The week following the first Rookie Race went quickly, and it was soon time for the second, which would prove to be much more successful than the first, largely due to a well thought out format to make the best of the time available and to get round any constraints which laid in the way.

There were 9 brand new faces to HUGS on the day, accompanying the 13 already inducted drivers. Whilst the inductions were taking place, the others would take to the track in 2 groups, each group competing in a 20-minute race. The first race would see Josh, Mark and Liam on show, joined by Sam Foxall; Paul, who was the quickest newcomer the previous week; and Jackie, who took part in a race in the tail end of last year. Josh was drawn on pole, and despite not making the best of starts, would lead into the first corner, as Mark and Liam made their way from the back to 3^rd and 4^th, as Paul briefly held second place, but Mark and Liam were soon through, and an incident for Paul saw him slip further behind them, but still comfortably in 4^th place. All of this had allowed Josh to build a margin between himself and Mark, and the gap remained static for a number of laps as the top 3 lapped at near enough the same pace. One problem that the leaders faced was lapping Sam Foxall, who has proved on numerous occasions to be difficult to pass, and late on in the race, after Josh had struggled to pass him, he subsequently kept Mark behind him for 3 or 4 laps, allowing Liam and Paul to close in, and would prove even more costly, as Liam managed to pass hiim into second, but right at the death Mark would find a way back through, as Josh took the chequered flag. Unfortunately, a timing system malfunction saw the laptimes wiped, but the pace of the top 4 was enough to guarantee them all spaces in the A Final.

1. Josh Overhill
2. Mark Foley
3. Liam Lau
4. Paul Greenbaum
5. Sam Foxall
6. Jackie

The second race saw Peter take the initiative as he led away from the start, with Tom in close proximity, as Sam Jackson tried to make his way up from the back. Meanwhile, Aron, who had kept a relatively low profile in his first outing last week, got his entrance into Turn 3 all wrong and ended up buried in the tyres, which would bring out the yellow flags, and then very briefly, the red. The race was soon underway, but Aron was caught up in another incident not long after, causing another yellow, and shortly after, he spun at Turn 1 and ended up in the pit-lane. Sam, a lap down, became the pace car in front of Tom, as Peter was docked a lap for failing to slow for the yellows, and then gained a lap by joining the back of the field. The drivers were back up to full speed (I would like to say green flag, but of course there wasn’t one), as Peter got himself back up into second place, as Matt held station in 3^rd place, with Mike chasing him all the way. Tom went on to win the race, but as the drivers returned to the pit-lane Sam smashed into the back of Tom’s kart, and was subsequently disqualfied by the marshalls and wasn’t allowed to take any further part in the meeting.

1. Tom Smith (26.26)
2. Peter Szedlak (26.38)
3. Matt Blanckley (26.82)
4. Mike Miller (26.48)
5. Sam Jackson (26.44)
6. Rob Stephenson (29.18)
7. Aron Singh (33.15)

The 9 inductees were ready, but with only 8 karts on the track allowed at one time, the practice session was split in half, with 5 taking to the track in the first part and the other 4 in the second. Both sessions would see numerous yellow flags, as Turn 1 would prove to be a particular hotspot, with several drivers going in too fast and too deep and ending up in the gravel. But nonetheless, there were some quick times, with Alex Smith and Mike Hetherington both setting times in the 27’s, and Kevin Gambles in the 28’s. These times would go on to determine which race each driver would be put in, with the top 5 ending up in the B Final, and the rest in the C.

1. Mike Hetherington  - 27.69
2. Alex Smith – 27.77
3. Kevin Gambles – 28.20
4. Richard Glossop – 30.57
5. Mike Swindell – 32.20
6. Bilal – 32.35
7. Rushil – 33.42
8. Oliver Lind – 33.91
9. Rosie – 41.97

A FINAL

The decision was taken to run the A Final first, and Josh was once again drawn on pole position, with Liam alongside him, Tom in 3^rd, with Paul and Peter having it all to do from the back row. A good start was vital, and Josh made a good enough to start to see him into the lead, as Liam held second with Tom and Mark in close company. The three-way battle allowed Josh to build a healthy lead, but Paul’s attempt to pass Peter in Turn 5 went awry and he found himself in the wall, and the yellow flag was brought out so Paul’s kart could be dug out the tyres. Josh’s lead had completely disappeared, as he allowed th rest of the pack to close in on him, as the yellow’s stayed out. When they were finally removed, Josh was caught out, and had to defend doggedly from Liam and Tom going into Turn 5, where is transpired the yellows had been removed too early as the marshall was still putting the tyres back into place. Nonetheless, Josh retained the lead, and Tom was able to pass Liam into 2^nd, and successfully defended Liam and Mark for the remainder of the race, which ended somewhat abruptly when Matt’s kart stopped at turn 2, blocking the track. Josh was victorious for the 2^nd time that day.

1. Josh Overhill (25.15)
2. Tom Smith (25.81)
3. Liam Lau (25.58)
4. Mark Foley (25.49)
5. Peter Szedlak (25.92)
6. Mike Miller (26.05)
7. Matt Blanckley (26.87)
8. Paul Greenbaum (25.85)

B FINAL

This race would be a great chance for those involved to showcase their karting credentials to the watching exec. And they didn’t disappoint. Mike and Alex made the most of their grid positions to lead away, and the whole race saw a fantastic battle between the two of them as everyone lapped quickly and consistently, with very little incidents, save for 1 yellow flag for a crash at Turn 5 (Mike S?). The yellow flag bunched the field back up, but Mike H was unfazed as he led for virtually the whole race, but Alex never made him relax as he hounded him all the way, finishing barely a second behind him at the fall of the chequered flag, with Sam Foxall not far behind in 3^rd.

1. Mike Hetherington (27.00)
2. Alex Smith (27.16)
3. Sam Foxall (28.23)
4. Rob Stephenson (28.20)
5. Kevin Gambles (27.23)
6. Mike Swindell (28.03)
7. Richard Glossop (28.34)

C FINAL

The C Final was always going to be a messy affair, and this race proved to be no exception, as 6 drivers with little or no previous karting experience took to the starting grid. Those who took part in the A and B finals bunched up by the fence at Turn 1 in the hope of seeing a first corner incident, but surprisingly, there wasn’t. However, the disappointed spectators would not have to wait long, as firstly one ended up in the tyres at Turn 5, whilst at the start of the second lap, Rushil took Turn 1 way too fast and ended up in the gravel, bringing out the yellows. The race descended into a crash-fest, with no-one really paying attention to who was leading. As the pack entered Turn 1, Liam had his camera at the ready, and managed to record several mishaps at said corner, the videos accompanied by the cheering and comments of those who were watching there. These videos would later end up on Facebook. Notable incidents included Rushil ending up facing the wrong way between Turns 2 and 3, and briefly drove the wrong way round the track, whilst Aron paid the gravel at the exit of Turn 1 another visit, but miraculously continued. After 10 minutes of carnage, Bilal was credited with the win, narrowly from Jackie.

1. Bilal (33.11)
2. Jackie (30.03)
3. Aron Singh (33.92)
4. Rushil Shetty (32.29)
5. Oliver Lind (33.05)
6. Rosie (42.09)

And now the all important fastest lap classification

1. Josh Overhill – 25.15
2. Mark Foley – 25.49
3. Liam Lau – 25.58
4. Tom Smith – 25.81
5. Paul Greenbaum – 25.85
6. Peter Szedlak – 25.92
7. Mike Miller – 26.05
8. Sam Jackson – 26.44
9. Matt Blanckley – 26.81
10. Mike Hetherington – 27.00
11. Alex Smith – 27.16
12. Kevin Gambles – 27.23
13. Mike Swindell – 28.03
14. Rob Stephenson – 28.20
15. Sam Foxall – 28.23
16. Richard Glossop – 28.34
17. Jackie – 30.03
18. Rushil Shetty – 32.29
19. Oliver Lind – 33.05
20. Bilal – 33.11
21. Aron Singh – 33.15
22. Rosie – 41.97

Rushil’s driving in the C Final earned him the one-off award of “Hero of the Day”, when it came to nominating “Driver Of The Day” the 5 execs all came up with someone different, and hence it wasn’t clear who got voted (possibly Alex Smith).

And one last thing, Sam....... WHERE’S MY TROPHY?!?!?