LONG CIRCUIT KARTMSA BRITISH LONG CIRCUIT KART CHAMPIONSHIP
More than 40 drivers had registered for the 2005 series, such is the prestige of the championship.
Last year’s champion John Riley decided to concentrate his efforts on lifting the European Superkart crown, so this year saw a new MSA British champion. Oulton Park hosted the start of the campaign with Andrew Agnew taking the opening round while second went to Gavin Bennett. A pair of second places, though, put new comer Lee Harpham at the top of the table. Soon, Bennett and Harpham were emerging as the guys to beat as they finished first and second at Silverstone’s only round. Agnew failed to finish and that was to be his last event of the season. Castle Combe hosted rounds four and five, Harpham and Bennett again sharing a win apiece. Knockhill in early July saw a new challenger emerging – Carl Hulme. He took two of the three rounds and local hero Matthew Bett kept his challenge alive with a victory on home ground.
A further three rounds were held at Croft in August, the first visit for the MSA Championship to the North East in a couple of years. Once again Bennett took command and was victorious in the first two rounds, but the third round of the weekend went to Harpham who closed the gap slightly on the championship leader. The final two rounds were held at Cadwell Park, with four drivers still in with a shot at the title.Bennett, though, only needed a top ten finish to be crowned champion, which he achieved. Harpham`s victory in round 12 secured second place in the championship, and a win for Hulme in race 2 gave him third place overall.
CHAMPIONSHIP:1. Gavin Bennett 701pts2. Lee Harpham 669pts3. Carl Hulme 586pts4. Steve Briggs 583pts5. Matthew Bett 576pts6. Dave Harvey 524pts7. Derek Charlton 473pts8. Simon Holloway 466pts
2005 Long Circuit Champion Gavin Bennett:“It has been a very, very good season; we have beenconsistent throughout and were pushed hard by bothLee and Matthew. The championship has had excellentcompetition throughout the grid and the circuits havebeen first rate. The highlight for me was winning on theGP circuit at Silverstone and also the two wins at Croftwhich gave me the edge with just Cadwell to go.”
SHORT CIRCUIT KARTMSA BRITISH SHORT CIRCUIT KART CHAMPIONSHIP
Mark Litchfield’s season got off to a bad start when an axle bearing collapsed at the first round, his team-mate and rival Gary Catt powering into the points lead. But Litchfield fought back with two wins at the next round. Jason Parrott came to the fore at the third round, Clay Pigeon in Dorset, boosting him to the points lead. Engine unreliability struck Catt, the first of several mechanical problems in his season. At Larkhall Riki Christodoulou got it all together with a second and a win, and joined Parrott at the top of the table. The latter driver won the first final but came off in the second. After missing a round due to a change of team, David Gregory returned to post a fourth and second place, keeping him in the hunt. After more mechanical woes at Larkhall, Catt survived to post two wins at Rowrah, making it all ever-so tight at the table top.
The first final at Shenington was one of the all-time greats. Christodoulou carved his way up to lead from a 13th start place after a seized engine in a heat, joining Catt, Litchfield, Parrott and Chris Rogers in a frantic place-changing last few laps. As Catt led the last lap, Christodoulou’s final attempt at the lead lost him three places and the title, with the others slicing past. Litchfield only needed a top three place in the second final at this final round for the title but cheekily nipped past his now former team mate
CHAMPIONSHIP:1. Mark Litchfield 467pts2. Riki Christodoulou 463pts3. Gary Catt 463pts4. Jason Parrott 463pts5. Chris Rogers 446pts6. David Gregory 425pts7. Michael Ryall 396pts8. Craig Copeland 396pts
2005 British Kart Champion Mark Litchfield:“It was much harder work than last year when I gotthe title with a round in hand, and I only just scrapedthrough in the end. The last round was absolutelyfantastic being so close, but it was a lot tighter than Iwanted.”
Championship Co-ordinator Sonja Game:“The closeness of the final points just shows how wellthe points system works.”
