Phoenix FM-sponsored karting champion Lochlan Bearman was competing in Round 3 of the Whilton Mill Championship this weekend.
With a good grid of 25 drivers Bearman was looking to improve on his current 4th place standing in the championship.
In Heat 1 Bearman started and finished 3rd. But he was unhappy with the handling of the kart. “It seems very unpredictable from lap to lap and corner to corner, a very strange situation that takes your confidence away in pushing to the limit.
He started Heat 2 from 15th place and raced his way through to 6th but again reported that the kart’s handling was erratic.
In Heat 3 he would start from 13th on the grid and made his way to 7th by the flag. After this heat the CooperMotorsport Team and Bearman spent time analysing the handling corner by corner. They decided on a fairly drastic change to the set-up for the final where he would start from 4th on the grid.
As the karts streamed across the line for the start of the final Bearman found himself edged out into 5th position., and he dropped to 6th whilst trying to take back a place. As the race settled down Bearman began to set fastest lap after fasted lap and was soon running in 4th in the train of karts that made the 1st four. He was identifying his overtaking opportunities and was up to 3rd on lap 10, seizing another opportunity he snatched 2nd on lap 12.
Now looking for the lead he made a move that was blocked and that allowed the 2 karts behind him through and he was now back to 4th which is where he finished with the top 4 covered by just 0.46 of a second in a really thrilling race.
