Phoenix FM-sponsored race driver Lochlan Bearman went into the final round of the Whilton Mill Championship with a mathematical chance of regaining his Championship from last year. Following exclusion on a technicality last month the 13 year old needed great results and some poor luck for his rivals.
Practice day had gone well with Bearman one of the fastest all day.
Race day started with Bearman setting a time 7 tenths faster than anyone else in cold and tricky conditions. However, when the youngster came back to the pits he reported a severe over heating issue. Without time to investigate and solve the issue before the first race there was no choice but to put the practise engine on which is slower than the race engine.
Starting from pole position Bearman lead until the end of lap 2 when he was helpless to defend along the uphill straight to Christmas Corner. Having lost the lead he was then overtaken and was back in 3rd. Bearman’s kart was handling well and he got himself in a position in the slower corners to attach the 2nd place man but contact saw Bearman spin onto the grass and resume in last place. He did manage to regain some position s but finished 13th which finished any championship hopes.
For Heat 2 the team had fixed a broken water pump and Bearman would start in 14th place. Making a good start he made several moves on the first lap t cross the line in 9th place, he kept up the attack and pulled off some great moves to be 6th at the end of lap 2. With the kart looking good he was then involved in a shunt when the two in front collided and spun into his path, the resulting impact forcing him off and he dropped to 10th, finally finishing in 9th place.
For the last Heat he started 8th. Again whilst the tyres were cold and the conditions tricky he put in a stunning lap to be 3rd at the end of the first laps with overtakes at just about every corner. On Lap 2 he was second and was looking to close on the leader. The second place man came back and lunged Bearman in the complex and forced them both wide allowing a stream of karts through leaving Bearman down in 6th.
These results left the Essex racer 9th on the grid for the final. With nothing to lose he made a lot of changes to the kart looking for an edge to give him an opportunity to win. In the position I was in the championship had gone and all I could go for was the win, so we decided to try something really different in the final said Bearman. Ultimately it did not work and whilst he did get up to 7th he eventually completed the race in 8th place.
“It’s been a terrible race day for us. Lots of problems, poor balance and accidents. I came to give it my all and it felt as if everything conspired against us. It’s really disappointing that my last race in Minimax ended like this. But I’ve had a good season considering the problems we’ve had during the year. 3rd here and a Championship win at Kimbolton isn’t bad at all. I have to thanks Gary Cooper of CooperMotorsport, Grice Engines and my family”
Bearman has one more kart race when he will step up to the Junior class for drivers up to 17 years old in December and then will be focussing on the 2016 season when he makes the graduation to full circuit racing in the Ford Fiesta Junior Championship as announced exclusively on Phoenix FM last Saturday.
