Hyperdrive Grand Finale Season 1

 

Source: Hyperdrive Kart Racing Facebook

The inaugural Hyperdrive Kart Racing Grand Finale turned out to be a fantastic night for both drivers and spectators alike. The best three drivers from our Tuesday and Thursday night leagues were set to battle it out on track, this time in Shifter Karts. The racers included Ben Van der Veer, Jamie and Nathan from Tuesday and Violet Mick and Ben Marley from Thursday night. There was some amazing racing on display as all were seeking to take home the winner’s trophy and the coveted prize of a year’s worth of free racing at Hyperdrive.

 

The race was preceded by a 20 lap Qualifying session which would determine the grid positions. There was some masterful driving on track as the drivers were this time in the much faster and harder to operate Shifter Karts. The major difference to the Sodi’s being their four speed, paddle-operated gears. All 6 drivers managed times within the 17s. Positions for both the lead and spots down the order swapped and changed throughout qualifying but eventually it was Mick you snatched pole position with a 17.222. Violet managed second with a 17.452 and Ben Marley was in third with a 17.628. This meaning that the top three drivers all came from our Thursday Night League. Ben Van der Veer, Nathan and Jamie rounded out the starting grid.

 

The time had come for the 60 lap endurance Grand Finale race. The lights were turned off for the formation lap with only the neon’s around the track and the drivers’ headlights visible. The racers lined up in the grid. There was a tense atmosphere as we waited for the boost on the shifter Karts to build along with the anticipation. Five red lights turned green and the race was on!

 Mick got off to a blazing start in first place as all six drivers rounded the hairpin cleanly. The first piece of drama came just seconds later as a shunt involving the back three halted the drivers and managed to Turn Ben Van der Veer around the wrong way. The race resumed quickly. Because of this Ben Marley found himself in a very lonely position in third as he now was unchallenged by the three behind him and losing time to Mick and Violet ahead. 

Violet was now hot on the heels of Mick and desperate to make a move into first. She attempted a move down the inside of the hairpin on Lap 4 but couldn’t make it stick, 1 lap later however Violet managed to gain a great exit onto the straight and attempted a move down the inside of Mick on the fastest part of the track. She made it and had now gained the race lead! Mick was not going to give up that easy, he stuck within a Karts length of Violet all the way to lap 11 as he eyed a spot down the inside of the hairpin. He went for the dive and landed it perfectly. Two lead changes in 11 laps, what a Start to our grand finale! 

The race then settled down as all 6 drivers found their rhythm. The sore hands and fatigue settled in as we passed the 20 lap mark and this now became a true endurance race. The pressure was on both our leaders during this time as they both navigated their way through traffic every few laps. Mick managed to hold his lead but Violet never dropped to more than a second behind. 

There was disappointment for Nathan as issues with his Kart meant that he was struggling deep into the race and was eventually overtaken by Jamie and dropped to the back of the pack. 10 laps to go and this was the state of the race. Jamie and Ban Van der Veer were now safely occupying 5^th and 4^th respectively and Ben Marley had enough space both behind and in front which meant he could now cruise to a third-place finish. 

The attention therefore was on Mick and Violet up front. Mick was still leading but Violet was right there behind to snatch up the win given the opportunity. A few clean and incredibly fast laps meant that she did gain sometime on Mick but it didn’t seem like enough. But this race was not over yet. These fast laps late into the race along with Mick having some trouble rounding backmarkers meant that Violet was now right behind Mick with less that 10 laps in the race. They battled closely for the next few laps until there were only handful left. 

Violet knew she had to make a move, it was now or never. With three laps to go she had a much better exit out of the hairpin, this was her moment. She went side by side with Mick through the tightest part of the track, they both fought hard, there was bumping from both drivers. Both knew this was it! Coming onto the straight they were side by side, but Violet had the inside line, she muscled her way through and into the lead with just 2 laps to! She held her position right to the end and an extremely tense and exiting finish meant that she was the Champion. 

VIOLET HAD WON! There was a great display of showmanship as Mick and Violet bumped fists, expressing their mutual admiration after a well fought race. Mick was in second place but managed the best lap time of the race with exactly the same time that he set in qualifying a 17.222… WOW!

 

Our first Champion league grand finale was a great success couldn’t have been more exciting. Thank you to all our drivers and the spectators that cheered them on. And congratulations to our Champion Violet Winkler. There won’t be much rest from us however as we start a new Champion League next week. Come and join us on Tuesday as we go racing for what is sure to be another enthralling Champion League season.