Sellers was running a KF3 for the first time
this weekend, and with his sole 'off the shelf' XTR Merlin, finished
a magnificent 4th. The reliability and parity of the KF3 does, at
the moment, look extremely impressive. Right now, I find
it very hard to think of a reason to do Jr Rotax over KF3.
Sam Blake was one of a number of new
competitors entering the top flight of British Junior Karting
In the race, Mackenzie Taylor was the star of show.
An accident at the start saw Ashley Sutton take an early lead. The
marshals thought it best to bring out the formation flag to clear
up the mess. Everyone had to line up single file and wait for the
restart. The lights went to green and Sutton was suddenly no where
to be seen. Mackenzie took the lead shortly after and never looked
back.
KF3 Result
1. Mackenzie Taylor - Alonso/TM
2. Rikki Gordon – TonyKart/
3. Sam Snell - Intrepid/XTR
Oliver Rowland had 'one of those days'.
He was unable to start the KF2 final.
The full grid of KF2s
seemed to be a mixed bag in terms of reliability. 2007 British Junior
Karting Champion, Oliver Rowland, was debuting in the class, but
he was unable to finish a single race due to engine troubles. While
some drivers struggled with setting their motors up correctly, other
drivers experienced some awesome reliability. The size
of the grid was very promising and is looking good for the future..
Robert Foster-Jones secured KF2 glory
The actual race itself was a pretty straight forward
affair. Michael Simpson was one of the pre-race favourites, however
a few heat 'firings' meant he was out of contention in the final.
Robert Foster-Jones led for most of the race. Ex-Junior MAX driver
Daniel Lloyd looked good and was closing fast in 3rd. The laps ran
out for a chasing Lloyd and Foster-Jones took the win.
Laura Tillet had a nasty accident in
the KF2 final, but she walked away from it
KF2 Result
1. Robert Foster Jones - Alonso/Vortex
2. Craig Breen - Alonso/Vortex
3. Daniel Lloyd -
TonyKart/TM
Although KF1 only attracted a grid of 15, last
years Winter Series saw ICA (now KF2) and FA (now KF1) combined.
So overall there has been a significant increase in entries this
year. The actual KF1 engines were more entertaining to watch as
they delivered much better bottom end grunt than the KF2s
and thankfully sound a lot less Rotax MAXesque. It would
have been nice to see the KF1 grid a bit larger though. Hopefully
the 2008 Super 1 will see this.
Mark Litchfield was untouchable in KF1
The KF1 race saw Mark
Litchfield completely dominate. He led from the start and won
by about 3 seconds. Jordan Lennox-Lamb, driving in his first Senior
race was stunning and beat Jamie Croxford to second place.
Jordan Lennox-Lamb drove a stunning
KF1 final
KF1 Result
1. Mark Litchfield – TonyKart/Vortex
2. Jordan Lennox-Lamb - TopKart/IAME
3. Jamie Croxford –
Birel/TM
KF Karting... a new era has begun!
Can KF really work in the UK? Not
just on a National level, but on a club level? KF3 certainly can,
and I am sure it will make a significant dent in other junior class
numbers. JICAs are still the lushest engines on the planet, but
KF3 is really stepping junior karting in the UK up a gear. The results
of Blake, and Sellers prove you don't have to own a million engines
to perform at the top level. KF2 has already attracted MAX drivers
across, and I am sure more will follow, although it may take a year
or two before club grids across the country start to form. Time
will tell!
Alan Dove 11/2007
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