24/08/2026
What a weekend!
Saturday started with a big disappointment. Race control suggested I get more practice on the Metrakit before racing it in anger, particularly on such a fast grid. We’ve therefore decided to get some extra practice at Kinsham this month and make our Metrakit race debut at Three Sisters instead.
That left us free to concentrate on the Mini and my first weekend in the new Inters class. The pace was seriously fast! After finishing regularly inside the top 10 in Rookies, I knew moving up alongside some familiar riders would be a big step. The quality and speed of these young racers is incredible.
The bike received some very rapid upgrades, with work still happening on Friday morning, but everything came together and it was ready to race.
Qualifying didn’t go brilliantly, but I wasn’t last: 12th out of 13!
Race 1: A very poor start left me battling between 11th and 13th throughout the race. I eventually finished 13th, possibly our first-ever last-place finish. Despite that, it was brilliant fun and I learned so much.
Race 2: A much better start and another close battle at the back. With three laps remaining, I was clipped by one of the front-runners and came off. I got straight back on, pushed hard and set my fastest laps of the weekend while chasing the riders ahead. I nearly caught one on the line but had to settle for 12th.
Race 3: Another close race, this time battling with Izzy. I managed to keep her behind me for most of it, but a small mistake gave her the opportunity to get past. I crossed the line 13th, although the official result was later updated to 12th.
Before Race 2, I complained to the head mechanic that the bike wasn’t pulling properly. We carried out compression and pressure tests and discovered a leak somewhere in the engine.
There wasn’t anything we could do at the circuit, as finding and repairing it means splitting the engine cases. That was the final straw for the head mechanic! The engine is now with an expert for a bottom-end refresh, as we have no idea when it was last rebuilt. They’ll also double-check all the work we’ve completed ourselves. We’re certainly not experts and have mostly muddled through with help from Google, AI and WhatsApp!
Hopefully, we’ll have the engine back in time for one or two sessions at Kinsham, but it will definitely be ready for Three Sisters.
A massive shout-out to Austin Racing. He rode incredibly well, and we couldn’t be happier for him and the whole team!
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend at one of the prettiest and friendliest circuits on the calendar, helped by some lovely weather.
Now it’s time for weekly practice on the Metrakit. I’ll be back and ready to battle at Three Sisters!
Quickprint Ltd
Wiltshire Scuba Training & Servicing
Cisco
Stretton Circuit Karting - Leicester
https://www.readbrothersengineering.co.uk/
https://orchardlink.ai/about/
Grassroots To GP
Grassroots to Grand Prix
Oscar Bond 006 Racing
Austin Racing #100
Albie Miller #40
Izzy Whizz 32
theo T racing
Reeson Riders
Haus Of Moto