An exciting and brutal experience!
For my first race in ROK Shifters with a CRG Factory chassis, I qualified on the front line and finished my first heat in P6. After that came the "brutal" part of the experience.
I started the race in P6 and, by the start of the 4th lap, I was in P5, only 0.2 seconds away from the driver in P4. However, just before the second corner, both him and I lost control of our karts on the water and ended off track. He managed to restart but my impact with the barrier was such that it bent the chassis (by 8cm), the floor plate, the rear axle, a steering tie rod and the steering column.
So, my fantastic team got to work and managed to straighten it, replace all broken parts and ensure I was up to starting the last heat, albeit in P16.
In heat 3 I managed to climb to 9th, only 2/10ths away from 8th but my font bumper was in and ended in P10 after the penalty. The sum of my points put me in P12 for the final.
I started the final very well, finishing the first lap in P7! Four laps later, I was P4, position I stayed in until the checkered flag.
Despite the accident, I'm very proud of achieving this result in my first Shifters race and very grateful to the team for the opportunity. It's been a great experience and I've learnt a lot.
As usual, I want to thank my team, Ferrara Kart, my mechanic and friend, Michael Ferrara, my engine provider, Kartissimo By Andreoli Renato, and CRG Factory for the chassis.
A big thank you too to my sponsors, Edilceramic SA, ACS Neuchâtel, Christophe Hurni (Sport-Promotions.ch) and the Sports and Solidarity Foundation of the IOC.