It was the last round of the Hunts Kart Racing Club Championship at Kimbolton on Sunday.
Because of reduced daylight hours the format was 2 heats and final but over slightly longer distances than usual.
Heat 1 was run in tricky conditions with all drivers on slicks but with the track damp in places from the morning frost. Bearman started this heat dead last. At the start he tried to make a move around the outside as the pack funneled into Stow Corner but 2 other karts having their own contact clipped the back of his kart putting him into a spin. Now last and about 20 kart lengths behind the backmarkers he re-joined and quickly found his rhythm. The longer heats allowed him to make up more ground and he did well to catch the main pack and make inroads before the end. As the chequered flag was shown he had made his way back up to 7th place setting fastest lap in doing so.
It was a pole position start for Heat 2. A clean start enabled Bearman to gain a remarkable 10 kart lead by the time the front runners had reached the Bus Stop, which actually resulted in him looking behind twice to see where the next kart was. Again settling into his rhythm he ticked off the laps to win without putting anything at risk although he crossed the line with the tiniest of margins to the 2nd place finisher.
These results put him 3rd on the grid of 20 racers for the final and on the favoured inside line. With the temperature dropping the team made a decision to go for higher tyre pressures. At the start the inside line worked to Bearman’s advantage and as the field streamed through ‘Willows’ Bearman was right on the tail of Saul Robinson the pole sitter. Bearman sat behind and pushed Robinson over the opening laps and the pair quickly drove away from the field gaining a huge advantage. By half distance it was clear that one of them would win this race unless they had a coming together. Bearman looked quicker than Robinson but elected to keep pushing with a strategy to make his move towards the end of the race. But with around 4 laps left Bearman began to drop away from Robinson a little each corner. As they entered the last lap Bearman was too far back to mount any kind of challenge or pressure Robinson into a mistake and he duly followed him home to claim the runner up spot.
Apart from the start in Heat 1 it’s been a good weekend. We’ve been fast all weekend and in the end the tyre pressure decision went against us as they started to overheat and I was losing grip. Saul drove a great mistake free race so well done to him said 12 year old Lochlan.
Bearman senior commented, “it’s a good way to end the season, and I’m delighted with Lochlan’s success in his first season of Minimax. We had a very poor decision against us in September which resulted in an exclusion from the meeting and that has meant the loss of about 120 points which would have probably won Lochlan the Championship here at Kimbolton as well as Whilton Mill.”
Bearman is now looking towards next season and his plans will be determined by the budget that is available. “I really want to compete in the British national Championship called Super 1 which is televised but we need a sponsor if we are going to be able to compete. Otherwise we will stay in Minimax and probably try to retain the Whilton Championship and try to win at Kimbolton, or we may try moving up to the Junior category and compete in a European Championship. We need a Karting Father Christmas to help us!
“I’d like to say thank you to Phoenix FM for following my season, my dad for his support and backing, Gary Cooper of CooperMotorsport and Grice Racing Engines.”
It all starts again mid January at Kimbolton.
