LLANDOW Kart Club brought the curtain down on its 2014 season with the traditional Celtic Challenge taking place in early December.

With the main championships already decided, the event is a last chance at silverware for those that missed out, while others take the opportunity to sample new classes in preparation for the following season. The meeting also saw LKC trialling timed races for the first time in preparation for the 2015 season, with qualifying preceding a brace of six-minute-plus one lap outings and an eight-minute-plus one-lap final.

Sole Bambino Nathan Browning faced changing conditions during the day but acquitted himself well across four six-minute sessions, improving his times by four seconds a lap as the wet surface gradually dried out.

Cadet numbers were again equally split between Honda and IAME runners, with Louis Harvey and Shay Keough topping qualifying respectively. In the races, neither group appeared willing to enter into the spirit of Christmas by sharing victories, however, as TVKC’s Klaas Kooiker (Honda) and Keough claimed the win each time out. Max Fenlon and Thomas Nippers shared the IAME podium with Keough, while Joshua Martin chased Kooiker.to the line, relegating Harvey to third overall.

Familiar faces did battle in Junior Honda before reigning Welsh champion Patrick Hill came through to add another trophy to his collection. Second fastest in qualifying, behind Ben Cutler, Hill overcame finishing third in the opening heat to seize control from the Pre-Final onwards, winning the main event by four seconds from Alex Wilkins and Jack Bligh.

Like the Cadets classes, Junior Rotax and Minimax ran together, with the field split evenly. The Junior runners proved closely matched on lap time, with David Spiller leading the way through qualifying and the heats. The Final, however, went the way of Ethan Ling, who headed Ceran Sokhi and Tom Croydon across the line.

Minimax, meanwhile, was the preserve of one driver as new club champion Riley Phillips dominated from the outset. Within a matter of tenths of the Junior runners in qualifying, he proceeded to win all three races in convincing fashion, with Kieran Clarke and novice Liam Griffiths joining him on the podium.

Junior TKM appeared to be going the way of Ryan Edwards after he won both qualifying races, but Sam Johns had other ideas. Having finished second to Yousuf Ashraf in the times session that opened the day, Johns’ weekend seemed to be going downhill rapidly after two non-finishes, but he bounced back to claim victory in the final, where neither Edwards or new class champion Alex Rees saw the chequered flag. Tom Rawlings and Ashraf completed the podium.

Senior Honda featured a couple of new names on the entry, and both Tom Ford and Kristian Prosser showed that they were far from overawed by their rivals. Prosser, the recently-crowned Junior Honda champion, started as he meant to go on, topping qualifying by half a second before winning both the Pre-Final and Final. Monty Gorringe proved to be his closest threat, winning heat one and beating Paul Saunders to runners-up honours in the main event, while Ford came home fourth overall.

Senior Max and TKM Extreme provided the biggest field of the weekend and found a fitting way to sign off the 2014 campaign with a thrilling race to the line. After late-season find Morgan Rose topped qualifying, Daryl Henderson took over and appeared on course to retain his Celtic crown – only to falter in the main event and post a DNF. That left Josh Gray and Junior Rotax champion Rob Ellis – who had shared the runners-up position in the preceding races – to come to the fore, eventually crossing the line just 0.552seconds apart, with Gray coming out on top. Rose came through to claim third spot, a further 0.35seconds adrift.

As it had in November, TKM Extreme went the way of Nicholas Rees, despite Callum Johns doing all he could to keep the victor honest.

With the 2014 season done and dusted, attentions will turn to the annual prize giving on January 17, 2015.

Craig Llewellyn

Results:

BAMBINO

Nathan Browning

CADET HONDA

1. Klaas Kooiker (Zip)

2. Joshua Martin (BRK)

3. Louis Harvey (Shark)

CADET IAME

1. Shay Keough (Zip)

2. Max Fenlon (RK/Birel)

3. Thomas Nippers (Zip)

JUNIOR HONDA

1. Patrick Hill (Wright)

2. Alex Wilkins (7Kart)

3. Jack Bligh (7Kart)

JUNIOR TKM

1. Sam Johns (Jade)

2. Tom Rawlings (Tonykart)

3. Yousuf Ashraf (Jade)

JUNIOR ROTAX

1. Ethan Ling CRG)

2. Ceran Sokhi

3. Tom Croydon (Gillard)

MINI MAX

1. Riley Phillips (Kosmic)

2. Kieran Clarke (Tonykart)

3. Liam Griffiths (Energy)

SENIOR HONDA

1. Kristian Prosser (7Kart)

2. Monty Gorringe (7Kart)

3. Paul Saunders (7Kart)

SENIOR ROTAX

1. Josh Gray (Tonykart)

2. Rob Ellis (Kosmic)

3. Morgan Rose (Tonykart)

TKM Extreme

1. Nicholas Rees (Tonykart)

2. Callum Johns (Tonykart)

Best Novice: Jenson Davis (Cadet Honda)

Driver of the Day: Kristian Prosser (Senior Honda)