Llandow hosts round 4 this weekend
“It may be small but it’s perfectly formed and beautifully presented,” as the baronet said to the Page 3 model. The same could be said for South Wales’ gem of a circuit, Llandow.
The 1050 metre circuit may not be the largest on the calendar, but its compact nature and mix of sweeping and tight corners invariably combine to inspire some superb racing. With Llandow marking the mid point of the series, and after some spectacular and feisty racing at Clay Pigeon last month (23 May), things are likely to become very exciting in the Vale of Glamorgan.
CadetJust three points separate current points leader Tom Thickpenny from his closest rival, Ronan McKenzie. At Clay, Thickpenny had no answer for the pace of McKenzie or last year’s vice-Champion, Will Stowell. Having won the opening two rounds, Thickpenny will be gunning for a return to glory, but it will surely be McKenzie who heads to Wales feeling the most confident. However, don’t rule out the possibility of an upset coming from somewhere in the pack. Last year’s race at Llandow, saw Ryan Anderton take his only win of the season, and ultimately James DeHavillande a clean sweep of victories on his march to the title.
Kyle Forgie and Kieran Wragg experienced a dip in form at Clay and this weekend’s encounter will be the perfect opportunity for them to bounce back. Matthew Round-Garrido and Daniel McAuley drove well at Clay and should figure, along with Jack Vallance and Jenson Murchison.
JuniorThe Junior class is incredibly open. In each of the opening three races there have been different winners; Thomas Grainger, Toby Sowery and James DeHavillande. The latter has been the most consistent with a podium finish on each occasion. However, Grainger heads the table by virtue of his victory at Clay and a strong 2nd place at Ellough back in April.
Luca Hirst has been the nearly man on the past two occasions and will be pressing hard in Wales for his first win. Jamie Cummings has taken a trophy home this season and is a consistent front-runner, whilst James Lay has improved his results at every round. On his current trajectory he should be on course for a trophy at Whilton Mill but could well run ahead of schedule at Llandow. We’ll just have wait and see.
LightWho would have put money on last year’s Junior champion leading the points in the senior category? The Prime Minister perhaps, after his famous horse racing punditry on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme in May. The PM would have got some pretty tasty odds on Lay at the beginning of the season but after Clay, less so. Patrick’s second win of the year has put him on top of the leaderboard, just five points clear of Elliot Rice though. The E Plate champion had a character-building time in Dorset but showed grit and determination to carve his way from the back of the grid and into the top ten.
Kieran McCullough’s title aspirations took a wobble last month but that usually signals a tsunami response from him. He will be fast, aggressive and compelling to watch at Llandow. As will be Sam Dimelow, round two victor Joe Paterson and Owen Jenman. Last year Jenman survived a last corner collision to claim his first podium of the year. Could Llandow be the scene of his first ever Easykart win?HeavyIncredibly, Barnaby Pittingale finished over five seconds down on Will Smith at last year’s corresponding fixture. With Smith now in the Light category and Barney’s form such as it is (three wins from three races) the headline writers will forgiven for already writing ‘Pittingale to the Four’.
Behind him is a welter of drivers eager to knock him off his perch. On results so far, Gary Poynter is his nearest challenger but Tim Hill, Adrian Riccardo-Batty and Mark Lawrence have also all finished inside the top three this season and will be desperate to take their debut victories. Just some of the candidates who could collect their first silverware of 2010 are Jerry Pack, Jay Shepherd, Firas Bilbeisi, Ken Steward and Howard Kayman. The unpredictability created by the circuit layout and the local weather could deliver a big shock, if you’re in the area on Sunday it will be well worth watching. The action starts from 10:00am on Sunday at the South Wales Karting Centre, Llandow near Cowbridge. For more information, visit easykart.co.uk
