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Thursday Night League - Round One, Season Two
Daytona Milton Keynes
After a huge first season we return to Daytona Milton Keynes for the second 2025 season of the Thursday Night League, the UK’s premier casual karting championship. In the first season we saw new faces burst onto the scene and enter season long battles with Daytona veterans – Season Two promises much of the same with a jam-packed calendar of high octane racing ahead of us and weeks of top-quality battling in the fastest karts in the UK.
The DMAX class returned to Daytona Milton Keynes for the first round of Season Two, with the sun setting over the circuit and a full grid of returning regulars ready to battle on the dry International layout. Qualifying kicked off with immediate pace from James King, who set a time a full 0.4 seconds quicker than the rest of the field. Early challengers included Johnny Frankham and Mark Wyllie-Mackay, who slotted into the provisional top three. In the Heavyweight category, Richard Danby set the tone early, going 0.8 seconds quicker than his nearest rival, David Rollins. Robert Bannister was third fastest in the early stages. By the end of the session, James King held onto pole position, with Wyllie-Mackay in second and Frankham in third. In the Heavies, James Peace emerged as the top qualifier, starting 8th overall, followed by Charlie Newman in 12th and Robert Bannister in 13th.
The SODI class returned to a dry track and a packed grid featuring many returning regulars. Qualifying was competitive from the outset, but it was Barry Morris who set the benchmark, holding the top spot for most of the session and eventually claiming pole position. Nathan Turner joined him on the front row, while Phil Heath secured third on the grid. In the Heavyweight category, Ben Swabey led the way with an impressive fifth overall in qualifying. Ash Chivers and David Rollins followed closely, qualifying seventh and eighth overall, respectively.
As the race got underway for the DMAX drivers, James King maintained his early form, immediately pulling a gap at the front, while Frankham and Dawid Sniezko gave chase in a close battle with less than a second separating them. Their efforts to reel in the leader were hampered by their own fight for position. In the Heavyweight class, James Peace ran a strong race from the front, fending off pressure from Charlie Newman and Robert Bannister, who were separated by just 0.3 seconds for much of the race. Their battle remained tight, with nearly identical lap times throughout. Just behind them, Richard Danby and Ash Chivers looked for opportunities to break onto the class podium. The midfield action was just as intense, with Leon Franken, Kai Ferner, and William Thurnell engaged in a three-way contest while Oli Kite joined the mix and found himself entangled in battles with the leading Heavies. Further down the order, Max Michalski and Daniel Jones had their own intense battle within the Heavy class, sandwiched between Ash Chivers and David Rollins, as both classes found themselves racing closely on pace. The overall race pace across the grid was remarkably even, with battles unfolding from front to back. The race served as a strong showcase of the depth of talent and tight competitiveness within the league.
The SODI race got underway with Barry Morris maintaining his lead from pole, controlling the pace from the front. While Phil Heath gave chase, Morris was untouchable and finished with a five-second advantage to secure victory in the Light class. The Heavyweight battle proved to be one of the most intense storylines of the race. David Rollins and Ash Chivers were locked in a fierce contest not just for class honours but for top three positions overall. In the end, Rollins came through to win the Heavyweight category, with Chivers close behind in second. Further back, Ben Swabey and Richard Danby fought hard for the final spot on the Heavyweight podium. Swabey ultimately held his nerve to take third in class. In the Lightweight category, Dominic Fleming and Mark Smith engaged in a close battle for third place, with Fleming coming out on top. Damon Turner and Benjamin Barath both aimed for top five finishes, but their battle between each other allowed others to pull away, with Turner edging Barath to the line. Lewis Turkington and Alex Bingham also ran a closely matched race, sticking together throughout the session. Turkington managed to stay ahead by the chequered flag.
Daytona Sandown Park
Thursday Night League returned to Daytona Sandown Park for Season Two of 2025. The drivers faced the Alternate Layout with competitors across both DMAX and Sodi looking for the perfect start to their championships with 12 rounds of intense battles ahead of them leading into the new year in contention for the coveted season championship.
In the SODI class, Reece Harris took pole position for the opening round as well as the mantle of highest placed Heavyweight. Vivek Bhalla joined him on the front row as the highest placed Lightweight driver just two tenths behind. Row two was made up of Sid Stubbings and Ryan Bentley, both returning from impressive standings last season and looking to make their mark on the grid early. Harris took the lead early on ahead of Bentley who dove past Bhalla into turn six on the opening laps. The battles ensue up and down the field with drivers getting into contact. Indy Welch would gain a penalty for contact with Jonathan Winstone on lap three. Battles also continued at the front with Harris leading the way from Bhalla, Bentley, Stubbings and Theo Wadsworth all in a train for the lead. The gaps however, opened up as the drivers edged into the second half of the race, with Reece Harris taking the win overall by five seconds. Ryan Bentley crossed the line second and took the win in the Lightweight class just four tenths ahead of Vivek Bhalla. Sid Stubbings rounded out the lightweight podium. Monty Richards would take P2 in the Heavyweights, with James Krestovnikoff rounding out the podium.
In the DMAX class, Callum Bendelow took pole position, narrowly besting Alfie Shrubb by only 0.033. Ian Del-Pizzo lined up third with the rapid Jack Redfern rounding out the second row. Row three saw our highest place Heavyweight driver, Warren Gomm, starting the race in P5. Bendelow made a clean break as the lights turned green and the main event begun, managing to pull a small gap over the field. Redfern and Max Miller got stuck into a heated battle over the top positions, slowing their lap times in the process and begrudgingly contributing to Bendelow’s P1 campaign. Shrubb hung onto second through the opening set of laps and managed to maintain his position. After a steady climb in lap fourteen, Shrubb was able make his move to get past Bendelow for the lead. Both battles raged on until the end of the race. After twenty-six laps of top-quality battles, Alfie Shrubb managed to secure the win with a 1.7 second lead over Callum Bendelow, who had to settle for P2 despite a very impressive season opening drive. He will no doubt return in Round Two with a renewed sense of vigour and his eyes set on P1, a feat well within his capabilities. Ian Del-Pizzo concluded his drive with a final straight drag race to beat Max Miller to the line and take the final podium spot. Warren Gomm took the win in the Heavyweight class ahead of Zack Llewellyn-Morris. Marcus Moore rounding out the podium as the opening round of what promises to be an incredible season of driving drew to a close.
This opening round of the Thursday Night League season saw it return once again with the high levels of excitement and drama expected from such a varied grid. Drivers in all classes making their opening statements for the season of racing ahead. We return for Round Two on the Grand Prix Layout on the 21st of August.
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