Moray driver Ross McWilliam is big winner at Grampian Kart Club's latest event at Boyndie drome circuit
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NEW Elgin driver Ross McWilliam was a double trophy winner at the latest Grampian Kart Club event at Boyndie drome circuit.
McWilliam set a class best time in the Senior Max Clubman race on Sunday to claim a comfortable victory by 12 seconds.
He won all three heats as well as the final, claiming not only the first prize but the JRD Cup for his achievement, which was one of the feature trophies over the weekend.
Fellow Elgin driver Craig Stephen was third in the junior max race, benefitting from a crash between two drivers in front of him to seize his podium spot.
Dufftown's Katie Donaldson also claimed a podium place for the second consecutive meeting.
But it was McWilliam who was star of the show, recording 37.346 seconds for class best and well ahead of nearest rival John Fairclough while Mark Knowles, who had been running fifth, gained two places during laps 11 and 12 to take the final place on the podium.
Gordon Black gained fourth on the last lap from Ian Thomson.
Result: 1 Ross McWilliam (New Elgin); 2 John Fairclough (Rosehearty); 3 Mark Knowles (Blackburn).
The sunny conditions in Banffshire were perfect for fast times, with seven of the ten classes setting new lap records including the long standing Honda Cadet that had stood for four years.
The meeting was again held over two days with the youngsters on Saturday and seniors on Sunday with social distancing measures in place.
Due to the Aberdeen lockdown five drivers were unable to attend.
In very warm conditions the seven entries in bambino class took to the track in their four timed sessions.
Max Taddei improved his own lap record to 52.448 seconds in the first session. Ryan White was quickest in sessions two and three.
Taddei took session four and the overall victory with White second. Jude Buchan filled the final podium position. Dylan Rankin was fourth followed by William Alexander, Amaya Thomson and Harry Matheson.
Result: 1 Max Taddie (Cumberauld); 2 Ryan White (Peterculter); 3 Dylan Rankin (Foveran).
Arguably the best achievement over the weekend was Aiden Macdonald in the Honda Cadet race breaking the long-standing lap record of Oliver Stewart’s set in 2016. The record was reduced by 0.412 sec. to 43.348 seconds.
The final race was stopped due to an accident on the first lap. Once restart settled down the drivers divided into with four pairs.
The front pair was Aiden MacDonald and Harvey Mitchell with MacDonald rebuffing all Mitchell’s attempts to take the victory. The second pairing saw Duncan Ingram and Katie Donaldson switching positions on lap three which evolved in Donaldson taking the final podium spot.
The third pair was Finlay Smith and Leo Massie who maintained positions throughout the race. Finally Daniel Dempster and Logan Silva-Domingo also circulated together but the order was unaltered.
Result: 1 Aiden Macdonald (Woodhead); 2 Harvey Mitchell (Falkirk); 3 Katie Donaldson (Dufftown).
Mini Max winner Steven Duncan broke his own lap record of 38.630, set last month, by 0.048 seconds to record the new class best of 38.582 seconds.
Nathan Smith led away in the Junior Max, closely followed by Dylan Mackay, while a second pair formed of Cole Richie and Reece Duthie.
The first pair circulated as one in the nine-minute (16 lap) final. On lap eleven at Gate Corner, Richie and Duthie collided, eliminating both. As a result Craig Stephen inherited third spot.
The lead pair continued to circulate and it came down to the last corner when Mackay saw an opportunity and dived to the inside of Smith and drove to the line for victory.
A disappointed Smith took second with Stephen third. The pass on the final lap was voted the best move resulting in Mackay winning the Mike Phillip Trophy.
Result: 1 Dylan Mackay (Golspie); 2 Nathan Smith (Stuartfield); 3 Craig Stephen (Elgin).
The four Junior Prokarts had been close all day with all four breaking last month's lap record for the class.
The nine-minute final got under way with Ian Menzies leading. It was half distance when Angus Scrivener and Kieran Crosbie both passed Menzies.
This was the finishing order with Cameron Bailey pressing hard on the run to the line.
Result: 1 Angus Scrivener (Limekilns); 2 Kieran Crosbie (Dunblane); 3 Ian Menzies (Tulliallan).
Ally Smith, after several years out of karting, put his kart on pole following the heats in the senior max 162kg.
Smith got away in front with Keiran Smart, Jonathan Edwards, Kes Watson and Steven Bain in hot pursuit.
The leader opened up a second's gap with Edwards on Smart's bumper in pursuit of second, but Smart held him off.
The nine-minute final over 16 laps won by Smith with Smart and Edwards 1.5 seconds back, Watson and Bain were next ahead of Dominic Lund and Ross Raffan.
Result: 1 Ally Smith (Peterhead); 2 Keiran Smart (Oldmeldrum); 3 Jonathan Edwards (Cornhill).
The three in the senior max 177kg started at the back of the 162kg class and Robert Strachan led away from Stuart Wyness and Peter Lesisz, who dropped out after three laps.
The front pair circulated, battling the 162 class drivers but on the eleventh lap, Wyness spotted an opportunity at pit corner and dived through before going on to take the victory by only three tenths from Strachan.
Earlier Strachan had set a new class record of 37.155 sec. in heat one.
Result: 1 Stuart Wyness (Inverurie); 2 Robert Strachan (Cuminstown); 3 Peter Lesisz (West Lothian).
In the Twin Engined Prokart, the grid size was affected by the Aberdeen coronavirus lockdown, which had a maximum travel of five miles.
From the starting lights it was Reece Fleming who led away from David Leiper and Murray Scott, the latter edging into second on second lap.
Scott gradually closed in on Fleming and on the 12th lap got on the inside at gate corner to take the lead. Scott went onto take the chequered flag by half a second from Fleming.
Leiper took the third podium position and Nicky Sutherland was fourth from Sean Webb, Gordon Fleming, Scott Webb and Stuart Webb.
Result: 1 Murray Scott (Glenrothes); 2 Reece Fleming (Lethal); 3 David Leiper (Arbuthnott).
Finally in the KZ2 UK (Gearbox), Neil MacLennan, who had lowered the lap record to 32.016 seconds earlier in the afternoon, led from the lights to an untroubled victory.
Neil Anderson, Gary Williams and Ryan Simpson took up the chase and on lap five, Williams and Simpson touched at pit corner eliminating both.
Anderson’s kart started emitting a loud screeching noise caused by a broken exhaust and had to pit. This left Chris Walker in second followed by Ross Armstrong and Alex Mackay.
Walker took the second podium position and Mackay was closing in on Armstrong but the chequered flag came too soon in the 18 lap final. Fifth was Roy Thomson with John Robertson sixth.
Result: 1 Neil MacLennan (Tore); 2 Chris Walker (Aberlour); 3 Ross Armstrong (Hatton).
Next race meeting at Boyndie is on September 12-13.
Visit the GKC website and Facebook for more details.
