On Sunday, 3 times karting Champion Lochlan Bearman contested Round 5 of the Whilton Mill Kart Championship. Phoenix FM sponsored Bearman, 13, went into the meeting leading the Championship.
Practise is normally where the drivers ‘scrub in’ their new slick tyres but just as they exited the pit lanes it started to rain, so Bearman pulled into the pits as there was no point risking the kart. However it also meant that there was nothing to be learnt about the set-up.
He would start Heat 1 from pole but another shower had hit the circuit and teams and drivers were trying to make the best decision on set-up that they could whilst trying to predict the weather.
Bearman started well and led for the first few laps but then was passed by two other karts at the mid race stage. Shortly after with the conditions chaning it was Bearman’s setup that started working and he began to close in on the leaders, unfortunately time ran out and he finished 3rd.
In Heat 2 he started 11th and was caught in the melee at the first corner and had to go across the grass which cooled his tyres. In a very wet race he re-joined in 11th place and set about catching the leading pack. By lap 6 he’d worked his way back up to 7th. He than made a pass on the 88 karts who immediately came back and passed Bearman at the next corner, but Bearman was aware he’d over commit and as they came the a downhill left hander Bearman slipped through only for the 88 to turn in on him and as 88’s front wheel hit Bearman’s rear wheel it flipped Bearman round and the pair finished on the grass. Bearman dragged his kart back onto the circuit but could only finish 10th.
With the weather still being unpredictable the teams were working hard changing from dry to wet settings. In Heat 3 most of the field looked to be on a dry setting only for the rain to fall as the karts left for their warm up lap. The rain got heavier and with the fired all on slicks this heat was going to be about those drivers that could keep the kart on the circuit.
Starting 6th Bearman managed to miss a lot of the chaos and completed lap 1 in 7th place. As the field slithered around the corners Bearman was trying different lines to determine where the grip was to be found. On Lap 6 he reclaimed 6th position, and on lap 7 he was fifth. He would go on to take one more position to complete the heat in 4th place. This would leave him 6th for the final.
The final was held in dry conditions and would mean a typical dry setup would be the way to go.
The final turned out to be a tremendous race. Bearman started well and was 5th in laps 1 to 4 in a train of 7 karts. On lap 5 he made an audacious move around the outside of 2 karts to move into 3rd place and immediately by the 2nd place driver. His pace looked good and the chance of a victory was definitely on the cards.
The karts behind began to work together and had caught Bearman as he made a move for 2nd place inadvertently giving the an opportunity to pass. Suddenly he was down to 7th. There then began a huge scrap for 3rd to 7th place, with position changing every corner. Bearman fought his way back through to the front of this group and into 3rd position but was then having to defend which allowed the karts in front to get away.
With Bearman defending and the positions behind him changing all the time it was a frenetic conclusion to the race but Bearman managed to break away and was secure in 3rd place as they entered the final lap.
“It’s been a tough day to guess the set-up but in the final it all came good and I had one of the most enjoyable races of the season. It was great fun battling the whole race and shows how close and competitive this class is” commented the Essex youngster.
Bearman’s next race is a 2 meeting event called the East Anglian Trophy Meeting held at the Kimbolton Circuit in Cambridgeshire in June.
