Reigning Formula A Champion Mark Litchfield (Rocester, Staffordshire) returned to winning ways at PF International Circuit near Grantham on Sunday, with two good Finals victories to kick-start his 2005 British Karting Championship campaign.
The Renault-sponsored Formula A class, the pinnacle of the domestic karting scene, saw Riki Christodoulou (Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands) take the early initiative during Saturday’s official timed qualifying but come the two points-scoring Finals, it was Litchfield who left Lincolnshire with the maximum 100 points in his pocket.
Final One was a reasonably sedate affair for Litchfield who led from pole position and was never headed throughout the course of the 18-laps, his first win of the year never looking in doubt.
Christodoulou, who started third on the grid, ran well during the early stages but after a seesaw battle with Gary Catt (Andover, Thruxton), Jason Parrott (Crowland, Peterborough), Chris Rogers (Waltham Cross) and David Gregory (Sheffield), it was Parrott who eventually finished in second position ahead of 2003 Champion Catt.
Final Two was a much more hard-fought affair for Litchfield, losing the lead on lap three to Catt and then dropping behind Christodoulou. On lap six, Litchfield returned to the front but Catt regained the lead of the race once more the next time around.
Parrott’s turn to seize the advantage came on lap eight but after a valiant attempt to keep a charging Litchfield at bay, he wasn’t able to resist any longer with the reigning champion assuming the lead on lap 12 and taking the victory six laps later. Catt finished in second position while Parrott took a well-deserved podium in third place.
Female star Tiffany Chittenden (Chislehurst, Kent), meanwhile, produced some excellent performances all weekend, resulting in an eighth place finish in Final One and seventh position in Final Two.
Round three of the 2005 Renault-sponsored B4 Group British Karting Championships takes place at Clay Pigeon, Dorset, on Sunday, 1st May.
Whoever heads the provisional Formula A driver standings after the upcoming event will receive an invitation to be an exclusive guest of Renault UK and the Renault F1 team on Wednesday, 1st June, at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, taking a rare behind-the-scenes look at a Formula One test session.
Formula A Provisional Driver Standings:
1st Gary Catt, 192pts; 2nd Jason Parrott, 180pts; 3rd Riki Christodoulou, 175pts;
4th David Gregory, 172pts; 5th Mark Litchfield, 170pts;
11th Tiffany Chittenden, 140pts
For the latest British Championship Karting news visit the official Renault Sport UK website www.renaultsport.co.uk built by Racecar
