Club 2000 | Round 2 | 4 February 2023
102! We haven't had this many entries in around 10 years... Nevertheless, the day ran smoothly and mostly on schedule. There was some great, close racing on every grid so, overall, it was a corker of a day. So we didn't run into the evening, practice was scrapped which meant the junior classes went straight into qualifying.
Cadets & Micro Max
There were 23 drivers on the Cadet grid. 16 of which were 160s, 5 were 200s and 2 were Micro Max. It was a busy grid with a rather large skill spread as some drivers were still getting used to their karts and the technical track.
Heat 1 - The 200s lined up ahead of the 160s, and then it was the Micros. Theo Hamilton (30) lined up 3rd in the 160s but he wasn't there for long. Into The Warren, he had an unfortunate spin which demoted him to 21st overall. On the following lap, he'd spun again but around The Esses to drop to dead last. However, this didn't seem to knock his confidence as he began making places up lap after lap with some brave moves. Meanwhile, Ethan Okoro (34) in the 200s, had built up a big lead on the entire pack. By the time the chequered flag came out, Theo (30) had worked his way up to 8th in class and 12th overall.
Heat 2 - This time, it was the 160s ahead of the 200s and Micros. Leading the way was Lewis Riley (90), then John Richardson (32). Harlie Cooper (82) made a first-lap move to the inside of Beau Winslade (28) into The Esses to take 4th. Almost immediately, a train began forming behind him, as he strongly defended his position. It wasn't just the 160s who wanted to pass him, too. He was also under pressure from a couple of 200s and a Micro. On the last few laps, the quicker karts managed to find a way past Harlie (82). He did a great job of closing the door to the 160s, who could've easily followed the quicker karts through if Harlie (82) wasn't careful.
Heat 3 - In the previous heats, John (32) was constantly close behind Lewis (90). This time, John (32) had got a great start and shot into the lead past Lewis (90) up to Senna. Within a couple of laps, Lewis (90) found a way back past John (32) and retook 1st. Throughout the heat, John (32) kept the pressure on but even still, Lewis (90) didn't falter.
Final - Yet again, John (32) had a great start and shot past Lewis (90) in the first lap. After keeping the pressure on for 5 laps, Lewis (90) then found a way through the inside into Senna. Meanwhile, Theo (30), who'd mostly struggled in the morning, gained a few places and put himself into 5th by the third lap. John (32) was still hungry for a win. It was the last lap with just a few corners to go. Going into The Esses, John (32) moved to the inside of Lewis (90) and the pair clashed. Lewis (90) pirouetted onto the grass while John (32) took the lead. The stewards decided on a 1-lap penalty for John (32) which demoted him to 19th overall.
Fastest Laps
Nathan Gange | Micro Max | Heat 3 | 46.368s
Ethan Okoro | Honda 200 | Heat 3 | 46.467s
John Richardson | Honda 160 | Heat 3 | 46.671s
160 Results
1st – Connor J Winfield (27)
2nd – Lewis Riley (90)
3rd – Theo Hamilton (30)
200 Results
1st – Ethan Okoro (34)
2nd – Freddie Houseago (69)
3rd – Archie-lee Bullock (4)
Inter Max & Mini Max
We had 8 Minis and a couple of Inters so we finally had something to write about! Due to time constraints, the first practice was scrapped. Considering most of this month's Minis were new to the circuit, we saw some fairly cautious driving in qualifying.
Heat 1 - As previously mentioned, these new drivers were cautious which became problematic on the rolling start, with the front driver setting a fast pace. It took a few tries but once the leader, George Phillips (62) had slowed down enough, the race began. Max Wheatley (12) and Angus Mcqueen (53) started from the back as they were in the inters and, by the time lap 3 came around, they were already 2nd and 6th respectively. From that point on, the majority of the drivers were focused on staying on the black stuff. It was very close between Ayrton Rai (18) and Archie Richards (73) until the last lap, where Archie (73) made the move for 4th.
Heat 2 - The first few laps were pretty much the same as heat 1 for the inters. Ayrton (18) dropped behind Oscar Waters (4) on the first lap but, he put his foot down on the following lap and regained his position. After keeping the pressure on for 4 laps, Jamie Faggin (23) made a move past Oscar (4). On the following lap, Archie (73) passed Louie Millington (52) and began extending the gap to secure 3rd place.
Heat 3 - In the opening lap, Louie (52) pinched the position he'd lost in heat 2 back from Archie (73). Jamie (23) had a rough start, dropping behind Oscar (4) and Herbie Wiggins (58). A bit further ahead, Archie (73) was hot on Louie's (52) heels. Lap after lap, Archie (73) kept applying pressure. After doing a good job of keeping him behind, Louie's (52) defence cracked on the last lap and Archie (73) went through for 3rd.
Final - After sitti