Club 2000 | Round 1 | 7 January 2023
After a big shake-up to the classes, we were surprised to see 77 entries. The weather was less than ideal; damp, drizzly and overcast but we still enjoyed seeing the new classes in action and seeing many drivers in bigger karts.
We also welcomed the Tillotson T4 Series as our first guest class this year. Their driving standards were top-notch even though they all had to adjust to a track that was new to them.
Honda Cadet
Joining the usual Honda 160s were a couple of Honda 200s and a lone Micro Max. Despite the extra power, the 200s and the Micro Max started at the back of the grid since they were still adjusting to their new machinery.
Heat 1 - After missing out on qualifying, John Richardson (32) made an impressive charge through the field from 12th to 3rd in heat 1 within just three laps. Finishing ahead of him were Connor J Winfield (27) and Lewis Riley (90). Connor (27) had started behind Theo Hamilton (30), who'd had a slow reaction to the light0 and lost three places.
Heat 2 - Within the first lap of heat 2, John (32) and Harlie Cooper (82) had passed Connor (27) for 2nd. On the following lap, Connor (27) found a way back past Harlie (82) to cement 3rd place until the end. Thanks to some good defence, Harlie (82) then managed to hold off Albey Smith (99) until the end for 4th place. Now he'd got used to his bigger engine, Freddie Houseago (69) was making a polite charge through the field nad had made it up to 7th by the end.
Heat 3 - By heat 3, most of the drivers had settled into positions. John (32) made a bold move up the inside of Lewis (90) into Senna and took the lead. Lewis (90) didn't give up the position though. Coming out of 180, he'd had a good exit and got ahead of John (32) once they'd got to the Warren. On lap 5, Theo Hamilton (30) cracked Harlie's (82) defence and gained a couple of places to promote himself from 7th to 5th. Harlie (82) then suffered a spin and had let the pack through before he'd got going again.
Final - In the final, we suffered issues in the timing tower so, unfortunately, I have little reference for what happened! Just a couple of laps from the end, John (32) made an all-or-nothing move past Lewis (90) for the lead. It paid off, and he took the chequered flag in 1st.
Fastest Lap
John Richardson | Heat 3 | 51.142s
Results
1st – John Richardson (32)
2nd – Lewis Riley (90)
3rd – Connor J Winfield (27)
4th – Albey Smith (99)
5th – Harlie Cooper (82)
Junior Rotax
We welcomed a few new drivers to Junior Rotax including Harry Clogger (72) who'd moved up from Mini Max. In his first start as a Junior, he started P2 thanks to a strong qualifying lap. It was Adam White (13) who'd started pole, though, with a lap time that was 4 tenths quicker than Harry's (72).
Heat 1 - Before the heat had even started, Seamus Cox (33) suffered a major mechanical issue on the formation lap; a sheared axle. Finley Jones (23) had a mega start after missing out on qualifying. He'd passed over half the grid within the first lap! After losing out on 4 places on the start, Ben Thompson (30) worked hard to come back. By the end of lap 5, his hard work paid off, as he regained 4th from Isaac Reynolds (61).
Heat 2 - It wasn't a great start for Harry Clogger (72). Within the first three laps, he'd dropped three places and settled in behind Isaac (61) in 6th. Seamus (33) got his kart up and running for heat 2 and started from the back of the grid. By the end of lap 1, he was already up to 6th but his pace didn't stop there. As he kept pushing and making bold passes, he gained on the leaders and set the fastest lap in the process. After passing Ben (30), Liam (3) and Adam (13) in the last three laps, he'd won the heat. What a comeback!
Heat 3 - Not too much happened in this heat even though the track conditions were at the driest point they'd been all day. Ben (30) had got ahead of Adam (13) in the first lap and remained there until the end thanks to some great defence. After piling on the pressure for a fair few laps, Harry (72) got past Isaac (61) with just a couple of laps to go.
Final - I'm afraid we suffered technical issues in the tower for the final so it's difficult to piece together what happened. Both Ben (30) and Adam (13) had rough starts - the pair lost three places each within the first lap. It didn't put them off though, and they worked hard to regain their positions. Adam (13) wanted more, though. It was a strong effort for him, and he got past Seamus (33) to secure 2nd.
Fastest Lap
Seamus Cox (33) | Heat 3 | 45.525s
Results
1st – Liam Phillips (3)
2nd – Adam White (13)
3rd – Seamus Cox (33)
4th – Ben Thompson (30)<