The Wera Tools British Kart Championships season resumed last weekend [23-24 July] with its second visit to Warden Law of the year.
This time, it was the Rotax and Honda classes who took on the challenging and technical circuit at Karting North East, as they tackled their third event of the season.
Joining the BKC as a guest in Sunderland was the Micro Max class, where eight karters battled it out for the JAG Micro Max Trophy.
You can re-live all the action from the finals on Motorsport UK’s YouTube channel [HERE].
Classes
Mini Max
It was Noah Wolfe [Synergy Racing Developments] who claimed victory to claw back some of the points difference between himself and leader Scott Marsh [DHR].
Marsh finished outside of the podium positions for the first time this season, ending the weekend with 6th in the final.
Wolfe impressed over the course of the weekend, setting the best time in qualifying and winning one of the heats. A penalty in the prefinal dropped him down to 8th on the starting grid for the finale, but a stunning performance saw him power his way through the field to triumph.
A consistent Harry Bartle [Croc Promotion] took second, with Harrison Whitticombe [Argenti Motorsport] joining them on the podium.
Marsh continues to lead the championship but his advantage over Wolfe has been cut to 12 points.
Junior Rotax
Vinnie Phillips [Strawberry Racing] moved into second overall after taking the headlines at Warden Law with his first win of the season.
Phillips looked strong throughout the weekend, converting the best qualifying time in his group and two top-four heat finishes into a solid third place in the prefinal.
The final saw him move into second on the opening lap, before he made his move on polesitter Gustav Usakovs [Hunter Motorsport] on lap 13 to take the win.
Usakovs’ second place topped off an impressive weekend for the Latvian, while championship leader Brandon Carr [KR-Sport] kept his spot with a third-placed finish at Warden Law.
Senior Rotax
A near-flawless weekend on home turf saw Kai Hunter [DHR] claim his second round victory in a row to go top of the championship.
He now leads Callum Bradshaw [Strawberry Racing], who finished third at Warden Law, by eight points. Guy Cunnington sits a further 11 points behind, having beaten his Strawberry Racing teammate to second.
Hunter won both heats and the prefinal after taking the fastest time in his timed qualifying group, but the final initially didn’t go to plan as it was Lewis Gilbert who crossed the line first. However, the Scotsman was hit with a penalty which dropped him down to 5th and determined the final podium positions.
Honda Cadet
A red-flag on lap 11 of the Final caused a brief stoppage with several front-runners caught up in the incident.
It was Cole Denholm [Synergy Racing Developments] who yet again won the round, making it his third consecutive victory of the season. After finishing fourth in the prefinal, he was running in second when the incident occurred in the final and managed to come through the fracas unscathed.
Though Denholm loses his unblemished record after scoring 59 in the prefinal, he keeps his championship lead and now has a remarkable 65-point advantage.
Synergy teammate Jarrett Clark finished second at Warden Law, moving him above Albert Friend [SFR Motorsport] overall who was unfortunately involved in that final collision. Noah Barham, who recorded the fastest lap during the final, finished third.
Micro Max
Laughlin Johnstone [SFR Motorsport] reaped the rewards from a dominant weekend in the JAG Micro Max Trophy.
The Scot won both heats and the prefinal before rounding off a stand-out performance with a convincing final victory.
An exciting finale saw Johnstone battle it out with Jenson Chalk [Croc Promotion] and Max Gilman [SFR Motorsport] who finished second and third respectively.
Victory for Johnstone earned him a brand new engine and a free entry into the ROTAX Challenge Grand Final qualifier events.
The next event of the British Kart Championships takes place on 19-21 August at Whilton Mill, where the IAME, TKM and Bambino classes will all be in action.