09 Apr £80,000 raised by RoKart in Northampton
The Rotary club of Nene Valley have organised RoKart for 8 years. In that time, they have raised over £80,000 for local charities and have had some remarkable races but never one as close as this year.
There was less than a 1 second gap between first and second places in the final of RoKart 2024 that took place at Teamworks indoor karting track on April 2nd
Three teams in the final completed 295 laps in 2 hours. The winners David Smith Associates retained their title as overall winner and the trophy for” fastest company in Northamptonshire” but were less than one second ahead of the second placed team Wheel 2 wheel (a variant on last year second placed team Forti Tiling) who took the trophy for “fastest group of friends “. In third place on the same lap and only 9 seconds behind were Carbon Racing, winners of the event in 2022.
Reviewing the race Will Smith, Teamwork’s circuit manager, believed it was the closest finish they have ever had after 2 hours racing and 295 laps. Last year was an amazing race with the winner doing 300 laps but this was just extraordinary.” They only won because their risky strategy of up fronting all the 9 changeovers the 4-man team had to complete into the first hour and then giving their fastest driver a long final session worked. They were in 9th place after 1 hour and caught up 5 laps “
This year’s organiser Rotarian Richard Poynter added” the race is not only about the winner. All this year’s finalists also achieved personal bests-
-Professional finish improved on their 2022 performance from 289 to 291 in 4th
-Tollers (who had won the Northampton law society heat) finished 5th on 291
-Macintyre Hudson who have raced every year since 2017 achieved 288 as did MPS who won the first event in 2016 achieved a pb of 287
-New Duston Garage who have entered every year, but this their first final did 289
-and newcomers Cotton group a very creditable 287
One of the real fun elements of RoKart is the shear diversity of the teams that enter from all aspects of the Northampton community”.
This was reinforced by Northampton’s Mayor Councillor Stephen Hibbert who came along to watch the whole race and then presented the trophy to DSA “its been an exciting evening watching a very competitive final race and raising a lot of money for Northampton charities at the same time”
David Harding, this year’s President of Nene Valley Rotary club thanked the finals sponsor Michael Jones The Jeweller who had enabled them to raise this year a further £8,500 that would be used to support the refurbishment project the club is overseeing at Eve the women’s refuge and continue their support to the Lorraine Lewis foundation and other Rotary supported organisations.
