Karters gear up for final Winter Series

THIS Saturday, 27 February, will hopefully see the province’s top karting drivers in action for the final winter series race before the sport springs into the main season of races in March.

With two meetings put off by bad weather, strong grids of recent at Kirkistown indicate that this Saturday’s race should be a good one as drivers start jockeying for final points.

The action recently was off the track when the clubs held a triple launch of three big events in the new season and some big named ‘stars’ from motorsport and the music industry took a close up look at what is to offer in the local sport.

The North of Ireland Karting Association and the 2 and 4 Wheels co-ordinating body stand at the recent Adelaide Insurance Motorcycle Festival and show saw the 2009 British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington from Portadown pay a visit to help the Ulster Karting Club launch it’s round of the Super 1 Series on 29/30 May.

Colin of course is no stranger to the sport as he started his motorsport career in Cadets at Nutts Corner Circuit and a run out at the circuit recently along with his team showed he had not forgotten his roots.

The past Minister of Sport and now Minister for the Environment, Edwin Poots, was also on hand along with Colin to help Bishopscourt Kart Club launch the Superkart UK Cup and British Championship round on 5 June.

Two big championship events a week apart will make the end of May and start of June a busy period.

The Lets Go Karting scheme for this year was also launched and at only a fiver to trial out the sport it was extremely popular in 2009. None other than Shane Lynch from Boyzone was at the show and called by to hear about the scheme. It turns out that Shane is a big motorsport fan himself and competes in Drifting so who know maybe we can get Shane into a kart somewhere in the year.

With Easter being early this year, this Saturday and early NI championship and Ulster Cup rounds will be important in the psychological battles in the run up to the first big two day meeting of the year, the Ulster Karting Club promoted Ulster Championships on Easter Monday and Tuesday.

With the magnificent Superkarts also in action in both championships then early rounds will also be important as the fastest in the sport gear up for their UK Cup.

In the run up to this Saturday the most recent winter series race at Kirkistown saw Adrian Hegarty from Toomebridge to be the one to beat in finals of the Cadets with relative newcomers Gary Donnelly and Peter Bennett rounding off the podium.

The Honda Cadets had a really impressive turnout and in the end Aaron Lennie from Newtownards just held out to win from Ballymenas Jack Graham with only six hundredths between them. Newcomer Jack Young showed his form to take third in a race where he was definitely on the pace throughout.

In Mini Max there was plenty to talk about with relative newcomers to the class Ben Crealey from Portadown and Keith Donegan from Navan setting the pace. In the end young Crealey took the win. Third was Ronan Mulrine from Augher in another impressive day out. With all three only in their first year after being in Cadets then the big winners from last year will have plenty of competition this season.

The Junior Pro-kart continues to be popular and on the day Mark Murphy surged through to win. The battle for second however could not of been tighter with the on-the-line decision necessary to identify Thomas Fegan in second from a well improved Jay White from Dunmurry in third.

The Senior Pro-kart saw multiple champion Nigel Stewart from Gilford surge through to win. On this occasion his challenger was Rotax Max driver Alan Davidson from Randalstown who came in second with the pressure undoubtedly forging the pair ahead from Hillsboroughs Nigel Troughton in third.

The World Formula had a very encouraging turnout. On the day it was Dromores David Lilburn that managed to secure the final win by a comfortable margin from Portadowns Mark Overend. Newcomer Francis Conlon took a well deserved third to show his form is rapidly improving.

In the Senior Rotax Max class, past NI champion Stuart Coey from Comber was the one to beat and in the end he came home with a massive win from Ballymoneys Andrew McClelland with the runner up surging through from fifth. Third was Portadowns Gary Turkington after a somewhat tougher final race than expected.

All in all the winter series have once again proved their worth with drivers keeping themselves in good race fitness for the main season ahead.

Drivers are reminded to get their 2010 NIKA race numbers from Keith Wilkinson with full details of the sport and Lets Go Karting for a fiver available from websites www.nikarting.com and www.ulsterkartingclub.com