December 2nd 2020
Karting World Final - Portugal
As a result of his summer success in the British Karting Championships, Year 7’s Leo R qualified for the Karting World Finals in Portimao, Portugal. The event was held over a week, with regular COVID testing in a closed paddock under secure conditions. This year, the Mini X30 class, for drivers under 13 years of age, was contested by 30 drivers from 10 different countries.
The track offered a challenging mix of long straights and slow complex corners that required a compromised kart set up. The event started reasonably well for Leo with him qualifying in 2nd position, for a grid slot on the outside for the first turn. In the first of three qualifying heats, Leo was judged to have jumped the start and was awarded a 10 second penalty. This resulted in him finishing in 9th place. Leo, however, made amends and went on to win the next 2 heats. The aggregate score from the 3 heats awarded Leo 4th position on the grid for the pre-final, again starting from the outside. The 12 lap pre-final was held in wet conditions which normally suit Leo. He, however, struggled to find grip and after a poor start he recovered to finish 5th, which would be his starting position for the final.
The 15 lap final was held in damp conditions. Leo’s kart was set up for a drier track and Leo started poorly, dropping back to 6th position and losing some ground to the leaders. At about the half way point, Leo was able to find more grip on the drying track and he set a string of fastest laps to chase down the front pack. He then made a string of passes, taking advantage of karts battling against one another within the leading group. Leo moved into the lead with less than a lap to go and was able to pull a few kart lengths clear prior to the twisty final section of the lap. Leo positioned his kart accurately, and defended through the final few corners to win by 0.1 seconds. The first 5 karts all crossed the line within 2 seconds of each other.
Leo’s win ends the 2020 season on a high, as the World Champion in the Mini X30 kart class. He now looks forward to representing his country in international competition in 2021.
