Llandow Kart Club - Race Reports

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December - Celtic Challenge 2012

Llandow Kart Club brought the curtain down on its 2012 season with the traditional staging of the Celtic Challenge in the run-up to Christmas.

Although the field was down on the numbers seen throughout the regular championship, the club welcomed both estranged and unfamiliar faces alongside its stalwarts as it ran the rare combination of timed qualifying, two heats and a final for all classes except the Bambinos.

The youngest runners - Oliver Thomas, Shayne Clarke and Brooklyn Thomas - had some difficult conditions to contend with and, for their first two time trials, were, as usual, running on slick tyres while everyone else was on wets. Despite that, all drove extremely well and, after coping with mixed conditions later in the day, managed to achieve gold awards.

As usual, the Cadets produced the biggest grid of the weekend, with 14 runners, but the Comer section was dominated once again by Tom Rawlings, who claimed top spot in each of the four sessions. Max Fenlon was the closest opposition in the Final, with Kieran Clarke some way back in third.

The Honda side of the grid was once again the stronger numerically, and shared the honours around, with Joshua Martin topping qualifying and heat one, before Stuart Ferguson came home in front of everyone third time around. The Final, however, went to Ethan Ling, who added to his third place in the main championship by beating Ross Thomas and Alex Rees to the flag and CC plate for 2013.

Echoing Rawlings' clean sweep, Ben Stevens continued his season-long domination of Junior Honda by heading every session ahead of a slim field. There was a change in his wake, however, as Cristiano Nardone mixed it with perennial pursuers Thomas Croydon and Tom Ford, claiming runner-up honours in qualifying and both heats. Ford found his form in time for the Final, however, beating his rival to second place as Nardone completed the podium.

There was also a whitewash in Junior Max as Tom Harvey returned to his old stomping ground and showed the sort of form that has produced silverware on a national level this season. The recently-crowned Continental Cup champion was unbeatable in all four sessions, eventually taking the Celtic title ahead of Rob Ellis and another returnee, Harry Williams.

Tom Harvey

Tom Harvey (#12) returned to Llandow Kart Club to sweep the
Junior Rotax class at the Celtic Challenge

The Minimax class once again rain with its sister class, producing another title for Jodie Handford, who saw off Lucas Wynne and Ceran Sokhi in the Final. The visiting Andrew Wong had been the star of the early sessions, however, but was excluded from the final, while Sokhi also picked up a crucial two-place penalty in the main event.

Mtthew Ayres

Matthew Ayres (#58) claimed Junior TKM battle at Llandow Kart Club’s Celtic Challenge

Despite the absence of 2012 class champion Ross Chell, Junior TKM appeared to be going the same way, as Ryan Edwards topped qualifying and both heats, but WMKC interloper Matthew Ayres had other ideas and, having warmed up through the early stages, pounced when it really mattered, as Edwards was forced out of the action after just four laps. Ayres eventually came home two seconds clear of Joe Phillips, with Yousuf Ashraf completing the top three.

Determined not to allow his rivals any of the seasonal silverware in Senior Honda, Simon Evans added the Celtic crown to his 2012 championship trophy. It wasn't quite as clear-cut as it sounds, however, for both Nick Turley and the returning High Jones gave Evans something to think about during the day. Indeed, Turley was the man to beat through qualifying and the heats but, despite posting the fastest lap, failed to make the podium in the main event as Evans came out on top ahead of Jones and Danny Griffiths.

Senior Rotax was a little thinner in number than of late, but still produced a well-matched field. There was no denying Daryl Henderson, however, as he made the most of the format to remain at the front throughout. Josh Gray, David Entwistle and Dilip Singh gave chase, but in vain as the #51 ran out winner by six seconds in the Final. Entwistle and Singh completed the last podium of the year. Simon Wheeler took 177 class honours from Nicky Coombs.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
Gold Award
Oliver Thomas (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (Birel)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Ross Thomas (Wright)
3. Alex Rees (Zip)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Matthew Ayres (Jade)
2. Joe Phillips (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
2. Lucas Wynne (Intrepid)
3. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Tom Harvey (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. Harry Williams (Tonykart)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Hugh Jones (MS)
3. Danny Griffiths (MS)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Daryl Henderson (Gillard)
2. David Entwistle (Wright)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Nicky Coombs (Tonykart)

Best Novice: Harry Cobbold (Senior Rotax)
Driver of the Day: Ryan Edwards (Junior TKM)

November ' Championship Finale 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

The final round of Llandow Kart Club's summer championship saw the year's champions confirmed on a typically chilly, but largely dry, day as 71 drivers converged on the South Wales circuit.

With no guest series to slot into the programme, the focus was entirely on deciding the best drivers of the season, and some of the racing on show underlined the depth of talent in the club.

The first half of the meeting proved to be a challenge for the hardy Bambino quartet, who had to use slicks on a damp track. However, by their third and fourth runs, the surface was sufficiently dry to suit the tyres and times improved to the point where Shayne Clarke, Matthew Rees, Brooklyn Thomas and Olly Thomas all managed to qualify for a gold award.

A 21-strong Cadet field, a third of which ran in the Comer class, saw honours shared between Ethan Ling and Tom Rawlings. Ling claimed a brace of heat wins, with Joshua Martin taking the other, before coming home a comfortable class winner in the Honda Final. Stuart Ferguson and Ross Thomas claimed the other podium spots, with Martin having to be content with fourth place. Ben Cutler and Alex Rees also took top three finishes in the heats. Ling's success was only good enough for third in the final standings, however, as Hugo Holmes took the title ahead of Thomas.

Rawlings and Lewis Griffiths duked it out to be king of the Comers, with the latter taking two heat wins to his rival's one, before Rawlings turned the tables in the main event, crossing the line just 0.46secs in front. With the pair dominating the top two spots on every outing, Kieran Clarke was left to settle for third each time, while mention should be made of novice Javir Dadhley, who came fourth in class in the final. It was Griffiths who prevailed in the championship battle, meanwhile, edging Rawlings by just 14 points, with Clarke again having to settle for third.

There was a familiar face on the top step of the Honda Junior podium, but the meeting had not been the smoothest for Ben Stevens up to that point. Unbeaten on his previous appearances at Llandow this season, the Welsh champion had to give best to Thomas Croydon in heat one, and was excluded from race three, but bounced back to fill P1 on the other two outings. Croydon also claimed victory in heat three, and was rewarded with second spot in the final, with Tom Ford completing the podium. Stevens form over the rest of the season had all but cemented his position at the top of the standings, with Croydon edging Ford for third overall.

With Minimax running with Junior Rotax this time around, the Junior TKM field was able to field its own double figure entry, and produced some of the best action of the day. Ross Chell claimed the first two heats, before Ryan Edwards edged a close third race, but it was Chell back on top when it mattered, although he had to be on his mettle with the top three covered by just 0.13secs at the chequered flag. Edwards took second spot ' incredibly just 0.01secs adrift of the winner ' with the visiting Matthew Ayres in third. Chell ran out a comfortable champion for 2012, with Edwards and Yousuf Ashraf next up.

Toby Allen must have thought that his day had come after winning all three Junior Rotax/Minimax heats, but thee closeness of races two and three suggested that he would not necessarily have things all his own way in the Final. So it proved, as Morgan Rose, who had twice been denied by less than a second earlier in the day, turned the tables, winning by 0.35secs, with Elliot Hagerty third behind Allen. Rob Ellis, who had been a regular in the top three during the heats, failed to finish the final. That DNF could have been the difference between Ellis taking the title and missing out to Allen, the latter eventually triumphing by a scant 18 points, with Hagerty in third spot overall.

Minimax featured a three-way scrap between regulars Jodie Handford and Ceran Sokhi, with Cadet graduate Lucas Wynne added to the mix. It was Wynne, however, who came out on top, winning two heats after Sokhi had taken the opener, and then claiming the Final for good measure by edging Handford by the smallest of margins. It didn't matter for Handford, however, who added to the family silverware by claiming the title by a comfortable margin over Sokhi.

Senior Honda was neither close nor surprising, as Simon Evans continued to stomp over the opposition. The only clean sweep of the day was achieved with winning margins of four, six and one seconds, before the reigning club and Welsh champion came home three seconds clear in the Final. Danny Griffiths was second in the main event, as he had been in each of the heats, with Monty Gorringe completing the podium. As expected, Evans was confirmed as a repeat champion, a massive 253 points clear of the opposition, which was led by Griffiths, with veteran Paul Saunders third overall.

Senior Rotax boasted a 16-strong field, and produced three different heat winners as Matthew Dowers, Daryl Henderson and Steven Handford came out on top. Josh Collings, David Entwistle and Macaulay Austin had all featured in the top three during the early stages, suggesting that the final could be a cracker, but Henderson emerged to win by nearly three seconds, with Austin clear of Collings in the battle for the lower podium places. Handford and Entwistle rounded out the top five. It was Dowers who was confirmed as champion, however, the class stalwart doing enough to easily see off Entwistle's challenge. Sebastian Hutchinson was classified in third spot.

In the 177 class, Simon Wheeler came out on top in the main event, as he had in two of the three heats, Wayne Stone claimed the win not scooped up by Wheeler, but also trailed Nicky Coombs in the Final. It wasn't enough for Stone to retain his crown, however, with Wheeler running out a deserved champion by just eight points.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
Gold Award
Oliver Thomas (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
Matthew Rees

CADET COMER
CHAMPION: Lewis Griffiths
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)

CADET HONDA
CHAMPION: Hugo Holmes
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)

JUNIOR HONDA
CHAMPION: Ben Stevens
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
3. Tom Ford (Biz)

JUNIOR TKM
CHAMPION: Ross Chell
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
3. Matthew Ayres

MINI MAX
CHAMPION: Jodie Handford
1. Lucas Wynne (Intrepid)
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
3. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)

JUNIOR ROTAX
CHAMPION: Toby Allen
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Toby Allen (CRG)
3. Elliot Hagerty (CRG)

SENIOR HONDA
CHAMPION: Simon Evans
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
CHAMPION: Mathew Dowwers
1. Daryl Henderson
2. Macaulay Austin (Tonykart)
3. Josh Collings (CRG)

ROTAX 177
CHAMPION: Simon Wheeler
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Nicky Coombs (Tonykart)
3. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)

Best Novice: Javir Dadhley (Comer Cadet)
Driver of the Day: Stuart Ferguson (Honda Cadet)

October 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

The penultimate round of Llandow Kart Club's summer championship was graced by some of the best weather South Wales had seen in previous weeks, and allowed the 81-strong entry to perform under sunny skies on a dry circuit.

The event, which doubled as the finale to the expanded four-round Dragon Challenge, was opened as usual by the future of the club, as four Bambinos went through their paces. Three of the quartet ' Brooklyn Thomas, Oliver Thomas and Shayne Clarke all achieved the gold award, while late entry Matthew Rees attained silver. All are experienced drivers now, and their lap times continue to come down steadily, with only marginal variations between each driver from month to month.

Sam Morgan (41) proved to be the one to beat in Junior Rotax
in October's meeting at Llandow Kart Club

Another large Cadet field was next up, this time with 24 participants split between the Honda and Comer classes. The former was headed by Hugo Holmes who, having two top three results in the heats, came home ahead of Ryan Luscombe and Ross Thomas in the final. Thomas won the two heats not claimed by Holmes, while Luscombe, Joshua Martin, Tommy Farrell, Alex Rees and Jordan Hurman all featured in the top three during the day. Luscombe's effort, however, was enough to ensure that he shared the Dragon Challenge title with Hurman.

The Comers, despite being a numerically smaller group, produced some of the closest competition of the day, with Tom Rawlings and Lewis Griffiths battling over top spot throughout. The first two heats were shared, with respective margins of 0.92secs and 0.67secs, before Rawlings secured his place at the top of the podium with wins in both heat three and the final. Max Fenlon and Kieran Clarke took turns in third place, with the latter being there when it mattered most. Griffiths also came second in the Dragon Challenge standings, behind Tommy Foster.

Six drivers turned out in Honda Junior but, once again, it proved difficult to dislodge Ben Stevens from top spot. Having dominated proceedings pretty much whenever he was on track at Llandow in 2012, Stevens again claimed four race wins, although Tom Ford kept him honest in three of the four encounters, getting closest in the final, where he finished just 0.53secs from victory. Patrick Hill took second place in the one race that Ford could not pressure Stevens, but it was Thomas Croydon who came through the complete the podium in the final. Despite Stevens' dominance, it was Ford who emerged as Dragon Challenge champion, ahead of Croydon.

Junior TKM and Minimax were again combined, this time providing a 13-strong field that produced some close racing in both catgories. Despite the names on the entry list, Ryan Edwards ultimately proved unbeatable in TKM, claiming four wins to sweep the day. Scott Morris and Ross Chell shared second places, with the latter coming out on top in the main race, where Yousuf Ashraf, having twice finished third in the heats, also claimed the bottom step of the podium. Edwards sweep only served to confirm him as Dragon Challenge champion, with Louis Bevan finishing as runner-up.

There was also a clean sweep in Minimax, where Dunkeswell's Sam Stephens remained undefeated. Behind him, Ryan Nutland twice took second in the heats, but was excluded from the final, where Jodie Handford came within a couple of tenths of catching and passing Stephens. David Spiller took third place behind the Llandow girl racer, with Ceran Sokhi and Lucas Wynne, who had both claimed top three heat results, completing the finishers. Unsurprisingly, Stephens' record was enough to ensure that he claimed the Dragon Challenge crown, ahead of runner-up Nutland.

Junior Rotax was a little thinner in terms of numbers, but still produced some interesting competition even after Sam Morgan got into his stride and claimed victory in the last three races. James Moorcroft and Toby Allen were fixtures throughout in second and third places, except where Rob Ellis, winner of heat one, popped up to claim second spot in race three. Morgan and Moorcroft were later confirmed as joint champions in the Dragon Challenge.

Senior Honda once again proved to be the domain of remaining champion Simon Evans, but he did not have things all his own way for a change. Having claimed heat one by a couple of seconds, Evans had to give second best to Nick Turley next time around, but was back in winning form in heat three, despite having had to chase down Alex Lewis for much of the race. Lewis again proved to be his biggest rival in the final, crossing the line just over a second adrift, while Turley claimed third place. Evans, as expected, added the Dragon Challenge trophy to his burgeoning collection, while Danny Griffiths took the runner-up honours.

Macaulay Austin (36, leading) and Stephen Handford made an immediate impact on
Senior Rotax at Llandow kart Club's October meeting, but were ultimately denied by
Matthew Dowers

The Senior Rotax class was graced by a sizeable grid, as 15 karts turned out, including graduates Macaulay Austin and Sam Handford who made their senior debuts. The newcomers wasted little time in making their mark, with Austin claiming three top three finishes in the heats, including a maiden win third time around. Handford followed him across the line on that occasion, beating earlier heat winners Matthew Dowers and Ashley Lewis in the process. Come the final, however, and it was Dowers to the fore, as Austin ran into misfortune. Handford, however, kept up the pressure, eventually taking second place just six-tenths behind the class stalwart, while the visiting Lewis claimed the bottom step of the podium just ahead of David Entwistle. Lewis was also confirmed as the new Dragon Challenge champion, with Seb Hutchinson finishing second overall.

The 177 class wins were shared between Wayne Stone and Simon Wheeler, with the former coming out on top when it mattered in the final. Nicky Coombs was third. Stone and Wheeler also finished 1-2 in the final Dragon Challenge standings.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
Gold Award
Oliver Thomas (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
Silver Award
Matthew Rees

CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Tommy Foster (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Ryan Luscombe (Project One)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Ryan Luscombe (Project One) / Jordan Hurman (Project One)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Tom Ford (Biz)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
2. Ross Chell (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Ryan Edwards (Talko)

MINI MAX
1. Sam Stephens (Hamilton)
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
2. David Spiller (Tonykart)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Sam Stephens (Hamilton)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Sam Morgan (Alonso)
2. James Moorcroft (Tonykart)
3. Toby Allen (CRG)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Sam Morgan (Alonso) / James Moorcroft (Tonykart)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Alex Lewis (7Kart)
3. Nick Turley (Wright)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Simon Evans (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
3. Ashley Lewis (CRG)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Ashley Lewis (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
3. Nicky Coombs (Tonykart)
DRAGON CHALLENGE CHAMPION:
Wayne Stone (Tonykart)

Best Novice: Robert Cox (Senior Rotax)
Driver of the Day: Alex Lewis (Senior Honda)

September 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

As the end of holidays and the shock of returning to school ' in the case of the younger members ' took their toll, just 64 drivers enjoyed the late summer sunshine that graced Llandow Kart Club's September meeting, but that did not prevent some keen racing from taking place as championship positions remained up for grabs.

With no guest series adding to the excitement, it was left to the regulars to entertain, beginning, as usual, with the youngest of all in the Bambino class. Brooklyn Thomas, Oliver Thomas, Shane Clark and Matthew Rees were the four young talents on display this time around, and all did enough with their lap times to be rewarded with the gold award.

Ross Chell leads Ryan Edwards and Louis Griffith-Walker in a closely-fought
Junior TKM final at September's meeting at Llandow Kart Club

As has been the case for some time, the combined Cadet class produced the biggest turn-out, with no fewer than 20 karts on track throughout the day. Lewis Griffiths and Tom Rawlings proved to be the class the small Comer category, finishing one-two in each of the four races, but it was the former who came out on top, adding victory in the final to two earlier heat wins. Kieran Clarke complete the podium, with Alex Lewis fourth overall.

With 16 runners in the Honda category, there were plenty of potential winners to choose from but, in the end, Ross Thomas, Hugo Holmes and Ethan Ling claimed the honours in the heats, before Ling went on to beat his two rivals to the top step of the podium in the main event, with Holmes denying Thomas second spot. Ross Deal and Alex Rees completed the top five, but were a handful of seconds back from the podium trio when the flag came down.

Ben Stevens returned to Honda junior fray and, try as they might, his rivals in the six-strong class just couldn't find a way to beat him. Once again, Tom Ford and Thomas Croydon led the challenge and pushed Stevens hard each time out, taking it in turns to finish within a second of the winner in the heats, before Ford claimed second in the final, with Croydon third.

The combined Junior Max and Minimax classes provided some of the best racing of the day, with Jodie Handford and Ceran Sokhi again proving to be closely matched as the only two runners in the latter. Both enjoyed victory in the heats but, this time around, it was Handford's turn to claim the bigger piece of silverware after the final.

The Junior Max drivers had returning national series driver Steven Handford to contend with and, once again, no matter of effort could dislodge the experienced campaigner from top spot. After claiming a clean sweep of all three heats ' although never more than a couple of seconds in front ' Handford duly made it a double family celebration by taking the spoils in the main event as well. Ben Davies and Rob Ellis had provided the closest competition to Handford in the heats ' despite a cameo appearance from Toby Allen ' and were rewarded with podium appearances after taking second and third respectively in the final.

Anything that their counterparts in the Honda and Rotax classes could do, however, was matched by those in Junior TKM, where reigning champion Ross Chell encountered stiff opposition from Louis Griffith-Walker throughout the heats before eventually taking the honours by two races to one. Ryan Edwards and Yousuf Ashraf were never far either and, in the final, Edwards came to the fore, chasing Chell all the way before being beaten the flag by just 0.03secs! Griffith-Walker had to settle for third, just a matter of tenths behind, with Ashraf fourth.

After a summer of promising numbers, the Senior Honda ranks found themselves reduced to just five in September, giving some unfamiliar names the chance to fight for podium honours. While reigning champion Simon Evans refused to yield top spot in any of the day's four races, Alex Lewis, Paul Saunders and Nicholas Rees all took turns in the runner-up spot during the heats, before Saunders showed his vast experience to 'triumph' when it mattered in the final. Lewis edged Rees for the third place, with Jack Hixon rounding out the field.

Senior Max was also a little depleted in numbers, with a dozen runners split between the regular and 'heavyweight' 177 categories. Matthew Dowers appeared on course for a productive afternoon after winning the opening two heats, but new nemesis David Entwistle denied him a clean sweep by taking the third race. Come the final, however, and Dowers was back in front, with Entwistle able to do no better than third after the visiting Ashley Lewis pushed himself between the expected top two to claim the runners-up trophy.

Simon Wheeler claimed the honours in 177 but, like Dowers, was denied a clean sweep when Wayne Stone took the class win in heat three. Nicky Coombs was the third and final runner in the category.

RESULTS FOLLOW'..

RESULTS

BAMBINO
Gold Award
Oliver Thomas (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Matthew Rees
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke

CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Thomas Croydon (Jade)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
3. Louis Griffith-Walker (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Steven Handford
2. Ben Davies
3 Rob Ellis (Tonykart)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Paul Saunders
3. Alex Lewis (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. Ashley Lewis (CRG)
3. David Entwistle (Kosmic)

ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
3. Nicky Coombs

Best Novice: Christiano Nardone (Junior Honda)
Driver of the Day: David Entwistle (Senior Rotax)

August 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

Despite overcast conditions in the height of summer, Llandow Kart Club's championship programme continued to turn up the heat as the regular classes were joined by Formula Blue for the August meeting.

Five Bambino drivers opened the proceedings, with regulars Shayne Clarke, Jakob Chamberlain, Brooklyn Thomas and Matthew Rees all achieving another gold award, while Oliver Thomas added another silver level reward.

Chris Derrick leads a typically close Senior Blue encounter at Llandow

While a little down on recent numbers, the combined Cadet classes still boasted 20 runners, but found themselves merged for the duration of the meeting on this occasion. The Comer-powered runners were headed by Tom Rawlings and Lewis Griffiths in the heats, before the latter backed up his two earlier wins with further success in the final. Rawlings joined him on the podium, coming home just 0.021secs shy of the win, while Tommy Foster completed the podium after crossing the line in seventh place.

The bigger Honda Cadet class saw Rosses Thomas and Deal come home at the head of the field in the heats, but it was reigning Welsh champion Hugo Holmes who came out on top when it mattered in the main event. Deal was second in the final, ahead of Ethan Ling and Alex Rees, with Thomas only fifth as the class again proved to be closely matched.

In Honda Junior with the absence of season-long frontrunner Ben Stevens the way was open for some of his pursuers to get the rare taste of victory. Tom Ford claimed the first two heats, but Thomas Croydon came out on top third time around, and then repeated the feat in the final to claim his first winner's trophy. Ford was only a couple of seconds adrift at the flag, with Patrick Hill a little further back as he completed the podium while still on his novice plates. Fellow rookie Cristiano Nardone gained further experience as he continued to edge closer to his rivals.

Regular frontrunner Ross Chell returned to the Junior TKM fray, and showed the class that had been missing in July as he romped to a clean sweep of wins in the heats. However, it all went wrong for the champion in the final as he crossed the line in seventh place after dropping to the tail of the field on lap two. Ryan Edwards was quick to capitalise, taking the win ahead of fellow July frontrunners Louis Griffiths-Walker and Yousuf Ashraf.

Junior and Mini Max again merged, with novice Ceran Sokhi turning the tables on Jodie Handford to sweep the latter over the course of the day. Steven Handford returned from national championship action to claim the first two heats in Junior Max, but failed to finish the third race and then had to watch Rob Ellis repeat at P1 in the final as he failed to complete a lap. Ellis, who had also come out on top in July, was chased home by Toby Allen, who finished a couple of seconds down, while Elliot Hagerty completed the podium after comfortably seeing off Oliver O'Flaherty for third spot.

With Senior Honda numbers down from recent double figure offerings, there was little to prevent reigning champion Simon Evans from sweeping the board with four wins. Monty Gorringe (twice) and Danny Griffiths led the pursuit, sharing the second place results in the heats, and it was the latter who maintained his form into the final, claiming runners-up honours despite coming home ten seconds adrift of Evans. Nicolas Rees completed the podium, ahead of veteran Paul Saunders, with Gorringe rounding out the top five.

Senior Max was once again open for someone to take advantage of pacesetter Josh Collings' absence, and it was Matthew Dowers who came out on top three times from four, only missing out in heat one, when the visiting Scott Rose claimed the honours. Rose was also third in race two, behind stand-out novice Harry Cobbold, before taking P2 third time around, but it was David Entwistle who led the challenge to Dowers in the main event, bouncing back from a low-key start to the weekend and a DNF in heat three. Rose completed the podium, ahead of Sebastian Hutchinson.

The Max 177 class was down to just two runners this month, with Simon Wheeler getting the better of reigning champion Wayne Stone on three occasions, only missing out in the opening heat.

The month's 'guest' championship from 2 Counties Kart Club, Formula Blue, saw its heats shared between Chris Derrick, Duncan McCleod and junior class graduate Sam Dible, before Derrick returned to the head of the field in the final, leading his fellow heat winners home in the order of their earlier success.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
GOLD AWARD
Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Matthew Rees
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
SILVER AWARD
Oliver Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
3. Tommy Foster (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Ross Deal (Project One)
3. Ethan Ling (Project One)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
2. Louis Griffith-Walker (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
2. Toby Allen (CRG)
3. Elliot Hagerty

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Nicolas Rees (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. David Entwistle (Kosmic)
3. Scott Rose (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)

FORMULA BLUE
1. Chris Derrick (Tonykart)
2. Duncan McCleod (Formula K)
3. Sam Dible (Alonso)

Best Novice: Harry Cobbold (Senior Rotax)
Driver of the Day: Ross Deal (Cadet Honda)

July 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

Llandow Kart Club’s main championship campaign moved into its second half as the summer broke with tradition and graced the South Wales club with a largely dry raceday, as the visiting ABkC Championship for 125 ICC UK swelled the entry to 90.

The popular Bambino class got things underway with five drivers all aiming to produce their best in the decent conditions. Regulars Shayne Clarke, Jakob Chamberlain and Matthew Rees all achieved the gold awards, with Brooklyn Thomas attaining silver. Meanwhile, although the newest member of the class, Jenson Parton, didn’t manage an award on this occasion, he further improved his lap time, so remains headed in the right direction.

Matt Dittman (6) leads Tom Duggan en route to victory in the
ABkC Super 4 Championships for 125 ICC UK at Llandow

With 26 drivers on show, the two Cadet classes received their own finals after running together in the heats. Comer honours eventually went the way of the visiting Charlie Andrews, although brother Harry ran him close throughout the day, winning heat three before accepting runners-up spot in the final. Tom Rawlings completed the podium as five seconds covered the leading quintet at the flag.

The numerically bigger Honda Cadet class saw reigning Welsh champion Hugo Holmes and Joshua Martin take the victories in the early stages, and it was the former who came out on top in the main event too, albeit crossing the line just 0.15secs clear of second-placed Ethan Ling. Ross Thomas rounded out the top three, ahead of Alex Rees and Martin.

Honda Junior could not match either Cadet field for numbers, but that didn’t bother Ben Stevens, who continued his seemingly inexorable march towards the title with another clean sweep of heats and final. Thomas Croydon and Tom Ford led the resistance, but had to settle for swapping second and third places before Croydon secured the runner-up spot some seven seconds adrift of Stevens in the main event. Novice Patrick Hill also turned out in the four-strong class.

Despite the presence of perennial frontrunner Ross Chell, Ryan Edwards was the driver to beat in Junior TKM, claiming two heats and going on to notch up another notable victory in the final. Chell took the middle heat, but missed the podium in the main event, allowing Louis Griffith-Walker and driver of the day Yousuf Ashraf to complete the top three.

With a combined eight runners, Junior and Mini Max shared their track time throughout the day. While Jodie Handford had the upper hand on Minimax novice Ceran Sokhi each time, the Junior class was a lot more open. Toby Allen, visitor Toby Cook and Rob Ellis each took a win during the heats, before Ellis doubled up with victory in the final, coming home seven seconds clear of the field. His passage was aided by Allen retiring on the opening lap, leaving Cook and Thomas Stride to complete the podium.

If Junior Max provided some variety, there was little on show at the front of the Senior Honda class, where Simon Evans continued his relentless march towards a third title with four wins from four outings. Behind him, Nick Turley, Danny Griffiths and Paul Saunders took it in turns to lead the pursuit, with Turley eventually coming home second in the main event. The third podium spot remained open, meanwhile, and eventually fell to Ferdinand Ball, who bounced back from exclusion in heat three to cross the line a matter of hundredths behind Turley, with Gareth Lewis denying Griffiths in fourth.

Josh Collings returned from national championship duty to restate his superiority in Senior Max, winning all three heats and adding the final for good measure, as those who enjoyed his recent absence were left to battle over the minor podium places. While Collings had things all his own way out front, Matthew Dowers led the chase, twice finishing second in the heats before repeating the result in the main event. David Entwistle underlined his recent good form with a runner-up spot of his own, but it was out-of-towner Jon Sweeper who ultimately claimed third place in the final, with Sebastian Hutchinson and Dilip Singh also getting the better of Entwistle.

The Max 177 class grew to four runners, but that could not prevent Nigel Hughes from claiming three of the four races, including the final, with reigning champion Wayne Stone taking the other. Simon Wheeler and novice Nicky Coombs were the others in action.

The ICC UK runners provided a rarely-seen spectacle as the month’s guest championship, with 14 runners scrapping over the spoils. James Mudd laid down an early marker with victory in heat one, before Tom Duggan threw his hat firmly into the ring with wins in the next two. Neither would ultimately come out on top in the fourth and final encounter, however, as Matt Dittman emerged from the shadows to take the honours by just 0.03secs over Duggan, while #1 plate Daniel Borton claimed the remaining step on the podium.

RESULTS

BAMBINO

Gold Award
Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Matthew Rees

Silver Award
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)

Participation
Jenson Parton

CADET COMER
1. Charlie Andrews
2. Harry Andrews
3. Tom Rawlings (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Ethan Ling (Project One)
3. Ross Thomas (Wright)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
3. Tom Ford (Biz)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (TalKo)
2. Louis Griffith-Walker (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
2. Toby Cook (Formula K)
3. Thomas Stride (CRG)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Nick Turley
3. Ferdinand Ball (MS)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
3. Jon Sweeper (Tonykart)

ROTAX 177
1. Nigel Hughes
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
3. Simon Wheeler (CRG)

ABkC 125 ICC UK
1. Matt Dittman (Tonykart)
2. Tom Duggan (Energy)
3. Daniel Borton (BRM)

Best Novice: Joshua Budding (Honda Cadet)
Driver of the Day: Yousuf Ashraf (Junior TKM)

June 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde

After the high profile Welsh Championships, it was back to business as normal for Llandow Kart Club as round five of its summer championships arrived in June ' complete with a return to unsettled weather.

Miles Murphy (7) came out on top of the Kartmania
Senior TKM 4-Stroke battle in round three at Llandow

Despite the conditions, the entry was boosted by the addition of drivers from the RAF Premier class and both the Kartmania TKM 4-Stroke and Honda Challenge series, taking the total number of drivers to 107 for the weekend.

Five drivers got things underway in the Bambino class, all now accomplished pilots with several meetings under their belts, and it showed as Brooklyn Thomas, Shayne Clarke, Jakob Chamberlain, Oliver Thomas, and Jack Broughton all got below the weekend's target time to earn themselves the gold certificate and medallion.

No fewer than 27 karts were on track for the Cadet class, with both Honda and Comer running together as a result of the congested programme. Tom Rawlings and Kieran Clarke appeared to be the ones to beat in the smaller Comer contingent, despite both picking up penalties in the heats. When the silverware was on the line, it was Rawlings who came out on top, leading the entire pack, but with Lewis Griffiths following him home to claim second, with Clarke a little adrift in third.

Cadet Honda was fought out between Hugo Holmes and Ross Thomas, who each tasted victory in the heats before proving hard to split in the final. Holmes eventually got the verdict by a scant half-second, with Jenson Butterfield rounding out the podium, ahead of Ross Deal and Stuart Ferguson.

Honda Junior welcomed another brace of newcomers in Christiano Nardone and Patrick Hill, boosting numbers to seven, but there was no denying Ben Stevens, who swept all four races including the final to increase his championship advantage. Once again, Thomas Croydon and Tom Ford provided Stevens' main opposition, and duly completed the podium.

The combined Junior Rotax and Minimax grid also boasted seven drivers and, without the interlopers who stole the glory and C plates in May, Rob Ellis and Ben Davies were able to battle over Junior class honours. Davies held the advantage after winning two of the day's three heats, but it was Ellis who emerged on top when it mattered, with his rival retiring on the penultimate lap. That allowed two of the category's four novices ' Toby Allen and Thomas Stride ' to join Ellis on the podium, with Elliot Hagerty only just missing out in his challenge for third. Rookie Ceran Sokhi claimed Minimax honours ahead of Jodie Handford, despite the latter taking two of the three heats.

The Junior TKM remained in double figures, with ten karts taking to the circuit, but reigning champion Ross Chell was in no mood to be beaten, claiming victory in all four races. Ryan Edwards and Yousuf Ashraf led the chase throughout the heats and it was fitting that the pair shared the podium with Chell, with Ashraf coming out on top by a matter of tenths as the flag fell.

Having added another Welsh title to his collection, Simon Evans rightly started the weekend as favourite for the Senior Honda class, and delivered another consummate performance by sweeping all four outings, including an eight-second victory in the final. The Lewis name proved to a constant in the fruitless pursuit of the champion, although former club and Welsh title holder Gareth had to give best to namesake Alex in one of the heats. Ferdinand Ball and Danny Griffiths both took top three finishes in the qualifying races, before Ball rounded out the podium in the final.

Senior Rotax numbers were a little down on their peak, with just eleven karts turning out for the weekend, but that did not deter Matthew Dowers from stamping his mark on proceedings. Two heat wins ' the other went to David Entwistle ' were the precursor to another in the final, where he led home Entwistle and Ashley Lewis, with Sebastian Hutchinson taking fourth spot. Simon Wheeler claimed Max 177 honours from Wayne Stone and rookie Nicky Coombs.

The guest championships also provided a little glory for the Llandow club, as Entwistle swept the board in the RAF Premier rounds, dominating at every turn to claim the final by a sizeable 16secs. Kevin Meynell, Paul Heyhoe and David Dean took it in turns to give chase, with Dean heading Meynell on the final podium.

Steve Welsh (43) claimed both Kartmania
Honda Challenge victories as the series visited Llandow

The Kartmania series both staged double-headers in South Wales, with Thomas McMurray and Miles Murphy taking the two Senior TKM 4-Stroke finals, and Steve Welsh twice coming out on top in an 18-strong Senior Honda field.

RESULTS

BAMBINO ' Gold Award
Jack Broughton (Birel)
Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
Olly Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Ross Thomas (Wright)
3. Jenson Butterfield (BRK)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
3. Tom Ford (Biz)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
3. Ryan Edwards

MINI MAX
1. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
2. Jodie Handford

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Tonykart)
2. Toby Allen (CRG)
3. Thomas Stride (CRG)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Ferdinand Ball (MS)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. David Entwistle (Kosmic)
3. Ashley Lewis (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
3. Nicky Coombs (Tonykart)

RAF PREMIER
1. David Entwistle (Kosmic)
2. David Dean (Solo)
3. Wayne Ditcham (Gillard)

KARTMANIA TKM 4-STROKE
Rd.3
1. Thomas McMurray (TalKo)
2. Liam Jones (Jade)
3. Joel Saunders (Arrow)

Rd.4
1. Miles Murphy (TalKo)
2. Joel Sauders (Arrow)
3. Zach Jones (Jade)

KARTMANIA HONDA CHALLENGE
Rd.3
1. Steve Welsh (MS)
2. Nathan Read (7Kart)
3. Charlie Bingham (BRM)

Rd.4
1. Steve Welsh (MS)
2. Nathan Read (7Kart)
3. Charlie Bingham (BRM)

Best Novice: Ceran Sokhi (Minimax)
Driver of the Day: Patrick Hill (Junior Honda)

May 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Steve Everitt (c/o Hardy Rodde)

Wales’ most prestigious club motorsport event, the Welsh Karting Championships, were graced not only by 106 entrants but also by the return of dry and sunny weather to the Llandow circuit, aiding the quality of the racing over the two days of competition.

With a slew of qualifying and heats to get through, the kinder conditions were essential to ensuring the smooth running of the meeting, with nine classes to be catered for and, despite the odd unforeseen incident, things proceeded smoothly throughout.

Although not a part of the Welsh Championships, the ever-popular Bambino class got things underway, with Jenson Parton the latest name to be added to those taking their first laps at the Llandow club. While his time will come, the rest of the experienced field ' Jakob Chamberlain, Shayne Clarke, Brooklyn Thomas, Olli Thomas, Jack Broughton and Matthew Rees - all achieved the gold standard as they continued to rise to the targets laid before them.

With solid numbers in both of the Cadet categories, it was decided to give each its own race. That allowed Celtic champion Lewis Griffiths to stamp his authority on the Comer section, topping both qualifying sessions and winning all four races. The finishing order at the front of the field was the same on every sheet, but that belied the battling that went on between Griffiths, Tom Rawlings and Harry Andrews, while Kieran Clarke and Joe Taylor rounded out the top five. Only Andrews’ subsequent exclusion from the final managed to break the pattern, promoting Clarke to the final step of the podium.

Welsh champions show off their ‘C’ plates following the May meeting at Llandow Kart Club

The Honda side of the Cadet entry provided nearly a fifth of the total runners, with no fewer than 20 karts taking to the track, but one name kept appearing at the top of the order as Hugo Holmes emerged as the one to beat. Ryan Luscombe and Ethan Ling did their best to keep Holmes honest, claiming second and third in all but one session ' when Alex Rees grabbed third in heat two ' and the final proved to be one of the closest-fought races of the day at Holmes succeeded by 0.08secs over Dunk swell visitor Luscombe.

Honda Junior may have had fewer runners, but that did not detract from the effort on track, particularly as season-long pacesetter Ben Stevens found his rivals intent on making their own mark. Tom Ford claimed the opening heat and paced second qualifying before Stevens finally came to the fore, claiming the second heat, pre-final and final to restore some order. Ford and Thomas Croydon were duly rewarded for their efforts by completing the podium as the all-novice field swelled to a season-high six.

Junior TKM again looked healthy, with a number of cadet graduates continuing to boost numbers, and also saw a new name attempting to break the Ross Chell-Scott Morris duopoly at the front. Keiron Ford topped opening qualifying, but had to give best to Morris in heat one, then proved himself fastest again in the second timed session. Again, the race win eluded him, however, as Chell came to the fore, and the two regular frontrunners then took over at the front of the finals, with Morris claiming both, along with the ‘C’ plate. The battle at the front was intense, however, with the top five covered by a second at the flag, but it was Yousuf Ashraf completing the podium, ahead of Ford and Alex Thomas.

Minimax numbers almost reached double figures as some familiar names returned to contest the Welsh title, and the honours appeared to be going Harry Williams’ way for most of the event. Fastest in both qualifying sessions, Williams also won both heats and the pre-final, but slipped behind Morgan Rose at the start of the final and was unable to wrest back the lead. Lewis Malin completed the podium ahead of Shenington club-mate Edward Tansley.

An old face returned to the Junior Max class too, but Tom Harvey did not have things all his own way on his former stomping ground, as the majority of the field proved closely matched. Although Harvey proved the man to beat in both qualifying sessions, James Johnson and Sam Morgan both beat him to the flag in heat one, before the order was reversed second time around. Johnson then claimed the pre-final to secure pole for the final, only for Harvey to seize the lead on the opening lap after two false starts. Despite stretching out a comfortable lead, however, the favourite was not to go the distance, leaving Johnson to fend off the visiting Ben Hingeley for the remaining seven laps. Steven Hanford, another LKC regular now performing on the national stage, took the remaining podium spot ahead of Leon Hilleard.

Although Simon Evans started the weekend as favourite for Senior Honda honours, the form of both Nick Turley and Gareth Lewis in recent months suggested that he may at least be made to fight for what would be his third Welsh crown. Turley threw down the gauntlet in opening qualifying but, thereafter, it was Evans at the top of the timesheets, even if the margins were slight. Lewis was seldom a threat and only returned to the top three in the main event, where Evans saved his best for last, setting a string of lap records as he posted his biggest win of the weekend. Turley claimed second, while veteran Paul Saunders and Danny Griffiths took fourth and fifth respectively on the other side of Lewis.

Llandow’s blue riband class, Senior Max, returned to something approaching its largest field, with 20 runners spread across the regular and 177 classes. Although Josh Gray paced opening qualifying, the rest of the weekend saw Josh Collings and Liam Revell swapping top spot in the order, taking a heat apiece before Phil Moreton split them to take second in the pre-final. The main event was unfortunately interrupted by a nasty accident that left 177 novice Ian Hawksworth requiring the attention of the medics, and the restarted race proved equally dramatic as Collings seized with David Entwhistle ' promoted by Moreton’s demise ' right on his tail and with nowhere to go. Their exit allowed Revell back into top spot, holding a three-second lead over Sebastian Hutchinson to the flag. Dilip Singh completed an unexpected podium, with Dan Rodde and Gareth Evans rounding out the top five.

Nigel Hughes paced the 177 class throughout the weekend, eventually winning the final by a couple of seconds over category stalwart Wayne Stone, with Simon Wheeler third.

RESULTS

BAMBINO ' Gold Award
Jack Broughton (Birel)
Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Matthew Rees (Zip)
Brooklyn Thomas (Birel)
Olly Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
2. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Hugo Holmes (Zip)
2. Ryan Luscombe (Project One)
3. Ethan Ling (Project One)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Thomas Croydon (Jade)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Scott Morris
2. Ross Chell (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Harry Williams (Tonykart)
3. Lewis Malin (Tonykart)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. James Johnson (Tonykart)
2. Ben Hingeley (Tonykart)
3. Steven Hanford (Tonykart)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Nick Turley (Wright)
3. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Liam Revell (Tonykart)
2. Sebastian Hutchinson (Tonykart)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Nigel Hughes
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
3. Simon Wheeler (CRG)

Best Novice: Andrew Wong (Minimax)
Driver of the Day: Phil Moreton (Senior Max)
Kath Denscombe Memorial Award: Ethan Ling (Honda Cadet)
THR Graphics Best Presented Kart: Louis Griffiths-Walker (Junior TKM)

April 2012

Round three of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship coincided with the second qualifying event for the 2012 Dragon Challenge ' now being shared with Dunkeswell ' and saw 77 drivers in action across ten classes despite it being Easter weekend and clashing with the FKS opener at Kimbolton.

Although the weather had taken a turn for the worse after the glorious end to March, it fortunately remained largely dry, if overcast, throughout, with all concerned thankful not to be running on Easter Monday!

The six-strong Bambino class all achieved the gold standard by posting laps under the target time of 60.9secs. For the record, the pace was generally set by Jakob Chamberlain, who posted the benchmark in three of the four outings, with Brooklyn Thomas edging the other by 0.02secs. For the first time, the entire class enjoyed a collective presentation, with the MSA steward handing out the awards to a delighted sextet.

The decision to combine both Cadet classes produced a massive 28-kart grid and a lot of entertainment. Llandow members Tom Rawlings and Lewis Griffiths shared Comer honours in the heats, but it was the visiting Tommy Foster who came out on top when it mattered most, leading the entire field across the line in the final to edge Griffiths by a tenth of a second, with Rawlings completing the podium.

The visiting Tommy Foster claimed Cadet Comer honours at the combined
April Llandow Kart Club/Dragon Challenge round

The larger Honda category produced three different heat winners, with Ross Thomas, Hugo Holmes and Dunkeswell’s Ryan Luscombe seeing the flag first, and it was DKRC who snatched the glory in the finale, as Luscombe again crossed the line in front. Thomas and Holmes continued their strong weekends by finishing second and third respectively, with Stuart Ferguson, Ethan Ling and Joshua Martin also picking up silverware.

Honda Junior continued to feature four drivers, but a slightly altered entry saw rookie Patrick Hill on track in place of the absent Ainsley Shea-Godden. It was a familiar story up front, however, as Ben Stevens claimed a clean sweep of heats and final, while Tom Ford and Thomas Croydon swapped second and third places before taking those positions respectively in the final.

Ross Chell may not have appeared on the weekend’s initial entry, but returned to disappoint those hoping to make the most of any possible absence. The three heats proved closer than the finals, as Ryan Edwards, Joe Phillips and Joshua Webb all finished within a second of the reigning class champion, but Chell had things more his own way in the final, coming home a couple 2.1secs clear of the chasing Yousuf Ashraf, while Phillips completed the top three, fending off Edwards by a couple of tenths at the line.

A stronger Minimax contingent, prompted by three visitors from DKRC, saw four drivers tacked on to the Junior Max grid. The more experienced Sam Stephens and Ryan Nutland set the pace, while lone LKC representative Ceran Sokhi battled over third in class with David Spiller, but Stephens had to overcome a third heat DNF before bouncing back to win the final.

Dunkeswell also claimed Junior Max honours as Sam Morgan won every time he ventured out. Rob Ellis provided his sternest opposition, despite not featuring in the heat three results, and eventually took the runners-up trophy ahead of Toby Allen to add to his maiden LKC championship win from March. Elliot Hagerty and Oliver O’Flaherty rounded out the class.

Simon Evans continued his winning ways in Senior Honda, but found renewed opposition in the shape of Nick Turley, who claimed top two finishes in each of the heats, including a win second time out. Despite having to also chase Gareth Lewis home in that same outing, Evans duly claimed the remaining heats, and then produced the biggest winning margin of the afternoon as he romped to a seven-second success in the final. Lewis claimed second place to hand Turley his worst result of the day, while Danny Griffiths headed Nigel Hughes at the tail of the top five.

Senior Rotax was a little down in number compared to recent events, with eleven entries spread across two weight categories, and that was all that Matthew Dowers needed to stamp his authority on proceedings. With reigning champion Chris Davis amongst the missing, Dowers claimed a clean sweep of victories, despite the close attention of David Entwhistle in the opening heats and Sebastian Hutchinson in the third. However, a mid-race retirement denied Hutchinson in the main event, while Entwhistle could only manage fourth place as Ashley Lewis took up the role of chasing Dowers, eventually coming home second, with Dilip Singh completing the podium.

Wayne Stone and Simon Wheeler shared Max 177 heat wins, but this time it was Wheeler who had the upper hand, converting a brace of early successes into success in the final.

RESULTS

BAMBINO ' Gold Award
Jack Broughton (Birel)
Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
Shayne Clarke (Zip)
Matthew Rees
Brooklyn Thomas
Olly Thomas (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Tommy Foster (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Tom Rawlings (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Ryan Luscombe (Project One)
2. Ross Thomas (Wright)
3. Hugo Holmes (Zip)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (Biz)
3. Thomas Croydon (Jade)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell (Jade)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
3. Joe Phillips (Jade)

MINI MAX
1. Sam Stephens
2. Ryan Nutland (Intrepid)
3. David Spiller (Tonykart)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Sam Morgan (Alonso)
2. Rob Ellis
3. Toby Allen (CRG)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)
3. Nick Turley

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Matthew Dowers (Kosmic)
2. Ashley Lewis (CRG)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)

ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)

Best Novice: Ian Margrain (Project One) ' Honda Cadet
Driver of the Day: Sam Morgan (Alonso) ' Junior Rotax

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

March 2012

Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photo: Hardy Rodde

Joshua

Josh Collings dominated Senior Rotax at round two of Llandow Kart Club’s 2012 championship

The second round of Llandow Kart Club's summer championship was blessed with a 79-strong entry on a weekend of warm sunshine when even a coastal fog ' which threatened to obscure the furthest reaches of the circuit ahead of the finals - could not cool the action on track.

The Bambino class boasted a couple of additions over the February meeting, but that did not stop Jakob Chamberlain and Shayne Clarke from dominating the heats. The same pair proved closely matched in the final outing of the day, with Clarke taking the honours by less than a tenth of a second. Jack Broughton was next up, ahead of Brooklyn Thomas, Oliver Thomas and Owain Rees.

The combined Cadet classes again provided a fine sight as no fewer than 25 karts took the track during the day. Tom Rawlings twice led the way in Comer, with Lewis Griffiths taking the other heat, before Rawlings edged the battle in the main event, leading Griffiths across the line by 0.6secs ' with the best of the Honda-powered karts between them.

Honda honours were shared between Ross Thomas, Ethan Ling and Joshua Martin in the heats, before Thomas returned to top spot in the final. Daniel Thomas claimed second place in class, just ahead of Ling and Alex Rees, while Hugo Holmes also came home ahead of Martin

All four drivers from February's opener returned to do battle in Honda Junior, but Ben Stevens still proved unbeatable, winning each heat and the final by an average of ten seconds. Tom Ford and Thomas Croydon shared the role of runner-up in the heats, before Croydon cruised to second place in the final. Ford and Ainsley Shea-Godden battled over third spot in the final under the latter spun while challenging for position.

With the lone Minimax entrant moved to run with the Junior Max class, Junior TKM had the track to itself, but Ross Chell again established himself as the one to beat, claiming victory in each of the three heats even though the luckless Joe Phillips continually posted the fastest laps. Ryan Edwards and Louis Griffith-Walker shared second place in the qualifying races, before the former emerged as Chell's biggest rival in the final. However, when their battle got too close, Chell was left as a spectator as Griffith-Walker came through to claim the victory. Phillips was ideally placed to inherit second place, ahead of Niall Williams.

Junior Rotax saw the emergence of Rob Ellis as frontrunner in the absence of Steven Handford, the Minimax graduate winning the day's four races. Novice Toby Allen claimed second each time, and closed the margin with every outing, eventually coming home just 0.4secs shy of Ellis in the final. Thomas Stride claimed the final place on the podium, as he had in two of the three heats, with fellow rookies Elliot Hagerty and Oliver O'Flaherty battling throughout.

Jodie Handford was again the lone Minimax entrant, but failed to finish two of the day's four races, including the final.

At first glance, reigning champion Simon Evans appeared to have things mostly his own way in Senior Honda, despite having to settle for fourth in heat two as, in his own words, things got 'a little physical'. Order was restored in the main event, as Evans and main rival Gareth Lewis moved to the front, only for Lewis to spin in front of the pack exiting The Dell. Emerging unscathed, the multiple champion raced back through the pack to claim third place, but could not deny Danny Griffiths the runners-up spot behind Evans. The returning Ferdinand Ball ' who hopes to compete at as many rounds as possible in 2012 ' claimed fourth, ahead of Nicholas Rees and Jamie Warren as the class again boasted a double-figure entry.

Senior Rotax numbers were also healthy, with 15 runners across two weight classes, but Josh Collings, who similarly dominated the opening round in February, was in no mood to share the honours, claiming three wins on the day, and only ceding top spot David Entwistle in heat two by a single second. Unstoppable in the final, Collings romped away to win by five seconds from Chris Davis, while Entwistle rounded out his most successful weekend in the class by holding on to third from Matthew Dowers. Sebastian Hutchinson rounded out the top five ahead of Dilip Singh.

Wayne Stone again took control of the Max 177 class, winning on each outing over regular rival Simon Wheeler and newcomer Ian Hawksworth.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
1. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
2. Jakob Chamberlain (Birel)
3. Jack Broughton (Birel)

CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Lewis Griffiths (Zip)
3. Kieron Clarke (Zip)

CADET HONDA
1. Ross Thomas (Wright)
2. Daniel Thomas (Project One)
3. Ethan Ling (Project One)

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
3. Tom Ford (Biz)

JUNIOR TKM
1. Louis Griffith-Walker (Jade)
2. Joe Phillips (Jade)
3. Niall Williams (Intrepid)

MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis
2. Toby Allen (CRG)
3. Thomas Stride (CRG)

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Gareth Lewis (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Chris Davis (CRG)
3. David Entwistle (Kosmic)

ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
2. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
3. Ian Hawksworth (Gillard)

February 2012

Llandow Kart Club got its 2012 race season underway on a typically chilly weekend, but 68 hardy souls ' plus the hardier officials needed to run the meeting ' braved the conditions to kick off the year in style.

The Bambino class got things underway with Shayne Clark making an early impression. After posting the fastest times of the early heats, the newcomer found Brooklyn and Oliver Thomas providing stiff opposition in the final, with the latter posting a 30.21secs best. There was disappointment for the wonderfully-named Jett Woodfield, however, who failed to start either the third heat or the main event.

The Cadet classes, after a couple of seasons of enjoying their own races, were combined once again for the season-opener, but still produced a 21-kart field and some close racing. Lewis Griffiths claimed Comer honours, winning each of the three heats and cruising to victory in the final, ahead of Kieran Clarke and Ethan Rees.

A packed Cadet class gets the opening round of Llandow Kart Club's 2012 Season underway

The larger Honda contingent ' the popular class providing 15 runners ' went the way of Ross Thomas, who finished each heat in the top four before overcoming Stewart Ferguson and Celtic Cup champion Daniel Thomas by just 0.19secs in the final. Hugo Holmes and Alex Rees each enjoyed a class win in the heats, but wound up eighth and fifth respectively in the main event.

Honda Junior showed a slight increase in numbers over recent years, with four drivers ' all novices ' turning out for the opening round. Ben Stevens proved to be the driver to beat, however, claiming victory in each of the four races, while Thomas Croydon and Tom Ford gave chase. The fourth runner, Ainsley Shea-Godden enjoyed a brief appearance in second place in heat three, but retired from the main event.

Combining Junior TKM and MiniMax produced another grid into double figures although, with only Jodie Handford appearing in the latter, attention focused on one class. TKM proved to be the domain of one man, as Ross Chell dominated from start to finish but, behind him, Ryan Edwards and Joe Phillips did their best to keep pace. Each claimed second place in the heats, but it was Edwards, freshly graduated from Honda Cadet, who came out on top in the main event. Louis Beavan also got in on the act in the final, splitting Edwards and Phillips in the final result.

While one Handford had it all her own way in MiniMax, another was controlling the small Junior Rotax field, as older brother Steven took the opportunity to get a run out before the start of the national championships, and dominated all four races against novice opponents Oliver O'Flaherty, Thomas Stride and Elliot Hagerty.

A handful of new faces propelled the once-dominant Senior Honda class back into double figures, but no-one could prevent reigning champion Simon Evans from picking up where he left off in 2011. Having been defeated only four times in nearly 50 races last season, Evans got his title defence off to the perfect start with a clean sweep of heats and final. Chief rival Gareth Lewis claimed second place in the opening heats and, after a brief interruption by Jamie Warren third time around, resumed normal service in the final. Veteran Paul Saunders claimed a brace of third places in the heats, but it was Danny Griffiths who filled the spot in the main event.

Senior Max numbers were slightly down on normal, but still provided twelve drivers to do battle in the fastest class. As he had on his debut last season, Josh Collings proved the man to beat, winning two heats and the final, whilst Matthew Dowers and Chris Davies shared the remaning top three positions between them. Dowers won the remaining heat, but had to settle for second in the final, with reigning champion Davies completing the podium. Sebastian Hutchinson and Dave Entwhistle rounded out the top five, while novice Greg Davies gave a good account of himself.

Wayne Stone began the defence of his Max 177 class title with victory in two heats and the final against lone opponent Simon Wheeler.

RESULTS

BAMBINO
1. Oliver Thomas
2. Shayne Clark
3. Brooklyn Thomas

CADET COMER
1. Lewis Griffiths
2. Kieran Clarke
3. Ethan Rees

CADET HONDA
1. Ross Thomas
2. Stuart Ferguson
3. Daniel Thomas

JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens
2. Thomas Croydon
3. Tom Ford

JUNIOR TKM
1. Ross Chell
2. Ryan Edwards
3. Louis Beaven

MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford

JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Steven Handford
2. Oliver O'Flaherty
3. Thomas Stride

SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans
2. Gareth Lewis
3. Danny Griffiths

SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings
2. Chris Davies
3. Matthew Dowers

ROTAX 177
1. Wayne Stone
2. Simon Wheeler