ALEXANDER BURFORD-FULLER continues to impress in his first year of MSA Kart racing, with yet more good results in the latest round of meetings.
However, it has not been all plain sailing and Hutton-based Burford-Fuller has also experienced low points, with severe mechanical issues plaguing him on occasions.
His first piece of misfortune occurred in the first qualifying heat of the latest round of the Club 2000 Championship at Red Lodge, Suffolk, when lying second with two corners left on the last lap an over-ambitious manoeuvre by another driver resulted in both karts ending up off the track.
Burford-Fuller bounced back with two superb drives in very contrasting conditions and situations.
The first was a masterclass in overtaking when starting from last on the grid to claim a fourth place finish, and the fastest lap of the race.
Before heat three a shower left the track very greasy, but Burford-Fuller enhanced his reputation of being one of the best drivers in the wet in his class when he stormed to victory, winning by a five-second margin.
Bad luck struck again in the final when on lap three he lost his front bumper, and he had to retire from the race.
Despite these setbacks Burford-Fuller maintains his second place in the overall championship.
The fourth round of the Junior Rotax Championship at Rye House was a day Burford-Fuller will not forget quickly, but for all the wrong reasons.
The drama started in heat one when, after taking the lead on the first lap, he immediately built up a substantial lead, but shed a chain.
A steady second race resulted in a fourth place finish, but then disaster struck big-time in the third heat when holding third place on lap five his engine seized solid.
This meant he had to withdraw from the meeting, with a large loss of points, resulting in him slipping two places down to fourth in the overall championship.
The following weekend was the fifth round of the tough Junior Championship at Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, and with his own engine unavailable Burford-Fuller gratefully accepted the loan of an engine from local tuner Ricky Grice of Grice Motors.
In the first two qualifying heats Burford-Fuller achieved two solid mid-pack finishes, and reduced his fastest lap time for the track by three-tenths of a second.
A number of tweaks were made on the kart by team principal Gary Cooper before the start of heat three, and they were immediately successful when Burford-Fuller finished third in the last heat, his highest finishing position at the track. He followed this with an even more impressive drive in the final when finishing a clear fourth, more than four seconds ahead of the next driver.
The result moves Burford-Fuller up to fourth in the overall championship, and only one point behind third.
