Week Fourty Seven
To view podium photos, follow our Twitter @daytonamsport
Milton Keynes
SuperChamps
It was just, 2°C on the 24th of November when we welcomed our very best drivers back for the seventh instalment of SuperChamps this season. Championship leaders were in attendance as Harry Asher, Jamie Tiley-Gooden. Carl Stephens and Harry Clifford all tried to get one hand on that championship trophy. The track layout for the race was national, a small, condensed lap that invites lots of action. The race format for the event was ‘Grand Prix’ which means all drivers complete a 10-minute qualifying, a 15-minute sprint race, followed by a 25-minute final race.
In the DMAX Sprint Race, there was a race long battle at the front of the grid as James King, Dom Balasaitis and Jack Stewart all consistently challenged for the race lead, before an unfortunate incident at turn 1, meant that James King lost a position, but no driver was deemed at fault, and the DMAX Lightweights finished with Dom in first, followed by Jack Stewart, and James King in third. Jamie Tiley-Gooden could only manage sixth in class, behind James Brown, who debuted this round in the DMAX Heavyweight category, taking a convincing victory from championship leader Carl Stephens in second, and Gareth Baldwin finishing third after a very strong performance. It was heart break for Iain Riley, who was forced to retire due to injury, he would take no further part in the event and would lose valuable championship points.
In the SODI Sprint Race, it was also heart break for Harry Asher who had his first piece of misfortune all season it must be said, a mechanical issue meant he finished last on the road, and Adam Green was able to capitalize and win the SODI Lightweight race, followed by George Benson in second, and Charlie Fenton in third. In the SODI Heavyweight race, Tom Illingworth produced a fantastic performance and won the sprint, Scott Woosey and newcomer Jaime Diegues completed the podium, with just four tenths between them!
In the DMAX Feature Race, Dom Balasaitis continued from where he left off, and controlled the race beautifully, and finished first in great fashion, and Jack Stewart came home in second and also claimed the fastest lap by just half a tenth! James King claimed third place after another consistent and composed drive. In the DMAX Heavyweight category, James Brown produced a performance and a half, claiming maximum points on his season debut after winning the race comfortably, Barry Morris made up good ground in the race and finished in second, and Charlie Fenton completed the podium in the race. Notably, Jamie Tiley-Gooden was only able to score 49 points today, which has allowed Jack Stewart to close in after he scored 57 points today, making for a very tense final round of the season!
Thursday Night League
On an extremely cold evening we welcomed back fourteen people for SODI Thursday Night Sprint League and sixteen people for the DMAX Race. This week we were on the National layout of the circuit. Typically used for the Junior drivers in our InKart Championship, the National layout comprises of a close-knit, technical layout that promises lots of action.
In the SODI Qualifying session, William Stephenson set a blisteringly fast 1:01:214 and claimed pole position by 1.427 of a second over championship contender James King, and his rival Jimi Holder in third. A standout performance for all of the wrong reasons was Norbert Orsos down in 13th place, he is usually very competitive but could not get to grip of the National layout in qualifying!
In the SODI Race session, William Stephenson would pick up from where he left off, and would go on to win the race convincingly, eight seconds clear of the chasing pack of Jimi Holder, who managed to overtake his championship rival James King, who finished in third place. Further down the field, there was some great battles between the likes of Richard Danby and William Fry, who finished in fifth and sixth respectively. With the SODI’s done for the night, it was time to move onto the DMAX, as the coldest temperatures of the evening bestowed themselves onto our racetrack.
In the DMAX Qualifying session, Daytona Milton Keynes prodigy Jack Stewart set a brilliant 53.362 to take pole position over rival William Stephenson in second place, just 0.168 of a second behind, Lee Schnitzler completed the top three, but couldn’t quite find the pace of the lead two and was 0.672 off pole position. Multiple Club 100 Race Winner Yousuf Bin-Suhayl lined up in fourth place, marginally ahead of James Brown in fifth place.
In the DMAX Race session, William Stephenson and Jack Stewart would engage in a thrilling battle, with consistent lead changes and lapped traffic to contend with, the race long battle ended with Stephenson taking victory over Stewart by just 0.243 of a second, with James Brown completing a hard fought third place after a great battle with James King, and Yousuf Bin-Suhayl.
Sandown Park
Thursday Night League
In SODI Thursday Night League race, Jack Harrison seized the top spot, followed closely by Steve Hannon in second and Rafael Blanco Bush in third. The top 6 drivers battled fiercely, but Jack Harrison and Steve Hannon pulled away, creating a captivating duel. Meanwhile, Jack Flint fought valiantly for fourth place against Rafael Blanco Bush. Ultimately, the top 3 drivers dominated the race, leaving spectators on the edge of their seats. In a late-race twist, Luka Nik and Jack Flint engaged in a thrilling battle for fourth and fifth positions, intensifying the competition. As the checkered flag waved, Jack Harrison claimed victory, with Steve Hannon and Rafael Blanco Bush rounding out the podium.
In in the DMAX category, Archie Bullard seized an early lead, quickly pulling away with an 11-second advantage. Christopher Taylor faced setbacks after receiving a black flag, dropping to the back of the grid from second place. Undeterred, Archie Bullard maintained his dominance, leading the pack with Yaseen Khan now in second and Logan McAlister in third. Karlis Elmanis emerged as a strong contender, taking second place. In a grand finale, Archie Bullard extended his lead to a massive 15 seconds, securing a commanding victory. Karlis Elmanis claimed second place, and Yaseen Khan held onto third.
Photos:
For all Daytona Championship photos and more, please click here.