ADD Motorsports driver Lando Norris completed another near-perfect weekend by winning the first round of the CIK FIA European Championship. The 13-year-old ensured he remains one of the most feared young drivers on the karting scene thanks to victory in the KFJ class in Alcaniz. The Glastonbury teen endured a nail-biting wait before learning he had won after his nearest rival was docked points for earlier contact with him. But it was nothing more than he deserved after being the top driver on Friday and Saturday and recovering from the hit from behind in the final. He said: “It’s definitely one of my best wins of the season. Our engine meant we had quite a gain on our competitors during earlier wins this season, but slowly they have caught up so I think this was a better win. The leader had a big gap, but I managed to keep him under pressure and made a lot fewer mistakes. I’m really pleased.”
Lando was always up among the fastest drivers during the week in practice and qualifying, and kept this speed going into the heats when he impressively won five out of five. He started pole in the pre-final but with a slowish start, saw himself slip back into fourth. But he pulled back a place to finish third, with his pre-final beating the other by just one second. The main final saw Lando start in fifth position – but after a good start he had soon manoeuvred himself into second. The leader Sasakorn Chaimongkol had put some distance between himself and the chasing pack, but slowly Lando began to close it up. When Chaimongkol turned to look over his shoulder after taking a corner too hard, Lando took the opportunity to get in front of him down the inside. But with a lap to go, Lando was hit from behind by the same driver as they went into another corner, leaving him to work hard to recover and defend second place at the end. An hour and a half after the race had finished, Chaimongkol was given a 10 second penalty for the contact, giving Lando a much deserved win. He said: “He hit me quite hard and made me miss the corner, so I was pretty annoyed as it stopped me winning. But after an hour and a half they told me he had been given the 10 second penalty which meant I won. It was another good weekend and the season’s getting better and better. I’m making fewer mistakes and the engine and kart are really great. I just want to thank my mum and dad for all the time they put into supporting me, Ricky Flynn Motorsport and ADD Motorsports for all their hard work and say a big thank-you to all my sponsors like Freem, Drift, 7/9/13 and Skullcandy. There’s a lot more to come!”
Gareth Morgan – ADD Motorsports / © Photo KSP