Racing has plenty of “ups & downs” and round 3 of the Rok Cup Thailand was no exception. Track incidents and mixed weather dealt up an exciting weekend of racing. One in which Alex learned a great many things.
With a new track layout for the weekend, Friday’s practice was all about coming to terms with a new setup. Almost a year since Alex last drove this layout, it took him just one session on new tyres to get close to last year’s personal best lap time.
As the sun came up on Sunday, a few drops of rain led the team to predict that the afternoon final could easily be a wet one, potentially throwing the race wide open.
Qualifying did not go Alex’s way, with mistakes on turn 1 & 3 costing him valuable 10ths of a second and 3 grid positions. Analysing the data, the team made some gearing changes ready for heat 1.
Learning from the disappointments of the last round, Alex kept the Rok engine at high RPMs during the heat 1 start and, after a safe turn 1 entry with no accidents, he settled into a decent race pace. Three karts ahead of him fighting for position, bumping and pushing each other on the last lap gave Alex a passing opportunity to gain places and a P10 finish.
Another gearing change for the pre-final and some carburation adjustments and Alex was on the grid for the pre-final. Another good start into turn 1 saw Alex maintain position, but an accident at turn 3 forced him to take evasive action and lose a place. With one more pass on the penultimate lap to finish in P8, this was shaping-up to be the same as the last Rok Cup round.
As we prepared for the final, the skies got darker and the rain we’d earlier predicted started to fall. The track was now very wet, with some corners deep in water, but by the time Alex and the other Juniors took to the grid it was draining... But still wet.
The CRG Thailand Team were toying with the idea of running Alex on slick tyres, a radical move that could be a winning decision if the sun came out. But the slicks stayed on the trolley and the sun stayed behind the clouds, even though the rain had stopped.
Alex enjoys driving in the wet and had a good start in the final, maintaining position throughout the race to be classified P7 in the official results!
Overall, Alex finished P10 in the Rok Cup series, despite only competing in 2 of the 3 rounds. The goal for 2021 was to finish races inside the top 10 and, although Alex wanted more, he achieved his goal. Now we prepare for a serious 2022 campaign and the goal becomes podium finishes!
Thanks as always to our sponsors Seara Sports, Sicily and Tara Pattana International School for their support.
Qualifying
Pre-Final
Final
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