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InKart - Round Five
Daytona Milton Keynes
Round Five of the InKart Championship took place on the linkback and cliff drop layout, and with the season entering its decisive stages, there was everything to play for in both the Junior and Cadet divisions.
In qualifying for the Juniors, it was Nathaniel Garai who delivered an electrifying performance to take his first pole position. Garai found something extra in the final moments of the session to edge out Connor Mitchell by a slim margin, with current championship leader Jacob Kent just a couple of tenths further back in third place. The stage was set for a fierce A-Final.
In the Cadets, Gillen Townshend once again showcased raw pace by taking pole position, extending a near-perfect record in qualifying. Townshend looked every bit the future champion as he edged out Leo Sibthorpe, with Kimi Densham close behind in third, setting up a competitive battle for the podium.
The B-Final for the Juniors saw Charlie Wiltshire stamp his authority on the race early on, controlling the pace and pulling away steadily. Wiltshire eventually crossed the line a dominant nine seconds clear of the chasing pack. Behind him, Ethan Steng produced arguably the drive of the day, scything his way through the field from near the back of the grid to take a hard-earned second place. Teddy Tovey completed the podium after a consistent and determined run.
Meanwhile, in the Cadet B-Final, George Dickinson was untouchable. Dickinson showed excellent consistency to stay on the lead lap while others struggled, finishing comfortably ahead of his rivals. Grayson Reeves impressed with a mature drive to second place, while Caden Kavanagh fought tooth and nail to hold off Phoebe Shelton in a close scrap for third.
The A-Final for the Juniors was packed with drama from the outset. Kent wasted no time off the line, making an intelligent move into Turn One to leap from third to first. Once in clean air, Kent settled into a relentless rhythm, gradually building a gap to the chasing Garai. Behind them, Mitchell and Jacob Noble battled fiercely for third place, with Noble eventually making a decisive overtake into the final corner mid-race to secure the last spot on the podium.
Garai, despite the early setback, drove superbly to hold second place and now moves himself up into second in the overall championship standings. It was another composed and mature performance from Garai, who is quickly establishing himself as a serious title contender.
In the Cadet A-Final, Townshend once again delivered a faultless drive. After defending into Turn One, Townshend quickly stretched out a comfortable lead, setting the fastest lap in the process. Behind him, Sibthorpe drove a strong and controlled race to secure second place, while Densham had to work hard to fend off a charging Charlie Marden, just hanging on to third place by the chequered flag.
Townshend’s performance means he has now taken four wins out of five rounds, with maximum points still a real possibility if he can keep his run of form going into the final races.
The next round will take place on the bus stop layout, and with the championship picture becoming increasingly clear, every race and every overtake will be crucial.
Daytona Tamworth
Round Five of InKart returned to the GP layout in Tamworth under glorious sunshine, with the drivers back on the heats format. With the championship tightening at the top, every point mattered.
Reuben Potter claimed pole position through a fastest lap tiebreaker, narrowly edging out Athena Cooper and Alfie Kells. Despite finishing second in both his heats, Potter set a new lap record, laying down an early marker. Meanwhile, Harry Kennedy endured a challenging start to the day with a disappointing Heat One, landing him in the B-Final.
Kennedy responded in style. Controlling the fifteen-lap B-Final from start to finish, he delivered a dominant drive, securing promotion with an eleven-second victory. His fastest lap, a blistering 63.257, was nearly a full second clear of the rest of the grid. William Jenkinson and James Stevenson completed the podium, both driving clean and consistent races to hold their positions.
The A-Final saw Potter in a league of his own. Already the new lap record holder, he cemented that status with a staggering 61.930 – a time more commonly seen in N35-ST SuperChamps. Behind him, the focus turned to a thrilling battle for second place. Noah Johnson managed to stay just clear of Kells, who was relentless in his pressure throughout the race. Johnson held on to finish four seconds ahead, with Kells taking third after a gutsy and competitive showing. Notably, Kennedy climbed back up to finish a strong fifth after his B-Final win, making him one of the most improved drivers of the day.
In the Cadet class, Round Five offered up one of the most competitive grids so far this season. Both Jess Kirby and Freya Lally were tipped for the win early on, each winning both of their heats in dominant fashion. With the pair avoiding each other in the heats, all eyes were on the A-Final showdown.
In the B-Final, there was drama at the cut-off, as Locke Evans narrowly avoided the final via the tiebreaker, leaving Logan Fredericks to fight for promotion. Fredericks faced a stiff challenge from Cristiano Guedes, the two of them separated by just four tenths on fastest laps. Fredericks held off Guedes brilliantly over the final laps to win promotion, with Logan Thacker finishing third after a strong and aggressive performance that could easily have seen him take the win on another day.
The long-awaited clash between Kirby and Lally in the A-Final did not disappoint – at least for pace. Kirby got the better of the two on pole, taking advantage of the fastest lap tiebreaker by two tenths. In the race, she stormed to victory, showing clinical consistency throughout. Lally kept her honest though, snatching the fastest lap and never falling far behind. Jack Dowding secured third place after a tense and hard-fought scrap with Rocco Jackson, holding off several well-timed moves in the final few laps.
We return in a few weeks’ time for Round Six of InKart, with the action continuing on the Heats format. With the championship battles heating up in both Juniors and Cadets, Round Six promises to be a cracker.
Thursday Night League - Round Nine
Daytona Milton Keynes
Thursday Night League – Round Four – National layout – Sprint Format
In the SODI Lightweights Adam Pughe took pole position ahead of Barry Morris by four tenths of a second, as he looked to make up ground in the championship to both Morris and the absent Charlie Csepreghi, who missed the round due to injury. George Benson secured third on the grid, aiming to strengthen his championship challenge.
In the race, Pughe delivered a dominant performance, pulling clear to win by thirteen seconds. Behind him, Benson just held off Jacob Csepreghi—who climbed into third after a strong drive through the field, capitalising on an incident that caught out Morris early in the race.
In the SODI Heavyweights Richard Danby claimed pole position ahead of David Rollins and Ash Chivers.
Danby went on to take the race win after a close-fought battle, crossing the line just two tenths ahead of Rollins. Chivers completed the podium in third, while Agastya Lahkar finished fourth and set the fastest lap of the race.
In the DMAX Lightweights Nathan Boyle continued his strong championship form by taking pole position. Lee Schnitzler qualified second, just a couple of tenths back, with Mark Wyllie-Mackay a further three tenths behind in third.
Boyle went on to dominate the race, winning by six seconds and securing the fastest lap. Schnitzler initially crossed the line in second but was demoted to third after a track limits penalty, promoting Johnny Frankham to second place—a superb debut podium in his first ever round of the championship. Dawid Sniezko also impressed, finishing fourth in his first DMAX Championship race.
In the DMAX Heavyweights Ashley Mayston-King once again topped qualifying, taking pole by over a second from Charlie Newman. Harry Mason lined up third, a few tenths behind.
Mayston-King dominated the final, winning by fifteen seconds. Newman held on for second, five seconds clear of Marcus Moore, who fought his way past Mason to snatch the final spot on the podium.
Daytona Sandown Park
In SODI Lightweights Zoe Cattet led the field across the line by over twelve seconds after twenty-three laps, but as she was not running weight—preparing for the upcoming Jamie Chadwick Series round on 11th May—she was ineligible for classification.
That meant Oliver Thornett was awarded the win, having edged out Thomas Russell by just four tenths in a tight battle that they believed was for second place.
Vivek Bhalla continued his phenomenal consistency, collecting his seventh podium from nine rounds with a third-place finish.
In SODI Heavyweights Matthew West delivered a standout drive, crossing the line just one second behind Thornett and securing a commanding class victory.
Sean Pope took second place in the Heavyweights, with Reece Sheppard completing the podium after a close battle for third.
In DMAX Lightweights Ellis Mkenzie took a controlled win, finishing 1.4 seconds clear of Archie Bullard after a relentless race-long chase. Bullard’s second place result elevated him to the top of the championship standings.
Max Miller rounded out the podium with a bold final-lap move on Thomas Williams, having gradually reeled him in through the final stages.
Jonathan Fuchsel finished in fourth, running a quiet race in no man's land—eight seconds behind the podium but well ahead of the chaos behind.
Charlie Foster, the former championship leader, endured a nightmare round. A kart swap in qualifying left him starting tenth, and he spent the entire race boxed into a massive eleven-kart battle over sixth.
That midfield clash generated nine penalties in total. Last round’s winner, Alfie Shrubb, was among those caught in the mayhem and finished down in twelfth.
In DMAX Heavyweights Robert Guymer crossed the line first in class, but a penalty earned during the mid-pack incident saw the win handed to Warren Gomm.
Guymer still recorded the fastest lap, while Mason Wright and Tom Easton rounded out the top five Heavyweights.
Daytona Tamworth
In the N35-ST Lightweights, former MotoGP rider Jake Dixon took pole position and converted it into a lights-to-flag win in the final, though he didn’t have it all his own way. Louis Roberts was marginally quicker on outright pace, setting the fastest lap and keeping Dixon honest throughout—finishing just one and a half seconds behind. Alan Litchfield rounded out the podium, holding station ahead of Joseph Smith despite a quiet race.
In the N35-ST Heavyweights, James Estrop made it back-to-back victories in the Heavyweight class, taking the win with an impressive margin over his rivals—not just in class but overall. The rest of the podium was closely fought, with Jordan Schofield narrowly edging out Brent Deeley for second. Estrop’s consistency continues to shake up the championship standings.
In the DMAX-GT Lightweights, the drama began as a torrential downpour hit moments before lights out—throwing all seventeen drivers into completely unknown territory for the opening corners.
Ben Foden thrived in the chaos, using his experience in wet conditions to charge through from outside the top five in qualifying and win by nearly seven seconds. Cordell Hayles delivered one of the standout drives of the night—mature and composed to finish second despite limited seat time in DMAX-GT karts. Andy Lloyd completed the podium, holding off Nihal Joye in a tense battle that ended with just six tenths between them.
In the DMAX-GT Heavyweights, Tom Duffy bounced back from a rare off-week to record his eighth win in nine races this season—further solidifying his championship lead.
Behind him, the battle for second was intense. Luke Mallard held his nerve under pressure to fend off Mark Rollinson by a tenth of a second—one of the closest finishes of the evening. Rollinson, ever-present in the top spots, had to settle for third this time.
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