X-Kart Claim Mini Max Title at TVKC Round 7 Finale
X-Kart headed to PFI for Round 7 of the Trent Valley Kart Club, the final round of the 2026 season, with three drivers on track. The members-only club has raced at PFI since 1996, and its seven round season runs from April to November, with this finale carrying a title decider in Mini Max. Luke Milward arrived with a clear lead in the standings, Evan Dearden raced in the same class, and Isaac Jameson competed in Senior Rotax.
Mini Max
Luke Milward
Luke went into the final round with a clear points lead in Mini Max, which made the weekend about protecting it. Qualifying did not go to plan. On the 3 lap average format TVKC uses, he managed only one clean lap and qualified P18, a frustrating result given that lap was sixth quickest on track.
The heats gave him room to recover. Both started from P18, so every position had to be earned on track. In both races Luke made up places at the start and stayed focused while working through the field. Heat 1 saw him cross the line P10 on the road, but a five second penalty moved him back to P16. Heat 2 was cleaner, and he climbed from P18 to P7.
The final started from P10. Setup changes left the kart missing something in the race, so the plan was to avoid unnecessary battles and keep it on track. With the lead he held, there was nothing to gain from taking risks, and Luke kept the kart clear of trouble. He finished P12, which secured the title. Luke is the 2026 Trent Valley Kart Club Mini Max champion.
Evan Dearden
Evan had a tougher weekend in the same class. An issue with the kart and a struggle to find pace left him P28 in Heat 1, a long way down the order. He described the round as disappointing.
Heat 2 was a step forward. Evan finished P21, seven places better than the opening heat, and he took P21 again in the final.
The weekend did not match what he showed earlier in the year. At the SuperOne round at Shenington in the wet he qualified P3, took P3 in Heat 1 and P2 in Heat 2, and was running P3 in the final until a shunt at the hairpin dropped him back. The next day he set the fastest lap on track in the final despite a lockup. What this round did add was race time and a stamp on his novice licence.
Senior Rotax
Isaac Jameson
Isaac came into the weekend with pace and was running inside the top ten when his chain came off early in qualifying. Up to that point the weekend had been going well. The problem left him at the back of the grid, starting P33 for both heats.
Heat 1 brought more trouble. The kart ahead spun at turn one, and the contact that followed gave Isaac a dropped nose and a gap to close. He crossed the line P24 on the road, and the nose penalty moved him to P26.
Heat 2 began with a decent start, but a lack of power out of the corners limited him. He still climbed from P33 to P22 on the road and was classified P19 after penalties.
Isaac lined up P4 for the B Final. The power problems continued alongside other issues, places were lost, and he decided to retire from the race. It was not the weekend he hoped for.
