For round 5 of The Kart Championship we had a relatively local visit to Fulbeck Kart Club in Lincolnshire. This was only our second time at the track, the first being for Fulbeck Test and ARKS Test a few years ago in the Honda Cadet.
After the crash at 2024 The Kart Championship Round 4, the kart was in a bad way. The time between these two rounds was spent getting the kart sorted, and a little session over at Rye House in order to ‘get back on the horse’.
We were unable to attend the test session on Friday so we went in to Saturday ‘cold’ having not got the kart setup dialled in and the driver coaching done. We did however manage to make it in time for the ‘End of Season’ Party which was held next door at PFI. Great evening and nice to visit PFI for the first time! Even if we weren’t driving.
We had one target for this weekend, to finish each of the sessions …. something we had not yet achieved in this championship.
DRJ Motorsport Services
Before we get to the track action, we must give a very special mention to Darren at DRJ Motorsport Services. After the accident at Rowrah, even before we had left the circuit, dad reached out to try and get the kart booked in to be sorted. Darren very kindly managed to get us fitted in with time before Fulbeck allowing dad to rebuild the kart. Once dropped off, we were provided a ‘while you wait’ service.
DRJ did an incredibly thorough job on the kart, straightening 3 out of 4 corners along with re-welding one of the seat stays (common on OTK). The report given by DRJ was in depth, showing each data point and how out of shape the kart was. We were even given a detailed photograph of the crack and checks were made before welding was done. The welds look much better than factory.
Overall we are incredibly impressed by the work done to the kart, and apologies for leaving the sticker at home, but it will be fitted to the kart! We are very much considering an ‘end of year’ checkover with DRJ, and possibly getting the frame blasted and repainted or powder coated ready for next year.
This weekend saw a busy grid of 24 to contend with.
Saturday
As always, Saturday consisted of 2 practice sessions, qualifying and 2 heats. Practice 1 was a reasonable session with Riley setting a time of 46.73 which was good enough for 21st. The main thing this session did was ‘blow the cobwebs off’. Although we had done a session at Rye, this was the first time Riley drove his kart since the accident. Practice 2 saw Riley set a time of 46.31 which was 19th overall. It’s great to see improvement!
Qualifying
Just like at Rowrah, qualifying was incredibly tough. Riley set a time of 46.09 which resulted in a position of 20th. A grid position of 20th doesn’t look great, until you look at the difference between pole and 20th, which was just 8 tenths! Most of the grid was separated by hundredths of a second, 20 karts within 8 tenths show just how competitive this grid is!
Heat 1
A great start saw Riley up to 15th by the end of lap 1. On lap 2 he went for an overtake, locked up his brakes (this will be a running theme!) and went off. This put him at the back of the field some 3 seconds behind everyone else. At this point, Riley got his head down, worked hard, set his best time of 46.13 and caught up to the back of the grid. But not quite enough time in the race meant he crossed the line 23rd after a retirement. A post race penalty bumped him up another place to 22nd.
Heat 2
A sensible start saw Riley drop just one place. A place gained on lap 3, then saw him lose 2 places the following lap. A steady race saw 3 places gained on the last two laps, crossing the line 18th. A post race penalty saw him gain another place. With his best time of 45.86 shows further improvement through the day.
Sunday
For the Super Heats, Riley lined up 21st. We also had support from Grandad and Gill who came down to watch for the day.
Super Heat 1
Super Heat 1 was fairly uneventful. Riley did pick up a couple of places thanks to an incident on lap 3, but lost them again a couple of laps later. Finishing 20th after a last lap retirement. Further improving his times with a best lap time of 45.62, this would be a race of drop downs with 7 drivers, including Riley picking up a 5 second drop down penalty, but this didn’t alter his finishing position.
Super Heat 2
Super Heat 2 started off promising, keeping out of trouble whilst the pack was bunched. On lap 4, Riley was run wide on the exit of a corner, putting him on the grass. This slowed him so significantly, he was over 2.5 seconds off the back of the grid. Riley kept his head down again, chipped away at the gap and by lap 9 he was back on the tail of those in front of him.
On the last lap, Riley went for a move in to the first chicane. It looked like he was trying to overtake two karts (due to their proximity to each other), however when he realised there was a second kart directly in front, he locked his brakes trying to slow down, which resulted in a minor collision. All 3 karts carried on in the order they were and all 3 finished in the same order. He was right to go for the move, he had nothing to lose, but the resulting incident led to our first stewards visit and a -1 lap penalty.
It wasn’t all bad, it was great to see Riley try, his lap times show he was keeping up his good pace from earlier in the day with his best time of 45.76.
Final
On to the final, Riley lined up 24th and last. With one driver in front not starting, we immediately picked up a place to 23rd. The final would prove to be where everything came together! A good clean start saw Riley up to 20th. From here he just kept chipping away, picking up a position on laps 3, 5 and 6. A retirement on lap 10 saw another position ticked off the list, but after a good battle a position lost on lap 11. A flurry of changes on the last two laps saw Riley pick up another 2 places crossing the line 15th overall. Setting his best time of 45.31, this was just over 2 tenths off fastest lap!
Post race penalties saw Riley pick up another two places meaning he was classified finishing 13th. From last to 13th was a great drive to say the least. Well done.
Championship
This was the final round of the Kart Championship, which saw Riley finish 13th overall. It was a closely fought championship with a handful of drivers going in to the final round tied on points. As a first introduction to a national championship it’s certainly one we have enjoyed and will be on our shortlist for the 2025 year.
Conclusion
The final round of the Kart Championship was a tough one. It is clear to see that all the drivers on the grid have improved. At the start of the year, being within a second of pole time would have put us mid pack but now, it is so close hundredths of a second makes all the difference. Despite not attending the Friday test day, Riley did get on the pace which is clear to see with his times.
Huge thanks must go to Joe and Paul Weaver who were part of the Ambition Motorsport team again this weekend, Joe spent time coaching Riley and Paul really helped dad out with getting the kart set up, running well and ensuring the kart was right all weekend. Everyone in the Ambition Motorsport team is incredibly supportive of everyone and all the parents will help out where they can.
I know we say it every time but this championship has seen a huge improvement in Riley’s driving thank’s to the coaching, support and encouragement received from everybody at Ambition Motorsport.
As always, thank you to our sponsors who help make this happen.