Hoped for a solid round but had to work very hard to make the best of it.
Friday
Looked strong in testing and with changeable weather forecast it was going to be interesting to see how things panned out on Saturday and Sunday.
TQ Saturday Started well buzzing around at the top of the board and looking strong for a front end start then on the important last lap managed to hit a damp patch which wrecked TQ dropping Dude to 14th in group....
So heats with all to do..starting P14 which could have been worse we were looking to make up as many positions as possible to ensure a front few rows start in the finals on sunday.
Heat 1
Go! and it's a straight drag, missing out the chicane half way down the straight, to have 30 karts piling into a 180 degree right handers flat out....good idea NOT...come out of that having dropped another 5 places but head down and start to get to work Came over the line in P9 so did OK but had hoped for better.
Heat 2
If we thought heat was was not ideal got to the same corner 1st lap and got fired in tyres....by the time Lucas restarted he was last but 1..by a margin...so that was pretty much game over. Again he just got his head down and did what he could, catching the driver in front who was 2.5 seconds ahead.
Positives....hmmmm..was only 1 10th off the lap times of the leading pack who were working together pushing and Lucas was on his own in clear air so we knew we had good pace. Also good to have kept pushing as although we finished P26 he salvaged 4 more points than he could have if he'd have stopped. .
Sunday In practice he looked very strong so we hoped he would be able to make up some points as starting P26 at S1 is a hard task..
Final 1 (prefinal)
P26 start so it was just a case of in and go... Lap 1 managed to get through turn 1 and started to go to work...and did he.. 12 places, going through at every opportunity. Over the next 9 laps he kept progressing moving up to P4 and into the last lap.....defending well as Harry Thompson was on his bumper and just a little too hot into pit corner gave Harry the 1/2 kart width on the exit he was waiting for and he and Caden Mcqueen got through to relegate Dude to 6th... . .massive drive though and put him back into the game....couldnt ask for more...and only 8 100th off fastest lap whilst coming through the traffic
Final 2
Starting P6 so at the right end... through turn 1 OK and straight in on Thompson at the chicane into P3...looking good.... Lucas should have gone in on the p2 driver but waited too long and Thompson went in at the hairpin and Dude ended up getting run and the train relegated him to 6th....loss of momentum allowed Reggie to get through dropping to P7.
Time to get going so head down and start to go...lap 6 P6 but the group in front had a gap and we're pushing. Lucas and Ben were close but unfortunately could get a push on so Lucas had to try to drive up to the front pack....which finally happened but it was on the last but 1 lap...got to the back of the front 5 and went straight in to move up to P5 which is where he took the flag..
All in all a hard weekend with downs and ups which was epically recovered by the driver.....well done mate.
