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Llandow Kart Club – December 2014
Llandow Kart Club brought the curtain down on its 2014 season with the traditional Celtic Challenge taking place in early December.
Celtic Challenge winners pose with their CC plates at Llandow Kart Club
With the main championships already decided, the event is a last chance at silverware for those that missed out, while others take the opportunity to sample new classes in preparation for the following season. The meeting also saw LKC trialling timed races for the first time in preparation for the 2015 season, with qualifying preceding a brace of six-minute-plus one lap outings and an eight-minute-plus one-lap final.
Nathan Browning (#27) gets a little sideways in tricky
conditions at Llandow Kart Club’s Celtic Challenge
Sole Bambino Nathan Browning faced changing conditions during the day but acquitted himself well across four six-minute sessions, improving his times by four seconds a lap as the wet surface gradually dried out.
TVKC’s Klaas Kooiker (#77) paid a flying visit to South Wales Karting Centre and
duly left with Cadet Honda victory in Llandow Kart Club’s Celtic Challenge
Cadet numbers were again equally split between Honda and IAME runners, with Louis Harvey and Shay Keough topping qualifying respectively. In the races, neither group appeared willing to enter into the spirit of Christmas by sharing victories, however, as TVKC’s Klaas Kooiker (Honda) and Keough claimed the win each time out. Max Fenlon and Thomas Nippers shared the IAME podium with Keough, while Joshua Martin chased Kooiker.to the line, relegating Harvey to third overall.
Welsh champion Patrick Hill (#C) doubled up with the Celtic Challenge crow
in Junior Honda at Llandow Kart Club’s traditional end-of-season competition
Familiar faces did battle in Junior Honda before reigning Welsh champion Patrick Hill came through to add another trophy to his collection. Second fastest in qualifying, behind Ben Cutler, Hill overcame finishing third in the opening heat to seize control from the Pre-Final onwards, winning the main event by four seconds from Alex Wilkins and Jack Bligh.
Like the Cadets classes, Junior Rotax and Minimax ran together, with the field split evenly. The Junior runners proved closely matched on lap time, with David Spiller leading the way through qualifying and the heats. The Final, however, went the way of Ethan Ling, who headed Ceran Sokhi and Tom Croydon across the line.
New club champion Riley Phillips (#94) added the Minimax Celtic
Challenge title to his haul at Llandow Kart Club’s season finale
Minmax, meanwhile, was the preserve of one driver as new club champion Riley Phillips dominated from the outset. Within a matter of tenths of the Junior runners in qualifying, he proceded to win all three races in convincing fashion, with Kieran Clarke and novice Liam Griffiths joining him on the podium.
Sam Johns (#27) overcame the odds to claim Junior TKM
honours at Llandow Kart Club’s Celtic Challenge
Junior TKM appeared to be going the way of Ryan Edwards after he won both qualifying races, but Sam Johns had other ideas. Having finished second to Yousuf Ashraf in the times session that opened the day, Johns’ weekend seemed to be going downhill rapidly after two non-finishes, but he bounced back to claim victory in the Final, where neither Edwards or new class champion Alex Rees saw the chequered flag. Tom Rawlings and Ashraf completed the podium.
Junior Hionda champion Kristian Prosser (#19) claimed a debut victory and Driver of the Day honours after stepping up to the senior class at Llandow Kart Club’s Celtic Challenge
Senior Honda featured a couple of new names on the entry, and both Tom Ford and Kristian Prosser showed that they were far from overawed by their rivals. Prosser, the recently-crowned Junior Honda champion, started as he meant to go on, topping qualifying by half a second before winning both the Pre-Final and Final. Monty Gorringe proved to be his closest threat, winning heat one and beating Paul Saunders to runners-up honours in the main event, while Ford came home fourth overall.
Josh Gray (#61) came out on top of the Senior Rotax battle to land
the Celtic Challenge title at Llandow Kart Club’s season finale
Senior Max and TKM Extreme provided the biggest field of the weekend and found a fitting way to sign off the 2014 campaign with a thrilling race to the line. After late-season find Morgan Rose topped qualifying, Daryl Henderson took over and appeared on course to retain his Celtic crown – only to falter in the main event and post a DNF. That left Josh Gray and Junior Rotax champion Rob Ellis – who had shared the runners-up position in the preceding races – to come to the fore, eventually crossing the line just 0.552secs apart, with Gray coming out on top. Rose came through to claim third spot, a further 0.35secs adrift.
Alex Rees, Junior TKM, holding his own in the wet
As it had in November, TKM Extreme went the way of Nicholas Rees, despite Callum Johns doing all he could to keep the victor honest.
With the 2014 season done and dusted, attentions will turn to the annual prizegiving on 17 January 2015.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Nathan Browning
CADET HONDA
1. Klaas Kooiker (Zip)
2. Joshua Martin (BRK)
3. Louis Harvey (Shark)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
3. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Patrick Hill (Wright)
2. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Sam Johns (Jade)
2. Tom Rawlings (Tonykart)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Ethan Ling CRG)
2. Ceran Sokhi
3. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
MINI MAX
1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
2. Kieran Clarke (Tonykart)
3. Liam Griffiths (Energy)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
TKM Extreme
1. Nicholas Rees (Tonykart)
2. Callum Johns (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Jenson Davis (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Kristian Prosser (Senior Honda)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Titles decided at Llandow Kart Club finale
Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship reached a thrilling climax on the coldest race weekend of the year, with titles being claimed across all classes.
The Bambinos opened the action with both Nathan Browning and McKenzie Douglas returning to pick up from where they left off in October. Both improved on their lap times and duly received their certificates and trophies.
Max Fenlon (#67) took Cadet IAME honours at Llandow KC
in November to secure overall runners-up honours in two categories
The Cadet field was split almost equally between Honda and IAME runners and produced some typically close racing. With Shay Keough holding a commanding points lead in IAME, the rest had been fighting over second in the standings for some time, and both Max Fenlon and Thomas Nippers spared nothing in their efforts. Nippers claimed heats two and three after Keough had opened the day on top, but it was Fenlon who came through to claim the Final by four-tenths. Nippers edged Keough by a similar amount to end the day second overall, but it wasn’t quite enough to claim the same position in the championship.
George Alp-Williams (#73) won the Cadet Honda final at
the tenth and last round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2014 championship
Things were a lot closer in the Honda category, with Ferguson brothers Stuart and Oscar doing battle with George Alp-Williams and Austin Maddocks for overall honours. Although Stuart headed a Ferguson 1-2 in the opening heat, it was all Alp-Williams from then on as he claimed the remaining heats and the final, with Louis Harvey also in the mix. Again, it wasn’t quite enough as Stuart garnered enough points to ensure that he added the title to his Celtic Challenge crown. Brother Oscar also finished ahead of Alp-Williams in the final reckoning, with Maddocks, third on the road in the final, ruing dropped scores as he filled fourth spot overall.
With no Comer Cadet runners since August, Shayne Clarke was already champion, heading fellow IAME converts Fenlon and Connor Kearney in the end-of-season table.
Despite entering the final round with a comfortable points advantage, Kristian Prosser was in no mood to cut his rivals any slack and, after seeing closest rival Patrick Hill win heat one, went on to take victory in each of the day’s remaining races. Hill finished second on the road in the other two heats before Ben Cutler beat him to the line in the final, but still had enough of a points cushion to finish as runner-up overall, ahead of Jack Bligh and Alex Wilkins.
Tom Croydon (#77) came out on top of the Junior Rotax
class at the November round of the Llandow Kart Club championship
With the Junior Max title already sewn up, Rob Ellis opted to sit out the final event in favour of an early taste of life in the senior category, and Tom Croydon and David Spiller duly took up the cudgels, battling at the front of the field in each of the day’s four races, with Tom Ford finishing third each time. Despite Croydon’s four wins, however, Spiller prevailed in the battle for second overall, with Ford again the next man up.
Jem Hempworth (#24) provided stern competition in
Minimax at round ten of the Llandow Kart Club championship
Minimax was also bereft of its champion with Riley Phillips absent, and that allowed Ethan Ling to complete a clean sweep of victories. Jem Hempworth provided some opposition in heat one, and continued to lead the chase throughout, ahead of Jack Fordham, Kieran Clarke and novice Liam Griffiths. When the points were tallied, however, it was Clarke who had enough to claim third in the final standings.
Things were shared a bit more evenly in Junior TKM, where Alex Rees, Yousuf Ashraf and Ryan Edwards took the heat wins. The final, however, also went Edwards’ way, as he headed Rees across the line by a little over three seconds, with Hugo Holmes edging Ashraf for third. Edwards’ intermittent appearances meant that he was not in title contention, however, with Rees coming out on top of a season-long battle with Ashraf. Sam Johns claimed third place overall, ahead of Holmes.
Crisiano Nardone (#88) claimed a maiden victory in the
Senior Honda final at the last round of the LKC championship
Danny Griffiths already had the Senior Honda crown in his pocket before the final round, but appeared intent on celebrating with a clean sweep of wins on the day. He did not have things all his own way, however, and the warning signs were there in the heats as Cristiano Nardone finished within half a second of the lead each time. Having made his point, Nardone then came out on top in the final by a similarly-scant couple of tenths, as his weekend haul - plus the dropped scores rule - proved enough to push out-going champion Paul Saunders down into third overall.
Morgan Rose (85) and fellow junior graduate Rob Ellis battle it out in
Senior Rotax at the final round of the 2014 Llandow Kart Club championship
The closely-fought Senior Rotax class opened with three different heat winners in the shape of Gareth Taylor, Zach Jones and Morgan Rose, setting up an interesting finale with the title in the balance. Rose, who only joined the class in October, wasn’t a threat for overall honours, but that didn’t stop him claiming another win in the main event, while Jones headed Taylor in the scrap for second. Taylor’s points, however, were enough to confirm him as 2014 champion, with main rival Dilip Singh failing to finish the final. Sebastian Hutchinson was a slightly distant third overall.
TKM Extreme made a rare appearance in South Wales, bolstering the Rotax field as Nicholas Rees and Edward Gamble shared the heat wins. Rees was back on top in the final – on paper at least – as he and Gamble were credited with exactly the same race time! Pat Millman, meanwhile, kept a watching brief…
With the main championship now in the rear view mirror, the 2014 season will close with the annual Celtic Challenge on Sunday 7 December.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
2. Louis Harvey (Shark)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
CHAMPION: Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
2. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
3. Shay Keough (Zip)
CHAMPION: Shay Keough (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
CHAMPION: Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Alex Rees (Jade)
3. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
CHAMPION: Alex Rees (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
2. David Spiller (Alonso)
3. Tom Ford
CHAMPION: Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
3. Jack Fordham (Kosmic)
CHAMPION: Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
CHAMPION: Danny Griffiths (MS)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Zach Jones (CRG)
3. Gareth Taylor (CRG)
CHAMPION: Gareth Taylor (CRG)
TKM Extreme
1. Nicholas Rees (Tonykart)
2. Edward Gamble (Tonykart)
3. Pat Millman (Jade)
BEST NOVICE: Morgan Cole (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Thomas Nippers (Cadet IAME)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Llandow Kart Club – October 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
The penultimate round of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship took place at South Wales Karting Centre with drivers in eight classes looking for a late push for silverware in a meeting that featured both longer heats and a free tyre draw.
The Bambinos were back in action, kicking the weekend off with Nathan Browning and McKenzie Douglas both improving their lap times over the course of the day, and gaining certificates and trophies for their efforts.
Max Fenlon (#67) took Cadet IAME honours at Llandow KC in October
The combined Cadet classes produced IAME heat victories for Max Fenlon (2) and Connor Kearney before Fenlon came out on top again in the final. Stuart Ferguson followed Fenlon’s lead in Honda Cadet, winning two heats and the Final, with George Alp-Williams claiming the remaining race. Shay Keough completed the IAME podium, with Oscar Ferguson ensuring it was a family 1-2 in Honda by pushing Alp-Williams back into third.
Stuart Ferguson (#CC) returned to the top of the Cadet Honda
pile at round nine of the Llandow Kart Club championship
There was no sharing of victories in Junior Honda as Celtic champion Kristian Prosser again claimed a clean sweep of all four races. Usual rival Patrick Hill appeared to be having on off-colour weekend as, having taken second on the road in heat one, he suffered a DSQ in race three, while the ever-improving Jack Bligh edged him in the other heat. Ben Cutler was runner-up in heat two, but it was Bligh back in P2 in the final, with Hill edging Cutler and Alex Wilkins for the final podium spot.
Kristian Prosser (red #CC) was in typically dominant Honda Junior
form at the October round of Llandow Kart Club’s championship
As usual, Junior Max featured the name of Rob Ellis at the top of the timesheets, but only on three out of four races on this occasion as heat two gave a glimpse of things to come with Minimax graduate Ethan Ling claiming first place. Ellis was back on top when it mattered most, however, with David Spiller also getting the better of Ling by the chequered flag.
Riley Phillips (#94) swept the board in Minimax at
round nine of the Llandow Kart Club championship
In Ling’s absence, Minimax honours went the way of Riley Phillips, with Jack Fordham – stepping up from the Cadet ranks - and novice Liam Griffiths filling the podium in the final.
Alex Rees (#77) cleaned up in the Junior TKM class at round eight of the LKC championship
Junior TKM provided a 100 per cent hit rate but, for once, it wasn’t Ryan Edwards doing the winning. Instead, Alex Rees came through to claim all four victories, leaving Edwards to scrap it out for minor honours in an eight-strong field, eventually settling for three second places, with Tom Rawlings taking the other. Sam Johns completed the top three in the heats, but it was Clay Pigeon’s Lucas Sullivan joining Rees and Edwards on the podium in the main event as Johns posted a DNF and Rawlings failed to start.
Danny Griffiths returned to winning ways in Senior Honda, but was denied a clean sweep when Cristiano Nardone claimed the victory in heat three. Nardone remained the biggest thorn in Griffiths’ side, finishing second on the road in all three remaining races, denying September class winner Chris Lipscomb in the heats and veteran Paul Saunders in the finale.
Debutant Morgan Rose (85) surprised the regulars by winning
Senior Rotax at round nine of the Llandow Kart Club championship
In contrast to the majority of classes, Senior Rotax shared the victories around, with Ashley Lewis, Zach Jones and Gareth Taylor each claiming success in the heats. However, come the final, and it was a new name at the top in every sense of the word as, having been a top three finishers early on, Morgan Rose completed his step up from the Junior Max ranks by shocking the regulars and taking top spot. Taylor and Sam Morgan completed the podium.
The random' tyre draw for each class took place during the drivers’ briefing and the following club members 'won' a set of tyres supplied by Llandow Kart Shop:
Stuart Ferguson (Cadet Honda)
Shay Keough (Cadet IAME)
Ben Cutler (Junior Honda)
Tom Rawlings (Junior TKM)
Ceran Sokhi (Junior Rotax)
Jack Fordham (MiniMax)
Chris Lipscomb (Senior Honda)
Sam Morgan (Senior Rotax)
The tenth and final round of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 16 November.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
2. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
3. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
2. Connor Kearney (Zip)
3. Shay Keough (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Lucas Sullivan (TonyKart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. David Spiller (Alonso)
3. Ethan Ling (CRG)
MINI MAX
1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
2. Jack Fordham (Kosmic)
3. Liam Griffiths (Energy)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose
2. Gareth Taylor (CRG)
3. Sam Morgan (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Liam Griffiths (Minimax)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Connor Kearney (Cadet IAME)
Llandow Kart Club – September 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
The sun was back in September as Llandow Kart Club’s championship took another step towards its denouement with eight classes in action at round eight.
The massed ranks of cadets kicked things off, with IAME rivals Shay Keough and Max Fenlon battling it out at the front of the field. Fenlon claimed heat one but, from there on in, it was Keough at the top of the timesheets, claiming the remaining heats and the final as Fenlon found he had Connor Kearney for company.
The Honda runners proved well-matched with four different winners in as many races. Rissington interloper Jensen Fennymore led brother Morgan across the line in a family 1-2 in the opening heat, before Llandow locals Oscar and Stuart Ferguson repeated the feat in race two. George Alp-Williams then took top spot in the final qualifier, but it was the driver behind him in that race who went on to take the win when it mattered most, as Louis Harvey claimed Final victory from Alp-Williams and Oscar Ferguson.
Rob Ellis (#17) claimed three out of four Junior Rotax races
at round eight of the Llandow Kart Club championship
There was a familiar story in Junior Honda as Celtic champion Kristian Prosser claimed a clean sweep of all four races. Season-long rival Patrick Hill provided the closest opposition in three of the four, including the Final, but had no answer to Prosser on this occasion. Ben Cutler took runners-up honours in heat one, but it was Jack Bligh who again came through to complete the podium in the main event.
Junior and Mini Max shared the track once again, and it was the usual story out front with Rob Ellis and Ethan Ling claiming top spot in the Final. Neither could claim total dominance, however, with Ellis missing out in heat three – which was won by Tom Croydon from David Spiller – and Ling having to give best to Riley Phillips in each of the qualifying races. Croydon and Phillips duly claimed runners-up honours in their respective classes, with Spiller and Jem Hempworth filling the top three.
Ryan Edwards (#13) returned to Llandow and dominated the
Junior TKM class at round eight of the LKC championship
Ryan Edwards returned to dominate in Junior TKM, although Tom Rawlings ensured there was no clean sweep by winning the opening race. Edwards didn’t have things his own way thereafter either, with August winner Alex Rees twice running him close, including missing out by less than a second in the Final. Yousuf Ashraf finished third in the main race, with Sam Johns and Rawlings taking top five positions.
Senior Honda started in familiar fashion with Danny Griffiths winning the opening heats, but veteran Chris Lipscomb stepped up to prevent another unbeaten weekend for the #45. Having run Griffiths close in race one, the Welsh champion turned the tables to claim heat three by just 0.028secs and then ran out a slightly more comfortable winner in the Final, edging Griffiths by 1.67secs. Monty Gorringe harried the points leader to the line in third place, just as he had in the third heat.
Dilip Singh followed up last month’s success by winning the opening heat in Senior Rotax but, from that point on, the meeting was all about Sam Morgan and Zach Jones. The pair finished 1-2 in the remaining three races, with Morgan coming out on top by a couple of tenths in the Final, as Singh completed the podium. Michael Bacchetta was the other driver to feature in the top three on the day, chasing Morgan and Jones home in heat three.
The ninth and penultimate round of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 19 October.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Louis Harvey (Shark)
2. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
3. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
3. Connor Kearney (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Alex Rees (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
3. David Spiller (Alonso)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
3. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Chris Lipscomb (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Sam Morgan (CRG)
2. Zach Jones (CRG)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Oliver Sadd (Minimax)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Sam Morgan (Senior Rotax)
Llandow Kart Club – August 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Although the weather gods decided to play a trick on Llandow, with mixed conditions for what was supposedly a summer month, the Welsh club continued to produce fine action on-track as the championship moved into its second half.
Thomas Nippers (#89) came out on top of the Cadet IAME
class at round seven of the Llandow Kart Club championship
With no Bambinos present, the assorted Cadet classes kicked things off, with Shay Keough and Max Fenlon sharing the heat wins in the IAME category. When it came to the Final, however, Thomas Nippers – who had been denied by just 0.001secs in heat three - came through to surprise both, claiming a rare success, with Fenlon second and Connor Kearney third.
The Honda class was no less fiercely contested, with Austin Maddocks and George Alp-Williams taking victory in the heats, before Jack Fordham stole the honours in the main event. Alp-Williams crossed the line in second place, with Maddocks third, just behind lone Comer runner Shayne Clarke.
Jack Fordham (#45) claimed victory in the Cadet Honda
class at round seven of the Llandow Kart Club championship
The Honda Junior races were dominated by Celtic champion Kristian Prosser and Welsh champion Patrick Hill. The latter opened the day with victory in heat one but thereafter had to play second fiddle to his big rival, as Prosser took the top step in the remaining races. Behind them, Jack Bligh claimed third in heat one, before Ben Cutler took over the role of chief pursuer for the remainder of the day.
Junior and Mini Max once again ran together on-track, but there was no denying Rob Ellis who, after July’s interruption, returned to winning ways in fine style with a clean sweep of all four outings in the Junior category. David Spiller and Tom Croydon gave chase, with the later finishing as runner-up in the final, where Ceran Sokhi completed the podium.
Mini Max went the way of reigning Welsh champion Ethan Ling, who saw off the challenge of Riley Phillips in each race. Kieran Clarke and Jem Hempworth duelled over third spot, with the latter eventually taking the final step of the podium.
Alex Rees (#77) takes the chequered flag to claim Junior TKM
victory in round seven of the Llandow Kart Club championship
Junior TKM produced four different winners from as many races, with Ross Deal, Hugo Homes and Yousuf Ashraf taking a heat apiece before Alex Rees came through to again claim top spot in the final. Holmes and Ashraf completed the top three, less than a second behind the winner, with Deal eventually classified fourth.
Danny Griffiths continued his recent dominant form in Senior Honda, but was denied a third consecutive sweep of the day’s action by being excluded from the opening heat. Undeterred, he bounced back to win the remaining races, including heading home Paul Saunders by some six seconds in the finale. Monty Gorringe claimed the final podium spot, denying Cristiano Nardone, who had celebrated victory in heat one earlier in the day.
In the absence of Tom Stride, July winner Dilip Singh proved the man to beat in Senior Rotax, taking heats one and three before repeating his success in the main event. Gareth Taylor proved to be Singh’s closest opposition on this occasion, winning the remaining heat before chasing the victor home in the final. Sam Morgan chased Taylor to the line before rounding out the top three.
Round eight of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 21 September.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Jack Fordham (BRK)
2. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
3. Connor Kearney (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
3. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
3. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Dilip Singh (CRG)
2. Gareth Taylor (CRG)
3. Sam Morgan (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Jenson Davis (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Thomas Nippers (Cadet IAME)
Llandow Kart Club – July 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Llandow Kart Club was blessed with another weekend of fine weather as it dedicated the sixth round of its annual championship to the memory of the late Richard Dowers.
With just one runner this month, the Bambino class was easy to sort as Nathan Browning had the track to himself. Despite being without others to chase, or be chased by, he continued to post consistent lap times throughout.
The Cadet grid was again made up of a blend of Honda, Comer and IAME runners, and it was the latter that got the chance to take the chequered flag first, with Shay Keough heading a 1-2-3-4 in heats one and two, then 1-2-3s thereafter, eventually crossing the line first in the Final, ahead of Max Fenlon and Ethan Rees. All IAME results remain provisional at the time of writing however.
Oscar Ferguson (#20) led brother Stuart in a family 1-2 in the
Honda Cadet class at Llandow Kart Club’s July meeting
Shayne Clarke dominated the Comer class, leaving the Hondas to provide much of the on-track action. One name remained to the fore, however, as the Ferguson brothers ran at the front of the field throughout the day. Oscar eventually proved to have the upper hand, edging Stuart each time, but it was another family triumph to add to their Celtic Cup achievements and father Charles’ success in the Ginetta Drivers’ Club series… Austin Maddocks took third place in three of the four races, including the main event, having seen Louis Harvey fill the spot in heat one.
The Honda Junior duo of Patrick Hill and Kristian Prosser will have arrived at Llandow hoping to add to recent class honours, but hadn’t counted on the presence of Ben Cutler. Having joined the field in June, the newcomer claimed his first LKC heat win in the final qualifying race, denting Prosser’s hopes of a clean sweep. Prosser was back on top when it mattered most, however, winning the Final from Hill and Cutler, while novice Jack Bligh again gave a good account of himself in fourth spot.
Morgan Rose (#16) made a winning return to the Junior Rotax class at
round six of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship
Rob Ellis’ has been the name to beat in Junior Rotax this season, but found himself up against some determined opposition in the shape of returnee Morgan Rose this time around. Rose claimed a clean sweep, winning all four races by an average of four seconds, leaving Ellis to bolster his championship advantage with a quartet of second places. Tom Croydon was third each time out.
In the absence of June class winner Riley Phillips, the Minimax battle was fought out between reigning Welsh champion Ethan Ling and Kieran Clarke, with Ling having the edge on the day.
Alex Rees (#77) claimed Junior TKM success at Llandow Kart Club’s July event
Junior TKM was fought out by the quintet of Hugo Holmes, Alex Rees, Sam Johns, Lewis Griffiths and Yousuf Ashraf, with only misfortune appearing to be able to separate them.
Holmes claimed two heat wins to Rees’ one, but it was the latter who came out on top in the Final, edging the June winner by 0.556secs as they crossed the line. Incredibly, Johns denied Griffiths a place on the final step of the podium by an even slimmer margin….
As had been the case last month, Danny Griffiths was in no mood to be beaten in Senior Honda, repeating June’s feat of winning each of the four races. Monty Gorringe, Paul Saunders and Welsh champion Chris Lipscomb duelled over the remaining places, with veteran Saunders getting the nod in a main event which saw Lipscomb sidelined after only six laps.
Like Griffiths, Tom Stride looked intent on remaining at the top of the Senior Rotax tree, having claimed three of June’s four races, but found renewed opposition in the form of Dilip Singh, who ended dreams of a full house by winning heat two. Stride returned to the front in the third qualifying race, but it was Singh who again came out on top in the even-numbered races, taking victory in a Final that saw Stride excluded from the result. Steven Handford duly claimed second place, ahead of Zach Jones, with Michael Bacchetta taking fourth.
A year on from Dowers’ untimely passing, the Club dedicated the event to the memory of the man who had done much to benefit not only LKC, which he helped found, but also South Wales Karting Centre, Welsh karting and the sport in general. Funds raised during the weekend were donated to Velindre Hospital in Dowers’ honour.
Morgan Rose takes the chequered flag and Junior Rotax victory in
July’s sixth round of the Llandow Kart Club championship
Round seven of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 17 August.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Nathan Browning (Zip)
CADET HONDA
1. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
CADET IAME - provisional
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)
3. Ethan Rees (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
3. Sam Johns (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Kieran Clarke (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Dilip Singh
2. Steven Handford
3. Zach Jones
BEST NOVICE: Austin Maddocks (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Michael Bacchetta (Senior Rotax)
Photo captions: (credit: Steve Everitt)
(credit: Steve Everitt)
(credit: Steve Everitt)
(credit: Steve Everitt)
Llandow Kart Club – June 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Round five of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship continued the season’s form as far as the weather was confirmed, with warm sunshine greeting 49 drivers for the first meeting after May’s successful Welsh Championships.
Having missed round four, the Bambinos were back on the bill for June, although only two drivers - Nathan Browning and McKenzie Douglass – were in action. Browning put in the fastest lap time of the day at 1min 01.403secs, with Douglass a couple of seconds further back. With positions now being judged on times achieved, Browning was awarded first place. LKC hopes to have a much larger grid of Bambinos for July’s round to remember the late Richard Dowers.
A slimmed-down Cadet grid boasted just ten entries, but that did not prevent some of the best racing of the day being provided by the younger members of the club. The two IAME runners, Shay Keough and Ethan Rees, led the way in each of the four races, with Keough crossing the line first each time to erase some of the disappointment at losing out on the Welsh title.
George Alp-Williams (#73) added Driver of the Day honours to his
Cadet Honda success at Llandow Kart Club’s June meeting
Cadet Honda honours, in the heats at least, were shared between brothers Oscar and Stuart Ferguson but, when it came to the final, neither could dislodge George Alp-Williams from top spot. Stuart led Oscar across the line to ensure a double Ferguson podium, while Austin Maddocks took fourth place.
Cadet Comer was the preserve of Max Fenlon, who claimed each of the day’s four races ahead of Shayne Clarke.
Despite Kath Denscombe Memorial Award winner Sofia Nardone graduating to the Senior class, Junior Honda numbers remained at five, with Ben Cutler joining the regular runners for the first time. It was Patrick Hill that everyone was gunning for, however, the new Welsh champion winning heats two and three as well as the Final, while season-long rival Kristian Prosser had to settle for success in the opening race of the day. Cutler started well with P3 in heat one, but it was Jack Bligh who completed the podium when it mattered most.
Hugo Holmes (#56) was victorious in Junior TKM in round five
of Llandow Kart Club’s summer championship
Hugo Holmes made a successful return to Junior TKM a month after retiring from the Welsh Championships final, claiming heat three and the main race at the head of a seven-kart field. Alex Rees started strongly, with victory in each of the opening two races, but was excluded from the Final, allowing Sam Johns and Yousuf Ashraf to complete the podium.
With nine runners split almost equally between the Junior and Minimax classes, each was afforded its own Final, having run together through the day’s three heats. Rob Ellis once again proved unbeatable in the Junior section, crossing the line first in each of the heats before beating Tom Croydon – one month on from breaking his wrist in a karting accident - and Jodie Handford to the chequered flag in the main event. Handford finished third in each of the day’s races, with Tom Ford providing the only change in the top three with second place in the third heat.
Riley Phillips (#94) claimed a rare victory after dominating
Minimax at Llandow Kart Club’s June event
Riley Phillips confirmed his May qualifying pace by dominating the Minimax class, winning each of the four races ahead of regular frontrunner and new Welsh champion Ethan Ling. Jem Hempworth and Kieran Clarke completed the line-up with the former having the upper hand in the battle for third place.
Senior Honda numbers again threatened to return to double figures, with the Nardone clan making up a third of the grid as Sofia and Roberto joined Cristiano in the nine-kart field. The presence of newly-minted Welsh champion Chris Lipscomb should have provided some tasty racing at the front of the pack, but there was no denying Danny Griffiths, who completed a clean sweep of heats and Final. Lipscomb was second on each occasion, with Monty Gorringe ensuring that the top three remained the same throughout.
Tom Stride (#26) came out on top of the Senior Rotax battle in
June’s fifth round at Llandow Kart Club
Senior Rotax also saw an unfamiliar face at the very top of the timesheets, as Tom Stride claimed three of the day’s four races, including the Final. He started as he meant to go on, beating Gareth Taylor to the line in heat one, and then repeated the feat in the third race. Taylor claimed heat two, and ran Stride close in the main event, eventually missing out by just 0.677secs. Dilip Singh and Sebastian Hutchinson shared third places in the heats, but it was Sam Morgan who completed the podium in the Final.
Round six of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 20 July.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Nathan Browning (Zip)
2. McKenzie Douglass (CRG)
CADET HONDA
1. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
2. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
3. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Max Fenlon (RK Birel)
2. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2. Ethan Rees (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Patrick Hill (Wright)
2. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
2. Sam Johns (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
3. Jodie Handford (Tonykart)
MINI MAX
1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
2. Ethan Ling (CRG)
3. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Chris Lipscomb (7Kart)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Tom Stride (CRG)
2. Gareth Taylor (CRG)
3. Sam Morgan (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Alex Wilkins (Junior Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: George Alp-Williams (Cadet Honda)
Llandow Kart Club – May 2014 – Welsh Kart Championships
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
After the turn of fortune that left April’s event cold and wet, Llandow Kart Club was once again graced by dry and sunny conditions when it reconvened for the blue riband Welsh Kart Championships.
The two-day meeting, complete with timed qualifying in addition to the usual heats and Finals, attracted a round 70 entries across eight classes as the event doubled as round four of Llandow’s summer championship, but with the added incentive of earning the coveted ‘C’ plate for the next twelve months.
Cadet IAME winner Ethan Rees (#13) in action during May’s
Welsh Championship event at Llandow Kart Club
In the absence of the Bambino class – a major contrast to April’s meeting, which had seen 28 of the nation’s youngest racers converge on South Wales as part of their national tour and whose latest round clashed with the Welsh Championships – it was left to the Cadets to kick off proceedings on Saturday.
With 23 runners spread across Honda (14), Comer (3) and IAME (6) categories, the Cadets again created a spectacle on track, but it was the #51 IAME machine of form driver Shay Keough generally to the fore. Winner of the past two club rounds, Keough held sway until it really mattered, when Pre-Final runner-up Ethan Rees turned the tables to claim the title by 0.199secs. Callum Bradshaw completed the podium.
Comer honours went to Max Fenlon, who only had Shayne Clarke to beat after Celtic champion Connor Kearney fell by the wayside, while the Honda class was fought out between Joshua Martin, Harry King and Ferguson brothers Oscar and Stuart. While the Fergusons shared qualifying race wins with Martin, it was the latter who came out on top in the Final, edging King by 0.001secs. As the Fergusons faded, Will Uphill came through to complete the podium, ahead of Jack Fordham and Louis Harvey.
The usual quintet of Honda Junior driver renewed their fight for silverware, and Patrick Hill gave regular pacesetter Kristian Prosser a wake-up call by winning the opening heat. Prosser responded by claiming heat two and the Pre-Final, but Hill proved that his early success had been no fluke by returning to the front in the Final, claiming the Welsh title by a little over a tenth of a second. Eight-tenths further back, Jack Bligh made up for his April disappointment by completing podium. Alex Wilkins and Sofia Nardone made up the field, with Nardone later being nominated for the prestigious Kath Denscombe Memorial Award for her ‘dedication and enthusiasm’.
Patrick Hill (#75) took a surprise victory in the Junior Honda class
of the Welsh Kart Championship at Llandow Kart Club
A dozen drivers turned out in Junior TKM, with Scott Morris and Alex Rees sharing top spot in the heats and Pre-Final. Come the main event, however, and it appeared that reigning Welsh champion Yousuf Ashraf had saved his best for last, only to fall foul of a post-race exclusion. With provisional third-placed runner Sam Johns also a victim of the scrutineers, the final podium saw reigning Welsh champion from the Cadet Comer class, Tom Rawlings, add a second national title, ahead of Ryan Edwards and Ross Deal.
The Junior Rotax and Minimax classes shared the track for their qualifying races before being split for separate Finals. As has been the case all season, Rob Ellis held sway amongst the Juniors, topping every session before claiming the Welsh title by over a second from Ryan Luscombe, with Tom Ford in third place. Mention should be made of Tom Croydon, who broke his wrist after flipping his kart in heat two, but returned to the track to follow proceedings later in the day.
The results of the Minimax class were only confirmed following the main presentation, but saw Ethan Ling come out on top by 0.5secs ahead of fellow heat winner Harry Gooding, with Riley Phillips – who had topped second qualifying on Sunday morning – in third place.
Senior Honda produced a fairy-tale win for one of the class’ stalwarts, as Chris Lipscomb finally claimed the Welsh crown after 13 years of trying. The national series regular won three of the four races, but was denied a clean sweep by Monty Gorringe’s success in the Pre-Final. In the main event, both Gorringe and Danny Griffiths kept Lipscomb honest, with the latter eventually emerging as runner-up, as Gorringe had to settle for third despite crossing the line 0.6secs behind the winner. Nick Turley similarly edged reigning club champion Paul Saunders for fourth.
Chris Lipscomb (#2) ended 13 years of frustration by landing the Senior Honda
title as Llandow Kart Club played host to the Welsh Championships
Senior Rotax numbers may not match those seen in recent years, but the ten runners that did turn out ensured that the meeting ended on a high. As he had in the April club meeting, Josh Gray appeared to be in control after claiming victory in the two heats, but Zach Jones refused to roll over and edged the Pre-Final to claim pole for the main event. The pair remained closely matched, but ultimately it was Jones who came out on top, taking the Welsh title by a couple of tenths, as Gray crossed the line ahead of Ashley Lewis and Kasey Watson.
As well as the Kath Denscombe Memorial Award, other drivers were rewarded for meritorious performances that fell short of the podium. In classes that numbered at least six drivers, circuit commentator – and new ‘face of British GT’ on MotorsTV - Henry Beaudette decided that these should go to Jack Fordham (Cadet Honda), Jonny Wilkinson (Cadet IAME), Jack Johns (Junior TKM), Jodie Handford (Junior Max), Jack Hixon (Senior Honda) and Tom Stride (Senior Max). Meanwhile, Jack Bligh (Junior Honda) took ‘Best Novice’ honours, while Shay Keough received the ‘Driver of the Day’ nomination.
The most prestigious award of the weekend, however, went to someone not taking part on track. Following in the footsteps of inaugural recipient, the late Richard Dowers, who was recognised for his contribution to the administration and organisation of Welsh karting, the 2014 Harry and Evelyn Maund Memorial Award was presented to Peter Stephens, who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport in a quite different way.
Noted as ‘one to watch’ in 1971, his first year of karting, he went on to achieve outstanding success at national and international events. A Welsh champion on at least 17 occasions, Stephens remained a perennial contender well into the 1990s, as well as becoming the first Welshman to win the Wessex and Midland Championships; the first Welshman to make the seven-man British team, and the second to make the four-man national squad. Since ‘retiring’ from the track, he has become a familiar sight in the pits, where his knowledge, technical expertise and advice continue to assist and support new generations of young karters.
Welsh Kart Championship class winners celebrate at Llandow Kart Club
The Welsh Championships would not have been possible without the support of various sponsors and Llandow Kart Club would like to thank BSC Controls, Kartmania 2014, Lewis Motors, Llandow Kart Shop, ProKart Engineering, Rumney MOT Centre, Silver Fox Karting, South Wales Karting Centre, Talko, THR Graphics and Zip Karts for their involvement.
Round five of the 2014 Llandow club championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 15 June.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (BRK)
2. Harry King (Project One)
3. Will Uphill (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Max Fenlon (RK Birel)
2. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
3. Connor Kearney (Zip)
CADET IAME
1, Ethan Rees (Zip)
2. Shay Keough (Zip)
3. Callum Bradshaw (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Patrick Hill (Wright)
2. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Tom Rawlings (Tonykart)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Ross Deal (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Ryan Luscombe (Kosmic)
3. Tom Ford (CRG)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Harry Gooding (Kosmic)
3. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Chris Lipscomb (7Kart)
2. Danny Griffiths (MS)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Zach Jones (Jade)
2. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
3. Ashley Lewis (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Jack Bligh (Junior Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Shay Keough (Cadet IAME)
KATH DENSCOMBE MEMORIAL AWARD: Sofia Nardone (Junior Honda)
HARRY & EVELYN MAUND MEMORIAL AWARD: Peter Stephens
Llandow Kart Club – April 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Despite coinciding with the Easter weekend, Llandow Kart Club enjoyed its biggest turnout of the 2014 season so far at its April meeting, boosted by the arrival of no fewer than 28 drivers for round two of the Bambino Kart Club’s national tour.
Sadly the weather did not follow the trend set across the first two rounds of the season, but the mix of rain and cloudy conditions could not dampen the enthusiasm on track.
Comer cadet driver Connor Kearney in action during April’s round
of the Llandow Kart Club championship
The massed Bambinos – from all parts of England and Wales - were split into three groups for the day’s proceedings, with all drivers ‘competing’ against the clock to better their respective lap times in three eight-minute 'heats' followed by a Final. Awards were presented to the first ten places, with medallions for the rest. Llandow regulars Ella Stevens, Nathan Browning and Max Hall faced strong competition, but finished well in the standings, while Cwmbran resident Caleb McDuff was followed throughout the day by Sarah Lawrence and a cameraman from slFirst Magazine. Caleb is deaf and hopes to progress to F1 through karting. slFirst Magazine is online with a report, photographs and a film of Caleb at Llandow.
Out-numbered for once, the combined Cadet classes still managed a 21-strong entry, with Honda, Comer and IAME all represented. As he had in March, IAME runner Shay Keough led the field home in the Final, having shared heat honours with Ethan Rees, who took second in class in the main event, with Zach Arthur completing the podium.
A hard-fought Honda class eventually went the way of Joshua Martin, who led double heat winner Harry King across the line in the Final. Both drivers finished in the overall top three, sandwiched between Keough and Rees, while third-placed Honda runner Oscar Ferguson completed the top five. It was another strong weekend for the Ferguson family, with brother Stuart having claimed the opening heat, before finishing fifth in class behind Jack Fordham in the Final.
Comer silverware was claimed by Max Fenlon, who had shared heat wins with Conner Kearney and Jakob Chamberlain earlier in the day. Kearney and Chamberlain duly finished second and third in class, with Shayne Clarke fourth overall.
LKC member Aston Rich braves the conditions to take on some of the nation’s best young
6-7 year old drivers as the Bambino Kart Club visited South Wales
Five familiar faces made up the Honda Junior class, but proceedings were dominated by Kristian Prosser, who continued his strong start to 2014 with an unblemished record. Patrick Hill provided the closest thing to opposition, with four second places on the day, while third spot was fought over by novices Jack Bligh, Alex Wilkins and Sofia Nardone. Sadly, a DNF denied Bligh a shot at the podium in the Final allowing Wilkins to join Prosser and Hill in the top three.
With a packed schedule limiting track time, the Junior TKM, Rotax and Minimax runners were combined for the weekend, producing a 15-kart spectacle. TKM honours eventually went the way of Alex Rees, but not before Jack Barber and Yousuf Ashraf (2) had shared the head victories. Barber claimed second in class in the Final, with Ashraf completing the podium.
Junior Rotax was a little more one-sided with Rob Ellis claiming three victories from four races, with only an exclusion blotting his copybook. That misdemeanour allowed David Spiller to edge heat two victory over Ceran Sokhi, but Ellis would not be denied in the main event, leaving Sokhi to beat Spiller to the line for second spot.
Former Cadet frontrunner Ethan Ling came out on top in Minimax, having earlier shared heat honours with Riley Phillips, who duly took second spot ahead of Jem Hempworth in the Final.
Senior Honda’s resurgence nearly made it into double figures, but one name – that of Nathan Read – dominated the results sheets through the three heats. When it mattered most, however, Read found opposition from Danny Griffiths, with the LKC regular claiming his second Final in as many months by just 0.79secs. Cristiano Nardone completed the podium, ahead of Monty Gorringe and Chris Lipscomb.
There were ten runners on track in Senior Rotax, where Josh Gray appeared the man to beat after claiming victory in each of the three heats. Unfortunately, when it came to the race that mattered most, the frontrunner found himself demoted to third spot as Kasey Watson and Zach Jones fought over victory, eventually being separated by just 0.25secs. Tom Stride and Dilip Singh completed the top five.
Round four of the 2014 championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Saturday and Sunday 17-18 May, in parallel with the annual Welsh Kart Championships.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Harley Keeble (Birel)
2. Luke Hilton (Tonykart)
3. Tristan Thorpe (Tonykart)
4. Oakley Keightly (Zip)
5. Aiden Neate (Zip)
6. Curtis-Rohun Stewart (RK/Birel)
7. Jacob Burgess (Zip)
8. Maximus Hall (Tonykart)
9. Freddie Spindlow
10. Jack Page (Tonykart)
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (BRK)
2. Harry King (Project One)
3. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Max Fenlon (RK Birel)
2. Connor Kearney (Zip)
3. Jakob Chamberlain (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2, Ethan Rees (Zip)
3. Zach Arthur (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Jack Barber (Jade)
3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Ceran Sokhi (Kosmic)
3. David Spiller (Alonso)
MINI MAX
1. Ethan Ling (CRG)
2. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
3. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Nathan Read (7Kart)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Kasey Watson (CRG)
2. Zach Jones
3. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Maxwell Melia (Honda Cadet)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Ethan Ling (Minimax)
Llandow Kart Club – March 2014
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
The weather gods again looked kindly on Llandow Kart Club as round two of the 2014 season was accompanied by dry and sunny conditions, although a blustery breeze kept drivers on their toes in South Wales.
A round 60 entries ensured that numbers were up on the opening meeting of the season, with a number of new faces and visitors from other clubs adding to the occasion.
Shay Keough (#51) won the Honda IAME class, crossing the line first in the combined
Cadet final at Llandow Kart Club’s March round (credit: Steve Everitt)
With one late scratch, the Bambino category featured the same three drivers as February and Nathan Browning, Ella Stevens and Max Hall all acquitted themselves well over the full circuit, achieving silver awards all round. Next month, however, Llandow is bracing itself for as many as 30 Bambinos, courtesy of a visit from round two of the 'Bambino Kart Club's' national tour.
The combined Cadet field boasted 15 runners, with the Honda section again being the best represented. However, it was IAME driver Shay Keough who crossed the line first in the Final, holding off the Honda-powered Ferguson brothers by less than a second, with Comer winner Max Fenlon in fourth.
Keough was the man to beat in IAME, although Thomas Nippers did secure the first heat, while the Ferguson boys were back on form after a frustrating opening round, with Stuart claiming heat one and brother Oscar heat three. Celtic champion Stuart also had the upper hand in the Final, coming home just 0.18secs shy of Keough but claiming the Honda class win while his brother and George Alp-Williams completed the podium. Connor Kearney provided Fenlon’s closest opposition in Comers, with Jakob Chamberlain completing the podium, whilst Shayne Clarke was nominated as the weekend’s Best Novice.
Kristian Prosser (#CC) took a clean sweep in the Junior Honda class
at Llandow Kart Club’s march round (credit: Steve Everitt)
Junior Honda was once again dominated by Celtic Challenge champion Kristian Prosser, who claimed victory in all three heats before cruising to an eleven-second win in the Final, almost exactly repeating his feat from February. Indeed, the entire class came close to repeating last month’s formbook, with Patrick Hill and novice Jack Bligh completing the top three each time – remaining in the that order despite being closely matched – while rookies Sofia Nardone and Alex Wilkins squabbled over fourth and fifth.
As in round one, Rob Ellis remained unbeaten throughout the Junior Rotax competition, although his margin of victory remained at around four seconds as Thomas Croydon, David Spiller and Tom Ford took it in turns to give chase. Despite Spiller’s ever-presence in the top three, it was Croydon who emerged at the head of the battle for runners-up honours in the Final, reversing their positions from round one.
MiniMax was again claimed by Riley Phillips, who won his class in three of the four outings, and mixed it with the back of the Juniors in heat three. The day’s other win went to Jem Hempworth, who comfortably headed Kieran Clarke and novice Callum Beeken in the battle for second in the main event.
Reigning Welsh champion Yousuf Ashraf saved his best for last in Junior TKM, building on a series of top three heat results to finally come out on top when it mattered in the Final. Alex Rees (twice) and Hugo Holmes had denied Ashraf and Sam Johns earlier in the day, but had to settle for third and fourth respectively in the main event as the top two pulled away to be separated by just 0.12secs at the chequered flag. Rees, however, was later rewarded with Driver of the Day honours.
Senior Honda numbers were boosted by the return of Hugh Jones, but it was this season’s graduates from the Junior level that made the headlines in the heats as Ben Stevens (twice) and Cristiano Nardone claimed the wins. Danny Griffiths and Chris Lipscomb were forced to take a watching brief through the qualifiers, but came good in the main event to fill the top two spots respectively, with Nardone also finding the podium after Stevens was left nursing a DNF when it mattered most.
Senior Rotax returned to double figures in March, but proved to be the domain of Gareth Taylor and Dilip Singh. Having finished second overall in round one, Taylor opened up with victory in heats one and three sandwiching third in race two, but it was Singh, after a quiet start, who came good at the end, denying his rivals by a couple of seconds in the Final and adding fastest lap to boot. Taylor’s day ended with another top three result, but he had to be content with third on the road after Josh Gray stole into second spot to add to his heat two victory. Round one winner Sebastian Hutchinson was only sixth this time around.
Round three of the 2014 championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 20 April.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Silver Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
Max Hall
CADET HONDA
1. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
2. Oscar Ferguson (Project One)
3. George Alp-Williams (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Max Fenlon (RK Birel)
2. Connor Kearney (Zip)
3. Jakob Chamberlain (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Zip)
2, Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
2. Sam Johns (Jade)
3. Alex Rees (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
3. David Spiller (Alonso)
MINI MAX
1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
2. Jem Hempworth (CRG)
3. Kieran Clarke (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Danny Griffiths (MS)
2. Chris Lipscomb (7Kart)
3. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Dilip Singh (CRG)
2. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
3. Gareth Taylor (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Shayne Clarke (Comer Cadet)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Alex Rees (Junior TKM)
Llandow Kart Club – February 2014
The opening round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2014 season was blessed with a rare dry and sunny day amidst the winter storms and rewarded those that turned out with some close racing.
In all, 56 drivers got their campaigns underway, with some old faces in unfamiliar surroundings, doing battle with club stalwarts determined to show the whippersnappers that they still had a trick or two up their sleeves.
Although only three Bambinos were on track – with regulars Ella Stevens and Nathan Browning joined by newcomer Max Hall – there were a few changes for the youngest competitors to deal with, starting with a new format and the challenge of running on the full Llandow circuit for the first time. The category’s timed ‘events’ ran for eight minutes plus one lap, with some hasty recalculation of target times required to determine which award each merited. While Stevens was unlucky to suffer two DNFs in her four outings, she – like her rivals – did enough to merit a gold medal. Hall, meanwhile, belied his ‘new boy’ status by posting the fastest lap of the day…
Yousuf Ashraf (#22) does battle with Hugo Holmes (#56) and Sam Johns in the Junior TKM final at Llandow Kart Club’s opening meeting of 2014 (credit: Hardy Rodde)
Cadet numbers were a little down on their 2013 highs – a result as much of graduations as anything – but that did not mean that the expected frontrunners had life easy. Despite that, the results will show that reigning champion Ethan Ling dominated the Honda side of the field, while Shay Keough (IAME) and Max Fenlon claimed three wins from four in their respective classes. Keough missed out on a clean sweep when Joshua Davis beat him to the line by 0.1secs in the Final, while Fenlon was denied a similar feat by Connor Kearney’s success during the heats. Harry King and Stuart Ferguson completed the Honda podium, with Thomas Nippers (IAME), Kearney and Shayne Clarke (both Comer) doing likewise in the others classes.
Junior Honda featured five runners, including novice Jack Bligh, but proved to be the domain of Celtic Challenge champion Kristian Prosser, who claimed victory in all three heats before cruising to an eleven-second win in the Final. Behind him, the order was largely the same, with only Patrick Hill’s heat three DSQ denying him a quartet of second places. Bligh took a creditable third, with Alex Wilkins and Sofia Nardone next up.
Like Prosser, Rob Ellis remained unbeaten in Junior Rotax, sweeping the field to make a strong start to his championship defence. Behind him, David Spiller led the pursuit, eventually claiming runners-up spot in all four races. Tom Croydon completed the podium in the Final, but not before MiniMax graduate Ceran Sokhi had taken his own turn in P3 during the heats. Lone MiniMax runner Riley Phillips, meanwhile, made a strong impression throughout the day.
Junior TKM numbers rose to seven, but it was the familiar name of reigning club champion Yousuf Ashraf at the head of the timesheets in all but one outing. Hugo Holmes interrupted the sweep, winning heat three, but could not find quite enough to repeat in what turned out to be an epic Final, eventually crossing the line 0.1secs shy of Ashraf. Sam Johns completed the first podium of 2014, but had had to share third places with Alex Rees and reigning Cadet Comer champion Tom Rawlings in the heats.
Senior Honda made a positive start to the new season with seven runners on track, but there was a new name to the fore, with former Junior Honda powerhouse Ben Stevens making an impressive debut by sweeping all four races. The interloper – who earned his second consecutive ‘Driver of the Day’ award - did not have it easy in the Final, getting involved in a first turn accident that called for a restart, but had enough in hand to deny fellow junior graduate Cristiano Nardone and veteran Paul Saunders in the main event. Monty Gorringe had looked set for a possible podium prior to a late technical black flag, allowing Jack Hixon into fourth spot.
With numbers a little down in Senior Rotax, and some regulars AWOL, the door was open for new faces to make an early mark at the sharp end. Gareth Taylor and Sebastian Hutchinson were not about to waste the opportunity and, after Taylor had claimed the heats battle by two wins to one, the pair waged battle in the Final, before Hutchinson eventually came out on top by just over a second. Scott Rose completed the podium in the main event, having shared the spot with Tom Stride and Dilip Singh in the qualifying races.
Round two of the 2014 championship takes place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 16 March.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
Gold Award
Nathan Browning (CRG)
Ella Stevens (CK)
Max Hall
CADET HONDA
1. Ethan Ling (Project One)
2. Harry King (Project One)
3. Stuart Ferguson (Project One)
CADET COMER
1. Max Fenlon (RK Birel)
2. Connor Kearney (Zip)
3. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Joshua Davis (Zip)
2. Shay Keough (Zip)
3, Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)
2. Hugo Holmes (Tonykart)
3. Sam Johns (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. David Spiller (Alonso)
3. Tom Croydon (Gillard)
MINI MAX
1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Ben Stevens (7Kart)
2. Cristiano Nardone (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Sebastian Hutchinson (Tonykart)
2. Gareth Taylor (Tonykart)
3. Scott Rose (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Jack Bligh (Junior Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Ben Stevens (Senior Honda)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Hardy Rodde