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SANDOWN PARK
SuperChamps
Practice:
During the practice session, Tom Brown took an early lead and set the pace. However, Karlis Elmanis showed his competitiveness and matched Tom's pace on the layout. The dusty braking zone in the final sector caught several drivers off guard, resulting in multiple spins. At the end of practice, Karlis held onto the lead with a margin of approximately one tenth of a second.
Heat 1:
In Heat 1, Tom Brown took an early lead from George Hattto. Michael Mia took the lead on the first lap in the Sodi class. There was a significant scrap among the drivers at the back of the D-Max grid in the early stages. It only took four laps for the D-Max karts to catch up to the Sodi karts. Archie Bullard went off wide and crashed at the far corner, causing yellow flags to be displayed on the track. Ollie Armiger seized the opportunity and overtook Tom to take the lead in the D-Max class. Michael Miao dominated the Sodi class, leading by a margin of four seconds. George Lewis set the fastest lap times, becoming the fastest kart on the track. At the end of Heat 1, Ollie Armiger, George Lewis, and Tom Brown secured the top positions in the D-Max class, while Michael Miao, Luka Nik, and Jamie Welsh held the top positions in the Sodi class.
Heat 2:
In Heat 2, the drivers went four-wide into the first corners but managed to avoid collisions. Keo Derrek initially took the lead in the D-Max class during the first few laps. The mid-pack in the D-Max was closely contested, with only a couple of tenths separating the back ten drivers. Keo Derrek eventually took the lead with seven minutes to go. Tom Brown and George Lewis engaged in a battle for the third position, showcasing excellent racing between the two drivers. George Lewis continued to set fast lap times, consistently in the 49-second mark. Karlis Elmanis demonstrated a remarkable drive, fighting up to seventh place after initially losing ground. Keo Derrek secured the D-Max win in the second heat, leading by 1.5 seconds.
Final:
In the final race, Ollie Armiger made a fantastic start and took the lead from the beginning. Karlis Elmanis made significant progress through the traffic early on, while George Lewis chased down Ollie Armiger. Michael Miao dominated the Sodi race, establishing a comfortable lead. With 12 minutes remaining, the battle for the third position intensified between Tom Brown and Karlis Elmanis. Tom showcased impressive defensive skills against Karlis' charge. George Lewis caught up to Ollie Armiger and forced him into a defensive line as they fought for the lead. Michael Miao remained in a league of his own, leading the Sodi race. Keo Derrek joined the battle for the third position, catching up to Tom Brown, who was defending against Karlis Elmanis due to lapped traffic.
With 8 minutes remaining, the current race leader received a final warning for track limits. In a disappointing turn of events, Ollie Armiger locked up and spun, colliding with George Lewis into a tire wall, ending their heated battle for the lead. Immediately after this incident, Michael Miao, the Sodi race leader, suffered a puncture, forcing him to make a pit stop and relinquish his lead despite his dominant performance. The new leaders in the D-Max class were Karlis and Tom after they passed the two lighter drivers, intensifying their battle for the lead. Karlis Elmanis crossed the finish line to take the win, narrowly beating out Tom Brown. George Lewis remained the fastest driver of the day.
