THERE were no upsets in last weekend's fifth round of the karting championship as the regular winners continued their domination in local races as they prepare for the Mid-season Grand Prix.

With 14 entries in the Cadets class, the drivers had an exciting day's racing with many spills, especially by the inexperienced ones. Drivers, who have become accustomed to the circuit, ran strongly to the top positions with Stephen Emmanuel pipping Joshua Gopal metres from the finish line to record a tight win.

Gopal, who started in pole position and fended of Emmanuel's challenge to lead all the way until the final metres, settled for second position. Third in the seven-lap race was Rudy Joseph, newcomer Jonathan Richards was fourth and Eddy Estrale fifth.

The unluckiest driver of the class was Adam Richard. He won the heats and looked like winning the final but a broken brake cable forced him out just before the start of the final.

Nelwyn Pierre registered another win in the Junior category which saw the participation of just five drivers. New to this class, Pierre has surprised many with his driving ability and pace and if luck stays on his side, he could be a serious threat to the more experienced Alex Chang-Sam.

Pierre's victory allowed him to close the gap on leader Chang-Sam who did not race in the final because of mechanical problems.

Louis Leopold was ranked second, Samantha Matombé third and Peter Fred fourth.

In the Formula A class, Dave Rene, whose engine started misfiring towards the end, was lucky to collect his fourth win this year.

Joel Lau-Tee was second, Johnny Simon third and Andy Denousse, driving a kart with  a rebuilt motor, finished fourth.

Both Andy Alvis and Christopher Esparon were unlucky. Alvis lost a front wheel while negotiating a corner and slammed into Lau-Tee during one of the heats, while Esparon, plagued by mechanical problems, could not take the start of any race.

The forthcoming Mid-season Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday July 7 at the Champions Park Raceway, Roche Caïman, expects to see some interesting races and many drivers have already started their preparation for the event.

The Seychelles Karting Association has announced that it will be sponsoring the prizes for all the classes but is taking the opportunity to send out invitations to local firms who would like to sponsor to come forward.