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SuperChamps, Round Six
Daytona Milton Keynes
The day’s action began with SODI Heat One where on the Lightweight field, Lewis Bowey produced a stunning drive from P7 on the grid, slicing his way through the pack to take the chequered flag. Dominic Flemming followed him home in second, with Owen Turpin securing third after a hard-fought race. In the Heavyweights, Ash Chivers and Adam Pughe were locked together for the entire Heat, trading pace and pressure lap after lap. Chivers ultimately emerged on top to take the win, with Pughe forced to settle for second. Barry Morris completed the podium, narrowly edging out Charlie Fenton, who had to be content with fourth. SODI Heat Two featured a reverse grid from Heat One, but the result at the front of the field was a familiar one. Once again, Bowey took charge, leading from the front and securing another race win. Frederic Navarro gave chase but had to settle for second, while Owen Turpin continued his consistent form with a second consecutive third-place finish, banking valuable championship points and a strong grid position for the final. In the Heavyweights, Charlie Fenton struck back, taking victory by just over a second from Chivers in second. William O’Toole completed the podium, finishing a further four seconds back in third. In the SODI Final Lightweight field, Lewis Bowey lined up on pole ahead of Navarro and Turpin, while in the Heavyweights it was Chivers on pole from Fenton and Pughe. Bowey wasted no time at the start, stretching his lead early and never looking back, completing a clean sweep of race wins for the round. Navarro finished just over two seconds behind in second, while Tempany-McColm made a decisive move on Turpin to claim the final spot on the Lightweight podium. In the Heavyweight Final, Charlie Fenton capped off his morning in style, taking the race win and maximum final points, finishing just over two seconds clear of Pughe in second. The battle for third raged throughout the 15-minute race, with Barry Morris eventually emerging ahead of Chivers after a prolonged, wheel-to-wheel fight.
DMAX Heat One saw an all-Lightweight grid take to the circuit, with Heavyweight championship leader Ashley Mayston-King opting to step down a class to test himself against the Lightweight regulars. But it was Lee Schnitzler who controlled the race and claimed victory at the end of the 10 minutes. Jacob Csepreghi followed in second, while James King delivered an impressive drive from last on the grid to finish third. DMAX Heat Two proved just as compelling. Starting from pole, James King looked set for a comfortable win as he led the early stages, but the pressure gradually mounted. By the time the chequered flag fell, Charlie Csepreghi had fought his way to the front to claim the win. King crossed the line in second, with Dawid Sniezko taking third and setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. The morning concluded with the DMAX Final. James King secured pole position ahead of Schnitzler and Sniezko, all three showing clear potential for victory. King made the most of his starting spot, breaking away early and building a commanding gap. Schnitzler ran comfortably in second, gradually closing but unable to mount a serious challenge. Behind them, a fierce scrap unfolded for P5 between Ashley Mayston-King, Charlie Csepreghi and Kai Ferner, with Csepreghi snatching the position on the line. Mayston-King finished sixth, with Ferner seventh. At the front, King crossed the line to take the win, with Schnitzler finishing 7.5 seconds behind and Sniezko completing the podium.
InKart, Round Six
Daytona Sandown Park
Clear skies greeted drivers at Daytona Sandown Park for Round Six of the InKart season, though low temperatures and overnight rain left the circuit wet for early running. A new Single Chicane layout made its championship debut, combining high speeds with a short lap time. Drivers quickly learned it would be decisive for both outright pace and consistency. Despite the tricky conditions, standards remained high across both categories as drivers built speed progressively.
Across four competitive Heats, both Juniors and Cadets produced close racing with frequent position changes. In the Juniors, Daniel Marutyak and Sarah Telford featured consistently at the sharp end, trading leads and podium positions in multiple Heats. Jack Candasamy impressed with a commanding heat win, while Sebastian Mejer showed his speed in the reverse-grid race after moving up from mid-field. Notable moves included Marutyak climbing from 13th to 2nd in a Heat and Telford breaking into the top three early in the race. The Cadets were similarly competitive. Frank Mehlberg, Hadi Chaudry, Desmond Bryan, and Joshua Puttick all produced strong performances, with races often decided in the closing laps. Mehlberg and Chaudry frequently swapped positions at the front, while Bryan and Puttick capitalised on clean starts and mid-race overtakes to secure top-five finishes. Several Heats were influenced by minor incidents, spins, or late passes, demonstrating the tightly matched nature of the field.
As the weekend progressed, the circuit began to dry, increasing overall pace and making overtaking more tactical. Drivers adapted quickly, with consistent performers building momentum ahead of the Finals. With promotion to the A-Final at stake, the B-Finals delivered intense racing. In the Junior category, Luka Teneishvili surged through the field from his starting position to take the lead on Lap Four and set the fastest lap of the race. Tara Herm impressively climbed from 13th to secure third, while Jason Bond and Kiran Lemacon battled closely behind. In the Cadets, Alessandro Aiolfi produced a late-race surge to take the win, holding off Max Skilton by just half a second. Ejay Barrs-James completed the podium, narrowly ahead of Teddy Cogbill. The top five finished within seconds of each other, highlighting the competitive depth of the category.
The Junior A-Final featured Daniel Marutyak and Sarah Telford on the front row after strong Heats. A dramatic opening lap dropped Telford to seventh, promoting Harrison McNally and Sebastian Mejer into the top three. Post-start reviews issued five-second penalties to Daniel Harman, Sully Khan, and Jack Candasamy, reshaping the running order. Marutyak led much of the race under pressure from Harman, who briefly took the lead on the final lap but was classified second due to his penalty. Sebastian Mejer closed rapidly in the final stages to secure third ahead of Candasamy. In the Cadet A-Final, Hadi Chaudry took the lead on lap four and steadily extended his margin despite close pressure from Jenson Fuller and Frank Mehlberg. Chaudry’s pace and composure secured him victory, with Fuller and Mehlberg completing the podium after one of the most consistent and tightly fought races of the day. Lucio Vaval and Ethan Davis also finished within a few tenths of Mehlberg, underlining the competitiveness of the field.
Daytona Tamworth
A bitter Sunday morning at Daytona Tamworth played host to the last InKart round before Christmas, and we were thoroughly excited to welcome back two grids of drivers for a spectacular morning of racing.
The story of the Cadet Heats centred around Hugo Macmillan, who drove wonderfully into pole position for the final after consecutive top two finishes. But he had good competition in Freya Lally who managed to win the second heat, making things all a little bit closer going into the Final. As expected, the Final did not disappoint. Despite Macmillan dropping into third we were treated to one of the best comeback drives of the season, with one of the best battles for the lead involved as well. Jack Mills started well down the order after misfortune in the second Heat, and Freya Lally dominated the early portion of the race whilst Mills carved his way through. However, once he reached Macmillan the chase was on. Going much faster per lap, we were expecting an easy victory for Mills and this seemed assured once he got passed Lally, but her counterattack was impressive. Going fastest of everyone, Lally made the move for the lead on the penultimate lap with one of the most audacious moves we've seen at the final corner. Adding even more drama to proceedings in the closing moments of the race she was then re-overtaken by Mills on the final lap, the two of them drag-racing to the line and finishing just two tenths of a second apart, Mills the victor.
Ove in the Juniors, championship leader Zachary Smith dominated his two Heats, taking pole position for the Final with relative ease. He wasn't completely unchallenged, as both Reuben Potter and Athena Cooper put in good performances in their Heats to make the final victory far from assured. A dominant victory by Zachary Smith followed in the Final, taking victory in easy fashion as carnage unfolded behind him. The top five were so close together throughout the race that the final podium order was never certain. The most controversial moment arose when Athena Cooper misjudged a move into Turn Eleven as she went for the final podium position, tagging around Reuben Potter and taking him out of contention. She was given a ten second time penalty, which demoted her to sixth in the final standings. This left room for two slightly unfamiliar faces to get onto the podium, as Tyler Shanks and Jayden Steatham both had their best finishes of the season in second and third. These two drivers possess a lot of class but who have never really cracked the very top of the field so far this season. Ultimately a well-deserved recognition of their talents.
Thursday Night League, Round Ten
Daytona Milton Keynes
The SODI Qualifying session was the first to hit the circuit, and once again it was Ash Chivers who laid down a marker in the Heavyweight category. Continuing his season-long form, Chivers topped the timesheets, finishing well clear of the rest of the class. Richard Danby secured second, with Ben Swabey rounding out the top three in Heavyweights. In the Lightweight field, Adam Pughe was in a class of his own, setting the fastest time and ending the session more than a second clear of his nearest rivals. Jimi Holder claimed second, while Charlie Csepreghi completed the top three. When the SODI Race got underway, Pughe wasted no time in asserting control of the Lightweight field. From the opening laps he stormed into the lead, rapidly opening a gap that left the rest of the pack fighting amongst themselves. Holder’s race unravelled after an issue, promoting Csepreghi into second, but he was immediately put under pressure by Noah Willis. Starting from P6, Willis carved his way through the field and latched onto the back of Csepreghi, the pair engaging in a tense, race-long scrap. At the chequered flag, it was Csepreghi who just held on to second, with Willis finishing a mere 0.16 seconds behind, while Pughe cruised to a commanding victory up front. In the Heavyweight race, Chivers converted pole position into a convincing win. Controlling the race from the front, he steadily built a gap and crossed the line just under eight seconds clear of Danby in second. Behind them, Michael Bowles and Ben Swabey were locked in a close battle for the final podium spot throughout the race, but it was Bowles who emerged ahead by the finish to claim third.
Attention then turned to DMAX Qualifying, where the Lightweight battle was fiercely contested. Charlie Csepreghi secured pole position, narrowly ahead of Lee Schnitzler in second, with Dawid Sniezko taking third. In the Heavyweight category, the fight for pole came down to Charlie Newman and Marcus Moore. In the end, Moore delivered a standout lap, edging Newman by over 2.5 seconds to secure the top spot. The DMAX Race delivered plenty of action in both classes. In the Lightweights, Csepreghi led the opening laps, but by lap three Schnitzler had closed the gap and made his move. Once ahead, Schnitzler began to stretch his advantage, controlling the race from the front. Johnny Frankham followed through, pushing Csepreghi down to third as the order stabilised. Schnitzler went on to take the round win, with Frankham second and Csepreghi completing the podium. In the Heavyweights, the race was decided early. Newman made a decisive move through Turn One at the start, getting ahead of Moore and holding firm for the remainder of the race. From there, Newman delivered a calm and controlled drive to the chequered flag, securing his first victory of the season. Moore followed home in second after leading the class in qualifying.
Daytona Sandown Park
The SODI class headed out first, with the track building into its optimum lap time window, as the drivers looked to qualify as far up the grid as possible. Charlie Bradstock took pole position with a 51.866 ahead of Zack Gut in P2. Row Two featured Troy Edwards and Jonathan Winstone, eager to get to the front early on. Reece Harris took pole in the Heavyweight class. The Race saw pole sitter, Bradstock run away out front, building his gap over the field lap after lap. While behind, karts began to bunch together and battling ensued between the likes of Winstone and Gut. They were joined by Diogo Leal and Sid Stubbings, the four of them fighting tooth and nail to take the final podium positions. Late in the race the dramatics reached a peak, as Vivek Bhalla was forced to defend hard once joined by Louie Paterson, Winstone, Sam Barnaville, Daisy Bradstock, and Alfie Pettengell. The group locked in a huge battle stretching from P6-P11. The five drivers stuck into some intense racing, receiving lots of contact warnings as they fought for position. But after 23 laps of racing, Charlie Bradstock took victory by over 10 seconds. While Diogo Leal took P2 ahead of Sid Stubbings who rounded out the podium in P3. Reece Harris took the win in the Heavyweight class.
Pole Position in the DMAX class went the way of Freddie Burden with a 46.551. Ian Del-Pizzo lined up alongside him in second position with Jonathan Fuchsel and Jack Redfern making up Row Two. Mikhail Sitnikov took pole in the Heavyweights with a 47.167, ahead of Sam Roy who lined up alongside him in P2. The DMAX race delivered its usual share of excitement, Burden starting well and managing to hold his lead into Turn One. The same couldn’t be said for second placed Del-Pizzo who struggled off the mark, consequently being swarmed by the other front runners through the opening corners. Despite this Del-Pizzo managed to hold off the charging drivers to maintain a hard fought P2. Fuchsel picked up a penalty for jumping the start. He wasn’t the only one to get a penalty early on, Kyle Gaffney in the Heavyweights also picked up a penalty for a takeout on Lap Two. Freddie Burden took the win after taking pole and leading every lap of the race, a commanding victory. P2 went the way of Ian Del-Pizzo, who narrowly held off Jonathan Fuchsel, who despite his penalty took P3. The Heavyweight win went the way of Mikhail Sitnikov, while Eyston Vaughan-Huxley took P2 with Warren Gomm rounding out the podium in P3.
Daytona Tamworth
As has become a bit of a theme entering the winter rounds, a wet track greeted our drivers ahead of Round Ten of Thursday Night League at Daytona Tamworth. It was a battle of the championship contenders throughout the course of the seventeen lap N35-ST race, which ultimately saw Charlie Walmsley-Ryde take the win, going more than a second faster on his best lap than anyone else on the grid. A remarkable achievement in what were very trying conditions, the ambient temperature not offering anything as far as drying the track was concerned. Meanwhile, former InKart graduate Joseph Smith was in second, finishing fourteen seconds behind Walmsley-Ryde and finding himself in something of a no-man's land, fifteen seconds ahead of third place. Directly behind him on track was the battle for the Heavyweight victory between Brandon Gathercole and Mckenzie Senior, where despite taking the fastest lap of the race Senior was not able to stay ahead of Gathercole, who won by just five-tenths of a second, an incredibly thin margin, especially given the damp conditions. Brent Deeley and Daniel Santos Piedrabuena rounded out their respective podiums.
The story was similarly of dominance in the DMAX race, where Lucas Gathercole soared away into a twenty-six second victory. The battle behind was where tempers flared, as we saw a four-way battle to decide the podium positions. It looked like Sinclaire Greene and Will Kenny were in the driving seat, but both received five second time penalties for multiple instances of contact during the battle with each other, demoting them to fourth and fifth. This made way for Ben Foden to cut through the traffic, Cordell Hayles also capitalising on the circumstances to finish third. Without penalties taken into consideration, there was less than a second separating second down to fifth in what was one of the most interesting wet races of the season. It was almost as good in the Heavyweights as well, where Luke Mallard's dominant victory did not take any of the shine off of a fantastic battle for second. Rhys Collier was able to hold onto it, eventually by just under three seconds, but his brother Joe was pipped to the line by Sonny Zacharias, seven tenths separating those two drivers at the end.
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