Maloney Leads Shifter-Kart Spectacular

Round #4 of the Barbados Karting Association (BKA) 2005 Fru-tee Championship came off this past Sunday April 24th, at the Bushy Park Racetrack, and featured a record-setting starting grid of seven 125cc gearbox karts, familiarly known as shifter-karts.

The spectacular shifter-karts treated the enthusiastic crowd to wheel-to-wheel racing, heart-stopping passes and a few minor spills. In the end, it was reigning 2004 shifter-class champion Sean Maloney (left) driving an Italian-crafted Maranello ICC who stomped his authority on the field that featured a buffet of local racing talent including ex-BKA champion driver Nigel Reece, Sean's brother and expert Rally Navigator Stuart Maloney, ace Subaru WRC mechanic Brett Judd and rally driver Matthew 'Snuffy' Staffner all driving Honda motocross machines, and shifter-kart new-comer Michael Lambert in a Gold 355 fitted with a TM ICC engine.

Sending a strong signal to this year's championship challenger, the 2004 runner-up Ryan Gonsalves who was unavailable to travel from his homeland St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the event, Sean finished the day with an impressive record of three out of four wins to a tally 96 points, followed by Nigel Reece (right) who used his vast experience driving Yamaha sprint karts to steal one win from Sean to earn second overall with 81 points, then Brett Judd whose determined efforts earned him the final podium position and 69 points.

A coup d'état in the BKA's Premier Class of 310-lb Yamaha sprint go-karts, was led for the second consecutive round by Dane Skeete-who once again capitalized on mechanical problems that beset reigning BKA champion driver Orry Hunte-to drive the #12 Citgo/Goodyear Birel (left) with expert control and sweep all four wins in the class to finish with a perfect 100 points, followed by Conor Roach in the #27 Gold 355 who's confident passing earned him second in class with 78 points and well-deserved third captured by returning Karting veteran Alan Maynard in the #14 Birel. Orry and 2004 contender Dane McConney finished outside podium positions both reporting challenging days in the pits.

In the 250-lb Yamaha restricted class for juniors, upsets were also the order of the day as 2005 championship points leader Jesse Kelly and his #41 CGM/Herrs Birel suffered mechanical troubles early in the day thus relegating Jesse to second overall with 84 points, leaving the rapidly improving Nicholas Blades (right) to make good his championship chances as he drove his #15 Dunlop Birel to the head of the class with 92 points.

Round #5 of the BKA Fru-tee Championship is scheduled for Sunday June 5th, with qualifying slated for 8:30 a.m. at the St. Philip racing facility.