RedIce Racing's Yiani and Ilya Harpas started the weekend of the SA State Titles in strong fashion, qualifying 1st and 2nd respectively for the first race of the weekend. The field was rife with strong opposition, as many interstate
competitors ventured to Mallala, seeking experience for the second
round of the National Championships to be held on the 1st and 2nd of
November.
Race 1 saw Yiani get a clean start and lead from start to finish, taking a superb victory over the third ZiP BDH/BRC team driver, Luke May. Ilya suffered a poor start and slipped down the field, but managed to fight his way into the second group of karts. It was tight with 2nd through to 5th position covered by less than 0.7 seconds, with Ilya only managing to come in 5th place, despite setting the 2nd fastest race lap.
Race 2 started in similar fashion. Yiani lead off pole position and bolted clear of the field, letting the other drivers battle it out for the minor placings. Again, Ilya had a poor start and got stuck in traffic, but slowly worked his way back up the field. Drama unfolded as the rain came down 3 laps into the race, prompting a number of drivers to have off-track excursions. One particular incident between 2 drivers brought out the red flag (thankfully nobody was hurt), bringing the karts into pit lane. The race was restarted, but unfortunately Yiani suffered a broken water sleeve, causing him to retire after the kart wouldn't re-start, resulting in a DNF. Ilya went on to finish the race in 3rd place.
Race 3 saw Yiani back on track, albeit with a compromised engine configuration. Race 3 was relatively straightforward and drama-less, with Ilya finishing just ahead of Yiani in 3rd and 4th positions respectively.
The final heat saw Yiani right back on the pace, despite being down on power. He fought back through the field to finish 4th, less than 3 seconds back from the winner, Gary Pegararo. Ilya struggled for ultimate pace but finished a bit further back in 5th position. Yiani's overall position was compromised by his DNF on Saturday, but Ilya managed to finish equal 3rd position to current National Championship points leader Darren Hossack.
Yiani and Ilya say they are looking forward to the Nationals in November, where they should be comeptitive and hopefully stamp their authority on their home circuit!
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