Llandow Kart Club - Race Reports
December 2011
Report: Simon Evans
Photo: Hardy Rodde
Llandow Kart Club concluded its 2011 season in the shape of the ever popular Celtic Championships.
A field of 70 competitors saw their skills put to the limit on a weekend apart from being bitterly cold produced a relentless torrent of rain. This year’s Celtic, under its usual format of offering one qualifying session, a heat, pre final and final also provided the Club with the opportunity to trial its new start initiative.
As usual the Bambino class got the running under way with Alex Austin and Brooklyn Thomas providing the action. The duo’s track time due to the weather was cut short to just three sessions which were all topped by the ‘Austek’ driver, while his rival was never too far behind.
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Paul ‘Tooty’ Saunders mastered tricky conditions to claim
Senior Honda success at the Celtic Championship
Honda Cadet, for once, didn’t yield the biggest grid of the day but that and the weather didn’t dampen its usual spectacle. Daniel Thomas after looking the part for most of the day reigned supreme and took his maiden Celtic Championship. Hugo Holmes a consistent front runner in Honda Cadet claimed the second spot on the rostrum just one second behind Thomas while reigning Dragon Challenge champion Ross Thomas clinched the final step on the rostrum.
Although down on numbers Comer Cadet produced an intriguing day of racing as Tom Rawlings looked set to upset the applecart and defeat reigning club champion Lewis Griffiths. Throughout the day Rawling had topped qualifying and won every heat putting him on pole for grand final, but Griffiths produced the goods went it mattered and ended Rawlings dream who had to settle for second. Jack Barber completed the podium in third.
Honda Junior saw a boost in numbers with the arrival of fresh blood, who all meant business. Alex Thomas set the pace throughout the day on her Honda Junior comeback but was always closely followed by the novice of Ben Stevens. Another upset looked on the cards as an early spin in the final for Thomas left her with it all to do. Thomas eventually prevailed after a compelling battle with Stevens and debutant Tom Ford who scored an impressive podium. Club champion Monty Gorridge was left behind in a lacklustre fourth.
Minimax and Junior TKM yet again merged to form a single grid. The Minimax final had looked set to be a corker, but an opening lap retirement for Harry Williams left to door open for Lewis Malin to add the Celtic Championship to his club title. Edward Tansley and Rob Ellis rounded off the podium. Junior TKM provided some exciting racing at the expense of club champion Ross Chell, who having set the pace for much of day was involved in a number of off track excursions with novice Joshua Evans who was eventually excluded. This paved the way for Welsh Champion Keaton Ford to take the Celtic Championship while Honda Cadet club champion and TKM newboy Ryan Edwards displayed a controlled drive on his way to second place. Matthew Ayers completed the rostrum.
Macaulay Austin added another championship to his name after cruising to a win in the Junior Rotax grand final. After an uncharacteristic spin earlier in the day Austin produced a gutsy pre final to put himself back into contention by starting 3rd. However an early retirement for Steven Handford turned the final on its head giving Austin a clear run to the flag. Peter Saxby and James Williams inherited second and third after the exclusion of Robbie Gallier.
Senior Honda again didn’t disappoint as the class not only provided the day with its usual tantalising battles but also produced the day’s most popular win in the shape of Paul ‘Tooty’ Saunders. Despite current club and Welsh champion Simon Evans topping qualifying and claiming the heat and pre final, Llandow veteran Saunders had constantly looked more than a match for Evans. Saunders finally shown his hand in the final and came up trumps thus ending Evans’ unbeaten streak, proving the veteran can still mix it with the youngsters. Evans, after making an error in the final came home second while Danny Griffiths rounded off the podium after fighting his way back up the field following a difficult day.
Senior Rotax yielded the largest grid of the day which composed its usual fast and frenetic brand of racing. Josh Collings proved unbeatable and finished a handful of seconds up the road from Chris Davis to claim to Celtic Championship. Current Welsh Champion Craig Mooney finished third after coming out on top of a final corner lunge on Senior Rotax newboy Josh Gray.
Simon Wheeler looked in prime position to claim the Rotax 177 honours after his rival Wayne Stone endured a turbulent day. However, Stone’s luck took an upturn in the final and took the Celtic Championship by just 0.6 of a second in front of the day’s early pacesetter Wheeler.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Alex Austin (Zip)
2. Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
HONDA CADET
1. Daniel Thomas (Project One)
2. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)
COMER CADET
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
3. Jack Barber (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Alex Thomas
2. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
3. Tom Ford (Biz)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Keaton Ford ( CRG)
2. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
3. Matthew Ayers (Jade)
MINIMAX
1. Lewis Malin (Tonykart)
2. Edward Tansley
3. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. Peter Saxby (Birel)
3. James Williams (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
2. Simon Evans (7Kart)
3. Danny Griffiths (MS Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Chris Davis (CRG)
3. Craig Mooney (CRG)
November 2011
The final round of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship took place under cloudy skies but, for the 79 drivers taking part, there was plenty of action – and tension - on-track to keep them warm.
The only class with nothing resting on the final result was the Bambinos, but the eight youngsters involved still continued to impress. Split into two groups, as has become the norm in recent months, the honours went the way of Brooklyn Thomas and Alex Austin respectively, both repeatedly setting the best time among their peers.
For the remainder of those present, their classes had titles and trophies at stake, although some classes were a lot more closely contested than others.
Perhaps the closest of all featured the most heavily supported class on the bill – Honda Cadet. Having featured strong numbers all season, the category again turned in 19 entries, with the various title contenders all present for the showdown. Brandon Patrick proved to be the boy to beat, winning the opening two heats before settling for third in the other, but he was back on form in the final, taking the chequered flag by just under two seconds from Ryan Edwards. The mighty effort was not quite enough, however, as Edwards’ own top three consistency proved enough to claim the crown by a mere six points. Ross Thomas was third overall after completing the final podium of the year.
The championship battle in Comer Cadet was a little more clear-cut, with Lewis Griffiths holding a comfortable lead heading into the finale. He started strongly too, claiming heat one and finishing third in the others before returning to the top step of the podium in the main event. The visiting Tommy Foster claimed the other two heat wins, with Louis Griffith-Walker also finishing ahead of Griffiths, but had to settle for runners-up spot in the final. Lucas Wynne finished fourth in three of the day’s outings, which proved sufficient to conform him as number two for the season, with Griffith-Walker third overall.
Honda Junior once again featured just two entries, but novice Ben Stevens was never likely to deny the experienced Monty Gorridge either success on the day, or overall for the season. Having already overhauled early season leader Dan Jones – who missed the second half of the year – Gorridge ran out an easy champion.
Junior TKM and MiniMax ran together on track at the season finale, but were very much focused on their own championship battles. In the former, Ross Chell and Scott Morris surprisingly failed to lock horns as they had all season, each posting a mix of results through the heats. In the final, however, Chell showed his pace by not only leading his own class, but also catching and passing the two MiniMax runners who had started some way ahead on track. It was a fitting way for the youngster to cement the title, with Morris doing enough to claim overall runner-up honours, even though he finished fourth on the road. Joe Phillips and Yousuf Ashraf both came home ahead of the strikingly liveried Morris kart, with Ashraf finishing third in the points.
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Ross Chell (#65) claimed the Junior TKM title at the ninth and final round of
the Llandow Kart Club summer series
MiniMax, meanwhile, went the way of Lewis Malin in each of the four races, confirming him as champion for 2011. Rob Ellis provided his only opposition on the day, and duly finished as runner-up in the title race.
Junior Rotax again saw Macaulay Austin beaten in the opening heat before bouncing back to stamp his authority on the small field. Josh Gray won the first race, before then finding Ben Davies keen to get into the fight for positions, the latter eventually establishing himself as second-best on the day. Austin unsurprisingly claimed the title by a decent margin, with James Johnson – the only other driver to contest every round – in second place overall, but Gray caem up just short in his bid for third in the standings, ending the year just 17 points behind the absent Jordan Hawkins.
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Simon Evans claimed a remarkable 37 wins from 40 races en route to
the Llandow Kart Club Senior Honda championship
Senior Honda may have enjoyed a minor resurgence in numbers throughout 2011, but no-one could deny Simon Evans a second straight title. No doubt buoyed by his breakthrough success in 2010, Evans claimed a remarkable 37 wins from 40 races, and only needed to turn up at the finale to be crowned. Multiple champion Gareth Lewis gave vain chase throughout the season, but also had to fend off the likes of Chris Lipscombe, Jamie Warren and Danny Griffiths at the final round, with Warren claiming third in the standings after joining Evans and Lewis on the podium.
Senior Rotax returned to strength for the final round, with 18 karts turning out over its two categories, and Josh Collings showed what had been missing during his two-month absence by claiming three wins from four races, including the final. Commitments to other series, however, meant that the reigning Junior champion was not a factor for overall honours, with Chris Davies duly taking the title by a solid margin over Matthew Dowers. Davies won the race not taken by Collings, with Dowers, Dean Arthur and Sebastian Hutchinson all enjoying top three heat results, before Paul Cleaver and Gareth Taylor joined Collings on the final podium Hutchinson’s results were enough to confirm him in third place on the season, with David Entwhistle also overcoming Collings in the final standings.
Wayne Stone claimed another Rotax 177 crown with three wins from the day’s four races, seeing off Simon Wheeler both on the day and in the championship.
RESULTS
BAMBINO - 1
1. Brooklyn Thomas
2. Marco Costanza (CRG)
3. Alex Carrafa
4. Matthew Martin
BAMBINO - 2
1. Alex Austin (Zip)
2. Jakob Chamberlain
3. Jack Broughton
4. Matthew Rees
CADET HONDA
1. Brandon Patrick (Project One)
2. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Tommy Foster
3. Louis Griffith-Walker
HONDA JUNIOR
1. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
2. Ben Stevens
JUNIOR TKM 2-STROKE
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
1. Joe Phillips
2. Yousuf Ashraf
MINIMAX
1. Lewis Malin
2. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. Ben Davies
3. Josh Gray (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Jamie Warren (Wright)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
1. Paul Cleaver
3. Gareth Taylor (Tonykart)
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (CRG)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
LLANDOW KART CLUB CHAMPIONS 2011
Cadet Honda – Ryan Edwards
Cadet Comer – Lewis Griffiths
Junior Honda - Monty Gorridge
Junior TKM – Ross Chell
Mini Max – Lewis Malin
Junior Rotax - Macaulay Austin
Senior Honda - Simon Evans
Formula Rotax - Chris Davies
Rotax 177 - Wayne Stone
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
October 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
The penultimate round of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship was graced by sunny, if somewhat chilly, conditions on the third weekend of October, but the culmination of the parallel Dragon Challenge competition ensured that there was some hot action on track.
The visit of both Senior and Junior Blue classes helped swell the entry to a solid 79, with Honda Cadet again the most populous with 19 runners, giving commentator Henry Beaudette a few new names to get his tongue around.
Ross Thomas leads the Honda Cadet field in round eight of the Llandow Kart Club
summer series, en route to clinching Dragon Challenge honours for the class
The Bambinos kicked things off but, with the class split into two groups, four karts took to the track in the opening session. Class veteran Alex Austin proved to be fastest on each of the group’s four outings, with Brooklyn Thomas and Marco Costanza both providing the closest opposition and Ffion Rees never lagging to far behind the boys.
Group two featured three runners, with Alex Carrafa starting out on top. In the remaining three sessions, however, it was Matthew Rees who emerged as the faster runner, with Carrafa mixing it with Jack Broughton for the remaining places.
The biggest field of the day also provided some of the most exciting racing, with Ryan Edwards (twice) and Ari White claiming the heat wins in Honda Cadet. Neither would feature on the top step of the podium after the final, however, as Ross Thomas – twice third in the heats – came through to claim victory – and the Dragon Challenge title - in a race that saw three leaders. White and Ethan Ling completed the podium as Edwards could manage only ninth, but the star of the race could arguably have been Harry Gooding who, having brought out the red flag by inverting himself in the early stages, battled through from the rear of the grid to finish in eighth place.
The Cadet Comer class may have had only a third the number of runners of its rival, but still provided enough action upfront to keep the crowd entertained. Lucas Wynne and Lewis Griffiths shared the heat wins, before the latter went on to make it a hat-trick by claiming the main event and, with it, the Dragon Challenge. Wynne and Tom Rawlings, meanwhile, finished second and third on the day.
Honda Junior was even more depleted, but Monty Gorridge and Jack Hixon resumed their battle from the September meeting with gusto. Each race featured at least one lead change, but it was Gorridge who ultimately ran out as winner on every occasion, cementing his Dragon Challenge title.
Junior TKM, Minimax and Junior Blue saw their grids merged into one field of 13 karts, but that could not deny the increasingly impressive Scott Morris from completing a clean sweep of wins in the former. Regular rival Ross Chell suffered a fraught day, twice DNF’ing, but sportingly applauded his rival after he took the chequered flag and, with it, a second Dragon Challenge crown. Yousuf Ashraf and Niall Williams were quick to take advantage of Chell’s misfortune, with the former claiming second in the final, ahead of Myles Ayers.
Minimax boiled down to a head-to-head between Harry Williams and Lewis Malin, with the former taking race one, but then having to give chase for the rest of the afternoon. Second, however, was enough to confirm Williams as Dragon Challenge champion.
Junior Blue belonged to Sam Dible, who won each of the four races, with Ellis Jackson and Ben Sutton giving chase.
Like Dible, Macaulay Austin was completely in charge in Junior Rotax, sweeping first place on every outing, while James Johnson and Josh Gray vied for second in his wake. Despite Gray twice taking runners-up honours in the heats, it was Johnson who emerged in second in the main event, with his rival chasing him across the line. Austin’s domination also confirmed him as Dragon Challenge champion.
Senior Honda proved to be a familiar story with Simon Evans again the man to beat as he ran out victorious in each of the four races and swept to the Dragon Challenge title. Gareth Lewis finished as runner-up in the heats but a first lap off in the final gave the former champion too much to do, and he could only recover to sixth. That allowed veteran Paul Saunders to claim second spot, with Jamie Warren completing the podium.
September’s frontrunners were both present in the Senior Rotax field, but the opening heat still threw up an unexpected result as Sebastian Hutchinson headed home Matthew Dowers and David Entwhistle. Dowers then claimed heat two from regular rival Chris Davis, while Paul Cleaver triumphed third time out.
Dowers returned to the top step in the final, beating Davis, who recovered from seventh to be just over a second adrift and did enough to ensure he clinched the Dragon Challenge honours. Entwhistle, meanwhile completed the podium in third place. Wayne Stone edged Simon Wheeler for 177 class and Dragon Challenge honours.
Senior Blue belonged to Chris Derrick and Ian Branfield, who were had to separate all day but finished in that order every time. Paul Johns finished third on three occasions, with Robin Brotherwood interloping in heat two.
RESULTS FOLLOW………
RESULTS
BAMBINO - 1
1. Alex Austin (Zip)
2. Brooklyn Thomas
3. Marco Costanza
4. Ffion Rees
BAMBINO - 2
1. Matthew Rees
2. Alex Carrafa
3. Jack Broughton
CADET HONDA
1. Ross Thomas
2. Ari White
3. Ethan Ling
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths
2. Lucas Wynne (Zip)
3. Tom Rawlings
HONDA JUNIOR
1. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
2. Jack Hixon
JUNIOR TKM 2-STROKE
1. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
2. Yousuf Ashraf
3. Myles Ayers
MINIMAX
1. Lewis Malin
2. Harry Williams
3. Rob Ellis
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Sam Dible
2. Ellis Jackson
3. Ben Sutton
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. James Johnson
3. Josh Gray
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
3. Jamie Warren (Wright)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Mathew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. Chris Davis (Storm)
3. David Entwhistle
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (CRG)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
SENIOR BLUE
1. Chris Derrick
2. Ian Branfield
3. Paul Johns
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS 2011
Cadet Honda – Ross Thomas
Cadet Comer – Lewis Griffiths
Junior Honda - Monty Gorridge
Junior TKM - Scott Morris
Mini Max - Harry Williams
Junior Rotax - Macaulay Austin
Senior Honda - Simon Evans
Formula Rotax - Chris Davis
Rotax 177 - Wayne Stone
September 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship moved into its critical closing stages with 62 drivers turning out for round eight in mixed conditions at South Wales Karting Centre.
After a bumper turnout the previous month, just four Bambinos braved the weather this time around, with Alex Austin and Brooklyn Thomas leading the way and proving closely matched. Jack Broughton and Matthew Martin, meanwhile, added valuable track time to their experience.
Chris Davies leads Matthew Dowers in Senior Max
Honda Cadet continued to boast the biggest field of the day, with 18 karts once again in attendance. Ryan Edwards, the visiting Scott Symons and Ross Thomas shared the three heats between them, before Hugo Holmes came through to claim the main event from Harry Gooding. Symons proved to be the best of the heat winners, in third place, with Brandon Patrick and Daniel Thomas rounding out the top five. Ross Thomas and fellow heat winner Edwards came home sixth and seventh respectively.
After sweeping the board in August, Lewis Griffiths had greater opposition in Comer Cadet, with Thames Valley’s Sam Faulkner claiming the three heat wins and then sprinting away to win the final by ten seconds from Lucas Wynne. Louis Walker, who had finished in the top three in each of the qualifying races, maintained his record by completing the podium in the final, while Griffiths had to make do with eighth.
Junior Honda returned to the timetable in September, but was graced by just two runners. Jack Hixon and Monty Gorridge still put on a show, however, sharing the wins before Gorridge claimed the final.
Junior TKM once again boiled down to the head-to-head between Ross Chell and Scott Morris, with Chell claiming top spot in each of the heats, only to see his rival turn the tables when it mattered most. The pair scrapped over the lead in the final, but Morris eventually ran out winner by a little over four seconds. Yousuf Ashraf and Joshua Webb gave chase during the heats, and it was the latter who claimed the final step of the podium in the main event after coming home right on Chell’s tail.
Half a dozen drivers comprised the Junior Rotax field, but Macaulay Austin was only prevented from taking a clean sweep of victories when James Johnson came out on top, narrowly, in heat two. While Austin claimed yet another piece of silverware in the final, however, it was Ben Davies who came through to take runners-up honours, just as he had in the final heat. Johnson was also denied a podium spot by James Williams, who got the nod by 0.16secs as the flag fell.
Senior Honda saw the same three drivers feature in the top three places in each of the day’s four races, but Simon Evans once again proved dominant, claiming victory in all but the third heat. Gareth Lewis filled the void on that occasion, but largely had his hands full with Jamie Warren, who mixed it with the multiple champion every time. Lewis eventually proved too good for his rival in the final, but had to settle for second place as Evans edged closer to another title of his own. Danny Griffiths came home fourth.
Chris Davis and Matthew Dowers shared the spoils in Senior Max, taking two victories apiece, but it was the former who emerged on top in one of the closest finishes of the season, let alone the day. Although Dowers went into the main event as the man to beat, having claimed heats two and three, two of the qualifying races had been decided by less than a second, and Davis, having stolen the lead on lap two of the final, just managed to hold on, by 0.28secs. Phil Moreton and Sam Morgan had both finished third in the heats, and it was Moreton who did so again in the final.
Simon Wheeler and Wayne Stone fought over 177 class honours before the latter emerged on top in the final.
RESULTS FOLLOW….
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Alex Austin (Zip)
2. Brooklyn Thomas
3. Matthew Martin
CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Harry Gooding
3. Scott Symons
CADET COMER
1. Sam Faulkner
2. Lucas Wynne (Zip)
3. Louis Walker
HONDA JUNIOR
1. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
2. Jack Hixon
JUNIOR TKM 2-STROKE
1. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
2. Ross Chell (Jade)
3. Joshua Webb
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. Ben Davies
3. James Williams
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Jamie Warren (Wright)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Chris Davis (Storm)
2. Mathew Dowers (Kosmic)
3. Phil Moreton
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (CRG)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
August 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
Some 72 karts and drivers hit the track during round seven of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship, with the heat of competition matching a welcome return of summery conditions in South Wales.
The Bambino class swelled again, with another couple of additions over July’s entry, but it was familiar faces Marco Costanza, Alex Austin and William Elswood who dominated proceedings. Costanza produced the fastest lap time in the three of the four sessions, including the final outing, with Elswood taking the other and then claiming second spot, ahead of Austin, in the finale. Ffion Rees, however, improved throughout the day to just miss out on a top three spot, while Alex Carrafa, Matthew Owain Rees and Matthew Martin completed the field.
Scott Morris leads Ross Chell in typically close Junior TKM action at round seven
of the Llandow Kart Club summer series
Honda Cadet continued to go from strength to strength and prove that the class is far from dead, with no fewer than 18 drivers contesting the spoils. Again, however, some familiar faces proved too strong for the opposition, with Brandon Patrick taking control from heat two and remaining unbeaten for the rest of the day. Harry Gooding, who twice finished runner-up in the heats, did so again in the main event, with Ross Thomas completing the podium as Ryan Edwards faded to sixth when it mattered most.
Lewis Griffiths once again proved unbeatable in a five-man (or four-man, one-woman) Comer Cadet field, sweeping the board with three heat wins and another lights-to-flag victory in the final to mirror his July domination. Oliver Graham was once more Griffiths’ biggest threat, claiming second place in the final, as he had done in two heats, while Lucas Wynne took the final podium spot, ahead of Jodie Handford and Ethan Rees, who had earlier claimed a third-place finish in heat two.
Junior TKM proved to be something of a personal battle between Ross Chell and Scott Morris, with Chell taking the spoils in heat one, but thereafter having to give chase to his main rival. Morris proceeded to sweep the remaining heats, and swapped places with Chell several times before coming out on top by 0.33secs in the final. After Alex Thomas has split the protagonists in heat one, Yousuf Ashraf took up the cudgels as pursuer-in-chief, finishing third in each of the remaining races, while Thomas had to settle for fourth – by just 0.2secs - in the main event.
Instead of controlling the Junior Rotax class, Macaulay Austin also found his hands full, with James Johnson, in particular, finding a way to beat the ultra-successful multiple champion. Austin claimed heat two but, otherwise it was Johnson to the fore, albeit helped by a DNF for his main rival in the third heat, and his subsequent non-appearance in the final. Ben Davies, who clashed with Austin in heat three, returned to claim runners-up spot in the main event, while Morgan Rose completed the podium.
In the absence of wild card Hugh Jones, Senior Honda proved to be the domain of reigning champion Simon Evans and former champion Gareth Lewis, who finished 1-2 in each of the class’ four races. Evans, however, retained the upper hand, increasing his margin of victory with each outing. Veteran Paul Saunders returned to the fray after a couple of months away, and started well with third in each of the first two heats. Thereafter, however, he had to give best to Danny Griffiths and Jamie Warren, with the latter claiming the remaining podium spot in the final.
Chris Davies and Josh Collings shared the victories in Senior Max, taking two apiece, although Collings really should have added heat three to his tally, leading across the line only to be excluded. He made amends when it mattered most, however, rising from an early fourth place to pass Davies on lap nine and claim maximum points in the final. Matthew Dowers also usurped Davies to take second place, as he had in two heats. Sam Morgan and Dilip Singh also featured in the top three during the heats, while Simon Wheeler and Wayne Stone fought over 177 class honours before the latter emerged on top in the finale.
Also appearing on the August bill, the RAF Premier class added nine runners to the overall total, but only three appeared to be in contention for the spoils, as Marcus Ramsden (two wins) Cliff Blofield (one) and Simon Goodwin finished at the head of the field throughout the heats. Ramsden duly continues his streak to claim the final from Blofield, but Goodwin’s subsequent exclusion from second spot also promoted Simon Hilton to the podium.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Marco Costanza (CRG)
2. William Elswood (CRG)
3. Alex Austin (Zip)
CADET HONDA
1. Brandon Patrick (Project One)
2. Harry Gooding
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Oliver Graham (Zip)
3. Lucas Wynne (Zip)
JUNIOR TKM 2-STROKE
1. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
2. Ross Chell (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. James Johnson (Kosmic)
2. Ben Davies
3. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Jamie Warren (Wright)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Mathew Dowers (Kosmic)
3. Chris Davis (Storm)
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (CRG)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
RAF PREMIER
1. Marcus Ramsden
2. Cliff Blofield
3. Simon Hilton
July 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
There were no special guest series to swell the numbers, but round six of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship provided the usual thrills and spills on track and some familiar faces at the top of the podium.
The Bambino ‘starter’ class was back up to five runners after a dip in June, and it was the returning Marco Costanza who led the way, posting the fastest lap in three of the four track sessions to come out on top from Jakob Chamberlain and Alex Austin. William Elswood and Ffion Rees were the other runners.
Honda Cadet once again provided the biggest field of the day, with 17 karts in action, but it was the usual faces at the front of the pack. Ryan Edwards, Ross Thomas and Brandon Patrick each claimed a heat win, before Thomas came through to claim the final after narrowly missing the podium in June. Celtic champion Edwards was second, with Harry Gooding sneaking the final podium spot ahead of Daniel Thomas and Patrick.
After claiming victory in June final, Lewis Griffiths again proved to be the one to beat in Comer Cadet, sweeping the board with three heat wins and a lights-to-flag success in the final. However, that was not to say that it was a cakewalk for the youngster, who only triumphed by 0.19secs in the main event as Oliver Graham pushed him all the way. Graham had already come through a tough battle with Louis Griffiths-Walker before leaving his rival to settle for third, ahead of Tom Rawlings.
Without the Junior Honda class – which has been severely depleted this season - Monty Gorridge stepped up to Junior TKM, running as the only 4-stroke contender in a field of 2-strokes. It was very much a steep learning curve for the youngster as his more experienced rivals set the pace. Ross Chell claimed each of the three heats with Scott Morris and Ryan Jones giving chase, but it was Morris who came out on top when it mattered most, stealing top spot in the final a couple of laps from home. Chell and Jones completed the podium, with Gorridge in ninth.
After a month away on Formula Kart Stars duty, Macaulay Austin returned to dominate his local Junior Rotax class, winning each of the four races on offer. James Johnson and Morgan Rose took it in turns to give chase, with Rose claiming second in the final. Only Lewis Malin broke the trio’s domination of the top three, but he had to settle for sixth in the main event, behind Jordan Hawkins and Scott Rose.
Senior Honda again came close to breaking into double figures, but proved to be about just three drivers when it came to results. Reigning club and Welsh champion Simon Evans was denied another clean sweep as Gareth Lewis claimed heat two, but the former champion could only manage third in the final as Jamie Warren enjoyed his best weekend since graduating from the junior class. After three top three finishes in the heats, Warren came through to claim second place by 0.13secs in the main event.
Current Welsh champion Craig Mooney and class frontrunners Josh Collings and Gareth Taylor were missing from the Senior Rotax field, resulting in the heats being shared between Chris Davis and Mathew Dowers, with Dan Rodde and David Entwhistle also appearing in the top three. Davis returned to the top step in the final, crossing the line 0.62secs clear of Rodde, while Dowers claimed third from Entwhistle and Dilip Singh. Although Dean Arthur was also missing, Wayne Stone found his path to Max 177 success barred by the returning Simon Wheeler.
RESULTS FOLLOW….
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Marco Costanza (CRG)
2. Jakob Chamberlain
3. Alex Austin (Zip)
CADET HONDA
1. Ross Thomas (Wright)
1. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
3. Harry Gooding
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Oliver Graham (Zip)
3. Louis Griffiths-Walker
JUNIOR TKM 2-STROKE
1. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
2. Ross Chell (Jade)
3. Ryan Jones (CRG)
JUNIOR TKM 4-STROKE
1. Monty Gorridge
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
1. James Johnson (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Jamie Warren (Wright)
3. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Chris Davis (Storm)
2. Dan Rodde
3. Mathew Dowers (Kosmic)
ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (CRG)
June 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
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Driver of the Day Ryan Jones en route to Junior TKM success in the
June round of Llandow KC’s summer series
If the fifth round of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship suffered a drop in numbers due to a clash with the latest Formula Kart Stars event, the action on track meant that there could be few complaints.
The Llandow meeting was boosted by the addition of the Honda Challenge, which turned out at a venue renowned for the strength of its Honda classes over the years, but also continued to highlight the closely-matched competition in other categories.
The usually-busy Bambino class was restricted to just two runners on this occasion, with William Elswood taking advantage of the low numbers to get the better of Ffion Rees on each outing.
Former Bambino pacesetter George Alp-Williams made his first appearance in the Honda Cadet class but, with another 20 runners turning out in what was the biggest field of the day, he always had his work cut out to repeat his previous success. Instead, it was left to familiar frontrunners Ryan Edwards, Brandon Patrick, Hugo Holmes and Ross Thomas to lead the way, with Edwards triumphing in the final after coming close in recent months. Patrick and Homes completed the podium, while Thomas and Alex Rees claimed top five results.
Comer Cadet was missing a few regulars, but that only served to allow Louis Griffiths-Walker and the similarly-named Lewis Griffths to set the pace during the heats. Griffiths-Walker claimed races one and two, with his near namesake triumphing third time around, and it was Griffiths who again came out on top in the final, after his rival posted a rare retirement on lap three. That allowed Lucas Wynne – a top three finisher throughout the heats – and Tom Rawlings to end the day on the podium.
Junior Honda was also reduced to just a couple of runners but, given his recent form, it was unlikely that anyone would have provided much opposition to Daniel Jones. Monty Gorridge did his best to stem the tide, but could not prevent Jones from taking a clean sweep of race wins to extend his points lead.
With Macaulay Austin and Steven Handford missing in FKS action, the road was open for others to claim the Junior Rotax spoils and, after a string of frustrations, James Johnson proved to be the one capable of doing so. So often strong in the heats only to see his hard work go to waste in the final, Johnson got it all right on this occasion, sweeping the three heats and then going on to lead from start to finish in the main event, crossing the line four seconds clear of his nearest rival. This time around, this proved to be Jordan Hawkins, who backed up two second place finishes in the heats with a similar result in the final, while Minimax regular Rob Ellis completed the podium, denying the unfortunate Scott Rose, who had been in the top three all day.
Junior TKM featured half a dozen drivers, and three of those proved to be the main contenders throughout the heats and final. Ryan Jones started as he meant to go on by claiming the opening encounter, and would win twice more, including a narrow 0.48secs success in the main event. The man he denied, Niall Williams, had previously taken victory in heat two, but was passed on lap five of the final and could not find a way back to the front. Ross Chell, who had finished each heat as runner-up, had to settle for third in the final while Yousuf Ashraf, the only other driver to break the top three on the day, posted an unfortunate DNF in the main event
Senior Honda was again without veteran Paul Saunders, but nothing was going to prevent reigning champion Simon Evans from continuing his recent domination. Fresh from his narrow Welsh Championship success, Evans swept the board, claiming the final by six seconds over runner-up Hugh Jones. Gareth Lewis, the third man in the three-way scrap for national honours, had been Evans’ nearest rival throughout the heats, but lost out by 0.09secs when it really mattered, having twice traded places with his rival.
Senior Max crept into double figures with eleven runners and, with new Welsh champion Craig Mooney absent, Chris Davis and Josh Collings took full advantage to share the race wins between themselves. Alternating on the top step of the podium throughout the day, Collings was best placed to claim victory in the final, claiming a four-second margin of victory after passing Davis on lap three. Gareth Taylor appeared on course for another podium appearance until retiring on lap five of the main event, and his frustration allowed the hard-trying David Entwhistle to claim a maiden class podium, having already finished second in the final heat.
Dean Arthur, meanwhile, picked up from where had left off at the Welsh Championship meeting, claiming victory over Wayne Stone in each of the four races for the Max 177 class
The visiting Honda Challenge enjoyed a double-header weekend in South Wales, and it was the aptly-named Steven Welsh who came out on top on both Saturday and Sunday. Andrew Johnson and Steve Lyall shared day one’s heat wins with Welsh, but it was Chris Mealin who proved to be best of the rest behind the winner in the final, with local club member Chris Lipscomb completing the podium. Welsh again shared the heat wins on Sunday, with Lyall denying him a clean sweep before going on to finish as runner-up in the main event. Michael Kew completed the podium second time around, denying Lipscomb, whose top three heat form wasn’t enough for a return when it mattered most.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. William Elswood (CRG)
2. Ffion Rees
CADET HONDA
1. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
2. Brandon Patrick (Project One)
3. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Lucas Wynne (Zip)
3. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Daniel Jones (MS)
2. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. James Johnson (Kosmic)
2. Jordan Hawkins (Tonykart)
3. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Jones (CRG)
2. Niall Williams (Intrepid)
3. Ross Chell (Jade)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Hugh Jones (MS)
3. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Chris Davis (Storm)
3. David Entwhistle (Redspeed)
ROTAX 177
1. Dean Arthur
2. Wayne Stone (CRG)
HONDA CHALLENGE
Saturday: 1. Steven Welsh (MS)
2. Chris Mealin (MS)
3. Chris Lipscomb (Silverfox Jade)
Sunday: 1. Steven Welsh (MS)
2. Steve Lyall (MS)
3. Michael Kew (7Kart)
Best Novice: Steve Grose (Senior Honda)
Driver of the Day: Ryan Jones (Junior TKM)
Welsh Championships - May 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
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Simon Evans (#C) retained his Welsh Championship title after a three-way Senior Honda battle with Gareth Lewis and Hugh Jones at Llandow Kart Club’s showpiece event
The biggest meeting of Llandow Kart Club’s season may not have been graced by the sort of weather enjoyed in previous months, but that only served to allow the action on track to brighten the day.
Although not quite reaching April’s NKRA-boosted three-figure entry, some 96 drivers signed on for the two-day Welsh Championship meeting, which featured a change from the usual Llandow format, with a mix of qualifying, heats and finals stretching out over the weekend.
The Bambino class made its first appearance at ‘the Welsh’, with some familiar faces taking the honours. Despite missing the opening day’s action, which allowed Alex Austin time in the spotlight, Max Fenlon and George Alp-Williams returned to dominate on Sunday, leading Austin on each of the day’s three timesheets.
Both Cadet classes were well supported and able to run their own races. With 19 runners, the Honda-powered youngsters formed the largest grid of the day, but one driver dominated throughout as Max Wieteska claimed the fastest time in both qualifying sessions and won the two heats, pre-final and final. Ross Thomas twice claimed second place, in heat one and the pre-final, but it was Ryan Edwards who chased Wieteska home in the main event, with Thomas completing the podium after Brandon Patrick’s challenge ended on lap three.
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Craig Mooney (#83) dominated Senior Rotax to claim a first Welsh Championship title at
Llandow Kart Club’s May 2011 meeting
Comer Cadet saw 14 drivers on track, but saw three drivers share the top three places between them on every outing. Conor Hall claimed both qualifying sessions, but had to watch as Cameron Roberts and Harry Andrews took the heat wins. Andrews then topped the pre-final, before Hall rose back to the top when it mattered, catching and passing long-time leader Roberts on the final lap to taking the C Plate by just 0.09secs, with Andrews in third.
With just three runners, Junior Honda was the smallest grid of the weekend, but that could not prevent some close action as man-of-the-moment Daniel Jones battled with reigning Welsh champion Lloyd Sealy, who returned to the fray after a short absence. Although the pair proved evenly matched, Jones came out on top in every outing before the final. In the main event, however, a spin dropped him to the tail of the field, leaving Sealy unchallenged, and the current points leader needing a last-lap pass to reclaim second from Monty Gorringe. That move proved more important than even Jones could have imagined, however, as Sealy was later penalised for contact between the pair, handing the Welsh title to the MS-mounted driver.
Macaulay Austin continued his recent run of form in Junior Rotax, completing a clean sweep of qualifying heats and finals despite the best efforts of James Johnson and Steven Handford, who took it in turns to swap second and third places on the results sheet. However, while Austin and Handford held the top two spots throughout the final, the former winning by a couple of seconds, Johnson again saw a podium spot slip from his grasp after being passed by Josh Gray on lap one.
Junior TKM again attracted a handful of unfamiliar names and one of these, Keaton Ford, proved to be the stand-out performer, dominating the results and rewriting the lap record. Leading from the front as he had in his other races, Ford won the final by 1.62secs from Alex Forward, with Ryan Jones completing the top three. Ross Chell was able to mix it with the frontrunners, but had to settle for fourth at the flag, with club rivals Yousuf Ashraf and Scott Morris next up.
Minimax came close to reaching double figures, earning itself a grid of its own, and again it was the visitors who came out on top, as Ben Hingeley, Leon Hilleard and Jordan Gilbertson dominated the top three positions. Hilleard appeared to have the upper hand, having logged a new lap record as he won the heats and pre-final but, despite leading the opening six laps of the final, was beaten to the flag by Hingeley, the pair crossing the line just 0.23secs apart. Gilbertson again claimed third, with local runners Harry and James Williams rounding out the top five.
Senior Max provided the second largest field of the weekend, with 15 runners spread over the regular and 177 classes, but no-one could hold a candle to Craig Mooney, who continued his recent run of form to top every session. Such was the April class winner’s pace, he became the first Max driver to break the 43secs barrier, clocking 42.91secs in second qualifying, and ran unchallenged at the front of the final. While the pack kept Mooney honest, the battle for second between Gareth Taylor, Chris Davis and Josh Collings prevented anyone from making inroads into the near two-second gap. Davis eventually claimed the runner-up spot, with Collings in third, as Taylor fell away to fourth.
Dean Arthur returned to Llandow for the first time in several years, but appeared not to have been away as he claimed the Max 177 title and a new lap record, with Wayne Stone and Simon Wheeler left to battle over second spot before the latter retired.
Welsh kart champions show off their silverware and C plates at Llandow
Senior Honda suffered from the absence of a couple of regulars, and reigning champion Simon Evans looked set to take advantage as he swept the heats and pre-final, again rewriting his own lap record. No-one, therefore, could have predicted the three-way scrap that ensued in the main event, with Evans hounded all the way by both former champion Gareth Lewis and erstwhile heavyweight champion Hugh Jones. A poor start by Evans allowed Lewis to lead the early stages, and the pair continued to trade place while Jones kept a watching brief, but Evans eventually prevailed to reclaim the crown, with the top three covered by just a couple of tenths at the flag.
Senior TKM made a welcome return to the programme, closing the championships on Sunday afternoon after Simon Vercoe and returning champion Joe Forsdyke had shared the heat wins between them. Vercoe claimed the pre-final, with the two main protagonists and Matthew Allnut each toying with the lap record, but appeared to have lost the chance of winning the title when his kart refused to fire. Only a last-ditch rescue saw the #45 make the line-up, and Vercoe seized the opportunity to lead from lights to flag. Forsdyke and Allnut led the pursuit until the former retired, leaving Elliot Newton to complete the podium.
The meeting’s success continued off the track, with almost £300 raised from the raffle towards the acquisition of a new ambulance for the Llandow club – and the announcement that one member would be donating the use of his Spanish holiday property for a special fund-raising draw to be held at coming rounds of the LKC summer series.
RESULTS FOLLOW….
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Max Fenlon (Birel)
2. George Alp-Williams (CRG)
3. Alex Austin (Zip)
CADET HONDA
1. Max Wieteska (Zip)
2. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)
CADET COMER
1. Conor Hall (Wright)
2. Cameron Roberts (Zip)
3. Harry Andrews (CRG)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Daniel Jones (MS)
2. Lloyd Sealy (MS)
3. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
2. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
3. Josh Gray (CRG)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Keaton Ford (Intrepid)
2. Alex Forward (Intrepid)
3. Ryan Jones (CRG)
MINI MAX
1. Ben Hingeley (Tonykart)
2. Leon Hilleard (Tonykart)
3. Jordan Gilbertson (Tonykart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Craig Mooney (CRG)
2. Chris Davis (Storm)
3. Josh Collings (CRG)
ROTAX 177
1. Dean Arthur
2. Wayne Stone (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Hugh Jones (MS)
SENIOR TKM
1. Simon Vercoe (Intrepid)
2. Natthew Allnut (Intrepid)
3. Elliot Newton (Intrepid)
Kath Denscombe Memorial Award: Sam Johns (Honda Cadet)
Novice of the Weekend: Sam Johns (Honda Cadet)
Driver of the Weekend: Craig Mooney (Senior Rotax)
Llandow Kart Club – April 2011
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
Round three of Llandow Kart Club’s 2011 championship welcomed 115 drivers with another weekend of warm sunshine, matched only by the heat of competition on track.
Swelled by the visit of NKRA runners in several classes, plus the addition of Junior and Senior Blue, there were notably large grids in Honda Cadet, which boasted a weekend high of 25 drivers, and Senior Max, which returned to the sort of field seen throughout 2010, with 18 drivers.
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Photo: Ryan Edwards and Myles Apps head a 25-strong Honda Cadet class at round three of Llandow Kart Club’s 2011 championship
The Bambino class opened proceedings with five drivers, but again Max Fenlon was the one to beat, posting the fastest lap on each of the four outings, including a best of 27.94secs, George Alp-Williams and Jackson Apps provided the closest opposition, although Alex Austin and Marco Costanza gave good accounts of themselves.
The well-populated Honda Cadets looked set to be dominated by the impressive Myles Apps, who claimed victory in each of the three heats regardless of where he started. However, the Buckmore Park KC regular found himself in the midst of a three-way battle in the Final, with both Ari White and Ryan Edwards each taking turns at the front of the field. In the end, despite Apps setting the fastest lap of the race, it was White who came out on top by 0.18secs, with Edwards completing the podium. Another visitor, Kuninori Ishii, was fourth, ahead of March class winner Brandon Patrick.
Comer Cadet also enjoyed a bigger than usual grid, with eleven drivers on track, but, like its Honda cousin, appeared to be going the way of only one, as Lewis Griffiths claimed every heat. Like Apps, however, he was to be denied a clean sweep, as Izaac Channing stole through on the last lap of the day to take top spot in the Final by 0.32secs. Todd Kennedy completed the podium, while expected frontrunner Louis Griffith-Walker failed to start either heat three or the main event.
The first clean sweep of the weekend was again the preserve of Daniel Jones in Junior Honda. Having dominated the March meeting, Jones took control of a small field to win comfortably each time, with Monty Gorridge again proving best of the rest, taking second in three of the four races, including the Final. Danny Griffiths completed the podium.
Junior TKM received a welcome boost in numbers, with 13 karts enough to warrant an end to the recent grid-share with Minimax. The field also proved closely matched, with four different winners. Tom Hackett, Scott Morris and Jack Edinborough all triumphed in the heats, but each had to give best to George Thomson in the main event. Morris led the opening three laps but retired, while Hackett crossed the line first, only to be excluded. That handed Thomson the victory, with Edinborough and Harry Kennedy rounding out the top three ahead of an off-colour Ross Chell, with Yousuf Ashraf sixth behind James Chubb.
With numbers still lacking, Minimax found itself paired with the visiting Junior Blue class, and was another to see a dominant performance at the front. Although the Blue drivers crossed the line at the front of the field, Morgan Rose was the man to beat further back, claiming victory in each of his four outings. Rob Ellis was second on three occasions, with Ben Hamlet taking the final podium place.
Junior Blue shared its heat wins among Ben Pearson, Will Goodhew and Sam Dible, but the latter was able to lead from lights to flag in the Final, with Ben Sutton coming through to claim second ahead of Pearson as Goodhew faded to fourth in class - and behind Minimax leader Rose at the flag.
Senior Honda numbers again hovered on the fringe of double figures but, as in March, no-one could deny reigning champion Simon Evans a clean sweep. Second place in the heats was shared between Gareth Lewis and Paul Saunders, but it was former heavyweight champion Hugh Jones who came through to again claim the position in the main event. Saunders, Lewis and Chris Lipscomb all took turns in P2, but had to settle for fifth, fourth and third respectively at the flag.
Despite having to accept second place in heat one, Macaulay Austin proved the class of Junior Rotax, winning the remaining qualifying races and then leading from start to finish in the Final. James Johnson again won the first race of the day but, in a repeat of his March fortunes, dropped three places in one lap and could only manage fifth in the main event. Josh Gray, who did not start the opening race, claimed a brace of second places, including the Final, with Oliver Pidgley completing the podium ahead of Jordan Hawkins.
Reigning Junior champion Josh Collings was unable to replicate Austin’s performance in Senior Rotax, despite having been the man to beat in each of the opening two rounds. Things appeared to be going his way with victory in heat one, but Craig Mooney emerged as the day’s hotshot, winning the remaining heats and then prevailing by 0.65secs as Collings returned to form in the Final. Barry Thomsit, Chris Davis, Mathew Dowers, Gareth Taylor and Scott Smart all enjoyed top three runs in the heats, but it was Davis who managed to return to the podium in the main event, with Taylor, Dowers and Smart sandwiching Sebastian Hutchinson in fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.
Wayne Stone returned to the front of the Max 177 class, winning two heats and the Final despite the best efforts of Simon Wheeler.
Senior Blue rounded out proceedings, with Chris Derrick claiming a clean sweep of heats and Final. Duncan McLeod provided the closest opposition throughout the three earlier races, but succumbed to Ian Branfield in the Final after the pair swapped places on several occasions. Paul Johns almost got the better of McLeod on the last lap, finishing just 0.14secs behind, with Mark Wylde fifth.
RESULTS FOLLOW….
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Max Fenlon (Birel)
2. Jackson Apps (Top Kart)
3. George Alp-Williams (CRG)
CADET HONDA
1. Ari White (Project One)
2. Myles Apps (Wright)
3. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Izaac Channing (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Todd Kennedy
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Daniel Jones (MS)
2. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
3. Danny Griffiths (MS)
JUNIOR TKM
1. George Thomson (Project One)
2. Jack Edinborough
3. Harry Kennedy (BRM)
MINI MAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
3. Ben Hamlet (Tonykart)
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Sam Dible (Alonso)
2. Ben Sutton (Intrepid)
3. Ben Pearson (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Hugh Jones (MS)
3. Chris Lipscomb (Silver Fox Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Exprit)
2. Josh Gray (CRG)
3. Oliver Pidgley (Kosmic)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Craig Mooney (CRG)
2. Josh Collings (CRG)
3. Chris Davis (Storm)
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (CRG)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
SENIOR BLUE
1. Chris Derrick (Tonykart)
2. Ian Branfield
3. Duncan McLeod (Tecno)
Llandow Kart Club - March 2011
Photo: Hardy Rodde
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Llandow Kart Club – March 2011 The second round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2011 championship was notable not only for the warm sunshine that graced the majority of raceday, but also for a glut of new lap records.
Ross Chell and Scott Morris do battle at the head of the Junior TKM field in round two of
Llandow Kart Club’s 2011 championship
With an entry slightly up on February’s opening round, no fewer than six classes saw their benchmark times rewritten during a remarkable day, with other drivers either breaking or threatening the old mark to underline the pace of the Llandow circuit.
As has become customary, the Bambino class got things underway with five runners, including a couple of new faces in Marco Costanza and William Elswood. While both newcomers gave good accounts of themselves, the fastest times again belonged to those with previous experience, as Max Fenlon, George Alp-Williams and Alex Austin filled the top three positions. Fenlon also underlined his early-season form with the first new lap record of the day.
Honda Cadet again boasted the biggest field of the day, with 16 drivers taking to the track, but once more proved to be about Ryan Edwards and Brandon Patrick. The pair shared the heat wins between them, with Edwards emerging on top, before engaging in a tense battle throughout the ten-lap final. Although Edwards made the most of pole to lead, he could not shake his pursuer, and Patrick made the most of a rare chance to slip through two laps from home and hold on for victory. Hugo Holmes, who twice finished in the top three in the heats, completed the podium ahead of Daniel and Ross Thomas.
The Comer Cadet class may have had only half the number of runners, but still provided close competition as Izaac Channing and Lewis Griffiths battled over top spot. Griffiths edged the heats and then withstood concerted pressure from Channing throughout the final to cross the line just 0.09secs ahead at the flag. In a race where positions remained static despite the well-matched field, Jack Barber claimed third place, as he had in each of the heats.
After serving notice of his potential as he returned to action in February’s season-opener, Daniel Jones dominated proceedings in Junior Honda. In the absence of Welsh and Celtic champion Lloyd Sealy, Jones might have been expected to take control against three novices, but the MS-mounted driver was only denied a clean sweep by a second heat DNF, and broke the lap record on several occasions as he romped away with the final. Monty Gorridge, who claimed heat two following Jones’ mishap, claimed runners-up honours ahead of Danny Griffiths.
With insufficient numbers in either class to warrant separate grids, Junior TKM and Minimax were again combined in an eight-kart field. Having swept all four races in February, Ross Chell found Scott Morris in determined mood this time around, and had to give best to his rival in the opening heats before coming good in the third. In the final, however, it took Chell just three laps to hit the front and, despite Morris remaining glued to his rear bumper and setting a new lap record in pursuit, he held on to claim victory by a tenth of a second. Ryan Jones took third place.
After the frustration of seeing his February chances ended on the dummy grid, Lewis Malin was another on a March mission in Minimax. With just Rob Ellis for opposition, he claimed the first two heats, and returned to top spot in the final, winning by a couple of seconds as he gave chase to the leading TKM runners.
Senior Honda numbers improved again for the second meeting of the season and, with Chris Lipscomb back in the mix, the anticipation of competition between no fewer than five class champions was mouth-watering. As it turned out, however, no-one could challenge reigning number one Simon Evans, who not only swept all four races, but also blitzed Lipscomb’s lap record, which had only been set at the end of last season. To make matters worse for the Silver Fox Racing driver, he also found himself missing the final due to damage sustained in heat three, leaving it to Gareth Lewis, Hugh Jones and Paul Saunders to lead the pursuit of Evans. In the end, it was former heavyweight champ Jones, continuing his unexpectedly strong start to the campaign, who finished best of the rest, ahead of Lewis, as Evans strengthened his championship position with a two-second victory.
Junior Rotax again proved to be the domain of Macaulay Austin who, despite dropping the opening heat to James Johnson, then remained unbeaten for the rest of the day. Although not running away with the final, the much-decorated racer held a comfortable two-second advantage at the flag, as Dean Clayton – who hadn’t featured in the top three in the heats – and Matt Ryder completed the podium. Johnson, who lost second and third positions on the same lap, finished fifth behind Jordan Hawkins.
After dominating on his Senior Max debut at Llandow, reigning Junior champion Josh Collings proved that his form was no fluke by winning three of the four races, and setting a new class lap record as he strolled to victory in the final for the second month running. Behind him, Chris Davis and Craig Mooney, Collings’ most consistent rivals in the heats – completed the podium after running second and third throughout the final, while Matthew Dowers had to make do with fourth, despite tailing pair for all twelve laps.
Wayne Stone again found strong opposition in the Max 177 class and, despite rewriting the lap record, was unable to overcome Simon Wheeler at any point.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Max Fenlon (Birel)
2. George Alp-Williams (CRG)
3. Alex Austin (Zip)
CADET HONDA
1. Brandon Patrick (Project One)
2. Ryan Edwards (Project One)
3. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Izaac Channing (Zip)
3. Jack Barber (BRM)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Daniel Jones (MS)
2. Monty Gorridge (7Kart)
3. Danny Griffiths (MS)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
2. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
3. Ryan Jones (Intrepid)
MINI MAX
1. Lewis Malin (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Hugh Jones (MS)
3. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Exprit)
2. Dean Clayton (Alonso)
3. Matt Ryder (Kosmic)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Chris Davis (Storm)
3. Craig Mooney (CRG)
ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (CRG)
Best Novice: Joe Pritchard (Honda Cadet)
Driver of the Day: Simon Evans (Senior Honda)
Llandow Kart Club – February 2011
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Ryan Edwards leads the Cadet class at the opening round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2011 season
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde
After what felt like the most fleeting of breaks, Llandow Kart Club swung back into action with the opening round of its 2011 season on a cold and blustery Sunday in late February.
Some 63 hardy competitors, including a healthy number of new faces and returning novices, combined to represent nine classes, although some were merged on track to provide meaningful grids.
After sitting out the Celtic Championships that closed the 2010 campaign, the Bambino class made a welcome return and, despite a low turn-out compared to some meetings last season, provided some close competition between Max Fenlon, George Alp-Williams and Alex Austin before the former came out on top.
Honda Junior featured just one more runner, but welcomed back Daniel Jones to provide Welsh and Celtic champion Lloyd Sealy with some competition. Out of action for the second half of 2010, however, Jones could not prevent Sealy from taking a clean sweep of heat and final victories, but did enough to come in ahead of novices Danny Griffiths and Jack Hixon.
A combined field of 21 Cadets provided the biggest grid of the day, with Ryan Edwards and Brandon Patrick upholding Honda honour by sharing the heat wins before the group was split for separate finals. Edwards duly returned to the front of the pack to take victory in the Honda class, with Hugo Holmes and Daniel Thomas completing the podium after early leader Patrick dropped to fourth at the flag.
The Comer class was won by Louis Griffith-Walker, from Lucas Wynne and novice Tom Rawlings, but only after Wynne had come out on top in two of the three heats.
Junior TKM and Minimax were similarly combined to make a bigger field, and continued to run together throughout the day. Ross Chell swept the six-kart TKM field, with Scott Morris and Yousuf Ashraf giving chase in every encounter, while Lewis Malin appeared set to do likewise in Minimax before his kart failed on the dummy grid ahead of the final.
That disappointment allowed closest challenger Harry Williams to take an uncontested win in the main event, and the reigning Cadet champion gave a good account of himself by harrying Chell through the opening stages before settling for second on the road.
Novice Ellis Jackson, the sole Junior Blue runner, also found himself in the TKM/Minimax mix, but added a valuable signature to his licence after a clean weekend.
After some disappointing turnouts in 2010, the Honda Senior class gained strength with nine entrants, including a couple of novices. Without Chris Lipscombe to bother them, past and present club champions Gareth Lewis and Simon Evans shared the heat wins, before Evans eased to a six-second victory over his main rival in the final. The returning Hugh Jones took second in heat two, but was equally delighted to take fourth in the final as veteran Paul Saunders completed the podium.
The two remaining Rotax classes closed proceedings, with the seven-strong Junior category providing some close racing behind Macaulay Austin, who swept to four wins in as many races. Josh Gray provided the closest opposition with a brace of second places – including one in the final – although both Adam Berwick and James Johnson gave chase to Austin in the heats. Berwick could have caused the victor problems had he managed to start the final, but it was again left to Gray and Johnson to fill the podium places.
Numbers in Senior Max were down on some of the headlining numbers seen in 2010, but the competition again proved exciting, despite the best efforts of debutant Josh Collings, The reigning Junior champion made a big impression on his graduation to seniors, winning the first two heats before class stalwart Matthew Dowers ended hopes of a clean sweep.
Collings was back on top in the final, however, easing to a four-second victory over his main rival, while Craig Mooney made the most of a lap one off for reigning champion Chris Davis to complete the podium. Wayne Stone found some stern opposition in the Max 177 class, but eventually overcame the challenge of Richard Phillips to claim victory.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Max Fenlon
2. Alex Austin (Tony)
3. George Alp-Williams (CRG)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Lloyd Sealy (MS)
2. Daniel Jones (MS)
3. Danny Griffiths (Wright)
CADET HONDA
1. Ryan Edwards (Zip)
2. Hugo Holmes (Project One)
3. Daniel Thomas (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Louis Griffith-Walker (Zip)
2. Lucas Wynne (Zip)
3. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell (Intrepid)
2. Scott Morris (CRG)
3. Yousuf Ashraf
MINI MAX
1. Harry Williams (Tonykart)
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Ellis Jackson (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (MS)
2. Gareth Lewis (MS)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Macaulay Austin (Exprit)
2. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
3. James Johnson (CRG)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Matthew Dowers (Tonykart)
3. Craig Mooney (Intrepid)
ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
2. Richard Phillips (CRG)