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Milton Keynes
InKart
It was a damp start to the day after rainfall overnight had soaked the track for round 2 of the InKart championship, however the sun was out as the drivers hit the track leading to the unique challenge of a drying track and the challenge of a new format to contend with the cup race making a long-awaited return to the championship.
The drivers were split into two qualifying groups with the fastest drivers from each progressing to the A final and the remaining drivers dropping to the B final.
Qualifying:
Group 1 saw both Tom Justice and Tyler Rickard progress to the A final in the damp conditions with Justice starting in front of Rickard as he set the fastest lap in the group. Lewis Bowey looked to join the two in the A final as he tried to continue his winning ways, but his fate was yet to be decided as he had to wait to see how the other drivers in group 2 would fair.
In the cadets, Rayaan Malik took the fastest time and secured his spot in the A final with Arel Kesimgil close behind and made his way to the A final for the very first time. Like Bowey, Jacob Noble was also at risk of being bumped to the B final but had to wait for the other group first.
Group 2 saw Jacob Kent mark his return to the championship in a new category as he stormed to the fastest time in the juniors. Charley Murray was just a tenth back from Kent and secured his spot in the A Final. The track from group 1 to group 2 had dried significantly allowing for much quicker lap times in the second group, as a result this saw George Wilamowski make his way into the A final at the expense of Bowey who dropped to the B Final.
Gillen Townshend stormed to the pole in the cadets even managing to outqualify two juniors in his group, Ryan Cafferkey finished in 2nd place and made his way to yet another A final with Charlie Marden setting his fastest lap right at the end and bumping Jacob Noble out of the B Final.
B Final
The B Final was marked by two dominant performances from Lewis Bowey and Jacob Noble as they stormed to the race win in their classes by 30 seconds and making up for just not making it to the A final. In the Juniors, Micheal Oxtoby-Page picked up 2nd place just 6 seconds in front of Abbie Boyd who secured her second InKart podium in a row.
In the Cadets, Leo Sibthorpe had a great recovery drive to second place after he got stuck on the opening lap after he hit a damp part of the track causing him to understeer out into the barrier. Noah Hammond picked up the final spot in the podium.
A Final
It was a thrilling battle in the A final for the win in the Junior class between Kent, Murray, and Justice. Jacob Kent led from the early stages of the race after starting from the pole and managed to build up around a 5 second gap to Murray and Justice behind who were having a thrilling battle behind but was costing them time as a result. The pair realised this and started working together to try and hunt Kent down in the latter stages of the race, managing to bring the gap down to just a second with 2 laps to go.
It was very close coming onto the final lap but Kent was able to hold onto the race win in front of Murray who just managed to pip Justice 2nd place.
The cadets saw Gillen Townshend dominate the race after building up a massive advantage in the race, partly due to the monumental battle behind between Rayaan Malik, Arel Kesimgil and Ryan Cafferkey for the final 2 spots on the podium.
Rayaan prevailed in the three way battle and took 2nd place just in front of Arel Kesimgil who took his first A final podium in only his second ever InKart round.
Thursday Night League
SODI
Round 9 got underway with a gloriously hot day drawing to a close with a grid of 30 karts on the national circuit. Qualifying was very hotly contested with the usual names heading towards the top Laurence Vines took part tonight racing and on the circuit was fastest in qualifying and won the race however due to being un-ballasted and not wanting to take part in the championship was faster than those around him.
Charlie Sheldrake was second on the grid with Oscar Furby just behind. Feisal Meeajaun was 4th with Michael Bowles, Ash Chivers all closely behind.
The race got underway with a close battle developing between the top 3, Charlie, Laurence and Oscar all battling away at the beginning. After a few laps the front 2 managed to get clear by around a second and a half but it was Ash Chivers who made a great start and made his way up to 4th place very quickly. He then was soon chasing Oscar and battling away for 3rd place. The lead of the race changed several times throughout the race but on the final corner Laurence Vines managed to get to the inside of turn 11 in a very brave and bold move that paid off as over the line the gap was 0.035 seconds. Ash Chivers managed to overtake Oscar who took 3rd on the track with Edward Crossley in fifth, Michael Bowles came in just behind very closely following him into 6th with William Fry a further 6 seconds back in 7th.
Once the drivers were in the pits a weight check on Laurence confirmed he was too light to take part in the race at the ballasted weight, so it moved all drivers up a position. Charlie came off the track none the wiser at this point until he got to the podium where he found out he took the round win and also the fastest lap with the full 26 points available.
DMAX
As the sun began its descent over the national layout of the Daytona Milton Keynes circuit, anticipation crackled through the air as 23 drivers revved their engines, eager for the exhilarating round of Thursday Night League ahead.
The qualifying session witnessed a flurry of action as Amelia Wolf surged to an early lead, only to be eclipsed by the formidable Lee Schnitzler after three blistering laps. Carl Stephens showcased his skill, firmly securing third position until Tyler Thom thundered onto the scene, knocking him down a notch. Archie Snell briefly flirted with the top three, but Tyler Thom's relentless pace ensured his dominance as the qualifying session concluded. Tyler Thom claimed pole position, with Lee Schnitzler and Carl Stephens lining up alongside him on the starting grid.
As the race commenced, the dynamics swiftly shifted. Tyler Thom, initially at the forefront, encountered a tumultuous first lap, tumbling down to seventh position amidst a chaotic battle for supremacy at turn 10. Lee Schnitzler seized the opportunity, leading the pack with Carl Stephens and James King hot on his heels by the third lap.
Meanwhile, the fight for the final podium spot ignited as James King and Amelia Wolf engaged in a fierce duel, exchanging positions with each passing corner. In a breathtaking display of skill and determination, Amelia ultimately clinched third place, leaving James trailing behind by a hair's breadth on the final lap.
In a stunning display of prowess and strategy, Lee Schnitzler crossed the finish line triumphantly, securing the top spot on the podium. Carl Stephens, showcasing unwavering resolve, claimed second place, while Amelia Wolf's tenacity earned her a well-deserved spot on the podium in third, edging out her competitors in a thrilling conclusion to this weeks Thursday Night League.
Tamworth
SuperChamps
The summer season of Superchamps was welcomed in by fantastic weather in Tamworth, with two really competitive grids of drivers set to compete in the ‘Grand Prix’ format in this first round of the season.
N-35 ST
Nikodem Benonski lined up on pole position ahead of heavyweight champion Jacob Connellan, and would have probably expected to see this through in the race. Heading into the race, he did not have as much of an easy running of things as he would have hoped. He ping-ponged for the lead with Jacob throughout the early stages of the fifteen-minute sprint, but eventually was able to get himself into the lead of the race, taking victory by six tenths of a second. Jacob ended up winning the heavyweight race, but only by a couple of tenths to Stuart Andrew. They were joined by Kristene Kolodziejski in the top three. As for the rest of the lightweights, Sinclair Potter-Green and had an interesting battle with Zak Bolton, eventually getting the better of him for that P2 spot.
Into the Grand Prix, Nikodem and Jacob continued their battle from the first race, and it continued pretty much for the entire twenty-five minute heat. Though only just (to the tune of about five tenths of a second), Nikodem secured his second victory of the day and the sweep of the round as well. Despite finishing in second overall, Jacob also completed the sweep of the round in the heavyweight class, now making it nine on the spin – sweeping every single round of last season. He was joined on the podium by fierce competition in Stuart Andrew (2nd) and Kai Andrew (3rd), two drivers who will be hoping to challenge for the heavyweight crown this season. In the lightweights, Nikodem was joined by Zak Bolton and Sinclair Potter-Green on the podium, both drivers getting off to a flying start in the season.
DMAX-GT
In the first DMAX race of the day, Jacob Holley was to line up on the first row with Jack Middleton. Whilst Jacob initially got a fantastic start, putting himself in a very good position for the rest of the race, a red flag on the first lap caused the race to be restarted. Upon this restart, Jack Middleton got the best start of anyone and flew into the lead, never looking back and eventually taking overall and lightweight victory by three and a half seconds. Tom Duffy joined him in the top three, a driver hoping to have a breakout season after a few ups and downs in the previous championship. They were joined in the top three by Josh Gora, possibly the main competition for Jack in terms of fighting for the championship. In the heavyweights, it was a busy day for Kai and Stuart Andrew, both of them finding themselves first and second in class – after just completing the N-35 race. They were joined by Tamworth’s most experienced driver ever, Darren Holliday, in the top three.
There was a bit of a surprise result in the second race of the day, as Thomas James took a dramatic victory ahead of Josh Gora – only by about two tenths of a second after taking the lead in the closing stages. Dhena Rohan had been quite quiet throughout the round so far, but put in an exceptional defensive drive to secure the final spot on the podium. An honourable mention goes to Jack Middleton, who was struck by some pretty torrid luck which took him out of contention for what otherwise would’ve been a quite straightforward victory. However, he made up for this by setting the Daytona Tamworth open-session lap record, a 54:522 – an unbelievable lap only a couple of tenths off of the absolute testing record. There was no real change in the heavyweights, where Kai Andrew once again took victory – similarly ahead of Stuart, Darren Holliday making up the rest of the podium positions.
The Grand Prix format once again proved to be thoroughly entertaining, and all drivers will be excited to continue the double-header next weekend, in round two.
InKart
Round 2 of Inkart at Daytona Tamworth saw the debut of the new ‘Cup’ format, which would put drivers skills to the test in both qualifying and the twenty-five minute race. In the juniors, drivers knew that a top four finish in qualifying would see them through to the A-final – and cadets knew that they realistically needed to finish within the top three to be guaranteed a spot.
In the first qualifying session of the day, Theo Laverty took fastest lap ahead of Edgar Azevedo (who in this format knew that he was starting on row two). Cooper Campbell-Lees got through into the A-Final in third, with Zachary Smith sneaking in by three tenths in fourth. Despite only seven tenths separating the top five, the brutal nature of this new qualifying format meant that Jacob Kent was destined for the B-Final due to finishing in fifth. As for the cadets, Harvey Preen and Henry Gordon both secured safe passage through in first and second, with Jayden Steatham probably doing just enough in third.
Seb Thompson secured his A-Final appearance safely by topping Group 2’s times, though would start in second due to not going faster than Theo. Kodi Francis-Brown put in a monster lap for second in the group, with Harry Fitch and Alfie Kells also getting through. In the cadets, Harry Kennedy and Ethan Guest made up the top two, with Jacob Kinder hoping to secure his spot in the A-Final in third.
The B-Final was set to be twenty-five minutes long, posing a significant challenge for all of the drivers on the circuit. Rhys Kings had the most eventful race of them all, having a battle with Jacob Kent in the early stages of the race. There was a coming together between Jacob and Rhys at turn 4 which was deemed a penalty for Jacob, demoting him off the podium at the end of the race. Despite being involved in the incident, Rhys was able to recover and start to put pressure on Cordell Potter-Hayles for the win, eventually taking the position and winning by three seconds. Reuben Potter took the last step on the podium thanks to the penalties which were applied. Our cadet class saw Jayden Steatham take victory ahead of Jack Charles-Bailey. Jack did not have a straightforward race at all, having an intense battle with third-placed George Marriot. George was not quite able to make the move stick on Jack, and so they finished in that order.
In the final race of the day, there was an intense battle for the lead in the juniors. For the majority of the race, Theo Laverty and Zachary Smith found themselves battling along, with Zach not quite able to make a move stick at any point. Their battling brought Harry Fitch back into the equation, with the three of them briefly going three wide for the lead in the closing stages of the race. By the end, however, Harry had just squeezed in ahead of Zach, taking second place, and allowing Theo to take victory by just six tenths of a second. It was much easier for the cadet winner, Henry Gordon, who dominated that race by a pretty impressive margin. Ethan Guest, Harvey Preen, and polesitter Harry Kennedy battled it out for second. Ethan eventually held on to his second spot, with Harvey claiming the final spot on the podium.
Thursday Night League
The track was set to be in perfect condition once more on a very warm early summer’s evening at Daytona Tamworth, and we were expecting another very enjoyable Thursday Night League championship round.
N-35 ST
A couple of new faces were in the mix in the N-35 ST race, and newcomer to the championship Eduardo Pozo impressed immediately by putting it into pole, eight tenths of a second ahead of the championship leader Jake Connellan. They were joined in the top three by Tom Duffy, who was only a thousandth of a second off Jacob’s best lap.
Into the race, Eduardo took an impressive grand slam victory – winning by fourteen seconds ahead of Tom Duffy. The main story from the race was the battle between Finley Ahmad-Hambling and Jacob Connellan, the two of them being incredibly close together throughout the entire race. They had a multiple-lap side-by-side battle which culminated in a slightly controversial moment down at turn 12. Jacob made a slight miscalculation, hitting into Finley and gaining the position. For this, Jake received a one place penalty which demoted him off of the podium, giving the spot to Finley.
DMAX-GT
We have come to expect DMAX Thursday Night League being unbelievably competitive, and this continued in this round. Todd White took pole, but was less than a tenth ahead of Abi Sanders, who was joined by relative Steven in the top three. There were only eight tenths separating the entire top ten, with both Max Housley and Josh Gora both within the top five and hoping to be able to challenge into the race.
It was just as chaotic in the race as it was in qualifying, with just a tenth of a second separating our top two at the line. Todd White produced a fierce defensive drive to hinder a late charge by Abi Sanders, who fell narrowly short at the line despite lapping within two tenths of Jack Middleton’s lap record, which was only set last weekend. The rest of the podium was just as hotly contested, with Kai Andrew just about managing to break clear from the train in the closing stages to secure that final spot. Josh Gora made up the rest of the top five, having a good race with Steven Sanders towards the end, despite not quite being able to get passed.
Sandown Park
InKart
Season 2 of InKart at Sandown Park is set to be a season for the history books. With the return of Jamie Warner, Jack Bromham and Leo Edger, all fresh from their title fight at the end of last season, they are all looking to prove their skill once again. However, Nicolai Eidsgaard, Ellis McKenzie and newcomers to InKart this season (Fabian Gandhok, Zayn Perry and Nelson Taylor) all are looking to show that they have the skills to be on the top spot of the podium as well. Along side this highly skilled Junior grid is a just as skilled and equally competitive Cadet grid. With Marcus Cooper, Felix Sheldon Heywood, Adam Telford and Ledger Dimitriou all showing potential as championship contender this season.
Round 1 is looking like it’ll be an amazing set of races with clear skies, warm weather, dry circuit and a highly competitive grid.
B Final
As the drivers get lined up on the grid for the first Inkart final of the season we are seeing a very experienced grid for both the Juniors and the Cadets with most drivers frequently appearing in the A finals last season, demonstrating how competitive the gird are. As the start line flag goes green all Juniors get off to a clean start but with an early spin from Daniel Harman he’ll now have to fight his way back to the front of the gird. Cadets also get off to a clean first few corners but unfortunately Leo Ingarfeild has managed to get himself a 3 place penalty for and ABC takeout on Sebastian Mejer.
After a few laps, the drivers have now had a chance to spread out a bit with Charlie Bradburn holding a convincing lead over William Bradbery and Jack Edger in the juniors. In the Cadets we see Sebastian Mejer leading Leo Ingarfield.
A very clean race for the rest of the race with Charlie Bradburn winning by other 16 seconds, followed by David Szucs-Farkas in 2nd and William Bradbery in 3rd after David Szucs-Farkas showed a very strong performance working his way up from 6th. In cadets we see Sebastian Mejer winning by over 1 lap with Maximilan Walton in 2nd and Sean Whelan in 3rd.
A Final
Jamie Warner and Leo Edger, both champion contender last season, sit on the front of the grid with probably the most experienced junior grid Daytona Sandown Parks ever had lined up behind them. It is much the same story for the Cadet as well with Leger Dimitriou and Felix Sheldon Heywood making up the front row. The driver to look out for though in these two races will be Adam Telford who after some unfortunate penalties in the heat will be needing to make his was through the pack from the back of the grid.
Both classes get off to a good start with no drivers finding themselves in any incidences on the first few laps. Adam Telford manages to find himself already in the top three after weaving his way through the grid on the first few laps.
With only a few minutes left on the clock, the top 10 drivers in the junior class are only separated by a couple of seconds with moves being attempted on most corners. With the racing being so close, Fabian Gandhok acquires a 3 place penalty for a front to rear ABC takeout at turn 4 after the pressure from the driver behind caused him to brake a little too late taking out the driver in front.
After an insane race to start the season Jack Bromham take the win shortly followed by Jamie Warner and Leo Edger only separated by 1.3 seconds. A very clean race from the cadets with no penalties being received saw Felix Sheldon Heywood take the top step of the podium with Adam Telford making his way from the back of the grid to take second and Leger Dimitriou taking 3rd. An unfortunate start to the season for Daniel Marutyak though after running in 3rd for most of the Cadet race he suffered a conrod failure with only a few laps to go taking him out of the race.
Thursday Night League
As we got underway in the SODI Thursday Night League Dan Giles led us away after a very well behaved start from the SODI fleet. Luka Nic followed him off the line and kept pace with Dan for the opening laps before slipping down to p3. Stephen Brookes decided to show the Daytona regulars what he could do as he started in p3 and got up to p2 by lap 5. He kept this position until Daytona regular Alfie Shrubb made his way up from 5th place taking 4th on lap 5 3rd on lap 8 and then 2nd on lap 9 before making a wonderful race complete and taking the lead with 3 laps to go. It finished with Alfie taking p1, Dan Giles in p2 and Steve Hannon coming out of no where to claim the final podium spot for round 9 of TNL.
Our DMAX Thursady Night League got underway with Archie Bullard leading us away, Archie has been used to this for most of the season and looked like he had got the hang of it as he led every single lap of the sprint race to claim another strong victory for this season finishing 7 seconds ahead of second place Ian Del-Pizzo. Ian had a very similar race to Archie on this beautiful Thursday evening at Daytona. He stayed in 2nd for the whole race slowly dropping back from Archie every lap. He did have company throughout the whole race though as Luka Nik wanted to get in on some of the action. Despite being only a 10th or so behind for most of the race Luka could not find a way past Ian and had to settle for 3rd place, another podium though that he can add to the many that he has this season. 4th place went to Frederic Navarro and 5th place went to Simonas Punter a great result for him.
Photos:
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