MKC Round 2 Race Report

Some Reprieve

The races are coming hard and fast after the Summer break and the Team was glad for a chance at redemption  after the frustration and disappointment of the SKCC Round 5 in Malmö on the weekend.

With a newly delivered engine and a determined attitude to set things straight, it was Deven on the front foot from the get go at his home track for this local club racing event.

In a hardened field of decorated drivers within the UKC, Deven had a solid machine under him, and managed to qualify 6th in his class after the timed session, and would be starting 7th on the grid in the pre-final race.

The young development driver made a storming start, moving up 2 positions to 4th in class and 5th overall, but then had a higher class kart ahead. He was quicker in the corners but couldn’t get a pass done as he had no chance on the straights. It was a tough battle throughout and Deven decided it was worth a try, diving in out of the exit of the first “S” section, but lost out and had to let off the gas as the J60 driver defended hard. This caused Deven to lose momentum, and two spots down the back straight, down to 6th in class. He was able to battle one place back with some good hard racing, and then with one of the favorites, Dante Welander, recording a DNF with motor issues, we finished the pre-final 4th in class and 5th overall.

​Really nice tight racing and exciting to watch. Great that we could come here and get a positive result, it will help the kid’s confidence going into the weekend at Klippan, which we are looking forward to.

​This presented a podium opportunity to the fledgling racer. If he could get a good start and get past the J60 kart just ahead on the start, while his closest competitors got stuck behind, there might be a chance to build a gap and snatch the final podium spot in the final.

This was the strategy and the hope, and it got even more exciting with a very light sprinkling of rain that was threatening to wreak havoc in the final.  The rain, though never quite materialized more than a few drops, not enough to cause a real difference, and the strategy never quite materialized either. Our man’s start was good enough, but he got caught out of position going into turn 2 and lost 2 positions, one of which he made back immediately in the next corner, but the damage had been done. He had lost the initiative and couldn’t get past the J60 kart, while 2 of his main rivals, Dante in the number 77 and Edvard Spangenberg in the number 67, both did.

Deven was not done, though, and on the 3rd lap he made sure to get it done, sweeping to the inside of turn 2 and then extending and making the pass stick before exiting the first S’s onto the back straight away. By that time, though, Edvard had made too much of a gap for Deven to chase onto, and he never quite came within striking distance to try and snatch up another place.

​It was a good thing Deven made his gains when he did as well, because just behind Elliott Russell was quick, but couldn’t manage to pass the J60 kart until 3 laps later. Deven had made just enough of a gap to bring home 5th place in class and overall, in an exciting drag race to the end on the final lap with Elliott.

So a highest ever finish for our young rookie, and a great way to prepare for the SKCC 6th Round in Klippan this coming weekend.

Team Principal, Dan, had this to say, “Yeah, we’ve got some really quality drivers in Formula Mini at this club (Uddevalla Karting Club) and it is really great preparation for Deven to race here against them. Really nice tight racing and exciting to watch. Great that we could come here and get a positive result, it will help the kid’s confidence going into the weekend at Klippan, which we are looking forward to.”

Deven’s comments were representative of the team’s mood, “So happy with the engine now, it is such a relief to have gotten that fixed. I beat a J60 in the race and am really proud of that, but am disappointed the start didn’t work out how I wanted in the final, I really wanted to fight for that podium. But I solved my Rubik’s Cube in my personal best time before lining up for the final, so that was awesome!”

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