attitude from all parties involved due to my age. All went well and we ended up getting a new Eglem Chassis and Junior engine. Still no racing? Nope still not entered any races yet. I was always ahead of my classed due to size/weight. Cost was a major issue. And in all honesty I used to love going open practice the day before a race meeting and having such a masterclass in driving from other kids on track. We held our own, good times!

Still Got A Bit Of It :sneaky:
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I still have a caliper from the Eglem Chassis with a picture in it. A great photo frame if you every find the need for one....

Senior Time...
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Circa 2003/2004 - 12 / 13 years old โ˜
Again we jumped a class early, really early! This time I was getting a few coaching sessions from a fella (I can't remember the name, so sorry) and we opted to go for one of their ex race engines and a new 'Go Kart' chassis. They had a workshop in Leyton, East London which was right on our doorstep. It was a nice Kart, but I did prefer the Eglem. Anyways, another learning curve with the Rotax Senior. Still not racing due to being too young for the class and financial restrictions. But still holding our own and having a blast! Turning a few heads and up turning some eyebrows for all the right reasons on occasion.

Sold Up!
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Circa 2006 / 2007 - 15 / 16 years old โ˜
Sold. As I got older I found myself getting a part time job, going out with 'mates' and in general not having time for Karting. We had a good run and it was time to move on. Karting kept me on the straight and narrow as kid. Some of my best memories was from the days of Karting.

Fast Forward >> 2019
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2019 - Old :( โ˜
At 17 life moves on and I really got into my cars, owning various things over the years. Fast forward a few years and I bought my dream car around 2012, a Ford Focus ST225. I loved it, it was my pride and joy. After 7 years of owning it and making some great friends and going to many many shows and meets. The time had come, back to Karting we go. I can confirm 300bhp and Karting are very different, but once you get the Karting bug you will NOT loose it. It's their for life. Car got sold. Tears all round.

Snapped!
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2019 - Bayford โ˜
What made me go back to Karting? The smell, the buzz, the memories....my little ones. Oh and Paul Babington's snap above . We went to a few meetings at Bayford to watch...it all come flooding back. Long story short; I got home and Paul snapped my little one looking over at another little one in a Bambino. I wanted to make the some memories I had as a kid, with my kids. Car sold. Workshop built with the old man. Kart bought. Soon we swap the scooter for a Bambino too kid!

KartingForum.co.uk
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2019 - The internet โ˜
Upon trying to get back into Karting I noticed there was a void for something new, fresh and unique. KartingForum.co.uk was born! You get what that's all about, you're here right?!

The Return!
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2020 - Super secret headquaters โ˜
Started off again where we left off! With the car gone it allowed me to go ahead and own a fantastic example of a Tony Kart with a Senior Rotax from NextKarting (Great firm, highly recommended). J. A. Pell & Son Motorsport was born! Since we have been out on the track for a few sessions and getting back into the swing of things. If I can get into some club racing next year at Bayford and Lydd, I'd be over the moon! For now we (I lol) concentrate on dropping some timber and getting some consistant times. Race craft is still back there somewhere, but I have so much to forget in terms of bad habits. It seems to hurt more now at 29 than it did as a kid too? ๐Ÿค”

Where From Here...The Legacy
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2020 - Happy place, Bayford โ˜
Well as far as I'm concerned KartingForum.co.uk is here to stay and help people and the industry where possible. Maybe in 5 years I'm going to look back and say 'Good effort, but no trophy'. But as I have proven, you can make some wicked memories without winning a trophy, it just depends on who you wish to share that journey with. I'm here to help anybody where I can, so please contact me/the forum if that's possible. We'll see how things go and I thank you all for getting onboard with this little project.

Karting wise, I intend to get in shape and become some what competitive again. Club races next year? I hope so. I also want to get my little ones into Karting if they wish to, we'll see when the time comes.

Well, that's my journey spanning the last 20 years and with loads more to come! Big thanks to all that was a good influence and assistance over the years, great times! I'll keep this thread updated with all the latest happenings and goals. I'm sure I will update this post at some point, bound to be a typo or something I have missed.

Welcome to my Driver Journal......

โ˜โค
 

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Hi Adam,

Just wanted to say the effort you've put into your journal is inspiring to a 28-year old spectator such as myself. I've finally decided to take the plunge and reach out to my local club to get started. I'm looking forward to get stuck in and learn every aspect of the sport.

Who knows I may have my own journal here one day!

Thanks Sam, that means allot! And it's comments like this that give me to drive to keep this place going and help people. Fantastic! :giggle:

I look forward to seeing your Driver Journal pop up as and when you're ready to document your journey into the sport.

Thanks for getting involved in the forum!

Have fun out there ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ช
 
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Cheers Adam

Without hijacking your journal (please delete after if necessary), I was also hoping to find a journal from someone who's built a kart from the ground - if you know of any on here or online (I've tried but no luck) please do let me know. The dream for me would be to build my own eventually so this would be very helpful!
 
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Hi Sam, I built mine up from scratch when I started out again, give us a message on my email: lewisbrown_racing@hotmail.com if you need any help, save clogging Adams journal up.
 
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Cheers Adam

Without hijacking your journal (please delete after if necessary), I was also hoping to find a journal from someone who's built a kart from the ground - if you know of any on here or online (I've tried but no luck) please do let me know. The dream for me would be to build my own eventually so this would be very helpful!
Ahh don't be silly! Feel free to post up in the tech sections for any help needed. And of course you can always document your build in a journal!

You can also check out our tutorial section. Power Republic do some quality videos, check out their channel.


Hi Sam, I built mine up from scratch when I started out again, give us a message on my email: lewisbrown_racing@hotmail.com if you need any help, save clogging Adams journal up.

Legend! Hope you're well fella! Ay you popping down for the last meeting, even if it's to watch?
 
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Ahh don't be silly! Feel free to post up in the tech sections for any help needed. And of course you can always document your build in a journal!

You can also check out our tutorial section. Power Republic do some quality videos, check out their channel.




Legend! Hope you're well fella! Ay you popping down for the last meeting, even if it's to watch?

Yeah I'm good thanks buddy. Dont think I'll get down I'm afraid...Cracking nuts to get back!! looking good for next season though, really looking forward to it. Probably get out testing mid to late January fingers crossed. See your times are coming down, looking good mate.
 
Yeah I'm good thanks buddy. Dont think I'll get down I'm afraid...Cracking nuts to get back!! looking good for next season though, really looking forward to it. Probably get out testing mid to late January fingers crossed. See your times are coming down, looking good mate.
Good to hear! Ahh no worries, next year will soon be here. Let me know when you go and I'll come down for a hack around if you're up for it. Yeah times are getting there! Mid to late 48's on used tyres. 48.20 pb on new tyres. So hunting for a late 47 on new boots next year.
 
2021 BMKR Championship R9
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Big thanks to Paul Babington Photography for the snaps as always! Thanks to the Old Man, Mrs and Kids for coming to support. Thanks to everybody at Bayford Meadows for what they do as always.

A quick summary of the last round! The track was wet and miserable allllll day, which made for some tricky conditions. Raining but not raining? And cold ๐Ÿ™ƒ๐Ÿ˜‚

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Quali
Really struggled with setup issues and myself to be honest. Quite hard adjusting to the conditions straight off, I guess that's what you need Saturday testing for! A few adjustments to the Kart after quali ready for the pre finals. Quali P7.
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Pre Final 1 & 2
Had some good fun in both the heats/pre finals, the kart felt loads better. A good few battles and it was epic fun trying to hunt down @Mike44Smart for most of the 2nd heat. Knocking pretty much 6 tenths off my quali time and an identical time to "Smashby" of 58.03. P5 x2 - decent result.

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Final
Where we went backwards ๐Ÿ˜†. Had a great opportunity starting 3rd row back on the inside line into turn one. Then just struggled the rest of the final, times dropped right off and it just felt horrible! Everybody was in the same boat with conditions, so something was for sure a miss my end. P8. Big changes to wet setup for next time out, so looking forward to what improvements we can make. Learning what works and work don't is for sure a big learning curve!

Quali > P7
Pre Final 1 P7 > P5
Pre Final 2 P5 > P5
Grand Final P5 > P8

2021 BMKR Championship P4!
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We have learned so much this year and I can't thank everybody enough at the track for all their help and advice. @Greedy and @Billywatts you have been a big help this year, thankyou! Big congrats to @Gibby @Billywatts @Andy locke for the top 3 steps and Dennis for getting 5th. Well done everybody, it's been great.

It's been great getting down to Bayford for a full years racing (All but the first 2 rounds) with the old man and family. Made some great friends this year too! We roll onto 2022 lads!

๐Ÿ‘Šโค๏ธ๐Ÿ
 
BMKR Winter Cup 2022
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Big thanks to Paul Babington Photography for the snaps as always! Thanks to the Old Man, Mrs and Kids for coming to support and Joe on the tools. Thanks to everybody at Bayford Meadows for what they do as always.

The warm up meeting for the year was a welcome bit of seat time! The weather was set to be a bit unpredictable and we was hoping for some track time on wets.

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Quali

Sloooowwwwwww!!!! I had a shocking performance in quali putting us 11th for the heat with a time of 48.927, 1.406 seconds off a blazing fast Tom Lawson who took pole. I was aiming for an early 48, but that didn't happen. Tried my best to hit the window on the new slicks, which I managed (I think) but had no brakes until a few laps later. Live and learn! I just can't seem to throw a decent quali session together. And for sure can't seem to get the best out of a fresh set of tyres.

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Heat & Pre Final

The heat and pre final see us pick up a bit more pace as the day went on. Quali and the heat being on slicks and the pre final and final moving over to a wet setup.

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Final

Some epic battles with @luke bailey for the whole session! Great fun and we both managed to keep it together in wet conditions and bring it home. Luke bagged novice of the day and I walked away with a big smile after some fun close racing. Well done Luke great driving! Tom, @Gibby and @Mike44Smart had a good drive at the front, well done gents.

Great to see so many karts out at Bayford and around the country now with KartingForum.co.uk stickers on! Never did I think this place would take off like it has. I'm sending sticker packs out weekly still.

Quali > P11
Heat P11 > P10
Pre Final P10 > P6
Final P6 > P6

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2022 BMKR Championship R1

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So we kicked off the season with round 1 the BMKR Championship a few weeks back! Apologies for not being as active on here since, had a lot going on in general. I'll keep this one pretty brief as the details have evaded me slightly :LOL: I do remember having a good day though!

Great snaps from Paul Babington as always!

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Quali was shocking for me as it always seems to be. Something I for sure need to work and get my head around. 13th out of 18, I wasn't too pleased with my performance if I was honest.

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Heat we picked up the pace a bit knocking 2 tenths off our quali time :unsure::LOL:. Coffee must of kicked in by than I guess. Snagged a few places but copped a drop nose from some bumper kart shenanigans on the rolling start. Much more exciting now with a bigger grid though I might add!

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Pre Final we snagged a few more places but half way through it seemed we started to loose brakes. Having to constantly pump the pedal to get any sort of braking power. Got our heads down in the pits and thought we solved the issue.

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Final I have no clue how we managed to hold it together honestly! Manged to get up to P5 or P6 at some point if I remember? You lads up the front having a few tangles up to say the leaste. Around lap 5 or 6 the brake issues returned and I decided to battle on through. Whatever it was, I was determined to finish and grab some points at least. Finishing the day P8 I thought was quite good going, considering the great drivers out there and the issues we had. 177 grid is getting bigger and much more competitive, great stuff!

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The kart we pretty much broke, but it's now back together with a complete brake rebuild and another new rear axle. It seems the axle was floating around and done all sorts of damage. All part of the game! Learned more, sure I'll learn even more next meeting. Fat boy is slowly getting lighter now too :D

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Quali > P13
Heat P13 > P11
Pre Final P11 > P8

Final P8 > P8

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Well done mate, making good progress ๐Ÿ‘
 
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