Club 2000, Round 5, 4th May 2019

We really did have four seasons in one day at the last round of Club which made for one of the most interesting meetings in about 20 years! The unpredictable weather meant drivers and crew had to second guess what was likely to be happening by the time the karts were out on track resulting in some teams fitting slicks during hail storms!

Constantly changing track conditions meant that there was little consistency in the placings and it was pretty hard to break any lap records, that said, George Smith managed to shave off 0.04 in Senior Rotax.

HONDA The top five places were up for grabs throughout the heats with little consistency in the placings and nine drivers taking turns in the top five.

Mac McFarquhar (87), Kacee Lynch (41) and Sam Cooper (44) did enough throughout the heats and the final to retain their championship table positions; Mac McFarquhar’s rather more consistent placings (three 2nds) meant he managed to increase the gap between himself and 2nd place Kacee Lynch whose unfortunate second heat resulted in a closed gap between himself and 3rd place Sam Cooper.

Thomas Jack Lee (11) managed a 3rd in the final rewarding him with a move from Clubman to Pro.

Kacee Lynch (41) claimed the fastest Honda lap of the day with a 47.33 in Heat 1; he also achieved the fastest average speed of 55.74mph.

1st Kacee Lynch (41) 2nd Mac McFarquhar (87) 3rd Thomas Jack-Lee (11) 4th Sam Cooper (44) 5th Oliver Gaillard (46)

JUNIOR PROKART Again, there was a lack of consistency in the placings but Elliot Norton’s two 1sts and a 4th in the heats and a 2nd in the Final kept him at the top of the Championship Table. In fact, the Championship Table remained static with all drivers retaining their positions.

Jeremy Lock (38) drove a stormer in the Final to steal 1st place from under the nose of Elliot Norton (75).

Elliot Norton claimed the fastest Prokart lap of the day with a 43.99 and the fastest average speed of 59.68mph.

1st Jeremy Lock (38) 2nd Elliot Norton (75) 3rd Theo Grey (35) 4th Jensen Beane (55)

JUNIOR TKM Track conditions meant that average speeds were generally under 60mph in all the heats and as low as the 40s in Heat 2. The final saw a faster race with speeds back up to the high 50’s and 60s.

The top five positions were again wildly contested with seven drivers making an appearance during the day. Ultimately, the top four Championship Table positions remain unaltered.

Kian Bennett claimed the fastest Junior TKM lap of the day with a 42.72 in the Final.

1st Kian Bennett (44) 2nd Charlie Gaillard (74) 3rd Thomas Ready (91) 4th Lewis Mackie (21) 5th Tyler McAlpin (60)

JUNIOR ROTAX This round saw a constant battle between Ben Smalley (96) and Jolie Pettitt (37) with neither willing to relinquish and both ending up with 138 points to add to the Championship Table.

The top average speed of 61.31mph achieved by Ben Smalley in the Final was a far cry from the lower speeds (down in the 40s) in the wetter heats. Adam Foster claimed the fastest Junior Rotax lap with a 42.21.

1st Ben Smalley (96) 2nd Jolie Pettitt (37) 3rd Adam Foster (92)

SENIOR ROTAX There was somewhat more consistency with the results in this class. George Smith took the final having achieved two 1sts and a 4th in the heats. Adam Forester came in a close 2nd with a 3rd and two 2nds in the heats.

George Smith achieved the top average speed 65.30mph in the Final and the fastest lap time (and Rotax lap record) with a 40.32.

1st George Smith (27) 2nd Adam Forrester (18) 3rd Mikey Austin (12) 4th Aaron Conway (69)

SENIOR ROTAX 177 Lloyd Bell (16) had a good, consistent round with three 1sts (including the Final) and a 2nd. Nic Carlton-Smith (7) came a close 2nd in the Final and grabbed 1st in Heat 1 but couldn’t achieve higher than 4th place in the remaining heats. Robert Peachey (25) grabbed 3rd in the Final and retained his position at the top of the Championship Table.

Top average speeds reached 64.48mph. The fastest Rotax 177 lap was claimed by Nic Carlton-Smith with a 41.14.

1st Lloyd Bell (16) 2nd Nic Carlton-Smith (7) 3rd Robert Peachey (25) 4th James Price (33)