Practice

Practice on Saturday went very smoothly. The chassis was getting better and better after every change we made. My mechanic Tavish gave my teammate Zia and I a little challenge to guess what kind of changes he made to our karts without giving us a hint. I guessed correctly that he lowered my tire pressures, since there wasn't a lot of grip until the very end of the session. We didn't pay much attention to the engine for most of the day because the plan here was to focus on my driving.

Qualify

I had a decent qualifying time, considering that my competition for the weekend is at a very high level of experience. I qualified in 3rd place ahead of Zach Pettinicchi, someone who I couldn't even keep up with a year ago! I would have started in 4th, had Michael Avansino not been DQed for his qualifying.

Heat Races

I was getting too excited for the first heat and thought I could keep Zach behind me around the first corner. I missed my timing on the start, and Zach was able to get next to me and Enzo Prevost, who started in 2nd. We went three-wide into the first corner, and I had no room to avoid crashing into Enzo. As a result, we both didn't finish the race.

I was a lot more careful during the second heat. Probably a little too careful. On the start of the second heat, everyone made it out of the first corner, and I found myself battling for 3rd place with Zach. Late in the race, I went for a move that cost me a position because I got on the brakes too early after moving off the racing line to go for a pass. I finished the race in 5th, which meant that I will be starting in P7 for the main.

Main Race

For the main race, I had another shot at finishing on the podium, if only I had organized a strategy then. I went up to P5 on the start, and then I eventually found myself up in P4 behind Zach again. He was ahead of me by about 20 kart lengths, and I was able to close the gap on him within a couple laps. It was now time for me to prove myself. The battle was tight, and I could see some people on the sidelines frantically waving their arms, motioning me to go for the pass. I made several attempts to get around, but kept messing up my braking at the last second. I had to settle for 4th place in the end, but it was a good race.

Full Results:

• Warm-Up
• Qualifying
• Heat Race 1
• Heat Race 2
• Main Race

Current Standings:

View Full Standings

Read about the other races from 2016 Sanzaru Games Karting Championship