Singapore, 6 September 2010 (Press Release) – It was a victorious weekend for Drakar Racing at the fourth round of the inaugural Nescafe Singapore Karting Championship (SKC) on 28 – 29 August 2010 at Kartright Speedway. The red and black team colours shone proudly as the team topped three of five categories: Cadet, Junior and Senior. The entire Cadet podium was a 1-2-3 Drakar finish, with championship leader Jon Lee clinching the win along with Glenn Chiam in second and youngest participant Jordan Tay scoring his first podium finish in third. Amin Noorzilan comes home in first place for Junior and Mohammad Nasri Naufal (Opai) sweetens it up with a victory in Senior. These three category winners are also leading the championship with only one more round to go.
It was a clean sweep of the Cadet class from Drakar as championship leader Jon Lee won again, followed by Glenn Chiam in second and Jordan Tay in third. Chiam had a good qualifying and started in pole position for the final, but spun on the wet track and lost the lead.
“I was delighted when I achieved pole position. During the final I started well and took the lead, but spun on the slippery track and was overtaken by Jon and Jordan. For the remainder of the race I chased aggressively and finally managed to catch Jordan on the last lap at the second last turn to come in second,” said Chiam.
As for Lee, it was a tough week for him before the race weekend but his determination and will to win shone strongly. “I was on medication and nursing a sore throat, as well as preparing and sitting for school tests during the week. Qualifying wasn’t the best for me, but I made a comeback and finished first for both heats. It rained all Sunday but I managed to grab the lead and dominate the pre-final and final to come in first. I’m very happy for the team and our achievements that weekend,” said Lee.
Tay scored his first podium finish in his two years of racing. Having started karting since he was six, the nine-year-old is the youngest driver on the team and in the competition.
Amin Noorzilan topped the Junior category, but not without hard work as he had to overcome obstacles like the penalty he received during the heats that resulted in him starting at the back of the grid. “The weekend wasn’t all smooth; I qualified second but received a penalty and had to start last for the heats. I thought my chances for a podium finish were slim but I didn’t give up and continued fighting. With some luck, I had a good pre-final and started second for the final where I overtook the pole-sitter
at the start and took it home for the team,” said Amin.
The Senior category saw Mohammad Nasri Naufal (Opai) dominating the heats and the pre-final. Although he lost the final to his closest competitor, technical infringements on his rival’s part awarded Opai the win. Sean Hudspeth narrowly missed a podium placing, finishing in fourth.
“I’m very proud of the boys who have done very well this time as they continue to better themselves and set higher standards. Drakar is now leading the championship for the Cadet, Junior and Senior categories with only one more round to go. We will work harder to clinch these overall national titles,” said Jonathan Tay, team manager for Drakar Racing.
With the fifth and final round next, Drakar Racing holds three championship leads with Lee, Amin and Opai fronting their respective categories. The finale of the Nescafe Singapore Karting Championship will take place on October 23 – 24 2010 at Kartright Speedway.
