Hello! How’ve you all? 2025 going ok so far? I appreciate it’s been a little while since my last post so I thought I’d provide a little update:
After deciding to skip the ‘25 edition of the British Rental Kart Championship (held in January, in Milton Keynes) I made the decision to commit to competing in two separate rental kart championships this year, both of which kicked off in March. First up was Castle Combe’s Karting Championship, which is held over 10 rounds from March to November (min. weight 70kg, top 7 rounds count towards final championship position). I’ve driven in this championship many times over the years, with mixed results, but my aim this year is a top 15 overall finish (the championship usually attracts 130+ different drivers over the course of a season), as well as looking to win the ‘masters’ championship, which is a separate category for drivers aged 40 and over (yes, sadly I turned 40 in February, so I’m now officially old)..Things started off well at round one (held on March 1st) -
Three heat wins (and a 5th..) saw me line up 6th in the ‘A’ final, where I was able to gain one place to finish 5th overall, and 1st in the masters category, which means that I came away from a sunny Castle Combe with a good points haul and some silverware too!
The other championship I’ve decided to enter this year is the SRK (Southern Rental Kart) ‘sprint’ championship, which is held between March and November at a variety of indoor and outdoor circuits across the south of England. Round one took place at Formula Fast in Milton Keynes on 9th March, and I was competing in the ‘SRK2’ (Amateur) class for drivers weighing 80kg+. This event would consist of a practice session, 3 x heats and a final for each driver, with each race requiring a minimum of at least one ‘pit stop’ (using Formula Fast’s high tech system, fine-tuned for the BRKC). Practice went well given it was my first visit to the circuit since January 2024, and the heats were soon underway -
In my first race I started in 2nd place but finished 8th, after making an invalid pit stop - A frustrating error on my part. I followed that up with another 8th in my second race (from 10th on the grid), and 5th in my third heat, having started 5th. This put me firmly in the bottom half of the field, and I would start the ‘F’ final from pole position. Despite my best efforts (and leading 2/3rds of the race) I was beaten to the chequered flag by the driver who started 2nd, thanks to the combination of an effective undercut by him, and me getting temporarily stuck behind an early stopping back marker -
In what was only my second ever SRK event, following an outing at Daytona Milton Keynes a couple of years ago, I did feel as though I underperformed on track, with my pit stop error and subsequent points loss in my first heat leaving with me a big job on my hands to climb the leader board. However, I believe I did my best in the following races so I wasn’t too disappointed at the end of the day. I finished 47th overall (out of 70 drivers), and 11th in class. A big thank you goes to the SRK organisers and the team at Formula Fast for putting on such a well-run event.
Before the month was over I found myself back at Castle Combe for round two of their karting championship, which was held on March 23rd. In cooler conditions than those encountered at round one, I was able to win two of my heat races and finish 2nd in the my other two, which put me on pole(!) in the ‘A’ final. With some very fast drivers starting immediately behind me I knew I was probably looking at a position in the top five at best, and that’s exactly how things panned out, with some aggressive jostling for position in the opening laps. Come the chequered flag, I crossed the line in 5th, right on the bumper of the driver in 4th who in turn was immediately behind the top three. While on the face of it dropping from 1st to 5th may not look great, I was still pleased with the way I’d driven all afternoon, and again came away with a trophy for finishing first in the ‘masters’ category -
What a month!
Next up for me is round two of the SRK sprint series, which will be held at Castle Combe on 12th April, before returning for round four of Castle Combe’s championship on 25th May. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted regarding I get on.
Until then -
Drive safe, and have fun!
Ben
