Race Report - Round 2

NEW SKIDS ON THE BLOCK TAKE VICTORIES IN ROUND 2.

CADETS
The cadet section opened the day’s racing at Streatham Kart Raceway with some determined performances from the leading lights with Robert Staines, Fenton Robathan and Reece Yusuf being beaten only once each during the qualifying races to lock out the top three positions on the grid for the all important Main Final.
 
Further down the race order Jack Bartholomew, Red Carter and Jonas Moore had all shown flashes of great form, and we were assured of an absorbing race to finish proceedings.
 
From the start pole sitter Robert Staines was outgunned into the first corner by Fenton Robathan and had to defend his position against the usual hard charging Reece Yusuf and these three began to draw away from the rest of the pack as the early laps ticked away.
 
Further back down the field drivers were impatient as they jostled for position and Krystan Hacker Hurnn was forced into retirement by an unfortunate crash at the second hairpin.
 
Fenton at the front continued to maintain a murderous pace and Robert Staines fell back into the chasing pack with Jack Bartholomew now approaching the back bumper of the pole position driver.
 
Eventually he was to find a way past Robert and move to a safe position in 2nd place as the last lap started with Fenton now well clear at the front. The last lap was all about the battle for third place with Robert Staines now being hounded by both Reece Yusuf and James Beumee, but in truth they only succeeded in impeding each other and Robert held on for third.
 
As he secured his maiden victory Fenton Robathan punched the air in delight and was well applauded for a popular win for one of the smallest drivers in the field.


L-R: Jack Bartholomew, Fenton Robathan, Robert Staines

Final Results:
 
Pos      No       Driver                                      Best lap           Race Time

1.         28        Fenton Robathan                    24.869             4:13.448
2.         1          Jack Bartholomew                  24.961             4:15.562
3.         11        Robert Staines                       25.121             4:19.248
4.         14        Reece Yusuf                          25.067             4:20.318
5.         8          James Beumee                      24.944             4.20.423
6.         16        Andre Aguirre Conde            
  25.320             4.23.365
7.         15        Jonas Moore                          25.418             4:24.017
8          6          Red Carter                             25.246             4:24.249
9.         25        Krystan Hacker Hurnn           
 25.723             DNF

JUNIORS
With an increased entry for the junior section, the competition remained as fierce as ever at the front of the field with seemingly any of the top 10 drivers capable of winning races at ease, but ‘old hand’ Nikolas Walker showed all his experience in clinching pole position for the Main Final.
 
Daniel Wright had hit a purple patch of form winning his last three qualifying races whilst Conor Jux Chandler had been consistently the fastest driver on show together with defending champion Matt Ellis, who appeared strangely subdued and had to qualify for the Main Final from the B Final.
 
Once again we were expecting 10 laps of controlled aggression and kart control from the bigger drivers in the section, and as the lights flicked to green at the start, Nickolas Walker led the inside row into the first corner.
 
Daniel Wright had missed the start and Conor Jux-Chandler and Andy Rrapo followed Nikolas into second and third with George Skitini and Daniel Wright desperately trying to get back into the race.
 
Through the early laps, the top 2 were comfortable at the front, but Andy Rrapo was under pressure for third place and his battle for that position saw the gap between the top 2 and the rest open up significantly.
 
Meanwhile, Nickolas Walker had learned all about the pace of Conor Jux-Chandler as they swapped positions several times mid race, and again tactics began to form in the minds of the crowd.
 
Nikolas was determined to control the race from the front, and every time Conor passed him he simply took the place back again on the next corner and was attempting to back Conor into the chasing pack to allow himself the opportunity to move away at the front.
 
With three laps to go, Conor clipped the tyre wall and Nikolas sensed the chance to get away and produced his fastest laps for the next two laps, but Conor was more than a match and as they started their last lap, he was right back onto the rear bumper of the long time race leader.
 
There then followed 27 seconds of pure cat and mouse as Conor jinxed from side to side in an effort to pull Nikolas into a mistake. As they approached Buswash corner Nikolas found himself out of position nailed to the inside as Conor took to the faster outside line.
 
Coming out of the corner, Nickolas had no option but to drive mid track to defend either an outside swoop or an inside switch from Conor, and it was the switch that Conor employed.
 
As the two drivers powered towards the final corner, their body language portrayed that they were taking very large gulps of air and did not expect to exhale for quite some time! As the final corner loomed they got closer and closer and were racing dead level, Nickolas on the outside, Conor on the inside.
 
Both were aiming at the same bit of track and inevitably they clashed for what seemed like an eternity to the watching crowd, gasping as one as Nickolas frantically tried to control both the race and his jawing steering wheel.
 
They exited the corner still dead level and now it depended on the final dash to the finish line, a distance of no more than about 20 metres. Nickolas was undoubtedly going faster but had further to go in distance to reach the finish line. Conor had scrubbed off his speed as the drivers had battled towards the final corner, rubbing sidepods as they went, but could make a dive for the line by staying tight to the tyre wall.
 
So this most pulsating of finals was won by …….Conor Jux-Chandler by the merest of margins over a 10 lap race, about a nose cone and a bit, or in terms of time just 7 one hundredths of a second.
 
Now they could exhale. Now the crowd could applaud the efforts of these feisty gladiators. Now Conor could celebrate proudly a hard fought first ever victory. Now Nickolas could rue his tactics and glare challengingly at anyone who told him it was bad luck. And by the way, Daniel Wright regained third place whilst that was all going on!


L-R:  Nickolas Walker, Conor Jux-Chandler. Daniel Wright

Final Results:
 
Pos      No       Driver                                      Best Lap          Race Time 

1.         7          Conor Jux Chandler                24.828             4:17.998
2.         13        Nickolas Walker                   
 25.025             4:18.390
3.         2          Daniel Wright                       
 25.416             4:21.030
4.         17        George Skitini                        24.985             4:21.320
5.         1          Andy Rrapo                          
25.356             4:22.628
6.         8          Matt Ellis                             
24.687             4:23.171
7.         14        Luke Babiali                          25.170             4:23.536
8.         11        Tommy Moore                       25.820             4:27.310
9.         19        Martin Meyer                         25.757             4:28.260
10.       5          Prajesh Shah                         25.055             4:28.559

 

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