The UK final of the 2005 Schuco Karting Challenge was held at Whilton Mill on Thursday, 28th July and it was James Godfrey of Balfour Beatty Construction who came away with the title.

The competition is open to all those who work in the UK construction industry and it attracted nearly 300 entrants.  6 regional qualifying rounds were held at 5 venues throughout the UK during May.  The top 5 from each round then competed at Whilton Mill for the 2005 title and an array of top prizes.

The day was interrupted by rain showers but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm and competitiveness of the drivers taking part.  After an hour long practice session each competitor drove in three 10 minute heats scoring points based on their finishing positions.  In total there were six heats completed in a variety of weather conditions but all drivers got a taste of 2-stroke Club 100 outdoor karting in dry or nearly dry conditions!

The top 20 drivers on the day qualified for the 15 minute Final and this proved to be a hard fought contest on a wet but drying track.  James Godfrey of Balfour Beatty just held off Jonathan Lisseter from the ATP Group (the 2003 Schuco Karting Champion) to take the chequered flag a mere 1.68 seconds ahead.  James Burton of DLA Architecture initially dropped down the field after a short 'off' but fought his way back to finish third, a further 4.3 seconds behind Jonathan.  The top three all now qualify for the European Schuco Karting Challenge in Majorca in October.

James also wins VIP hospitality at the 2006 British Grand Prix and gets to look after the enormous Schuco Challenge Cup for the next 12 months!

In parallel with the individual competition, the day also included an hour long endurance race for three-driver teams who had also qualified at the regional events.  This again proved highly competitive with the team from Foster Wheeler (Nathan Sperry, John Barnett & Tim Fox) finishing just 4.5 seconds in front of a team from Briggs & Forrester.  The Foster Wheeler trio also qualify to take part in the Majorcan event in October. 

The Schuco Karting Challenge is organised by Walnut Motorsport, the marketing, event management and corporate hospitality company who specialise in motorsport events for the construction industry.  The full results and photographs can be found on their website at www.walnutmotorsport.com.

For more information about this and other motorsport events contact Nick Moss at Walnut Motorsport on 01386 710106 or at nick.moss@walnutmotorsport.com.