Shennington 4th April 2026
The day had finally come, my first F.A.T. Karting race. I’ve entered the Cadet Pro Championship for 2026 so going straight into the deep end battling with far more experienced racers and those with F.A.T. experience already, but can’t wait!!
Practice & Qualifying Strong pace throughout the morning set things up well, but the grid was tight and every tenth mattered. Confidence was high heading into qualifying and I managed to snatch P3 for the Pre-Final Race (and I was chuffed!!).
Pre‑Final – P4
A poor launch dropped me into the midfield scramble early on, forcing me to regroup and rebuild the race. Once settled, the pace came alive with consistent laps, clean overtakes and a steady climb back through the pack.
By the flag, I’d recovered to P4, putting myself in a solid position for the final.
Final – P4
Drama struck before the race even began. A spin on the way to the grid meant starting dead last, turning the final into a full‑on recovery mission.
The opening laps were all about staying calm and picking cars off one by one. The kart (I’ve named him Toto… more on that later) felt strong and the race craft had to be even stronger, late moves, decisive passes and zero time wasted. Lap by lap the field came back, and by the closing stages I’d hauled myself back to P4, but the top three were too far to catch, matching the pre‑final result despite the setback.
Takeaways A weekend of resilience and raw pace. Two P4s on paper, but the story behind them shows there’s much more speed to come. With cleaner starts and a bit more luck, the podium is absolutely within reach for Round 2 at Dunkeswell in May.