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InKart Round 3 - Daytona Sandown Park
Sunshine and optimal race conditions welcomed a pedigree of young drivers to Sandown Park for Round Three of our InKart Series. With the promise of a world-class day of Junior and Cadet racing and an alternate race layout for the first time this season, drivers and spectators alike were on tenterhooks for this hotly contested Cup format event.
Juniors
In the Juniors it was Adam Telford who topped the times in qualifying with a 51.383, putting himself on pole position for the A-Final alongside Sarah Telford. Telford's Group One dominance highlighted him as the man to beat in the big race. A dramatic fight for the win in the B-Final saw Tyler Orridge claim victory from Tara Herm who finished just seven-tenths behind. Orridge and Herm were caught in a vicious battle from start to finish, weaving through traffic while battling for that ever-coveted pole position. They were joined on the podium by Jason Bond, who was promoted after penalties were handed to Whittaker, McNally and Coombes for various incidents across the race. It was Bond would also take the fastest lap of the B-Final to add to his podium. While Orridge’s win secured his promotion to the A-Final.
It was a dominant display from Andrew Thomson, who managed to secure a win as well as the fastest lap in the A-Final. Eight seconds later, Thomson was joined by Daniel Marutyak and Felix Sheldon Haywood, who’s nonstop battling caught the attention of the crowd. Further crowd-pleasing action came from Maximilan Walton and Leo Betts who were locked into a battle over tenth place. However, it was Walton who emerged victorious in an incredible move over Betts as they crossed the line just a tenth apart after twenty-five minutes of impassioned racing.
Cadets
The Cadet’s race was equally exciting, featuring an incredible effort from Amanaze Nwosu to top qualifying, with a 53.301. Jessica Kirby would join Nwosu on the front row of the A-Final after setting a time just four hundredths slower in Group One.
The B-Final was won by Max Hayward, who also took the fastest lap in qualifying. Hayward was joined by Alexander Macklenin and Fansen Meng who takes his first podium in InKart. Fansen would hold onto his podium spot despite receiving a penalty for a yellow infringement.
The drama filled A-Final was eventually won by Sebastian Mejer, took P1 with a six second lead at the checkered flag. Amanze Nwosu crossed the line in second place, but a disastrous three place penalty pushed him off the podium after a Lap 11 crash. This would allow the promotion of Edward Siberry and Jessica Kirby who were separated by just a second after constant fighting throughout the race.
It was an epic day of InKart here at Sandown Park, and we look forward to welcoming the drivers back on the 30th of March. We stay on our alternate track layout but return to our heats format for Round Four.
InKart Round 3 - Daytona Tamworth
We returned to Daytona Tamworth for the Third Round of the InKart Series. A sold-out Junior grid and some exceptional youth talent promised an excellent day of racing.
Juniors
Noah Johnson kicked off proceedings with a commanding heat drive to secure passage into the A-final, settling just a point ahead of William Jenkinson, who would join him on the front row of the start line. However, it was the battle for the B-Final that would be the most intensely fought, with Lucas Wheatcroft narrowly missing out on promotion by a point.
In the B-Final, Wheatcroft took a dominant victory of six seconds, ahead of Athena Cooper, who’s impressive pace just fell short of promotion. Nonetheless, Wheatcroft was able to secure victory alongside the fastest lap of the race by six-tenths of a second. The battle behind, to decide the final podium spot, was the most interesting. Cooper asserted her claim to the stage, executing a skillful overtake ahead of Harry Kennedy by two-tenths of a second after an intense multi-lap battle throughout the latter phases of the race.
Johnson was victorious in the A-Final by three seconds but lost his victory due to two separate penalties that were applied throughout the race. This allowed Jayden Steatham’s promotion to victory, highlighting a great race from the young talent in which he maintained a two second gap to Reuben Potter throughout the final laps. They were joined on the podium by Alfie Kells, who despite a great performance, was unable to get ahead of Potter.
Cadets
In the cadet heats, Freya Lally dominated – winning both of her races to start on pole ahead of Rocco Jackson in the A-Final. Further interest came from a tie in the race for pole in the B-Final, where Ryan Cafferkey took the lead based on his fastest lap through the heats.
Cafferkey went on to win the B-Final, but it was not plain sailing for him with strong challenges coming from Jack Dowding and Cristiano Guedes in a three-way scrap throughout the entirety of the race. Impressively, Cafferkey never let up and retained his lead throughout in a masterclass of defensive driving. Highlighted by the fact he edged victory by a mere three-tenths of a second. Furthermore, Guedes should be commended in the defence of Logan Thacker’s pursuit which concluded with his chequered flag coming two-tenths of a second behind a podium position.
As for the A-Final, there was no surprise to see Freya Lally taking victory after her stellar performance in the heats. However, this came not without challenge - Gillen Townshend pushed throughout and narrowly missed the overtake resulting in P2 just four tenths of a second behind the top spot. Townshend gave a great account of his skill despite Lally’s pace and secured the fastest lap mantle, earning those well-deserved extra points for his efforts. They were joined on the podium by Henry James, who worked well to recover after starting from a position at the rear of the pack.
The sheer number of drivers on the circuit created two very healthy grids and allowed some monumental battles to take place. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the Fourth Round and undoubtedly more edge of the seat racing.
Photos:
For all Daytona Championship photos and more, please click here.