Alex Seymour’s first entry into the Rok Cup was eagerly anticipated by the whole team. Official Practice on Saturday turned out to be a mix of wet and dry conditions throughout the day and it was difficult to get any sense of setup due to the varying conditions.
The first 3 sessions were wet and Alex was moving up the order, finishing session 3 in second place. After lunch a couple of dry sessions allowed him to get the slicks on and work on a dry setup. The team may have been hoping for rain on Sunday but we all woke up to shining sun and clear skies.
A brief 10 minute warm up showed the CRG Thailand Team that more work was needed prior to Qualifying, but the changes failed to produce the desired effect and the qualifying position was not as good as Alex expected. P12 was the best he could achieve which meant there was a long day of hard work ahead.
Heat 1 saw yet another setback, as the engine began to lose power on the formation lap and Alex dropped to the back of the field during on rolling start. Quickly picking up 2 places on lap 1, the issue soon returned and dropped Alex to the back of the field and, losing even more time, was forced to retire on lap 2.
A distraught Alex took some time to regroup his thoughts and with the support of the CRG Team was ready for the Pre-Final. It was going to take a big effort to recover from last on the grid to mid-field but the plan was to settle into the race and move up as far as possible without any further issues. A couple of confidence-building passes on laps 9-11 saw Alex move up to 10th. He took the chequered flag and, with the kart now running well, we were looking forward to the final.
The plan was coming to life and, by the start of the Final, Alex had been promoted by two places on the grid due to other drivers being penalised. 8th on the grid was Alex’s personal best starting position, now it was down to him.
Managing the rolling start well helped Alex gain one position into turn one. This was definitely new territory for Alex! While there could have been a chance at the start of lap 3 to gain a few more places due to contact between the karts ahead, Alex settled into consolidating the gains of the day and putting the bad luck of the morning behind him.
Driving a very mature race, Alex was under pressure from the drivers behind him throughout the 19-lap race. He not only held on to his position, but even managed to extend a few extra metres of gap on the pursuing karts. A passionate fist-pump as he crossed the line holding 7th place told the story of the day and of the long year that has been 2021. A drive that was full of heart and soul and one to be proud of!
Many thanks to our sponsors Seara Sports Systems, Sicily & Tara Pattana International School and to the personnel of CRG Thailand!
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