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Tamworth
InKart
The fifth round of Inkart at Daytona Tamworth took place on a very mild Sunday morning, with two mixed grids of junior and cadet drivers. At least in the heats, it was going to prove to be a very interesting battle for qualification into the A-Final.
Our first heat saw a really good drive from Olivier Guintoli, who showed a lot of fight for most of the race to keep Cooper Campbell-Lees behind. Cooper did eventually get past, but a one place position penalty for an advantage-by-contact demoted him into second, giving Olivier the win of the Junior race. Oliwier Hajdiuk was in third, finding himself building a good gap to fourth. As for the cadets, it was a really sound drive from Harry Fitch, who continued his surge in form this season by winning the race comfortably. He gained a massive ten seconds to Ethan Guest, who found himself completing a very good defensive drive just three tenths of a second ahead of third-placed Micah Hunte-Nelson.
Group two were out next, and it was Theo Laverty and Harvey Preen that found themselves being the main protagonists of the heat. Theo eventually took victory, but only by seven tenths of a second. After a disappointing end to the B-Final in the last round of the championship, Rhys Kings had a promising return - slotting straight into third in the junior race. Speaking of promising runs, Zachary Smith dominated the cadet race once again - showing excellent pace throughout. His runner-up was a driver who’s having a really good season in Jack Charles-Bailey. Jack did his A-Final chances a world of good with a very strong second place, just managing to stay ahead of Joseph Smith at the line.
Next up was the third heat, where Cooper Campbell-Lees secured his spot in the A-final with a victory. He was ahead of the first race’s winner in Olivier Guintoli, who also should have done enough to qualify himself into the A-Final, securing two top two finishes in the two heat races. Kodi Francis-Brown finished in third, just managing to sneak ahead of Oliwier Hajdiuk by a little under a second. For the cadets, Harry Fitch couldn’t quite make it a second victory of the day, battling hard but eventually coming up short against Ethan Guest. Himself, Micah Hunte-Nelson, and Ethan had a fantastic scrap for the entirety of the race, seeing Micah and Harry take part in a photo finish that read just six hundredths of a second at the line, in favour of Harry Fitch.
Afterwards, group two went back out to try and secure their own places in the A-Final a little bit later on. Theo Laverty took another victory, this time by eight seconds to Rhys Kings. With a third place finish in the first race, Rhys knew that he would be right on the bubble of A-Final qualification. Due to fastest laps (the tiebreaker), he needed Harvey Preen to get overtaken by Layla Guintoli in the late stages of the race, but Harvey held his nerve and scraped into the A-Final based on a fastest lap just four tenths faster than Rhys. In the cadets, there was more of a march into the A-Final for Zachary Smith, who made another easy victory ahead of the same runner-up as before. Jack Charles-Bailey was having a fantastic round, and would also be appearing in that primary final. Once again, Jack and Joseph Smith were battling - with the same result as before.
The first of the finals was next onto track, and the B-Final proved to be quite entertaining. Rhys Kings made the ultimate recovery from his last B-Final appearance, where he received a late penalty. This time, he stormed to a victory of around seven seconds to Layla Guintoli. Despite finishing second on track, Layla had received a penalty for an advantage-by-contact on the first lap, dropping down three places and thus off of the podium. Instead, Oliwier Hajdiuk gained himself that second spot, with Kodi Francis-Brown finishing in third despite being the driver on the receiving end of the earlier ‘ABC’. In terms of the cadets, the race had quite a controversial state which saw Henry Gordon lose the lead under yellow flags. This gave Ted Hitchman, Harry Kennedy, and Harris Bhatoa a single place penalty each, though Henry would not need to rely on this as he soon regained the lead to win on track as well. Once all penalties were applied, Mason Stocks stood on the second spot on the podium, with Ted Hitchman’s strong drive being enough to at least save third place.
Finally was a quite hotly anticipated A-Final, where the fastest drivers from all the heat would battle for the overall round victory. In the Juniors, Theo Laverty was able to drive to a dominant victory, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of Cooper Campbell-Lees, despite Cooper taking the fastest lap medal. Harvey Preen, who was only here because of a superior fastest lap to Rhys Kings, was able to find himself on the podium, getting ahead of and then staying ahead of a very formidable Olivier Guintoli. As for the cadets, it is possibly not a surprise to see that Zachary Smith took victory, though he did have some very firm competition in Harry Fitch. Harry stayed on Zachary’s tale for the entire race, after being passed in the early stages, but was not quite able to make that final move stick - much to his frustration. Despite this, he is possibly the most in-form driver in the series and the round victory is surely not too far away. Micah Hunte-Nelson took the final spot on the podium, a really strong drive from a driver who arguably has not taken home the silverware in the past rounds of this season that his very strong pace is deserving of.
Inkart concluded a very entertaining weekend of racing at Daytona Tamworth between the two weekend championships, and all drivers will be looking forward to rejoining us again soon as we get into the business end of the first season of 2024.
SuperChamps
In possibly the most pleasant of conditions seen so far this season, Superchamps returned for its fifth of eight rounds at Daytona Tamworth. Alternating between the two formats, it was the turn of the Grand Prix format for this particular round.
N-35 ST
The qualifying session for the N-35 field was one of the closest of the season, owing possibly to the fact that this was the first Grand Prix round of the season that was held in dry conditions. Ned Morris had no problem taking pole position, finishing a tenth of a second faster than Neil Hampson, both drivers sneaking into the 1:02 lap times. Toby Mawdlesley was in third, the top three separated by just five tenths of a second. In the heavyweights, Jacob Connellan has found himself comparing himself more to the lightweights this season than his own class - this time finishing just outside of the top five. His only competition in Xiaofeng Yang was quite a while down in ninth, however he’s already shown remarkable progress this season.
Into the first race of the day, it was an unbelievable contest between the eventual top two finishers. Neil Hampson controlled the early stages of the fifteen minute race, before being slightly surprised by a late surge from Ned Morris. Getting desperate in the last lap of the race, Ned found the space for a move into turn one but was eventually out-dragged to the timing line at turn three, losing the race to Neil by just a tenth of a second. Toby Mawdlesley was in third, a really good result for him - getting a good gap to Baxter Rawlings behind. As for the heavyweights, it finished in the order that they qualified, though Jacob found himself having a great battle up into fifth spot overall.
Next up was the twenty-five minute ‘grand prix’, the longest championship race that is offered at Daytona Tamworth. This also did not disappoint, as Neil Hampson went on the ultra defensive after taking the lead in the early stages. He was driving under immense pressure from Ned Morris for quite literally the entirety of the race. Similarly to the first, it came down to the final corner where Ned tried for a little bit of a desperate lunge into the hairpin, not quite getting the kart stopped in time and allowing Neil to go through and take victory. The eventual winning margin of two seconds was not reflective on how close the battle was. Rounding out the podium was Nikodem Benonski, who drove very strongly to build a gap to Toby, who he was battling in the early stages.
DMAX-GT
As ever, not much separated our DMAX-GT karts after the chequered flag went out in their ten-minute qualifying session. The gap from first to second was just one tenth of a second, and it was championship contender Josh Gora who took the top spot, by a tenth of a second to Simon Stansfield, who returned to championships at Tamworth after a while out. It was a debutant who was in third, Dan Olster doing a fantastic job - with the entire top five separated by under five tenths. In the heavyweight class, Greg Chapman took pole position in fourth-place overall, four places ahead of his next competitor Stuart Corr, who himself was only six tenths off of the pace. Richard Lavender looked set to continue his really fine run of form in third.
Our first race was an absolute cracker, with intense action in the early stages. Simon Stansfield took the lead, before losing out in a fantastic scrap that involved around five karts - eventually falling to the back of the train. He would’ve been happy to recover to fourth at least, but Benjamin Tomkinson-Gray would probably have been even happier to put to bed a relatively disappointing qualifying session and stream through to take a victory of around two and a half seconds to his main championship rival, Ben Smiles. They were joined on the podium by possibly the third contender for the title, Josh Gora - who could not quite consolidate his pole. The heavyweights were quite close themselves, Greg Chapman taking victory ahead of Richard Lavender. The final spot on the podium was hard-fought, though Stuart Corr eventually took it ahead of Chris Swannell.
Finally, the twenty-five minute grand prix took place. This race was also really entertaining, with Benjamin Tomkinson-Gray leading the majority of the way for the vast majority of the race. However, Josh Gora sent a surprising and aggressive move into turn seven on the penultimate lap to steal victory away from Ben, going on to gain two seconds in the final lap to secure the top spot. Ben Smiles had a pretty interesting race, battling with Simon Stansfield and Jacob Holley for the entire second half, eventually getting just ahead of both of them in third place. As for the heavyweights, all three of the top runners finished consecutively on track, with just five seconds separating them all. Greg Chapman took victory, being right on the back of the Smiles-Stansfield-Holley train, being able to fend off Chris Swannell - but only by just over a second. Stuart Corr made up the rest of the podium, he was a driver who could have won but fell off the back of the train in the late stages.
After a pretty chaotic few weeks of five rounds happening thick-and-fast, the drivers get to enjoy a couple of weeks off before the championship returns on the 16th of March.
Thursday Night League
On the extra day of the leap year, Round 4 of Thursday Night League took place at Daytona Tamworth. Whilst it had remained dry throughout the afternoon, a little bit of rain started to threaten the circuit as we headed into the evening.
N-35 ST
Qualifying for the N-35 ST race was overshadowed somewhat by a little bit of rain that took hold towards the backend of the session. Maxwell Williamson’s earlier lap of a 66.251 stood as the pole time as such, with no one else being able to best it in the damper conditions. Despite this, Jacob Connellan came close in his effort to continue his championship charge, though he ended up just about four tenths of a second behind. Just after that was Thierry Hopkins, who was just a few hundredths behind the second-placed runner. Given the mixed conditions, it was a remarkably close qualifying session - the top five separated by just eight tenths of a second.
Heading into the race, it was not an ideal start for Maxwell Williamson - losing the lead in the first lap to a charging Tom Duffy (who was able to make up five positions in the absolute melee of turn four). Tom’s calm driving in the very nervy conditions was enough to see him take the chequered flag at the end of the race, getting the better of the attacks from Jacob Connellan and Blake Southan. Jacob was in second, his attacks of course not able to get the better of Tom - though Blake’s third was in no way as comfortable. Southan had to do a lot of work to get through on a very formidable Thierry Hopkins, something he did in the closing stages, only managing to stay ahead by seven tenths of a second at the line.
DMAX-GT
For our DMAX-GT karts, there was an interesting drying session in qualifying. With lap times getting faster for the entire ten minutes, Josh Gora was able to snatch pole position with his final lap of the day. His 48.817 was only two tenths of a second faster than Abi Sanders, who was set to join him on the front row. Up until this point, it had been a reasonably comfortable session for Jude Beaven on the top of the timing sheets, but he had to settle for third in the end - though only four tenths off of the eventual pole man. Similarly to the N-35 qualifying, the top five were not separated by much at all - the separation between them being just eight tenths of a second.
With such a close battle for pole position, the race was set to be a really good contest - and it managed to deliver. Josh Gora flew in the first few stages of the race, getting himself a sizable margin of about four seconds in the first half, aided by intense battling between Jude, Todd White, and Abi Sanders behind. Abi found herself stuck behind a very defensive Todd White, but was able to squeeze through with approximately eight minutes to go. This gave her a good chunk of the race to chase after the dominant Josh Gora, and this was something that she was just about able to achieve - seizing her opportunity on the penultimate lap of the race. Josh then spent the duration of the final lap defending against Todd White - holding on to second position with Abi taking the win. Todd wouldn’t feel too disheartened, putting together a fantastic run in third.
Sandown Park
Junior Sprint League (Ruound 4)
This round of Junior Sprint League at Sandown Park witnessed an outstanding performance from Ellis McKenzie, who dominated the race from start to finish. McKenzie led every single lap, maintaining a consistent and impressive pace that left the competition trailing behind.
Right from the green flag, McKenzie never looked back, consistently extending his lead over the rest of the field. With an average lap time a second faster than the rest of the field.
Harry Bedford initially started in 2nd position but faced early challenges from Solomon Adeniji, who managed to overtake him. However, Bedford showcased resilience and determination, engaging in a spirited battle with Adeniji to regain his 2nd position. Ultimately, Bedford successfully reclaimed the spot and held onto it for the remainder of the race, securing a well-deserved podium finish. Solomon Adeniji, despite losing the battle for 2nd place, showcased skill and determination throughout the race, finishing in a commendable 3rd position.
SuperChamps (Round 4)
SODI Shootout
The star of the day was undeniably Matthew Turner, who claimed the top spot after a series of gripping battles throughout the race. Turner's exceptional driving skills and strategic moves played a crucial role in securing his victory. He faced stiff competition, notably from Oscar Cole, in the middle of the race, but ultimately emerged victorious. Oscar Cole displayed tenacity and skill as he engaged in exhilarating duels with Matthew Turner. The mid-race battles between Turner and Cole added a layer of excitement to the event, showcasing the true spirit of competitive go-kart racing. Despite his valiant efforts, Cole finished in a respectable fourth place, just outside the podium positions.
One of the standout performances of the day came from Jack Redfern, who started the race in the 11th position. Redfern executed a remarkable comeback, showcasing brilliant overtaking manoeuvres to weave his way through the field. His determined effort paid off as he crossed the finish line in an impressive second place.
Henry Wilkes, starting from the 6th position, demonstrated consistency and composure throughout the race. Despite facing tough competition, Wilkes secured the final spot on the podium with a third-place finish
SODI Feature Race
Matthew Turner, starting from pole position, put on a masterclass performance, leading from start to finish and securing a well-deserved victory. Matthew’s dominance on the track left no room for his competitors as he flawlessly navigated each lap, showcasing his exceptional racing skills.
One of the standout performances of the day came from Freddie Funnell, who started in 5th position but showed incredible determination and skill to manoeuvre through the field and secure a commendable 2nd place finish. Funnell's charge through the ranks added an extra layer of excitement to the race.
The battle for the podium was intense, with Henry Wilkes starting in 3rd position and engaging in captivating mid-race duels with Freddie Funnell. Despite the challenges, Wilkes held his ground and ultimately finished in 3rd place.
In the heavy class, Reece Harris emerged as a standout performer, securing an impressive 6th place overall on track. However, his triumph came in winning the heavy Sodi class, underlining his prowess in the specific category.
DMAX Shootout
Archie Bullard started the race in 2nd place but quickly made his move to take the lead from Tom Brown. Once in the front, Bullard maintained a strong and consistent pace, fending off challenges from Tom. Tom Brown, who initially held the lead, put up a strong fight against Bullard. Despite some great attempts to regain the top spot.
Henry Lopes Gracey showcased remarkable driving prowess by finishing in 3rd place, starting from the 3rd position. Notably, Gracey competes in the heavy class, adding an extra layer of challenge to his performance.
DMAX Feature Race
Archie Bullard, starting from pole position, executed a flawless start, maintaining the lead throughout the race. His consistent pace and strategic manoeuvres allowed him to control the race, ultimately crossing the finish line first and claiming the chequered flag.
The battle for the second position provided spectators with thrilling moments. Tom Brown held onto the 2nd position for much of the race, displaying skilful driving. However, on lap 16, Henry Lopes Gracey engaged in a spectacular duel with Brown, managing to briefly snatch 2nd place. Despite the setback, Brown demonstrated resilience and determination, regaining the position later in the race.
Ollie Armiger, starting in 4th place, exhibited impressive race craft as he worked his way up the field. Making up a position during the race, Armiger secured a podium finish by taking the 3rd position.
SuperChamps (Round 5)
SODI
Heat 1
Superchamps Round 5 Heat 1 brought thrilling action as Jack Redern showcased his prowess by securing a remarkable victory from 4th place. Redfern executed impressive moves in the opening laps, taking the lead by lap 3 and maintaining it throughout the race. Morgan Humphries, who began in 2nd place, faced a setback in the opening lap but demonstrated resilience by securing and maintaining the 2nd position until the finish. Alfie Shrubb, starting in 3rd place, had a standout performance, maintaining his position throughout the race and securing his first podium of the season. Shrubb's skillful driving and determination paid off, earning him a well-earned spot on the podium.
Heat 2
Freddie Funnell leading the pack from start to finish. Funnell's dominant performance allowed him to secure a well-deserved victory, demonstrating his control and pace throughout the race.
Matthew Turner had a standout performance, starting from the 5th position and managing to secure 2nd place. Turner showcased excellent racecraft as he cut through the field, engaging in a thrilling battle with Jack Redfern. Despite starting in 6th, Redfern put up a strong fight and ultimately finished in 3rd place.
Reece Harris, a heavy driver starting from 9th, exhibited remarkable skill as he made his way up the ranks. Harris managed to overtake three light drivers during the race, finishing in an impressive 6th position
Final.
The final race proved to be a thrilling spectacle, with Jack Redfern starting on pole position and delivering a dominant performance. From the moment the lights went out, Redfern asserted his control and never looked back, leading every lap and ultimately clinching the victory.
A notable highlight of the race was Johnathan Fuchsel's impressive climb through the field. Starting in 5th position, Fuchsel showcased his racing prowess by overtaking competitors and securing 4th place by lap 3. He continued his charge, claiming 3rd position by lap 7 and ultimately securing a well-deserved 2nd place by lap 9.
Reece Harris once again demonstrated his exceptional skill in the heavy category, not only winning his class but also finishing an impressive 3rd overall when considering the lightweight competitors on the track. Oscar Cole, who started in 3rd position, narrowly missed out on the podium but managed to hold onto 4th place, fending off challenges from Freddie Funnell in 5th.
The remainder of the top 10 saw Morgan Humphries in 6th, Alfie Shrubb in 7th, Matthew Turner in 8th, and Fin Ions in 9th, each contributing to the competitive and dynamic nature of the race.
DMAX
Heat 1
Max Sheldon Heywood claiming victory in the first heat. Despite starting from the 4th position, Heywood showcased his skill and determination as he navigated through the field. By lap 3, he had already secured the 3rd position, and his impressive performance continued with him climbing to 2nd by lap 7. By lap 10, Heywood seized the lead and maintained it until the end of the race. Antonio Sholin had a competitive run, starting from 3rd position. Despite dropping down to 4th by lap 5, Sholin quickly recovered and reclaimed the 2nd position by lap 7. He held his ground against other drivers, maintaining his position until the checkered flag. Ollie Armiger delivered a remarkable performance, starting from the 10th position and finishing on the podium in 3rd place. Armiger made up two positions on the opening lap and consistently made strategic moves throughout the race, securing the final spot on the podium.
In our heavy driver class it was William Tidnam that took victory, he had to fend off moves from Yaseen Khan and Steve Hannon in the light category but showed great defending to take home the in in his class. Justin Hammond came home in 2nd after again showing his skill against some light drivers keeping Charlie Bevan Dick behind him all race, our final podium spot for our heavies went to Olly Cooper Welton who was defending from Thomas Williams all race keeping him behind till they crossed the line.
Heat 2
Max Sheldon Heywood had an outstanding performance in Heat 2, showcasing impressive overtaking skills and strategic driving. Starting from 11th and gaining positions consistently, he eventually claimed the lead on lap 12, making some remarkable moves to secure the top spot. Archie Bullard, who started on pole position, held the lead for a significant portion of the race but had to settle for 2nd place after a brilliant maneuver by Max. Ollie Armiger, starting in 2nd place, maintained a podium position throughout the race, demonstrating consistent performance. Although he lost out to Archie in the final laps, securing 3rd place is still a commendable achievement.
Our Heavy class again showed some great racing from William Tidnam who finished 4th on track, a very impressive feat considering the drivers around him. Jamie Welsh took 2nd position having a great battle with Adam Palmer all race and our final spot on the podium went to Henry Lopes Gracey.
Final
Tom Brown's ability to take the lead on the opening lap and maintain it until the finish line shows great skill and determination. The photo finish with Archie Bullard adds an extra layer of intensity to the competition, with only 0.037 seconds separating them.
Henry Lopes Gracey's achievement in securing 3rd place on track in the heavy class is commendable, especially considering the challenges of holding off competitors from lighter drivers around him. Ollie Armiger's performance, taking 3rd in the light class but finishing 4th on track, highlights the diversity and competitiveness within the field.
Charlie Foster's race strategy and performance, holding 2nd for a couple of laps mid-race and ultimately securing 5th position, add another dynamic to the overall excitement of the event. It seems like each driver had their moments of excellence, contributing to a thrilling and closely contested final.
In the heavy class William Tidnam again impressed securing 7th on track but 1st in the heavies shows his mindfulness when it comes to on track battles, Justin Hammond secured 2nd and 12th on track having a great battle with fellow heavy driver Jamie Welsh who ultimately took 3rd.
InKart (Round 5)
Cadets
Heat 1
Our cadets got underway for round 5 of InKart season one hear at Daytona Sandown Park. With only 3 drivers in this race it was a battle from the get go with a great drive from Ledger Dimitriou who started at the back of the field but made some great moves on the brakes later on in the race to take victory in the dying laps. Sarah Telford started in 2nd and held the position for the majority of the race, holding off ledger time and time again and showing some really great kart positioning into the braking zones but ultimately losing out on lap 6 to Ledger. Marcus Cooper started on pole and again kept the lead for most of the race till everything heated up in the final laps losing out in the breaking zone and coming home in 2nd.
Heat 2
Heat 2 saw 4 drivers hit the track. Adam Telford in pole position, Daniel Marutyak in 2nd, Felix Heywood 3rd and Harvey Ball in 4th. Felix was the mover early on taking 2nd from Daniel on the opening lap then on lap 7 taking the lead from Adam to secure the win. Adam came home in 2nd Daniel in 3rd and Harvey in 4th. However, due to a move by Daniel earlier in the race pushing Harvey wide and that that cost Harvey 3rd position on track Daniel was given a penalty that promoted Harvey to the podium positions.
Heat 3
Heat 3 got underway with Ledger Dimitriou on pole, Marcus Cooper in 2n and Sarah Telford in 3rd. despite some great racing in this heat the positions never changed and the drivers came home exactly where they started, a testament to some great defensive driving by all.
Heat 4
Heat 4 got underway with Harvey Ball on the front row of the grid with Felix Heywood, Adam Telford in 3rd and Daniel Marutyak in 4th. Harvey, Adam and Felix had a great battle for the opening few laps with positions changing all the time. Harvey dropped down to 3rd but on lap 7 he made a great and brave move on the brakes to take back 2nd place from Felix. Adam Telford secured the win and Daniel Marutyak took 3rd after Felix dropped down to 4th.
Final
The final got going with Marcus Cooper on pole, Ledger Dimitriou in 2nd, Adam Telford in 3rd, Daniel Marutyak in 4th, Felix Heywood in 5th and Harvey Ball in 6th. Once we went green all drivers kept position for the opening laps until on lap 4 Harvey Ball was on the move, moving from p6 to p3 in one lap. He would eventually come home in p4 after just missing out to Marcus Cooper who took the final spot on the podium. Ledger Dimitriou in 2nd took the lead on lap 6 and never looked back, crossing the line in p1 after 15 laps of hard racing. P2 fell to Felix Heywood after a eventful race saw him move from p5 to the 2nd step on the podium. P5 fell to Daniel and the Telford twins coming home in p6 and 7, Adam then Sarah.
Juniors
Heat 1
Heat 1 for our juniors got underway with Harrison Bishop on pole, Ellis McKenzie in 2nd and Leon Ptasznik in 3rd. After we went green Ellis and Harrison got into a battle right away with Ellis taking the lead, after this both held position to the line finishing 1st and 2nd respectfully. Ollie Peters had a great race starting in p4 but coming home in the final podium spot after a great battle with Leon but being later on the brakes into turn 6 secured him his podium spot.
Heat 2
Heat 2 had Nicolai Eidsgaard on pole, Harrison Rudge in 2nd and Leo Edger in 3rd. After lights out Nicolai Eidsgaard didn’t look back and stormed his way to victory not getting in any battles and leading from the front. Leo Edger made a great move on lap 2 to take 2nd and again kept this till the flag . our final podium spot went to Max Winfield who started in p4 but dropped down to p5 for a time, coming back and taking 3d by lap 8.
Heat 3
Bertie Hodgson was on pole for heat 3, Jamie Warner in p2 and Leon Ptasznik in p3, Ellis McKenzie in 4th, Callum Ince p5, Harrison Bishop p6, Ollie Peters p7, William Bradbury p8 and finally Arjun Coondapoor in p9. Racing got underway and it was Ellis who was making moves early on taking 3rd on lap 1, 2nd and 3rd by lap 4. He then kept the lead till the flag after a impressive drive. It was a,lonely race for Jamie Warner who started 2nd and kept position all race to bring home then 2nd spot on the podium. Our final podium spot went to Bertie Hodgson who slipped from p1 to p3 but non the less still a great drive.
Heat 4
Heat 4 saw Jack Bromham having a great race, leading from lap 1 and all the way to the finish not being troubled by other drivers the same can be said for Leo Edger in 2nd as the top 2 left the field behind. P3 was secured by Nicolai Eidsgaard who started in p5 making some lovely moves throughout the race and getting to p3 by lap 3 and again never looking back once he secured it.
B final
Our B final got underway and it was Leon Ptasnik lining up on pole, joining him on the front row was Ethan Critchley, p3 went to Max Winfield, p4 Harrison Judge, p5 William Bradbury, p6 Callum Ince, p7 Jack Edger, p8 Robert Wijnand and p9 Arjun Coondapoor.
The opening laps saw little movement from our drivers but on lap 8 we saw a change of the lead as Ethan Critchley made a great move on the brakes into turn 6 taking the lead from Leon. Ethan then managed to secure a gap at the front of the field and managed the rest of the race perfectly to take the win by the time they got to the flag. William Bradbery after starting in p5 made some eye watering moves to move up to p2 and Leon falling to 3rd after putting in a great effort to try and keep the other 2 behind.
A final
Ellis McKenzie lined up on pole, Leo Edger joining him on the front row, Jamie Warner in p3, Jack Bromham in p4, David Szucs-Farkas in p5, Harrison Bishop p6, Ollie Peters p7 and Nicolai Eidsgaard in p8.
Once we got going Jack Bromham made the first move of the race taking 3rd place away from Leo Edger by being slightly later on the brakes into turn 1, Jack then made his way up to 1st taking the lead from Ellis and kept the lead all the way to the flag. Ellis had to settle for 2nd after defending from Jamie Warner in p3 for most of the race coming home 2nd and 3rd respectfully. P4 was taken by Ollie Peters after himself having a great race after starting p7 cutting his way through the field and making some lovely moves. P5 fell to David after him and Harrison Bishop got into a few battles mid race with Leo Edger falling from 2nd to claim p6 . Bertie Hodgson took p7 after a lonely race and finally Nicolai Eidsgaard came home in p8.
Thursday Night League
SODI
It was a dark, windy and rainy night here at Daytona Sandown Park for round 4 of our Thursday Night League.
After qualifying it was Luka Nik lining up on pole position after some great kart control in the wet. Noah Williams joined him on the front row of the grid with Jules Larkin securing 3rd. Once we had the green flag to get going Luka shot away from the rest of the field and kept gaining pace lap after lap making sure no one behind had a chance for a move. Luka led for the whole race and took the chequered flag after 20 minutes of racing in some very challenging conditions.
Noah had a similar story himself until lap 8, he then got into a great battle with Dan Giles who from 3rd place made a lovely move on the brakes in the wet to move up to 2nd. Dan then kept this position until we crossed the line at the end of the race. Noah was resigned to 3rd but a great effort none the less.
Further down the field Aflie Shrubb was making moves from 9th place, taking 3 drivers through out the race and finishing p6. Another driver making moves was Steve Hannon starting in p6 and making his way up to p3 at points in the race but ultimately finishing in p4 after a fantastic drive.
DMAX
After qualifying it was Daytona regular Archie Bullard that lined up on pole position, Ollie Armiger joined him on the front row and a great qualifying for Charlie Foster saw him placed in 3rd.
Once we had the green night similar to the Sodi race before our pole sitter Archie Bullard pulled away from the rest of the field and did not look back, gaining on all the other drivers lap after lap and extending his lead. After the 20 minute race he secured the victory. It was a similar story for Ollie in 2nd and Charlie in 3rd pulling away from the rest of the field all the while having a great battle between themselves but the finishing order as they crossed the line did not change with Ollie taking 2nd and Charlie 3rd.
A word for our Sodi winner Luka Nik who starting 8th was making some lovely moves in the race and got up to 5th until he was too late onto the brakes into turn 6 and aquaplaned his kart into the tyre wall unfortunately sending him to last but a great drive till then none the less.
Milton Keynes
SuperChamps
SuperChamps returned to morning racing for Round 4 of the season, with a damp but slowly drying circuit providing an excellent scene for the drivers to showcase their skills.
However, with Round 4 using the Grand Prix format, 10 minutes of qualifying followed by a 15 and 25 minute race, there would be less emphasis on being able to quickly and efficiently carve through the field. The Grand Prix format rewards good consistent pace more than anything, and consistency on an evolving circuit is an incredibly hard skill to master
SODI Lights
The SODIs were out first in the morning and, as such, had the wettest circuit of everyone. Qualifying was a fascinating session, with laptimes improving until the end. Alfie O'Brien, a former Junior regular at Milton Keynes, took pole on his debut SuperChamps appearance. Daniel Varlan impressed everyone by qualifying 2nd ahead of reigning champion, and the current championship leader, Harry Asher.
In the 15 minute sprint, O'Brien stormed off to an early lead, but as the race progressed, his lead began to fade. Asher was quickly picking his way up through the order after a bad start. With a few minutes left, Asher had caught up to O'Brien and was challenging for the win. Drama then unfolded as O'Brien received a black flag for repeated track limit abuse. O'Brien, still leading, refused to come into the pits with two laps to go and continued fighting for the win. Asher was able to overtake on the penultimate lap and took the chequered flag, ahead of O'Brien who was given a 1-lap penalty for ignoring the black flag. Daniel Varlan inherited 2nd with Luca Brooks in 3rd.
In contrast, the feature race was rather dull. Asher and Varlan started on the front row, whilst O'Brien started from the pits, due to his Big Flag incident. Asher was unstoppable and stormed off into the distance, winning by 10 seconds. Luca Brooks claimed 2nd, ahead of Alfie O'Brien, who did claim the fastest lap in the race. Daniel Varlan finished 4th, ahead of Ethan Anderson. George Benson held off Amelia Charlesworth for a good 10 minutes in the fight for 6th, as Aryaan Advani completed the field.
SODI Heavies
Justin Elliott was in fine form for qualifying, taking pole ahead of Scott Woosey. He carried that pace into the race, stretching out a comfortable lead of around 5 seconds before easing off the pace. With a wet circuit, Elliott was taking no risks and ensuring he won the race, which he did by 4 seconds to Woosey, with Dylan Jenkins a further 20 seconds behind.
Woosey, who had the fastest lap from Race 1, started on pole for the feature race. Elliott, who started on the grippier outside of the circuit, took the lead through the opening corners. For the first 5 or so minutes, Woosey and Jenkins were keeping up with the race leader, but as the race progresses, Jenkins dropped off the battle and Woosey was struggling to keep up. In the final 10 minutes, Woosey was a couple of seconds behind Elliott and was trading laptimes with him. Whilst the gap did falter to around a second at one point, Woosey was never able to get close enough to go for an overtake. Justin Elliott took a well earned win ahead of Woosey, Jenkins and Attila Schmede. The top 3 had fastest laps separated by just a tenth of a second. But it was Woosey who claimed the fastest lap, by a miniscule 2 thousandths of a second!
DMAX Lights
The sprint race was fantastic for Phillip Baboolal who took a comfortable victory ahead of James King. Levi Anderson impressed with 3rd place, finishing narrowly behind King.
In the feature race, Ethan Pritchard had a fantastic start to take the early lead, but was being hunted down by Baboolal, Anderson and King. Baboolal was gaining, but Anderson was right on his tail and was pushing for an overtake. Their battling was giving Pritchard some respite, with Anderson and Baboolal constantly trading places. Eventually Anderson broke free and without needing to defend, he quickly dispatched with Pritchard. Baboolal hunted Pritchard down, but took too long and finished behind Pritchard by a tenth of a second. Sadly for Ethan Pritchard, he was given a 3 place penalty for a jump start and was demoted to 5th. James King was promoted to 3rd ahead of Lewis Barton. James Bettison took 6th ahead of Logan Mcalister, who held off a charging Logan Mcalister in 7th. Lee Schnitzler claimed 8th, ahead of Andreea Braharu, Finley Anderson and Aleksei Ustimenko.
DMAX Heavyweights
The Heavyweight shootout started with a dominant victory over Sebastian Musicka and Paul Studd. Aiden Miller finished 4th, whilst Ashley Mayston-King narrowly held off Justin Elliott for 5th.
In the feature race, Lee Whitney stormed off into the distance again to take a dominant victory by 20 seconds. The fight for second was thrilling, as Sebastian Musicka defended from Paul Studd, Harry Thrower, Myles Bate and Justin Elliott. Elliott was on a stormer, carving through the field of karts to take an incredibly well-earned 2nd place. Paul Studd finished a further 5 seconds behind, with Musicka a further tenth behind. Harry Thrower was another tenth back in 4th ahead of Myles Bate by half a second. However a penalty for Thrower demoted him to 5th, ahead of Hamish Easener and Oliver Smith. Ashley Mayston-King placed 9th, ahead of Scott Woosey, Rhys Matthews and Aiden Miller.
SuperChamps Duos - NEW!
Super Champ Duos made its start at Milton Keynes and the King Brother squads were out in full force as K.B.R.1, with Sebastian Musicka at the wheel, took pole and was charging clear. However, Team DasGut with Bradley Philpot at the wheel was closing in. About thirty minutes into the 1-hour race, DasGut and Team Williams had closed into the race leader. Musicka dived into the pits for K.B.R.1 and absolutely nailed it. After all was said and done in the pit lane, K.B.R.1 rejoined right behind Cameron Das for DasGut. With Das requiring a few laps to get up to speed, Musicka, who was iron-manning the race, made quick work and reclaimed the lead. Musicka only extended the lead and won by nearly 20 seconds at the end of the race. DasGut held onto 2nd, ahead of the fast charging James King for K.B.R.7. Team Williams took 4th, ahead of Open Throttle and Rory Burke. Maple Motorsport finished in 7th, after nearly catching Rory Burke in the closing laps of the race. PreenStone finished 11st ahead of CoMat racing, Track Titans and Shake ‘n’ Bake.
Thusday Night League
SODI
A damp track greeted the drivers for round 4 of Thursday night sprint league. 17 drivers on the grid tonight with Will Stephenson making an early lead in qualifying with Charlie Sheldrake in 2nd just behind in the early stages. Richard Danby and Oscar Furby were battling away for 3rd place. At the end of the 10 minutes, it was Will Stephenson who took pole by 1.7 seconds over Charlie Sheldrake. Oscar Furby was third and a further 8 tenths back. Richard Danby was 4th beating James King in 5th with Ash Chivers in 6th. William Fry was 7th and Michael Bowles in 8th, Nathaniel Stebbings in 9th and Norbert Orsos rounded out the top 10 on the grid.
The race got underway with Will Stephenson leading everyone away off the grid with Charlie and Oscar in close proximity but after 1 lap Will had 1.3 second lead. James King managed to overtake Richard Danby into 4th. The rest of the top 10 stayed the same in the early laps.
James King had a spin on lap 3 at turn 10 sliding down to 6th in the order. Oscar Furby was also overtaken by Richard Danby into 3rd.
Will Stephenson’s lead grew to 11 seconds after 7 laps with Charlie still in 2nd and Richard in 3rd. Oscar was still close in 4th with less than a second between them.
Will took the round win and the full 26 points with the fastest lap too. Charlie Sheldrake brought it home in 2nd fifteen seconds off the lead. Richard Danby was in 3rd just beating Oscar Furby who just managed to keep James King behind him in the final corners. Ash Chivers came home in 6th after a few warnings for exceeding track limits. William Fry just beat Michael Bowles into 7th and 8th respectively with Norbert Orsos taking 9th and Ollie Walker taking the final points position in tenth.
DMAX
Tonight at Daytona Milton Keynes, Round 4 of the Thursday Night League unfolded on the challenging Cliff Drop Bus Stop variant of the track. The damp conditions added an extra layer of complexity, testing the skills of the drivers.
The excitement kicked in early as drivers sought to showcase their prowess on the damp track. Will Stephenson set the tone by clinching the fastest lap in the early stages. However, it was James King who asserted dominance, securing the pole position by the 5th lap of qualifying, with Lee Schnitzler closely following in the second spot.
As the race commenced, the grid saw James King leading the pack, flanked by Lee Schnitzler and Will Stephenson. The damp conditions proved tricky, leading to a few early spinouts as drivers adjusted to the challenging circumstances.
The top five held their positions through the initial laps, with James, Lee, and Will engaging in a fierce battle for the top spot on the podium. By lap 4, Will Stephenson made a move, overtaking Lee Schnitzler to claim the second position. Lee, however, showed resilience, regaining his position with some strategic moves, even surpassing James King for the lead.
The drama continued on lap 5 when James King faced a setback, colliding with a tire barrier and relinquishing his position to Will Stephenson, who surged into second place. The race intensified as competitors jockeyed for positions in the closing laps.
On the final lap, Lee Schnitzler, who had been holding the lead, faced a challenging spin at turn 10. Despite desperate attempts to maintain position against the relentless pursuit of Will Stephenson, Schnitzler ultimately succumbed to the pressure, allowing Will to claim the coveted first position.
In a spectacular finish, the podium was secured with James King taking third place, Lee Schnitzler in second, and Will Stephenson emerging victorious in the first position and once again taking the full 26 points and fastest lap with a perfect Thursday night league result.
InKart
Heat 1:
In the junior category Tom Justice would start the race from the pole for the first heat of the day with Charlie Marden on pole in the cadets.
There would be a race long battle between Tom Justice and Brandon Edwards with it coming down to the very final lap, it would be Tom who would take the win by just three hundredths of a second.
In the cadets, championship leader Jacob Kent would take the lead on the first lap and stay there for the entire race, beating Gillen Townshend by just two tenths of a second.
Heat 2:
Tyler Rickard would start from the front in the juniors and would lead the first few laps before an error on a damp patch of track left him stuck in the tyre wall and at the back of the field, it was yet again Blake Southan who would win the heat.
In the cadets it would be Dexter Hazeldine who would start from the lead and stay there to take the heat, there was a remarkably close battle between Ryan Cafferkey and Seth Sydney for the other two podium spots with the latter taking the spoils.
Heat 3:
The third heat of the day was the most of action packed of the four with two of the junior drivers receiving penalties for taking out another driver. For Lewis Bowey it was a bit more straight forward as he would take the win by over 4 seconds.
It would be the exact same result as in the first heat as Jacob Kent took the win over Gillen Townshend and Alexander Karadzhov.
Heat 4:
Blake Southan would take another heat win as he looked to make it a perfect day. Liam Weatherall put in a very impressive performance to finish just 3 seconds behind Blake.
Yet again it would be another repeat podium in the Cadets with Dexter Hazeldine taking the win over Seth Sydney and Ryan Cafferkey.
B Final
It was a very close battle between Tyler Rickard and Charlie Murray for the win in the B Final with the positions seeming to swap every lap, However a slight error from Charlie saw Tyler manage to pull a 2.7 second gap and take the race win and put in a very impressive fastest lap which would have been second quickest in the A Final. Charlie Murray would finish second after an equally impressive drive with Ethan Steng finishing in third.
The cadet final was just as fierce as Ryan Cafferkey and Leo Sibthorpe would battle for the win. Like the Junior’s an error would be the deciding factor in the race as Leo made a mistake at the final turn and ended up facing the wrong direction giving the Win to Ryan and dropping to second. Charlie Marden would pick up the final spot on the podium.
A Final
In the juniors it was Blake Southan would lead away from the charging pack behind at the start and would lead every lap until the finish and take the fastest lap taking another perfect day for the always extremely quick driver. Tom Justice would finish in second place with Lewis Bowey in third after a race long battle.
The cadet final would display an unbelievable battle with four drivers nose to tail for much of the race with some drivers even having identical lap times as each other. Every driver would have been a worthy winner, but it was Alexander Karadzhov who would take his first A final win of the season with Gillen Townshend in second and championship leader Jacob Kent after a very impressive drive.
Junior Sprint League
It was a very chilly morning for round four of the Junior Sprint League.
The cold temperatures meant ever improving lap times as the drivers fought to get temperature into their tyres. It would be Championship leader Blake Southan who would yet again take the pole and look to take another clean sweep of the round.
Charlie Csepreghi would line up along side on the front row with Stefan Chifan in third.
The race would start with Blake Southan and Charlie Csepreghi driving away from the fighting pack behind until an error from Charlie saw him facing the wrong way and dropping behind the order.
There was a very fierce battle behind for the final spot on the podium, contact between Jos Bardell and Max Lindgren saw both drivers fall out of contention near the end of the race.
At the flag it would be Blake Southan who would yet again take a dominant win by over 8 seconds and take the fastest lap on the final lap of the race. Charlie Csepreghi showed great determination to get back up to second place after his earlier spin and was closely followed behind by Cooper West who picked up his second podium of the season.
Photos:
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