MBR SEASON HEATS UP WITH TWO MORE VICTORIES

TWO more top steps on the podium – and some frustrations as well along the way. That’s the summary of the past few weeks for everyone at MBR as a balmy February turned colder into March.
Unseasonably warm winter weather saw our own hot streak continue as our drivers built on a treble of trophies in January to record another two victories in the second month of the year.
First out of the blocks was Sean Butcher, who returned to Shenington seven months after collecting the coveted E plate at the Oxfordshire track in July to record another win.
One of Shenington’s unique features is the chance to watch gliders take and off land just a few hundred yards away – if you can divert your eyes from the high-speed racing on the track.
And appropriately, it also saw lift-off for Sean’s 2019 season. Starting 2nd on the grid for the Senior X30 final, he drove away to a first win of the year, finishing a full second clear of the rest of a field which also included the team’s Alex Huang in fifth and Abigail Ross in ninth in her first outing in MBR colours.
A week later, it was Rufus Hunt’s turn to sample life on the top stop of the podium for a second time this year already, with the MBR driver matching Sean’s one-second gap in leading home a smaller field at the first outing at Wigan’s newly-revamped Seven Sisters circuit. Cameron Coombes came home third.
In other racing, Cole Kilner built on two fine top 5 finishes in the heats at TVKC’s PFI club meeting to record an excellent third place in the final in Senior X30 in a tight encounter from lights to flag but there was frustration for all the MBR drivers at the March meeting at the same venue.
Sean Butcher came off worst in a final-lap tangle with a rival as they battled for what would have been a deserved second win of the season while Matthew Hudson, Alex Huang and Charlie Lamb came home line astern but outside the top 10.
Oliver Duffell continued with a good run of qualifying performances in his opening few races in Junior X30. A top 10 finish in the heats at PFI hinted at progress in races but the combination of a technical failure and a multi-kart pile-up on lap one in the March final ended his weekend early.
Preparation for the upcoming 2019 British Kart Championships continues this month with MBR drivers out at Shenington and Wigan while other team members begin preparation for the European season with a trip to Mariembourg in Belgium. We’ll bring you news on how they all progress in a few weeks.