2021 1st MENA Championship
HENLEY’S Leo Robinson added to his British Championship success this year with a win in the Middle East.
The Nations Cup was held in Oman on the spectacular Muscat Speedway with all competitors using identical 125cc karts in the Junior Max class, for drivers from 12 to 15 years of age.
He extended his advantage over the remaining lap to win by a clear margin.
Twelve-year-old Robinson had shown his potential in practice for the event, being consistently the fastest driver. He carried his testing form into qualifying, earning pole position for the first three races.
Robinson won two of the heats but finished fourth in the other but this was good enough for an interim points lead which earned him pole position for the pre-final.
An unsuccessful set up change was made while Robinson was still able to deliver quick lap times, he had lost straight line speed and was unable to hold the chasing karts at bay on the main straight.
Robinson sensibly settled for third place allowing him to start on the inside of the second row for the final where a controversial race ensued.
The Lambridge Wood Road youngster made a good start, passing the battling front row drivers on the inside of the first corner. He drove cleanly, leading the race for the next 15 laps, but was unable to draw clear of the following two drivers.
With three laps of the race remaining, an incident in the midfield resulted in a full course safety flag. The second placed driver did not initially see the flags that are used to neutralise the race, and passed Robinson shortly after the “no overtaking” instruction had been given.
Although more than three-quarters of the race distance had been run, a decision was made to restart the race with a three lap sprint from a rolling start. Robinson, regained the lead after a lap but faced strong competition from the drivers behind.
The leading drivers tangled on the last lap with several karts coming off the track and losing positions. Robinson made the better recovery and regained the lead a few corners later. He extended his advantage over the remaining lap to win by a clear margin.
Source: Henley Standard
