Race Report – First Chapter Round 2 of @TKC_Kart_Club 2017 Championship #msirl #karting

Monday 17th April saw Tullyallen Kart Club (TKC) host the First Chapter Round 2 of the 2017 TKC Championship at Midland Karting, Edgeworthstown. With a large race entry and dry weather, everything lined up just right for a great day’s racing!

Round 1 – TKC Driver of the Day
TKC were delighted to announce TJ Taaffe, Bambino as our Round 1 Driver of the Day! TJ’s continued improvement in this competitive class hasn’t gone unnoticed! Well done TJ and keep up the good work! TJ was presented with the TKC Driver of the Day trophy at Monday’s race in Midland Karting by TKC’s Race Director, PJ Hoey.

Bambino
TKC saw another strong turnout of Bambino drivers, with 17 in total taking to the grid! Bambino drivers are 5 – 7 years old but don’t let their age fool you! These determined young racers show fantastic ability and are constantly improving their race craft and provide some of the best racing and sportsmanship in the club. Following close battles throughout the grid all day. Victory eventually went to Jack Burrows (Dungannon) with Tadgh Buckley (Kildare) in second and third place going to a well-deserved Cole McGann (Cork). Huge congratulations to each of the Bambino drivers who took part in this hotly contested race!

Junior Cadet
Junior Cadets produced yet another great battle among the 6 and 7 year olds! Dublin’s Michael Gray took home 1st place in the Junior Cadet Iame class, while Antrim’s Luke Agnew secured a fantastic win in the final of the Junior Cadet Open class. This is Luke’s first year in Junior Cadets after moving up the racing ladder since winning the 2016 TKC Bambino Championship last year. Second place went to Lisburn driver Joseph McMahon and Logan Hoey, Dundalk, secured third place.

Cadets
Young Duleek driver Jake Cudden was a dominant force in the Cadet Iame class all day and maintained 1st place throughout the heats and final. Second place went to Brandon Boland from Drogheda, who has shown great improvement since making the step up from Junior Cadets at the start of the season. In the fiercely contested Cadet Open class the win went to a well-deserved Gavin Dewart (Waringstown). Letisha Conn from Newtownhamilton finished in second place and Callum Doak rounded off the podium in third. Special mention to Callum who has made the step up to the Cadet class following on from finishing 2nd in the 2016 TKC Bambino Championship.

Novice Cadets
The Novice Cadet class saw some great racing all through the grid with Newbridge driver Jack Buckley finishing in first place, Carter Mooney (Dromara) in second and Adam Doogan (Carrickmacross) rounding off the podium in third.

Mini Max
Mini Max produced a great drive from Ben McDowell (Carrickfergus) who secured victory in the final from Dungannon’s Robert Orr, who finished in second, with Ryan Nally (Westmeath) coming home in third. The heats produced great drives all round from these youngsters with Nally securing the Heat 1 win and Orr taking the win in Heat 2. The championship heats up as we head into round 3!

Junior Max
TKC’s Junior Max class has seen a significant increase in entrants for the 2017 Championship and so the battles have intensified! The class produced close racing between Aaron Whelan (Cork) and the two Naas drivers Ryan Critchley and Anton Martin. Both Whelan and Martin headed into the final with a heat win each and, after a close final of bumper to bumper racing, Whelan earned a well-deserved first place trophy. Ryan Critchley finished in second place followed by Anton Martin in third.

Senior Max 165
Senior Max 165 class showed fantastic skill around this tight track, producing some spectacular overtakes in the heats and in the final. Due to circumstances beyond the drivers’ control 1st place was awarded to both Dundalk’s Patrick Finnegan and Delvin’s Rory Lynch. Nigel McKay from Cootehill, Co. Cavan secured the final step on the podium in third position.

Senior Max 180
Stephen Joyce (Westmeath) produced a fantastic performance in the Senior Max 180 class to secure a win in Heat 1 and take home the first place trophy in the final. Joyce was followed over the line by Monaghan’s Barry Smith with Andrew McCormack from Cork rounding off the podium in third place.

Super 4
New to the TKC Championship this year is the Super 4 class. Since Round 1 in March the Super 4 racers have shown up in force and produced some brilliant racing and shown great sportsmanship throughout! After a mix of wins in the Heats from Dublin’s Conor McCabe and Kildare man Simon Ramseyer it was Pasquale DiLucia (Mayo) who took home the 1st place trophy in a tight battle for the top step of the podium. Ramseyer finished in second place and Wexford’s Conor Graydon secured third.

SuperPro
Another great drive from Carlow man Michael O’Toole as he secured first place in the final race with Enda Lynam, Co. Meath coming home in second place.

Word of thanks
TKC wishes to pass on our sincere thanks to all volunteers, track and paddock marshals, scrutineers, the staff at Midland Karting and to each of our competitors and their families for making this such a special event and year for the club. Special thank you to our Round 2 sponsor, First Chapter / XL Athlone for your kind sponsorship!

We now look forward to Round 3 of the TKC 2017 Championship which will take place on Sunday, 7th May at Athboy Karting Centre. As always, we welcome new members to take part in our races and encourage spectators to come along for a great family day out (free of charge of course!). If you would like to get involved in karting or would like to find out more about our great sport then please get in touch and we will provide you with all the information that you need to get started!

Watch a highlights video of the First Chapter Round 2 of the TKC 2017 Championship here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ligen7IRSVM