British Super One Series, Round 2

press release

Round two of the MSA British Kart Championships came to England’s Oxfordshire for a sunny weekend complete with excellent racing over the one kilometre Shenington track.  It was notable that several top Renault and Formula Three team owners were seen talent-spotting the F1 hopefuls, who are all eager to follow in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton’s footsteps.

Above: Ben Cooper
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

Above: Driver parade
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

Renault MSA Formula KF1 British Kart Championship
Ben Cooper hit top form in two thrilling finals.  In the first, class rookie Luke Wright saw all his hard work in the heats to earn a front row position vanish when he was bumped by Lee Bell, as poleman Elliot Burton took the lead.  Bell succumbed to Jordon Lennox-Lamb and Ben Cooper at the first hairpin, and then to the upwardly mobile Jonathan Walker.  Cooper nosed ahead of Burton with a light kiss, the latter falling several places in his endeavours to stay on terms.  Last round double winner Jordon Lennox-Lamb, finding insufficient pace to stay with the new leader, was gobbled up by the pack, falling to seventh.  Walker sliced into first with Cooper fighting back as they traded the lead several times, the pace so hot they put three seconds on the rest. Cooper managed to get back in front to defend to the flag, with Walker observing: “It’s hard when I am on antibiotics for a chest infection.” 

The battle re-commenced in the second final, Walker again managing to find a gap in Cooper’s defence to snatch the lead, but briefly.  Cooper was put down to third behind Rob Foster-Jones, with defending British champion Mark Litchfield finding form for the first time this season, accelerating into the lead with a neat move over Foster-Jones in the chicane.  Foster-Jones re-took the lead, but Litchfield was forced up the bank by an over-eager Richard Bradley trying to follow, the latter later excluded from the race.  That just left the two final twists, as Cooper squeezed through into the lead, with Foster-Jones losing speed trying to hold him off.  He fell into the clutches of Luke Wright and Lee Bell for fourth.  And finally Bell dived into the chicane to take the runner-up spot.  Cooper, who is the reigning Rotax class world champion, said: “It was so close, Rob tried to defend too soon, but when you get to the front it’s very hard to stay there.”

Results
Final 1
1 Ben Cooper Tonykart/Vortex
2 Jonathan Walker Gillard/TM
3 Lee Bell Wright/Parilla
4 Rob Foster-Jones Alonso/Vortex
5 Elliot Burton Tonykart/Vortex
6 Mark Litchfield Maranello/Maxter

Final 2
1 Cooper
2 Bell
3 Luke Wright Tonykart/Vortex
4 Foster-Jones
5 Sam Snell Intrepid/TM
6 Jordon Lennox-Lamb Topkart/IAME

Championship Standings
1 Ben Cooper 184
2 Jordon Lennox-Lamb 183
3 Lee Bell 174
4 Robert Foster-Jones 172
5 Jonathan Walker 167
6 Elliot Burton 166

Renault MSA Formula KF3 British Junior Kart Championship
Racing Steps Foundation backed Jake Dennis starred at his local track with two wonderful wins.  In the first final, Sennan Fielding out-witted poleman Alexander Albon to lead the first corners, the pair then trading first place as Dennis sat in third. 

Above: Jake Dennis
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

Dennis upped the pace, slicing past both for the lead but unable to sustain it for long.  Sam Blake and Alex Walker pulled the next group into touch, so now a ten kart express train was hurtling round the track, all nose to tail.  Dennis had just hit the front once more when Fielding and Walker tangled in the chicane, gifting a big cushion and the win to Dennis, Blake, Jake Dalton and the Red Bull backed Albon following.  “I heard a noise behind me and had a quick look to see I had a gap,” said Dennis who added that he had been struggling for power. 

Walker had two points added to the four he received earlier for an exclusion, which was sufficient for his licence to be withdrawn by the MSA Steward.  After two red flags to attend to crashed karts, the second final eventually got underway with Fielding having to pit to attend to a mashed sidepod.  Again a long train contested the lead, with Sam Blake leading from Dennis, Albon, Dalton and Callum Bowyer.  Dennis stepped up to the lead, with Dalton following, then Dalton took over as they pulled away from Albon.  Dalton put up a strong resistance to all the Dennis moves, until eventually Dennis executed a neat switch-back out of the chicane to snatch his second win.  He said: “It was very close, the rest were all battling behind then I thought I should go for the win.”  Dalton ruefully exclaimed: “I defended too much on the way into the chicane.”

Final 1
1 Jake Dennis Topkart/TM
2 Sam Blake Octane/XTR
3 Jake Dalton Alonso/Maxter
4 Alexander Albon Tonykart/TM
5 Paul Hardy Intrepid/Maxter
6 Callum Bowyer Intrepid/tba

Final 2
1 Dennis
2 Dalton
3 Albon
4 Abigail Gerry Gillard/TM
5 Macaulay Walsh Birel/IAME
6 Jordan King Maranello/Maxter

Championship Standings
1 Jake Dennis 196
2 Alexander Albon 183
3 Sam Blake 168
4 Paul Hardy 165
5 Jordan King 164
6 Callum Bowyer 161

Renault ABkC National KF2 Kart Championships
Team-mates Jordan Chamberlain and Shaun Carter had the legs on the rest of the large KF2 pack, the pair drawing clear of Jake Ball in the early stages of the first final.  Ball failed to sustain his place when the rest caught up, and he fell to sixth in favour of Mackenzie Taylor, Alex Lynn and James Godbehere.  Chamberlain never looked in serious danger, although Carter observed: “In the middle of the race I had the legs on Jordan, but for the last five laps I was struggling to stay in touch.” 

Above: Jordan Chamberlain
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

Chamberlain had found even more speed for the second final, pulling clear of Carter who was coming under pressure from Lynn towards the end.  Taylor had to settle for fourth this time, with Charles Bonsey and Laura Tillett not far behind. A delighted Chamberlain exclaimed: “I’m over the moon now, I put this down as my best and biggest win by far!”

Final 1
1 Jordan Chamberlain Tonykart/TM
2 Shaun Carter Tonykart/TM
3 Mackenzie Taylor Alonso/Vortex
4 Alex Lynn Alonso/Vortex
5 James Godbehere Maranello/Maxter
6 Jake Ball Tonykart/TM

Final 2
1 Chamberlain
2 Carter
3 Lynn
4 Taylor
5 Charles Bonsey Tonykart/Vortex
6 Laura Tillett Gillard/TM

Championship Standings
1 Jordan Chamberlain 180
2 Shaun Carter 176
3 Mackenzie Taylor 176
4 Jake Ball 175
5 Charles Bonsey 171
6 Alex Lynn 159

Above: Jordan Chamberlain
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

ABkC Dunlop Cadet National Championship
A large slip streaming battle for the lead in the first final seemed to resolve itself into a two way fight when George Russell and Harry Woodhead broke clear.  Lando Norris had been the initial leader, but he fell as far as seventh, before managing an eventual fourth.  Then TJ Nelson towed the next group up to the leaders to join the party and when Russell pulled out to try for a pass they all nipped through, putting him down to fifth, although he managed to recover to third by the flag.  Woodhead hung on for the win over Nelson. 

Above: Harry Woodhead leads the Cadet pack
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

In the second final, the battle re-commenced with Woodhead content to sit behind Nelson, pulling them clear of the rest.  Russell struggled with an engine problem and fell to mid-pack, leaving Max Vaughan to head up the third place fight.  On the last lap, Nelson left the door open in the chicane, gratefully accepted by Woodhead for his second win.

Final 1
1 Harry Woodhead Zip/Comer
2 Trevyn-Jay Nelson Zip/Comer
3 George Russell Zip/Comer
4 Lando Norris BRM/Comer
5 Max Vaughan Zip/Comer
6 Ross Gunn Zip/Comer

Final 2
1 Woodhead
2 Nelson
3 Vaughan
4 Norris
5 Alex Gill Wright/Comer
6 Josh White Zip/Comer

Championship Standings
1 Harry Woodhead 186
2 Alex Gill 184
3 George Russell 175
4 Treyn-Jay Nelson 171
5 Josh White 171
6 Sam Webster 16

Above: Cadet Podium
pic - Chris Walker, kartpix.net

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