Pole at first ever PRO Championship Round…
What a birthday weekend! While Saturday 4th Oct saw Tom earn a place in the BIKC (British Indoor Karting Championships) National Finals in November with an impressive performance at Teamsport Leicester (see the previous race results for further details), Sunday 5th Oct saw Tom drive his first ever Pro round at Whilton Mill with FAT Karting League as he joined the cadets who've been racing in this series all year.
After not getting much of a practice session due to being called in (they thought his helmet was undone - luckily it wasn't but we agree, rather safe than sorry!) it was out for his first proper laps on an unfamiliar track in qualifying. Tom quickly moved up the pack and kept his kart in a solid second position throughout the session - however it turned out his clean racing style paid off when the pole sitter earned a penalty for track limits, putting Tom up to 1st!
As the lights went out for the pre final however a nudge put Tom offline, losing him time as he got the kart under control and allowing the 3 drivers behind through. Not to be put off Tom fought to the end, and despite some further contact managed to end the race in a respectable 4th position on track - however again a penalty for one of the other drivers meant Tom regained 3rd position overall for the race.
The final began with more close racing and a racing incident saw Tom pushed wide. He regained his composure, rejoined and kept with the leaders until a kerb strike led to him leaving the track and having to wait to rejoin - ultimately in last place. Frustrated, he managed to move back up and finish 8th with a lot to learn and take away from today. Overall still an epic weekend of quality clean driving against far more experienced drivers, and one he can be super proud of!
A very different experience - and a great insight into how the Pro Championship operates.
Qualifying - P1 🥇 | Pre-Final - P3 🥉 | Final - P8 (pushed wide, made back to 8th from last place)
