X-Kart Claim Race Win at TKC Round 4 Rowrah as Squad Shows Character in Tough Conditions
X-Kart headed to Rowrah for Round 4 of The Kart Championship, with the quarry circuit’s dramatic elevation changes and demanding layout providing one of the toughest tests of the season so far. Across Junior Primo, Junior Rotax, and Senior Rotax, the squad faced a mixture of strong performances, difficult luck, and the kind of gritty determination that defines a long championship campaign.
Junior Primo
Jude Puddefoot
Jude Puddefoot arrived at Rowrah with the championship lead and the confidence to match. Friday practice underlined his pace and he carried that form into the competitive sessions, qualifying P3 before taking P2 in Heat 1. A more difficult Super Heat 1 saw him drop to P12, but he responded with a P2 in Super Heat 2 to line up well for the final.
From P2 on the grid, Jude drove a measured and controlled race to take the win, holding his position across 17 laps and crossing the line ahead of a competitive field. The victory extended his lead at the top of the Junior Primo championship standings and reinforced the consistency he has shown throughout the season.
Junior Rotax
Elijah Hartley
Elijah Hartley had one of the most difficult weekends of his season at Rowrah. From qualifying P21, he was involved in a series of incidents across the heats and superheats that left him unable to progress to the main final, ending his weekend in the repechage with a P20 finish. A weekend to move on from quickly, with two rounds remaining to finish the season strongly.
Elijah Hazelwood
Elijah Hazelwood produced some of the most encouraging drives of his season at Rowrah despite not having raced since the previous round. Qualifying did not go his way, with traffic and rain mid-session leaving him unable to set a representative lap, but he responded well in the races that followed. A P10 in Heat 1 from P18 on the grid was the first sign of his pace, and a P9 in Super Heat 2 from P18 again underlined what he was capable of across the weekend.
The team used the sessions to experiment with different setup directions, and despite the repechage ending in P19, the data and experience gathered across both days gives a clear picture of where the development needs to focus heading into the final two rounds.
Zak Jennings
Zak Jennings came to Rowrah looking to build on recent progress, but contact in Heat 2 resulted in a rib injury that affected him for the remainder of the weekend. He pushed through Sunday’s superheats and gave everything he had, but the injury ultimately forced him out before the repechage. The determination to continue competing despite the pain said plenty about his character, and the team leaves with useful data to take into the next round.
Senior Rotax
Lewis Holt
Lewis Holt battled through the Rowrah weekend. Friday testing was a slow build as he worked back towards the pace session by session, but Saturday brought more difficult running as the setup failed to come together as needed. Forced onto the grass at the start of Super Heat 1, he dropped several places before fighting back to P13, and a further incident in Super Heat 2 dropped him to P26 before recovering to P23. The final brought a more settled run to P14 in difficult circumstances.
A frustrating weekend, but one Holt acknowledged was shaped significantly by the lingering illness. The team takes the lessons and moves on with the next round in focus.
Riley Bishop
Riley Bishop qualified P12 and showed consistent pace across both heats, running P5 and P6 while among the quickest on track in each session. Super Heat 1 brought a P8 from P6, and Super Heat 2 saw him improve to P5. The final was undone on the last lap when contact from another driver spun him out of P7, dropping him back through the field. He crossed the line P7 on the road before a nose cone penalty applied in the results dropped him to P22 in the final classification. The pace was there throughout the weekend. The final result does not reflect it.
Lewis Sumner
Lewis Sumner delivered the strongest Senior Rotax result of the weekend with P7 in the final, continuing the form he has shown across the season. A composed run through the field backed up by consistent sessions across both days, and a result that keeps him well placed in the championship.
Additional Team Results
Elsewhere in Junior Rotax, Isaac Jameson was unable to start the repechage and Harry Ward finished P19. In Senior Rotax, Zac Cain was classified in P19, and Cassidy Southall finished P25.
