Caden McQueen leads madcroc 1-2 in UKC
image © Karting Everything
The Senior X30 class has been one of the most hotly contested classes of the UKC season. But with the news that Callum Bradshaw was heading back to Europe with TonyKart, it meant that things in the championship were about to get a lot closer.
The opening heat saw the 3 title protagonists finish in the top 4, with Matt Armstrong taking the top spot after snagging the lead from Caden McQueen in the closing stages. McQueen would end up 4th behind Connor Jupp who lead the early stages and Mad Croc team mate Khali Atkins who impressed at Whilton Mill.
The 2nd heat didn’t end well for McQueen, as his race ended on the 2nd lap, leaving him with some work to do in the pre-final. By contrast, Jupp came through the field from 10th to take the win over Reggie Duhy by just over a second. Armstrong also flew through the field but could only manage 3rd, chased home by MLC team mate Kacper Skuza and Atkins.
McQueen would make it 3 different winners in each of the heats, being chased home hard by Duhy at the flag. Despite starting on the front row, the MLC duo of Armstrong and Skuza had to settle for 4th and 7th after contact on the opening lap saw Skuza sent off wide. Atkins would come home 3rd behind while Jupp split the MLC boys in 5th.
By the time the Senior X30s took to the track, the rain that had affected the rest of the paddock had gone and the track was dry. That left Armstrong and Jupp with one less thing to worry about on the front row. Despite that, Duhy was the one to capitalise on the start, with the Tonykart man leading the race well into the half way stage. Armstrong would bide his time, making his move for the lead in the closing stages to demote Duhy to 2nd. Jupp tried to snag a front row for the final, but Duhy hung on to finish 2nd. McQueen moved forward to 4th with team mate Atkins just behind in 5th.
The final kicked off with Armstrong trying to control the race from the front, but soon came under fire from Atkins, who had a solid start to jump his team mate. By lap 5, Atkins was out in front, while his team mate was stranded in 5th. Thanks to the Monza style slip stream affect, the lead changed hands almost lap by lap as the top 5 broke away from Skuza in 6th.
It wasn’t long before McQueen took the advantage, getting to the front with his team mate, and they set about breaking away. The break away group soon became 3, as Duhy tired to make a bid for Armstrong’s 4th. The pair touched, slowing them down and dropping them around a second behind the leading trio of Atkins, Jupp and McQueen.
The pair pushed eachother along, ending the race just over a second clear of Jupp in 3rd. When the flag fell, it was McQueen who came out the victor over Atkins. Armstrong and Duhy would complete the top 5 with Skuza a distant 6th.
Those results now give Jupp the lead of the championship by just 3 points over Armstrong in 2nd. McQueen is a further 5 points back with Bradshaw still holding on to 4th, despite his move into Europe. Rounding out the top 5 is Atkins, who has 13 points in hand over Duhy heading to GYG.
