There was some superb racing as Round 3 of the Lydd summer kart championship combined with the 4th round of the popular Kent Kart championship on Sunday.
Lydd Summer and Kent Kart Championships 9th June 2019.
Round 3 of the Lydd summer kart championship combined with the 4th round of the popular Kent Kart championship on Sunday, at the fast south eastern venue located near Dungeness. Circuit testing on Saturday proved to be challenging for those at the track, as early rain and a stiff breeze affected the karts out on the circuit. Thankfully Sunday began, dry, bright and sunny with the wind having abated overnight. The program featured the proven format of qualifying, a morning Heat, Pre final and Grand final for the competitors, the only change for the day being the absence of the Bambino class.
Senior Club Max 177.
The Senior ‘heavies’ opened the afternoon’s finals, on pole was Dennis Trzeciak after he took a close win over Andy Locke in the Pre final. The #39 kart of Trzeciak led away the 6 competitors over the 16 lap final. Initially Locke put pressure on the leader and looked set to make a move for the lead until he spun away he chances on lap 5. This promoted Andy Parish into 2nd with Mark Waters in 3rd, Shaun Thear held 4th from Nick Floyd in 5th ahead of the now recovering Locke.
As the race progressed both Parish and Waters closed in on the leader Trzeciak who appeared to be troubled, especially when he slowed to open his visor going onto the back straight on one lap causing his pursuers, to take abrupt avoidance. He soon recovered however and managed to take a close victory from Waters who had passed Parish at the end of the race for the runner up spot.Behind Parish in 4th was Thear, Locke managed to clear Floyd to finish 5th. Fastest lap went to 2nd place finisher Waters.
Honda Cadet.
The Grand final for the Honda cadet class was dominated by one driver – Damian Baruss-Haggett. He shot away as the Union Flag was dropped to a comfortable 3.3s win after 15 laps, at the front of the eight kart field. Behind the dominant Damian the battle for 2nd place was a much closer affair, as fast starting Tighe Wratten jumped from 4th to 2nd at the start, leading Ian Marginean, William Murphy and Harrison Crowther, who had a tardy getaway from the standing start. Joshua Graham, Owen Neave and Jack Theobald ran next on the road. Wratten and Marginean had a great tussle until the former was forced out after contact led to his demise at the first chicane, one of his front tyres having popped off of its wheel rim. Crowther at this stage was quite literally flying as he moved up to 2nd following the incident ahead, his line through the first chicane proving to be very spectacular each lap, no doubt contributing to his race’s fastest lap. Baruss- Haggett stroked his kart home to a comfortable win from Crowther, Marginean was next up in 3rd, Graham took 4th on the road but was demoted to 5th after a 5s penalty was added post-race for a dropped nose fairing, leaving Murphy to take 4th. Neave finished 6th with Theobald behind in 7th.
Junior Club Max/Mini Club Max.
Next up was the fiercely competitive Junior and Mini Club Max classes, which share the same final but with separate grids, the ‘Minis’ starting after the Junior drivers. Qualifying went the way of GMS driver of the moment Lewie Weaver, fresh from his victory at the last round held at Bayford Meadows. Alfie Brooks then took his Roalf racing run RS kart to the top of the result sheets in the morning’s heat, proving his speed from the April championship visit to the circuit. Caitlin May impressed by running with both Weaver and Brooks at the front, finishing 3rd in the heat. The Pre final had Weaver hitting the front at the end of the back straight and then not looking back to take the pole position for the final from teammate May and then Brooks. James Black brought his JB Motorsport kart up from grid 8 in qualifying to 4th in the Pre final, Declan Russell was 5th, Oliver Bullion 6th and Katherine White 7th.The 17 lap final began with Weaver leading from May and Brooks, Black held 4th, with Bullion demoting Russell for 5th.
The pace was intense at the front as the top 3 made a break from Black and his pursuers, Bullion, Russell, White and Jayden Neal-Holder. Weaver was making the best of lapping the Mini Club Max drivers, pulling a little gap,only then to find that May and Brooks would soon work together intelligently to bring the gap back down. The anticipated late race move from either May or Brooks didn’t materialise, which left Weaver to take another championship win, putting him right into the title race with just two rounds to go with a 7 point advantage. Less than half a second covered the top 3 at the finish, after just under 11 minutes of flat out racing, with the red kart of Brooks pressuring the two blue karts of Weaver and May all the way to the chequered flag. 3 seconds behind in 4th, Black managed to hold off Bullion’s race long challenge; Declan Russell eventually got the better of Katherine White to take 6th. Behind 7th placed White was Neal-Holder, a stellar debut class drive for the Clarke karts teammate of White. Red Beswick came in 9th; he had Ronnie Mansfield on his tail in 10th. Brooks took the fastest lap on lap 10 while he shadowed the two GMS drivers ahead.The Mini Club Max class only had 4 runners but they entertained in each of the three races – Harry Chamberlin’s CHDD Evolution kart eventually getting the better of Jessica White, Ethan Bentley and Rylee Brown, who just pipped Chamberlin to the honour of fastest lap.
Honda Clubman Standard.
The 9 kart 15 lap Clubman Standard final had plenty of drama and excitement throughout. John Ward led Kristian Stefanov away from the front row, however it wasn’t long before Cameron Charman was battling with Ward for the lead, the two of them swapping places over the early laps. Sebastian Morgan had started from the back of the grid after a bad result in the Pre final disguised his ultimate pace. By lap 5 he was with the leaders and pushed past to lead on the 6th lap. For the remainder of the race these three fought hard for the victory, never far part.
As they completed their final lap a yellow flag was waved along with the Chequered flag, which prevented Ward having one last chance to pass Morgan, Charman finishing close behind in 3rd; from last to first was a fine achievement by winner Morgan.
Behind the trio at the head of the field, Stefanov had a spin while running third and then again on the last lap when he tried an ambitious move on Jack Pullen for 4th place at the first chicane, Pullen lost a position to race long rival Kyle Upton in the melee, and Stefanov ended up briefly stranded on the exit of the chicane. Behind the disgruntled Pullen in 6th place was James Bentley, Jack Minter-Young was 7th, Callum Sims 8th and Stefanov limping home in 9th. Ward set the fastest lap on the 14th tour
Senior Club Max.
A very healthy 21 karts were entered for the Senior Club Max class. With two championship wins out of three – Thomas Lawson started as favourite for the class win,however April’s championship visit witnessed Riley Stephenson and Josh Pullen pulling clear of the field to dominate in the final. Along with Elliot Rice, Jack Bartholomew and several other drivers eager to take a win, Lawson was going to find it tough…..or so we thought! After taking pole position for the morning heat, Lawson’s GMS Motorsport kart finished 1st, he then wrapped up the Pre final leaving him handsomely on the pole for the Grand final. Pullen and Stephenson finished 2nd and 3rd in the Heat and then the duo ran Lawson close in the Pre final to finish in the same positions. The gird for the final looked like this, Lawson and Pullen in his Clarke kart on the front row, Stephenson (GMS) and Elliot Rice on the 2nd row, next up was Lamborghini star Bartholomew and Kasey Watson, the 4th row featured Jonathan Dalton and Adam Clark.
After one false start, Lawson managed to make the most of his inside line advantage into turn 1 and then pushed really hard to open a gap over Pullen in 2nd place. Over the opening laps Lawson led from Pullen, Stephenson, a determined looking pairing of Rice and Bartholomew, Watson, Clark and Dalton. Ben Harper and James Tomsett completed the top 10. As the flying #34 kart of Lawson began to extend its lead, Rice slipped past Stephenson for 3rd place, he then used his tenacity and guile to jump 2nd placed man Pullen 2nd. A few laps later Bartholomew showed his eagerness to move forward as he ambushed Stephenson, unable to respond / Riley also lost a place to Watson who had been shadowing the ex-Super One champ Bartholomew. As the race reached its climax Lawson was still banging in the fastest laps, his best being on lap 12 of 17, his eventual winning margin was just over 6s, as he stamped his name firmly at the top of the championship table with just two rounds to go. Rice held off the challenge of Pullen, as the two crossed the line almost side by side, these two still in the hunt for the title but no doubt feeling it slipping away. After his efforts in passing Stephenson,Bartholomew had his battery let him down on the last lap, dropping down the field to 13th. Watson then inherited the 4th place, Stephenson 5th, Dalton showing good pace a little way back in 6th, not far behind was Clark in 7th, Harper and Tomsett were 8th and 9th,Harry Smithson finished 10th out of the 21 finishers.
Junior Subaru UK.
The usually very popular Junior Subaru UK class could only muster 8 karts for this round of the championship, with the trend now seemingly going towards the Junior Club Max class instead. This didn’t stop the racey eight four strokers from putting on a fabulous show though, proving that quality can win over quantity. Charlie ‘Saxo’ Hand was using his previous Subaru and recent car race appearances to great effect, by taking the Heat and Pre final wins. Behind the orange machine several drivers were determined to star in the final, Kieran Janali and Rory Burke having pushed Hand all the way in the Prefinal. Hand led the final away and then waited for the attacks from behind; Burke was keen to hit the front and did so early on, moving up from his grid 3 slot. Hand didn’t let him settle in the lead however and soon moved back to the front, Burke then slipping down the order, leaving Janali to take the fight to the leader.
Lap 8 brought us a change for 2nd as Joseph Knight found that it was his turn to try and usurp Hand, his challenge only lasted two laps before a mistake left him back in 4th. Over the remaining laps Janali tried everything he knew to hussle Hand into a mistake but it never materialised, as the cool CHR driver Hand held onto take the win, the line of karts behind him at the finish had Burke in 2nd place, only for him to suffer a nose drop penalty, giving 2nd place and the championship lead to SAIT pilot Janali. Knight took the final podium slot, 4th place inthe tight Subaru train was Callum Romaine, picking up some good points for his championship push, Kipp Chorley was next up in 5th and Jack Cooper completed the train in 6th. Burke’s unfortunate penalty dropped him to 7th, Benjamin Witham was classified 8th only completing 5 laps. Kipp Chorley topped the fastest lap times while amongst the battling top 7.
Full results from the event can be found here on the BMKR Alpha Timing website.
he Kent Kart Championship reconvenes at the Lydd circuit on September 8th