Dramatic win for Volkswagen in BEN charity karting finals

Steely determination, glamorous locations, wall to wall Nomex and a grid packed with elite racers locked in frantic wheel to wheel action. Yes, the BEN National Karting Final took place recently and it was down to Volkswagen to lead the way.

A team of four karting amateurs led by Geoff Prince, Managing Director of Arthur Prince Volkswagen in Loughborough, won the fiercely competitive final by a margin of 79 seconds.

The drivers – Geoff Prince, Alastair Lyall, his brother Stephen Lyall and Lee Metcalf – competed in the semi-finals in Birmingham before qualifying for the final held at the challenging PF International Racing Circuit near Newark.

‘We raced proper twin-engined pro-karts, had four driver changes and covered over 100 laps against 17 other teams,’ explained an understandably elated Geoff Prince. ‘All the lads were consistently quick. We were topping 60 mph on the back straight which feels very fast on a kart! It was pretty even throughout the race but we managed to pull away from the others towards the end – all hard work but terrific fun.’

The event, the third of its kind, was organised by BENergy and raised in excess of £30,000 for the charity.

Founded in 1905, BEN is an occupational benevolent fund for employees past and present (and their dependents) from the motor, motorcycle, commercial vehicle and agricultural engineering industries.