Local News: Karting Championship Finale

Coming off a great fourth round in August, stakes are high for drivers looking to finish the season strong and take home one of 5 AutoInc SKC 2011 championship titles. With grid girls, free beer and cash prizes, final round weekend is sure to be full of fun, excitement and great racing.

Hot names for final round weekend would be Jon Lee (Cadet), Amin Noorzilan (Junior), Thaddeus Lee (Senior) and Eric Ho (Senior Master), who are at the top of the championship standings in their respective categories. Anthony Seow has already cemented his overall win in the Senior Veteran category with a 43 point lead over his closest rival.

Sanctioned by the Singapore Motor Sports Association (SMSA) and officiated by Singapore GP, the AutoInc SKC 2011 is organised by McElrea Racing. The championship chase will come down to the final lap at Kartright Speedway, Singapore’s premier competition-length karting racetrack. Overall champions of each category will receive cash prizes ($688, $388 and $188 respectively) in addition to the trophies. There will also be a Best Presented Trophy, an Overall Fastest Lap winner ($688 + trophy) and a Fairplay Champion winner ($688 + trophy) and this is the first time it has been implemented in the SKC to promote sportsmanship and fairplay. The 8-turn, 750-metre-long technically challenging circuit will be run in the clockwise direction, providing a solid challenge for the drivers.

Drakar Racing Team’s Jon Lee holds the lead in the Cadet category of AutoInc SKC 2011 by 150 points. “Right after winning the championship last year, I am determined to defend my championship,” said 12-year-old Lee, when asked about his expectations for this 2011 season. Holding the 35-point advantage over his closest competitor, Williams Racing’s Javier Chng, Lee has a very high mathematical chance to be crowned the champion in the Cadet category.

For the Junior Category, Amin Noorzilan has switched teams from Williams Racing to Drakar Racing and he enters the final round 25 points ahead of second placed GP Racing’s Yeo Hong Yang. Hot on the heels of Yeo is McElrea Racing’s Gabriella Teo, who currently trails behind by only three points. Anticipate high-drama action on the tracks as Yeo and Teo will try their best to come out on the top of their category.

BMS Racing Team’s Thaddeus Lee continues to lead in the Senior Category with 105 points, despite his absence in Round 1. Starting the season with two straight wins, 16-year-old Lee has consistently proved to be one of the fastest drivers on the track. Lee’s impressive performance has put him at the top of the Senior Category, 27 points ahead of Saravanan Rajakumar in second place.

The fight in the Senior Master Category is too close to call at this point. Eric Ho has kept himself at the head of the class with 112 points, followed by BMS Racing teammate Benjamin Goh and PDB Maddox’s Ong Kian Leong with 99 and 91 points respectively. “As you can see that mathematically, there are 4 drivers capable of winning it and I think at this point, I’m just simply in better shoes than the rest,” said Ho.

Clinching the overall win in the Veteran category with 145 points, Benz Motorsports’ Anthony Seow commented on his victory, “While the Veteran’s contingent may be smaller compared to the Masters Class, there are very good drivers like Kenny Yip, Richard Wee and Leon Khoo. I have never thought I would win this championship. I only focused on being as competitive as I can be.” The wildcard for this category will be the battle between Kenny Yip and Jann Yap for the first runner-up position with 102 and 74 points respectively.

Title sponsor AutoInc Sports is a luxury automobile broker that has been a key supporter of the motorsports industry in Singapore. Other sponsors for AutoInc SKC 2011 include Xinya Media, Eurohaus, Kartright Speedway, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, Wimobilize Singapore Pte Ltd and Porsche Design. With SKC, the McElrea Racing team and SKC sponsors are committed to presenting a professional national karting championship and help promote competitive motor sports in Singapore while furthering the development of kart racers of all ages and competitive levels.

The AutoInc SKC Grid Girls 2011 will dish out free ice-cold beer to cool the heat in the packed viewing gallery, and everyone attending the final round races can stand a chance to win one of five exclusive Zymol packages worth $980 each in a lucky draw.

Categories for the AutoInc Singapore Karting Championship 2011 include five racing classes: Cadet (8 to 12 years), Junior (13 to 15 years), Senior (15 to 35 years), Senior Master (30 to 45 years) and Senior Veteran (45 years and up).

Credits: wilswong