Heat One
Dan Rodde began Sunday’s first Super ICC heat on pole position, ahead of Jake Rosenzweig, Daniel Borton and Nik Goodfellow, with Jack Hawksworth sixth, Tom Hibbert seventh, Nigel Moore eighth and Frank Wrathall – joining the fray following a successful maiden Ginetta outing at Oulton Park the previous day – down at the back of the grid.
The unfortunate Goodfellow did not even make it around to the start, however, pulling off with mechanical gremlins on the parade lap. Hibbert was the biggest mover when the lights went out, darting through the pack into third position behind Borton and Rodde, but in line with much of the rest of his weekend the Grantham ace would come unstuck later around the opening lap as he got pushed sideways across the grass and down to the rear of the field with it all to do over again.
This promoted Rosenzweig and Saturday final winner James Mudd up into third and fourth, and as Borton slowly began to pull away Rodde went in the other direction, falling behind Rosenzweig and a charging Wrathall – clearly finding the switch-over from cars to karts no obstacle at all – with Moore and Mudd also in close attendance behind.
Moore would be the next to successfully attack Rodde, while Wrathall was clearly a man on a mission, relieving Rosenzweig of his second place and setting off in rapid pursuit of the race leader ahead. Inexorably reducing the gap to Borton in front, the scrap for supremacy would soon become a four-way battle between Borton, Wrathall, Rosenzweig and Moore, with Rodde, a recovering Hibbert and Hawksworth next in line.
By the end of lap six Wrathall had made the lead his own, ultimately going on to prevail by more than half a second and with fastest lap to his credit for good measure. Borton just held off the advances of Rosenzweig and Moore for second, with Hibbert and Hawksworth both managing to sneak past Saturday podium finalist Rodde in the closing stages for fifth and sixth.
Heat Two
Hibbert started the second heat of the day on pole position – clearly determined to turn his weekend around – with Moore and Mudd alongside on the front row of the grid, then Wrathall on row two, Borton eighth and Hawksworth right at the back.
It was Saturday winner Mudd who got the jump at the start, leading Hibbert around the opening complex of corners with Moore third and Wrathall slipping back a place down to fifth. Both Hibbert and Moore had deposed Mudd by the time the race entered its third lap, and the Grantham star was allowed to edge clear as Mudd refused to let Moore get away, and in reclaiming his second place took Wrathall through with him.
The Preston ace, though, was far from content to settle for just that, diving past Mudd and setting off in pursuit of the race leader, with Borton now heading the chase for third ahead of Mudd, Moore and Rosenzweig. Coming onto the start-finish straight for the penultimate time, the number four and three karts were almost as one, with Hibbert being forced to hold a very defensive line into turn one.
Ultimately, though, Tom held on, repelling Frank’s attack by the scant margin of 0.16 seconds at the chequered flag. Borton also held on in the battle over third place, from Mudd, Rosenzweig and Moore, with Goodfellow leading Hawksworth home in seventh and all 11 karts being covered by 5.5 seconds at the close.
Heat Three
Hawksworth, David Rubie-Todd and Raymie Eastwood lined up on the front row of the grid for the last Super ICC heat of the weekend, ahead of form man Wrathall, with Mudd sixth, Borton seventh, Moore eighth and Hibbert tenth.
The pole-sitter really got left behind as the lights went out, slipping down to fourth place behind Rubie-Todd, Goodfellow and Wrathall. The latter pair both found a way past Rubie-Todd before the opening lap was out, with Hawksworth following through not long after as the Bradford ace endeavoured to make up some of his lost ground.
The luckless Eastwood pulled off the circuit on lap two, but bigger news was the fact Wrathall was once again in the lead, and surely speeding his way to a guaranteed pole position in the final. As the Preston ace pulled away, Goodfellow held station in second and Hawksworth and Moore closed in behind, with Mudd and Hibbert lying fifth and sixth and looking ready to join in with five laps remaining.
Hibbert dived past Moore for fourth place at the end of lap four and immediately set his sights on Hawksworth ahead, who in turn was homing in on Goodfellow. Hibbert was again the first to make a move, depriving Hawksworth of third position just prior to the start of the final tour, and the order would remain that way to the line, with Wrathall coasting home to a second victory from three starts and Goodfellow holding Hibbert, Hawksworth and Moore off for second and Mudd filling out the top six. The unfortunate Borton’s race ended a lap early when he locked up and went straight on at the back of the circuit, beaching his kart and in the process delivering a hammer blow to his chances of securing a strong grid position for the all-important final.
