Griffiths fighting at the front on UKC visit to GYG
Fresh off the back of a competitive outing at PFI, PaddlUp Academy's youngest driver got to grips with the GYG circuit this weekend for Round 3 of the Ultimate Karting Championship, placing his distinctive PaddlUp-branded visor firmly in the limelight.
The weekend started as Griffiths meant to go on, recording the fastest lap of all in the opening session. Practice 2 would see the young protégé drop to fifth in the order but, such is the diminutive margins in cadet racing, he was only one-tenth shy of the ultimate pace.
As competitive racing got underway, Ethan opened his weekend's account with a stunning performance, jumping from P10 on the grid to fourth on the road by the end of the initial tour. The subsequent two laps would see him climb another place during each completed circuit. He bided his time for the remainder of the race, launching a successful assault on the final lap to claim the first category victory of the weekend.
Heat 2 would see the #99 kart slip back through the pack over the course of the race but, at just eight tenths behind the winner, the grid's innate competitiveness shone through once more. Griffiths produced another battling drive in the third and final heat. Having started in the penultimate grid spot and finding himself in last place during the opening stages, he began his offensive, gaining nine positions in just six laps and notching a further three overtakes in the final three laps to eventually finish fifth.
Sunday's proceedings got underway with a warm-up session which was swiftly followed by the Super Heat. The race itself would see him start in fourth, then drop to sixth before regaining a position in the closing stages. The impressive points haul the young Welsh driver accumulated across the weekend meant he started an admirable fourth on the grid for the 'Super Final'. During the final, Griffiths was pushed wide losing several places, slipping back to eighth in the ensuing skirmish, but by the final chequered flag he has fought back to a well-earned sixth position.
With Round 3 in the books, PaddlUp's karting specialist currently occupies an impressive sixth overall (including drop rounds) in the Honda Cadet driver's championship. We'll have to wait until Sunday, 12 June for Round 4 of the Ultimate Karting Championship, but before then Ethan will be back on track during the first weekend of June at Larkhall for the next instalment of BKC action.
