Riley didn’t have the easiest build-up at Whilton Mill. Friday was a catalogue of things going wrong — vacuum lines, a written-off radiator, a chassis that wouldn’t settle — but the stopwatch told a different story. By the final session we were two seconds quicker than where we started, and the momentum carried into the weekend. Here’s how it unfolded.
Friday: Learning the hard way
The day started with an outlap and nothing more. The power valve wasn’t working, the vacuum line had come off, and there were no brakes. Session one was over before it began.
Session two got the power valve back, but the brakes still felt odd. Then Riley got driven over and the radiator was written off. A painful £300 hit before the weekend had really started.
Session three was our first full run, but the kart handled badly. Post-session jig check showed it slightly out, with a sag in the middle. Mystery solved, for now.
By session four the difference was enormous. The lap times weren’t massively quicker yet, but the drivability change transformed the feel of the kart.
The stopwatch finally caught up in session five — Riley dropped to 46.74. The challenge was Whilton Mill being very grippy; the kart was hopping a lot, which took some getting used to.
Session six saw us push down to 46.65 after making a setup change. The hopping reduced and the confidence grew. Physically, though, Whilton Mill demanded everything the driver had all weekend.
Saturday: Round 9
Practice
We were on really bad tyres — worse than Friday — but Riley still managed 46.703 on lap eight. That put us P26 in the practice rankings, which felt solid given the rubber.
Qualifying
This was the fastest lap of the weekend: 46.412 on lap seven. New tyres helped, but they also meant re-learning braking points. The speed was absolutely there. We qualified P27.
Heat 1
Clean, sensible driving. Kept out of trouble, found some nice overtakes, and came home 23rd on the road with a 46.648 on lap ten.
Heat 2
Red flag on lap one forced a second start. This time Riley went round the outside at Christmas and picked up a heap of places. He held it together, stayed clean, and came home 18th with a 46.808 on lap six. That locked up P20 for the final.
Final
Decent start — Riley didn’t lose places early. Lap one, coming into Ashby, two karts tangled and pushed him wide onto the grass. By the time he got back on the track, he was last. He kept his head down, worked hard through the race and finished 23rd. The lap times proved the pace was still there — 46.692 on lap seven — but the result didn’t reflect it.
Sunday: Round 10
We checked the other karts, and made a further change to help the handling. Also learned we should be charging the battery between sessions. Small things, but they all add up.
Qualifying
Tricky session. With the championship running order, Riley had to clear a couple of drivers who Riley had been consistently quicker than. Then a kart stuttered in the pits, so he had to push hard from the off to catch, pass and still set a lap — all in under five minutes. He did really well to qualify P26 with a 46.753 on lap seven.
Heat 1
The kart seemed to bog down early, especially at the start. There was a big incident at Christmas on lap one — Riley avoided it cleanly without losing places. A couple of overtakes brought him home P22 with a 46.701 on lap four.
Heat 2
Solid, controlled driving. Avoided the chaos, got into some good battles, came home P23. Times were consistently mid-46 seconds — 46.735 on lap nine.
Final
Steady start, then a pile-up just after Christmas. Riley ended up on the grass trying to avoid it and picked up a drop-down penalty. He kept going, kept out of further trouble, found some good overtakes, and crossed the line P16 with a 46.735 on lap eight. With the drop-down applied, that became 21st.
Conclusion
The lap times tell their own story. We started Friday struggling to break 48 seconds. By session six we were into the 46s, and Saturday’s 46.412 in qualifying showed what this package can do when it’s properly set up. Sunday’s times were consistently in that same 46.7 window despite traffic, incidents and the pressure of championship order. The speed is there.
We’re at the point where more investment will make a real difference. New tyres on practice days would let us push in qualifying with confidence. And if we’re running new practice tyres, we’ll need a second set of MXC wheels to make the setup work. 2026 Super One Rounds 7 & 8 along with this round highlighted how much better the new (2025 BWD) brake system works. Between the brake upgrade and the sagging middle, it might be time for a new kart.
Riley showed real grit this weekend. Friday’s broken parts and chassis headaches, Saturday’s lap-one heartbreak, Sunday’s grass recovery — he kept improving, kept his head when things went wrong around him, and kept turning laps that proved he belonged at the sharp end. That’s how you build results.
A huge thank you as always goes to everyone at Joe Weaver Racing for all the help over the weekend.
Media
Beth Murton Photography
Beth is a new photographer we discovered post this event, give her a follow on Instagram – @bethmurtonphotography
