Thursday Night League 2024 Winners Crowned
Daytona Milton Keynes’ 12-round Thursday Night League Autumn season concluded with thrilling excitement in both classes last week.
However, in truth, the SODI season had already been wrapped up by Jimi Holder, who chose the final round to take his last remaining drop round. On the other hand, the DMAX championship was still up for grabs, but Jack Stewart, having not finished lower than 5th all season, only needed a few points to secure the title.
SODI
A cold, damp evening greeted the 17 drivers for round 12. Ash Chivers, aided by earlier practice, secured pole position with William Fry in close pursuit, followed by Oscar Furby and Michael Bowles.
The race began with Ash dropping from 1st to 8th after the first lap, providing an opportunity for William Fry to briefly lead. However, Olivier Pikula emerged as a strong contender, maintaining his position throughout. Richard Danby experienced fluctuations in the opening laps but ultimately secured third place. Ash Chivers rallied and claimed the round win, with Olivier Pikula in second and Richard Danby in third. Despite finishing fourth, Oscar Furby secured the bonus point for the fastest lap.
DMAX
The finale kicked off with 9 drivers competing on the Linkback & Cliff Drop layout. Thursday Night League veteran Lee Schnitzler set the early pace in qualifying, securing pole position with Barry Morris and Jack Stewart close behind. Ultimately, commentator-turned-competitor Yousuf Bin-Suhayl joined Lee on the front row, pushing Barry to third and Jack to fourth.
As the final race commenced, Lee led the pack, while Jack made a move on Barry at turn 4 to claim third. Lee extended his lead after three laps, and Yousuf created a gap over Jack, who was initially battling with Barry for third. With 10 minutes to go, Lee maintained a one-second lead over Yousuf, with Jack trailing three seconds behind. Lee continued to stretch his lead, securing the round win, while Yousuf held on to second, and Jack finished third, also earning an extra point for the fastest lap.
With the races concluded, the champions were honored. In the SODI class, Jimi Holder dominated, winning by a considerable margin, followed by James King in second and Richard Danby in third. In the DMAX class, Jack Stewart did what was necessary to claim the season win with four round victories and four fastest lap bonus points, while Lee Schnitzler took second place, finishing 13 points behind, and Yousuf Bin-Suhayl secured third place, also winning two rounds during the season.
