Monoposto Rounds 1 & 2 - Snetterton - April 22/23rd

The Leastone Racing Team kicked their 2023 season off in style at Snetterton last weekend, where Codey Keogh scored a sensational double win on his single seater debut. The weekend was a first for the team, as they would use both the 300 and 200 layout of the Norfolk track, with Saturdays events on the 300 before moving to the 200 on Sunday.

Qualifying saw Keogh secure a maiden pole position in the dying minutes of the session, while teammate Morgan McCourt grabbed 7th in class. David Heavey was running in a new power unit for the session, which saw him limited to ¾ power but still would get him a time good enough for 12th overall.

16-year-old Keogh showed no rookie nerves for his first start in the Leastone 1000, as he vaulted clear of the field and built a sizeable lead across the opening laps. With full power now at his disposal, Heavey managed to jump into the top 5 by the end of lap one while Morgan went in the other direction and dropped two spots in the opening lap melee.

Codey continued to stretch his legs at the front building a 15 second lead by lap 4. Heavey pulled himself into a podium position and set about chasing down second place, getting within sniffing distance by lap 4. He was overambitious into Brundle on that lap, overstepping the limit and suffering a spin and a stall, dropping him down to 7th in class. This was to Morgans benefit, as this promoted him to 6th in class, having recovered lost ground from earlier.

The race itself was shortened due to the noise curfew and Keogh took the chequered flag to record his first ever single seater win, taking fastest lap to boot. Morgan came home 6th, with Heavey behind in 7th, not having made much ground after his spin.

The playbook would completely flip on Sunday, with the drivers hitting the 200 layout for the first time. Codey lost valuable time in the pits while the team chased an electrical fault on his 1000 and he was helped by a lengthy red flag – which was unfortunately caused by Morgan. He had locked his rear brakes on his first flying lap at the end of the back straight which pitched him into the armco and also resulted in his 1000 ending up on its roll bar, ripping two corners off in the process.

When the session got back underway, Keogh managed to get one flying lap which was enough to get him onto the front row, while Heavey would line up directly behind in 4th.

The team pulled off a monumental turn around by fixing Morgans car and Race 2 preparation was further complicated by the arrival of rain, which saw a last-minute scramble for wets. In the interests of safety, the organisers moved from the traditional standing start to a rolling one and Codey again dealt with this admirably, seizing the lead at Turn 1.

Heavey navigated the treacherous conditions to elevate himself to 2nd on the opening lap and by that time Codey was already streaking away with a healthy lead, looking totally at home in the rain. The race was red flagged on lap 4 due to deteriorating conditions and with no sign of the weather improving, the result was declared and the Leastone crew were awarded their first 1-2 of the year. Almost more impressively, Morgan managed to gain 2 spots during the shortened race, despite his less-than-ideal preparation!

The focus now shifts to Silverstone on May 27/28th, which historically has been a challenging circuit for the team, but they will be hoping to build on this positive start to the season.