Race League - Southampton
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!
TEAMSPORT RACE LEAGUE
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BIKC FINAL
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
BIKC Regional Final
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!
BIKC Local Final
After loads of laps around the Bournemouth track to qualify for the local final, I went into it feeling pretty confident because I had the fastest lap record. We qualified on a lower speed setting, but for the final they said it would be ramped up, which meant I had to learn new lines and change how I drove.
With some practice before the race I adapted well, but I was mostly P2 or P3, so I still felt good about it. On the day of the race I qualified P3, which I was happy with because it put me in a good spot.
At the start of the race I got a really good launch and beat P2 into the first corner, but I got squeezed into the wall (which we were told would be a black flag, but it never happened). That dropped me to P4, but luckily the top 5 still qualified.
I got stuck behind a really defensive driver, and it was actually a good learning moment for me. When the race finished I came off feeling pretty upset with how I drove, but the main thing is… I made it through to the regional final!
Let’s see how I do there :)
Massive Congrats to Zach, Archie, Trae and Archie D for qualifying and Team Bournemouth head to Cardiff :)