Champion Reeve Back on Track

Round 4 of the Pro-Kart Sprint Series began with tricky conditions greeting the drivers for qualifying which provided an exciting session with lap times tumbling as the circuit dried out. Shaun Reeve set the pace from the outset and was four seconds clear of the field in the early stages. As the track dried the rest of the pack closed in but Reeve held on to pole by one second from Trevor Villa and Ollie Thorn. Brenden Stockdale and Rob Garaway, who both scored their maiden podium last time out, had difficult sessions leaving them eleventh and thirteenth on the grid. Patrick Palmer recovered from a heavy crash in turn two to claim fourth.

Heat 1 got underway with Reeve and Villa pulling away from the field while Thorn struggled to shake off the attentions of Hadleigh Wakefield and Palmer. Roger Smith was on the prowl after a lowly starting position and he soon muscled past the battle for third and set consistent fastest laps to then catch and overtake Villa for second. He didn’t have enough laps to catch Reeve though who took his first heat win of the season.

The grid for Heat 2 saw the top eight from Heat 1 reversed in the grid draw which placed Chris Sedgwick on pole alongside Karl Villa and Sedgwick burst into a healthy early lead while Villa was soon overcome by Thorn and Smith. Trevor Villa struck trouble when contact led to him spinning in the final corner and losing a chain putting him out of the race. Reeve was also struggling to make his way through the field while Smith dealt with Thorns challenge and raced ahead. Reeve soon got to grips with the opposition to move up to second and set off after Smith. Smith however kept his advantage and took the win by two seconds from Reeve and Thorn.

The Final began with Smith and Reeve on the front row and they broke away at the start with Thorn trying his best to stay in touch. Stockdale seemed to blow any chance of a good result early on with a spin dropping him to the tail of the field. Palmer was also out of luck when another heavy off at Turn 2 after suffering a deflated rear tyre took him out of contention. At the front Smith was under massive pressure from Reeve and when he left a small gap open at turn 6 Reeve took full advantage with an audacious move to take the lead. Stockdale meanwhile had the bit between his teeth and was storming back through the field with some stunning overtaking manoeuvres. Smith gathered himself back together and set fastest lap to close right back on Reeves tail. When the flag fell though it was Reeve who took his first win of the campaign just one tenth of a second clear of Smith with Thorn nine seconds further back in third. Trevor Villa recovered to fourth ahead of top Clubman runner Wakefield.  Karl Villa came out on top of a thrilling battle with Scott Byrne who had to battle hard to keep a flying Stockdale at bay on the final lap. Garaway and Sedgwick rounded out the top 10 with a much more competitive showing from Trevor Bobbin seeing him finish eleventh. Joe Martin came out tops in the ‘Good Old Boys’ fight with his long time sparring partner Trevor Cooke.

Smith still leads the championship from Trevor Villa and Garaway while Reeve moves up to fifth after his victory.

Round 5 of the championship will see the Series celebrate its 100^th meeting since the championship was set up by Tim Lewis in 2008 as the ‘Boat Boys Challenge’. Many of the old faces will be returning to join in the celebrations with rumours of possible one-off returns to racing….

Jackson Edges out Newby for Senior EPKC Win

Round 5 of the EPKC championships once again saw large grids which were bolstered by visiting Formula Kart Stars drivers testing ahead of their meeting the following weekend.

As always the day began with the Comer Cadet class and the race saw the return of Bradley Kent who had missed the opening part of the season after suffering a broken leg. He would qualify a brilliant second on the grid behind Tommy Weyer and just ahead of Jack Gibson. Weyer converted pole into the win in the heat ahead of Kent but Kent returned the compliment in the Pre-Final with a well judged win, edging Weyer out by two hundredths of a second. The duo battled hard for the lead throughout the Final but it was Kent who took the win after a last corner move saw him out-drag Weyer to the line. Gibson rounded out the podium.

The Honda Cadet grid was headed up by Perry Cooke who set a blistering time to head up the front row with Ronan Graves, both drivers under the existing lap record. Cooke and Graves took their form into the Heat to finish first and second followed by Sam Fitzpatrick and Keaton Samra. Cooke was on pole for the Pre-Final and took the lead into turn one but then suffered a collision with Graves at turn three, dropping the pair way down the order. This left Fitzpatrick alone at the front while Oliver Grantham was involved in a terrific battle for second with Jack Clegg and Angus Marks, both drivers putting in their strongest showings of the season. Graves recovered from his early incident and produced a stunning drive which saw him take second behind Fitzpatrick at the flag. Grantham held on to third while Cooke fought back to ninth. The Final saw Graves take the early lead but he was chased by Fitzpatrick for the whole race. Marks was continuing his impressive form by moving up to third for the first half of the race while holding off the close attentions of Stephanie Sore. Cooke was on a charge from ninth and soon caught and passed the battle for third and took off in pursuit of the leaders. At the flag though it was Graves who took the win but had received a five place penalty for jumping the start which promoted Fitzpatrick into first ahead of Cooke and Sore, who took her first podium finish at Ellough Park. Callum Yarham picked up the top novice trophy by finishing twelfth.

Pole in qualifying for the Minimax class went to Gaby Weyer who edged out Round 4 winner Philip Rawson by five hundredths of a second. She followed this up with a win in the heat placing her on pole for the Pre-Final. Rawson came home second ahead of Ellis Hanks. Weyer picked up another win in the Pre-Final this time ahead of RL Racing Dept. team-mate Flashman Finneran and Hanks. The Final produced a thrilling scrap for the lead which was headed up by Hanks in the early stages before Finneran took over at the front. Weyer kept her cool and took the lead just before the end to complete a clean sweep of victories for the day. Finneran and Hanks completed the podium with Ronnie Hirst the first of the club drivers home in fourth with Tye Mason rounding out the top five.

The Junior TKM categories saw Matthew Hayes take a maximum points haul in the 2-stroke class to strengthen his championship lead with Tom Rushforth following him home in every race. The 4-stroke class also saw a maximum points haul by Cameron Maskell.

The Junior Rotax class was dominated all day by FKS driver Rob Hodkinson who led home Benjamin Bee in all races. Luke Collins couldn’t build on his form from the previous month’s meeting as a crash in practice ruled him out of the day’s proceedings.

The Biland class had its own race for the first time with a decent grid of drivers hoping to show that the class can produce as exciting racing as its 2-stoke counterparts. Jonathan Carberry took pole for the heat alongside Simon Martins and he converted that into a win just one second clear of Simon Jordan. Carberry took another win in the Pre-Final, this time two seconds clear of Martins who just pipped Jordan to the line. Shaun Reeve was having a difficult day having moved across from the Rotax class with engine troubles leaving him trailing behind the leaders. Rob Murrays debut ended badly after he threw his chain on the second lap of the Final. Carberry wrapped up the Final win by four seconds ahead of Jordan and Martins with Sean Rackham close behind in fourth.

The Senior Rotax class produced yet another close qualifying session with Lincoln Newby clinching pole on his first visit to Ellough Park. Sam Jackson completed the front row ahead of Henry Riley and series leader Ben Kidd. Newby pulled away in the heat to take an easy win ahead of Jackson while Kidd moved up to third after shaking off the early attentions of Guy Newstead which ended when Newstead spun and collected Jake Baker. Baker received enough damage to put him out for the day. Newby once again took the honours in the Pre-Final ahead of Jackson and Kidd while Newstead recovered from his heat disaster to finish fourth ahead of Lloyd Bell. The Final was red-flagged at the first attempt when a multiple pile up at the start took out many drivers. Teddie Harvey would be the only driver not to make the restart. At the restart Newby took the lead but this time couldn’t shake off Jackson who took over the lead at half distance. Ben Hughes and James Canham exited the race early after separate incidents. At the chequered flag it was Jackson who secured his first win of the season ahead of the impressive Newby with Kidd strengthening his championship lead with yet another podium finish. Riley came home fourth with Newstead picking up his best result to date with fifth.

Round 6 of the championship takes place on Saturday 16^th June. The gates open at 7am with signing on available from 8am. Practice will be running from 9am-11am with racing starting at 12pm. Please make sure you get your entries in a week before the meeting at the latest. To book in or register for the championship please call 01502 717718.

Three out of Three for Ready

The fifth round of the Open Grand Prix Series saw the long awaited return of 2007 runner-up Jamie Grieve who was back in the seat after three years of powerboat racing. The series also introduced a new heavyweight category with four drivers taking to the circuit in the class.

Heat 1 began with Lee Henderson on pole alongside Daniel Green but it was Alex Ready who took the lead on the opening lead with Seb Fisher and Kieran Rudrum close behind. Shaun Marshall’s race got off to a bad start with a spin dropping him to the back. Ian Howes was the big mover coming from the back to sixth at the flag. Ready took the win with Grant Newstead second with Fisher third.

Heat 2 had Chris Catchpole and Grieve on the front row and Grieve took the lead at turn one and immediately pulled away from the field. Wayne Griffin proved he was now well on the pace with the front-runners with a blistering start putting him in second. Newstead meanwhile was struggling and would finish way down the order. Grieve got his comeback off to the best start by taking the win ahead of Griffin and Ashley Waters.

Heat 3 saw another blistering display from Ready who took another win ahead of Newstead and pole-sitter Alex Vingoe.

Heat 4 was led from start to finish by Luke Cousins with Waters producing another strong result in second with Howes third. Grieve dropped down the order on the final lap after a tangle with Andy Horne.

The B-Final was initially led by newcomer Green but by half distance Mick Waters had stolen the lead and was followed by Henderson, who so nearly took the win in the run to the flag. Green took third on his debut in the series.

The A-Final produced much excitement with many close battles throughout the field. At the front Ready marched away in the lead with Newstead and Waters safe in second and third. Horne recovered from poor heats to storm through the field while Grieve suffered more bad luck after a run-in with Kieran Rudrum left him down in fourteenth. Ready went on to score his third win from three races ahead of Newstead and Waters with Vingoe and Howes completing the top five. Mick Waters took the honours in the Heavyweight class with fifteenth place.

Fisher now leads the standings by two points ahead of Rudrum with Newstead a further two points behind in third. Ready now lies fifth overall despite missing the first two rounds.

Round 6 of the championship takes place on Tuesday 12^th June at 630pm. To book a place please call the circuit on 01502 717718.

Collins Clinches Maiden Junior Victory

The season opener for the Junior League Summer Series saw the welcome return of reigning champion Harry Holdbrook, who had missed the Winter Series. After a clean sweep of wins in the Winter Series Alex Ready was the favourite to take the win at the opening meeting.

Heat 1 began with Ready on pole alongside Luke Collins and it was Ready who took the early initiative. Holdbrook was soon on his tail though and they battled for the lead for many laps before Holdbrook made the break and took the win. Ollie Carberry had a strong race to keep third. Newcomer Charlotte Foster was running in an impressive sixth before hitting water and crashing heavily, followed into the tyres by Jack Tritton. Both drivers were unharmed but finished at the tail end of the order.

Heat 2 got underway with Arnold Lincoln and Ross McWalter on the front row and the pair led the early stages before being overhauled by Ready and Holdbrook. Matt Baisley was on a charge coming through from the back of the grid to take third at the flag. Ready took the win just ahead of Holdbrook.

Heat 3 saw Tritton and Baisley at the front of the grid and the pair pulled away from the pack before tussling for the lead. Behind them a titanic scrap for third between Collins, Ready, Holdbrook and Carberry kept the spectators entertained for the entire race. Baisley led into the final lap but Tritton took the lead at the final corner with an audacious move to take the win. Holdbrook won the battle for third.

Holdbrook claimed pole for the Final with Ready alongside and they made the early break towing Collins along with them. Tritton and Baisley continued where they left off in Heat 3 with Lincoln joining in for good measure. At the front Holdbrook and Ready were swapping places on every lap which allowed Collins to close right in. On lap 12 Collins saw his chance and dived past the pair of them and began to pull away. Collins didn’t crack under the pressure from leading a Final for the first time and took a well deserved maiden victory. Ready got the better of Holdbrook on the last lap to take second with Baisley and Tritton rounding out the top five.

Round 2 of the championship takes place on Thursday 31^st May at 530pm.

Hutton Victorious in Cadet Opener

Wet conditions greeted the drivers for the opening round of the Cadet League Summer Series and twelve drivers took to the track to try and gain the early upper hand in the standings.

Heat 1 saw series favourite Jason Hutton on pole alongside Lydia Walmsley and it was Hutton who made the break building up a big early advantage. In the tricky conditions Callum Goldsmith showed his experience by closing down Hutton and then taking the lead on lap 5. He held off Hutton to the flag to take a popular win with Liam Ditcham in third.

Jay Daniels and Aaron Hudson lined up on the front row for Heat 2 and despite having been out of racing for over a year Hudson took the lead and pulled away from the pack. Thomas Foulser was the star of the race coming from the back of the grid to third at the flag on his debut in the championship. Hudson took the win ahead of Georgie Whitbread.

Ditcham was on pole for Heat 3 alongside Whitbread but storming through the pack was Walmsley who took the lead early on which she was never to lose. Hutton also came through from the back to claim second with Foulser taking another third place.

Heat 4 saw two debutants on the front row in the form of Morgan Collins and Oliver Birch. They would drop back at the start allowing Whitbread and Fenn through to take first and second with Hudson in third.

Heat 5 began with Fenn and Goldsmith on the front row but it was Hudson who took the initiative and the lead which he held to the finish. Hutton again had to fight his way through to take second with Ditcham in third.

The B-Final was won by Daniels with the rookie brothers of Jamie and Oliver Birch completing the podium.

The A-Final saw Hudson line up on pole alongside Hutton and it was Hutton who took an early lead. Fenn was on the march and was soon up with the battle for second between Goldsmith and Walmsley. The trio closed right in on Hutton making it a four way scrap for the lead. On the last lap Goldsmith went for the lead but spun allowing Hutton to open up a small gap, enough for him to take the win. Fenn came home second with Walmsley picking up her first podium in third. Goldsmith finished a disappointed fourth ahead of Foulser, Whitbread, Hudson and Ditcham.

The next round of the series takes place on Wednesday 30^th May at 530pm.

Smith Doubles Up for KnK

The third round of the Pro-Kart Sprint Series saw a large field of drivers competing under ominous skies and without championship contenders Shaun Reeve and David White who both suffered engine failures in pre-race testing. This left the way clear in qualifying for Trevor Villa to take his second consecutive pole position with Clubman runner Hadleigh Wakefield lining up a very impressive second. Round 2 victor Roger Smith claimed third alongside Rob Garaway.

Heat 1 went smoothly for Villa as he took a lights-to-flag victory with Smith in second ahead of Wakefield and Garaway. The big mover was Ollie Thorn who came through from tenth to fifth at the flag. Patrick palmer was running strongly in the early stages before going straight on at turn 1 dropping to thirteenth.

Mick Goodman claimed pole for Heat 2 with the reverse grid draw and duly led the opening lap before being passed by Brenden Stockdale and Thorn. Ryan Bennett was forced out with damage on the second lap after making contact down at Turn 1. Thorns luck ran out on the very next lap when he seized an engine putting him out for the night. Wakefield got up to third before losing a chain putting him out, almost taking Villa with him as he pulled off the circuit. Smith passed Stockdale in the closing laps and took the win with Villa sneaking through to second with Stockdale third.

The Final got underway without Pete Bennett and Wakefield was also out after turn 1 when he lost his chain again. Smith pulled out a sizeable gap over Villa with Garaway and Stockdale embroiled in a terrific scrap for third. At the start of the last lap there was drama for Villa as he lost a clutch after a massive engine failure, he eventually limped across the line in tenth. Smith took his second win in a row to keep up the KnK manufactures unbeaten record while Stockdale outdragged Garaway to the line for second and winning the clubman class. There was more drama as Stuart Branch collided with Ryan Bennett on the run in to the flag losing a wheel in the process. He did take the flag in seventh. Goodman and Palmer picked up their best results for a long while in fourth and fifth.

Round 4 of the series takes place on Monday 14^th May at 6pm, which will also see the return of Round 1 winner Malcolm Pullen who is now campaigning with an MS chassis. For more information on the series you can sign up to the lively discussion board at http://elloughpark.proboards.com/

Knowles Claims Stunning Senior Win

Round 4 of the Ellough Park Kart Club produced the biggest grids of the season as the championship gains strength with every meeting. Once again the bumper grids were in the Honda Cadet and Senior Rotax classes with the usual familiar faces being joined by both new and returning drivers. The Honda grid was bolstered by visiting Formula Kart Stars drivers and also saw the ever popular Jean Sammut back on the grid. Chad Shiner would also be making his first appearance in the Senior category along with a welcome return for Katie Dobson, her first race in nearly a year.

The days racing began as ever with the Comer Cadet class and qualifying went the way of Irish Comer champion Adrian Hegarty. He was a full second clear of Adam Sparrow with the novice drivers of Charlotte Fox and Reggie Duhy not too far behind. The Heats and Pre-Final produced the same order placing Hegarty on pole for the Final. The Comers were joined for this meeting by the Easykart of Jenson Murchison and he and Hegarty had a titanic scrap for overall supremacy in the Final with Murchison just coming out on top. Behind them Fox and Duhy provided a highly entertaining battle for third in the Comer class, swapping places countless times during the race. Both drivers are still in the very early stages of racing which made their battle all the more impressive. The Comer win went to Hegarty followed by Sparrow with Fox claiming third and top novice ahead of Duhy.
The Honda Cadet qualifying session was as closely fought as ever with six different drivers sitting on the top spot during the course of the session. In the end it was Danny Harrison who claimed pole ahead of Wesley Mason and Rory Hudson with Perry Cooke the quickest of the club members in fourth. Lydia Walmsley impressed many on her debut with the twelfth quickest time. The Heat saw the FKS visitors at the front but they took Cooke along with them before Cooke pulled through to the lead at half distance. Series leader Sam Fitzpatrick was caught up in an incident at the start so had an uphill struggle to get back towards the front. Cooke lead for a couple of laps before slipping back to fourth with Harrison eventually taking the win ahead of Mason and Hudson. Fitzpatrick’s drive back through the field was rewarded with fifth place. The Pre-Final was once again dominated by the visitors with the win this time round going to Hudson followed by Harrison, Mason Ruff and Mason. Cooke was again top of the club drivers despite a collision in the latter stages of the race. The Final saw chaos at the start with four drivers going off at turn 1, sadly with Cooke amongst them. Harrison’s day also took a turn for the worse with a number of incidents dropping him down the order, eventually salvaging ninth place at the flag. This left the way clear for Hudson and Ruff to take the top spots with the Ambition Racing drivers of Chris Lulham and Sammut in third and fourth. Fitzpatrick remains at the top of the points table by finishing in fifth. Stephanie Sore put in a stunning drive in the Final to take sixth with the top novice award going to Walmsley, who finished eleventh on her debut in the championship.
The Junior TKM classes saw poles for Louis Back in the 2-stroke class and Michael Hughes in the 4-stroke class. In the Heat Back converted pole into the win while Matthew Hayes retired early with technical problems. Mechanical gremlins also struck Hughes when his engine overheated, gifting the win to Mark Phelps. The Pre-Final saw retirements yet again for Hayes and Hughes while Back and Phelps picked up the wins. The Final finally saw Hayes and Hughes go the distance and they duly took the wins in their respective classes. Bad luck struck Phelps this time as he pulled out on lap four along with Cameron Maskell. Archie Albone took second in the 2-Stroke class with Back in third.
The Minimax qualifying session was dominated by FKS driver Philip Rawson who headed up the grid with series leader Harry Holdbrook alongside on the front row. Rawson pulled out a big lead in the Heat but damaged his rear bumper while lapping a backmarker resulting in him receiving the mechanical flag dropping him out of the race. Holdbrook took the win ahead of Ronan Hirst and Lee Edwards. The Pre-Final saw Rawson back to winning ways putting him on pole for the Final which he duly won ahead of Holdbrook and Edwards.
Junior Rotax saw the return of former BDKC drivers Oliver Skingley and Harry Buck. The two impressed upon their return by locking out the front row of the grid in qualifying. The Heat did not go so well for Buck as he was an early retirement while running second. Skingley was untroubled at the front though and took the win ahead of Charlie Starsmoore and Ryan Hawes. The Pre-Final looked as though it would also go to Skingley but he dropped out of the race on the penultimate lap which gifted the win to Starsmoore ahead of Hawes. The Final got underway without Buck whose troubled day had come to a premature end. Reigning champion Benjamin Bee was also out of luck as he retired on the opening lap. Skingley bounced back from his Pre-Final disappointment to take the win ahead of Starsmoore and Hawes.
As always the last action of the day was reserved for the Seniors and qualifying produced an enthralling fight for pole which was eventually won by Ben Kidd with Liam Ferguson claiming the outside spot on the front row. Chad Shiner’s Senior debut started well with seventh on the grid while reining Open Grand Prix champion Guy Newstead produced his best qualifying of the season in thirteenth. The first attempt to start the Heat saw a false start called but not before a pile-up at turn 1. James Canham was the big loser in this as he failed to regain his grid spot for the second attempt. Liam Ferguson got the jump at the start but was soon passed by Simon Steady. Kidd remained in touch while Clinton Bridge and Newstead were storming through the field. Jak Warner’s season, which started so well with a win at Round 1, went from bad to worse when he hit the startline cone and bent his axle. Andrew Winter also struck trouble while running fourth when he lost a chain on lap four. Ferguson found a way back passed Steady and took the win with Kidd third ahead of Shiner, Bridge and Newstead. The Pre-Final didn’t go so well for Ferguson as he dropped down the order after launching over Steady at the final corner at half distance sustaining damage, eventually ending the race in ninth. Steady was undisturbed by the contact and won the race ahead of Kidd and Winter. Steven Knowles had been struggling with engine trouble all day and retired early placing him twenty-first on the grid for the Pre-Final. The rain came before the Final and with a damp track but no further rain appearing likely there was a small matter of tyre choice to decide. Steady decided not to go out in the Final and was joined on the sidelines by Winter. Most of the front-runners opted for wets while the team-mates of Jake Baker and John Vincent, along with Knowles gambled on slicks. At the start the slick runners fell to the back of the field while Kidd shot into the lead and pulled a sizeable advantage. Matthew Hunting and Bridge were carving through the field and went off after Kidd resulting in a thrilling battle for the lead. Meanwhile Knowles had got sufficient heat into his slicks and with a narrow dry line appearing he was storming through the field from outside the top twenty. With six laps to go he was up to fourth but a full ten seconds behind the leading trio. In two laps he was right on their tail and drove through to take the lead. Baker and Vincent were also coming through the field on their slicks. Knowles went on to take a stunning maiden win in the series, coming home eight seconds clear of Kidd and Hunting while Baker mugged Bridge for fourth on the last lap. Vincent, Ferguson, Lloyd Bell, Dobson and Stewart Hunting completed the top ten. Knowles also claimed the coveted ‘Driver of the Day’ award from the marshals after they unanimously voted him as the winner.

Round 5 of the championships take place on Saturday 12th May. There is also testing available from 10am-5pm on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th. The gates for the meeting will open at 730am with signing on at 8am, Practice from 9am-11am, drivers briefing at 1130am and racing beginning at 12pm.
For more information or to book a place on the grid call the circuit on 01502 717718 or email at enquiries@elloughparkraceway.co.uk

Smith Gives KnK a Winning Start

Before the second round of the Pro-Kart Sprint championship a few changes had taken places amongst the drivers. Reigning champion Shaun Reeve was now campaigning in the chassis run by Round 1 victor Malcolm Pullen while Pullen had acquired the MS chassis from Roger Smith, although would not be competing at this meeting. Smith meanwhile would be making the long awaited debut of the Indian manufacture KnK who had produced great results in Australia when the chassis was debuted there.

The qualifying session produced one of the closest fights for pole in the championships history with the top four separated by one tenth of a second at the end of the session. Nipping onto pole on his very last run was Trevor Villa, edging out Smith who had held the top spot for most of the session. Claiming third was David White with Reeve in fourth. Heading up the tightly grouped midfield was Brenden Stockdale, who had improved vastly from his debut at Round 1, ahead of Rob Garaway, Stuart Branch and Hadleigh Wakefield. Ollie Thorns return didn’t start well with problems at the start of the session leaving him with just enough time to complete one lap leaving him twelfth on the grid.
Heat 1 saw the usual customary flying start from White but he was boxed out the first corner to leave him remaining in third. Smith stole the lead from Villa and then edged away from the battle for second. Wakefield had a tough task on his hands after brake failure on his machine almost left him out for the night. However, series stalwart Trevor Cooke had his kart with him despite not competing so generously leant it out for the night. Having never driven the kart before Wakefield slipped back at the start but soon got to grips to end up tenth, which would give him pole position for Heat 2. At the flag Smith took a maiden win for the KnK chassis, two seconds clear of Villa, White and Reeve. Stockdale lead home the clubman runners in fifth.
Heat 2 once again saw White produce a blistering start and this time it worked as he propelled himself from eighth to third at turn 1 and into the lead by turn 4. Wakefield done a sterling job to hang on to second in the early stages but would soon be overhauled by the other Pro class runners. Smith didn’t get the best of starts but was soon on the tail of Villa and Reeve and overhauled them both by lap eight and set off in pursuit of White. Lap nine saw the end of debutant Sam Bobby’s race when he lost a chain. The star of the race though was Thorn who battled through from eleventh on the grid to claim fifth by the flag. At the front White took the win despite Smith reeling him in with consistent fastest laps. Reeve got the better of Villa to take third. Stockdale again headed home the clubman runners.
The Final began with Smith on pole with White alongside and the two were neck and neck into turn 1 with Smith gaining the advantage on the exit. Garaway had a tremendous start and was right on the tail of Villa and Reeve in the early laps. Smith continued to pump in fastest laps and had soon opened up a sizeable gap while White was struggling to shake off Villa and Reeve. Thorn and Wakefield produced the most entertainment with an almighty scrap for seventh seeing them swap places at least twice a lap. This allowed Karl Villa to catch up before Thorn finally got a break and began to pull away. At the chequered flag Smith took his first win for almost a year giving the KnK chassis the best possible debut and proving it can take the fight to the dominant stables of MS and 7Kart. White took another second place with Villa completing the podium in third just ahead of Reeve. Garaway was the first clubman home in fifth.
Smith and White now share the series lead with reigning champion Reeve still in touch in third with Villa leapfrogging up the order to fourth after his first round disaster. Garaway leads the clubman standings after his second win from two rounds.
For more information on the championship or if you would like to join please phone 01502 717718 or register on the active discussion forum at http://elloughpark.proboards.com

Ready Continues Unbeaten Run

Round 4 of the Open Grand Prix series took place with nineteen drivers taking to the track but the big story was that reigning champion and runaway series leader Guy Newstead had decided to pull out of the championship to concentrate on his Senior Rotax campaign. A welcome returnee to the series though was double champion Andy Horne who had missed the last two meetings through serious illness, the whole grid was very happy to see him back on track.
The opening heat of the night saw Mark Cornell on pole with Alex Vingoe alongside him. At the start James Pearce shot into the lead chased by Seb Fisher with rookie Wayne Griffin close behind. Horne was also on a charge from the back of the grid and was soon amongst the leaders. Unfortunately he suffered a spin while challenging Fisher for second and dropped back to eighth. Former BDKC Minimax champion Simon Harris was making his mark on his debut in the series with a steady drive through the field to finish sixth. At the flag it was Pearce who picked up the opening honours of the night ahead of Fisher and Griffin.
Heat 2 began with Harris on pole alongside Phil Read and from the go Harris pulled out a sizeable lead over the pack. The new series sensation Alex Ready would have a difficult task fighting through from last on the grid but he made short work of the field and by half distance was in second and off in pursuit of Harris. Luke Cousins followed Ready most of the way through the pack from his lowly grid spot. With three laps remaining Ready shot past Harris and disappeared into the distance to claim the win. Harris clung on to second despite a late challenge from Cousins.
Heat 3 started with Lee Henderson on pole alongside new series leader Kieran Rudrum. When the lights went out it was Horne who came through from row two to take the lead with Rudrum and Henderson in close proximity. Again Ready had to fight through the pack but he managed it with ease and was soon with Horne who gave the youngster a hard time in wrestling away the lead. Further back the man on the move was Grant Newstead who bounced back from a disappointing opening heat to end up in fifth. When the chequered flag fell it was Ready who took another win ahead of Horne with Rudrum in third and a very happy Henderson in fourth.
The final heat saw Cousins on pole alongside Chris Lodge with Newstead and Ready behind them on row two. Ready jumped into the lead early on and showed the field a clean pair of heels as he once again romped into the distance. Behind him Newstead and Cousins were joined in their battle by Horne with Pearce in touch in fifth. Christian Grey had a big moment on lap 1 when he flew over the front of a few karts after heavily hitting a kerb. The race settled down from that point on and Ready claimed yet another win to put him firmly on pole for the Final. Newstead ended the race second with Cousins, Horne and Pearce following in behind.
The Final got underway with Ready leading from pole with Cousins heading up a titanic scrap for second with Pearce, Horne and Newstead. Horne looked as though he was struggling and soon slipped back into the clutches of Harris, Fisher and Rudrum. Vingoe was having a torrid race with a collision sending him into the barriers at turn four dropping him to the tail of the field. Ready meanwhile had pulled out an enormous advantage while Newstead fought through to second. With two laps remaining Vingoe spun at turn 6 and was collected by both Grey and race leader Ready. With Vingoe stuck in a dangerous place the officials decided to throw the red flag ending the race early. Ready was declared the winner while Newstead had lost out just before the red flag dropping to fourth behind Cousins and Pearce. Harris finished a creditable fifth with Horne delighted just to get to the end of the race in sixth.
Rudrum now leads the series by seven points from Fisher with Newstead in third. But with dropped scores to take effect during the season Ready, Cousins and Horne are still right in contention.

Round 5 of the series takes place on Tuesday 8th May at 630pm. To book a place or for more information please call 01502 717718.

Ninpo Swim to Third Win of the Season

The fourth round of the Open Endurance championship began with clear conditions but with ominous skies approaching. Nine teams took to the track for qualifying and right from the start it was Mushy Peas who took the initiative and headed the time sheets. Behind them it was a close run thing with Cannonball Racing leading the fight for second in the early stages. Reigning champions Pulham Pigs had a slow start to the session and were near the back until the dying moments when they jumped to fifth. Team Rapid also punched in a good time towards the end to place them second, albeit six tenths away from Mushy Peas pole time. Championship leaders Ninpo only managed fourth, their worst grid position since joining the series midway through last year.

At the start Mushy Peas continued their stunning qualifying form to pull out a healthy lead with Team Rapid heading up the pursuers in second. However, on lap six the heavens opened and Keith Lincoln from Team Rapid showed his wet weather prowess to take the lead and pull away from the pack. Team Moo also took full advantage of the conditions to take third while Ninpo appeared to be struggling, dropping to fifth.
By lap 20 the first round of stops had been completed and Team Rapid were still leading despite switching their kart during the stop due to a flooded engine. Pulham Pigs made up ground to snatch second while Mushy Peas were the big losers dropping to fifth. With the conditions starting to ease slightly Pulham Pigs took the lead as Team Rapid appeared to be struggling to get to grips with their new machine. They would switch back to their original kart at the next stop. Ninpo were now the team to watch with Ian Sandell setting consistent fastest laps to close in on the leaders.
Pulham Pigs still led on lap 40 but were out of sync with the pit stop cycle and with only a three second lead over Ninpo the series leaders were now the net leaders. From this point onwards the race settled down until a heavy shower brought chaos with engines drawing in water and the officials trying desperately to clear them. Thankfully the rain eased again in the closing stages and Ninpo showed their experience to close out their third win from four races and extend their championship lead. Pulham Pigs secured their best result of the season in second with Team Rapid scoring their second consecutive podium in third. Mushy Peas survived a late scare when their engine cut out to finish fourth followed home by Team Moo, Cannonball Racing, MGRC Racing, Apple Car Centre and Bad Apples.

Round 5 of the championship takes place on Tuesday 1st May at 630pm. The series is always on the lookout for new teams so if you are interested in joining the championship please call the circuit on 01502 717718.