Wow what a fantastic record turnout for the opening round of the 2017 PKC! We would like to say a huge thank you to all competitors who took part today. Everyone raced really well and the competition and sportsmanship between all drivers was fantastic. Taking part in Round 1 were 4 PKC Champions. 2009 Champ Colin Rowland Mason (Johnston) returned to the PKC and was competitive from the off. 2015 Lightweight Champ Dan Thomas (Templeton) took to the grid after sitting out most of last year and reigning Champions Sam Joseph (Swansea) and Michael Lloyd Davies (Cefneithin) were back to defend their titles so anticipation was high. The event kicked off with the combined practice & qualifying session which gave everyone a preview on each others form. In the lightweight category Adam Jones (Tenby) stood out as an early title favourite by comfortably winning all 4 of his races giving him maximum points. Dan Thomas put in a strong performance and kept Adam honest and came second overall with reigning Champion Sam Joseph coming third. Both Dan and Sam deserve a special mention for their incredible racing in race 4, where Dan defended brilliantly against a charging Sam. Stuart Davis (Milford Haven) and Melany Howell (Drefach Felindre) finished the event 4th and 5th respectively after putting together a string a strong performances. The heavyweight division was crammed full of drivers for the event with no fewer than 20 taking part. Newcomer Robert Maynard (Carmarthen) turned a few heads by launching himself to the sharp end of the grid and winning 3 races allowing him to claim victory. Reigning Champion Michael Davies added another race win to his tally but was ultimately only able to finish second overall. Brian Newton (Llanybri) continued to impress the whole paddock. Despite turning 70 this year, Brian is always near the front of the field and today finished third overall ahead of Damien Holmes (Haverfordwest). With his impressive heavyweight victory, Robert Maynard was the best rookie of the day and earns himself a solid starting point in the Rookie of the Year standings. Melany Howell topped the ladies rankings with Brian Newton topping the Masters Cup table. After the event we held our first Fastest Lap Challenge of the year which saw Sam Joseph set the track on fire with the incredible time of 23.779 seconds. We would like to say a big thank you to Carew Karting for hosting the round and to all staff and marshals. Round 2 takes place May 13th when the PKC returns indoors to West Wales Karting.
1 Comment
Very close result at the final race of our Winter Endurance League last night at West Wales Karting. Reigning champions the Hell Drivers fought off intense competition from the Pretty Swifts to regain the title for an unprecedented 4th consecutive year.
Competing with a weight penalty, the odds were initially against the Hell Drivers but Dan Thomas (Templeton), Adam Jones (New Hedges) and Ben Akroyd had a quick strategy and their talent to help them claim the win. After finishing 4th in the first race, the Pretty Swift team consisting of Melany Howell & Tess Howell (Newcastle Emlyn) and Jess Holmes (Haverfordwest) drove a near perfect race displaying precision driving and skillful overtakes to cause real concern to the Champions and pushed them hard to the flag where they finished just over 1 second behind the Hell Drivers. Newcomers Synergy finished an impressive third with drivers Damien Holmes, Tony Holmes & Jeremy Absalom (All Haverfordwest) consistently putting in quick lap after quick lap. The Lucky Dips team with drivers William Samuel Dolbear (Sageston), Michael Lloyd Davies (Cross Hands) & Royston Badham (Pembroke Dock) lost ground at the event and slipped back to 4th, leaving them third overall in the standings. The Mobile Chicanes team featuring the original PKC Champion Colin Rowland Mason (Cardiff), John Mason, Chris Grein and Steve James looked strong early on in the race and were very competitive but fell back after losing time in heavy traffic Final Winter Endurance League standings: 1st Hell Drivers 578pts 2nd Pretty Swifts 575pts 3rd Lucky Dips 574pts 4th Synergy 572pts 5th Mobile Chicanes 287pts Organisers would like to thank Daniel Francis and Ian Davies of West Wales Karting for doing another great job hosting the event and to all competitors and teams who took part over the Winter. We will be finalising our calendar for the 2017 Pembrokeshire Karting Championship over the coming weeks. Keep an eye on www.pembrokeshirekarting.co.uk and our Facebook page for updates Fantastic start to our Winter Endurance League tonight. Race 1 saw the closest and most evenly matched racing amongst all the teams we have ever seen at one of our 2 hour events. Reigning champions the Hell Drivers with drivers Adam Jones (New Hedges), Matthew Dance (Pendine) and 2015 PKC Champion Dan Thomas (Templeton) picked up where they left off last year with a win and 287 laps. The Lucky Dip team flirted with a surprise victory on several occasions with drivers Sam Dolbear (Sageston), Royston Badham (Pembroke Dock) and 2016 PKC Champion Michael Davies (St Clears) finishing on the same lap. Spectators witnesssed Dolbear chase down Dan Thomas and close the gap fron 6 seconds to less than a tenth by the end of the race but Thomas was able to hold the position and claim the win. Team Synergy claimed third place with the Pretty Swifts taking 4th. A big thank you to Carew Karting and their marshals for braving the cold for the race. Race 2 will take place at West Wales Karting on January 28th where the showdown will take place. To register a team, visit www.pembrokeshirekarting.co.uk
|
Archives
April 2019
|