Ryan Chisholm showed on Sunday that he has the speed to go along with his consistency, posting the quickest lap time in Qualifying and claiming Pole position at Round 2 of the Caribbean Junior Karting Academy Trophy at the Bushy Park circuit in Barbados.
Unbothered by the reverse direction of racing on Sunday, Chisholm signaled his intentions early by putting himself firmly on Pole position. Despite a bad start in Heat 1 he maintained composure to finish 4th.
The reverse grid Heat 2 saw Chisholm storming his way through the field from the back of the pack, making his way to 4th position with a few laps to go while a separate incident involving another karter resulted in a local yellow in one corner. However, the marshal at the following corner failed to display a green flag, leading Ryan to believe that the entire course was under caution, therefore meaning he could not pass any other kart. Even though he was faster than the karts in front of him he maintained position so as not to be penalized. In post-race debrief, he explained his dilemma to his grandfather Donnie, who then questioned the Stewards. The Stewards confirmed that Ryan was correct and admitted that the marshal erred by not signalling the green flag but then declared that nothing could be done. Ryan had to settle for 4th.
With momentum on his side after a 2nd place finish in Heat 3, in the Final fate struck a cruel blow while Ryan was seeking the win; his bumper became dislodged after putting a wheel off the track and unfortunate contact from behind by teammate Tommi Gore. The black flag signaled the end of his race while still in 3rd with open opportunity to pass the two karts in front. He was eventually credited with 13th position, but importantly scored enough points to remain 3rd overall in the Championship.
Tommi Gore’s run of bad luck that struck in Saturday’s Final continued on Sunday. After qualifying 4th, he finished 3rd in Heat 1. A 10th place finish in Heat 2 included a post-race time penalty for a bumper infraction and Heat 3 produced a similar 10th place finish after being hit by another spinning karter. Although driving the entire Final with his fuel tank vent hose spewing gas onto his racing suit, his 3rd place in the Final helped secure 4th place in the overall Championship points standings.
Racing in Junior karts for the first time, Zander Williams solidified his Top 5 points position from Saturday. “Zander had a fantastic learning experience this weekend” reports Neil Williams. “The karts were bigger, heavier and much faster…he performed way above everybody’s expectations and was able to be very competitive. We are very proud of his performance and his ability to learn so quickly. Looking forward to him doing even better at the next round of the Championship.” Zander sits 5th in the overall Championship.
JMMC congratulate all three drivers for their performances. They return to Barbados for Rounds 3 & 4 on February 2nd & 3rd.
Pictured: Tommi Gore in kart #J04. Zander Williams with his kart #J09. Ryan Chisholm being interviewed by TVJ’s Sam Allen after arriving back in Jamaica on Monday.
