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Jamie Chadwick Series - Round Seven
Daytona Sandown Park
The Jamie Chadwick Series returned to Daytona Sandown Park for Round Seven, marking the start of the season’s final run of venues. Sunshine greeted the grid on Sunday morning as drivers prepared to tackle the iconic Grand Prix Layout, back in rotation after May’s outing on the Alternate circuit.
Cadets & Juniors
With many taking advantage of the early track walk, the Cadet and Junior fields were well-prepared as qualifying got underway. Lap times steadily tumbled as tyres and drivers came up to speed, setting the stage for an afternoon of close racing.
In the Cadets, championship leader Lily Catignon once again proved her pace, securing pole with a 53.974. She was joined on the front row by Jess Kirby, just under four-tenths adrift, knowing only a win would keep her title ambitions alive. Alicia Waterhouse slotted into third, ahead of Savannah Shevlin in fourth.
Over in the Juniors, it was Megan Gascoyne who topped the sheets with a 52.823, edging out Tilly Watson by just over a tenth. Tara Herm claimed third, narrowly ahead of championship leader Sarah Telford, who lined up fourth.
The Cadets' 25-minute contest burst into life immediately as Felicity Roberts was handed a ten-second penalty for breaking formation at the start. Out front, the spotlight quickly fell on the duel between Catignon and Kirby. Kirby struck early, making her move and pulling a gap, but Catignon - ever relentless - reeled her back in as the minutes ticked away. In the closing stages, Catignon pounced to snatch her fifth victory of the season, reaffirming her grip on the championship fight.
Waterhouse completed the podium in third, while Shevlin and Amelia-Alice Barreau crossed the line side by side in a thrilling scrap for fourth.
The Juniors delivered fireworks of their own. Pole-sitter Gascoyne led the early laps, but Tilly Watson was never more than a kart-length behind. The pair traded places with metronomic regularity, neither driver willing to yield.
Behind them, the battle for third was just as fierce, with Telford, Milena Clark, Phoebe Hardy, and Herm locked in an unrelenting four-way fight. Hardy’s hopes were dashed by a ten-second penalty for contact with Clark, while Watson also fell foul of track limits, picking up a penalty of her own.
That left Gascoyne clear to seize victory, edging away from Watson in the closing laps. Watson’s penalty did not cost her second place, while Telford, digging deep under pressure, clung on for third ahead of Clark, who beat Herm to fourth in a drag race to the line.
SODI & DMAX
It was set to be a marathon day for Zoe Cattet, who claimed pole in SODI Lightweights with a 51.753 and one eye on her DMAX debut later in the schedule. Milena Clark, fresh from her Junior exploits, lined up alongside her, with Nicole Robinson completing the top three.
In the Inters, championship leader Chloe McNally made her intent clear with pole position, while Amelia Charlesworth edged out Reyhaneh Abdolrazagh by a mere thousandth of a second to secure the other front-row spot.
Race One saw Cattet untouchable once more. She controlled the pace from lights to flag, pulling clear to win by 13 seconds in another emphatic display. Behind her, Clark, Robinson, Darcie Batty, and Chloe Smith waged a breathless four-way battle for second. Clark ultimately prevailed, but the entire quartet was split by less than a second at the flag - a race-long scrap that kept spectators hooked.
In the Inters, McNally was in a class of her own, storming clear to finish a full lap ahead of the field. Charlesworth held off Abdolrazagh by just a tenth in a tense fight for second.
There was little time to pause as attention shifted to the DMAX field. Cattet and McNally barely had time for a quick drink before jumping in their new vehicles. Much of the paddock talk centred on the title fight between Julia Stankowiak and Hope Wood - the pair separated by two wins across the season. On home turf, Wood was eager to extend that to three wins.
Stankowiak landed the first blow with pole position, but it was Wood who seized the advantage once the race got underway. A frantic opening saw Wood, Cattet, and Stankowiak break clear, swapping places in a ferocious three-way duel. Stankowiak’s aggression tipped over the line, earning her a five-second penalty for contact with Cattet. That left Wood free to stretch a slender gap, crossing the line half a second clear of debutant Cattet, with Stankowiak salvaging third. Lucie Shuckford beat Rabbage to fourth, while McNally finished sixth. In the Inters, Skye Lees made a winning debut, pulling four seconds clear of Frankie Yates.
Back in the SODIs for Race Two, Cattet once again set the tone, converting pole into another runaway victory - this time by 12 seconds - clinching maximum points after the day’s fastest lap. The real drama came behind, where Batty, Clark, Smith, Robinson, and Ruby Grainge engaged in a relentless scrap for the remaining podium spots. Batty emerged second on the road, only to be briefly stripped of her result after a marshal’s error promoted Robinson. A post-race review reinstated Batty’s podium, with Clark third after a stellar day.
The Inters told a familiar story as McNally repeated her earlier dominance, this time finishing 10 seconds clear. Charlesworth again edged Abdolrazagh by two-tenths in their private duel for second, ensuring the podium matched Race One to the decimal.
That set the stage for the day’s finale: DMAX Race Two. Determined to secure the victory, Wood produced a faultless drive, leading every lap to deliver a vital victory for her championship charge. The fight behind her was ferocious, as Stankowiak, Cattet, and Shuckford traded blows in the opening laps, allowing Wood to escape. Stankowiak ultimately held off Cattet for second, while Rabbage pipped McNally by two-tenths in their own wheel-to-wheel scrap. Lees once again had the measure of Yates in the Inters, pulling five seconds clear to complete a dream debut.
Final Word
Round Seven offered storylines across every category: Catignon strengthening her Cadet lead, Gascoyne offering a twist in the Junior title battle narrative, Cattet and McNally stamping their authority on the SODI's, Lees announcing herself with a debut win, and Wood landing a crucial blow in her DMAX title fight with Stankowiak. Not to mention, three of the classes are now locked out, with mathematically assured championship winners: Lily Catignon takes the Cadet title, Zoe Cattet claims the 4-Stroke Lights, and Chloe McNally secures the 4-Stroke Inters. As points continue to accumulate, all is still to play for in the other classes, with the battle for podiums across the board raging on.
The Jamie Chadwick Series continues at Daytona Tamworth on Sunday 12th October.
Thursday Night League - Round Three
Daytona Milton Keynes
We returned to Milton Keynes for the Third Round of Thursday Night League, with a stacked lineup and some highly competitive racing ahead, the championship is heating up as drivers look to stamp their authority on what is quickly becoming an incredibly exciting season of midweek racing.
SODI
Qualifying was all about Mark Smith, who set an early claim on the session with a 1:21.438 - a benchmark that nobody could touch. That effort set the standard for the Lightweights. Over in the Heavies, Michael Bowles made his intentions clear with a 1:22.096 to secure pole.
Smith led the Lights away with Max Michalski and Nathan Turner in close company, while Bowles took the top spot on the Heavies grid ahead of Alec Sutherland and Ben Swabey.
The race erupted instantly. On lap one, turn ten became the scene of carnage as multiple karts spun, several drivers tumbling down the order before the first lap was even completed. Rising from the chaos, Charlie Csepreghi snatched the initiative in the Lights, while Sutherland surged into control of the Heavies.
Four minutes later, the weather took over. A sudden downpour turned the circuit into an ice rink. Drivers skated off in all directions, the marshals were stretched to their limits, and the race became a battle for control. Through it all, Csepreghi held firm at the front, though Adam Pughe and Barry Morris never left his mirrors.
By six minutes, the front three had broken clear. Pughe edged to within eight tenths of the leader, while Morris kept the pressure on in third. Behind, Richard Danby produced a decisive charge in the Heavies, storming into the lead and building a three-second gap as Sutherland slipped to fourth.
Pughe and Morris traded blows in their fight for second, but neither could dislodge Csepreghi. As the rain eased, lap times fell again, the leading trio covered by just six tenths as the flag loomed.
At the line, Csepreghi held his nerve to win the Lights ahead of Pughe and Morris. In the Heavies, Danby was unstoppable, with Bowles second and Swabey completing the podium.
DMAX
The track began to dry by the time the DMAX field took to qualifying, raising the stakes. Adam Hawtin set the early pace with a 1:17 before slicing nearly four seconds off within three laps, dipping into the 1:13s. In the Heavies, Ashley Mayston-King was untouchable with a 1:14.3.
The Lights battle became a shootout. James King went second with a 1:14.4, only for Mark Wyllie-Mackay to immediately better it with a 1:13.9. King struck back with a 1:13.3. Then, in the closing moments, Dawid Sniezko delivered a stunning lap, first a 1:13.0, then a breathtaking 1:12.7 to grab pole.
That set the grid with Sniezko leading the Lights ahead of Hawtin and King, while Mayston-King took Heavy pole from Charlie Newman and Richard Danby.
The race began cleanly. By lap two, King muscled past Hawtin for second in the Lights, with only Sniezko up the road.
In the Heavies, Mayston-King was on a mission. Three laps in, he still led comfortably, Newman running second with Robert Bannister in third. By lap six, Mayston-King had built a commanding twelve-second margin, a statement drive. Behind, Danby fought back into third, deposing Bannister.
Newcomer Jacob Csepreghi impressed on debut, running solidly in fourth in his first Thursday Night League DMAX outing.
At the front, Sniezko was in control. King remained close at four seconds behind, with Hawtin a further two seconds adrift. The midfield battle brought the fireworks, particularly between Wyllie-Mackay and Johnny Frankham. With just laps remaining, Frankham executed the move of the night - a daring dive at turn ten to snatch fifth in the Lights.
At the flag, Sniezko took a composed victory in the Lights ahead of King and Hawtin. In the Heavies, Mayston-King was in a class of his own, storming to victory, with Newman second and Danby third.
Daytona Sandown Park
The Thursday Night League returned to Sandown Park for Round Three, with drivers tackling the Alternate layout for the second time this season. After two thrilling opening rounds, expectations were high and the racing delivered in full.
SODI
Qualifying saw Katherine Hardwick top the timesheets with a 51.278, edging out Jonathan Fuchsel for pole. Peter Tilev lined up third with Carson Fernandes completing the second row.
Fuchsel made the better getaway and quickly moved past Hardwick to seize the lead. The pair traded places in the opening exchanges before Fuchsel broke clear, leaving Tilev to close onto the back of Hardwick. What followed was a fierce battle, elbows out and hard defending, until the tension boiled over on lap 8 - the clash sending Hardwick tumbling to eighth while Tilev was penalised.
Hardwick regrouped and found herself locked into another battle, this time with last season’s runner-up Vivek Bhalla, the pair crossing the line just half a second apart. Up front, Fuchsel kept his nose clean and controlled the race, taking victory after 23 laps. Fernandes crossed the line second with Tilev third - but post-race penalties and weight checks reshuffled the order. Bhalla was promoted to third, while Theo Wadsworth inherited the final podium spot.
In the Heavies, it was James Krestovnikof who came out on top, extending his strong run of form.
DMAX
Qualifying was a nail-biter, with Alfie Shrubb grabbing pole with a 46.679. He was chased hard by Ellis McKenzie, just a tenth behind, while Callum Bendelow and Jack Redfern filled the second row, split by only 0.011.
The race itself was chaotic from the outset, the opening laps littered with track limit and contact warnings. Through the melee, Shrubb held firm at the front, pursued by Bendelow after an early move on McKenzie. That order didn’t last long – on lap eight McKenzie launched a bold move at turn six to reclaim second, and from there began his charge toward Shrubb.
With the laps ticking down, McKenzie closed the gap and the pair engaged in a tense late-race duel, with Thomas Williams closing rapidly behind. Four laps from home, McKenzie found a way past Shrubb and defended stoutly to the finish, taking the win. Shrubb settled for second, with Williams just half a second behind the leading pair in third.
In the Heavies, Zack Llewellyn-Morris dominated, pulling clear of Warren Gomm in second and Richard Hall in third.
Round Three at Sandown Park brought everything fans have come to expect from the Thursday Night League – fierce battles, dramatic clashes, and title contenders beginning to emerge. The series now returns to the iconic Grand Prix layout on September 18th for Round Four.
Daytona Tamworth
N35-ST
Qualifying delivered a shake-up across both categories. In the Lightweights, Charlie Walmsley-Ryde made a statement by snatching pole by six tenths over championship leader Kyle Turner, underlining his intent to become a genuine title threat for the rest of the season. In the Heavies, Mckenzie Senior edged out series leader Brandon Gathercole to secure his first pole of the campaign.
The Lightweight race quickly became a two-way duel at the front. Walmsley-Ryde and Season One frontrunner Joseph Smith traded lap times throughout the 20-minute contest, Smith piling on the pressure lap after lap. But Walmsley-Ryde didn’t flinch, sealing victory by three seconds, as well as fastest lap by a margin of just six hundredths. Alan Litchfield charged from sixth on the grid to complete the podium, while Turner endured a difficult run to fifth. The result leaves Walmsley-Ryde just a single point behind Turner in the standings.
In the Heavies, Senior seized his opportunity to halt Gathercole’s dominant start to the season. The two went wheel-to-wheel all race long, clashing at the final corner in dramatic fashion. Gathercole was shuffled down the order, leaving Senior clear to claim his first win of the season. Gathercole mounted an impressive recovery drive to salvage second, while Brent Deeley capped a strong performance with third. The Heavyweight title fight now looks set to develop into a straight head-to-head between Gathercole and Senior.
DMAX
The Lightweight qualifying session was one of the closest of the season so far. Will Kenny took pole on debut, beating fellow newcomer Cordell Hayles by two tenths. Behind, Season One frontrunners Ben Foden and Lucas Gathercole were locked in the mix, both within three tenths of pole. In the Heavies, Tamworth regular Sonny Zacharias grabbed top spot by three tenths over Luke Mallard and Joe Collier.
The Lightweight race was a thriller. Kenny and Foden quickly broke clear, swapping the lead at half distance as Foden edged ahead. Kenny refused to let go, shadowing him all the way to the flag and finishing just two seconds behind. Hayles secured third after a mature drive, comfortably clear of the chasing pack. It was a bruising outing for Lucas Gathercole, who could only manage eighth after a series of incidents, cutting his championship lead to just 10 points over Foden.
In the Heavies, Zacharias was unable to convert pole into victory. Luke Mallard seized control to take the win, chased hard by Joe Collier in second, with Zacharias forced to settle for third. That leaves Collier and Zacharias tied on points heading into Round Four, with the Heavyweight title fight finely poised.
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