MK Championship 2020: A Retrospective

I never like sounding cheesy in places like this, but it's also quite difficult to achieve that when you're giving a big retrospective on your first karting season. I think it was November 22nd or 23rd 2019 that I first started karting for my Duke of Edingburgh Award - just wanted to get competent in a kart, and learn the trade a little bit - never actually thought I'd get into racing karts, or do well at it in anyway, if my sim experience was anything to go by.

One thousand laps and a lap record later, I realised I was actually half-decent, and maybe should have a go at the year's Midland Karting Championship. Of course, the time was March - I was about to move house and still had no idea what was about to happen. What was about to happen was a massive national lockdown, stopping my karting season in its tracks. After not being very well in lockdown for multiple reasons, it seemed very unlikely that my dreams of racing karts this year were every going to come true, but they did.

I decided to sign up for the championship, afterall it was something to do on the back-end of lockdown, and the worst that could happen is I finish dead last every week, embarrassing myself. It wasn't to be like that, actually - and my first race went pretty well. After qualifying a modest 5th, I got taken out towards the end of the first lap - fighting back through the field (twice) to maintain my 5th place finish. Not a bad result at all, to start off the season. In fact, it was a nice breath of fresh air to end a difficult lockdown period.

The second round was a complete and utter disaster. Unfortunately, I found out how much of a horrendous state rental karts can be in - and ended up last-but-one, trundling around at the back trying desperately to make something out of the race, that was slipping away from me so badly. Of course, it wasn't to be - my defensive driving was not able to save my third position, that I had held onto so desperately - and overall it was a pretty terrible afternoon.

I managed to get some luck come the third round of the championship. Luck was on my side, and unfortunately not on the side of some of my rivals. After starting 5th, I managed to somehow fight through the field and pick up a second place, and my first podium. First was out of sight, though I was the only driver not to get lapped by the charging, and arguably unfairly overpowered Kart 12. Whilst it was probably my best chance at a win so far gone down the drain, I was happy to at least be able to start my medal collection.

The fourth round pretty much summed up how difficult of a season it had been. Starting 5th and finishing there, it was pretty much all I could do. Especially with a puddle-enduced tangle with Samuel on Lap 2 - making my race that little bit more difficult. With a kart that was down on power insanely, it was a bit of a limp to get back up to the top of the field, where I knew I had the raw pace to be - so 5th was probably the best I could have got out of that whole ordeal.

The final round, that I took part in today, was probably the best round of the championship. After a short November lockdown scampering our chances of finishing off the season on the 23rd November, roughly a year after I started karting, I was itching to get back into a kart. Sleeping last night was very difficult, it was like being a 6-year-old again on Christmas night. Now with the added pressure of a social media presence and sponsorship, it was going to be quite difficult to adjust to everything and get back into a rhythm, especially in the pouring rain. Luckily, it wasn't as difficult as I thought.

The round was split into three races - two heats and a final. Ten would compete in each heat, with the top 12 going through to a grand finale, where the points would be scored. I qualified on pole position in my first heat, and managed to pull off a lights-to-flag victory, lapping the entire field. Finally I felt I'd managed to get a round in where I'd shown my true pace, and all I had to do was race once more, in the grand finale, to pick up third place in the championship, something that wasn't going to be easy.

Out of the entire season, and in fact, all of the time I have been karting - I have not had a race as fun and rewarding as the finale. Starting on pole position, with Frank alongside me in second - and Samuel down in fourth position, it was going to be difficult. Actually, the first start was pretty good. I managed to pull out a couple of second gap to Frank, who was staying on my tail, and was starting to get into a pretty nice rhythm - before they red flagged the race and restarted. Unfortunately, my second start was not as good as the first, in fact, it was quite poor. Me and Frank had some of the best battling I have ever had in go-karts, completely on-the-limit but fair racing - something I wasn't really concerned at finishing second-best in. A similar story came about when Samuel came up to take my second position, we fought hard and unfortunately a couple of mistakes from me cost me the place. All was not lost though, as I spent the rest of the race slowly catching up to him, and trying to manage a gap to a disconcertingly fast 8-year-old charging behind. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and I finished the race in third, my second podium of the season.

Whilst it was not enough to get third in the championship, like I wanted, it was a really fun race, and it was awesome to be able to battle with Samuel and Frank to end off the season, as they are both incredible drivers, and it was a challenge to just keep up with them. Overall, fourth was a really good finish, considering the circumstances, and I'm immediately itching to get back into a kart for next season, and actually mount a proper championship challenge.