After 11 years of hard work, Sean Brierley stormed to victory at BRKC 2022, with Lewis Manley close behind. Six-time champion Ruben Boutens drove a determined race from near the back after a mistake in qualifying, to take the final spot on the podium.
Super-Pole qualifying was full of surprises, with Ramon Pineiro holding P1 for most of the session, despite having to qualify earliest and therefore theoretically having the coldest kart. Conversely, Ruben Boutens could only manage P9 after a mistake on his lap. But it was Sean Brierley who put one hand on the trophy with a stunning lap to claim pole position ahead of the Grand Final.
In the race itself, Brierley got away well, with Pineiro causing a gap to form between the leader and the rest of the pack, courtesy of his last-kart-pick position (having been P10 in the standings at the end of the Semi Finals). This meant he was really out of position because of his strong qualifying, and caused a headache for the drivers behind who had more race pace and could see Brierley increasing his gap at the head of the field.
As the pitstops began to play out, Lewis Manley emerged as the main challenger for the lead, with Boutens clawing back his initial deficit throughout the race and taking the fastest lap along the way.
But with Brierley still ahead after the final round of stops, he looked unlikely to allow an on-form Lewis Manley past, and crossed the line to become British Champion at the eleventh attempt.
I knew I had qualifying pace but I didn’t believe I’d done enough to maintain pole position, I thought my lap was a little scrappy. With Lewis in 3rd and Ruben in 9th I knew my only chance at victory was to build as big a gap as I could in the first 5 minutes before they hit a free track. I didn’t have the kart to beat them on raw race pace so the two seconds I gained on Lewis in the first two laps were absolutely everything and the reason I was able to come out ahead after the stops.
On becoming British Champion:
It’s taken a few days to settle in. BRKC was my first foray into racing and winning it has been at the top of my bucket list for over a decade. There are no words to describe just how much this win meant to me.
BRKC will return in January 2023. Full entry details will be announced in August.
