The Spalding Grammar School trio of William Smalley, Finley Sargent and Jack Duffy were denied a trip to the national final of the British Schools Karting Championship when a throttle cable snapped during one of their heats.
The boys qualified for the event having won their local final at Nottingham by a handsome margin over Boston Automotive – allowing them to compete in the Midland and East regional final at the Daytona Circuit in Milton Keynes.
There, they were up against 12 other teams from as far and wide as Silverstone, Woking, Sudbury, Redhill, Tonbridge and Stratford upon Avon.
Duffy was first out in heat one and got off to a solid start, bringing the kart home in sixth place.
But it was in the second heat that the bad luck struck.
The unfortunate Sargent was lying in a comfortable fifth when his throttle cable snapped, leaving him classified as 13th (last) in the race.
Smalley then went out in heat three and notched up another sixth-placed finish.
Heat four saw Sargent out for his second heat and he recorded a superb fifth in awful conditions as the heavens opened during the race – covering the track in hail.
Undeterred, Smalley then recorded the team’s best result of the day in heat five as he secured fourth place on a drying track.
Duffy completed the day with another solid drive, coming home in seventh.
With only the top four teams going through to the national final in July, the Spalding Grammar team were announced as finishing in fifth place overall, missing out by just three points.
The four qualifying teams from the event all finished in the top ten of the 2016 national final.
So, in what was essentially the toughest regional final in the country, it was an excellent attempt by the Spalding boys – who were only denied by that snapped cable.
