with Glan Y Gors grit

Dan Zelos has closed the gap on the runner-up spot in the 2011 Super 1 Series and kept himself firmly in the title hunt following an impressive weekend at Glan Y Gors – and now he is bidding to do it all over again in fellow national championship Formula Kart Stars (FKS).

Dan may not have enjoyed the greatest of fortunes around Glan Y Gors in the past – struggling there on his debut and then finding himself needing to adapt to a new chassis on the second occasion – but he is nonetheless a fan of the demanding and undulating North Wales circuit, and he returned fired-up and determined to make it a case of third time lucky.

“There are lots of ups-and-downs and blind corners,” explained the highly-rated Dereham-based hotshot. “There’s a full-throttle right-hander at the top of the hill, and you can’t see what’s beyond it! You’ve just got to be ready for anything, which definitely makes it more of a challenge – and more enjoyable to drive, too.”

In a 31-strong Comer Cadet class field representing the very crème de la crème of young British driving talent at that level, Dan knew the opposition would be tough indeed, but he was right on the front-running pace from the outset, vying for pole position in qualifying and ultimately winding up an excellent third at the end of a distinctly yo-yo session in which any one of the leading three protagonists could arguably have emerged on top.

From there, the Northgate High School pupil went on to begin both of his heat races from fourth place, but the first one would unfortunately unravel before the starting lights had even extinguished.

“We had two really fast rolling-up laps, but then for some reason we went around a third time only really slowly – practically at crawling pace – which caused my engine to oil up and it just cut out,” he rued. “That was very frustrating, because I really wanted a strong weekend to keep in the title race.”

Ramping up the pressure for heat two, the elements threw another unknown into the equation as the heavens suddenly opened – placing the emphasis very much upon accuracy and being able to stick to the right lines and hit the kerbs at precisely the right point. Battling against persistent carburettor issues into the bargain, it was a challenge that Dan mastered to absolute perfection.

“I knew if I didn’t get a good result, I would be right down at the back of the grid for the first final and that it would be difficult to come through the field from there,” confessed the Prima Racing star. “As Glan Y Gors is quite a tight circuit and one where you really need to be in the tow, it’s trickier to overtake there than around some other tracks.

“There were a lot of people gaining or losing places and quite a few crashes on the first lap, which mixed the order right up. I dropped down to seventh briefly, but I worked together with another driver to make my way through and managed to fight back to third in the end.”

A crucial result and one that exceeded his top five target, on a slippery track surface for the opening final, Dan fought well to progress from 16th on the grid to tenth at the chequered flag, and he would move forward again in the second final later in the day.

“I didn’t get the best of starts and I lost a few places, but I just kept concentrating on trying to regain ground,” the 13-year-old recalled. “I passed several people to move up to seventh, but I couldn’t shake off the driver right behind me and he got me back towards the end, so I finished eighth. I was quite happy with that, though; we had been hoping to maybe get a trophy by coming in the top six, but it was good points and there are still a lot of rounds left to go.”

Maintaining fifth position in the overall standings – and narrowing the gap to second place from ten points to just seven – Dan mused that ‘the leader is a little way ahead, but all I need is one really good weekend and I will be right up there with him...there’s plenty of time to catch up’.

Before that, however, Norfolk’s resident speed demon has another date on his karting calendar, with a return to Glan Y Gors for the next outing in FKS, a series officially endorsed by both 2008 F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and the sport’s influential ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone. Sitting a strong tenth in the championship table and with the forecast for rain once again, he is in optimistic mood and ready to rock.

“Over the course of the Super 1 weekend, we got plenty of track time in the wet and some in the dry, so we’ve got the set-up quite well-sorted in both conditions now,” he affirmed in conclusion. “We know what areas we need to work on, and we know how to improve.

“Most of the same drivers from Super 1 are in FKS and the competition is that little bit harder, but I’m aiming for a similar result if not slightly better. I won a heat in the last round at Rowrah only to end up seventh in the final – just one place off a trophy – so after coming so close, I’ll definitely be gunning to make up for that this time!”

If you are interested in getting involved in life in the fast lane by sponsoring Dan, please contact his dad Andy at: andy.zelos@weselltyres.com