Multiple national karting champion KC Ensor-Smith made his circuit debut at the Aldo Scribante Racetrack in Gqeberha this past weekend, with the rookie showing some good pace throughout the weekend to conclude Round 4 of the Investchem F1600 with a top-eight finish.
Ensor-Smith confidently approached Saturday’s morning qualifying after nearly achieving the top spot in Friday’s final practice session. Ensor-Smith secured the eighth fastest time in a highly competitive field, with only a 0.298 second difference from Antwan Geldenhuys’ pole position time. This clearly highlights the intense level of competition amongst the grid.
From his fourth-row starting position, the Witbank resident battled numerous drivers for position to cross the finish line in seventh to cap off a closely-contested race. In Race 2, unfortunately, Ensor-Smith had a coming together with Andrew Schofield that saw the duo drop down the race order after battling one another for the seventh position. After the race times were combined, Ensor-Smith finished in eighth overall.
“My first visit to Aldo Scribante was a good one despite the results not going our way today,” said Ensor-Smith. “The times were extremely close throughout the two days, and my pace was strong. From that point of view, I’m quite satisfied as we’re moving forward at every event and getting closer to the front of the field. I’d like to see us convert this pace into a podium now. Thank you to the team and to everyone for the support this weekend.”
While Round 5 of the Investchem F1600 resumes at the Border Motorsport East London Grand Prix Circuit on 21-22 July, Ensor-Smith will return to karting duty with the Toyota Gazoo Racing Junior Academy at the third round of the South African Rotax MAX Challenge at Killarney International Raceway on 21-22 July 2023.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix
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