Report: Motorsport Round 1

Leicester University’s Motorsports Club can be proud of a 12th place overall finish in the first round of the British University Karting Rookie Championship, despite deserving more.

Having had 3 hours sleep and starting at 3am the team were excited to arrive at the race track in Llandow, 20 miles west of Cardiff, aiming for a mid-table finish in the 35 team field.

Dom bravely took on the challenge of driving in the seasons first race, starting from 15th. He put in a hugely aggressive performance moving into 4th place within two laps. However, the dream start was not to develop into anything as an Aberystwyth B racer came back at Dom down the inside of a fast right-hander. He struck Dom and forced him back to 12th place. Though he fought valiantly it was not to be, only gaining a few points from a drive that was worth a podium.

It would have been easy to suggest that Alfie’s race in the fast 100 Karts would be eventful to say the least, but that was not the case. Without spinning or penalties Alfie rose four places throughout the race, securing 14th place. It was the epitome of sensible racing.

Leicester’s race helmets

After a slow start from Chris Milsom in the third race he started to put in some fast times, rivalling those who were setting the pace at the front. When lap 19 came around he had risen to a remarkable 2nd place. Unfortunately, disaster was to strike again on lap 25 as he tagged a racer from Kings College receiving a black flag and a 10 second stop-go penalty. In the desperate final laps he was able to crawl back up to 3rd place, ironically finishing just 10 seconds behind 2nd place.

Leicester’s racers elected to race in the fourth race to compete against friends from home and they were to be let down by the other racers once more. Having risen to a very respectable 6th place Mike Jeffs was caught up in another tussle with a Kings College racer and was dropped down to 13th place, where he would remain for the rest of the race. A very unfortunate outcome for the team captain who was eyeing a top 5 finish.

Overall the team put in a very respectable performance and can take a number of positives from the event at Llandow. Although more disappointment was experienced than would be desired that is indeed racing and our final team position of 12^th, giving us a solid 49 points in the championship, is admirable for the first appearance in the BUKC.

You can check out some of the action below.