Snow mistake as Ingram takes best national finish

Tom Ingram mastered every climatic condition Britain’s notoriously fickle weather could throw at him during the second round of the Super 1 karting championship at Shenington to seal his finest national result to-date in Junior Max – and launch himself into title contention.

The young High Wycombe ace entered the meeting – the second of six – on the back foot after a disastrous opening round at Clay Pigeon when everything that could conceivably have gone wrong did. He left again sitting pretty in second in the points table on dropped scores, and with a considerable spring in his step as he prepares to similarly do battle for honours in BRDC Stars of Tomorrow – a series in whose Mini Max class he triumphed in 2006.

“We had a few niggling little problems with the fuel pump,” the 14-year-old reflected, “but we managed to get it fixed in the end. We were quick all day Friday during practice when it was baking hot – T-shirt and shorts weather – and quick all day Saturday when it turned colder and started raining.

“On Sunday we woke up to heavy snow – three or four inches, maybe even more in some places. I was out in the morning scraping the awning roof because we all thought we would be packing up and going home.”

As unglamorous as that may have been, Tom’s efforts to shift the snow would prove worthwhile, as a similar action from the circuit stewards saw the track amazingly cleared. Not only that, but by the time the 47 karters headed out for the opening heat – in which the reigning Wycombe and Marlow Sports Personality of the Year would be starting seventh – they did so shod with dry-weather tyres.

“I didn’t get the best of starts and dropped back one or two places,” he reflected, “but I quickly managed to get those positions back again. Then Ross Dougan went off across the grass and everyone went to the outside of him, so I dived to the inside.

“There was snow all across the track where he had brought it back on when he rejoined, and I went across it with slick tyres on! I was completely sideways, and couldn’t have missed him by more than a few centimetres. When I was that close to him I thought I was going to have some huge wipe-out…”

That he didn’t was evidence of Tom’s sublime kart control, and he would go on to cross the line a strong third. After that a ‘blinding’ start from tenth on the grid in heat two saw the Monodraught-backed star jump five of his rivals no sooner had the lights gone out, and he proceeded to chase down race leader Matthew Mason before reeling his quarry in as the race neared its conclusion.

“At the bottom corner there was water all across the circuit at the braking point,” he explained, “with a dry line around the outside of it. I was right on Matthew’s bumper with two laps to go. He went to go around the water and I went up the inside and got past.”

Tom’ maiden national success in Junior Max, after three times finishing second in heat races in Stars’ – the series which had first launched his hero, a certain Lewis Hamilton, on the fast track to future Formula 1 glory – was a superb result. Arguably an even more awe-inspiring charge was to follow in heat three, though, from all the way down in 19th spot on the starting grid into fifth place at the flag, securing him second position outright for the meeting.

“I got fired from behind into the first corner,” he recalled, “and knocked into somebody else who spun. There was a huge crash, but I managed to keep it on the track – even if I hurt my wrist in the process. Then seven or eight more went off which was a result, and after that I made at least two moves every lap.”

Back on a Tonykart mount – like that which he had raced for the majority of the 2007 season – following the collapse of Athenium Racing with whom he had begun the new campaign, Tom was also competing for the second time at national level with Xtreme Racing, with the experienced and respected Stuart Wright working alongside him on mechanic duties. He acknowledged both as having been a major boost.

“I can’t describe how the kart felt,” he enthused. “It was absolutely fantastic. Where before with the Tonykart you expected to turn in early then not get through the corner for the next fortnight, with this one I could just point the nose, turn the wheels and it went exactly where I wanted it to.

“Stuart was a real help. It’s not a tense atmosphere with him. He’s serious when he needs to be, but at other times you can really have a laugh. Whatever you ask him, he will tell you straight. It went really well.

“Due to finances, we don’t know how much more of Super 1 we are going to be doing. We could be doing the whole season, or that could have been our last round. Whatever happens I don’t feel under any pressure – though obviously I always want to do well – and this result was just brilliant!”

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