01/12/2025
Going back to where it all began..
Last weekend I participated in the WM plate at whilton mill, after not being to the track for three years, to earn my national licence. It was a weekend of much progression and a nice return back to the venue.
We started a wet Saturday strong with a P7 in group in just my first session back and after more time on track the progress kept coming with another P7 and running in the top three at times. However, qualifying didn’t go quite to plan. I made a couple mistakes on my behalf, one of which into a puddle which cost me a lot of time and other small ones which lost me time overall, losing track position also meant a loss in time and after the 6 minutes I finished in P16 in my group, a disappointing result considering the early pace.
After a needed reset, a new day was upon us, raceday. With a quick 3 lap warm up, in which I was P7 again, we were soon straight into the heats, starting from 22nd and 21st due to my qualifying result. After the start of my first heat, I found myself in two incidents, one of which was unavoidable, putting me on the back foot for the rest of the race. I still tried to work hard and learn more about the track and after an also early drop nose penalty, I would eventually end up in P22 just where I had started. A result and situation that we didn’t need, asking for more hard work in the next one.
Unfortunately, at the start of my next heat I was involved in another incident and some air time, which again we believed was unavoidable and just very unfortunate. I still carried on but with a lot of progress lost I finished in P23, knowing that we would be in the B final, but only just. I would be starting P4 in the minimum position that I would need to finish in to make it through to the A final. After a decent start, I had already made it into P2 and after a few composed and consistent laps I was soon on the back of the leader who I managed to overtake and pull away from for the rest of the race, a very accomplished and mature drive and result, with the support of family members too. With this drive I would make it through to the main event at my first time back at the track. After quite a poor start in the final, I got my head down and got the moves done when I had the opportunity, with another consistent race and the pace we needed, I managed to gain 12 places (the 2nd most in the race) to come across the line in a very respectable P19, a great result and end to our weekend back at whilton mill, where my karting journey first started.
Thanks to Rob and Drew of Tooley Motorsport
KR Racing Engines