It may be the new kid on the block on the karting scene, but with a full campaign of national and international competition in prospect this year at the very highest levels, Prima Racing is intent on quickly making a name for itself in the motorsport world – and an eye-catching outing at PF International has served signal of the team’s ambitious intent.
With 12 competitors at PF across the three Cadet classes – Comer, WTP and the nascent Super Cadet category – Prima is going about its new endeavour very seriously indeed, and during what was a hugely encouraging weekend in Lincolnshire, Comer Cadet rookie Alex Stott provided one of the undoubted star-turns.
From 14th on the grid in his opening heat, the 12-year-old made a magnificent getaway and scythed his way through the field to finish a superb sixth, setting the second-fastest lap time along the way for good measure. Rather less fortunate in heat two as he found himself barged unceremoniously off the track and sent flying down the order to 30th and last mere moments into the race, Stott nonetheless grittily and doggedly fought back to 13th at the chequered flag, whilst heat three yielded eighth place from the very back of the grid.
“It was my first serious race meeting in Comer Cadet,” revealed the Brackley-based hotshot, who is planning an assault on both British championships – Super 1 and the Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone-backed Formula Kart Stars (FKS) – for the first time this year, and is ‘quietly confident’ about his chances of a top ten finish.
“I’ve been in WTP for just over two years, but Comer is different because the drivers are a bit more aggressive. I got used to it all quite quickly, though – it’s just a case of showing that aggression back and showing that I’m there and that they aren’t going to shove me off easily.
“I was hoping to do well, because the kart felt good from the start and I knew the engine was strong, and I was really happy with the way I came through the pack in the second heat – I just had to get my head down and go! I began 30th in heat three, making the start even more important. I made up 15 places, which enabled me to catch the train, move to the front of it and then move forward from there.
“That put me eighth on the grid for the final, and in every single Cadet race there is going to be a train of karts at the front. This time the top two got away, so I hung onto the next train. There were two drivers in front of me and I just sat behind them as I found my rhythm, waiting for the last couple of laps and for them to hopefully start battling.
“I got into third place going into the second hairpin on the last lap, but the kart ended up drifting slightly wide, which compromised my exit and allowed them both to get underneath me again. I was still really pleased to finish fifth, though – that was a great result for my first race with the team!”
A scant four tenths of a second shy of the podium in the end, that, assuredly, will come, and Stott was ably backed up by team-mates Dan Zelos (12th) – who took an excellent fourth place in heat three, the best of any Prima entrant at Comer level and ahead of ‘O’ Plate winner Lando Norris, one of the pre-season British title favourites – Tommy Weyer (21st) and Ethan Hawkey (23rd) in a 34-strong field.
In WTP, Thomas Day (5th), Herbie Grout (7th) and Bryony King (12th) upheld Prima honours, whilst in Super Cadet, the team produced a real tour de force, with Billy Monger, Sean Gee, Cory Stevens and Gaby Weyer leaving the opposition fairly trailing in a commanding top four lockout in two of the heats and the final. Monger was particularly impressive with a clean sweep of victories and fastest laps, although he was kept under pressure by his feisty team-mates in the final, with Sam Brough coming home sixth and debutant Esmee Hawkey a determined eighth.
“Overall, I think it was a great weekend for Prima, in all three classes,” concluded team manager and former European factory Birel ace Jamie Croxford. “We had good results throughout, from WTP to Comer and Super Cadet. In Super Cadet, it was a very close race at the front between Billy, Sean and Cory, and whilst Gaby didn’t get the best of starts, I’m sure she would have similarly been up there otherwise.
“Sam fought hard to take sixth and Esmee did really well, too – it was her first-ever time in a Super Cadet and around PF and she hung onto the back of the pack, which was a great achievement in itself. She only had four or five sessions on Saturday to get used to it all, but she improved throughout and made great progress.
“We had a nice surprise in Comer Cadet – in his first-ever race in the class, Alex finished fifth and should have been third but for a bit of bad luck and inexperience towards the end. He showed great promise for things to come this year – as did Tommy, Dan and Ethan. In WTP, Herbie and Bryony are very new to the sport, but they and Thomas all demonstrated great pace throughout the weekend, too.
“Prima is a new team with new personnel, but everyone clicked together really well and it can only get even better in that respect as we get more organised. I think there’s great potential here. We’re returning to PF this weekend and then we go straight off to the Winter Cup at Garda. Our next major outing after that will be the first round of the WSK Master Series at La Conca, so we’re going to be pretty flat-out! It’s exciting times!”
Prima still has drives available in all classes, from WTP Cadet up to KF2, as well as Super Cadet engines to rent. For more information, please contact Jamie Croxford on 07889 981631 or at: crox2@hotmail.com
