Ash shows rivals a clean pair of heels.

Byline: By Russell Atkins

HE MAY not have been there for a year, but when Ash Hand returned to Kimbolton for his latest karting outing, he wasted little time in showing his rivals what he was made of.

The young Nuneaton ace - a regular front-runner in BRDC Stars of Tomorrow, the same series that set the newly-crowned Lewis Hamilton on the path to Formula 1 World Championship glory - only stepped up from the Mini Max class to Junior Max a matter of weeks ago, but the extra power is clearly not fazing him in the slightest, as he has been a challenger for victory right from the off.

After overcoming an awful start in practice, Ash said: "I was using completely the wrong lines, clipping kerbs and turning in too late". But by the end of the day, Ash was four tenths faster than any of his rivals.

It was an advantage he would carry over into race day, as he triumphed in two of his three heats - one from down in 18th on the grid - even if the third one was a bit less straightforward. The bolt sheared off his steering column and the wheel somewhat unnervingly came off in his hands.

"I didn't know what was happening," the 14-year-old admitted. "It was really quite worrying. I just saw a massive tyre wall and knew I was spinning towards it flat-out at 70mph and had no control. Luckily I spun straight past the tyre wall, but it still gave me a bad back and gave the team a lot of work to do."

Third on the grid for the all-important final, the George Eliot School pupil remained in confident frame of mind, but two knocks from behind on just the opening lap left him at the rear of the field. And the controversy would not end there.

"I managed to work my way through the pack really well," Ash said, "catching the others up by four a lap. I even broke the lap record as I got back into the top 10. But then going along the main straight somebody came up the inside of me and just tried to squeeze me out into the tyre wall.

"There was smoke going everywhere off the sidepods, and I had to turn right and drive over the front of him to avoid hitting the wall. My kart came down on its front and almost rolled. It handled pretty badly after that."

He may not have come away with the result both his pace and determination so richly deserved, but Ash nonetheless had once again made his mark and rattled more than a few cages.

"I think it all came down to the fact they go there every month, and then we turn up having not been there for a year, break the lap record and threaten to walk away with it," the Maple Park teenager surmised. "They probably felt they had to do something about it, and in the final they did.

"I was really frustrated at what the other drivers had tried to do to me, but overall I was happy with the weekend, and ultimately we got out of it what we had gone there to achieve."

The next British champion? Watch this space... To keep up-to-date with Ash's latest career news and results, see www.p1r.co.uk

CAPTION(S):

LAP RECORD... Ash Hand (number 38) in action at Kimbolton where he showed his rivals what he is made of.