14/08/2025
π¬π§ British 24hr race report π
After winning the 2024 event in pure Hollywood fashion, coming back from almost last place to overtake 1st place in the final hour, we were hoping to achieve the same result this year but in a much simpler way π
We qualified for the race in 19th place, a bit further back than we wanted, but we were confident we could make our way towards the podium positions eventually. Sure enough, after some quick and consistent driving, and swift fuel stops and driver changes, we were P7 after 6 hours.
We took a gamble with an early fuel stop when there was a full course yellow hoping we could find that time back throughout the race. After a medical emergency caused the race to be red flagged for an hour, we no longer had to worry about finding that 40 minutes. We now found ourselves in P2, catching 1st place.
As midnight approached, we were looking strong in P1 overall. We made it through the night with zero mistakes, quick and consistent lap times, and rapid pit stops, and at the 18 hour mark we were leading by almost 5 laps! Then our luck finally ran out. A seized clutch resulted in an engine change which cost us 8 laps and we emerged from the pits in P4 with less than 6 hours to go.
We battled out way back to P3 overall and 1st in elite class with 3.5 hours remaining. There was real temptation to try and extend our last 2 stints to over 1hr50 mins which would have meant one less stop, a slight chance of the overall win, but a very real possibility of running out of fuel on track. We decided to play it safe and try to hold on to 1st in hire Elite. We were chased hard by our old rivals 113 CBR lap after lap and they managed to get within 10 seconds of us as the final fuel stop came around. A rapid stop from us gave us some breathing space and we brought the kart home 3rd overall and 1st in hire Elite class π
Another strong performance from the team who were faultless throughout the race. A bittersweet feeling to be leading by such a big margin only to have it taken away by a mechanical issue, when we had done everything right to get the overall win. But this is the nature of 24 hour racing and why itβs such a challenge for all involved.
Thank you to Teesside Karting for hosting the event, and all the support and kind words from everyone over the weekend. As always, this trophy is dedicated to Reuben π