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   METS 2ND IN 2009 BRITISH UNI KART CHAMPIONSHIP!

 

 

This was it. The final round of the 2009 British Universities Karting Championship. All the teams headed to sunny Dorset for what was set to be a frantic day of karting as the championship was so finely balanced.

 

Three teams were able to become 2009 champions at Clay, Loughborough the reigning champions, Oxford Brookes multiple past champions and Swansea Metropolitan looking to seal the first ever BUKC title for our university with 4th last year and 3rd in 2003 being our highest achievements to date.

 

The sprint format was to be used and each driver would have 25 minutes to give it everything in the hope of leaving the circuit feeling proud, regardless of the result.

 

 

ROUND SEVEN

 

Race 1

Pete Cole (A)

Started - 23rd

Finished - 3rd

 

Will Wood (B)

Started - 26th

Finished - 10th

 

Pete and Will were the first lads out at Clay. The weather was sunny and the circuit virtually dry for the start. A chaotic first corner saw both Pete and Will get held up badly and fall into the back half of the pack which was split badly due to the accident. Both drivers managed to get their heads down and start gaining places quickly.

 

Pete was absolutely flying and setting times up to a second a lap quicker than the drivers around him. Whilst Will was having a long hard battle with Cardiff. Bothe managed to keep the karts on the circuit in the now fully dry conditions and Will got the B team off to a respectable start with 10th having passed Cardiff.

 

Pete drove a fantastic race to finish 3rd and give the A team a solid start to the day which was needed with the title at stake.

 

Race 2

Shaun Dickson (A)

Started - 33rd

Finished - 6th

 

Will Albrow (B)

Started - 20th

Finished - 7th

 

Both karts were out again in race 2 with Shaun and Will driving. Will Albrow made a great start, emerging from lap one in around 10th place and Shaun was cautious yet sensible in surviving the first lap, he soon made swift progress.

 

Once in his groove, Shaun managed to quickly pick up places and move onto the back of the top ten. Will had managed to move up to 6th place with a fantastic drive and when Shaun moved up to 7th, Will quickly realised and played the team game to perfection by letting Shaun through for vital extra points towards the championship challenge.

 

Shaun was 6th and the flag and Will was 7th. A really great drive and teamwork by both.

 

Race 5

Sean Robinson (A)

Started -  2nd

Finished - 1st

 

Oli Knights (B)

Started - 13th

Finished - 24th

 

Sean was on the front row in a must win race for the A team. He made a brilliant start from the front row and pulled out a big lead straight away. Oli managed to also get a good start from 14th in his final BUKC outing and was running in 4th place a few laps into the race.

 

Sean was cruising out front and was never threatened, he kept his head through the traffic and brought the kaert home in 1st place to set up a final race showdown with Oxford Brookes. Loughborough had a few shaky races and were now real outsiders.

 

Oli fell back slightly to 7th place before having an accident at Sturmey Hairpin with only a few moments left of the race. This was a shame for Oli in his last race and also for the B team who were on for a great round result. Oli crossed the line in 24th position.

 

Race 6

Daryl Henderson (A)

Started - 10th

Finished - 6th

 

Lloyd Eveleigh (B)

Started - 7th

Finished - 7th

 

The whole season had come down to this final race. If Daryl could beat Oxford Brookes by 2 places then the title would be coming to Swansea Met. Lloyd was starting just ahead and knew that supporting Daryl at all costs was critical.

 

The start went perfectly to plan, both got away well with Lloyd staying offline into the esses on lap two to allow Daryl an easy route past. They followed each other around in a title winning position whilst Lloyd defended sternly from Oxford Brookes. Brookes were getting frustrated and it got somewhat physical with both Lloyd and Brookes getting numerous warning boards for contact.

 

Lloyd eventually lost the place to Brookes and drove his heart out to try and pressure him. Daryl was struggling to pass the Oxford Brookes C kart also involved in this showdown and ended up losing the place to Brookes A.

 

The race finished with Daryl 6th just 1 tenth ahead of Lloyd who was still waiting behind, not taking any points away incase it cost the A team 2nd in the championship to Loughborough.

 

 

2009 BUKC CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swansea Metropolitan University managed to secure the best ever finish for the Uni in the history of the karting team of 2nd in the National championship.

 

Whilst initially there maybe a tinge of disappointment about just missing out on the title once again, it is also seen as a great success for a small university like ours to be competing with and beating the most recognisable universities in the world such as Oxford and Cambridge.

 

The B team may have finished 13th overall but the team is better than the results show. The unfortunate start to the year was costly and otherwise both teams were top 10 material. Next year the team will aim to improve on both and win the BUKC outright!

 

Team veterans Pete Cole and Oli Knights are leaving the University at the end of this year after being important members of the squad, both team captains. It will be a different look without them and the team appreciates their efforts over the past few years! Lets Go Mets! Cheers for your hard work lads!

 

The other 6 boys are however staying on. There will be a wealth of experience in the team for 2010 and all the remaining drivers have finished in the top 4 at some point in the BUKC. It must be said that the future is looking bright for Swansea Met Kart Team.

 

Lloyd Eveleigh will be the team Captain for 2010 and hopefully he will be able to carry on the good work and achievements of the current crop.

 

Once again big thanks to the Swansea Met Student Union for then support throughout the entire 2009 campaign, we wouldn't have the chance to race with out your help and here’s to more success next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2009

 

 

Next Race Meeting:

Whilton Mill

BUKC

R1 + R2

9th February 2010

 

Date