Llandow Kart Club - Race Reports
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Victory elementary for Watson as 2016 season opens
Llandow Kart Club ushered in its 2016 season on typically wintry day at the Welsh Karting Centre in the Vale of Glamorgan and was rewarded with a mix of new and old faces on the podium.
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Ben Watson dominated the Honda Cadet class as the
2016 season opened at Llandow Kart Club
In the absence of the Bambinos, the Honda Cadet runners kicked things off and, having been denied first place in the opening heat, Ben Watson was determined not to give best to anyone, sweeping the remaining qualifying races and the final by increasingly wider margins. Ellis Puleo took the runners-up spot in the main event, with Jenson Davis, who had claimed the first win of the new season, completing the podium.
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Axel Laflamme - Junior X30
The Junior Honda class opened with two familiar foes in opposition as Alex Wilkins and Finley Green shared the heat victories. In truth, Green should probably have enjoyed a clean sweep, but was excluded from heat two and, when a scrutineering failure prompted another DQ in the final, novices Jakeb Bull and Cameron Gomm got the chance to join winner Wilkins on the podium.
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Monty Gorringe - Senior Honda
The final junior races saw the TKM and X30 classes combined for the day, and both had similar outcomes, with one driver featuring prominently throughout. While Axel Laflamme had no opposition in X30, Yousuf Ashraf was denied a clean sweep by a heat three DNF. While that gave Lucas Sullivan a rare opportunity to head the TKM runners, Ashraf was back in charge for the fourth heat, and underlined his dominance by coming home six seconds clear of his rivals in the final. Sullivan had to settle for third on that occasion, with Sam Johns returning to the runner-up spot.
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Charlie Bruce-White - TKM Extreme
The theme of a single driver dominating was not to be disabused by the Senior Honda runners, with Monty Gorringe opening his season at the front through all five races. Paul Saunders, Patrick Hill and Daniel Watkins all took turns to come home in second place in the heats, and it was the latter who eventually emerged from the pack to claim the silver medal in the final, edging Hill by 0.3secs.
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Best novice William Gill (Honda Cadet)
With no Senior Rotax class on the February bill, TKM Extreme brought the curtain down on a soggy day, with CPKC's Charlie Bruce-White and Rowrah regular Will Stilwell both enjoying success in the heats, before the former claimed the main event by a couple of seconds.
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Yousuf Ashraf - Junior TKM
Round two of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 20 March 2016.
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Driver of the Day Cameron Gomm (Junior Honda)
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Ben Watson (Project One)
2. Ellis Puleo (Project One)
3. Jenson Davis (Project One)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
2. Jakeb Bull (Biz)
3. Cameron Gomm
JUNIOR TKM
1. Yousuf Ashraf (Tonykart)
2. Sam Johns (Jade)
3. Lucas Sullivan (Tonykart)
JUNIOR X30
1. Axel Laflamme
SENIOR HONDA
1. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
2. Daniel Watkins (Wright)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
TKM EXTREME
1. Charlie Bruce-White (Tonykart)
2. Will Stilwell (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE:
Williams Gill (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Cameron Gomm (Junior Honda)
'Abbi' Christmas as Celtic Challenge wraps up 2015
Llandow Kart Club brought the curtain down on 2015 as its traditional end-of season Celtic Challenge event provided one last chance for drivers to wrap up some silverware.
With a timed qualifying session preceding a single heat and Pre-Final, the pressure was on to deliver from that start of the day, and the competitors did not disappoint with action across all eight classes.
Christmas visitor Abbi Pulling (#49) took Celtic Challenge
honours in the Junior TKM class at Llandow Kart Club
With no Bambinos on track, it was the combined Cadet classes that got things underway, with 20 karts making for a busy circuit. IAME runner Matthew Rees showed that he was going to be tough to beat by topping the qualifying session by over half a second from new club champion Thomas Nippers and claimed pole position for the main event by winning the Pre-Final after Nippers had hit back in the heat. With the pair so closely matched, it was no surprise that just 0.8secs separated them after eleven laps in the Final, with Rees edging the battle. Connor Kearney came through the enlarged field to complete the podium, while former Bambino favourite Ella Stevens picked up the award for best novice on the day.
Ryan Edwards (#13) stepped up to TKM Extreme and won
the 2015 Celtic Challenge at Llandow Kart Club
Things were a little more clear cut in Cadet Honda, where club champion Axel Laflamme proved unbeatable in all three races. The American did not fare as well in qualifying, where Ben Watson, Austin Maddocks and Louis Harvey all posted faster times, but claimed the top step of the podium by 6.5secs in the Final, coming home ahead of Maddocks and Watson, with novice Max Meir showing well to claim fourth in class.
Matthew Rees (#35) crosses the line to win the 2015
Cadet IAME Celtic Challenge at Llandow Kart Club
Finley Green's end-of-season form continued into the Celtic Challenge, defying the usually hard-fought nature of the Junior Honda category despite the best efforts of new club champion Ben Cutler and Alex Wilkins to keep him honest. Six-tenths clear in qualifying, Green proceeded to sweep all three races, eventually crossing the line a little over five seconds ahead of Cutler in the Final to claim the driver of the day nomination as well as his first title at Llandow.
A 14-strong Junior TKM class provided some close competition through the field, but no-one could hold a candle to TVKC interloper Abbi Pulling, who claimed victory in each of the day' three races after being narrowly edged out in qualifying by Alex Rees. Taking the flag eight seconds ahead of the pack, Pulling left 2015 club champion Louis Beaven and Yousuf Ashraf to fight over the runners-up spot in both the heat and Pre-Final, before again racing away in the main event to take the CC plate by nearly the same advantage. Beaven again took second spot, this time ahead of Rees who, along with Lucas Sullivan, pushed Ashraf back to fifth at the flag.
Josh Gray (#61) celebrates victory in the Senior Rotax
class at Llandow Kart Club's 2015 Celtic Challenge
MiniMax made its return to Llandow as two runners were added to the TKM grid, with Connor Merrifield coming out on top over Liam Griffiths.
Kristian Prosser cemented his successful 2015 season by adding the Celtic title to his club and Welsh crowns in Senior Honda. Fastest in qualifying, Prosser went on to win each of his races by an increasing margin until eventual runner-up Daniel Watkins closed the gap to just over five seconds in the Final. Second fastest in the timed session, Patrick Hill was also Prosser's closest rival in the heat, but had to settle for fourth in both the Pre-Final and Final as wily veteran Paul Saunders completed the podium.
Ella Stevens (#28) was named best novice at the 2015 Celtic Challenge at Llandow Kart Club
Senior Rotax champion Morgan Rose was unable to join Prosser in adding to his club title at the final event of the year despite having topped qualifying ahead of James Johnson and David Spiller. For the rest of the afternoon, Rose would find himself trapped in second spot, with Johnson winning both the heat and Pre-Final but, although he secured pole for the main event, Johnson would not come out on top in the Final, as Josh Gray came through from third to take the honours.
Connor Merrifield (#59) came out on top of the MiniMax class at the 2015 Celtic Challenge
A rare appearance from the TKM Extreme category brought the 2015 to a close, with familiar faces from Junior TKM joining others from Senior Honda and Rotax on the grid. There was no denying Ran Edwards, however, as the Junior TKM graduate dominated all four sessions. Sebastian Hutchinson and Matthew Harris proved to be the winner's closest rivals, duelling over second place throughout before Hutchinson came home just half a second ahead of his rival, with Monty Gorringe and Joe Phillips completing the top five.
Finley Green continued his end-of-season firm to clinch the
Junior Honda class title at Llandow Kart Club's 2015 Celtic Challenge
With the 2015 season now officially completed, the next date on the Llandow Kart Club agenda is the annual AGM and Awards Dinner on Saturday 9 January.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
2. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
3. Ben Watson (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Matthew Rees (Synergy)
2. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
3. Connor Kearney (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Finley Green (Biz)
2. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Abbi Pulling (Talko)
2. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
3. Alex Rees (Jade)
MiniMax
1. Connor Merrifield (Alonso)
2. Liam Griffiths (Energy)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Daniel Watkins (Wright)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
2. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
3. James Johnson (Kosmic)
TKM EXTREME
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Sebastian Hutchinson (Tonykart)
3. Matthew Harris (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE:
Ella Stevens (IAME Cadet)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Finley Green (Junior Honda)
2015 champions crowned at Llandow Kart Club
Kristian Prosser (#C) added the 2015 Llandow Kart Club Senior
Honda title to the Welsh crown he won earlier in the year
Llandow Kart Club concluded its 2015 season on a typically wet and windy November weekend, with champions being crowned in all classes.
Although not competing for silverware, the Bambino class continued to pave the way for those that were, with Ryan Smith gaining six seconds on his lap times, battling the gusty wind and damp conditions like a pro.
Thomas Nippers (#89) - 2015 Cadet IAME champion
One of the club's Bambino graduates, Nathan Browning, was among the IAME Cadet runners but, given his lack of experience, unsurprisingly had to give best to Thomas Nippers and Matthew Rees on the day. Nippers came out on top in three of the weekend's four races, enough to see him crowned as 2015 champion.
Axel Laflamme (#59) - 2015 Honda Cadet champion
There was more competition in the Cadet Honda class, where Axel Laflamme and Ben Watson shared the victories between them. Although Watson emerged as the winner in the day's final, it was Laflamme who took the overall title ahead of Austin Maddocks, who completed the podium at the final round.
Watson's efforts were enough to not only secure third in the points table, but also walk away with driver of the day honours, while Ellis Puleio ' who finished sixth in class behind Luke Evans and Jenson Davis, claimed the best rookie nomination.
Morgan Rose (#85) - 2015 Senior Rotax champion
Spurred on by his maiden success the previous month, Finley Green showed the taking top spot in Junior Honda was no fluke as he repeated the feat ahead of familiar sparring partners Ben Cutler and Alex Wilkins. Cutler and Green had shared the heat wins between them prior to the final and it was the former who walked off with the season-long silverware, with Wilkins finishing second overall.
Joe Phillips started the Junior TKM weekend looking like the driver to beat as he claimed victory in each of the first two heats, and finished third as Sam Johns came out on top in race three. Come the final, however, Louis Beaven emerged from the shadows to claim both victory and the overall class title, edging Johns into second in both cases. Lucas Sullivan claimed third on the road, as the top three in the final mirrored that in the championship standings.
Louis Beaven (#28) - 2015 Junior TKM champion
The Senior Honda podium also replicated the final points table, with Kristian Prosser adding the club title to his Welsh crown ahead of a hard-working Monty Gorringe and Patrick Hill. The increasingly close-fought class saw the heats split between three drivers, however, with Prosser being joined in top spot by Tom Ford and Daniel Watkins, while veteran Paul Saunders kept the youngsters honest with a brace of second places.
Ben Cutler (#16) - 2015 Junior Honda champion
Morgan Rose underlined his coronation as Senior Rotax champion by taking three of the four race wins on offer at the final round, including the main event of the day, where he pulled out a six-second advantage over Rob Ellis, with Dilip Singh completing the podium. Ellis had earlier denied Rose a clean sweep as the pair took the chequered flag split by just 0.122secs in the third heat. The absent Sam Morgan completed the championship top three.
With the 'summer' championship done and dusted, the season's racing at South Wales Karting Centre will conclude with the traditional Celtic Challenge on Sunday 6 December.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Ryan Smith (Top Kart)
CADET HONDA
1. Ben Watson (Project One)
2. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
Champion: Axel Laflamme (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
2. Matthew Rees (Synergy)
3. Nathan Browning (Zip)
Champion: Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Finley Green (Biz)
2. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
Champion: Ben Cutler (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
2. Sam Johns (Jade)
3. Lucas Sullivan (Tonykart)
Champion: Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
Champion: Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. Dilip Singh (CRG)
Champion: Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE:
Ellis Puleio (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Ben Watson (Cadet Honda)
Green shoots (and scores) at Llandow KC
Finley Green (#99) claimed his first Junior Honda final
victory during the October meeting at Llandow Kart Club
Llandow Kart Club moved to within one round of settling its annual championships with another closely-fought meeting at South Wales Karting Centre.
Once again, the weather gods smiled benevolently on the region, allowing for largely dry, if a little chilly, competition across seven classes, including the welcome return of the Bambinos.
Having skipped the previous months while members took in the MSA Finals, the club's youngest drivers were back in action, with Nathan Browning and novice Ryan Smith showing admirable consistency throughout the day before Browning eventually left with the fastest time.
There was also a return to action for the IAME Cadet class, with Thomas Nippers and Alexander Austin joining the massed ranks of Honda runners for their four races. Nippers proved unbeatable on the day and, with Austin unfortunately unable to start the final, ran out a comfortable winner.
The Honda Cadet class was also a tale of two drivers, although there were far more to choose from. Axel Laflamme and Austin Maddocks renewed their recent rivalry, with the American emerging on top in three of the four encounters, including winning the final. Ben Watson showed that he could not be counted out, however, splitting the protagonists in the main event having shadowed them through the heats. Williams Gill claimed the day's 'best novice' honours, having finished eighth in the final.
Kristian Prosser (#C) battles with Senior Honda rivals Monty Gorringe (#78)
and Patrick Hill (#75) during Llandow Kart Club's October round
The Junior Honda battle consisted of three familiar faces, but ended with a surprise winner as Finley Green, fresh off his novice plates, came home ahead of Ben Cutler and Alex Wilkins in the final. The trio were covered by just 0.8secs in the main event, with Green having served notice of his threat by moving up the order throughout the heats.
Cadet Honda driver William Gill was voted as the best
novice driver at Llandow Kart Club's October meeting
Louis Beaven and Ryan Edwards fought over Junior TKM honours, split in three of the four races by a matter of tenths. Edwards opened his day with a win but had to play second fiddle to Beaven after that, his cause not helped by a DNS in race two. Behind the closely-matched pair, Alex Rees came through to complete the podium, ahead of Lucas Sullivan and Joe Phillips, but it was Beaven's performance that earned driver of the day honours.
Nathan Browning in action as the Bambino class returned
to the slate at Llandow Kart Club's October event
Having been interrupted by Patrick Hill in last month's heats, Senior Honda title favourite Kristian Prosser made amends this time around by sweeping all four races in the class. Hill again proved a threat, finishing second on two occasions, including the final - where Monty Gorringe and Paul Saunders fought over the final step ' but Prosser was not to be denied.
Driver of the day Louis Beaven battles Ryan Edwards
during the Junior TKM heats at Llandow Kart Club in October
Senior Rotax frontrunner Morgan Rose also ensured that he went through the weekend unbeaten in a slightly under-strength field, despite the best efforts of Cristiano Nardone and Rob Ellis, each of whom shared runners-up spots. Nardone came closest to unseating Rose, finishing heat three less than a second adrift and was rewarded with P2 in the finale. Ellis, however, saw his day turn sour with a DNF in heat three and his uncharacteristic run to fifth in the final allowed Danny Griffiths to complete the podium, narrowly ahead of rookie Alex Kite.
Axel Laflamme fends off a typical Honda Cadet train
en route to victory at Llandow Kart Club in October
The tenth and final round of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 15 November.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Nathan Browning (Synergy)
2. Ryan Smith (Top Kart)
CADET HONDA
1. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
2. Ben Watson (Project One)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Finley Green (Biz)
2. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Alex Rees (Jade)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Cristiano Nardone (Tonykart)
3. Danny Griffiths (Kosmic)
BEST NOVICE:
William Gill (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Louis Beaven (Junior TKM)
RAFMSA brings top flight action to Llandow KC
Llandow Kart Club welcomed members of the RAFMSA as guests for round eight of its annual championship, fittingly coinciding with the 75th anniversary of both the Battle of Britain and the opening of the airfield at Llandow that would go on to become the race circuit adjoining South Wales Karting Centre.
Callum Drew took off at just the right moment to down his
RAF Premier rivals at Llandow Kart Club's September meeting
With the Bambino field away contesting their MSA Finals elsewhere, and IAME runners on hand this month, it was left to the Honda Cadet class to get things off the ground. Despite a strong Llandow contingent, it was DKRC visitor Charlie Knight who stole the show, winning each of the four races despite the close attentions of recent pacesetter Axel Laflamme. The pair finished 1-2 on three occasions, including the final, with only a Laflamme DNF in heat three allowing Austin Maddocks to alter the order at the front. Maddocks also completed the final podium, while two graduates of the Llandow Race Academy ' William Gill and Max Meir ' acquitted themselves well, with the latter picking up best novice honours at the end of the day.
Ryan Edwards came out on top of a hard-fought Junior TKM
class at Llandow Kart Club's September round
Junior Honda frontrunners Alex Wilkins and Ben Cutler continued their recent battle, but this time there was only one winner, as Wilkins aced each of the four races by narrow margins to complete a first clean sweep. Novice Finley Green completed the top three at a respectable distance in each race.
Max Meir was named best novice amongst the drivers
at Llandow Kart Club's September meeting
By contrast, Junior TKM produced three different winners for each of its heats, with Lucas Sullivan, Louis Beaven and Ryan Edwards each coming out on top by less than 1.5secs. The final also proved to be a close-fought affair, with Edwards eventually triumphing over Beaven by just 0.211secs to repeat his August success. Yousuf Ashraf completed the podium when it mattered most, with Sullivan ' who had been hampered by a DSQ in heat two - slipping to fifth overall, behind Sam Johns.
DKRC member Charlie Knight stole Cadet Honda honours from
a strong home contingent at Llandow Kart Club's September event
Kristian Prosser started his day in familiar fashion, claiming victory in the opening Senior Honda heats, but found Patrick Hill unwilling to let him have things his own way. Hill duly claimed top spot in the remaining heats to set up an intriguing finale and the pair did not disappoint, coming home just 0.4secs apart in the main event, but with Prosser back in front to take another step towards the title. Monty Gorringe, who had been in the top three all day, continued that form to complete the podium, while rookie Shaun Drysdale walked off with driver of the day honours after taking P6 in the main event.
Kristian Prosser fended off Patrick Hill to claim Senior Honda
victory at Llandow Kart Club's September round
Morgan Rose made an uncharacteristically slow start to Senior Rotax competition, finishing 'only' third in the opening heat but, from that point on, proved unbeatable as he took three-hard fought victories, including the final. The margin between Rose and his pursuers was never more than a second ' notably when winning by just 0.017secs in heat two ' but heat one winner Rob Ellis, Sam Morgan and Zach Jones had to be content with second spot each time. Ellis completed the podium in the final, with Morgan beating Dilip Singh to fourth on the road.
Morgan Rose maintained his strong Senior Rotax form
at Llandow Kart Club's September round
In RAF Premier, Callum Drew's day started - and ended - after just a couple of laps in heat one but, after that he was unbeatable, claimed each of the remaining races by an increasingly big margin. Troy Cole and Simon Hilton proved his closest challenge in heats two and three, before Oliver Waind came through to claim runners-up honours in the final. Heat one winner Matthew Daniel finished fourth, just ahead of Cole and Matthew Hildred who completed the top five.
Round nine of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 18 October.
RESULTS
CADET HONDA
1. Charlie Knight (Zip)
2. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
3. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
2. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
3. Finley Green (Biz)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
1. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Zach Jones (Tonykart)
3. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
RAF PREMIER
1. Callum Drew (Tonykart)
2. Oliver Waind (Exprit)
3. Matthew Daniel (Kosmic)
BEST NOVICE:
Max Meir (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY:
Shaun Drysdale (Senior Honda)
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Youth to the fore at Llandow KC
Adam Crofts-Davies earned novice of the day honours at Llandow Kart Club's August meeting
Familiar faces on the top step of the podium was a feature of Llandow Kart Club's August round as the Welsh club moved into the second half of its championship campaign.
Despite the school holidays continuing to subdue entries across the board, the club introduced standing starts for all able classes, as well as staging the first of four events constituting its inaugural Bambino Challenge. The racing was excellent throughout and, with no delays to the timetable, the drivers were rewarded with increased track time for the finals.
The new Bambino competition, which will run through to the end of the championship season in November, will count three rounds from four, with the winner being judged on the consistency of their lap times. Drivers will compete for the Richard Dowers Bambino Award, remembering the club's former secretary and keen supporter of the Bambino class.
Novice Oscar Blanchard marked himself out as a name to watch in the category after topping all four track sessions, edging out Llandow regular Nathan Browning in the process. Ryley Price and another rookie, Ryan Smith, were left to contest third spot, with Price filling the position each time. All drivers showed improved times through the day and were duly presented with trophies for their efforts.
Axel Laflamme was again the boy to beat in
Cadet Honda at Llandow Kart Club's August meeting
The two Cadet classes were combined at this event, with the returning IAME field joining the Honda runners after missing July. Honda honours were shared between Ben Watson and July winner Axel Laflamme, but it was the latter who emerged on top in the final, beating the consistent Austin Maddocks to the flag by a couple of seconds.
Thomas Nippers claimed Cadet IAME victory at Llandow Kart Club in August
Just as he had four weeks previously, Watson completed the Honda podium, but was separated from the top two on this occasion by IAME winner Thomas Nippers, who had duelled with Harry Yardley-Rose throughout the day. Like Laflamme, Nippers opened out a two-second gap over his rival in the last race of the day, with Alexander Austin completing the podium. Honda novice Ellis Puleio was rewarded with driver of the day honours for his efforts.
Ben Cutler regained the upper hand in the Junior Honda
class at Llandow Kart Club's August meeting
After their close encounters last month, the battle between Junior Honda runners Alex Wilkins and Ben Cutler did not disappoint, the pair going head-to-head in each of their four races. Wilkins took the heats 2-1, but it was Cutler who crossed the line first, by just a couple of tenths, in the final.
Despite the depth of talent on show, Ryan Edwards proved unbeatable in Junior TKM, claiming all three heats as well as the final. July winner Louis Beaven started the day as Edwards' closest challenger, taking second in heats one and two, but it was Yousuf Ashraf who claimed runners-up honours in the final, pushing Beaven back to third ahead of Jack Johns, who had been a top three finisher earlier in the day. The class' only rookie, Adam Crofts-Davies took home the novice of the day award.
Welsh champion Kristian Prosser remained unbeaten
in Senior Honda at Llandow Kart Club's August round
Like Edwards, Welsh champion Kristian Prosser proved unwilling to relinquish top spot in Senior Honda, seeing off a host of would-be challengers to remain unbeaten throughout the day. Monty Gorringe claimed a brace of seconds from the heats, with Tom Ford taking the other, but it was Patrick Hill who came through to edge Gorringe for the runners-up spot in the final, with Ford ultimately finishing fourth.
Morgan Rose returned to the top step of the Senior Rotax
podium at Llandow Kart Club in August
Morgan Rose returned to the top of the Senior Rotax tree after missing out in July, and refused to allow anyone a look at P1 as he too claimed all four races on offer. Sam Morgan ran Rose close in the first two heats before the gap between the leader and the chasing pack increased as the event went on. Rose eventually claimed the final by a little over three seconds, with Rob Ellis taking second spot from Scott Rose by a similar distance. Morgan's day, meanwhile, ended in frustration as he was forced to retire from the final after ten laps.
Round eight of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place on Sunday 20 September.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Oscar Blanchard (Wright)
2. Nathan Browning (Synergy)
3. Ryley Price (Haase)
4. Ryan Smith (Topkart)
CADET HONDA
1. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
2. Austin Maddocks (Project One)
3. Ben Watson (Project One)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
2. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Yousuf Ashraf (Tonykart)
3. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Patrick Hill (Wright)
3. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
3. Scott Rose
BEST NOVICE: Adam Crofts-Davies (Junior TKM)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Ellis Puleio (Cadet Honda)
2015 Welsh champions crowned at Llandow
The 2015 Welsh karting champions pose with their
coveted 'C' plates after June's event at Llandow Kart Club
Llandow Kart Club's blue riband event produced excitement and unpredictability in equal measure as the coveted 'C' plates were handed out at the Welsh Championships.
A busy timetable - boosted by the inclusion of round three of the Southern TKM Championship - packed in four practice and two qualifying sessions as well as two heats and two finals for each class, spreading the competition over two days in which the weather once again looked on favourably.
Without a Welsh title, the Bambino class featured just one runner, as novice Ryan Smith enjoyed having the track to himself, improving his performance by four seconds over the course of the weekend and thoroughly deserving his awards at the end of the event.
Smith's appearance served as the precursor to each round of competition, with most classes being afforded their own track time. The hotly-contested Cadet classes were duly split into Honda and IAME runners, with the former producing five different names at the top of the result sheets in either qualifying or the races.
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Joshua Martin retains his Welsh Cadet Honda crown by the slimmest of margins
at Llandow as the top three cross the line within 0.2secs of each other
Saturday's qualifying session was topped by Axel Laflamme before Joshua Martin came through to claim the opening heat later that afternoon. Louis Harvey then posted the fastest time in Q2, only for Matthew Herbert to take the heat win. Harry Restall won a topsy-turvy Pre-Final that saw Martin, Herbert and Laflamme all disqualified, but the same trio then upset the order once again to finish 1-2-3 as Martin repeated as Welsh champion by just 0.114secs.
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He may not have had a Welsh title to fight for, but Bambino rookie
Ryan Smith made the most of his track time at Llandow Kart Club
IAME was no less intriguing, as an appeal in the Final saw Jonny Wilkinson promoted from sixth on the timesheet to first when a penalty was overturned after the flag. The youngster had been a fixture in the top three throughout the weekend, winning the Pre-Final having had to give best to Klaas Kooiker in the previous sessions. Llandow regulars Thomas Nippers and Shay Keough remained in the mix, with the latter completing the podium behind Wilkinson and Kooiker.
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Ethan Ling returned from Super One duty to claim the
Junior Rotax crown at the Welsh Championships
Junior Honda may only have had four runners, but three of them took turns at topping the results, including increasingly impressive novice Finley Green, who bested usual frontrunners Ben Cutler and Alex Wilkins to win heat two. Come the Final, however, and Cutler restored order, adding the Welsh title to his familiar club success as he comfortably led Luca Nardone and Wilkins across the line.
By contrast, Junior Max only featured one name at the head of the field, as Ethan Ling returned from his Super One exploits to dominate. Behind him, the order only showed one alteration as regular runner-up David Spiller briefly missed out to Ethan Rees in the Pre-Final, before returning to lead the pursuit of Ling in the finale.
The final junior class, for TKM runners, was also the domain of one driver, as Ryan Edwards only allowed one competitive session to slip from his grasp. Once Louis Beaven had headed opening qualifying, Edwards proved hard to dislodge from P1, despite every timesheet showing a margin of less than a second between the top two. Beaven was, more often than not, in second spot, while Lucas Sullivan and Ross Deal shared opportunities to break into the top three, with the latter completing the Final podium just 0.2secs behind Edwards.
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Kristian Prosser leads a typical Senior Honda scrum
during theWelsh Championships at Llandow
Senior Honda was similarly subjugated, with Kristian Prosser in front throughout qualifying and the races. Overcoming the veteran presence of reigning Welsh champion Chris Lipscomb, the Junior Honda graduate led a youth brigade including Patrick Hill and Tom Ford in both qualifying sessions but, with Lipscomb and Monty Gorringe both showing potential when racing began, the positions behind Prosser were always in doubt. In the end, the reigning Celtic champion triumphed by ten seconds over Lipscomb, with wily veteran Paul Saunders upping the average age of the podium in third place.
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Morgan Rose continued his strong Senior Rotax form to take the Welsh title at Llandow
Senior Rotax started out with Zach Jones setting the pace in opening qualifying and following that up with victory in heat one, but Sunday saw Morgan Rose turn the tables, topping both the timed session and the three races that followed. Q2 underlined how close the competition is in the class, with the top four covered by 0.092secs, but Rose had the field covered thereafter, able to put at least a second between himself and his pursuers. Jones, Rob Ellis, Josh Gray and Sam Morgan all vied to join Rose on the podium, with the latter pair eventually succeeding when it mattered.
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Junior Honda newcomer Finley Green left the Welsh Championships
with the prestigious Kath Denscombe Memorial Award
The inclusion of the Southern TKM Championship added a 17-strong TKM Extreme field to the bill, although the roll of honour followed a similar pattern to Senior Rotax, with one driver turning Sunday in his favour. After Matthew Allnutt and Sam Taylor had topped day one's qualifying and heat respectively, Lewis Round took charge on day two, claiming all three races, with Matthew Ayres edging Allnutt for second place in both Pre-Final and Final.
Amongst the usual silverware, the traditional Welsh Championship 'extras' were also presented, with long-standing club timekeeper Margret Evans being surprised by the Evelyn & Harry Maund Memorial Award for her 'behind the scenes' but nevertheless vital contribution to the running of events at Llandow. Finley Green, meanwhile, picked up the Kath Denscombe Memorial Award as the junior club member best setting an example for his dedication and effort to learn the skills of karting.
Round six of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place on Sunday 19 July.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Ryan Smith (Topkart)
CADET HONDA
1. Joshua Martin (BRK)
2. Matthew Herbert (Project One)
3. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Jonny Wilkinson (Synergy)
2. Klaas Kooiker (Zip)
3. Shay Keough (Shark)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
2. Luca Nardone
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
2. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
3. Ross Deal (Jade)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. Ethan Ling (Tonykart)
2. David Spiller (Alonso)
3. Ethan Rees (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Chris Lipscomb (Wright)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Josh Gray (Tonykart)
3. Sam Morgan (CRG)
TKM EXTREME
1. Lewis Round (Alonso)
2. Matthew Ayres (Jade)
3. Matthew Allnutt (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Ben Watson (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Luca Nardone (Junior Honda)
KATH DENSCOMBE MEMORIAL AWARD: Finley Green (Junior Honda)
HARRY & EVELYN MAUND MEMORIAL AWARD: Margaret Evans
Dyson cleans up at Llandow Kart Club
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Harry Dyson claimed victory as the Junior X30 class made a
rare appearance at Llandow Kart Club in May
Llandow Kart Club began a busy month of May by using round four of its annual championship as the curtain raiser for the return of the national Super One series to South Wales.
A packed field assembled for the mid-May clubbie, with many drivers using the occasion to 'get their eye in' ahead of the S1 visit, and it made for some spectacular racing as the weather gods looked favourably on the Vale of Glamorgan.
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Nathan Browning went fastest of all in the Bambino category at Llandow in May
Having been boosted by the visit of the national Bambino championship runners in April, the youngest field on the card was back to more modest numbers this time around, but that did not stop Nathan Browning, Caleb McDuff, Cameron Crockett and the visiting Joseph Baird from showing their abilities against the clock. The quartet finished in that order, with each picking up a trophy to mark their achievements.
A 30-strong Honda cadet field earned itself the right to run solo on track, and made a colourful site as they did battle over three heats and a final. The wonderfully named Dragan Pinsent opened the day with a win in race one, before TVKC club-mate - and reigning 'O' Plate champion - Wesley Mason took out the remaining heats, but it was a third visitor from the same club who came through to take overall honours, with Alex Lloyd snatching victory in the final by 0.3secs over Mason and Kieron Jermey.
The IAME Cadet class was smaller in comparison, and belonged exclusively to Shay Keough, who strengthened his bid for the title by sweeping all four races from Billy Vassilev, Shayne Clarke and Ewan Long.
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Ben Cutler again proved the driver to beat in the Junior Honda
class at Llandow Kart Club's May meeting
Junior Honda also took on a familiar air, with Ben Cutler winning races one and two. However, Alex Wilkins put an end to dreams of another clean sweep by claiming the third and final heat, although that was not enough to throw Cutler off his stride come the final. The points leader, however, did not have it easy, with increasingly impressive novice Finley Green coming through to take runners-up honours just 0.3secs shy of the winner, with Wilkins completing the podium.
The busy timetable meant that it was inevitable that some classes would be merged on the day, and so it was that Junior TKM found itself sharing track time with both Junior Rotax and the comparatively new Junior X30 category.
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Alex Rees triumphed again in Junior TKM at round four of
Llandow Kart Club's annual championship
Ross Deal, Louis Beaven and Tom Rawlings shared the TKM heat wins before Alex Rees came through to claim the top step of the podium in the final, edging Sam Johns by 0.3secs while Beaven capitalising on a DSQ for Rawlings to beat Deal to third spot.
David Spiller was unopposed in Junior Rotax and thus found himself sharing a final with the X30 runners while the TKM karts got their own stand-alone main event.
Harry Platten appeared to be the driver to beat in X30, winning all three heats, and would have added the final as well had it not been for him running afoul of the scrutineers and stewards after crossing the line several seconds clear of second place. His disqualification allowed Harry Dyson to clean up ahead of Oliver Greetham and Bayley Gregory.
Senior Honda welcomed another new face in the shape of Daniel Watkins, but the novice's inexperience showed as he gave vain chase to the rest of the field. Without April tormentor Kristian Prosser absent from the entry, Monty Gorringe was able to complete the clean sweep he was denied four weeks previously, beating Tom Ford and Paul Saunders to the top step in the final.
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Llandow 'old boy' Joshua Collings returned to claim victory
in Senior X30 during the club's May championship round
Like their junior counterparts, the Senior Rotax boys found themselves sharing the South Wales Karting Centre tarmac only, on this occasion it was with both the TKM Extreme of sole runner Callum Johns and the visiting Senior X30 class, spearheaded by former Llandow champion Josh Collings.
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Rob Ellis came out on top of a typically hard-fought
Senior Rotax class at Llandow Kart Club in May
While Collings had to give best to Zach Jones in one heat, he duly made light of his rival's retirement after seven laps of the final to run out victorious by a similar number of seconds over Euan Wilson in the final. Likewise, Rotax runner Rob Ellis defied the challenge of both Sam Morgan and Morgan Rose in the heats to return to P1 in the main event, reversing the April result with his main rivals duly filling the podium
After Super One has come and gone, round five of the Llandow Kart Club championship will share top billing with the annual Welsh Championships over the weekend of 20-21 June.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Nathan Browning (Zip)
2. Caleb McDuff (Zip)
3. Cameron Crockett (Birel)
4. Joseph Baird (MS)
CADET HONDA
1. Alex Lloyd (BRK)
2. Wesley Mason (Project One)
3. Kieron Jermey (Project One)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Shark)
2. Billy Vassilev (Wright)
3. Shayne Clarke (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
2. Finley Green (Biz)
3. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Sam Johns (Jade)
3. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
JUNIOR ROTAX
1. David Spiller (Alonso)
JUNIOR X30
1. Harry Dyson (Octane)
2. Oliver Greetham (Alonso)
3. Bayley Gregory (Octane)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
2. Tom Ford (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
2. Sam Morgan (CRG)
3. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
TKM EXTREME
1. Callum Johns (Tonykart)
SENIOR X30
1. Josh Collings (CRG)
2. Euan Wilson (Alonso)
3. Zach Jones (CRG)
BEST NOVICE: Josh Coombes (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Jack Johns (Junior TKM)
Bambinos top bill at Llandow Kart Club
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
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Chance Bennett claimed a provisional victory as the
MSA Bambino series topped the bill at Llandow Kart Club in April
Llandow Kart Club was blessed with a return to pleasant conditions as it hosted the inaugural round of the national Bambino championship alongside round three of its own 2015 competition.
The youngest competitors in British karting provided an intriguing boost to the usual entry, with no fewer than 23 names on the official entry list. Each driver got a qualifying session and two heats against the clock to prove their pace before the top 16 were selected for the final.
TVKC's Taylor Orridge set the initial pace, topping his qualifying and heat sessions, but then suffered at the hands of the scrutineers in the final. Although Orridge is appealing his exclusion from first place, the provisional top three remains as Chance Bennett (SYKC), Nathan Tye (LRKC) and Alfie Briggs (WMKC), with first and third clearly benefiting from time spent at Llandow during March's championship round.
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Shay Keough dominated the Cadet IAME class at
Llandow Kart Club's April championship round
With additional time devoted to the Bambino sessions, the Honda and IAME Cadet classes combined on track to produce a 12-kart field.
TVKC's Klaas Kooiker was no stranger to Llandow after his winning effort in December's Celtic Challenge, and he returned to dominate proceedings by sweeping the three heats and final. Kooiker's closest opposition in the main event came from Joshua Martin, while Axel Laflamme claimed the final spot on the Honda podium.
Like Kooiker, LKC regular Shay Keough was in no mood to be denied in IAME, leading each session from the front and winning comfortably in each of the day's four races. In the process, he also set a new lap record for the class, while Thomas Nippers gave chase in vain. Reggie Duhy, who claimed class victory in February's opening round, returned to take on the familiar faces, but his effort foundered on a DSQ in the final.
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Kristian Prosser (left) and Monty Gorringe shared the
Senior Honda heat wins before Prosser took overall honours
Similarly, the Junior Honda class also belonged to one driver as, in a repeat of March's results, Ben Cutler swept all before him despite the best efforts of Alex Wilkins and novice Finley Green.
Junior TKM again enjoyed grids pushing into double figures and produced some close racing that saw the three heats shared between Ryan Edwards, the visiting Jack Davidson (WSKC) and Louis Beaven. Heading into the closing stages of the final, it appeared that Davidson may be taking the biggest piece of silverware back to Scotland, only for contact from Lewis Griffiths to swap their places on the final turn! With Beaven and Edwards managing only fourth and fifth, it was left to Joseph Reeves-Smith to claim the final step of the podium.
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Morgan Rose again came out on top of the competitive
Senior Rotax class at Llandow Kart Club
Senior Honda opened with heat one glory for Monty Gorringe but any thoughts he had of repeating March's victorious outcome later in the day were scuppered by Kristian Prosser, who went unbeaten over the remaining heats and then claimed top spot in the final by 0.385secs. Gorringe duly took a comfortable second ahead of veteran Paul Saunders, who had Tom Ford for company to the flag.
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Ben Cutler continued his domination of the Junior Honda
class at Llandow Kart Club's April meeting
The Senior Rotax boys had to share their track time with lone TKM Extreme runner Callum Johns but, while the latter literally had no opposition to worry about, Rotax pacesetter Morgan Rose at least had to share the day's race wins with Rob Ellis. Rose started as he meant to go on, however, preceeding Ellis' lone success in heat three with two of his own, before pulling away to win the final by nearly two-and-a-half seconds. Sam Morgan came through to put a gap between Ellis and the runner-up spot, with the rest of th field strung out in their wake.
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An unopposed Callum Johns claimed TKM Extreme victory at Llandow Kart Club in April
Round four of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 17 May 2015, one week before the circuit welcomes the return of the Super One national series for TKM, Honda, IAME, X30 and KZ1 classes.
RESULTS
BAMBINO (provisional)
1. Chance Bennett (Wright)
2. Nathan Tye
3. Alfie Briggs (MS)
CADET HONDA
1. Klaas Kooiker (Zip)
2. Joshua Martin (BRK)
3. Axel Laflamme (Zip)
CADET IAME
1. Shay Keough (Shark)
2. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
2. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
3. Finley Green (Biz)
JUNIOR TKM
1. Lewis Griffiths (Jade)
2. Jack Davidson (Tonykart)
3. Joseph Reeves-Smith (Jade)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)
2. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)
3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Sam Morgan (CRG)
3. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
TKM EXTREME
1. Callum Johns (Tonykart)
BEST NOVICE: Luke Evans (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Shay Keough (Cadet IAME)
Llandow Kart Club ' March 2015
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
Although the weather was a little on the wintry side, action at round two of Llandow Kart Club's 2015 championship kept everyone warm as a large entry produced exciting racing without a single red flag or unnecessary delay.
Numbers were given a healthy boost thanks to the inclusion of both the NKRA classes and smattering of visiting drivers getting experience of the South Wales Karting Centre circuit, with a first-ever grid of Junior X30s and massed Bambinos both notable inclusions in the line-up.
The finals proved to be some of the most exciting for a long time, with the action given the added intrigue of an ever-evolving surface that saw the advantage swing back and forth between wet and slick-shod runners as each race took to the track.
Chance Bennett (#66) posted the fastest time of the day in the Bambino
class at round two of Llandow Kart Club's 2015 championship
No fewer than 15 Bambinos took to the track, including Llandow stalwarts Nathan Browning and Ella Stevens. Both gave a good account of themselves, but could do nothing to deny Chance Bennett a clean sweep of fastest times. Stevens ended the day in second spot, ahead of Alfie Briggs and Brandon Carr, with Browning edging Oliver Wright for fifth. Cameron Crockett and Ryley Price, who both appeared at Llandow in February, were eighth and ninth respectively.
Oliver Clarke (#62) claimed back-to-back victories in
the opening rounds of Llandow Kart Club's Honda Cadet class
The Cadet Honda entry also took a return to the sort of numbers seen in recent seasons, with 22 runners. February runner-up Alex Lloyd took first blood with victory in heat one, before Kieron Jermey and last month's outright winner, Oliver Clarke staked their claim in heats two and three. Clarke again came out on top in the main event, edging Lloyd by 0.120s to reprise their February battle. Guy Cunnington came through to complete the podium, ahead of Henry Laws and Jermey, but another couple of laps could have turned the result on its head with slick-shod sixth-placed driver Oliver Bearman clearly faster than those ahead of him as the track dried.
An inspired tyre choice helped Dexter Patterson (#7) to IAME Cadet
class honours at the March round of Llandow Kart Club's 2015 season
While the Honda entry would have been enough to warrant the Cadet categories being split, 14 IAME runners merited track time of their own ' and were equally generous when it came to sharing race wins. Dexter Patterson got the ball rolling in heat one, before Albert Carter and Taylor Barnard came good in the remaining qualifiers. The Final, however, again came down to tyre choice and saw Patterson return to the fore, pulling out a decisive 6.5secs cushion as wets proved to be the answer. The closely-matched group of Brad Kenneally, Carter, Llandow regular Shay Keough and Barnard ' who were covered by 0.2secs ' battled over the remaining podium positions.
By contrast, the Junior Honda class belonged to one driver all day, with Ben Cutler sweeping the meeting despite the best efforts of Alex Wilkins and novice Finley Green.
The X30 class made its debut at Llandow Kart Club's March round,
with Alfie Brown (#18) emerging victorious
The first-ever event for the X30 class saw three runners join the Junior TKM regulars to push another grid into double figures, and saw Alfie Brown claim two heat wins before adding the Final for good measure. Philip Hanson denied Brown a clean sweep by taking victory in heat three, while Callum Bradshaw was always in the mix.
The TKM runners ' we can't say 'boys' thanks to the inclusion in the field of Susanne Gutzold ' shared their heat wins between Hugo Holmes, Lewis Griffiths and Louis Beaven, before Ryan Edwards trumped them all in the main event, heading Holmes and February winner Alex Rees on the podium.
Thomas Massarella (#2) took Junior Blue victory at Llandow after the
previously dominant Jake Calvert (#0) fell foul of his tyre decision in the final
With Junior Rotax still absent from the running order, the younger half of the programme was completed by the visiting Junior Blues and, despite being a little slimmer in number than previous years, the racing still proved competitive. It also appeared to be going the way of Jake Calvert after he claimed all three heats, but the Final was another matter, as a the frontrunner's choice of slicks proved to be the wrong one. With the top two finishers being disqualified for technical infringements, the honours eventually went the way of Thomas Massarella, with Calvert a distant second and Lee Chamberlain completing the podium.
A changing of the guard has been creeping up on Senior Honda for some time, but was finally confirmed this weekend as the new wave of drivers dominated. Monty Gorringe and Kristian Prosser claimed the heat wins, and the former's superior haul was confirmed in the Final as he narrowly held the upper hand over his rival, although the pair remained separated by just half a second at the chequered flag. Tom Ford and Patrick Hill, who have followed Gorringe and Prosser into the senior ranks in past year, finished third and fourth, while Roberto Nardone and Nigel Vickery did their bit to uphold 'senior' honour from a comfortable distance.
Rob Ellis (#17) topped the Senior Rotax category in
round two of the 2015 Llandow Kart Club championship
Senior Rotax also saw a former junior champion making his mark, with Rob Ellis leading from the front in each of the day's four races. Sam Morgan, Scott Rose and Dilip Singh took it in turns to give chase through the heats, before Morgan returned to P2 to give Ellis his closest battle of the day in the main event. Gareth Taylor edged Singh for the final podium spot.
The Rotax field was joined by three TKM Extreme entries, with Nicholas Rees only denied a clean sweep by problems in heat three. Callum Johns picked up the pieces on that occasion and later claimed second spot in the final, ahead of Alex Lewis.
Formula Blue stalwart Ian Branfield (#4) came out on top of a quality field at Llandow
Formula Blue guested amongst the senior classes, with a number of familiar faces returning for their annual assault on the Llandow circuit. Chris Derrick and Ian Branfield shared the heat wins, before the latter equalled their tallies at two apiece, by coming out on top in the final. It may have been a different story had tyre choice not again been crucial, with Matthew Parr and Kevin Ford completing the podium and Derrick only coming home in eighth spot.
Round three of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 19 April 2015.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Chance Bennett
2. Ella Stevens
3. Alfie Briggs
CADET HONDA
1. Oliver Clarke
2. Alex Lloyd
3. Guy Cunnington
CADET IAME
1. Dexter Patterson
2. Brad Kenneally
3. Albert Carter
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler
2. Alex Wilkins
3. Finley Green
JUNIOR TKM
1. Ryan Edwards
2. Hugo Holmes
3. Alex Rees
JUNIOR X30
1. Alfie Brown
2. Callum Bradshaw
3. Philip Hanson
JUNIOR BLUE
1. Thomas Massarella
2. Jake Calvert
3. Lee Chamberlain
SENIOR HONDA
1. Monty Gorringe
2. Kristian Prosser
3. Tom Ford
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Rob Ellis
2. Sam Morgan
3. Gareth Taylor
TKM EXTREME
1. Nicholas Rees
2. Callum Johns
3. Alex Lewis
FORMULA BLUE
1. Ian Branfield
2. Matthew Parr
3. Kevin Ford
BEST NOVICE: Ben Watson (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Finley Green (Junior Honda)
Llandow Kart Club ' February 2015
Report: Craig Llewellyn
Photos: Steve Everitt
With the 2014 silverware safely dished out during the annual awards night at the Heronston Hotel in Bridgend, Llandow Kart Club roared back into action with the opening round of its 2015 championship on a bright but chilly day in mid-February.
The new season was marked by a number of new faces in the paddock, as well as old faces in unfamiliar places as drivers changed classes ahead of the ten-round series.
The Bambino class kicked things off, with ‘old hand’ Nathan Browning facing fresh track companions in the shape of Ryley Price and novice Cameron Crockett. As expected, Llandow regular Browning set the pace in each of the four track sessions, but all three drivers acquitted themselves well in tricky conditions.
Despite a number of drivers having to move on over the winter, the Cadet classes once again proved to be the most popular, with Honda and IAME getting their own heats and finals for the first time. Some 19 Honda runners took to the track, providing a colourful feast of close racing, and the entry was noticeable for the number of visitors from other clubs as the stars of the future took the opportunity to get some early track time under their wheels ahead of the return of Super One and other series to Llandow during the year.
Oliver Clarke (#62) edges Alex Lloyd (#9) to win the Honda Cadet final at the opening
round of Llandow Kart Club’s 2015 season (pic credit: Steve Everitt)
It was the guests who took the honours too, with Wesley Mason (TVKC), Kieron Jermey (BPKC) and Harry Thompson (TVKC) claiming victory in the heats, before Oliver Clarke came through to nab top spot in the final. Guy Cunnington (CPKC) took one top three finish, but it was Alex Lloyd (TVKC) who proved the biggest thorn in the side of the frontrunners, and his pressure was rewarded with second place in the main event, with Thompson completing the podium.
TVKC’s Reggie Duhy (#66) swept the board in Cadet IAME at the opening round of
Llandow Kart Club’s 2015 championship (pic credit: Steve Everitt)
The IAME class showed a welcome swelling of numbers, with the six runners on track equally split between the ‘home’ and ‘away’ teams. Reggie Duhy (TVKC) proved the driver to beat, however, taking a clean sweep of heats and final, while the rest of the field swapped positions in his wake. LKC regular Max Fenlon led the pursuit with second place in each of the qualifying races, but could only manage fourth in the final as Clayton Ravenscroft (TVKC) and Thomas Nippers (LKC) filled the podium.
Junior TKM driver Louis Beaven (#28) earned the driver of the day nomination at the opening round of the 2015 Llandow Kart Club season (pic credit: Steve Everitt)
Graduations took an early toll on Junior Honda numbers, but did little to affect the competition at the front as Ben Cutler and Alex Wilkins fought out four close races. Cutler eventually came out on top in three events, but the third heat was only decided by 0.011s and the final saw the pair split by just half a second despite the longer timed distance. Novice Finley Green completed the podium.
Alex Rees (#77) went unbeaten to open Llandow Kart Club’s 2015 season
on top of the Junior TKM class (pic credit: Steve Everitt)
With no Junior Rotax on the bill, the TKM field completed the youth portion of the meeting with an encouraging eleven-strong field. The same three drivers filled the top three in the heats, however, with Alex Rees leading Louis Beaven and Chris Witton before reigning champion Rees went on to complete a clean sweep by adding the final later in the day. Having opened the season with a DNF, Ryan Edwards came through to claim runner-up honours, pushing Beaven and Whitton back to third and fourth ahead of current Welsh champion Tom Rawlings.
Cristiano Nardone (#88) claimed Senior Honda honours at the opening round of
the 2015 Llandow Kart Club championship (pic credit: Steve Everitt)
Senior Honda also featured an expanded entry, returning to double figures as several junior frontrunners ' including 2014 champ Kristian Prosser ' stepped up to take on the old guard. The heat wins were shared between the elder statesmen, however, with Cristiano Nardone, Gareth Lewis and Monty Gorringe coming out on top, before Nardone returned to the top step when it mattered most, fending off Tom Ford and Patrick Hill in the final.
Roses bloomed in the opening round of Llandow Kart Club’s Senior Rotax championship as Morgan (#85) and Scott (#99) shared the four race wins between them
(pic credit: Steve Everitt)
Senior Max had a more familiar look to it, despite reigning Honda champion Danny Griffiths moving over to the more powerful karts, and it was Morgan Rose who continued his strong form from the end of 2014 with wins in three of the four outings, including the final. The Roses continued to bloom, with Scott claiming the remaining race. Sam Morgan reprised his opening heat second place to claim runner-up honours in the main event ahead of 2014 Junior Max titlewinner Rob Ellis.
Round two of the Llandow Kart Club championship will take place at South Wales Karting Centre on Sunday 15 March 2015.
RESULTS
BAMBINO
1. Nathan Browning (Zip)
2. Ryley Price (MS)
3. Cameron Crockett (Birel)
CADET HONDA
1. Oliver Clarke (BRK)
2. Alex Lloyd (BRK)
3. Harry Thompson (Synergy)
CADET IAME
1. Reggie Duhy (Zip)
2. Clayton Ravenscroft (Zip)
3. Thomas Nippers (Zip)
JUNIOR HONDA
1. Ben Cutler (7Kart)
2. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)
3. Finley Green
JUNIOR TKM
1. Alex Rees (Jade)
2. Ryan Edwards (Tonykart)
3. Louis Beaven (Tonykart)
SENIOR HONDA
1. Cristiano Nardone (Elk)
2. Tom Ford (MS)
3. Patrick Hill (Wright)
SENIOR ROTAX
1. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)
2. Sam Morgan (CRG)
3. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)
BEST NOVICE: Connor Coombes (Cadet Honda)
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Louis Beaven (Junior TKM)