The team looked forward to Forest Edge Round 2 after the March opener of the championship proved successful, ending with a podium.
Warwick Mylum was the lone Vitesse contender in the Inter-Max category. Saturday practice was promising with the SODIKART driver putting it top in practice. Heading into Sunday, Mylum faced three-random grid heats. Never finishing outside of the top four on track, Mylum was pushed down the final starting order after receiving two front-fairing penalties. The final was all to play for as he lined up fourth. A battle for the lead into the first corner left Mylum in where he started. Quickly moving forward to second place, he turned his focus to the top step of the podium. Chasing down the leader for the remainder, and punching in fastest lap after fastest lap, Mylum knew exactly what he needed to do. In a textbook manoeuvre, he placed his kart perfectly and made the move into the final turn, coming across the line in first. Marking the first Inter-Max win for the team and the young driver. Showing that hard-work pays off, Mylum will be back for more at Whilton Mill later this month.
Junior Max saw three SODI Vitesse entries in the form of Haywood, Sarkus and new edition to the team, joining from the SODIKART OKJ team, Rao. Haywood had the kart on rails as he propelled forward in every heat, lining the kart up on the front spot for the final. Pushing hard on a fierce grid and contending for the win, the drivers race came to an unfortunate end. He ended up as collateral damage in another’s fight and could not finish the final due to a damaged exhaust. We will be back to fight for that deserved top step.
Sarkus improved on his previous efforts from Round 1. Still gaining his MSUK signatures and running on novice plates, he started from the back of the thirty four kart strong grid. Pushing forward a total of thirty three places in the heats, he started the final from seventeenth. An effort to not go unnoticed. A constant battle in the final and never giving up, he crossed the line in thirteenth and with an improved lap time by eight tenths. He will be back for even more in Round 3.
Rao had a weekend of firsts. First time at Forest Edge, in the Junior Max class and racing the MOJO Tyre. Having to adapt his driving style from OKJ to Junior Max, he already had a tough battle ahead. Saturday was about learning the circuit and adapting. Entering Sunday feeling confident, he found almost half a second in pace and looked competitive. A good set of heats saw him round out the top ten on the starting grid. Fighting forward and staying in the top ten, a mid-race accident out of his control, saw him drop down the timing board. He raced forward and crossed the line in fifteenth. The team will continue his driver development in the OKJ category through a series of test days.
Next up, the team head to Whilton Mill for Round 2 of the Club championship. We will be back with a vengeance after a difficult Round 1.
