BRKC 2014. Formula Fast Milton Keynes, 17-19 January. Preview

(Read the race report from Day One of BRKC 2014.)
(Read the race report from Day Two of BRKC 2014.)

"It's the BRKC, Jim, but not as we know it..."

This is it then. A championship condensed, compressed, distilled. Sixty drivers, 22 races, three days, one winner.

Glittering prizes. A cash prize for the winner, free entry to the Kart World Championships and chandelier-sized trophies for the top three.

The indoor venue is, in many ways, ideal. Perhaps not as fast as we'd like. Driving the circuit will not get the juices pumping like Hereford or Whilton Mill would. The way Teesside does. But we'll be shielded from the worst of this sodden British winter. The timing and spectator facilities are superb. And the atmosphere, I suspect, will be like nothing we've experienced before.

The walls and roof will reflect every decibel back at the drivers and supporters, James Auld's commentary will push excitement past critical mass. The live broadcast will add a whole new audience, a new dimension. And when the helmets go on and it all goes quiet, it'll be a little harder than usual to shut it out, to focus on the job at hand.

But focus we must. This more than ever will be an exercise in precision, in consistency, in racecraft. The field is a mix of experienced locals and world-class visitors. The standard will be stratospheric, the margins tiny, the winner impossible to call.

But by Sunday evening, we will have our champion. And having triumphed against a field of this quality, they'll be amply qualified to take on the best in the world in Brazil.

Practice for the BRKC starts on Friday afternoon. The first race starts at 9am on Saturday. All 22 races will be streamed on Livestream - visit www.brkc.net for the link.

For Twitter and Facebook updates throughout the weekend, search #brkc2014.

And look out for a Day One blog on Saturday evening. A post-race wrapup will be posted on Sunday evening.

It's the calm before the storm. We prepare, we do what we can to control the butterflies, and we wait. The clock is ticking.

(Read the race report from Day One of BRKC 2014.)
(Read the race report from Day Two of BRKC 2014.)