Quick out of the blocks: Griffiths outlines promising pace at opening round of BKC
Despite a data hack attempt and several first-lap incidents, the PaddlUp Academy driver put in eye-catching lap times and eventually wound up seventh
PaddlUp Honda Cadet karting ace Ethan Griffiths hit the track last weekend (6-8 May) marking his first event competing officially as a PaddlUp Academy driver. PF International Kart Circuit was the host venue for the opening round of the 2022 British Kart Championships and the competition was as fierce as ever.
Griffiths' inaugural BKC event yielded eye-catching pace throughout the weekend meaning the Welsh driver was regularly running inside the top ten and his lap times were comparable to the series' established front-runners. Not a bad first weekend's work in the championship.
The pace of the #99 kart was on the money from the outset with lap times from Friday's practice hinting at a highly competitive package. This performance continued into Saturday with Griffiths qualifying second in his group and P4 overall in the Honda Cadet category. Following qualifying, it came to light that an attempt was made to hack into the kart's data. Luckily, it was password protected!
The first heat proved to be a more trying session for PaddlUp's youngest academy member when, on the opening lap, he was pushed wide and fell to P8. As is often the case in cadet racing, a single overtake leads to a gaggle of karts piling through. Similarly, in Heat 2 Griffiths was caught up in a first-lap incident and, despite a spirited comeback through the field, he would be denied his P14 on the road position thanks to a time penalty, ultimately ending the race in P18.
The Pre-Final would see Griffiths occupying the eighteenth grid spot and duly made his way forward, eventually crossing the line just outside the top 10 in P11. In the Final itself, the #99 kart would maintain position, reaching the chequered flag in eleventh but, owing to post-race penalties for other competitors, would finish the day in seventh.
After one round and a mixed bag of results, Griffiths leaves PFI in ninth in the overall standings of Honda Cadets in the British Kart Championships, providing him with plenty of confidence before his next outing at GYG for the Ultimate Karting Championship this weekend.
