Leyland Karting Championship - Round 3

KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP HEATS UP NORTH OF THE BORDER

Leyland’s thrill-a-minute Karting Championship shows no signs of slowing down after an action-packed night of entertainment at Glasgow’s Scotkart circuit.

The opening two heats of the very first Leyland Karting Championship in Gateshead and Chester set a dangerously high benchmark for the rest of the competition, but the Tartan Army who showed up in force in Glasgow more than met the standard.

With more high drama than a clash between Rangers and Celtic 28 tradespeople from across the breadth of Scotland battled it out for a place at Birmingham’s national final on September 12th and there was plenty to get excited about.

Buoyed by the appearance of Leyland Lovely, Tina, the drivers were in high spirits from the outset and wasted little time in making an impact out on the track. The task was simple for the drivers: amass as many points as possible from four races for a spot in the final. They should know by now, though, that nothing’s simple in the Leyland Karting Championship!

The first couple of races resembled an old Batman cartoon, as we were half expecting bubbles screaming CRASH! BANG! WALLOP! to pop out from the latest prang near the Monaco style tunnel. The string of early collisions and pile ups led to a lot of finger pointing and steely gazes between the drivers, but it all helped to create a fiery atmosphere that they clearly revelled in. Powering round the track in speeds of up to 40mph in their Sodi 200cc Honda pro-karts, the drivers soon got to grips with the intricate twists and turns that the circuit was spitting out at them.

Brothers Mark and Paul Galbraith had made the trip all the way from Inverness to pit their wits against the finest drivers Scotland’s trades could conjure up and the duo were on fire from the start. Weaving in and out of the bends like snakes the dream team blazed their way through the field by picking up a host of points in their four heats. Duncan Steven and Robert Wilson also impressed in the heats and made sure of their spots in the ten-man final with a series of high finishes.

Stocked up on refreshments the ten finalists then made their way to the starting grid for 10 laps of pure adrenaline and excitement. Mark Galbraith and Eddie Wighton Snr were on the front of the grid and despite coming under constant pressure from their rivals, they held on to secure the top two spots. Eddie completed the fastest lap of the night during the final with a breezy 32.40 effort, but it wasn’t enough for him to edge out Mark who had delivered on his early promise with a flawless drive in the final. And to ensure the trip from Inverness wasn’t wasted Mark’s brother Paul came home in fifth place.

Mark, who runs Plumbing Property Ltd in Burghead, Morayshire, said: “I’ve had a fantastic evening and it was well worth the drive down here. I’ve been karting once before but I wouldn’t go as far to say that it gave me an advantage tonight. I’m already looking forward to getting down to Birmingham and testing myself against the best!”

Eddie, who works for Tayside Construction, also made a significant journey to take part in the event - proof that word of Leyland’s Karting Championship has spread far and wide. He said: “My son and I have come from Dundee tonight and we’ve had a cracking time. The trip down to Birmingham might well be a along one but I’ll make sure I don’t come back empty handed!”

Mark and Eddie will be joined by 14 other tradespeople 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.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize just fill out one of the entry forms. What are you waiting for? GET ON WITH IT!