Llandow Kart Club - Race Reports
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Llandow Kart Club – December 2013
Llandow Kart Club brought the curtain down on its 2013 season with the traditional Celtic Challenge finale on the opening weekend of December.
Run to the ‘alternate’ format of timed qualifying, heat, pre-final and final, the event is designed to bring a fun end to a hard year of racing, whilst providing an opportunity for the winners to leave with the recognised ‘CC’ plate, which is retained for the following year. In all, a healthy 65 drivers – including 14 from other clubs - took up the challenge, with some returnees and familiar faces in unfamiliar places.
Two hardy Bambinos came out to play at the event, with Ella Stevens and Nathan Browning both achieving another gold award for the efforts on a cold and damp track.
Despite it being the ‘end of term’, the Cadet field still produced the biggest turn-out, with 20 karts taking to the track across three classes. New club champion Ethan Ling headed up the Honda contingent, but was denied another title as Stuart Ferguson emerged as the one to beat, topping all four sessions to take a clean sweep. Ling was second fastest in qualifying, but had to settle for third place in each of the three races, as Oscar Ferguson took second spot in both the heat and pre-qualifying, and Joshua Martin did likewise in the final after Ferguson ran into misfortune.
Without new champion Tom Rawlings, who took the opportunity to step up to another class in preparation for 2014, the Comer class was won by Connor Kearney, who came good in the races after lagging a little behind his rivals in the timed session. Max Fenlon had been quickest in qualifying, but not make the top three overall as Kieran Clarke and Thomas Nippers followed Kearney home.
The IAME class featured just two runners, with Shay Keough getting the better of Ethan Rees.
With new champion Cristiano Nardone and otherwise dominant Ben Stevens both graduating to the senior ranks, Junior Honda was reduced to just three drivers, and Kristian Prosser wasted little time in taking control, topping each of the day’s four sessions, ahead of Tom Ford and Patrick Hill.
As he had in the final round of the summer championship, Ford doubled up with appearances in Junior Rotax, where he again locked horns with former Honda rival Thomas Croydon. The pair had to settle for battling over third and fourth places, however, as the more experienced Rob Ellis and Ceran Sokhi – stepping up from Minimax - set the pace. Ellis, as befits the role of club champion, came out on top each time, winning each race with an increased margin.
With Sokhi stepping up and Jodie Handford missing, Joe Pritchard was the lone Minimax entrant, but raced hard at the back of the Junior Rotax grid.
The eight-man Junior TKM field was led throughout by Ryan Edwards, despite the best efforts of old rivals Scott Morris and Matthew Ayres, who filled the podium positions in each session. Class debutant Rawlings made an immediate impact, qualifying fifth fastest and racing hard to eventually claim fourth in the main event, beating 2013 Welsh and club champion Yousuf Ashraf in the process.
After a tough year, where a dearth of entries saw the class cancelled on more than a couple occasions, Senior Honda enjoyed a return to double figures for the season finale, with no fewer than twelve karts on track. The numbers were swelled by the arrival of Stevens and Nardone from the junior ranks, as well as the return of veterans Chris Lipscomb, Nick Turley and Nicholas Rees and a seasonal debut for Roberto Nardone.
Stevens dared to beat Lipscomb and challenge senior champion Paul Saunders in qualifying, and then proved that his form was for real by winning the pre-final, but had to give best to heat winner Turley when it mattered most. Despite that, the youngster still left with some silverware, while Monty Gorringe beat Saunders to the final step of the podium.
The Honda Heavyweight class returned courtesy of Hugh Jones, but there was to be no repeat of his October heroics – where he won outright – as he finished seventh overall.
Senior Rotax remained in double figures after another strong season, and Daryl Henderson picked up from where he had left off in November’s championship finale, winning all three races after topping qualifying. James Johnson proved to be the biggest thorn in Henderson’s side, taking second spot in each session, and, when Steven Handford, failed to start the pre-final, it opened the door for Zach Jones to establish himself as number three for the rest of the day.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Gold Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
CADET HONDA
1. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
2. Joshua Martin (Project One)
3. Ethan Ling (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Connor Kearney (Zip)
2. Kieran Clarke (Zip)
3. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Ethan Rees (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (MS)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Scott Morris (Tonykart)
3. Matthew Ayres (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
3. Thomas Croydon (Gillard)
MINI MAX
1. Joe Pritchard (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Nick Turley (MS)
2. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
Llandow Kart Club – October 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
The penultimate round of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship attracted 68 runners across eleven classes, but fell foul of the change in conditions that accompanied summer’s transition to autumn.
Josh Collings (#10) dominated Senior Rotax despite the atrocious conditions
at the October round of the Llandow Kart Club championship
Two Bambinos, Nathan Browning and Ella Stevens, got proceedings underway, and ran three of their four timed events before electing not to venture out for the finale because of the worsening conditions. Their times were adjusted for the varying conditions and both got gold awards although, according to class overseer Nigel Kent, Stevens’ performance in the third session was particularly notable.
The 24 assorted Cadet runners, spread over three classes, made for an impressive sight but, once again there was no denying Ethan Ling, who won two of the three heats before cruising to a four-second victory in the final and taking another step towards the Honda title. George Alp-Williams claimed a seasons-best second in the main event, earning himself driver of the day honours in the process, with Ross Deal fourth on the road, but able to take the final step of the podium. Jem Hepworth, who claimed Honda honours in the other heat, was sixth in class in the final.
Third under the flag in the final was leading Comer runner Tom Rawlings, claiming another class win despite having faced stiff opposition throughout the day from Max Fenlon, who claimed two heats to Rawlings one, and crossed the line first overall in the second race of the day. Fenlon’s final, however, ended after just three laps, giving Rawlings a relatively easy ride, with Joshua Davis and Thomas Nippers completing the podium.
The third Cadet class, IAME, featured two runners, with Shay Keough coming out on top of Jenson Watts in three of the four races.
Junior Honda numbers rose to eight and produced something of a surprise as Ben Stevens was denied a clean sweep of victories. Despite taking the first two races, the championship leader had to give best to Cristiano Nardone in heat three, and then managed only third in the final as Nardone headed Ainsley Shea-Godden across the line. Tom Croydon, who had twice finished second in heats, claimed fourth in the main event.
Junior TKM was slightly reduced in number, and it was Welsh champion Yousuf Ashraf who came out on top, winning heats two and three before claiming the final by just over a second from Louis Beaven, who opened the day with success in race one. Sam Johns, who finished second in heat two, was third overall, ahead of Hugo Holmes and Alex Rees.
Junior and Mini Max were again combined to make a seven-strong field, with the former appearing to go the way of Rob Ellis - until Morgan Rose snatched victory in the final by just 0.030secs! David Spiller, who had filled a watching brief throughout the heats, was left to fill third spot once again.
In Minimax, Ceran Sokhi and Joe Pritchard shared the spoils in the qualification races, before the latter came out on top in the final as well. Jodie Handford completed the podium.
Senior Honda returned to the slate after missing a couple of months, and saw Chris Lipscomb dominate the heats with three comfortable victories. However, when the national championship runner failed to line up for the final, it opened the door for ‘heavyweight’ Hugh Jones to claim the top step of the podium from Nigel Vickery and Jack Hixon. With Jones technically in a class of his own, Paul Saunders completed the ‘regular’ top three.
Championship leader Josh Collings was not about to be so forgiving in Senior Rotax, once again claiming all four race wins. He was pushed close in each, with Daryl Henderson’s 0.6secs margin of defeat in heat two the narrowest of all. Henderson then proved to be Collings’ nearest rival in the final, crossing the line just over a second adrift of the winner. Steven Handford completed the podium, ahead of Sebastian Hutchinson and Ashley Lewis, while Max 177 honours went the way of Dunkeswell’s Terry Milton after rivals Wayne Stone and Nicky Coombs both failed to start the final.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Gold Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
3. Ross Deal (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Joshua Davis (Zip)
3. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Jenson Watts (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
2. Ainsley Shea-Godden (MS)
3. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
2. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
3. Sam Johns (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. David Spiller (Alonso)
MINI MAX
1. Joe Pritchard (Tonykart)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
3. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Nigel Vickery (Stratos)
2. Jack Hixon (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR HONDA HEAVY
1. Hugh Jones (MS)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Daryl Henderson
3. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
SENIOR ROTAX 177
1. Terry Milton (RedSpeed)
2. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Chris Grey (Senior Rotax)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: George Alp-Williams (Honda Cadet)
Llandow Kart Club – NKRA Finals 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
Llandow Kart Club interrupted its summer season to stage the Grande Finals of the National Kart Racing Association championships on the last weekend of September, and home advantage proved key for some of the more local drivers.
That was never more apparent than in the Cadet classes, where Ethan Ling and Tom Rawlings continued their strong Llandow form to sweep to success in both the NKRA and Libre competitions.
Ethan Ling (#CC) dominated Cadet Honda at the NKRA Grande Final
on his home circuit at Llandow(credit: Hardy Rodde)
Ling topped the Honda-powered runners in each of the four NKRA heats, and crossed the line first in all but one – when Rawlings took the flag – before sweeping to victory by three seconds in the final, where fellow Llandow members Ross Deal and Joshua Martin completed the Honda podium.
Rawlings, meanwhile, enjoyed similar success in the Comer class, only missing out on top spot in heat four, when Forest Edge’s Daniel Lamport took the honours. Rawlings, who has generally swept all before him in the LKC series, then redressed the balance in the main event, crossing the line just over a second clear of his rival, with Llandow’s Max Fenlon taking third place.
In the Cadet Libre competition, run to help cover the costs of staging the two-day standalone NKRA event, Ling was again the man to beat, winning two of the three heats before taking the top step of the podium after the final. Martin took the remaining heat win, but had to settle for second place in the final, with Stuart and Oscar Ferguson – both Llandow regulars – separated by just 0.08secs in the battle for third.
Rawlings was denied a sweep of both Comer classes as Lamport took both heat three and the final. Rawlings and Fenlon each took a heat win, but it was Rissington’s Connor Kearney who rounded out the podium party, taking third ahead of Thomas Nippers, while Fenlon completed the top five.
With just five combined runners, the Junior TKM and Junior Blue classes were combined on track. That allowed sole TKM entry Harry Milward to at least find some opposition on track, having made the trip over from Clay Pigeon, while the four Blue drivers – two of whom travelled from the west of Scotland – battled gamely before Josh Graham emerged on top in every outing. Aaron Smith and novice Taylor Waldron completed the podium in the final, which was enough for Smith the claim the overall title.
Josh Graham (#8) was the driver to beat in the Junior Blue class
at the NKRA Grande Final at Llandow
Senior Blue boasted a big field on paper but, such was the quantity that six heats and a ‘B’ Final were required to cope. Stephen Philip (3), Matt Helps, Douglas Simpson and Martin Wheeler shared the six heat wins, and Helps added the ‘B’ Final before the main event saw Philip return to the head of the class, leading from lights to flag.
Stephen Philip (#38) claimed on the road honours in Formula Blue at the NKRA Grande Final
While he escaped the carnage that saw Chris Derrick landing on top of Wheeler and several others caught up in the melee, Douglas Simpson and eventual champion Sam Dible came through to complete the podium, with Derrick claiming the Masters crown after battling back to sixth on the road. Stuart Gray took the Veterans title, with Ron Shone and Simpson taking home the Legends and Top Weight crowns respectively.
All in all, the meeting worked out as a great success for Llandow, with the addition of the Libre competition helping make the event profitable, and the club would like to thank those members who gave up their time to help out.
RESULTS
NKRA CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Ross Deal (Project One)
3. Joshua Martin (Project One)
NKRA CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Daniel Lamport (Zip)
3. Max Fenlon (Birel)
LIBRE CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Joshua Martin (Project One)
3. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
LIBRE CADET COMER
1. Daniel Lamport (Zip)
2. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
3. Connor Kearney (Zip)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Harry Milward (Zanardi)
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Josh Graham (Gillard)
2. Aaron Smith (Birel)
3. Taylor Waldron (Mac)
FORMULA BLUE
1. Stephen Philip (Maranello)
2. Douglas Simpson (Intrepid)
3. Sam Dible (Alonso)
BEST NOVICE:
Jakob Chamberlain (Comer Cadet)
Llandow Kart Club – September 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
Round seven of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship incorporated the first Llandow Kart Shop Rotax Cup, helping to boost total entries to 60 as the 2013 campaign began the run towards its November conclusion.
Josh Collings (#C) – Rotax Cup winner in the Senior Max class
at Llandow Kart Club’s September meeting
The Cup initiative, proposed by the on-site Llandow Kart Shop and sponsored by Mark Collings, produced a handful of outside entries across the Junior Rotax, MiniMax, Senior Rotax and 177 classes, but the overall entry was once again hit by the loss of the Senior Honda class, which suffered from another clash with the Kartmania Challenge.
Three Bambino regulars - Nathan Browning, Ella Stevens and Jett Woodfield – kicked things off in damp conditions first thing but, as the weather improved, so did their lap times, with each achieving a silver award.
As usual, the Cadet classes combined for the biggest grid of the day, with 16 Honda and five Comer runners being joined by an enlarged IAME contingent as Shay Keough faced ‘competition’ from novice Matthew Rees. While the numbers may have changed, however, the names at the top of the podium were much the same, with in-form Celtic Cup champion Ethan Ling sweeping the Honda honours and Tom Rawlings coming out on top in Comer, despite Max Fenlon sneaking a heat win along the way.
Ling was joined on the Honda podium by Stuart Ferguson and Sebastian Marlow, while Rawlings stood over Joshua Davis and Fenlon. Unsurprisingly, the more experienced Keough won out in IAME, finishing a credible fourth on the road in the combined final.
Despite the lure of Kartmania, Junior Honda numbers grew by one as Sofia Nardone joined brother Cristiano alongside regulars Kristian Prosser and Ainsley Shea-Godden. The novice acquitted herself well and was rewarded with both an unexpected third place in the final and rookie of the day honours, as heat winners Prosser and Nardone Sr battled to the line.
The combined Junior Max and MiniMax classes produced six runners, with Dunkeswell’s Izaac Channing mixing it with the regulars, but it was Rob Ellis and Toby Allen who came out on top, splitting the heats between them before Ellis triumphed by a comfortable five seconds in the final. Channing claimed third in the main event, ahead of David Spiller.
Brandon Patrick (#81) – Rotax Cup winner in the MiniMax class
at Llandow Kart Club’s September meeting
In the absence of Jodie Handford, Brandon Patrick and Ceran Sokhi took up the MiniMax cudgels, but it was the former who came out on top, sweeping all four races by some margin to join Ellis as an inaugural LKS Rotax Cup champion.
The eight-strong Junior TKM field produced three different heat winners in Hugo Holmes, Ryan Edwards and Yousif Ashraf but, having for a taste for first place, Welsh champion Ashraf was not to be denied in the main event, heading Edwards and Louis Griffiths-Walker once Holmes was removed from the results.
With the Senior Hondas missing in action, the lone adult class saw Josh Collings dominate, claiming all four race wins en route to Rotax Cup honours. Jon Sweeper gave chase in heat two, but it was Sebastian Hutchinson who proved to be Collings’ closest threat, taking three second places on the day. Third place in the final went to September’s ‘driver of the day’ Dilip Singh.
Rob Ellis (#17) – Rotax Cup winner in the Junior Max class at
Llandow Kart Club’s September meeting
The returning Max 177 class was bolstered by interloper Terry Milton, but the Dunkeswell member proved no match for the home club’s Simon Wheeler, who claimed three of the four races, denied a sweep by Wayne Stone’s win in the opening heat. Stone completed the class podium, with Nicky Coombs filling the gap between himself and Wheeler.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Silver Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
Jett Woodfield (CRG)
CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Sebastian Marlow (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Joshua Davis (Zip)
3. Max Fenlon (Birel)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Shark)
2. Matthew Rees
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
3. Sofia Nardone
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Louis Griffiths-Walker (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Toby Allen (CRG)
3. Izaac Channing
MINI MAX
1. Brandon Patrick (Kosmic)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Sebastian Hutchinson (Tonykart)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)
SENIOR ROTAX 177
1. Simon Wheeler (CRG)
2. Nicky Coombs (Tonykart)
3. Wayne Stone (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Sofia Nardone (Junior Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Dilip Singh (Senior Rotax)
Photo captions:(credit: Hardy Rodde)
Llandow Kart Club – August 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
The sixth round of Llandow Kart Club’s annual championship may have been short on numbers as the summer holidays took their toll, but still produced some notable storylines as the sun continued to shine on South Wales.
Without a guest series to bolster the entry, and with Senior Honda – once the strongest class in the club – failing to muster sufficient numbers to warrant a slot on the schedule, just 51 karts were listed for a meeting tinged with thoughtful sadness.
After a minute’s silence in memory of long-time club secretary Richard Dowers, who passed away shortly after the July event, the Bambinos got things underway, with the same quartet of Nathan Browning, Jett Woodfield, Ella Stevens and Jenson Parton in action.
Ceran Soki (#24) dominated the Minimax class at round six
of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship
Woodfield, having moved to a Comer engine from the Honda he used in July, secured a silver award first time out, while Browning and Stevens – both similarly Comer-powered – also left with silver as they continued to improve their times with experience and confidence. Parton, now the only remaining Honda runner, secured another bronze award as he continued to shave seconds off his lap times.
As expected, the combined Cadet classes again produced the biggest field, with 13 Honda runners joined by eight Comers and the lone IAME of Shay Keough. Ethan Ling and Ross Deal shared the heats wins, before Ling added a third victory of the day with success in the final. He was chased home by Stuart Ferguson – who had twice finished in the top three in the qualifying races – with Oscar Ferguson completing the podium.
There was a similarly familiar face at the top of the Comer contingent, as Tom Rawlings again emerged victorious. Like Ling, he won two of his three heats – the other going to former Bambino Max Fenlon – and came home comfortably clear of his nearest rival in the main event, with Joshua Davis edging Fenlon for the second step on the rostrum.
By contrast, Junior Honda managed only three runners but, without regular powerhouse Ben Stevens, the way was open for Ainsley Shea-Godden, Kristian Prosser and Cristiano Nardone to wage some of the closest competition of the day. Each took a heat win, before Shea-Godden came out on top in a final interrupted by the retirement of Nardone at half-distance.
The combined junior Rotax classes produced seven runners, but little to rival Morgan Rose and Rob Ellis, who finished 1-2 in three of the four outings. Ironically, the only race to feature a different outcome was the opening heat in which both retired! Behind the lead pair, David Spiller and Brandon Patrick proved closely matched, with Patrick coming out on top in two of the three heats, before Spiller regained the upper hand in the final.
Minimax gained an extra entry courtesy of Joe Pritchard, but Ceran Sokhi proved to be in dominant mood, winning all four races and claiming fastest lap in each by a comfortable margin, having had to make just a single pass all afternoon. His regular rival, Jodie Handford, bounced back from a non-start in heat three to claim second in the final, with Pritchard third.
Alex Rees (#77) was a welcome winner in the Junior TKM class as
Llandow Kart Club hosted round six of its summer championships
Junior TKM was also without a couple of familiar faces, but that should not detract from the performance of Alex Rees, who won three out of four races before saving his best for last in an otherwise closely-fought category. After edging reigning Welsh champion Yousuf Ashraf and July frontrunner Hugo Holmes in heats one and three respectively, Rees then went on to win the final by a couple of seconds, with Ashraf just getting the better of heat two winner Holmes in the battle for the podium.
With no Honda action, there was just one senior class but, having seen Steven Handford claim the opening race, Josh Collings was in no mood to share, claiming the remaining heats and then running away to a six-second win in the final. Handford remained a top three threat in the heats but, come the main event, faded to seventh, allowing Sebastian Hutchinson and Josh Gray to complete the top three.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Silver Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
Jett Woodfield
Bronze Award
Jenson Parton (CRG)
CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Joshua Davis (Zip)
3. Max Fenlon (Birel)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Shark)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ainsley Shea-Godden (MS)
2. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
3. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. David Spiller (Alonso)
MINI MAX
1. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
3. Joe Pritchard (OTK)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Sebastian Hutchinson (Tonykart)
3. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Matthew Rees (Cadet Comer)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Alex Rees (Junior TKM)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
Llandow Kart Club continued to enjoy the best of the British summer as it hosted the KartMania Challenge as part of its fifth meeting of 2013.
Sadly, despite the addition of a handful of additional runners from the national series, the total entry failed to reach 70 as summer holidays began to take their toll on numbers.
The Bambino class saw a welcome doubling of entries from June with Ella Stevens and Nathan Browning being joined by newcomer Jett Woodfield and returnee Jenson Parton. Stevens and Browning, running on Comer-powered machines, earned bronze and silver awards respectively, the latter’s achievement of particular note on only his second outing. Woodfield and Parton, meanwhile, were running with Honda engines, and both registered bronze awards, with Parton’s achievement being particularly gratifying as he has tried very hard in recent months before finally breaking his duck.
Ben Stevens (#28) dominated Junior Honda as KartMania
visited Llandow Kart Club in July 2013
The combined Cadet classes - with some of the Honda contingent also registered for the first of the KartMania competitions - continued to provide the bulk of the entry, with 25 karts on track for much of the day. Stuart Ferguson, Ethan Ling and Ross Deal shared the Honda-powered heat wins, before reigning Celtic Cup champion Ling claimed the final from Ferguson, with Jem Hempworth coming home third in class.
Joshua Davis and Kieran Clarke (2) took the heat wins in the Comer category, but it was the familiar form of Welsh champion Tom Rawlings filling the top step after the final, with Davis second and Connor Kearney in third, having benefited from Clarke's unfortunate DNF. Hopefully, earning Driver of the Day honours would have come as some solace to hapless #29 pilot.
The IAME runners, three of whom started, were headed by Shay Keough, with George Hobbs and Callum Hunt giving chase.
The Junior Rotax classes were particularly affected by a drop in numbers, with Rob Ellis running unopposed in Junior Max and only 'old' rivals Ceran Sokhi and Jodie Handford duelling in Minimax.
Honda Junior gained a couple of extra entries thanks to KartMania's presence, but there was no stopping Ben Stevens as he romped to a clean sweep of victories. Thomas Croydon got closest to Stevens in heat three, but no-one could get closer than seven seconds in the main event, with Patrick Hill claiming runner-up honours ahead of Callum Barnett, as Croydon finished fifth.
Ryan Edwards and Hugo Holmes shared the three Junior TKM heat wins between them, and duly filled the top two spots in the final, with just 0.05secs separating them as they crossed the line! Daniel Thomas and Louis Beaven were next up, ahead of reigning Welsh champion Yousuf Ashraf.
With the running order shuffled to give highlight status to the Honda classes, Senior Rotax no longer closed the show, but nevertheless provided some of the day's best action. Josh Collings was in no mood to share, however, keeping all four wins to himself as the pack squabbled over the right to be runner-up. After Steven Handford, Sebastian Hutchinson and Dilip Singh took turns to fill the role in the heats, it was Handford who came out on top in the main event, with Singh beating Scott Rose and Hutchinson to the remaining step on the podium. Seventh spot, meanwhile, helped cement ‘Best Novice’ honours for Chris Grey.
Nicky Coombs, who claimed two of the three heats, beat Ian Hawksworth in the Max 177 class, while Wayne Stone, who won heat two, failed to start the final.
Charlie Bingham (#3) leads Austin Munday and George Smith in the Senior Honda
final as Llandow Kart Club hosted round four of the KartMania series
Senior Honda was always likely to benefit from the inclusion of KartMania runners, and reached double figures for the first time in several months. Local favourite Chris Lipscomb claimed heats one and three, sandwiching a single success for George Smith, but both had to give best to Charlie Bingham in the final. Austin Munday also came home ahead of the heat winners, with Smith edging Lipscomb for third spot. Best of the non-KartMania runners was Llandow veteran Paul Saunders in fifth overall.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Silver Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Bronze Award
Ella Stevens (CRG)
Jett Woodfield
Jenson Parton
CADET HONDA (featuring KartMania Challenge)
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Jem Hempworth (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Joshua Davis (Zip)
3. Connor Kearney
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Shark)
JUNIOR HONDA (featuring KartMania Challenge)
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Callum Barnett (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
3. Daniel Thomas (Tonykart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
MINI MAX
1. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA (featuring KartMania Challenge)
1. Charlie Bingham (BRM)
2. Austin Munday (BRM)
3. George Smith (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Chris Grey (Senior Rotax)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Kieran Clarke (Cadet Comer)
Llandow Kart Club – June 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
The summer finally arrived at Llandow in time for fourth round of the eponymous kart club’s 2013 championship, with the balmy conditions being matched by some equally hot action on track.
Sadly, the entry was amongst the lowest of the year so far, with only 59 drivers enjoying the conditions, and several previously healthy classes looking a little thin on numbers.
The Bambino class featured two new names in Ella Stevens and Nathan Browning, who both performed well enough to earn themselves a certificate while seeing what might be possible in the future as former Bambino regular Jakob Chamberlain turned out in the Cadet class and ended the day with ‘best novice’ honours…..
Ella Stevens on track during her first Llandow appearance in the Bambino class
While others withered around them, the combined Cadet numbers continued to provide a massive field, with 22 karts – 17 of them Honda-powered – entertaining those basking behind the barriers. Despite the Honda runners being numerically superior, however, there was no stopping Comer competitor Tom Rawlings, whose name appeared at the top of the results sheets on every occasion. The reigning Welsh champion swept all three heats before romping to a seven-second margin of victory in the Final. Kieran Clarke and Max Fenlon completed the Comer podium at a distance.
In the absence of Honda class rival Ethan Ling, Welsh champion Joshua Martin was similarly commanding, although he ‘only’ managed three wins from four races as Stuart Ferguson claimed the opening heat. Ferguson, who later received driver of the day honours, remained a threat throughout, eventually chasing Martin home in the Final, while Jem Hempworth completed the podium in third spot.
There was another clean sweep in Honda Junior, where Ben Stevens showed that missing out in May’s Welsh Championships was just a minor hiccup. The reigning club champion claimed all four races while the rest of the field fought over the right to be runner-up. That distinction eventually fell to Tom Ford, but not before Cristiano Nardone and Thomas Croydon had had a say. Nardone took the final step of the podium when it mattered, with Croydon fourth.
Like Stevens, Scott Morris bounced back from Welsh Championship frustration, winning three of the day’s four Junior TKM outings, and only narrowly missing a clean sweep when his kart stopped on the final lap of heat three. Morris’ heat wins came from the back of the field, and he put the cap on a strong weekend by holding off Yousuf Ashraf in an equally close-fought final. Alex Rees completed the podium.
Rob Ellis was also a three-time winner in Junior Rotax, only dropping heat two to Ben Davies, with whom he enjoyed a close rivalry. When Davies retired from the Final, however, Ellis’ life became a lot more comfortable, with the margin of victory over second-placed David Spiller rising to eight seconds. Harry Andrews assumed third spot.
With just four entries in each class, Minimax again shared the track with the Junior runners, and Cadet graduate Brandon Patrick proved unbeatable, claimed each outing by a considerable margin. Jodie Hanford was generally ‘next best’, with Ceran Sokhi completing the Final podium.
Senior Honda returned to the running order after missing the Welsh Championships and, despite featuring just three drivers, provided some of the day’s closest racing. Simon Evans, Paul Saunders and Danny Griffiths all won heats before Evans – on his last class appearance before taking time out to prepare for the step up to Senior Rotax – claimed the Final by a mere 0.07secs over Saunders.
Simon Evans (30) bowed out of an ultra-successful Senior Honda career
with another victory in the June round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2013 championship
Numbers were down among the blue riband Senior Max contingent too, but that simply allowed a few different names to top the timesheets. Sebastian Hutchinson, Ashley Lewis and Steven Handford all won heats, before Hutchinson’s opening lap clash with Tom Stride made it a two-horse race at the front of the Final. Lewis eventually won out by five seconds, while Nigel Hughes – in his mid-50s – showed the youngsters a thing or two by completing the podium.
RESULTS
BEST NOVICE:
Jakob Chamberlain (Comer Cadet)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Stuart Ferguson (Cadet Honda)
BAMBINO
Ella Stevens (CRG)
Nathan Browning (CRG)
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Jem Hempworth (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Kieran Clarke (Zip)
3. Max Fenlon
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (MS)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Scott Morris
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
3. Alex Rees (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. David Spiller (Alonso)
3. Harry Andrews (CRG)
MINI MAX
1. Brandon Patrick (Alonso)
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
3. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
3. Danny Griffiths (MS)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Ashley Lewis (CRG)
2. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
3. Nigel Hughes
Llandow Kart Club – May 2013 / Welsh Championships
The biggest event on the Llandow Kart Club calendar, the annual Welsh Championships, took place alongside round three of the club’s regular season-long competition, and saw some unexpected names claiming the coveted ‘C’ plates.
Sadly, the weather again refused to play along with the occasion, with race day dawning grey and wet, but could not dampen the spirits of the 68 drivers taking part across ten classes.
Despite not officially competing for a Welsh title, the Bambino class kicked things off but featured just one driver, Jenson Parton, who had not raced for some time. By the time the final two time trials came around, the conditions were very wet but, running on slicks, the youngster did a very good job and could reflect on the achievement of knocking nearly 20 seconds off his early times during the course of the day.
As usual, the Welsh Championships featured the different format of qualifying, heats and finals, spread over two days and interspersed with a generous amount of practice time for the remaining classes.
Once again, the Cadets were numerically superior, with 21 drivers on track and the action, as usual, focusing on the LKC stalwarts. It was Ethan Ling (Honda) and Tom Rawlings (Comer) who seemed to have the upper hand early on, taking a brace of heat wins in their respective classes. Come the Pre-Final and Final, however, and Ling had to give best to Joshua Martin, who came through to claim both the wins and the first of the ‘C’ plates. Ling came home second, ahead of George Alp-Williams.
Joshua Martin (89) splashes to victory in the Honda Cadet class at the Welsh Championships held as part of Llandow Kart Club’s May 2013 meeting
In Comer, Rawlings – who had lost out to Joshua Davis in the Pre-Final – bounced back to claim the Final and, along with it, the Welsh title he narrowly missed out on last year. Davis, meanwhile, had to be content with third place, as Max Fenlon came through to claim the runners-up spot. Comer runner Thomas Nippers was later voted as the day’s best novice, while Honda counterpart Luca Nardone was elected as driver of the day.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend came in Honda Junior where reigning champion Ben Stevens came up short of repeating as champion. Having topped every session, Stevens appeared a nailed-on favourite for the Final but crossed the line in last place at the end of lap one and spent the rest of the race recovering. Although he picked off karts with ease during the 15 laps, he came up one place short when it mattered, allowing Ainsley Shea-Godden to become Welsh champion. Cristiano Nardone completed the podium, while Patrick Hill was later presented with the Kath Denscombe Memorial Award.
There was also an unexpected name at the top of the Junior TKM standings, although Yousuf Ashraf has frequently shown that he has the potential to run at the front of the class. His success came at the expense of Ryan Edwards, who topped the list of competitors in every session bar the Final, and Scott Morris, who led from the start only to be excluded after the chequered flag. Edwards crossed the line a couple of seconds behind Ashraf, with Celtic Cup champion Matthew Ayres a distant third.
Things were a little more straightforward in Junior Rotax, where national series frontrunner Tom Harvey led the way throughout, topping both qualifying sessions and winning all four races on offer, while the rest took turns to lead the pursuit. Rob Ellis, Lewis Malin and Harry Andrews were the main contenders for second place, with Malin eventually succeeding when it mattered. Andrews, however, was just 0.06secs adrift at the line, and completed the podium, with Ellis fourth.
Tom Harvey (12) returned from Super One duty to claim the Welsh Championship
title during Llandow Kart Club’s May 2013 event
Minimax again shared the track with the Junior runners, with the visiting Scott Symons putting one over on the locals by remaining unbeaten throughout. Similarly, another ‘interloper’, Max Jackson, claimed second overall, ahead of Joe Pritchard, with Ceran Sokhi fourth.
The visiting Scott Symons (36) claimed Minimax honours as the Welsh Championship
took place as part of Llandow Kart Club’s May championship meeting
With the stalwart Senior Honda class noticeable by its absence, the only senior category on show was for the Rotax runners, with 16 karts turning out for the blue riband event. As with its junior counterpart, one driver held sway at the top of the results, with Josh Collings, on a break from his Super 1 Series commitments, returned to claim the title in dominant fashion. Despite the combined efforts of Josh Gray, Matthew Dowers and James Johnson, Collings’ margin of victory was, on average, around six seconds, while the rest scrapped over the lower steps of the podium. In the end, the honour of being runner-up fell to Gray, with Johnson pipping Steven Handford and Dowers to third spot.
Josh Collings (21) confirmed his superiority by romping away in the Welsh Championship
final during Llandow Kart Club’s May 2013 meeting
The Rotax 177 class returned as part of the senior field, with Richard Raymond claiming the Welsh crown from Wayne Stone and Nicky Coombs.
The ensuing prizegiving was lent a nostalgic air as the Llandow club remembered two stalwarts in Harry and Evelyn Maund, both of whom passed in 2012. Both had lengthy associations with karting stretching back over 50 years, and were widely respected for their dedication to the sport’s development on and off track. Indeed, without Evelyn’s efforts, there probably would not be a Welsh Championship, and it was fitting therefore that the 2013 edition should recognise their contribution with the inauguration of a memorial award to be presented to an individual making a similar outstanding contribution to the sport.
To that end, the first Harry and Evelyn Maund Memorial Award, presented on the day by the couple’s two children, Stephen and Caroline, amid a citation read by guest commentator Ken Walker, was made to LKC secretary Richard Dowers, who swapped his helmet and overalls to deal with the paperwork and administration essential for the smooth running of both club and event.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (Project One)
2. Ethan Ling (Project One)
3. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tom Rawlings (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (Birel)
3. Joshua Davis (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ainsley Shea-Godden (MS)
2. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Matthew Ayres (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Tom Harvey (Tonykart)
2. Lewis Malin (Exprit)
3. Harry Andrews (CRG)
MINI MAX
1. Scott Symons (Tonykart)
2. Max Jackson (Tonykart)
3. Joe Pritchard (Tonykart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
3. James Johnson (Kosmic)
BEST NOVICE:
Thomas Nippers (Comer Cadet)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Luca Nardone (Cadet Honda)
KATH DENSCOMBE MEMORIAL AWARD:
Patrick Hill (Junior Honda)
HARRY & EVELYN MAUND MEMORIAL AWARD:
Richard Dowers
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
Llandow Kart Club – April 2013
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde
The second round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2013 season took place in blustery conditions with uncertain skies that eventually produced rain, but an increased entry – boosted by the inclusion of both the NKRA and RAF Premier series – produced enough action to keep the focus firmly on track.
Joshua Davis (77) splashes to victory in the Comer Cadet class at
Llandow Kart Club’s April 2013 meeting (photo: Hardy Rodde)
The guest categories took the number of drivers to 104 for the weekend, despite the lack of Bambino class for the first time in several months. The absence of the youngest runners meant that the numerically strong Cadets opened the programme with no fewer than 23 karts in action across Honda and Comer categories.
Ethan Ling picked up from where he left off in March, taking Honda honours in the opening heat, but found opposition from Joshua Martin in the morning’s other races. Martin continued his winning form into the Final, coming home comfortably clear of Ling, with Ross Deal and the visiting Jack Fordham next up.
The Comers shared their heat wins between Tom Rawlings and Joshua Davis, with Daniel Lamport, Max Fenlon and Tommy Foster also in the mix, and when the Final rolled around, it was Davis again coming out on top, leading Fenlon across the line by a couple of seconds. Foster completed the podium, ahead of Lamport and Rawlings.
Reigning champion Ben Stevens may have remained unbeaten – and claimed a new lap record - during the Honda Junior heats, but his anticipated run to a clean sweep in the Final was dented by Thomas Croydon, who underlined his improving form with a narrow 0.62secs victory in main event. The battle between the top two took them clear of the chasing group, where Patrick Hill overcame Tom Ford and Cristiano Nardone to claim the third podium spot.
Paul Heyhoe (2) remained unbeaten in the RAF Premier class during
the series’ visit to Llandow in April 2013 (credit: Hardy Rodde)
With just two entrants, the visiting Junior Blue class was combined with Junior TKM for the weekend, but it was the familiar faces that ran at the front of the field. Reigning Welsh champion Scott Morris returned to take victory in the opening heat, before Ryan Edwards took the next two. It was a reduced field for the Final, with Alex Lewis, Hugo Holmes and Louis Beaven all missing, and that sat nicely with Edwards, who repeated his round one victory by coming home over four seconds clear of Morris. Lewis Griffiths, who had featured in the top four all day, completed the podium, with Alex Rees fourth.
Junior Blue, meanwhile, went the way of Cameron Dew, who came out on top of sole rival Nathan Wells in each race.
There were combined classes in the last of the junior races as Junior Rotax and Minimax again ran together. Rob Ellis, Matthew Tinning and Harry Andrews shared the ‘on the road’ honours early on but, despite having to give best to his rivals in heats one and two, Ellis was back on top when it mattered, winning the Final by just 0.26secs over Andrews, with Tinning – later voted the meeting’s ‘best rookie’ - also on the podium.
Minimax featured three runners, and it was Jodie Handford who came out on top, winning two heats and the Final ahead of Ceran Sokhi and Joe Pritchard.
The biggest surprise of the day probably came in Senior Honda, where Simon Evans’ dreams of another unbeaten weekend were dashed in the main event by Danny Griffiths. Evans, who had not lost a Final since October 2010, started in inimical fashion, cruising to victory in each of the heats, but Griffiths came good when it mattered to best the multiple champion by three seconds, and claim ‘driver of the day’ honours, as Evans’ tyres went off. Veteran Paul Saunders completed the podium with Monty Gorringe, twice second in the heats, taking fourth overall.
Duncan McCleod (3) claimed Senior Blue victory as the series guested
at Llandow Kart Club’s April championship meeting (credit: Hardy Rodde)
There was no such upset in Senior Rotax, where Josh Collings returned from national championship duty to sweep the class, winning comfortably in each of the heats. He had to work harder in the Final, however, with Steven Handford getting the jump at the start and leading for much of the way. Matthew Dowers had been a fixture in the top three throughout the heats, but failed to go the distance in the Final, allowing Josh Gray to claim the third podium spot once Macaulay Austin had been excluded.
Senior Blue’s annual visit to Llandow produced 18 entries and the usual close competition, as Ian Branfield, Martin Wheeler and Elis Jackson shared the heat wins. The Final, however, went the way of Duncan McCleod, who beat Chris Derrick to the line by 0.78secs, with Branfield and Jackson heading Sam Dible to complete the rest of the top five. Wheeler came in sixth.
The RAF Premier class, meanwhile, was the preserve of Paul Heyhoe, who claimed four wins from as many races, including a comfortable five-second success in the Final. Simon Hilton took runner-up honours, with Marcus Ramsden, David Dean and novice Matthew Bellamy next up.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (Project One)
2. Ethan Ling (Project One)
3. Ross Deal (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Joshua Davis (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (Birel)
3. Tommy Foster (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Thomas Croydon (Jade)
2. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Scott Morris
3. Lewis Griffiths
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Harry Andrews (CRG)
3. Matthew Tinning (Gillard)
MINI MAX
1. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
3. Joe Pritchard (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Simon Evans (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Steven Handford (Tonykart)
3. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Cameron Dew (Haase)
2. Nathan Wells (Tecno)
SENIOR BLUE
1. Duncan McCleod (Formula K)
2. Chris Derrick (Tonykart)
3. Ian Branfield (Tonykart)
RAF PREMIER
1. Paul Heyhoe (Tonykart)
2. Simon Hilton (GMS-X30)
3. Marcus Ramsden (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Matthew Tinning (Junior Rotax)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Danny Griffiths (Senior Honda)
After the scheduled opening round of its annual championship fell foul of the weather in February, Llandow Kart Club was back in action – and graced by the seldom-seen sun – on the third weekend of March.
Just two Bambinos were on hand to kick off the new season, but class veterans – and school classmates - Shayne Clarke and Oliver Thomas both acquitted themselves well, the former claiming a gold award and the latter a silver after both posting solid times throughout the day
Josh Collings takes the Senior Max lead on the last corner after a demonstration drive from Midfield in Llandow Kart Club’s first meeting of 2013 (Photo: Hardy Rodde)
The winter break appeared to have done little to dent Cadet numbers, meanwhile, with 17 combined Honda and Comer drivers turning out for the opening round. The Honda class was dominated by another familiar name, as Ethan Ling – star of the South Wales Echo over the break – claimed victory in each of the three heats and followed it up with another comfortable win in the final. Ross Deal and Joshua Martin claimed the other Honda podium places in the main event, with George Alp Williams and Stuart Ferguson rounding out the top five.
Comer drivers Tommy Foster and Joshua Davis led the pursuit of Ling on the road for much of the day, duelling with Max Fenlon during the heats. Able to pull clear in the final, however, the pair left Kieran Clarke to complete the podium ahead of Toby McDonald and Charlie Andrews.
On a day when 2012’s frontrunners showed that they were carrying their form into the new campaign, Ben Stevens emerged with top honours in the Honda Junior class. Despite being one of three drivers excluded in heat two, the reigning champion would not be denied in the day’s three other races, eventually emerging a narrow winner over Cristiano Nardone in the final. Tom Ford was classified in third place, while the weekend’s ‘best novice’, Kristian Prosser, claimed fifth overall, behind Patrick Hill.
The top two from 2012’s Junior Rotax standings were also back in action, and reigning champion Toby Allen appeared to have the upper hand over Rob Ellis after winning two of the three heats. Ellis was not about to be overshadowed, however, and came through to claim the final by just 0.58secs. Morgan Rose, who had chased the lead pair throughout the day, and took second on the road when Allen slipped up in heat two, duly claimed the other podium spot in the final.
With just three runners, the Minimax class was combined with its bigger brother, and it was Harry Gooding who held sway, winning each time out ahead of 2012 adversaries Jodie Handford and Ceran Sokhi.
Ryan Edwards completes a dramatic day with Junior TKM victory – complete with a
broken foot – at the opening round of the 2013 Llandow Kart Club championship
(Photo: Steve Everitt)
With last year’s champion Ross Chell absent, Ryan Edwards stepped up to assume the mantle of Junior TKM frontrunner, although he definitely did not have things all his own way. The winner of heat one, Edwards failed to complete a lap in race two, and then suffered a frightening accident after retiring midway through the third outing. Despite having been bowled over by another kart while heading for the safety of the marshal post, Edwards bounced back to take top spot – from the rear of he grid - in the race where it mattered most, before heading to hospital, where x-rays confirmed that he had broken his foot… Despite being voted as ‘driver of the day’ Joe Phillips’ exclusion in the final promoted Yousuf Ashraf and Alex Thomas onto the lower steps of the podium, while heat winners Alex Rees and Louis Beaven were fifth and ninth respectively.
Disappointingly for the slim Senior Honda class, multiple champion Simon Evans showed that, once again, he was in no mood to have his near-perfect record dented by anyone, winning each of the day’s four races. Veteran Paul Saunders got closest to upsetting Evans’ applecart, crossing the line just 0.17secs adrift in heat two, but it was Nick Turley who ended up on the second step of the rostrum in the final, just reward for claiming second spot in the remaining heats. Saunders completed the top three.
It was a similar story in Senior Rotax, where Josh Collings warmed up for his 2013 campaign by winning three out of four races, the other going the way of Steven Handford when Collings was excluded. The final could not have been much closer, however, with Collings raced from midfield to come out on top by a mere 0.08secs over reigning champion Matthew Dowers, while Handford followed them over the line a further 0.14secs adrift. Fourth-placed Josh Gray and fifth-placed Dilip Singh were also within a second of the winner.
RESULTS FOLLOW….
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Gold Award: Shayne Clarke (Topkart)
Silver Award: Oliver Thomas (Birel)
CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Ross Deal (Project One)
3. Joshua Martin (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Tommy Foster
2. Joshua Davis (Zip)
3. Kieran Clarke (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
3. Tom Ford (MS)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
3. Alex Thomas (CRG)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Toby Allen (KT1-b)
3. Morgan Rose
MINI MAX
1. Harry Gooding
2. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
3. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Simon Evans (7Kart)
2. Nick Turley (MS)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Matthew Dowers (Tonykart)
3. Steven Handford
BEST NOVICE: Kristian Prosser (Junior Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Joe Phillips (Junor TKM)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde/Steve Everitt