New Karts and a New Winner!

1 hour enduro Round 1 Heavy Division

Good evening and welcome back to Kingston Park Raceway for round 1 of this year’s 1 hour endure for 2020. We just finished our lightweight category and now its time for the heavyweights turn to take on the 1100m Le Mans track for 1 hour in our new Schumacher go karts. All these drivers are over 85 kgs so you know they had plenty of KFC before coming down tonight. This year we see a return to last years champion Beau Coplick who won the first 3 rounds last year and came 2^nd in the remaining 2 with consistency like that he’s not going to be easy to beat this time around but Luke Howard is back after consistently taking it to Beau last year he wants to go one better and take out the championship and Brent Christofferson is back with a vengeance having some bad luck at times last year he isn’t prepared to let that stand in his way. A late season regular last year in Ken Kennedy wants to show he’s been working in the off season to get to the front and we see Stephen Cone making the leap from the lights last year to the heavies after having some big feeds over the Christmas period. As always Bob Cripps is joining the grid the 2018 champion and 71-year-old is ready to take it to the younger generation and show them a thing or 2.

The drivers where all very eager to get out for their qualifying session all being ready to go before the Lightweight race has even finished so as our lights get out of the karts the heavies are jumping in and heading out for their qualifying session. In just 10 minutes these 13 drivers need to get an ideal lap in this isn’t going to be easy since you need to get that one perfect lap in something that Beau Coplick has nailed setting the pole lap with only a minute to spare with a 62.995 the only heavyweight in the 62’s at the moment. Jay Jordan is in 2^nd with a 63.339 and Stephen Cone has pumped himself into the front 3 with a 64.505. A few big names struggling in qualifying with Brent Christofferson only managing a lap fast enough for 8^th, Luke Howard down in 10^th and Bob Cripps starting down in 12^th but qualifying doesn’t matter in a race that goes for 1 hour it only determines how many drivers you’re going to need to pass to get to the front.

Without further delay though we are going to need to get this race underway since curfew in 10pm and it’s getting very close to 9pm so let’s get these heavy guys going. The drivers get ready they all make sure they are weighed up, so no one has quickly gone to the toilet and got under the weight. They all set out for their formation lap the leaders have done a great job of bunching up the pack and as the pace kart comes in our drivers head down the straight waiting for the lights to go green.

The lights go green and they are off! A lot of congestion with people eager to make up spots early this has allowed Beau Coplick to get a 2 second lead in just 1 lap getting a clean start. Daniel Young seems to be making some headwind early jumping up a bunch of spots from 7^th and battling 2^nd and 3^rd already and Bob Cripps has found himself up to 8^th already from 12^th great start by him. Beau Coplick looks to be running away with it early but just 3 laps in and Daniel Young is already up to 2^nd but he has about 4 seconds to close into Beau if he wants the lead. The rest of the pack is very very close atm this is helpin Bob Cripps pick thru them as he drives up the field, he is in a battle for 6^th and has front runner pace in these early stages. We are almost at the 10-minute mark and Daniel Young has already reeled in Beau Coplick and wastes no time make a move on our leader Beau fights tooth and nail to fend him off but Daniel is just to quick atm Beau settles in behind and tries to work with him as they try to run away from the rest of the pack. Bob Cripps is now up to 6^th position and is battling for 5^th now as the pit window opens this will jumble the orders up for a while and Beau Coplick has wasted no time coming in Luke howard was hounding the back of him for that 2^nd spot for a bit though and he had lost touch to Daniel Young so with a very neat 60 second kart change he is off again and ready to try and hunt down Daniel Young for a chance at winning. Everyone flocks into the pitlane and some drivers getting very close to a speeding into pit entry penalty but no one getting a penalty throughout the event with some great driving standards shown by all our drivers. Bob Cripps comes in he has made his way up to 3^rd spot but with a lot of drivers already doing their stops everyone is a bit out of sequence but with the pace he was showing I’m a little confused as to why he decided to come in this early but he has this pitstop done now so will be good to see if he can keep this momentum going. Brent Christofferson has come in again to do a 2^nd kart change having a mechanical issue out of track and managing to get the kart back to the pits a great job by him but this could hurt him in the long run he was sitting around 4^th and 5^th place and looking a chance at a podium but now that could have slipped away. Not long before the pit window closes we see Daniel Young come in he is not only our leader but our last driver to do his kart change over he does it very tidy indeed and gets back out in front of his competitors but Luke Howard has been going super quick these last couple of laps and is hunting him down he is withing 10 seconds now with 20 minutes to go he definitely has a chance at taking this race. Coming down the straight every lap Luke Howard can see himself catching Daniel Young but with just under 15 minutes to go something goes horribly wrong into turn 1 he has done a Jamie Whincup and literally drove the wheels off the kart he is stranded on the side of the track he is gutted he sees Beau Coplick go passed to take 2^nd and all that time go away the race marshals where super quick to get a replacement out to him in record time but with not a long time remaining I think the race is now Daniel Young’s. with less than 10 minutes remaining Daniel Young has over 20 seconds on Beau Coplick but the battle for 3^rd has just intensified Brent Christofferson has reeled off a series of fastest laps to catch Ken Kennedy he makes a move with only 5 minutes remaining to take 3^rd place what a recovery drive we thought for sure his chances for a podium where gone but he has driven like a man possessed in the closing stages. As we move onto the last lap of the race Daniel Young almost completes the lap with just one hand on the wheel he goes through the last 2 corners 1 handed with his right arm stretch firmly in the air he is our winner of round 1 ladies and gentleman following him home 22 seconds down the road our reigning champion Beau Coplick with Brent Christofferson coming home strong and hard in 3^rd just another 5 seconds behind Beau. Fastest lap of the race honours does go to Brent Christofferson with that superhuman effort in those closing stages

1^st Daniel Young

2^nd Beau Coplick

3^rd  Brent Christofferson

Fastest lap of the night was awarded to Brent Christofferson with a 62.65 sec lap in the closing stages of the race.

Well that concludes another exciting night here at Kingston Park Raceway and is the end to our first round in 2020 for the 1-hour enduro its always good to see familiar faces come down to tackle the track and new competition take it to them. This was Daniel Youngs first win in the series but with a performance like that I dont believe it will be the last but If you think you got what it takes to take it to these amazing drivers make sure you get down for round 2 of the series to see if you are fast enough to take the top step on the coca cola podium. Until than I hope we all have one hell of a day out!

Next Round will be on the Thursday Evening 23^rd April and entries are open on line now.