The fifth round of the Northern Region Rok Cup took place on 4 October, a highly anticipated event that brought together the North Region’s top young talents. For 9-year old Egor Grishin, this race was especially meaningful; it’s his home track, and the energy in the paddock made it clear: he came to fight.
This weekend marked Egor’s second race with coach Stanley Hattem, a partnership that already shows great promise. Stanley’s calm, tactical approach perfectly complements Egor’s natural aggression behind the wheel.
Qualifying Battles
Qualifying didn’t go as planned. Egor spent most of the session stuck behind kart #19 (Mathebula Lwashu), unable to find clean air for an overtake. That placed him P6 for the first heat, not ideal but far from hopeless.
Heat 1: A Lightning Start
As the lights went out, Egor exploded off the line, jumping from P6 to P3 within seconds! For four laps he held that position, driving a defensive masterclass. His kart was slightly down on pace, about two-tenths slower per lap, but nobody could pass him.
Then came an intense three-lap battle with #19 again. Wheel-to-wheel, bumper-to-bumper, pure racing! Egor eventually ceded P3, yet he refused to give up. On the final straight, #12 (Hunter North) tried to edge past, but Egor’s nose crossed the line just 20 cm ahead, securing his position.
After penalties were applied to both #19 and #12, Egor was officially classified P3.
Heat 2: Holding the Line
Starting P6 again due to slower lap times in Heat 1, Egor launched hard to P5 but was immediately boxed in by the leaders. Despite that, he ran in the lead group all race long and finished solidly P5, earning the same position for the final heat.
Heat 3: The Decider
With two strong results behind him, Egor went into the final determined to fight for a podium. Off the start, he moved from P5 to P4 and by lap 5 had overtaken #12 for P3. For a lap he defended brilliantly, elbows out and perfect lines, before eventually being re-passed by #12 and then #19 four laps from the flag.
He couldn’t regain the lost ground, but his racecraft and consistency impressed everyone watching.
Final Results
When the points were tallied, the scoreboard said it all:
Position Driver Points
3rd #19 Mathebula Lwashu 87
4th #12 Hunter North 86
5th #11 Egor Grishin 86
Published by: Ekaterina Grishina
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