Heartache in Club 100

Kate Broadbent was truly on form for Round 8 of Club 100’s Experience championship. After competing in the morning in Club 100’s Extreme 60, Kate was definitely warmed up, and perhaps a little tired!

Nevertheless, some consistently fast driving put her in pole position after qualifying. So Kate knew she had the speed and potential to get podium. In the first heat she held her position to the first hairpin where some aggressive driving from behind forced Kym Ely’s kart into her, making her spin off. It was heartache as the rest of the field raced past Kate, and Kate rejoined the race in 29th position. From this point on, Kate’s driving was outstanding. With nothing to lose, she pushed on with the most confident driving I’ve ever seen. Within one lap she regained 4 places, another 2 on the next lap, and another 3 on the next lap. She was pushing her way through. A track limits warning popped up, but that didn’t stop her, and she continued pushing her way through. By the time the race finished, Kate had moved from P29 to P9. That’s 20 places (not to mention all of the back markers who got in her way). Disappointment for Kate, but her driving was truly outstanding.

A fast time in the first heat put Kate in P3 on the grid for the second heat. A good start, and Kate maintained her P3, pushing into P2 after 4 laps. She kept P2 for the next 6 laps when Jack Woodward (the current championship leader, and winner of the first heat) crept up behind her and barged past with Toby Wykes following, and Kate dropped to P4. Kate was tiring, and the morning Extreme 60 race was taking its toll. Blaise Turnstill was closing the gap, and 10 laps later he snuck by to finish in 4th, with Kate 5th.

Great driving. A P9 and a P5 gave Kate a P7 overall. A good result, and likely to move her up the overall championship leaderboard. What it has shown, is that Kate has the speed, confidence and maturity to get her on that Club 100 podium. Heartache yes, but driving to be proud of!