Hornchurch's Bobby Thompson in karting action

Success for karting duo

Upminster's Connor Mills leads from the front in one of his latest karting events

Two local teenagers maintained their fine form on the karting track with victories in Scotland at the weekend.

Hornchurch’s Bobby Thompson and Connor Mills, of Upminster, won races in their respective classes in the Formula Kart Stars Championship at Larkhall, near Glasgow.

The 15-year-old Mills, a pupils at Coopers Coborn, had won the British Open Championship in Cumbria during the Bank Holiday weekend against some of the top drivers in the country.

And he took the chequered flag north of the border to move into second place in the Bernie Ecclestone-backed KFS Mini Max series.

Meanwhile, Emerson Park pupil Thompson, also 15, produced two steady heats to line up second on the grid for his Junior Max final, before seeing off his rivals for a comfortable win which took him to the top of the standings.

He said: “I was not too confident going into the meeting as I have not been to Larkhall for three years, but after a few practice sessions on Friday I knew the team had put afantastic kart set-up for me and my confidence grew stronger every lap.

“By the time the final came I knew we were faster than anyone out there so all I had to do was make sure I got through the first few laps without any incidents and go on to take a win.”

Mills, who also boxes for the Five Star club in Harold Hill, returns to Rowrah in Cumbria for the third round of the Super One British Championship this weekend, currently occupying fourth place in the standings, just six points behind the leader.

Thompson, having earned a test drive at Silverstone as part of his prize from winning the previous meeting at Elough Park, competes in the Ford Fiesta Junior Championship at Rockingham next weekend.

He added: “I’m looking forward to Rockingham now, where my Fiesta ST should be reaching speeds of about 120mph on the main straight. I just hope this winning streak continues.”