When you have a national title race, you want the race to attract the best possible calibre of racers around and so it was that the 2018 British Indoor Championship was one of the most exciting of recent times. Kieran Norris races for Ireland but has competed at the World Championships and at World Cup races but after forerunning for the Anglo Welsh race, secured a late entry to take part in the British Championship race. With another ex-British team racer, Ashley Breese taking second ahead of Toby Case, Sam Carson and Brandon Matthews, the quality of the top end racers was impressive to see.
Breese looked to have taken the first run lead but he had to wait until the last racer down, Norris, before he could secure this. Norris bettered the time of the Kandahar Racing team’s coach, Breese, by two tenths to take the race lead after the first run. With Breese two hundredths ahead of Case, the next five were separated by sixteen hundredths as racers battled to do their best.
With ten to go it was Mikey Dunne leading the way but he was pushed off the lead by Thomas Upton who posted a time that raised the game for the rest of the field. Jamie Alldridge and Alex White were unable to dislodge him from the lead before Brandon Matthews took the lead from Upton.
Robbie Anderson then dropped down the rankings before Declan Huppach, another making his season debut at the end of the season crashed out.
Carson knew that he would have to put in a special run if he was to make inroads into the four tenths behind Norris that he needed to make up. Carson pushed and was the first racer to go under the fourteen second mark. Would it be enough?
The answer was quickly evident as Case went quicker to take the lead before Breese went even quicker as he went in search of the race win.
It was then down to Norris to go for the win. While not as quick as Breese, he had enough in had to still be in the lead after he crossed the line. It was a win for Norris and a lesson for the rest of the field in how much they need to improve if they are to be able to say that they are the best in the UK.
The age group wins were taken by Fraser Baggaley (Under 14, 15th Overall), Robbie Anderson (Under 16, 7th Overall), Toby Case I(Under 18, 3rd Overall), Sam Carson (Under 21, 4th Overall), Kieran Norris (Senior, Race Winner) and Jamie Alldridge (Masters, 8th Overall).
The Under 12 age group was won by Lewis Parton with Ryan Faber taking the Under 10 age group.
Pictures from the racing are available here
Full results