By Evan Dalton.
DCU Karting have won the Student Sport Ireland Intervarsity Karting Teams Championship for the third consecutive season, with a remarkable comeback performance at Whiteriver Park.
The championship was won by the slimmest of margins, with DCU edging out TU Dublin’s A team by just two points. TUD led the championship by 31 points before the final round.
“It’s a testament to the hard work of our Inters team,” said DCU Karting Chairperson Eoghan Smithers. “Even when winning the championship looked very unlikely, the team spirit remained very high and we were able to fight back. I’m delighted for everyone involved.”
The championship fightback was capped off with a stellar final performance from DCU’s Mark Woods and Eimear Carey, who finished first and second. Ben Corcaran, Pavlo Kyskhan and team captain Sean Purcell also made the final, finishing fourth, seventh and eight respectively.
The final was dramatic, with Woods leading from pole position. After a tricky start, Carey fought back to make what would end up being a championship winning overtake, on the final lap on TUD’s Adam Corrigan.
The drivers championship was won by TUD captain Bobby McNamee.
The championship took place across four rounds, at three circuits. These include Whiteriver Park, Nutts Cork and Kartworld (Watergrasshill) in Cork.
The season started out tricky for DCU. Despite a podium finish for Carey in the season opener, bad luck plagued the team, but they still left Whiteriver leading the championship and hopes were high.
Nutts Corner, located in Dundroid, Co.Antrim was up next and it resulted in a points swing for TUD. The highest result for DCU was once again a third place, this time for Purcell. Crucially for TUD’s championship endeavour, they finished first and second.
Round 3 was the big turning point in the championship, with TUD out scoring DCU by 34 points due to logistical issues for DCU, which saw them have to leave the circuit before the semi finals, therefore losing out on the majority of the point scoring opportunities.
The day was dramatic, in more ways than one, as Richard Murphy of SETU went on to win the universities first ever final.
Despite a near impossible comeback being needed, the DCU team focused on performing to their highest standard and prioritising teamwork, which led to the successes of the final round.
With the majority of the DCU Intervarsity team remaining intact for the next academic year, and potential new drivers always on the fringes of breaking into the squad, the fastest society on campus will be hunting that fourth championship as motivated as ever.
Image Credit: Karting Soc