Week Thirty Three
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Sandown Park
Thursday Night League - SODI
Practice:
During practice, Luka Nik set an early benchmark, clocking a lap time of 54.732 seconds. Notably, Dan Giles, Reece Harris, Luka Nik, and Steve Hannon delivered impressive performances. The practice session was highly competitive, with the top 12 drivers separated by just 1.060 seconds. The top three in practice were Frederic Navarro, Dan Giles, and Reece Harris. The margins were exceptionally tight, with only 0.026 seconds between 1st and 2nd and 0.069 seconds between 2nd and 3rd.
Race:
In the race, Frederic Navarro took an early lead, closely followed by Dan Giles in 2nd place. However, on lap 7, Dan Giles executed a decisive move to secure the lead. Steve Hannon also showcased strong performance, advancing to the 3rd position. The race witnessed an intense battle between Dan and Frederic, with Frederic ultimately regaining the lead. The final race standings were as follows: Dan Giles in 1st place, Frederic Navarro in 2nd, and Luka Nik in 3rd. The gap between 1st and 2nd was a mere 0.589 seconds, while the gap between 2nd and 3rd was more substantial at 5.038 seconds.
Thursday Night League - DMAX
Practice:
Practice sessions saw Tom Brown demonstrating his exceptional speed, securing the top position. The overall standards of racing were highly impressive, reflecting the skill of the competitors. The top three in practice were Tom Brown, Nic Fallon, and Robert Guymer. Remarkably, the gaps between these positions were very tight, with just 0.084 seconds between 1st and 2nd and 0.245 seconds between 2nd and 3rd.
Race:
During the race, Tom Brown displayed solid defensive skills in the first lap to maintain his position. Robert Guymer made a swift move, overtaking Nic Fallon to secure the 2nd position on the opening lap. Kaiser Riemann faced challenges, dropping to the 14th position due to a penalty but impressively recovered to finish in 9th place. The race concluded with Tom Brown in 1st place, Robert Guymer in 2nd, and Nic Fallon in 3rd. Notably, the gaps in the race results were as follows: 0.901 seconds separated 1st and 2nd, while 2nd and 3rd had a more significant gap of 6.125 seconds.
Both leagues witnessed intense competition and showcased impressive performances from the drivers, as they pushed their limits on the track.
Milton Keynes
Thursday Night League
SODI
We welcomed back fourteen of our Thursday Night Sprint League drivers on a cool but clear evening in Milton Keynes for Round 11 of the season. Some fresh faces emerged amongst the main title contender, James King, and he was given a real run for his money this time!
Qualifying was very closely contested with just half a second separating the top three drivers with James King taking pole position, close behind was Sprint League newcomer Christian Monaghan who stuck it in second on the grid, with Jimi Holder starting in third after a great final lap in qualifying.
The twenty-minute race would be closely contested between James and Christian, with Jimi losing touch slightly and finishing a surprising fifth place, two new drivers, Freddie Paling and Aidan Jones would carve their way through and finish third and fourth on the road respectively. Way in the distance, James and Christian were caught up in an unfortunate incident with the back-markers, which resulted in a slightly unorthodox lead change, James showed great sportsmanship and allowed Christian to have the lead back to continue the fight to the chequered flag! Christian went on to take victory and all 26 points, finishing just 0.249 of a second ahead of James King in second place!
DMAX
Ten top tier drivers attended this week's Sprint league on The International layout for a floodlit 20-minute race!
A few drivers took some time to get used to the track during qualifying making for some very late fast laps, with Lee Schnitzler posting P2 on the grid on his final lap. The grid started with Carl Stephens on pole, Lee Schnitzler in P2 and Ashley Mayston-King in 3rd.
The race got off to a flying start with Lee heading straight into 1st and making himself a buffer ahead of the other karts by up to a second by the end of the first 2 laps. James King managed to take the third position away from his brother attempting to catch up Lee and Carl within the first half of the race. The battle for 5th position was very close for the entire race between Paul Studd, Feisal Meeajuan and Harry Laugher with Harry taking 5th by the final lap. The race ended with Lee Schnitzler 9 seconds ahead in 1st place, with Carl Stephens in 2nd and James king securing his spot in 3rd place, taking his second podium of the evening.
All drivers Had their work cut out for them this evening with a very high standard of driving meaning that consistency was key.