Karting Championship: 2nd Round
Round two of the Edinburgh University Motor Sports Club’s karting championship was held on the afternoon of Wednesday 27th October at local venue Raceland and was narrowly won by club newcomer Yati Durant. In the first round in September, Durant dominated the track and effortlessly drove to the top spot on the championship table, but reigning champion Calum Hughes began a fierce fight back at Raceland to finish a close second to the championship leader.
Hughes’ race day began poorly though as he dropped back from a pole position start in the day’s opening race to finish down in fourth; after that race his bad luck was over as he cruised comfortably to three wins and a third place finish in the remainder of the racing after remembering to avoid the ditches and fences that have caused him so much grief in the past.
Durant began the day by continuing his incredible top-form from the previous round and was riding high on a winning streak that would eventually total four top place finishes when, during the eighth heat of the day, he became entangled in an intense race track battle that saw seasoned karters Richard Crozier and Stephen Walls tangle repeatedly with newcomers Ross Hughes and Marcus Murray for the finite track space. Durant was one of the biggest casualties of this race, finishing in a lowly sixth place.
Karting veteran Crozier kept his nose clean in his early races and managed to clock up three race wins and a hard fought third place in the infamous eighth heat to place him at the top of the point’s board before the afternoon’s semi-finals. During the tenth heat he set a blisteringly fast event fastest lap of 19.61 seconds that remained unbeaten until the day’s grand final.
Fresher Ross Hughes, younger brother of the reigning champion, turned heads again during the day’s racing by being a model of consistency despite some tough fights with the senior karters on the gird. His natural pace combined with his exceptional coolness under pressure kept him high up in the points as the totals were tallied for the day’s semi-finals.
The first of the day’s four semis saw Calum Hughes race to a lucky win after capitalising on an uncharacteristic off by pole starter Crozier. Hughes and second place man Josh Knight both squeezed past the stricken Crozier and stayed at the front of the pack for the remainder of the race. With clear track in ahead of him, Hughes managed to conjure up some lap times that came very close to being the fastest of the day. Further down the field in what was, on the whole, a very fast race; Sean Gibson, Andrew Clarkson, Michael Stanyer and Nick Roberts all drove their fastest laps of the day in this race.
Hughes’ impressive performance received an instant response from Durant in semi-final two, who flew round the track from pole position to secure another win and the valuable points that come with it. The younger of the Hughes brothers was responsible for the only overtaking move in this race against the improving Callum Thompson. While at the lower end of the grid, Kirsten Dallas brought home a fourth place finish for the fourth time of the day, combined with a second place earlier on this would see her earn a place in the grand-final.
Fresher David Grant managed to take a strong win from pole in the third semi-final comfortably setting the race’s fastest lap as well to end a day that showed of his certain potential to take the fight to the front-runners.
In the last semi-final of the day, fresher Tom Martyn cruised to a win from pole but behind him Sam Trett and Ben Moss drew all the attention as they pounced on floundering second place starter Stephen McCay and fought each other hard to the finish with Trett holding on to position to take second at the chequered flag.
The front row of the starting grid for the final showed us what will probably be a familiar site throughout this championship. Yati Durant, the blisteringly quick newcomer next to Calum Hughes, the two times champion. As the green lights went out to start the race these two instantly found their zone and proceeded to set some incredibly fast lap times, smashing their previous bests wide open. But Durant began to get the edge on the third lap of the race and started to edge away from Hughes, setting the day’s fastest lap in process, an astonishing 19.45 seconds, and eventually winning the race.
Not one to be far from the front, Crozier latched on to the back of Hughes and didn’t let him go for the remainder of the race, the two drivers staying almost glued nose to tail until the end. Behind them Callum Thompson drove a lonely race to finish fourth, behind the front runners but ahead of the scrapping at the back of the grid.
Ross Hughes, Josh Knight and Sean Gibson had a tight fight for fifth place with the ever calm Hughes picking his way through the battle to edge out in front by the time the chequered flag was waving.
Durant’s second round win keeps him firmly at the top of the championship table with Ross Hughes’ consistent high placed finishes keep him in second place with the ever fast Crozier in third. But after a terrible first round for the older of the Hughes brothers, this one will be remembered as the start of the bounce-back. His solid performance this time round revealed that Durant is not as untouchable as his previous showing had everybody thinking.
The action will continue in Round Three on 16th November, with all eyes on Durant, Crozier and the Brothers Hughes.
