Bradley scores breakthrough victory

Last Sunday (8 July) and not a million miles away from the champagne, prawn sandwiches and celebrities at Silverstone, Richard Bradley took an unexpected but no less deserved first place in a dramatic round of the British Super 1 kart championships, in the down-to-earth surroundings of Shenington kart track.

The 15 year-old – in his debut season in Formula A - started the afternoon with a lot of work to do. After a motor failed during Saturday practice, the Greenwich youngster had to use the timed qualifying session to run-in a new engine. Unsurprisingly, he qualified last.

In the first heat, Richard – a works driver for the Wright team - powered his way from last to 6th place but vigorously defending drivers in his 2nd heat, prevented him from finishing higher than 9th. Nevertheless, he’d done enough to put his kart on the 2nd row for the first final.

Surviving the hurly-burly of the opening corners after the start, Bradley found himself in 5th place, and started working his way through the field. As 3-time British champion Mark Litchfield went for the lead, Richard made his move for 5th and succeeded. In one of the bravest overtaking manoeuvres of the season, Bradley found a gap where there wasn’t one – he clipped a kerb and momentarily found himself up on two wheels. Steering his kart alongside Morpeth’s Lee Bell, the two were side by side but as Bradley’s kart sat down with all four wheels on the track, giving him the racing line Bell was forced to yield.

“Who needs Grand Prix racing, when you’ve got this?!” said one of the spectators.

At the start of the second final, Bradley was forced wide going into the first three corners and found himself back in 7th place. In a PFi-team 1-2, Litchfield and Chris Rogers led the way – but sudden and dramatic engine seizures forced the pair out of the race, one after the other.

In a finely judged set of moves, Bradley scythed past Lee Bell, then the wily Danny Cruttenden - and then, unbelievably Jonathan Walker’s motor expired too. This was Bradley’s chance and he wasn’t going to lose out. Crouching down behind his Nassau panel on the straights, Bradley used every trick in the book to make sure that he broke the tow of Cruttenden and Bell. On the last lap, a nervous glance over his shoulder told him that they couldn’t match his pace and the Londoner crossed the line with both hands punching the air.

“It’s my first Formula A win and to come at this level, it’s quite emotional for me. It feels very good. I wasn’t really expecting it but a win’s a win”.

With the European championship qualifying race at Essay in France on 15 July, Sunday’s win is a big boost.

“This is my first year of Formula A, I’m only 15 and I’m racing against some people who have done it for 11 years, so I’m very happy with this win and sure that there are a lot more victories to come.”

Richard’s team were equally delighted.

Wright Kart’s Nick Chantler said, “We’re very happy. Richard works very hard at his racing, so it’s a well-deserved win”.

Bradley’s win has lifted him to 6th in the championship points table, with two rounds to go.

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