Gray’s a sensation
Young karting star’s ‘brilliant’ day
RUISLIP racer Thomas Gray learned a lot from his first trip to Snetterton in round three of the MSA British Superkart Championship.
The 18-year-old suffered a gear selector issue in qualifying, meaning he had to start from the back of a 39kart grid at the track in Norfolk.
But he recovered from the setback to put in a couple of sensational performances over the course of the race weekend and left East Anglia feeling optimistic for round four.
Gray said: “From an unfortunate qualifying session, not being able to complete a full lap due to a mechanical issue, to achieving a fifth and two fourth place finishes in my class was a brilliant end to the weekend.
“It is one I can look back on for making great progress. It was my first time at Snetterton 300 and all went very well in the races. Snetterton is a very demanding track, but one I’ll definitely be looking forward to next year!”
A fantastic start to race one saw the Ruislip driver pass more than eight competitors on his first lap of a circuit he has never graced before.
His speed was increasing lap after lap, eventually leading to him cross the finish line fifth in his class, a fine effort considering he started from right at the back of the pack after that gearing issue.
That excellent drive pushed Gray a little further up the grid for race two and once again he showed no fear in making up places, running only inches apart at more than 120mph as he secured fourth.
He ended the weekend by missing out on third place, and what would have been his first podium finish, by a mere tenth of a second to give him genuine hope of making more progress in his next outing.
Gray is currently studying with the Motor Sports Association at Loughborough College on an AASE course. He was among 25 students who were chosen from well over 1,000 applicants.