January 31, 2019

Karting

Although it was an end to the weekend Josh will be keen to forget, his performance at the WSK Champions Cup was a brilliant way to kick off 2019 and sent a bold statement to his competitors ahead of the WSK Super Master Series. It was the BabyRace’ driver first race since the Macau Grand Prix last December where he picked up a podium.

The WSK Champions Cup is always the official start of the European season and the first chance for drivers to adapt to their new chassis and teams. For Josh he had stayed put with the BabyRace squad after an impressive 2018 and showed strong pace immediately in the Mini class.

Friday started with a 3rd place in Qualifying in a strong grid of 82 drivers leaving him on the front row for all five of his heats. As the pressure began to grow so did Josh as he found pace that no one else could match winning all five heats, something many didn’t see coming given how strong the field was!

Now on pole position for the Pre-Final Josh had no problems taking a lights to flag victory despite constant pressure from behind. He fronted a lead group which broke clear from the rest of the field and on the last lap was calm under pressure as he held off any challenges from behind to win by just under half a second.

Going into the final it looked like Josh couldn’t be beaten. However, after all of that hard work Josh’s weekend would end in the worst possible fashion. Starting from the outside of the front row he was pushed back to 5th at the start. He quickly moved up to 4th but by the time he was there the top three had disappeared.

Anyone who follows the Mini class will know trying to close a gap without a tow can be almost impossible, particularly at this level! However, Josh fought on and it looked like he was set to finish 4th, but on the last lap he was caught up in another driver’s incident forcing him to retire from the race.

It was a brutal end to what had been a fantastic weekend. But there were plenty of positives to take away from the weekend, six race wins in one weekend is not a bad effort at all and with the WSK Super Master Series kicking off this weekend Josh will quickly be able to put the disappointment behind him and get the result he deserves.

Whilton Mill Kart Club Championship Round 1 Results:

Luke Watts (Mini X30) – 1st

Luke Whitehead (Senior X30) – 3rd

Vinnie Phillips (IAME Cadet) – DSQ track limits