24/09/2022
54 Superkarts took to the track for qualifying this afternoon, at a bright and blustery Donington Park, for the final weekend in the British Championship.
All eyes were on championship leaders Liam Morley and Lee Harpham, tied for points in Division 1.
Liam Morley set a blistering time of 1m 29.7s, the only driver to go under 1m 30s, before an issue with the kart sent him into the pit lane. Happily for him, his time remained unbeaten and he starts the race tomorrow at the front. Meanwhile, Lee Harpham also had an early end to his qualifying, after debris on track caused him to crash out, snapping his chassis and scuppering his bid for pole. He lines up in fourth.
Ahead of Harpham, Thomas Rushforth with a time of 1m 31.2s, and Carl Hulme with 1m 31.5s, making it 0.8s between P1 and P3.
Rounding out the Division 1 front runners are Andrew Gulliford, Carl Kinsey and Dean Forward, with times of 1m 31.7s, 1m 33s and 1m 34.3s respectively. Reigning champion Ross Allen will start at the back of the grid after his rear hub slid off the axle on his warmup lap.
Samantha Hempshall leads the F250 National class, in P8, with a time of 1m 34.5s. Third in the championship, Donington Park has historically been a tricky circuit for the Bennett’s Superkart Scholarship recipient, but she will be hoping to maximise this opportunity tomorrow and climb up the standings. With similar hopes, Paul Platt was 0.3s off Hempshall, and will be starting on the fifth row alongside championship leader Lee Plain. Plain’s points lead is strong, but not secure. He’ll be hoping for a clean finish in both races.
Leading the F450 National class is Oliver Ridout, back in the seat after two years away. He had a flying lap of 1m 38.5s, an improvement of 4s from Thursday’s practice. Also back in the F450 after a year away, Catherine Foster lines up behind Ridout with a time of 1m 39.2s.
Splitting the two F450s and lining up alongside Foster, is the Formula 125 Open championship leader, Shane Stoney, with a time of 1m 38.9s. Championship leader Jack Tritton was the third fastest 125 today, at 1m 40.1s, after the kart slipped out of gear into the hairpin on his flying lap. He’s confident he can make up the places tomorrow.
Heat 1 kicks off tomorrow at 9:10am, Heat 2 at 12:40pm (Rounds 7 and 8 of the Championship respectively) and lights out for the GP will be at 16:35pm. Tune in live on YouTube.
