LOUIS Harvey battled both a first-heat puncture and the elements but still secured second place in round three of the Shenington Kart Club Championship.

With a grid of 27 drivers in the sodden conditions it was always going to be a good challenge for everyone.

Harvey started 18th for heat one and by the first lap had made up six places, but on lap two his front wheel got tangled with another kart’s rear bumper and dropped him back to 16th.

Unknown to Harvey this had caused damage to the tyre valve and he was now racing with a rapidly deflating front tyre.

He battled on and still managed to climb back up the grid, crossing the line in a respectable 11th place under the circumstances.

Heat two and hoping not to have a repeat of the puncture issue, Harvey started 12th and after a flying start was into sixth after lap one.

By lap four he had climbed to second and was closing the gap to the leader.

Harvey needed one more lap for the win but remained second having come in trailing the winner by just four-hundredths of a second.

Despite the heat one setback, Harvey still managed to secure a third-row starting position for the final, lining up in sixth.

After two false starts the race was under way but on the first few corners some of the leading drivers tangled, which allowed the leader to break away.

Harvey managed to avoid the collision but now had a battle through a number of karts to chase for the lead.

By the sixth lap it was clear the win was out of reach and it was going to be a three-way battle for second place.

Harvey, Saunders and Cole swapped places throughout, with Harvey crossing the line just one-hundredth of a second ahead of Saunders to take the runner-up spot.