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IAME Winter Cup - Highlights & Facts
Kanato raced in the X30 Junior class at the Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero in Valencia
The Japanese racer finished fourth or higher in every heat with four top-three results from five races
He also claimed his first European pole position and podium
Mastered changeable weather to record his first European victory in the Pre-Final
A decisive drive in wet conditions in the Final secured him second-place
Kanato’s Weekend Review:
“It’s been a great weekend and I’m so happy with my results. I’ve worked hard over the winter following my first IAME season last year so it’s a great feeling to have my first pole, podium and win in Europe. The weekend started well and I felt comfortable in the kart during practice and qualifying.
“I had a great battle in my opening heat on Saturday, it was very close between all of us and fourth place was a good result to start the weekend. My second heat also went very well with another good battle, this time I was able to take second place with a really close finish to the race. I pushed hard in the final heat to go from fourth to second, I was very happy with that to finish Saturday on a good note. It also meant I would start the Pre-Final on Sunday from second place.
“The weather changed a lot on Sunday morning which made the Pre-Final very challenging but also good fun. The track was very slippery, especially on slick tyres but I found a nice rhythm to control the race and not make any mistakes. I was delighted when I took the win and it also gave me pole position for the Final.
“The Final was very wet with lots of standing water on the track. I made a good start but lost some ground to Harrison who was able to take the lead. I made a mistake with a couple of laps to go which put me in a close battle with MacIntyre but I was able to make a really good switchback to retake the position and then hold my line on the final lap to take second. Overall, I’m really happy with how the weekend went and I’m very grateful to Fusion. I can’t wait to be back in the kart at Mariembourg in a few weeks.”
Images courtesy of Hellofoto.