POST RACE

"Just missing out on a podium but my gosh! What a weekend. The serious bit…

6 racers, 5 being aged 15-18 with only one having raced one 24hr before so basically a junior team working together at this very exciting 24hr!

On track they were unstoppable with their pace being 1:13 - 1:14 pending driver and conditions. This team of racers have not raced together yet but you would have thought they were life long friends.

On track and team meetings, absolute legends with great mindsets and attitude. Off track, the biggest goof balls ever... TRX will never be made up with all work and no play! ALWAYS about the fun and vibes. We’re super proud of our results and will bring more next time.

A huge shoutout to @paul_thomas_racing and @zoewardle95 for coming up to support their team and thank you so much to both Paul’s being on the comms with our young racers and knocking more tenths off of their times. The whole team had a turn speaking to the racers on track helping get the most out of their time on track.

As for the event…Daytona pulled out the stops. It was such a relaxed but competitive weekend with the teams having so much respect for each other, which is what racing should always be. Although exceptionally cold, nothing could change the feel of the weekend. The staff were on point and did an amazing job. Anthony particularly, you’re a legend, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met!

The commentary from @racingvoiceuk was superb as always, it was lovely finally meeting you. We’re all still on a high and cant wait for May's 24hr where we are really looking forward to the better weather.

The official Race Report will be posted later in the week."

"Following our win at the 24-Hour event in May, we were excited to return to Milton Keynes for the Daytona Autumn 24 Hour this past weekend. It felt like a different vibe compared to the summer, with a more relaxed atmosphere. And with only seven DMAX teams competing, it felt like the Sodi class took centre stage for this event.

Our goal was simple: we wanted the win. But with only three drivers, challenging weather conditions, and one of the most competitive grids in recent years, we knew it would be a tough battle.

In total, 21 teams were competing in the SODI class, including both SRB (Some Random Bloke) and DNH, who had finished on the podium with us back in May.

From the start of practice, it was clear we had a great kart that we all felt comfortable with. And by the end of qualifying, we had secured our first-ever Daytona 24-hour pole position by just 0.128 seconds over DNH.
A rain shower shortly before the race added some extra drama but the start couldn’t have gone any better, as I was able to maintain the class lead and even jump up to P4 overall by the end of the opening lap as a couple of DMAX karts struggled in the tricky conditions.

From then on, it felt more like a 24-hour sprint than an endurance! There were no red flags and only a couple of full course yellows to provide any kind of respite.

With fewer DMAX karts on track it also meant you found yourself racing alone for long stretches of time and this was a very different challenge to a traditional Daytona 24-hour event requiring extreme concentration and focus.
Aside from a couple of quick rain showers in the night the pace just got faster and faster as the event progressed. So much so that the fastest Sodi lap was recorded in the last 10 minutes of the race! Some incredible driving from all the teams and the Daytona mechanics to provide us with karts that performed so well over the whole race.

As the race developed over the first two and a half hours, we built a solid lead. However, both DNH and SRB used an early safety kart period to complete their first fuel stops, so we had to keep a close watch on their strategies as the race progressed.

We knew we had the pace to win, now all we had to do was be consistent, not make any mistakes, get the strategy right, stay awake and not break the kart! Easy right?

Wrong! This was by far the toughest event we’d ever done. Racing for up to 2 and half hours in the freezing cold we were battered and broken by the time our stints ended and with only the three of us there was little time to rest as we switched between driving and trackside support.

Ultimately, we persevered, and the team showed insane speed, consistency and grit so that when the chequered flag fell after 24 hours we’d not only won, we’d won by 10 and a half laps!

Funnily enough we were joined on the podium by SRB and DNH, in an exact repeat of the result from May with both teams producing fantastic performances once again.

I couldn’t ask for better team mates and can’t thank David and Scott enough for the driving, strategy and help over the weekend!

As always Daytona Motorsport put on an amazing event. The atmosphere, the facilities, the staff, the commentary, the media, the banter, the food were all incredible"

DMAX - Matthew Boulton - EKS All Stars - 1:06.105

SODI - Murphy Thompson - DNH Miles Shelby Squad - 1:12.926

SUNDAY 13th OCTOBER - RACE DAY TWO

We'll be posting the final results here tomorrow.

Thank you to everybody who raced, spectated, and tuned into the live feed.

Would you believe it - with seven minutes remaining in this 24 hour race, Azz Tech Racing have just set a new SODI fastest lap time!

Their driver is going to get a very nice prize on the podium.

Congrats - the time was 1:13.03.

As we write this, DNH Miles Shelby just recorded their fastest lap of the race, too - just two hundredths off Azz Tech's time.

TRX are now in fourth place, 20 seconds ahead of DNH Rubber Duck Racing.

Ten minutes to go!

Black & Blue are 34 seconds ahead of Old n Gold as we approach the final ten minutes.

Their driver is going to need to maintain deep focus to ensure his team's DMAX podium step.

We'll be going live just after 1pm, to bring you all the action from the podium at race end.

Follow our Instagram and stay tuned for that.

A brigade of Daytona heroes march the trophies down to podium, ready for the presentation.

That should take place at around 1:10pm.

Here are the standings as we enter our final sixty minutes.

TRX Motorsport are level on laps with fourth placed DNH Rubber Duck Racing.

They're desperate to catch up with them. We caught up with two of their team members trackside a few moments ago.

MasterCart sLola now have nothing to lose, they've decided to deploy a risky fuel tactic.

They're going to try and finish the race with one tank of fuel. Their rivals for third will probably all need to pit still.

A big gamble. They could run out of fuel in the last few minutes.

Copy of None have been last place for the entirety of the race. They never reported to the photo booth for a team photo however, so we can't make a graphic.

Team I Am Stupid are second last. They're our largest team with eleven drivers - comprised of Chinese students who are friends from Uni. They look like they're having a good time, though. They're a solid 24 laps ahead of the bottom team.

Mario Shart are third from bottom. They describe themselves as 'an eclectic bunch brought together by reasonable levels of disposable income, an insatiable appetite for chinese food and obscure humour references.' It's their second time racing at a Daytona 24 Hours.

The biggest score left to settle is in the DMAX class, for the final podium step.

Black & Blue, Chequered Past, Old n Gold & MasterCart sLola are all in it.

Live action from the command centre.

Oh my word.

Team Yellow pull into the pits, and Azz Tech come speeding up behind them, smashing into the back of them by the weigh bridge.

The yellow-suited driver is furious, arms flailing.

They were both coming in to serve penalties anyway. Azz Tech will probably serve a second one for that.

DNH Gurney's Gang, Eat Sleep Kart Repeat & Gino Farino Motorsport are all fighting for positions in the middle-back of the SODI grid, all within a lap of each other.

Times Mayfair and SBD Motorsport have been in their own internal race for ages as well, with ten seconds separating them.

Team Yellow are very smart, all wearing yellow, funnily enough.

They've been locked in a neck-and-neck duel with Braking Badly for most of the race, and are currently three seconds ahead of them in the battle for P6.

We've just heard on the radio that MasterCart sLola were underweight during that pitstop!

Does anybody even want this third place position?

Chequered Past are going to be licking their lips from P5 after their two rivals make critical mistakes.

We're still under yellows following the safety kart.

MasterCart sLola have decided to perform a tactical refuel, with their Black & Blue rivals still being recovered.

Gino Farino also capitalise and gain some valuable time with a refuel.

An error at a critical time for Black & Blue in DMAX. They were in third place, but their driver has run out of fuel at turn eight.

MasterCart sLola will capitalise on the error and have overtaken them.

Full course yellows.

We had to deploy the safety kart last night. There was a bit of a mix up, and KBR didn't see it coming.

Luckily, Yiorgos Meliotis is a seasoned racer, and was able to stick it on them to get in front.

Great CCTV footage.

Could be a costly penalty for Some Random Bloke, that. They get reprimanded for track limits.

DNH Miles-Shelby make up some time behind them.

Scott Clenaghan is about to put in a shift for SODI leaders CSM as he waves up to the commentary box.

They've tested the physical limits during this race - each driver putting in over 100 laps per stint.

With over three hours to go, we wouldn't be at all surprised if he did a double stint and finished the race by himself.

DNH Miles-Shelby racer Laurence Vines gets caught snoozing upstairs in the pavilion.

That doesn't look too comfortable.

Old n Gold have been granted some breathing room ahead of their nearest challengers. They're now a full lap ahead.

Chequered Past were riding the kerbs too hard and received a penalty.

KBR had an issue with their throttle and took the kart into engineering to get it repaired.

They're back out and running now, costing them five laps.

They'd need that to happen another five times to make the race for the lead interesting.

Have we just cursed them with our previous post?

Just as Ashley Mayston-King gets in the kart for KBR, he completes a few laps and then pulls into the pits.

It looks like it might be the pedals. We'll keep you updated on that.

After disappointment in May, KBR are going to win the DMAX race this time round.

We caught up with team captains, James & Ashley.

The DMAX race for third is going to go down to the wire.

MasterCarts sLola had a slow pitstop, losing them some valuable time at a critical point in this race. Black & Blue are six seconds behind them, equal on laps.

Just as I write this, Black & Blue overtake MasterCart sLola after some poor lap times from the veterans.

Old n Gold and Chequered Past are both experienced teams, and have chosen team names that reflect that.

They're also neck-and-neck, fighting it out for fourth in the DMAX category. Old n Gold are currently holding that position.

Their captain, Graeme Finlayson has been racing here for nearly 30 years alongside his teammate Andy Stobart.

In the SODIs, Braking Badly & Team Yellow Racing have been neck-and-neck for the majority of the race, they're both level on laps. Braking Badly currently lead their rivals, in sixth place.

Fox Motorsport, Target Racing & Steering Optional & No Braking Allowed are all very close with each other, mid way down the pack.

Gino Farino have improved vastly, they were second last at one stage, and the South Coast first-timers find themselves in and amongst Times Mayfair and DNH Gurney's Gang.

SBD Motorsport and MAR Esports are also level on laps.

EKS All Stars were challenging KBR for the title earlier on in the race, but now they're well out of it, 25 laps behind our DMAX race leaders.

They broke down overnight, costing them at least fifteen laps. They also received a five lap penalty for being underweight.

They're still miles ahead of Black&Blue in third place, so it looks like they're guaranteed to receive silverware and invitations to race in our Race of Champions in January.

Matthew Boulton's 1:06.1 lap yesterday afternoon is still the fastest lap of the race. There's a special prize for that, by the way.

Head to the pavilion to get your morning fuel, served for the next few hours.

There are some tasty duals out there on the circuit, with Black&Blue, who spent the first few hours of the race in third, and MasterCart sLola, who were in third when we left last night, on equal laps battling it out for that bottom podium step.

In the SODIs, DNH Miles-Shelby are battling it out with their sister team, DNH Rubber Duck Racing, for third place. As it stands, Some Random Bloke are set to equal their exploits in May, finishing in second place.

TRX Motorsport have worked their way up to fifth, just one lap behind Rubber Duck Racing. They're going to need to push hard, but they could well claim silverware in just over five hours.

We're back!

We've just spoken to the overnight race team for the low-down and we'll be sharing that very shortly.

KBR & CSM Racing are still in control and seemingly have a firm grip on the MASSIVE first place trophy.

SATURDAY 12th OCTOBER - RACE DAY ONE

You can stay up to date with the race standings here.

Karts with three digits are DMAX, karts with two digits are SODIs.

That's it for tonight. The commentary must come to a close, and the media team are going for a well deserved pint.

Here's a recap of the day so far.

See you tomorrow, bright and early, with the lowdown of what happened overnight.

Thomas Fox has bought himself a new gadget for his camera.

He was bragging about it to Aidan earlier in a tongue unfamiliar to ordinary people.

Basically, it makes the lights look like twinkly stars, and you can take pictures like this.

Would be their name if they were a hip-hop duo.

But in Race Control they're much more serious, Patrick Horrocks and Thomas Dillon.

Your night-time referees.

Team I Am Stupid just lived up to their name.

They came in for a driver swap and there was nobody there to swap with.

Back out you go!

Although not technically the end of the day... it's nearly the end of our day.

Here's the standings nearly eight and a half hours in.

EKS All-Stars get stuck behind a SODI on the way into the pit lane for their maintenance stop.

That's going to cost them another minute or so. KBR will be pretty happy with that.

Each SODI only needs one maintenance stop. The first stop takes places at 11pm. Our engineers have a busy night ahead.

EKS All Stars just entered the pits for their DMAX stop.

A DMAX will need two maintenance stops throughout a 24 hour race. The first of these commences at 9pm, and they happen in grid order.

KBR will be in shortly, then EKS after that. It takes about three minutes for us to give them a service.

Each kart will also need another maintenance stop at 6am.

The Tamworth Crew have arrived and are responsible for the pit lane, fuel bay and front of house until 8am.

Milton Keynes Assistant General Manager James Parrott reads them a short poem to motivate them.

In the SODIs, Braking Badly and DNH Rubber Duck Racing are equal on laps, battling for fifth position, a lap ahead of DNH Iron Dames.

Azz Tech Racing and Team Yellow Racing are also on equal laps, battling for eighth position. Steering Optional & No Brakes Allowed are just behind the pair.

Fox Motorsport are in a battle with DNH Gurney's Gang.

Below them, SBD Motorsport are ahead of Times Mayfair and Eat Sleep Kart Repeat.

DMAX teams Chequered Past and Black & Blue Racing are embroiled in a duel, both on equal laps seven hours in.

They'll both be hoping to catch MasterCart sLola for that coveted third place position.

KBR and EKS are still miles ahead.

Day turning to night from the start/finish line and Race Control.

Matthew Boulton of EKS All-Stars recorded the fastest lap of the race so far during his stint this afternoon.

He's a SuperChamps winner at Daytona Sandown Park - showing the Milton Keynes contingent how it's done.

We tried to find him for an interview but he's asleep.

MasterCart sLola will be happy bunnies. Last year they finished... well I won't embarrass them... but it was nowhere near third, where they currently find themselves in the DMAX race.

They also refused to put race suits on for their picture, as they wanted it to be apparent that they're the least serious team here.

The Fox, in his natural nighttime habitat, take some delectable photographs of the floodlit surroundings.

KBR driver Peter Stockwin has come in for fuel, but it won't damage their lead too much, they're still three laps ahead of EKS All Stars in second.

He's jumping back in the kart now, no driver swap necessary for Peter.

His girlfriend is here with him, so he's probably showing off.

Plenty of mistakes being made now with the slippery surface.

There have been a few black flags recently, with TRX, Braking Badly & Target Racing all penalised in the last few minutes.

Chris Thompson's flagship team, the Miles-Shelby Squad, find themselves in second now, a lap ahead of Some Random Bloke.

Earlier on today we followed Jake Sanson through the paddock and he interviewed a few of competitors from their command centres.

This one's seventeen minutes long. He spent half of that asking them about their choice of snacks.

There's rain falling. And the wind's picked up.

According to the forecast that could last an hour or so.

Yellow flags up straight away as a kart smashes into Turn Two.

Spinning at Turn Ten too.

Just when drivers thought they had the hang of this circuit, the grip quickly changes.

Old n Gold had a weird Go Pro mount. We usually recommend a chin strap - nice and sturdy.

This is what can happen when you use a weird mount.

If you'd like it back, please report to Race Control.

CSM Racing are still in control, one lap ahead of Some Random Bloke, who seem to have a firm grip on that second position.

DNH Miles Shelby are currently in third, a couple of laps ahead of TRX Motorsport. Braking Badly find themselves in fifth for the first time, only just ahead of DNH Rubber Duck Racing.

Azz Tech Racing are seventh, after having previously been in second.

A quick eye over to the Wooden Spoon Award - Copy of None are still in last place. Gino Farino Motorsport are eight laps ahead of them, so that one looks comfortable.

Mario Shart, I Am Stupid, Mar E Sports, Eat Sleep Kart Repeat, Times Mayfair and SBD Motorsport are all pretty close to each other, and will be interchanging positions with pit stops.

We've now completed 6 hours, with 18 to go.

In the DMAX, KBR are 3 laps ahead of EKS and MasterCart sLola find themselves in third place for the first time. Black & Blue have pitted, meaning they're in fourth position. Chequered Past are in fifth, Old n Gold are in sixth, and Pit Lane Panic are in seventh.

After a disastrous start to their race, we caught up with Pit Lane Panic to find out their recovery strategy.

Femi was driving during that stint and explains what happened.

A pair of James' in race control.

It's now nighttime in Milton Keynes.

Here's some shots just before 6pm, when there was still some sun illumination.

TRX are now fourth in the SODIs, the highest they've been in the rankings all day.

They'll be desperate to end up on the podium this year.

KBR were enforced a pitstop as day turned to night, as Sebastian Musicka had a tinted visor on, which isn't allowed in the dark.

They had to come in ten minutes earlier than planned, which would have made them rethink their strategy and timings.

Still winning by three laps, though.

Jake Sanson has just filled me in on what's been happening.

CSM Racing's driver has just completed 124 laps, in their 'who's the bravest' battle against Some Random Bloke (see update at 16:26)

They're going to have to maintain this level of individual resilience with only three drivers on their roster.

Will anybody try 125 laps?

After a short hiatus, we're back on the live updates.

KBR are two laps ahead of EKS All Stars in the DMAX race. Those two teams have put some distance between themselves and Black & Blue Racing in third.

In the SODIs, CSM Racing are one lap ahead of Some Random Bloke, who are one lap ahead of DNH Miles Shelby Squad in third.

After leaders KBR get away with one, EKS in second place lose concentration and are awarded a black flag for track limits.

This could be a big moment in the DMAX race. 24 Hours races are usually decided on penalties.

We knew they were going to push as hard as they physically could, but this is just ridiculous.

Bettison's kart runs out of fuel 10 feet away from the refuel station, as they commence their driver swap.

They get away with it, though, and carry on as they were - in the lead.

After their earlier misfortune (see 13:50), it might have been easy to write off Pit Lane Panic.

However, after a few hours of putting in some solid laps, they're on the ascendency.

They were ahead of Old N Gold until they pitted recently.

Don't write them off.

A gust of wind earlier on nearly caused havoc, as a gazebo blew onto the track.

Lightning-fast reactions from the team saved the day and they quickly retrieved it without any warning flags needed.

Luckily, Tom Fox was on hand to capture the moment.

We interviewed current SODI leader CSM Racing's team captain, Andrew Strike, just after he completed his 112 lap shift.

We heard him saying off camera that he started hearing things towards the end.

Some Random Bloke have finally pulled into the pits, after lap number 123.

Their driver did a 2 hour and 34 minute stint.

It's not a competition, guys, nobody has to try to beat that.

There's always one team that runs out of fuel. It happens every single year.

Now that people have caught wind of Andrew Strike's 112 lap antics (I take full credit), there seems to be a change in tact from our teams.

Drivers are now seemingly following suit and doing longer stints. They've worked out you can get more out of a SODI in October's conditions than you can in the heat of May.

Some Random Bloke, currently in second, are the latest team pushing the boundaries. Their driver has just completed 120 laps!

They finished second place behind CSM Racing last time round, and will be desperate to go all the way this time round.

Our man Tom Fox has been chilling in the pitlane for the last hour or so.

We appreciate there's a lot to scroll through below.

So once again, here's a summary of all the action so far...

James Bettison has just entered the fray for King Brothers Racing. They seem to be swapping every 65 laps.

Bettison is fast. He's won our SuperChamps championship three times. Not many people have done that.

He'll be chasing down EKS ahead of him with a vengeance.

Just as we posted that last update, Strike pulls into the pits and CSM swap driver.

Needless to say, we're running to interview him whilst he's still sweating.

112 laps. Wow. They're 12 seconds ahead of DNH Miles Shelby Squad in second.

Scott Mansell, from the Driver 61 YouTube channel, once described CSM's Andrew Strike as the 'AI from Grand Turismo on Hard setting'. Is he actually a robot?

He hasn't pitted yet. He's been going two and a half hours without pitting. 111 laps.

He's been in and amongst the DMAX teams all race long. Unbelievable shift. They're miles ahead in the SODI race as it stands.

Copy of None are currently in last place.

We do actually have a graphic for that, but they never attended the photo booth, so we can't use it at the moment.

Three members of their team have raced at a Daytona 24 Hours eight times before, so we don't expect them to finish last.

They're all colleagues from Jaguar Land Rover.

Charlie from their team is 6 foot 5, possibly the tallest person racing here.

Black & Blue racing are currently third place in the DMAX race, as they enter the pits.

Chequered Past are a couple of laps behind them. Lots of racing experience in that team, so we're expecting it to get close as the race progresses.

We mentioned earlier (13:50 update) that Pitlane Panic's wheel came off.

The damage caused would normally take an engineer an hour to fix, but when you've got a whole team of Daytona engineers working on your kart, we managed to fix it in eight.

Unsung heroes.

They've just received a penalty for exceeding track limits.

Keep away from those kerbs, folks. They are not your friend.

Two hours ago our race commenced - this is how the first few laps went on the greasy surface.

Our commentary team just described the battle mentioned in the last update as a boxing match.

They're all getting very close to each other, trading blows.

Target Racing and Some Random Bloke were also in the melee, although are one lap behind the other competitors.

Target just pitted and Some Random Bloke have dropped back a bit now, though.

CSM in a SODI, are ahead of Old n Gold in a DMAX.

There's an epic battle going on between DNH Rubber Duck, Gurney's Gang, Fox Motorsport and Azz Tech Racing. The four teams are swapping positions almost lap-by-lap in the battle for second.

We interviewed Luke Battersby shortly after his team's interesting qualifying strategy (see 11:52)

Turns out it might have been justified.

KBR still haven't pitted. James King is still going, he's been racing for over 80 minutes straight as it stands.

EKS are one lap behind them, getting faster and faster, having already completed a driver swap.

KBR & EKS are throwing down almost identical lap times. It's going to be a great race between those two teams.

In the race for the third DMAX podium step, Black & Blue Racing are currently in the lead.

In the SODIs, CSM are in the lead, with DNH Rubber Duck in second and Fox Motorsport in third.

A reminder, CSM only have three drivers, which could be their downfall once fatigue kicks in.

We're back underway.

KBR are the only DMAX yet to pit.

Should be a bit juicy now all the drivers are bunched up again.

Both wheels came off. Not just one. That doesn't happen often.

Pitlane Panic are living up to their name in their command centre.

The Safety Kart has been leading the drivers for a fair few laps now, who follow in a snake formation.

Pitlane Panic's wheel has come off after a collision with the tyre barrier on turn ten, leading to full course yellows.

That's going to cause them a fair few spaces. They'll rejoin at the back of the grid, probably behind most of the SODIs too.

A few teams are using this to their advantage, coming into the pits. Great strategy.

We have the media dream team today. Aidan's on video and drone, Tom Fox is taking photos.

Here's a quick Foxy photo dump from race start.

The sun's threatening to make an appearance and the track is drying up.

According to Accuweather, that's it for the rain for today.

Matthew Boulton is gearing up to swap with Luke Battersby for EKS All Stars, as the team complete the first DMAX pit of the race.

A very efficient driver swap, no seconds lost there, as they fill up the kart.

KBR now in the lead.

Good news for EKS, the fuel bay is now open. They're in first place as it stands, but they're probably desperate for fuel.

Also, good news for everybody else, lunch is being served.

Go and grab yourself a smash burger.

That was awesome.

Karts spinning, SODIs overtaking DMAX, EKS instantly finding themselves in second.

We caught it all on camera.

The drivers are seated. The anthems are blaring.

And the heavens have opened.

Chaos ensues.

We'll likely go a bit quiet here as we'll be filming, photographing and flying a drone for race start.

We interviewed Luke Battersby a moment ago to see what happened in Qualifying - more on that shortly.

Strike just recorded an even faster lap for CSM, in control with a best lap of 1:13.3.

DNH are just behind them with 1:13.6.

Some Random Bloke in third, TRX in fourth.

Just as I posted that last update, Andrew Strike sets the fastest lap for CSM Racing, DNH Miles Shelby are second, Some Random Bloke in third.

DNH are in control, with a lap time of 1:13.7

Let's see what happens here then...

Andrew Strike is representing CSM, and goes head-to-head against DNH's Murphy Thompson, the lap record holder, who must be favourite.

Our commentators have just pointed out that there's hardly any fuel left in Battersby's DMAX.

That will explain why he only opted to do five minutes of quali.

That's made it exciting!

Luke Battersby doesn't manage to get a clean lap in for EKS All Stars, who will now start the race at the back of the DMAX grid.

Grid standings coming soon.

1:06.97 for King in the lead, and he's just pitted.

MasterCart sLola are second with 1:07.9.

Black&Blue are third with 1:08.1

Battersby looks like he might have bottled it...

James King has just recorded a 1:07.3 for KBR.

Black&Blue are second with 1:08.1, and MasterCart sLola are in third with 1:08.7

Luke Battersby has finally left the pitlane.

He's sat in the pitlane still, not moving yet.

Has he ran low on fuel? Is he playing mind games?

No idea. If the heavens open now he might regret this.

Risk-taker.

As the DMAX drivers jump in their karts, it's James King for KBR and Luke Battersby for EKS All Stars.

A nice greasy surface will make it interesting.

Black & Blue Racing, MasterCart sLola, Old n Gold, Pit Lane Panic & Chequered Past Racing are all in this too, don't forget.

Let's see what the teams can do over ten minutes.

Qualifying commences at 11:50, and there's light drizzle in the air, which might spice things up.

Practice is about to come to an end - KBR were faster than EKS, and Black & Blue in third.

CSM were the fastest SODI, ahead of DNH Miles Shelby and Some Random Bloke.

None of that matters though - let's see what Quali brings.

We've put together a little summary of what's been going on so far, featuring Yousuf Bin-Suhayl aka Milky Cereal.

Gino Farino, aged 15 and his friends Dylan, Nathan, Gabriel & Anderson might be the youngest team in contention today, with a median age of 17.

They've never raced at a Daytona endurance race, usually competing at their local Team-sport in Gosport.

Gino fancies his team as an outside shot for the podium, although he's a little worried about night-time racing.

Shout outs to Dafydd Rees from DNH Rubber Duck Racing.

He's doing a stint here today, and then driving north for three hours to do a half-marathon in Manchester on Sunday.

Mentalist.

Apparently Mario Shart's driver isn't reading this live feed whilst driving.

He's just received the day's first Black Flag for track limits, and will be heading to the pit lane for a penalty.

A reminder to all drivers, keep off the kerbs! This isn't Formula 1 - our poor karts will get damaged.

Mario Shart just received a Black & White warning flag about excessive kerbing.

If it continues, that could turn into a black flag - and those will impact your race position.

We flagged both CSM Racing and KBR as favourites for this race (see updates from 9:45 and 10:00 yesterday), and they're both throwing down the fastest laps as it stands.

No surprise to see EKS All Stars as KBR's closest competitors. MasterCart Slola are currently third in the DMAX standings.

In the SODIs,  DNH Miles Shelby and DNH Rubber Duck Racing are second & third in terms of fastest lap times.

Lily Jeffs, currently leading the way in the Jamie Chadwick Series, spoke to our media team earlier for a pitlane interview.

She reckons they're just here for fun. It's their second Daytona 24 Hours.

Their team consists of Lily Jeffs, Joshua Malt, Simon Cleaver, Jake Pitt, Gabriel, Yilmas and James Smaggs, and they've come from all over the country to race together today.

Simon's a bit of a veteran - it's his sixth 24 hour race today. They'll be leaning on his experience.

The karts are all out now as we commence our practice.

Lots of pictures coming your way shortly.

Reminder, you can follow lap times on the Speedhive app - you can download that from the App Store here or the Google Play store here.

You can also use the web based version here.

The race officially starts at 1pm, but we have 100 minutes of practice before that.

Jake Sanson asks the crowd to put their hands up if they've never done a 24 hour race at Daytona.

About half of them put their hands up.

They'll learn a lot in the next 24 hours.

With just over 45 minutes until practice/ qualifying begins, legendary commentator Jake Sanson has the drivers assembled in the pitlane to say a few words.

No caption needed. Are they taking this seriously?

As you're probably aware, we unveiled the Daytona Driver Information System recently.

They're usually fitted to our DMAX karts, but for this race they will also be available for SODI drivers.

The devices allow drivers to tactically manage their race, showing them their best lap time, last lap time, gap to karts behind and ahead, number of laps completed, and the time remaining in the race.

Very useful bit of kit for an endurance race.

Here's the restaurant menu for the weekend ahead.

The good news is you can have a famous Daytona double smash burger for lunch AND dinner.

Saturday has dawned, it's a little cloudier today and there's light showers forecast this morning - less than 1mm of rain.

Breakfast is being served and the pavilion smells delightful.

FRIDAY 11th OCTOBER - TESTING

We don't use our regular Clubspeed timing system for the 24 Hours - we use Orbits.

To get live lap times for this race, you'll need to download the 'Speedhive' app.

You can download that from the App Store here or the Google Play store here.

Testing has now drawn to a close, and in the end it was DNH Miles-Shelby with the fastest laptime in the SODIs, with 1:12.8 - rapid!

KBR's best time was 1:05.5 in DMAX.

We'll be back bright & early tomorrow for the big day!

An hour left of practice, and DNH are in the lead - it's Iron Dames this time though, with a best lap time 1:14.1. They're ahead of MAR Esports & Miles Shelby Squad in terms of fastest lap.

KBR still leading the DMAX.

After the hour mark, KBR are the fastest DMAX, four seconds quicker than Pit Lane Panic currently.

MAR E Sports have overtaken DNH Miles Shelby with a lap time of 1:14.2.

Will they still be smiling in 48 hours?

James King, of KBR, out on track testing his team's DMAX.

Is there a more iconic building in Milton Keynes?

Unlikely.

We mentioned DNH Miles-Shelby as ones to watch in the SODI category earlier on. We're now half an hour into Friday night testing and they're setting the fastest lap times, currently at 1:14.3.

Their sister team, Iron Dames Racing are three tenths slower than them in second, and the team at TRX Motorsport in third are yet to test the 1:14 mark.

KBR are the only DMAX currently out there.

Lots of people are still setting up gazebos and eating sausage rolls.

For our very first interview, there is subject more fitting than Jim Graham, who co-founded the company in 1990.

He's been instrumental in every 24 Hour race we've hosted - you could call him the 24 Hour Godfather.

For those who are newer to Daytona, our 'classic' May 24 Hours isn't actually that classic - we used to hold them in October every year.

That's not a statement.

This young man is the captain of a SODI team called I'm Stupid.

They haven't submitted a bio so I can't give you much more information than that.

Naughty.

This team have opted for a double entendre in their naming - Braking Badly.

I hope there's nothing cooking in that tent.

This young man has opted for the lilac bucket hat & hoodie combo, with sunglasses atop. Matching lilac Air Max on his feet too.

That drips going to take some beating.

There's a flurry of orange t-shirts in the carpark & pavilion - the DNH mob have arrived.

So far we have two tents erected - very brave, I hope they have a thermal sleeping bag.

Pictures coming soon.

Here's what our competitors are racing for - massive imported Italian silver cups with fancy spiral handles.

They won't fit on our winners' windowsills, so I hope they have a trophy cabinet.

The mayor was tied up cutting a ribbon elsewhere, so instead we've sent Elliot from Front of House to open the red gates of Daytona Milton Keynes.

Our carpark will look like a campsite shortly.

Aidan is in the building. You might have seen him, complete with his trademark mullet, at a championship round or endurance race at your local venue.

He certainly takes a nice picture.

Here's some shots of our team, working away in the sun getting the karts ready for our drivers.

If you wanted to relive the action from the May race, you can revisit the 'As It Happened' article here.

24 Hour races are won or lost by the execution of team tactics.

Of course, you need a team full of lightning quick drivers who know the track like the back of their hand, but that alone won't guarantee you a spot on the podium.

I spent some time observing CI Group from their command centre in May. Their communications were first class - they had multiple computer screens setup looking at live data, well-managed radio comms, and their team captains were engrossed with making sure the drivers did not receive needless penalties - they would walk alongside the kart as it pulled into the pit lane to ensure they didn't get penalised for pit lane speeding.

Our race directors are going to be hot on overtaking during yellows, jumping the restart after red flags, and speeding in the pitlane. Don't let frustration or hastiness get the better of you or it could ruin the entire race for your team.

Team captains - best of luck!

The media team have a Photo Booth setup in the pavilion opposite the podium upstairs.

Once all your team are in race gear, please take five minutes before the race commences to come and get your team photos taken.

We'll be using them to populate our funky scorecard graphics throughout the race.

If you wanted to join us for practice tonight, it's a 5pm arrival - you can either opt to do 1.5 hours or 3 hours.

It's a prime opportunity to test your kart, get a feel for the track conditions and test your race strategy.

Having said that, you're going to be racing for 24 hours from tomorrow lunchtime - its perfectly understandable if you want to preserve your energy.

Fun fact: the DMAX & SODI winners from May's race both attended the practice session the night before.

One of the big talking points when we announced the Autumn was the weather, and boy can it make a difference at a 24 hour race.

Despite having sunshine forecast all day today ahead of this evening's practice, tomorrow is what really counts.

It looks like there's going to be showers between 9-10am, then again at 3-4pm.

According to Accuweather, that's it for rainfall.

It's going to get chilly overnight - as low as 3°c

There's also, of course, less daylight than there is in May - the sun sets at 18:15 and rises at 7:20am.

The SODI race is shaping up to be a cracker, with 20 teams in contention.

Unlike the DMAX category, all three of the top teams from May are back for another shot at glory.

CSM Racing won comfortably in May, captained by Andrew Strike. However, they haven't actually got in a kart since then, so may find themselves a little bit rusty. There was also five of them in that victorious team - this time round they're boldly attempting the race with just three drivers. Fatigue may well be their downfall.

Last year's runners up, Some Random Bloke are no strangers to the Daytona 24 Hours - this will be their ninth outing. They've amassed three podium finishes in that time, and a few fourth places too. They'll be desperate to go one better this time round.

Daytona Motorsport endurance regulars DNH, managed by Chris Thompson, have entered four teams into the race this year. Their Miles-Shelby Squad team finished third in May, and have all the pedigree to go all the way this time round. Their young driver, Murphy Thompson, broke the SODI lap record earlier on in the year. DNH also occupied the fourth and fifth positions in May - so we're expecting big things from their other three teams too.

TRX Motorsport are always challenging for titles, and we're expecting their sole SODI entrant to be no different.

Outside shots for the podium include Times Mayfair, who are travelling down from Wigan, often finding themselves on the podium at endurance races, and Azz Tech Racing, captained by Lily Jeffs, currently leading in the Jamie Chadwick Series.

It's impossible to predict who's going to win a 24 hour race, as there's so many factors coming into play.

At our last rodeo in May, CI Group ran away with it in the DMAX category, taking P1 & P2 after assembling a star-studded team of Daytona Champions. Six Helmets Racing finished in third place, and Open Throttle in fourth.

The good news for the competitors is that none of the aforementioned teams are in contention this year, leaving the gates wide-open for a new champion.

On paper, King Brothers Racing, or KBR, look like the favourites. They finished sixth last time round, after an eventful race marred by black flags at critical times, which ultimately left them kicking themselves. They're captained by James King, who's stood on the Milton Keynes podium 170 times and won our Thursday Night League. He's assembled his brother Ashley, current leader in this season's SuperChamps, James Bettison, a triple SuperChamps champion, Lee Schnitzler & Paul Studd who have been racing (and winning) together at Daytona Milton Keynes for over ten years, Peter Stockwin, a former Race Director at Daytona who knows the track like the back of his hand, and their youngest member Sebastian Musicka who is no stranger to a podium.

Having said that, EKS-All Stars finished ahead of KBR last time round, and will fancy themselves for a win here. Captained by the fabled Luke Battersby, his team includes Scott Woosey, a double SuperChamps champion, Daniel Varlan, a BIKC national finalist & endurance winner here at Daytona Milton Keynes, Dan Shaw, who races in Club 100 and Daytona Sandown Park SuperChamps champion Matthew Boulton.

Old & Gold are mixing experience and youth, their captain Graeme Finlayson has been racing at Daytona for nearly thirty years, alongside his buddy Andy Stobart. They've recruited the lightning fast Tommy Plastow, who they're claiming as their secret weapon having broken track records at multiple karting venues.

Black & Blue Racing look like an interesting package, their captain Ali Rowland-Rouse is an engineer for the Sauber F1 Team and has recruited his brother in law Finley Hart, a SuperChamps regular at Daytona Sandown Park. They're hoping driver-coach James Theodore brings his A-game, having raced in Super 1 karting and was 3rd in 2010 BARC formula Renault championship.

MasterCart sLola had a disappointing result in May, but are an experienced team nonetheless, with their team captain Christopher Davis-Tong having raced in several Daytona 24 Hours races, he's assembled a team of six experienced racers, most notably Riley Jones-Rodway, who won the Fulbeck Sprint Series in 2022.

We're tipping Chequered Past Racing as dark horses, they're a team littered with experience and racing pedigree. Team captain Paul Seward and his brother Tom raced with their friend Martyn Bond in TKM during the 90s and 00s, with head of strategy Tom now testing Mercedes-AMG road cards in Stuttgart. They've also got Roger Orgee on their team, who raced in F3 and Formula Ford.

Pitlane Panic are a bit of an unknown entity - we're hoping their racing style doesn't reflect their name.

The sun is shining in Milton Keynes and we're raring to go!

The stage is all set for another invigorating weekend of racing.

We'll be bringing you all the action and drama as it unfolds right here at Daytona Milton Keynes.

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