Fighting for the Championship: A Challenging Round 2 at PF International

The British Kart Championship headed to the iconic PF International circuit for Round 2. It proved to be a weekend of relentless setup chasing and intense wheel-to-wheel action.

While ultimate pace was elusive, a resilient drive keeps the championship campaign firmly on track—sitting just three points adrift of the championship lead.

⏱️ Results Breakdown

Qualifying: P5 (Group) | P9 (Overall)

Heat 1: P8

Heat 2: P4

Superheat: P5

Final: P7

Championship Position: P2 (-3 points from P1)

Qualifying: Caught in the Traffic

The weekend threw a curveball from the opening practice sessions. A rapidly evolving track surface demanded a drastically different chassis setup than usual, putting the team on the back foot early on.

Qualifying threw further unpredictability into the mix when the session was unexpectedly shortened to just four minutes. Compounding the time crunch, drivers were instructed to find their track positioning before reaching Hairpin 1. This triggered a tactical gridlock, with virtually the entire pack stacking up on our bumper waiting to start their flying laps. With the clock rapidly ticking away, there was no time to wait; we had to lead the train. Without the crucial benefit of a slipstream, pushing clean air resulted in a P5 in our group, placing us P9 overall in a highly competitive field.

The Heats: Chasing the Setup

Starting from the tricky outside row for the heat races, the goal was damage limitation and forward progress.

In Heat 1, a powerful launch saw us move up the order immediately, but the early pace began to fade as the tyres cured, ultimately crossing the line in P8. The team went straight to work, making decisive setup adjustments before Heat 2. The changes paid off. After another strong start from the outside, the kart held its performance much deeper into the run, securing a hard-fought P4 and proving we were moving in the right direction.

Superheat Sunday: Flash of Pace

Sunday arrived with the threat of rain lingering overhead, though the track stayed dry.

Lining up P4 for the Superheat, a brilliant opening lap saw us slice up into P2. The lead group was setting a ferocious pace, and as the race wore on, a late-run drop in performance caused us to slip back to P5.

Nevertheless, the combined points secured a strong P6 starting slot for the main event.

The Final: Hairpin Heartbreak & Recovery

The Final was a classic PFI heavyweight battle from the lights. We slotted comfortably into the elite lead breakaway group of six karts, biding our time as the pack gapped the rest of the field.

With roughly four minutes remaining on the clock, it was time to make a move. Executing a clean dive up the inside at Hairpin 2 to claim P4, the driver on the outside squeezed hard on the corner exit, attempting to hang on around the outside with the resulting contact dropping us back to P9, crucially severed from the leading train.

Refusing to give up, a disciplined battle over the remaining laps, combined with a post-race penalty for an ahead competitor, saw us officially classified in P7.

🎯 The Big Picture

While it was a frustrating weekend where the ultimate winning pace eluded us, championships are defined by how you handle the difficult days. Leaving PFI just three points off the lead on the British Kart Championship leaderboard means we are deep in the title hunt.

The focus now completely shifts to Kimbolton for Round 3, where we intend to reclaim the top spot.

🙏 Acknowledgements

A massive thank you to the entire team for working tirelessly all weekend to decode the setup and give us a kart capable of fighting at the front when the final flag dropped.

A huge congratulations to teammate Logan on an absolutely mega drive to take a thoroughly well-deserved victory!