Round 5 of the Club 2000 championship held at Red Lodge Karting took place on the 6th May 2023. Once again, the UK weather would make for very tricky conditions with a cold, damp spring morning. For this round, we had the added support from Ambition Motorsport, helping us throughout the day.
The Mini Max grid was mixed with a couple of the newer 950 Inter’s, one of which was also racing for Ambition Motorsport.
Qualifying
To start the day, we had a nice dry qualifying session. As always, it’s a quick session and Riley managed to set a time of 44.707. This was good enough for 3rd in class, 4th overall.
Heat 1
In the first heat, which remained dry, Riley encountered a less than ideal start, resulting in the loss of a position. However, he fought back and regained his position, striving to catch up with the leaders. Despite his efforts, he finished the heat in 3rd place, achieving a best lap time of 43.419.
Heat 2
During the lunch break, the heavens opened, necessitating a wet setup. Riley started the second heat from 3rd on the grid. He made a lightning-fast start and quickly took the lead after the initial corners. Maintaining consistent lap times, he built a comfortable lead and even set the fastest lap of 52.453. This impressive performance earned him his first fastest lap and heat win..
Heat 3
The wet conditions persisted in the third heat. Riley didn’t have the same lightning start as before and dropped to second place at the second corner. However, the leader retired after just one lap, allowing Riley to regain the top position. He displayed composure and finished the heat in 1st place, securing the fastest lap once again with a time of 53.077. However, this time, 2nd place was much closer to his bumper, adding to the excitement.
Final
On to the final, it was still wet. Starting in pole position, Riley faced the challenge of finding grip on the track. In the second corner, he was passed by second, and then a few corners later passed by third. Momentarily disheartened, he lost another place a few laps later however this was short lived and Riley re-gained the position the following lap. Riley ultimately crossed the finish line in 3rd place overall, setting his best time of 54.369.
Conclusion
With a very wet afternoon, we must say thank you to Paul from Ambition Motorsport for all his help on the day. Managing to achieve the two heat wins and fastest laps were very much a high. We learned a lot, and the wet weather levelled out the field. After the taste of victory, we can only strive to achieve more.
Thank you as always to our sponsors for helping make this happen.
Media
Just one video showing my start from heat 2.
