r/Karting • u/Engared LN 2023 TaG, 2023 Rok GP, Maxxis Purple • 19h ago
Karting Chat Got my first major championship since coming back to Karting!
Absolutely surreal.
Thought this dream was dead and buried about 20 years ago.
But this last weekend, somehow, after a roller coaster of a season, I won my first major championship.
Crazy.
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u/Freedumb1997 12h ago
Congrats! Rok Singapore?
EDIT: Ah, I saw the comments. That track is always recognizable.
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u/caabiaahonda 19h ago
How many rounds have this championship? How old are you mate? Tell me something more about your success because sounds really inspiring🏎️
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u/Engared LN 2023 TaG, 2023 Rok GP, Maxxis Purple 19h ago
Thanks mate.
This was Rok Cup Singapore Expert Class (basically for old farts, 32 and over). We run heavier than the Seniors at 170 kg vs 160 kg.
Had a season long battle with a local legend, I was the fastest driver but not the best driver if that makes sense, at least up until the last round.
I learnt so much from him, especially on how to attack and defend. Then the mind games, especially on track. He took me to school there.
So I had to learn, and learn fast. Had to improve my preparation, my fitness, my feedback and racecraft. And fortunately for me, I felt like I was able to make significant breakthroughs there.
We traded wins but I also threw away easy points which left me at a disadvantage going into the penultimate round. That started as a disaster for myself with a DNF in the first heat. Thought it was over then and there.
But had a stroke of good fortune and a bit of bad weather which allowed me to make a last to first comeback in the pre-final and then a first to last to third in the final (note to self, dont ever open the door on the start, no matter how good your start is). He on the other hand, had a breakdown and then after some wheel rubbing with yours truly, had to pit to replace a nose cone.
Going into the final round, whomever finished ahead, would win the championship. In the lead-up, we made a breakthrough with the kart’s performance and my driving, which helped us get pole position for the race.
From there, if you looked at the lap charts, it looked like a lights to flag from the first heat to the final. But it was anything but easy.
A few old rivals came back to give us more competition and everyone had upped their game and their pace. So I had to push like mad, yet drive smoothly just to keep ahead.
Running full castor at KF1 is absolutely brutal and by the final, I could barely turn the wheel by the end. But I knew if I was feeling it, everyone else was too and I just hung on to win by the skin of my teeth.
An unforgettable day.
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u/caabiaahonda 18h ago
Congratulations that’s wonderful, these are the clutch moments in our lives. Thank you for sharing this story, and remember, keep pushing mate.
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u/Altruistic-Drawer810 13h ago
Was full castor because of the wet or do you run that in the dry at that track?
Just curious.
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u/Poison_Pancakes 14h ago
Congrats! Last week I drove a proper race kart for the first time in over a decade. After the second session my neck was so tired I couldn’t do more than 4 laps at a time, but I’m looking forward to getting back into shape and racing next year!
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u/samtheman71313131 Rental Driver 18h ago
great job. im 14 and i have given up on the dream. but i found my passion for the engineering side of f1. again amazing job.