The British 24 hour Karting event takes place this weekend at Teeside Autodrome in Middlesbrough and Team LJR will be there defending their title.
With two entries they will be looking to retain the title that they won in 2015, and try and get their second kart on the podium. In last year’s event they won and came ninth, and the season before they came second and fourth.
This season they will be looking to go even better and would be delighted to come away with a 1-2 finish, but a double podium would be the minimum they would like to achieve.
Speaking ahead of the weekend’s racing Luke Jones said: It’s a very close series and there are some extremely competitive drivers in the other karts so it’ll be no easy task. A few of the new additions to the grid this season are local teams and have a bunch more experience at the track than we do so I’m anticipating a close finish. If I’m not mistaken there was at most only a few seconds between our winning kart and 2nd place last year.
Today we get to meet the drivers who will be targeting victory:
Name: Alex Vangeen
Age: 32
Hometown: Borehamwood, Herts
Race Experience: 2 time Daytona D60 Heavyweight Champion. 3rd in BRKC Heavyweight Championship 2012.
Favourite Circuits: Daytona Milton Keynes & Teesside.
Random Fact: At Palmersport in Bedford I lapped 0.2 seconfs quicker than Damon Hill in the JPLM.
Name: Andrew Duff
Age: 42
Hometown: Winchester, Hampshire
Race Experience: Rental karting across the UK from Bournemouth to Edinburgh since 1997. British Rental Kart Championship regular since its inception in 2011, eight 24 hour races (1 win and 1 second place), occasional forays into EKL, Dmax and Covkart.
Favourite Circuit: Daytona Milton Keynes.
Random Fact: I once raced against S Club 7. They were so slow that I nearly killed Hannah Spearritt.
Name: Bradley Philpot
Age: 30
Hometown: Rushden, Northamptonshire
Race Experience: Red Bull Kart Fight Champion, Toyota MR2 Challenge Champion, former Works Peugeot Racing Driver, Nurburgring 24 Hours podium finisher, Silverstone 24 Hours Winner, Race of Champions Skills Challenge Winner, British F3 Test Driver.
Favourite Circuits: Teesside & Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Random Fact: I dressed up as a Jordan F1 driver whilst drunk at the 2004 British Grand Prix, signed autographs and featured in the press conference.
Name: David Longman
Age: 25
Hometown: Lymm, Cheshire
Race Experience: Daytona Manchester Inkart, Club100 Sprints 2012-present, Club100 Endurance 2015- present, Northampton Karting League, UK and World Corporate Games karting, EKL, BRKC, British Karting 24Hr 2010,12,13,14, BUKC 24Hr 15, European 24Hr 2014 and Le Mans Karting 24Hrs 2015
Favourite Circuit: Glan-Y-Gors.
Random Fact: You can’t hum whilst pinching your nose.
Name: George Lovell
Age: 31
Hometown: Poole, Dorset
Race Experience: MSA National Super One Karting – Top 10 seed 4 times – best overall result 3rd in 2000. MSA Welsh Champion, Southwest Champion, National Kart Racing Series Vice Champion, British Open Champion & Vice Champion x2. Formula Ford Series (half season) Team Lovell Racing owner with S1 wins. Kart circuit owner.
Favourite Circuits: Buckmore Park & Donington Park.
Random Fact: I’m quarter Italian (Nan was Italian) which is why my racing colours have always been red, white and green. I don’t look it at all but I think I have some of the temperament!
Name: Jonny Spencer
Age: 22
Hometown: Chadderton, Manchester
Race Experience: Rotax MAX karting
Favourite Circuit: PF International.
Random Fact: I looked like the milky bar kid when I was 3.
Name: Michael Weddell
Age: 21
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Race Experience: Racing since 2007.
Favourite Circuit: Rowrah.
Random Fact: Only Scottish member of the team!
Name: Russell Endean
Age: 26
Hometown: Guildford, Surrey
Race Experience: Purely rental karting, dabbling in most championships at some point. Highlights include: 2015 Club100 Clubman Sprint Vice-Champion; 2013 Club100 Heavyweight Sprints – 3rd place; KWC semi-finalist 2015; British 24 Hours Club Hire Champion; Whilton Mill Clubman Sprints lap record, 2013; BRKC Heavyweight Champion.
Favourite Circuit: Glan y Gors
Random Fact: I was a performer in both the 2012 Olympic and 2015 Rugby World Cup opening ceremonies.
Name: Piers Prior
Age: 19
Hometown: Clacton, Essex
Race Experience: 2015 HSF challenge winner, tested in F3, FR2.0, and F4 cars. 8x Buckmore Park Champion, 3x Buckmore Park Driver of the year, 3rd Sodi World Karting Finals in Le Mans 2014, 2010 Sodi World Series Junior Champion, 3rd place in my first car race in the Mini Challenge April 2016.
Favourite Circuits: Buckmore Park, Circuit Alain Prost & Donington National.
Random Fact: I am the smallest giant in the world.
Images courtesy of: Slawek Piskorz Racing, Jim White, Lee Marshall, Club100, Connor Marsh Racing, Buckmore Park, Sean Girdler