.png "MSVT")
Having now completed the fourth round of the fourth season of EnduroKA, and with only two races left to go this year, we thought it timely to look back at the story of 2022 so far…
The much-loved endurance series has gone from strength to strength in years gone by and there was much anticipation ahead of April’s season opener at Donington Park. A jam-packed grid of 45 KA’s descended on the Leicestershire circuit, all eager to kick off their 2022 campaigns in the best possible fashion. A fiercely competitive qualifying session got proceedings underway, with IP Racing #36 eventually claiming pole by just 0.066secs over Turn 7! The close battling in qualifying set a precedent for the five hour race, as at the one hour mark a mere 0.509secs separated the leading duo of Track Focused and Wolf Motorsport. Throughout the race a number of teams earned the right to lead the race, with: Windgat Racing, Wolf Motorsport, IP Racing and AxiaMetrics all enjoying spells at the front. However, as the checkered flag fell on lap 172, it was Yippee-KA-Yay’s outfit of Ben Gilas and Mark Johnson who claimed the first top step of the year. Track Focused’s consistently strong pace was rewarded with second, while a surging drive through the field from fourteenth on the grid earned Octane Junkies the final step of the podium. Newcomers Kamel Racing were awarded with the first Dagenham Dustbin, courtesy of a bright eye-catching livery.
Round two of the year was hosted by the fondly named ‘KAdwell Park’. After the thrilling opener, the Lincolnshire Wolds circuit had a lot to live up to. Qualifying belonged to the Wolf Motorsport ‘Pink Pig’ and driver Luke Reade. Reade set a blistering time to eclipse the opposition, with only a few minutes left on the clock. Just 0.043secs separated second (IP Racing) and third (Track Focused) on the grid, while PSR and Turn 7 rounded out the top five. Wolf Motorsport followed up on their impressive qualifying by leading the opening twenty laps, but a determined Track Focused reeled them in for the overtake. There were stints at the front for: Octane Junkies, Misty Racing, GM Performance, G&B Finch, Windgat Racing and Ka Lamaty, however, after nailing a couple of early pit stops it was IP Racing who found themselves at the front. The team (Ryan Parkin, Scott Parkin and Adam Blair) controlled the race from there and stormed home to take the flag first, for their first victory of the year. AxiaMetrics benefited from strong race pace and solid strategy to come home in second, having started fifteenth on the grid. Turn 7 secured their first podium of the year, finishing third on the road. KA Lamaty and Grid Finder pushed all the way and were rewarded with both their best finishes of the season – 4th and 5th respectively. The second winners of the prestigious Dagenham Dustbin this season were LDR Performance Racing for their Batman inspired livery – ‘The KAt Mobile’.
June Bank Holiday 2022 – the time for EnduroKA’s inaugural 24 hour race! Everyone was excited for the event and anticipation levels ramped up heading into the evening qualifying session. A second qualifying session would follow the next morning, with the best lap from either session being the time to determine grid position. Once more, the battle for pole was incredibly tight and only 0.058secs split the front two – IP Racing and Vpex Motorsport. When ‘Ynys Mon 24’ got underway it immediately became clear that there was going to be plenty of overtaking and hard racing. At the hour mark, less than 1.4secs separated the front running three! Throughout the night and morning it became apparent an epic two-horse race was developing between IP Racing and AxiaMetrics. The pair duked it out all race long until the very closing stages, when it became likely that AxiaMetric’s Chris Weatherill, Dominic Jackson, Nigel Griffiths and Kristian Rose were going to become EnduroKA’s inaugural 24 hour winners. IP Racing had to settle for second, while Wolf Motorsport earned their first podium of the year by finishing third. Incredibly, despite the leaders lapping Trac Môn 884 times, every single one of the KA’s who entered the event finished – a fantastic achievement! Every driver and team had moments to be proud off, for example both Coversure and Semprini Racing rising from 21st and 22nd on the grid to both finish in the top 14. A marvelous event all-round.
Last time out, EnduroKA hosted it’s first ‘Schweinerennen’. Snetterton was the venue for nine hours of KAction, with Sunday’s race being proceeded by the most intense qualifying session of the year. Just when it looked certain Wolf Motorsport would start on pole, Ferguson Motorsport #734 pipped the ‘Pink Pig’ by the tiniest of margins (0.028secs!). Incredibly, all of the top three were covered by less than one tenth of a second! Both Ferguson Motorsport’s KAs enjoyed strong starts to the race and at the hour mark the pair were leading the field, separated by just 0.339secs. LDR also enjoyed a profitable start, rising from 15th to 5th after one hour of racing. As the race progressed into the latter stages, it seemed EnduroKA was set for another IP Racing/AxiaMetrics duel for the win. AxiaMetrics topped the field for a significant period of time, however IP’s Scott Parkin hunted down his opponent and made the crucial overtake to ensure his teams second win of 2022. AxiaMetrics valiantly finished in second, ahead of a consistently quick VEC Motorsport. Ferguson Motorsport #734 and LDR Performance Racing completed the top five. Fittingly, it was the ‘Pink Pig’ who claimed the Dagenham Dustbin at the inaugural ‘Pig Race’.
Every race this season has been thoroughly enjoyable to watch unfold and we cannot wait to see what the five hours of Oulton Park bring next!