Leyland Karting Championship - Round 2

LEYLAND DRIVERS UNEARTH TREASURE CHEST-ER OF SKILLS

Leyland’s thrilling Karting Championship continued to send shockwaves through the world of motorsport as the all-action event rolled into Chester for the second heat.

In a night packed with thrills and spills nearly 30 tradesmen battled it out for the two coveted places in the grand final in Birmingham on September 12.

After taking it to the wire in a frantic finale Lee Morgan romped home to take the chequered flag, while Dean Bednarek was hot on his heels in second place – a full four seconds ahead of his nearest challenger, Brendan O’Reiley.

The night’s action got off to a subdued start with the drivers cautiously sounding each other out about their ability on the track. “Nah, I’ve never tried it before,” said one driver before proceeding to bomb around the track in a time that Jenson Button would be unlikely to compete with.

This cheeky bit of psychology lit the blue touchpaper for the rest of the opening 25 heats, which saw the drivers getting stuck into the Monaco Tunnel and Thunder Road in the same way they would a blazing Balti!

Lee set an early marker of his intentions by finishing first in all five of his heats, while Pete Slate and Dean made up the top three after this stage. The other top 12 drivers joined the tricky trio in the three semi-finals and with only two going through to the final from each the competition was intense.

Lee, who had clearly got up early to pick up tips from the previous week’s Malaysian grand prix, blitzed home a huge seven seconds ahead of second placed Barry Unwin in the first semi-final before Pete Slate and Alan Winstanley cruised through in the second. Dean edged out Brendan in the third and final semi-final but it was all smiles as both of them qualified for the grand final.

So after a gripping night’s action it came down to six laps to decide who would be crowned as the North West champion of the Leyland Karting Championship and who would be joining them at the ‘Battle of Birmingham’.

Lee took pole position as a result of clocking the quickest time in the semi-finals and it was a spot he held onto until the very end, despite intense pressure from Dean at the Circuit Banker corner on the final lap.

And as if claiming top spot and a place in the national final wasn’t enough for Lee, the stunning Leyland Lovely, Pippa, awarded him his medal and bottle of champagne.

Lee, who works for Morgan Homes Northwest in Runcorn, said: “It’s been a fantastic night and I’m really grateful to Leyland for putting on such a great event. I didn’t expect to win tonight, but I definitely thought I’d come in the top one!”

Dean, who is the contracts director at decorating contractors Peter Mossman in Leeds, was roared on by his two sons during the final and admits he can’t wait to get stuck into the national final. “Lee was pretty much unstoppable tonight but I’ll look forward to taking him on again when the Birmingham final comes around…I might even get some extra practice in by then!”

Lee and Dean will be joined by 14 other tradesmen at the national final where they will be competing for a string of amazing prizes. Along with scooping the Championship trophy, the champion will also walk away with a behind the scenes full hospitality package for two with Leyland’s sponsored team, Airwaves BMW, at the final race of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch. Two nights accommodation for two at a four star hotel is also included along with £250 spending money and an exclusive BTCC & Leyland goodie bag. All the runners up at the national final will get their hands on a driving day experience voucher, along with a host of other prizes.