Thursday Night League, Round Nine

Daytona Milton Keynes

Daytona Milton Keynes welcome back an eager grid of drivers for Round Nine of Thursday Night League on the Bus Stop layout.

In the SODI Qualifying session, Ash Chivers immediately stamped his authority on the field, storming to the top spot overall and leading the Heavyweights by over half a second. Michael Bowles secured second in class, while David Rollins narrowly edged out Ben Swabey to complete the top three Heavyweights. In the Lightweight class, Barry Morris set the benchmark, topping the times by four tenths ahead of Charlie Csepreghi, with Adam Pughe securing third. The top three were separated by less than a second, setting the stage for what would become an intense on-track battle. When the lights went out for the 20-minute race, all eyes turned to the front of the Lightweight field as Morris and Csepreghi immediately resumed their season-long rivalry. Morris led early on, but it wasn’t long before Csepreghi pounced with a decisive move, taking the lead of the race. From there, the pair were locked together for the entirety of the 20-minute contest, pulling clear of the rest as Morris chipped away at the lead, lap after lap. Behind them in the Heavyweights, Chivers delivered a masterclass. From the moment the race began, he stretched a commanding lead over his rivals, demonstrating pace that none in class could match. Bowles and Swabey found themselves fighting amongst each other and with Rollins for the remaining podium positions, providing plenty of action deeper in the pack. At the chequered flag, it was Csepreghi who held on to take victory in the SODI Lightweights, just ahead of a determined Morris, with Pughe securing third. In the Heavyweights, Chivers completed his dominant display with a crushing 23-second victory, followed by Bowles in second and Swabey in third after edging Rollins in their race-long scrap.

As the DMAX field rolled out for their session, the first drops of rain began to fall, promising an unpredictable second half of the evening. But the changing conditions did little to deter Ashley Mayston-King, who delivered a stunning performance to top the times overall and comfortably lead the Heavyweight class. Charlie Newman claimed second in class, with Valerii Bogdanov securing third. In the Lightweight category, Lee Schnitzler produced a superb lap to take pole, with Jacob Csepreghi just over half a second behind. Adam Hawtin rounded out the top three, a little over a second back from the leading duo. Once the race got underway, the story at the front of the Lightweights was a straight duel between Schnitzler and Csepreghi. The pair immediately broke away from the chasing pack, trading places repeatedly as the wet-patches and damp lines kept both drivers guessing. Every lap brought a new attempt, a new defence, a new moment of pressure. But when it mattered most, Schnitzler held firm. Crossing the line still under intense fire from Csepreghi, he converted pole into a hard-earned victory, with Csepreghi settling for second and Hawtin securing a solid third place. In the Heavyweights, it was nothing short of domination from Mayston-King who pulled clear from the very first laps and never looked back, ultimately winning by over a minute and extending his championship lead in emphatic style. Newman held steady to take second, with Bogdanov completing the podium.

A cold night at Daytona Milton Keynes which delivered high drama, close battles, and two standout performances: Chivers’ commanding SODI win and Mayston-King’s crushing DMAX display. Season Two rolls on with the championship picture sharpening and the rivalries only intensifying.

Daytona Tamworth

Two packed out grids took to the track under the lights for the Ninth Round of Thursday Night League at Daytona Tamworth.

In the N35-ST class, Zach Hassan narrowly won a competitive race in the Lightweight category, finishing just five-tenths of a second ahead of Joseph Smith, who’s superior pace (taking the fastest lap) was not enough to see him through to the victory.  Their battle was intense, but it was far more relaxed behind where Daniel Stantos Piedrabuena took stepped on the final step of the podium, cooly dealing with the threat of fourth placed Charlie Walsmley-Ryde. The overall race, however, was won by a Heavyweight. McKenzie Senior’s fine Daytona Tamworth form continued, as he won overall by sixteen seconds in the wet conditions.  His nearest Heavyweight challenger was Brandon Gathercole, who was more than a minute back, Brent Deeley joining them on the podium.

In slightly more dominant fashion than in the N35 race, Lucas Gathercole took a commanding victory in the DMAX Lightweight category.  He was twenty-five seconds ahead of Jayden Giles, going three seconds faster than anyone else throughout the course of the day. His pace was immense, and victory was definitely a statement towards the business end of the championship.  They were joined on the podium by Sinclair Greene, who spent most of the race fighting with Cordell Hayles for the final podium spot, eventually securing it by four seconds.  As for the Heavyweights, Joe Collier won by just two seconds ahead of Sonny Zacharias, with Rhys Collier taking the fastest lap of the race yet not standing on the podium. This gave way for Luke Mallard, who took the final podium spot.

Thursday Night League at Daytona Sandown Park returned for Round Eight after over a month off. The drivers ready to tackle our Alternate layout. As we head into the closing stages of the season, the championships start to take shape, and the big contenders emerge. Begging the question on race morning - who would be quickest in the slippy conditions?

The SODI class headed out first, feeling their way through the low grip track on our Alternate layout, one of the less used race formats this season. Diogo Leal took pole position with a 57.150 ahead of Sam Barnaville in second place. Row Two featured Indy Welch and Nicole Robinson eager to get to the front early on. The race kicked off with drama from the outset, as frontrunner Leal spun out though Turn Six, shaking up the order. Jack Harrison got past Indy Welch to take the lead, establishing himself as the driver to beat and steadily pulling away from the pack. The fight for the final two podium spots became one of the standout battles of the race, featuring Welch and Robinson locked in a thrilling contest for second place. Reece Harris took a commanding lead at the front of the Heavyweight pack, making his way through the Lightweights as well. After twenty laps were completed, Jack Harrison took the win by just over six seconds. Indy Welch came across in P2 ahead of Nicole Robinson. However, was not the final result as Robinson proved to have failed to make weight, resulting in post-race results changes. This promoted Sam Barnaville onto the podium in P3. Reece Harris took victory in the Heavyweight class, after a dominate race, with Monty Richards and Louie Paterson rounding out the final podium.

Pole Position in the DMAX class went the way of Jack Redfern with a 53.585. Ian Del-Pizzo lined up alongside him, with Alfie Shrubb and Ellis Mckenzie making up Row Two. Eyston Vaughan-Huxley took pole in the Heavyweights ahead of Mikhail Sitnikov who lined up alongside him in P2. The DMAX race delivered its usual share of excitement. Shrubb started well, jumping up to the front of the pack. A train began to form, with Ellis Mckenzie, Callum Bendelow and Jack Redfern right up behind Shrubb for the lead. Later in the race, the leaders of both classes met on track. The two groups came together, Ellis Mckenzie dropping out of the running after spinning at Turn Six. Jack Redfern took the win by just under three seconds. Ellis Mckenzie made his way back to P2 ahead of Ian Del-Pizzo in P3. The Heavyweight class win went the way of Warren Gomm, who had Thaons Tzevelekakis and Eyston Vaughan-Huxley for company on the podium. Round Eight lived up to the usual expectations that Thursday Night League at Sandown Park brings. Drama and battles across the field in both SODI and DMAX classes providing some epic racing. The grid returns to Sandown Park on the 27^th of October for Round Nine.