Strawberry Racing’s Mini and Senior Max stars triumph in thrilling encounters at Whilton Mill
George Russell restored himself to the top of the Super 1 Championship’s Mini Max leaderboard with a pair of superbly taken wins at Whilton Mill, last Sunday (9 May).
As the action-packed main final neared its conclusion, there was still nothing in it between the main protagonists, as mistakes by each of the drivers were instantly punished. Through the penultimate corner it was heart in the mouth stuff as the karts bumped and bored for position, but in the dash to the line, just over a tenth of a second was enough to give George a superb victory – his fourth of the campaign.
“He’s great isn’t he?!” Strawberry’s Team Manager Warwick Ringham said. “George had a bit of a wobble at Rowrah (during April’s rounds 3 and 4) but he’s definitely back on track now. He’s one of he best 12-year olds in the country.”
In the Senior class, Tom Fawcett triumphed in, what one observer called, a “brutal” race.
He finished a close 2nd to (fellow Tony Kart EVR driver) RL Racing Department’s Jake Ball in the pre-final, but went one better in the feature race.
The pair was again fighting hammer and tongs when, at the left-right corner the Boot, Fawcett launched his decisive move and from there was able to make it three wins from four and extend his championship lead.
“Tom’s very good. Nothing seems to phase him. He had a tough time in qualifying (32nd overall) but did everything necessary to make sure he qualified for the points-scoring races. He combines a cool head with a great heart. He wants to win, but knows when and how to take his chances.”
Barrie Pullinger was denied his highest senior finish yet after being pushed off the circuit and into the barriers. Such was the speed of his impact that a metal fence collapsed on top of him, momentarily trapping the Essex youngster.
In the Junior category, the team’s Jack Marshall and Shaun Pirie were in fine form. Solid performances in qualifying and their respective heats put the pair in right in the hunt for silverware in the two finals.
In a pulsating encounter played out in front of the TV cameras, Jack pushed and probed to break in to the top three, whilst fighting off attacks from behind. Shaun found himself just outside the top ten, but ultimately enjoyed his best finish in the championship this year.
Commenting on their performance, Warwick said, “Jack’s learning all the time and it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be standing on the top step of the podium. Shaun did really well too. He’s still settling into the team and the equipment, but he’s on the verge of pulling off his best result yet. You can sense it’s coming, and like Jack I don’t think he’ll be waiting long if he keeps improving in the way he has been.”
Ringham was also full of praise for the team’s engine partner, Ogden Motorsport, “The results speak for themselves - in all three classes Strawberry, Tony Kart and Ogden are running at the sharp end of the point’s tables.”
The squad is now preparing for the 2nd round of the Euro Max series, to be held at Wackersdorf, Germany on 26-30 May.
