Black Magic

Team ARD (left to right: Kate Broadbent, Lewis Smith, Gary Coombes [team principal], Kevin Schofield, Rob Lofting, Kris Kliczbor)

Created in 1933 by Rowntrees, the Black Magic box of chocolates was an affordable box of chocolates that looked luxurious. The "Who knows the secret of the Black Magic box?" slogan is still stuck in my head after a massive 1970s TV advertising campaign that left me wanting to know what the Pure Black Magic chocolate tasted like.

Well yesterday's (actually the whole weekend's) Buckmore Park 24 hour endurance race was absolutely magic... and black. Magic because the whole team, not just Kate, drove brilliantly, coming 4th overall. And black because the team picked up 6 black flags over the 24 hours (which must be a record for a single team).

Kate drove for Team ARD. Gary Coombes, the team principal, had somehow managed to pull together a five-person version of the Fantastic Four. The drivers were Kris Kliczbor, Kevin Schofield, Lewis Smith, Kate Broadbent and Rob Lofting. Add in the team principal, his son Ryan, Lewis's mum and dad Justina and Darren, Kris's dad Szymon, and me, and that's pretty much a complete Black Magic box. There are 9 different chocolates in the Black Magic selection. Kris is definitely the Pure Black Magic chocolate, because his final drive for the last 2 hours of the race was truly magical, gaining more than 40 seconds to pip team Spicey Bois into 4th place. Everyone, absolutely everyone cheered when Kris flew up the hill past the clubhouse having just overtaken Spicey Bois. Alpha Timing's film crew stopped filming the first and second teams (because everyone knew they were going to be first and second) and moved their videography efforts on to Team ARD and Spicey Bois, following the battle at close quarters round the track for a good 5 minutes. (Watch it on YouTube from 5:18:04. It's a real treat!)

Kris Kliczbor (Pure Black Magic) driving the fist session of the race

After 24 hours the karts were dying. Average lap times were down from high 49s and low 50s to high 51s and low 52s. I know an exhaust fell off one kart, and heard other stories of punctures and kart exchanges. All credit to Buckmore's mechanics for preparing and maintaining the fleet though. The 24 hour race is endurance for the karts as much as the drivers.

Rob Lofting (Midnight Truffle) getting into the zone

So what of the other chocolates in the Black Magic Box? Rob Lofting was the Midnight Truffle. He went on to the track at 10.30pm, driving through midnight, showing a remarkable level of concentration when spectators had disappeared to get some sleep, commentators had gone home, and only Alpha Timing's static cameras were filming the drivers on the track. I should add that I had no sleep whatsoever, staying up for the whole race, monitoring the data on my laptop and making sure everyone knew where we were in the field and what the next session times were. And when I wasn't on laptop duty, I was on the intercom with Kate.

Kate Broadbent (Almond Cruch) driving her first session

That's Kate the Almond Crunch. Why the Almond Crunch? Because she got into a tussle with another driver coming out of sector 1, and whilst both of them went off the track, Kate waltzed back on and the other driver did not. A black flag put us behind team TRX OG's. Apparently almonds reduce blood pressure, and it was remarkable seeing Kate remain cool after the black flag's 20 second stop/go penalty. Cool enough to keep pulling in fast and consistent lap times until she caught up and overtook team TRX OG's again. Then team TRX OG's made a mistake under Kate's pressure, and they too took a black flag, and we were 35 seconds ahead again.

Kevin Schofield (Dreamy Fudge) giving advice to Lewis Smith (Coffee Crescent) before Lewis' first session

Kevin Schofield was the Dreamy Fudge. Not a lot phases Kevin. It's like he has a pace maker on the track. He picked up some black flags too. I'm sure he was annoyed, and he sounded very annoyed on the intercom, but his driving didn't show it, and he continued to storm round the track unafraid of everything, an epitome of a calm and focussed driver.

Lewis Smith was the Coffee Crescent. It was like he was caffeine loaded. After tonnes of fast and consistent lap times, and just when you thought he'd peaked and hit that crescent, bang, he pulled in another sub-50 lap time.

We were brilliant as a team. A fantastic five, and the ultimate Black Magic Box. We came fourth. Fourth! The Buckmore Park 24 Endurance Race must be the most prestigious endurance race in the country. Entries for this year sold out in the time it takes to lap the track at Buckmore. And even if we never do it again (although everyone seems to want to), it's a result that we can all be proud of.

Special thanks go to Tom Davies td_media44 for staying awake to take thousands of amazing photos and hours of amazing video.

If you're interested, Tesco sells the Black Magic Box for £7.00. It's made by Nestle now, not Rowntrees, but I'm sure you'll still find our team in there.

Alternatively you can come along and see real, live magic at our next big endurance race, although you will have to travel to Le Mans to do that!