Angus racers are tearing up the opposition on the asphalt of the UK’s circuits.
In the diverse motorsport disciplines of junior karting and the fast-growing world of competition drifting, schoolboy Sandy Mitchell and Arbroath’s David Waterworth are proudly flying the flag in their respective British championships.
Dundee High School youngster Sandy, from Letham, has just enjoyed the most successful weekend of his rookie year in the British Super One Series MiniMax karting championship with RL Racing Department, recording his first podium finish.
His Glan y Gors outing in North Wales was a steady upward curve which saw Sandy shake off a disappointing qualifying session to carve through the packed grid in the early heats before recording second and fourth place finishes in the event’s two thrilling finals.
As the second top points scorer of the weekend, 13-year-old Sandy’s haul has helped him to fifth overall and leading Scot in the championship table at the season midpoint.
£arlier this year Sandy was named among a select crop of young motorsport talents in the Young Racing Driver Academy (YRDA), a partnership featuring top team Arden International, which has close links to the mighty Red Bull Formula One outfit having been founded by team principal Christian Horner and his father, Garry.
Wales also proved a happy hunting ground for David Waterworth, whose strong weekend in the latest round at Pembrey circuit has catapulted the 31-year-old to pole position in the Super Pro category of the 2013 Maxxis British Drift Championship.
David has lit up the first two rounds of the campaign with stunning performances in his Dodge Viper-powered self-built Nissan S15.
“We had two shocking practice sessions at Pembrey. That was a new track for the BDC and one I hadn’t been to before,” said David.
“When it was time for qualifying I decided to switch the brand of tyre I was using and over three runs achieved second place out of 36 drivers.”
A new knockockout format added extra spice to race day, and although David narrowly missed out on the podium with a fourth place finish, his consistency and the misfortune of top rivals has placed him top of the class in the championship standings.
The BDC heads next to Teeside autodrome in early July and will climax on home turf for David at the Knockhill final round on September 21/22.