The 2016 Pembrokeshire Karting Championship roared into action on March 20 for the first round of the season.

The event at Carew saw the introduction of an improved format that provides competitors with more races and a fairer qualifying system.

The racing was often too close to call with the standard of driving incredibly high, despite there being a mixture of both experienced and rookie competitors sharing the track.

Driver of the day awards were presented to David Burger (Whitland) for being the best rookie, Brian Newton (Llanybri) for being the best over 40s driver and Melany Howell (Dre-Fach Felindre) for being the best female driver.

In the heavyweight division, reigning champion Chris Davies (Crymych) had a solid start to his year with some solid race finishes, but ultimately finished second to Brian Newton, who wasted no time in staking an early claim for the title by seizing victory in all of his races. Newcomer David Burger delivered consistent performances to finish third.

The lightweight division saw Sam Dolbear (Sageston) edging in front of his rivals with a string of good results, allowing him to claim the win.

In second place was Stuart Davis (Milford Haven) who was Dolbear’s closest rival in 2015. Kieran Davies (Ammanford) kept the drivers honest by finishing third by just one point.

In the first fastest lap challenge of the year, Stuart Davis was able to beat 14 other participants with a time of 24.165 seconds.

Organisers would like to thank Carew Karting, R. Thomas Photography and Smith and Jones Electrical for their support at the round along with all competitors and spectators who braved the cold at the event.

Round two takes place on April 23 where the PKC will hold its first indoor event of the season.

This year, drivers can afford to miss a race with the drop round so if they missed the first round, they still have an opportunity to win this years prize of an exclusive factory tour at a leading F1 team.

Visit www.pembrokeshirekarting.co.uk for more details.

Top five standings: Lightweights - 1. Sam Dolbear, 149 pts; 2. Stuart Davis, 146; 3. Kieran Davies, 145; 4. Sam Joseph, 141; 5. Jack Allen, 128.

Heavyweights - 1. Brian Newton, 160; 2. Chris Davies, 143; 3. David Burger, 140; 4. Darryl Stafford, 138; 5. Michael Davies, 134.