Teesside drama will be just as epic as new TV show - Teesside Autodrome, April 30 / May 1 2011
A new fantasy epic has beheaded, bonked and brawled its way into the nation’s conscience. Game of Thrones features a cast of beefy heroes and bad-boy barbarians, beautiful princesses and a stunted - but quick-witted and entertaining - villain, so comparisons with the Easykart UK Championship are inevitable.
Moreover, the saga of love, betrayal and a bitter fight to be crowned king actually has a direct link with Birel’s enormously popular single-make series. Heavy star ‘Sir’ Tim Hill’s son Isaac is one of the TV show’s principal characters.
Heavy
At last month’s opening round Hill, a normally ultra-consistent front-runner, had what can only be described as an ‘off weekend’ and will head to the Middlesborough track looking to get his fight for the crown underway. No such troubles were experienced by reigning champion Barnaby Pittingale. Last year he dominated the corresponding round, and it will take a big advance in someone’s form to dethrone ‘Il Dominator.’ However, any one of a number of drivers could well throw down the gauntlet and do just that. Vice-champion Mark Lawrence, like Sir Tim, struggled in round one but was on the podium last season. Will Smith is blisteringly quick wherever he goes and will be keen to score a psychological blow on Barnaby by staking his claim for the title with a win. Michael Roots scored a brace of 3rd- place finishes in Suffolk and has earned ‘one-to-watch’ status as a consequence.
Light
What a difference a year makes. Joe Paterson exploded onto the Easykart scene last year with a superb victory, but had a far tougher time of it at Ellough. Can he bounce back at Teesside? Elliot Rice and Terry Langley will be amongst Joe’s toughest rivals. Rice was pushed hard by former number one Langley, but the latter failed to deliver that killer blow to defeat his younger rival. A list of exciting talents, including Owen Jenman, Patrick Lay, Sam Dimelow, Luca Hirst and Matthew Pearce – to name but a few – will ensure that Sunday’s two finals will be packed with drama, and make for a gripping spectacle around one of Britain’s best circuits.
Junior
On the evidence of March’s opening round, this class could simply become a Prost/Senna-esque battle between Ronan McKenzie and Toby Sowery. Last month’s final was totally gripping, so wanting to see more of the same is entirely justified. Their closest challengers will surely be James Lay, AJ Morris, Kieran Gordon and McKenzie’s fellow Easykart Driver Program member, Will Stowell. Fellow Cadet graduate Tom Thickpenny also impressed on his junior debut and knows how to win under pressure at the North Yorkshire venue.
Cadet
Similar to the Juniors, the Cadets provided the spectators with a breathtaking spectacle. Throughout the field, the standard of wheel to wheel action and entertainment was off the scale. Sam Faulkner and Jenson Murchison scrapped hard from start to finish. Krishaan Sivagnanam made himself as a future star with his never-say-die attitude behind the wheel. Lucas Blakely, Max Fitton and Matthew Taylor all took podium finishes in the two finals at Ellough to put themselves near the top of the points table. Matthew Round-Garrido and Jordan Sanders have both made progress over the past year and are capable of springing a surprise. It could well come in round two.
If you’re looking for a fast, friendly series where the emphasis is on driver ability rather than budget, then you’ll love Easykart.
Sunday’s event is a great way to meet the drivers and receive advice from them and get information from the UK Easykart importer, Andy Cox of ACR and series promoter, Club100’s John Vigor.
The action starts from 10:00am at Teesside Autodrome, South Bank Road, Middlebrough.
