It was a welcome return for Carlo Gil this weekend, claiming two podiums to secure third overall in the DD2 Masters class at Round 3 of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships, held at the Formula-K Kart Circuit, Benoni.
Gil, who has not raced competitively in over a year, entered the event without preparation and could still qualify his Ricciardo Kart third in class. Competing alongside the usual DD2 drivers, who are mostly younger and able to weigh less on the scales, Gil managed to stay out of trouble on a day that saw several race stoppages due to incidents.
In the opening heat, the Blue Gil businessman made up a few places in the combined field to finish 12th on the circuit but third in class on his race return. While he finished fourth in class in Heat 2, he would take the chequered flag in 11th following a steady performance. The long layoff, however, was taking its toll, as Gil explains, “Obviously, having been away from the sport for so long and not having the time to prepare correctly, I started feeling the strain in the second heat. The best preparation is always seat time, as it works all the right areas. With a heat remaining I’m hoping to push through the discomfort and finish well.”
The final heat would see racing halted twice after several incidents, which assisted Gil and his aching muscles. Three starts later, the Rotax MAX Challenge’s feature class was underway again, with Gil claiming another DD2 Masters podium finish to be ranked third on the day.
“What a crazy final heat! We barely got started, and then I saw karts going off in every direction. Fortunately, I hung back a little and could make it through unscathed. But the race was stopped, and we did it all again before another incident brought out the red flag. At the third attempt we managed to finish the race. Generally happy to be back out on the circuit and competing again. With such little prep time, it certianly was challenging. But going forward I’m sure we can improve and am looking forward to the next one,” said Gil.
Round 4 of the Northern Regions Rotax Kart Championships returns on 10 June at Formula-K Kart Circuit.
Published by: Motorsport Fanatix – Raymond Cornwell
Picture Caption: Carlo Gil
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