MORETON-in-Marsh kart racer Will Waterman has scored his first outright victory in the British Championship, beating his nearest rival by just two-100ths of a second!
Following a successful start to his challenge for the British title, Waterman arrived at Lydd International Raceway in Kent on the weekend before last lying fourth in the overall standings.
Despite having raced at Lydd only once before, the 14-year-old was in blistering form in the qualification heats, winning two out of three to claim pole position for the grand final.
Unusually for Waterman, regarded as one of the fastest starters in the country, he slipped back to third place as the lights turned green.
Despite struggling for grip during the first six laps, he held on to the leaders and then quickly moved up the order as his tyres got up to temperature.
He then pulled off a spectacular move to go from third to first over the infamous Hilders Hump where karts get airborne at over 60mph!
His chief rival, Daniel Graham, made one last attempt to squeeze past as the pair ran side-by-side through the final corner.
But Waterman refused to yield and held on to take victory in one of the closest ever finishes in British Championship history.
"That was close!" exclaimed Waterman in a post-race comment. "It's always nice to win a race, but it's much more rewarding when you've been involved in a great battle like that. I'm up to second place in the championship now, so there's everything to play for."
This victory is Waterman's fifth of the season and his second in the space of seven days after he recently won a race as a guest entry at Shenington circuit in Oxfordshire.
Waterman had won a qualification heat in the opening round of the British Championships in March, but his previous best result in a grand final was the fourth place finish he took in round two of the series.
His next championship race is at Warden Law in Northumbria on Sunday, July 3. For more information on Will Waterman, visit his website at www.willwaterman.org
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