Sunday 9th March saw the final round of the inaugural Cadet Winter Championship at Formula Fast’s brand new Milton Keynes circuit.
The championship has seen some fantastic competition, and – with the emphasis on clean, fair racing – the Cadet Championships can boast to being the friendliest series around.
The current field of drivers show excellent potential for progression through the ranks of motorsport – and with two of our championship graduates already racing in MSA events with the Formula Fast Race Team, there are several hot-prospects to watch out for as the stars of tomorrow cut their teeth in karts.
A large contingent of former Banbury ‘specialists’ have also had to adapt to a new track, and the large intake of fresh faces have certainly proved they are capable of competing at the front in Buckinghamshire’s foremost cadet karting championship.
The final round was no different, and after 8 challenging heats and a close points battle between rivals Jonny Wilkinson, Matthew Biry and Ben Summerfield, it was Biry – who came into the final round with a points deficit that unfortunately put him out of contention for the overall championship – that put in the drive of his life to take the round win.
Point calculated, it was Wilkinson who emerged as Championship winner, with Summerfield a close second and newcomer Benedict Hartigan finishing a well-deserved 3rd after a great drive in the final round.
1st – Jonny Wilkinson
2nd – Ben Summerfield
3rd – Benedict Hartigan
4th – Harvey Baul
5th – Joe Llewellyn
6th – William Lowery
7th – Mattie Amphlett
8th – Kameron Mehrban
9th – Matthew Biry
10th – Armandas Pocevicius
11th – Josh McAllum
12th – Anna Jamison
13th – Lee Virasami
14th – Elliot Mitchell
Full points tables and standings can be found here.
DRIVER REVIEW
Much like his rugby namesake, Jonny Wilkinson is no stranger to victory and with his blistering pace managed to rack up a considerable points lead early in the championship – ultimately earning him victory. Ben Summerfield, who narrowly lost out to Wilkinson for 2nd place in the final Banbury Championships last year, has been a solid performer with his laptimes and consistent points scoring reflecting a very mature drive over the series. Benedict Hartigan – despite a disastrous Round 4, recovered well and demonstrated a step up in racecraft as the championship progressed.
Meanwhile, a fantastic battle for 4th place in the Championships has had spectators on the edge of their seats for some time. Entering the series for the first time, Harvey Baul has excelled and held his own against considerably more experienced competition, and will be a strong contender for a top 3 finish in the next series. Baul managed to snatch 4th position from Formula Fast newcomer Joe Llewellyn, who proved his potential throughout the series by improving his points haul in every round bar one.
William Lowery, who – despite having to miss the final round – gained enough points from his rapid driving earlier in the series (including a podium finish), secured 5th overall by a margin of 1 point from Mattie Amphlett. Mattie, who also missed the final round, demonstrated a big improvement in speed and racecraft over the series and will be looking forward to a successful 2014-15.
Whilst not featuring highly in the overall results, honourable mentions also go to Kameron Mehrban, Matthew Biry and Josh McAllum, who all took podium finishes despite not being able to compete every round. Formula Fast newcomers Armandas Pocevicius and Anna Jamison also show great promise for the future. We wish Lee Virasami and Elliot Mitchell the very best of luck as they prepare to step up to race in the adult karts soon.
Thank you to all drivers for a great Championship, and I look forward to an exciting start to the summer series on the 6th of April.
Phil Stanley
Championship Director
