I love racing at TeamSport Southampton. It’s one of my favourite tracks. But this week… wow. It was probably one of my most frustrating races ever.

I actually had a really good start to the night. I qualified P1 with a 35.3. It’s not my fastest lap ever, but it was good enough to put me on pole, so I was feeling pretty confident heading into the final.

We had a rolling start and I was leading the pack. But straight away, I knew something wasn’t right. My kart just didn’t feel fast. It felt flat on the straights and I was having to push super hard just to stay ahead. I didn’t know my lap times during the race, but afterwards we found out my average was 37.5 — that’s over 2 seconds slower than my qualifying pace! Even slower than some of the karts that started at the back 😩

I started to realise something was wrong when the cadet behind me went around the outside of me on a corner. Around the OUTSIDE! That’s when I knew I was in trouble.

From that moment on, it was basically a full race of defence mode. Blocking, covering the inside, trying to stay calm and not make mistakes. I fought as hard as I could and managed to hang on to P3 for a podium.

I can’t complain too much because I’ve had loads of success at Southampton before… but I think it’s fair to say Kart 40 needs to be retired 😂

Still, a podium is a podium. And I’ll be back next week — ready to go again and hopefully with a faster kart! 🏎️🔥

Always good to be back at Eastleigh for the Race League. After two full days of karting in the rain, it was a welcome change to have a roof over my head.

The format was qualifying followed by a rolling start race. Qualifying went really well once I managed to find some clean air, and everything clicked. I set my personal best and my fastest lap of the year, securing P1 and pole position for the race.

The race itself was great fun, with Ollie pushing me from start to finish. He managed to slip past when I left a small gap, but two laps later he made the same mistake and I was able to retake P1. From there it was all about keeping it clean and consistent, and I managed to hold on to the lead all the way to the chequered flag.

P1 at the finish and top step of the podium — a fantastic way to end the weekend.

I was really nervous about this race if I’m honest. The competition here is mega, and with some other stuff going on it just made me feel a bit shaky before we started.

First up was a 15 minute qualifying session. At the start my kart was sliding everywhere, but once I got it under control I managed to set the fastest lap, which meant I started P1 for the race!

The race was going really well until the last 5 minutes. I think I started to panic a bit and I was leaving the door open too much. I lost the lead on a corner after some contact, but I didn’t know if it was going to be a penalty or not. It turned out the other driver got a 2 second penalty, which meant I actually would have won the race…

But then I made a big mistake. I was trying really hard to get first place back when a back marker (who had blue flags) gave me the inside line leading upto the corner, but the cadet in first was already around the corner and I hit him 😞 I’m really sorry about that. He was luckily okay, but I wasn’t so lucky.

After that, another cadet hit me from behind and I really hurt myself. My mum even came onto the track f to make sure I was okay… It was the last lap, so we all came in. I got a 3 second penalty, which gave the win to the driver ahead of me. He deserved it, and I know I need to be better.

The next race was a reverse grid, so I started second from last. I was nervous again because of what had just happened, and I was still quite sore.

But this race went much better, I made some good overtakes and climbed up to 4th place (I think!) and I also set the fastest lap of the night. The top four drivers all got the same points, which shows how close and good everyone is. Because I got the fastest lap, it put me into P1 overall!

I’ll take the win but could of being any of the top 4, but well done to everyone — it was a tough night and there were a few red flags, so I hope everyone is okay. 💪🏁

The first round of the Grid Series at Eastleigh gave me mixed feelings. Qualifying didn’t go very well because I got spun around and then black flagged when I tried to get going again unaided by a Marshall. That meant I lost a lot of time. When I finally went back out, another cadet got black flagged and stopped right in front of me, so I hit them and hurt my wrist and then more time lost!

I still managed to qualify P3, but the following first race was really hard. The kart I got wasn’t very fast and lots of people said it was a dud. I couldn’t keep P3, especially with Ethan being super quick, but I held on to P4 which I was proud of.

Race three was a reverse grid, so I started P6. This one was amazing! I worked my way up to P1 and won the race by 4 seconds 🏆 There was an incident behind me which helped give me some space, but it was still really fun racing.

There were lots of talented cadets there, including another BIKC finalist, Ellena. It’s her local track and she was on another level fast! Overall it was a fun night and I learned a lot. I can’t wait for round 2! 🏁

Epic night at Race League!

Third time's the charm - after 3rd on my first visit and 2nd on the second, I took the win last night on my third visit to this track. Huge props to the cadets behind me, it was anyone's game! Qualified P1 for the race with a personal best time, but had to fight hard to keep my lead throughout the race.

This was my second time racing at TeamSport Eastleigh (Southampton) in the Race League. The first time I went, I got pole position but finished the race in 3rd place.

This time there were more cadets racing, which was good, and I got to race against some new people. In qualifying I finished P3 again, with Ethan and Henry ahead of me. All three of us were really close, with less than 0.150 seconds between us, so I knew it would be a tight race.

Starting P3 felt good because I thought I would have the inside line into the first corner, but it was changed to a rolling start. The race was 15 minutes long and around lap 6 or 7 I overtook Henry. While we were fighting, Ethan pulled away a bit, but I still had time to catch him.

The kart felt good, so I pushed and started setting faster laps. I got the fastest lap of the night with a 35.741 and caught up to Ethan. He defended really well and didn’t make any mistakes.

There were a couple of red flags that took about 5 minutes out of the race and the clock didn’t stop. I think if we had that time back, I might have had more chances to try a move. I’m still happy to finish P2 on my second visit, and I’ll be aiming for P1 next time.

My first Race League at @teamsportsouthampton was amazing! It was really cool meeting new cadets and seeing some I already knew.

I did the academy first to warm up, but it was on a slower speed, so when qualifying started on speed 4 I had to learn new lines super fast!

I was really happy (and a bit shocked!) to get P1, but I wasn’t complaining!

In the 20-minute race, I just couldn’t get the pace I needed. I held P1 for about 12 minutes, and I could see a big battle going on behind me which I hoped would help, but credit to Ollie and Robin, they knew exactly where to pass. Ollie got me on a corner, and on the last lap I made a mistake and dropped to P3.

I’m honestly so happy to get a podium on my first try!

Well done everyone. Hope to be back soon!

Heading into the final I felt nervous but also excited. I’d raced in the Warrington Race Leagues before and even got P1 in Qualifying and P2 in the race against some really fast cadets, so I knew I could keep up with the best.

On the day of the final everyone was super quick, so I knew it was going to be tough.

In my first three heats I finished P5, P2 and P6, which didn’t give me the best starting spot for the semi-final. I started the semi in P5, and only the top 4 would go through. Overtaking was really hard without risking a penalty, and the kart I got was underpowered (I found out afterwards other people had complained about it too). I tried my best to defend and stay in P5, hoping someone ahead might get a penalty.

On the very last corner another cadet spun me, but it didn’t change anything because the top 4 finished in the same order and didn’t get any penalties.

Even though I didn’t make the final, it was amazing racing with such fast cadets. I learned loads, had a great time, and I’m hoping to come back next year and get on the podium

Cardiff is such a fun track, and it was awesome being there with my Bournemouth Race Academy Cadet teammates to race against four other academies.

In my heats I finished P1, P2 and P1, which put me on pole for the Semi Final. Me and my teammate Zach both took P1 in our semis, and as the day went on we really felt like we could both make it into the final.

We even made a plan: if we both finished P1 in our semis, whoever got the fastest lap would start P1 in the final. We agreed to hold our positions and work together to make sure we both got through. With our Academy coach Tara helping us, we stuck to the plan and sailed straight into the final.

Amazing day!