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| October 06, 2011 |
| Formula Kart Stars: Champions Crowned at Ellough Park |
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 | | Daniel Ticktum scored the prestigious MSA British Cadet Championship |
Formula Kart Stars drew the curtain on its 2011 season at Ellough Park in Suffolk with a typically warm welcome from the Beccles and District Kart Club and some excellent racing in wonderfully warm weather conditions.
As was the case in 2010 numerous competitors in the Formula One Management backed Championship complimented the host club on their efforts over the weekend with a hog roast, live music and a skydiving display and if the atmosphere off track was electric the action on track was equally dazzling.
MSA British Cadet Championship
Reigning British O Plate and Kartmasters Grand Prix winner Daniel Ticktum finally added the biggest prize in Cadet karting, the MSA British title, to his list of achievements by a scant eleven point margin over Jamie Caroline.
Ticktum fought off a determined late season charge by Caroline to seal the title at the conclusion of Sunday’s heat races and watched the final from the sidelines after a season in which he won four finals at four different circuits.
A close second place behind maiden FKS winner Dean Macdonald in Saturday’s final and then a fine fight-back from last place to third in Sunday’s second heat were critical to Ticktum’s successful title push, especially after Caroline won both his heats on Saturday and claimed pole position for the final.
But Caroline could only finish fourth in Saturday’s final and then ran off track in Sunday’s first heat and slipped to 13th, which gave Ticktum the opportunity to take the title with one race to spare.
With the victorious Ticktum watching from the spectator area he watched Macdonald and William Taylforth dispute first place in the very last race of the year. Scotsman Macdonald led by inches from Taylforth as they pulled away from the rest but with one corner to go Taylforth spotted a gap and went for it, scoring his debut FKS win by six hundredths of a second.
 | | Josh White took the Formula Mini Max title, his first Formula Kart Stars Championship |
Formula Mini Max
In his fifth year as a Formula Kart Stars driver, Josh White claimed his first series title thanks to a pair of victories in Saturday’s heat races.
Arriving at Ellough Park with a 60-point advantage over Jack Mitchell, White shook off any nerves he may have been harbouring with a pair of controlled performances in Saturday’s heats, which put his points total beyond Mitchell’s reach.
White then elected to sit out Saturday’s final although he briefly returned to the track on Sunday to lead the field around on the parade laps ahead of the final complete with the coveted number one plate on his kart.
Despite the disappointment of losing out on the title Mitchell responded in fine fashion by winning Saturday’s final despite some intense pressure from Connor Mills although nobody could deny Mills in Sunday’s final round.
After four second-place finishes in 2011 Mills finally scored the so-far elusive final win in fine style, winning both heats and then keeping Seth James and Josh Cornwell at bay in a tense final, securing third place in the overall championship standings in the process.
Formula Junior Rotax
With newly crowned champion James Singleton not racing this weekend Sam Marsh bounced back from his disappointing exclusion at the previous round to utterly dominate the weekend.
Achieving a total clean sweep of every qualifying session, heat race and final over the entire weekend, something that not even Singleton could manage, Marsh overcame a sizeable points deficit to Ryan Norris and George Williams to grab the runner-up spot in the championship.
Marsh’s closest rival on Saturday was his teammate Nick Arthur, making his return to the driving seat after suffering two punctured lungs in a crash in round eight of the championship at Genk. However after finishing a gritty fourth behind Jessica Hawkins and Adam Glear in Saturday’s gruelling 26-lap final Arthur was ruled out of Sunday’s racing on medical grounds.
Hawkins was having her best FKS weekend to date and she chased down Marsh in Sunday’s final with Bobby Thompson hot on her heels. However Hawkins fell half a second short of catching Marsh before the chequered flag fell and had to make to with her second runner-up finish in as many days.
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