Round 3 - 2018

Twenty-five drivers took to the track last night to engage in some very close racing as the PKC returned indoors to West Wales Karting in Haverfordwest.
In a slight change of format, drivers were sent out for their combined practice & qualifying as they arrived at the circuit, giving them the benefit of no on-track distractions, allowing them to focus on hitting the quickest times.
The lightweight division enjoyed a near full grid of drivers meaning there was plenty of action on the track - especially into the first corner! The protagonists of the group were two previous PKC Champions; Sam Joseph(Swansea) and Colin Rowland Mason (Johnston). Both drivers were very evenly matched during the event, with Mason looking on course for his maiden win of the year after a difficult start to the event saw Joseph finish 4th in his opening heat. With the pressure on, Joseph kept his head down and delivered a win in race 2 cutting Mason's advantage to a single point. A very opportunistic Ricciardo-esque lunge on Mason for the win in race 3 was all Joseph needed to do to secure overall victory. Tied on points, Sam Joseph took the win with the better finishing record. It was a close battle for third with Wais Kuba (Cardiff) and Joshua Partis (Milford Haven) both keen to make the final spot of the podium. With near identical results, Kuba claimed third from Partis by a single point. Elsewhere, Mike Holder(Llanycefn) took his maiden indoors win in race 1 after some fantastic defensive driving with Callum Davies (Tycroes) and Dylan Butland (Pembroke Dock) showing they are the PKC young guns of the future with some brilliant and controlled driving.
The intermediate category continued to provide excitement as all ten drivers were very evenly matched all event. It was hard to pick a favourite early on, with standings leader James Williams (Swansea) struggling to build an advantage over rivals. Ashley Hutchings (Milford Haven) was on top form with a string of top 3 finishes and threatening to take his maiden event win of the year. Trev McCullagh (Newport) took a win in race 2 with Matthew Morgan (Pembroke) claiming wins in races 3 and 4. Morgan could've won the event had it not been for an early crash in the opening race. All four drivers could've taken the gold but it was Williams who found a way to the top step of the podium by a single point from Hutchings with McCullagh in third.
Thea heavyweight group had the smallest grid of the evening but the racing was just as intense. Brendan Evans returned to the grid to take on current leader Michael Lloyd Davies (Carmarthen) and his closest rival Damien Holmes (Haverfordwest). Each driver traded race wins and were often racing bumper to bumper. A point penalty cost Evans the momentum and possibly a higher spot on the podium but it was Holmes who emerged victorious out of the trio with two strong wins in the final races of the night. Davies finished second Damien's win now means he had reduced the points deficit to Davies in the overall standings to just 2 points. With four rounds remaining, it will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
Andrew Cook (Clydach) benefited from the smaller heavyweight grid by achieving the best rookie driver and masters driver of the evening with Tess Howell (Drefach Felindre) taking home best female driver.
With all the drivers taking on qualifying in an orderly fashion, using the same kart, it was decided to use the qualifying times for the Fastest Lap Challenge. After weight adjustment, Damien Holmes topped the leaderboard for the quickest time of the night.
A big thank you to all drivers and spectators who came along to the event and a special thanks to the staff at West Wales Karting for putting in the hours before the event to ensure the karts were as evenly matched as possible after a busy Half Term!
Focus now turns to Round 4 as the season marches on to Carew Karting on Saturday, June 30th.
Full resultsand standings can be downloaded on our website
www.pembrokeshirekarting.co.uk