ALUMINIUM filings in the gaskets of his carburettor caused power problems for Tyrone Stansfield and his lead at the top of the BirelART UK Junior Karting Championship to be trimmed to 13 points.

The Cressing teenager headed to Buckmore Park in Kent for round six of this year's championship with a 33-point lead at the summit, but it proved a tough outing for the Alec Hunter Academy pupil.

Things looked good in the practice, but Stansfield was only able to place his kart eighth in qualifying.

It was the first time in 13 races that he hadn't started on the front row, but made it up to fifth in the heat race before a red flag saw a complete restart and he was only able to take seventh in the shortened race.

That was when power issues really started for Stansfield, though, and he finished 14th in the pre-final knowing his main championship rival was picking up big points at the head of the field.

A different carburettor was used for the final, but with the Cressing youngster starting from 14th and having to avoid a crash in front of him, he dropped back to 18th and had to be content with tenth place at the chequered flag.

He said: "On stripping my carburettor, we found aluminium filings inside the gaskets, so that it what was causing my power issues.

"They were only specks, but enough to hinder the performance.

"This was possibly the same issue we had the round before; it seems fine on practice days and in qualifying and heats but something is clearly breaking up inside come halfway through Sunday race days.

"We will not be using this carb again and I will go on to my second best one which seemed just as quick.

"I lost 20 points this round to the second-placed driver in the championship, so I'm now 13 in front with two rounds to go.

"But my engine was taken away after the race meeting for a top-end rebuild to keep its performance at its peak for the last two rounds."

The penultimate round will be at Shenington in Oxfordshire next month before Stansfield is due to travel to Milan in Italy for the world finals.

Stansfield thanked his sponsors K & B Tatam of Maldon, G & B Finch of Great Leighs, Kingwell Environmental of Long Green and BODYFIT4TRAINING of Witham for their support in 2017.