Milo Manderson

“An amazing start to our Super One campaign in Junior Max for Milo. We have had to move from our usual #77 to #82 which was Milo’s granddad’s racing number and it has brought us some luck! 

“Milo only went and put it on pole in timed qualifying! We did not quite have the pace in the heats or final to trouble the front two, but a 4^th and a 3^rd left us with P3 for the final. Milo’s side of the grid got away poorly and he dropped to 6^th, only to fight back for P3.

“Milo drove his socks off and delivered some great results. One pole position, two third-place finishes, two seconds a DNF, Milo also drove from 16^th to 6^th in the Sunday final, leaving him P5 in the championship standings with not a mark on the bodywork all weekend! On to Rowrah at the end of the month for Rounds 3 and 4.�

“This weekend’s high-octane journey took the team to a classic track: Shenington Kart Racing Club circuit near Banbury.

“Saturday’s practice sessions ran trouble-free for both Milo and Jensen, and all looked promising for the last run of the day in Heat 1. In particular for Milo, as his motor proved to be in fine tune, posting fastest laps in the earlier sessions.

“Our youngest pilot, Jensen, was to start Heat 1 in pole position and with his well-controlled formation lap, a green light start was in the offing. Milo made a strong start, holding position going into the first turn and Jensen gained a two-kart lead out of the Cafe Complex and continued to pull away from the pack.

“The usual ducking and diving ensued until the heavens opened with only three laps remaining. All drivers showed Senna-esque skills, keeping their machines on the rails in truly monsoon conditions and on slick tyres too!

“Jensen fought hard but was eventually overtaken and now down into third, but he was not to be beaten and recovered second place in the tightest of race finishes. Milo also drove with exceptional finesse in the same treacherous conditions, gaining some nine places and finishing in 6^th position.”

“This weekend took us back to Hunts Kart Racing Club in Kimbolton for Round 3 of their own Club Championship.

“Saturday was a full day of testing on worn tyres, with conditions surprisingly good given the snowfall on the previous day.

“Jensen drove very well, trying new lines through turn two and the entry into the Bus Stop which both proved fruitful on the stopwatch.

“And so, to race day on Sunday, firstly having to scrub-in new slick tyres on a very treacherous damp track, doing very well just to keep it on the black stuff.

“Unfortunately, the same could not be said in Heat 1 when, after gaining several places at the start, Jens was later T-boned by a kart returning to the track after their own spill, which would later cost him his place in the A-Final.”

“The first round of the of the Shenington MSUK Championship this weekend was our fourth race in Junior Rotax.

“There were three short practice sessions in the wet on the Saturday, then it was straight into Heat 1, with a fifth-place finish.

“Sunday was dry all day, so we were on the back foot from those who tested in the dry on Friday. Milo went well in the three-lap practice, after which the team tweaked the setup for Heat 2 (finished third) and Heat 3 (finished fourth) to give us a great starting position of fourth for the final.

“With the lap times as they were, any one of six drivers could have won it. The race was an absolute barnstormer, with the top five squabbling over every place and Milo being in third for a while, right on the leaders’ tails, only to get bumped back to fifth.

“Some extremely aggressive moves by some to get back in it and some amazing overtakes by Milo to stay in contention. The top five were nose-to-tail over the line at the end, with Milo finishing in fifth.”

“Well, after a well-earned break since the end of November ’22, this weekend it was back to work for Jensen to compete in round one of the 2023 Shenington MSUK Championship.

“We arrived at the track a tad anxious due to having not even started, let alone tested, our one and only Rotax Max engine, which over the break had been fully rebuilt by Time Racing Engines at Whilton Mill. But we need not have worried because Dan and his team had worked their magic and returned the motor in fine fettle. The unit sparked into life on the very first turn of the crank sounding as spritely as ever.

“So, it was to the track, which by now on the Saturday was wet to say the least, and it was therefore difficult to judge our real pace on fresh running gear.

“It did give young Jensen a chance to blow the cobwebs of Christmas away and get back into the groove, though. Practice went well, with Jensen securing 5^th fastest in Practice 2 and at one point posting a fastest on-track time. Not a bad first day back at school so to speak.

“We returned the following day to a very chilly but bright and sunny Shenington track where hopefully we could post a more realistic time and prove good our motor.

“With random grids employed, the first race of the day started us mid-grid in 9^th place. BOOM! Great start from Jensen, gaining a place going into Cafe corner late on his ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ and resulting in the fastest Sector 3 time of the opening lap. Driving hard and consistent, a further place was taken on Lap 4 and again another place on Lap 5, leaving us now in 5^th place, with teammate Milo Manderson in the #77 MS Kart breathing down JP’s race suit collar.”

“We set out on our journey to Germany from to Poland in the lorry, but unfortunately, due to some logistical issues we were arriving in the evening instead of the morning.

“We arrived at the track at 10pm and immediately got the car out of the lorry. Fortunately, I managed to get two dry laps in until torrential rain flooded the track. This was my second time (10th lap ever) driving the car with a sequential gearbox and a supercharger.

“The next morning, we were informed that we had one practice lap, so I did the best I could to push the car into every clipping zone on the track and managed to put in a good lap.

“Next up was qualifying. My first run was in the wet and with a few minor errors I put a good score on the board, but with a patchy track turning into a dry track, the weather was not on my side. As the track became less and less unpredictable, high scores started to occur, and by the time It came to my second run I needed to do something special if I wanted to make it through to the Top 32. I thought back to my 99-point qualifying run at Three Sisters and all the techniques and lessons I have learnt over the past few years. I decided that I had to go all-in.

“Staying as close to the walls as I could and covering the grandstands in smoke, I scored a 79. With only three Laps of practice, I considered this a nice accomplishment The score put me in 31st by the end of qualifying. This means that I would take on arguably the best driver in Europe, Jack Shanahan.

“Competition day arrived, and I was feeling confident that although Jack was a tough competitor, there was a chance I could beat him. In practice that day I chased his brother around the track with extremely close proximity.

“I lined up against Jack on the line, and the lights went out. I knew for the second time that weekend that I could not hold back. On entry, I stayed close to his door, however, when I got to the second corner I was further in the zone than Jack. This was good in the eyes of the judges, but the track had other ideas. Suddenly I hit a wet patch and the car dialled on more angle, slowing me down and giving Jack a lead. I soon regained proximity, but it was too late. I put in a nice lead run but it didn’t overturn my error in the chase. As we watched and cheered Jack went on to win the event, ‘we’ll get him next time,’ I said to my dad.�

After checking out the new livery himself for the first time, Cotton used the occasion as an excuse to perform some of his signature powerslides around ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ HQ’s site, which can be viewed in the video below.

We wish Max all the very best of luck for this year’s championship. Updates will be shared on the News pages of our website as and when they happen.

– To find out more about Max Cotton, .

– To find out more about the Drift Masters European Championship, .

Cotton entrusts ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ’ Yellowstuff pads and USR discs for his V8-powered PS13 Nissan Silvia – a vehicle that’s receiving some serious upgrades over the winter months to ensure he’s as competitive as possible for the year ahead.

As part of the continued partnership, Cotton’s car will receive another bespoke ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ-adorned livery for the new season, the design of which will be unveiled in the coming months.

You can see Max’s comments on the news in his own words below.

“As the 2022 drift season approaches, I am extremely excited to announce that my partnership working alongside ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ as my title sponsor will continue throughout the next season. After a brilliant relationship with ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ during 2021 with amazing media being produced and outstanding support.  

“For next year, the LS V8 engine will be forged and armed with a procharger (a turbo-supercharger hybrid) to produce around 900bhp. This will allow me to be more competitive in the Drift Masters European Championship, which is where we will be competing next year.

“I am so honoured to have ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ as my sponsor next year and run their Yellowstuff brake pads and USR discs once more. We have some extremely exciting plans for 2022, all of which will be revealed in the near future. 

“A massive thanks to the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ team for being so amazing; I cannot wait to get back out in the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ PS13 and shred some more tyres!â€�

“I got the layout dialled in quickly and spent the rest of practice fine-tuning the line, concentrating on improving my speed, angle, and style. My first qualifying run went well, and I managed to score 79 points which put me in the lead. As I sat on the start line ready for my second run, I decided to send it and give it all I could. It felt fast and I had managed to dial on even more angle than my first run. I was awarded with 82 points, which secured first place.

“I managed to win all my battles and the final saw me go up against Japspeed driver, Matt Denham. Matt knocked me out of the top 4 in round 2 at Donnington Park, and he is an amazing driver so I knew it would be tough. Matt seemed to glue his car to my door from start to finish and as I drove to the start line, I knew I would need to pull something really special out of the bag if I was to win this battle. I gave it all I could and waited for the results to come in. I knew it was close, but I still couldn’t believe it when the announcement was made – we took the win!”

“With entry speeds of around 120mph followed by a slower but very technical infield, the track was challenging but I soon got to grips with it and put in a 75-point qualifying run that put me in 1^st position. I was soon to be knocked off the top spot by Martin Richards who put in an amazing run.

“As I sat on the line ready for my second run, I knew I would have to do something special, so I kept my foot down and threw the car in fast. I got deep into the clips and tried to add a bit more flare to my run. The judges rewarded me and I managed to score 85 points, which again put me on the top spot. Once again, Martin Richards put in an insane run and again, I dropped down to second.

“I was happy with qualifying but found myself up against Luke Barker who is an amazing driver and currently leading the UK Drift Championship by 30 points. I knew it would not be easy, but I put in a good lead line and gained good proximity on my chase, so I managed to take the win.

“My next battle was against world champion Monster Energy Gymkhana driver, Luke Woodham. It was a very close battle but a small mistake by Luke meant I took the win!”