PODIUM PRIZE FOR QUINN AT HOME
57 KF-Junior drivers from 27 nations from across the world gathered at the PF International Circuit in Lincolnshire for the second round of the CIK-FIA KF-Junior European Championship.
In just his second KFJ outing of the season as a Factory Driver for CRG S.P.A, Cornish Karting Star Alex Quinn rose to the occasion at his 'home' race to take a thoroughly deserved 2nd place on the podium after a hugely impressive weekend for him and CRG.
Alex made full use of his impressive record at the PF International circuit to fully cement him in contention from the very first lap in anger during testing. After a consistently impressive showing throughout the early running, Alex further compounded his pace by setting the second fastest time in his group for Official Practice. It was clear Alex was in the main fight, setting the tone for the weekend ahead.
In the split group Qualifying session, Alex posted the 2nd fastest time in his group, just 0.088s off the fastest time.
However due a dramatic shift in circuit conditions, the first group was substantially faster. This meant once the times were combined to form the classification, Alex ended up 17th.
It was a surprise to see such a change in track conditions, leaving Alex to start three of his heats from 7th and 8th for the remaining heat.
Alex managed to work through the field well for each heat, keeping out of trouble and coming through the field to achieve two 5th place finishes and two 3rd place finishes in the 8 lap heats.
The results of Alex's heats left him in 6th overall in the classification, which would become his position on the grid for the PreFinal.
This starting position contributed to Alex's championship position, by adding 5 points to his total before any further racing was contested.
Starting the PreFinal on the outside was dealt with quickly by Alex, as he managed to force his way onto the inside, avoiding any first corner calamities. Alex had maintained position after the first lap and began to settle into a rhythm, picking off drivers as he rose further up the order in the following laps.
By the eighth lap Alex had taken 2nd position, however his progress through the pack had meant the leader was out of reach. Alex then fought to maintain his position to the flag, which he managed by 0.4s from the chasing pack.
ALEX WOULD START THE 19 LAP FINAL OF THE 1382M TRACK FROM P2 ON THE GRID
The Grand Final once again saw Alex starting from the outside. In the tightly packed commotion into the first corner Alex was forced to concede two positions as he fell to 4th.
Alex got his head down and motored back through the pack, retaking 2nd position after the 4th lap of the race. The leader had extended the advantage upfront to over 1 second. This gap soon dwindled as Alex charged to the front, taking the lead on lap 11.
With two laps to go, the chasing pack working together to catch Alex created a five kart battle for the lead. After dropping to 5th in the late race exchanges, Alex managed to come back at them to take 2nd position back at the flag, just one second off the race victor.
Alex was able to reflect on the weekend after his podium success at PF International:
"In testing we were always near the top but qualifying proved difficult due to track temperatures but we were quickly at the sharp end in the heats. On finals day everything felt great, in the PreFinal i got into 2nd after a tough race and the same in the final. This podium felt very special as its my first European KFJ podium"
This result supplied Alex with a further 20 points to his haul from the weekend, taking him up to 32 points in total and therefore vaulting him up to 5th position in the standings.
Alex's next event involves a clash in dates on the 26th of July between the RGMMC Junior Rotax Euro Challenge Championship at Wackersdorf in Germany and the CIK-FIA KFJ European Championship at Kristianstad in Sweden. Alex is currently 5th overall in both championships .
"THE PACE WAS AMAZING ALL WEEKEND, BEING ABLE TO BE FIGHTING FOR THE WIN IN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN KFJ IS A GREAT FEELING! WE WILL BE WORKING TO MAINTAIN THIS FOR THE REMAINING RACES.
HUGE THANKS TO CRG FOR A GREAT WEEKEND AND TO ALL MY SUPPORTERS "
- ALEX QUINN
(Photo credit - Chris Walker @ Kartpix.net)
BACK TO NEWS
RACE RESULTS
QUALIFYING -17TH
HEAT 1 - 5TH
HEAT 2 - 5TH
HEAT 3 - 3RD
HEAT 4 - 3RD
PRE-FINAL - 2ND
FINAL - 2ND
