Phoenix FM Kart Racing Champion Lochlan Bearman went into Sunday’s Championship Round 2 on the back of a dominating display in January where he won all the heats and the final.
In Heat 1 he started 16th, and was 10th by the time they reached turn 2 where he was spun out but a clumsy piece of driving by the 35 kart. Recovering from the back of the pack he made an impressive and determined recovery drive making at least 1 place every lap until he was in 5th position. He then found an obstacle in the shape of the No 39 kart who was holding him up and was turning into Bearman whenever he got alongside. This allowed the 74 kart of Thomas Byrne to close in and take both karts in front of him. Bearman finally make the move stick on the 39 machine to finish the race in 5th position.
In the second Heat Bearman would start on pole. In what should have been a certain lead into turn 2, it was the 39 kart again who this time was pushing Bearman so hard into the first corner that his rear wheels were in the air. This left Bearman 3rd. At the end of Lap 1 Bearman was into second and right behind the 39 kart. As they entered Bust Stop Bearman was later on the brakes and got alongside only for No 39 to take them both off onto the grass allowing the field to stream past. Bearman was now running 14th and was on a charge. Up to 8th by lap 5, and 6th by lap 9. Bearman then caught 39 and Byrne who were battling and as they entered Stowe corner at the end of the start finish straight Bearman pounced and took both of and crossed the line in 4th place. This became 3rd when one of the competitors ahead were found to be under weight and were excluded. Bearman set fastest lap by 4 tenths of a second from his nearest competitor.
This earned Bearman a 3rd place start in the final.
As the field hit the brakes for turn 1, Bearman moved left to avoid hitting the kart in front as he again found himself being ‘loaded’ (Pushed from behind in the braking zone). Keeping it all together he emerged 4th the leaders exited The Willows, he moved up to 3rd by the end of lap 1. Finding himself once again behind No 39 and Thomas Byrne he made a clean move to despatch 39 into turn 1 and a great exit from Willows allowed him to complete a move on Byrne to take the lead. From there he drove away to the win setting fastest lap on route to a second successive victory at the Kimbolton ciruit.
“The kart has been fantastic all day thanks to the set-up from the CooperMotorsport team and winning is just rewards for the team as much as me. The driving standards and been pretty poor today and it’s a shame that this was not identified and dealt with by the observers.”, said Lochlan.
“We’ve learnt a lot this weekend and I hope that this will give us the edge in the coming races.”
Bearman’s next race is Round 2 of the Stars at Whilton Mill Championship at the end of the month where he is the reigning champion.
Bearman has just turned 13 and will be making a foray into Europe in March and stepping up a category to Junior Max. “I’m really excited, I will be racing much older and more experienced drivers on an international circuit and driving a Junior Max for the first time. My goal will be to finish in the top half of the field as it will be a new experience for myself and the team”.
If you are interested in supporting this young talent or getting involved please contact bearman.racing@gmail.com.
