Adam Mallalieu was crowned Champion of the inaugural Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy (CJKAT) after the final double-header at Bushy Park Barbados over the weekend (March 2/3). The 14-year-old Harrison College student claimed four more victories to bring his total of wins to 10 in the 24-race series, which was supported by the FIA’s Sport Grant Programme and fought out by young karters from Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica.
After Sunday’s Prizegiving, Mallalieu said: “So far, this is my biggest achievement. I never really knew for sure that I would win it, so I just took every race one step at a time and made sure I did well.” He wins a fully-paid entry and X30 Junior kart for one Sunshine State Karting Challenge (SSKC) weekend in Florida, valued at more than US$3,000.
His closest challenger throughout the series had been 12-year-old Calem Maloney, who started the weekend just two points adrift and won Race 1 on Saturday; a racing incident in the next event resulted in him missing Race 3, a zero score which effectively ended his title bid, despite winning nine CJKAT races. He said: “I was thrilled to have taken part in the first-ever Caribbean karting championship and want to thank the organisers, officials, marshals and all who gave their time.” Mallalieu scored 451 points to Maloney’s 385.5.
Jamaica’s Tommi Gore enjoyed his most successful weekend, two more race wins bringing his total to four, including the Final on Sunday, when he was the day’s top points-scorer; he finishes fourth (319), between compatriots Ryan Chisholm (325), and Zander Williams (248). Kayleigh Catwell became the fourth CJKAT race-winner in her strongest weekend of the series, climbing from eighth to sixth in the final standings with 207 points, while Rayden Persaud remained top of Guyana’s karters, finishing eighth on 187.
by Robin Bradford
