James Singleton knew that a podium finish in the Rotax International Open at Zuera in Spain represented his last remaining chance of achieving his season-long goal of a place in the blue riband Rotax World Finals next monthand it was a chance that the talented young North Wales karting star grabbed with both hands.
Despite never having competed at Zuera before, Singleton travelled there buoyed by a rich vein of form of late that had seen him clinch a second consecutive Lewis Hamilton and Bernie Ecclestone-backed Formula Kart Stars Championship crown, tally three successive rostrumsincluding a magnificent breakthrough victory at Three Sisters near Wiganin the fiercely-contested British Super 1 Series and finish a superb fourth overall in the Euro Rotax Challenge, all during the course of his maiden campaign at Senior Rotax level.
The Gwynedd Forklifts-backed, Conwy-based speed demon was, however, preparing to make his International Open debut, and he would be pitching himself against a tremendously high-calibre, 40-strong field populated by some of the biggest names around. All with just one objective...
Theres only one real aim for a meeting like thatto win, Singleton mused, and for us, the prime target was to secure one of the last two available World Finals tickets. Zuera is a very flowing circuit, with a lot of hairpins; no sooner have you exited one corner than youre lining up the nextyou certainly dont get much of a break around the lap! I swiftly got to grips with the basics, though, and after that, it was just a case of fine-tuning.
The highly-rated Penmaenmawr hotshots optimism proved to be well-founded as he featured consistently inside the top three throughout practice, and on a wet track surface in qualifying, he commandingly topped the timesheets for the majority of the session. The only fly in the ointment came when the circuit got faster towards the end and Singletons superiority was briefly threateneduntil, just as it mattered most, the man of the moment dug deep and pulled a last-gasp effort out of the bag that left all of his adversaries with mouths agape.
Winding up more than half-a-second clear of anybody else, ominously for his rivals, the Coles Racing ace argued that he could have gone even quicker still but for a few small mistakes. Acknowledging that everything just gelled perfectly, it was a truly extraordinary performanceand Singleton followed it up with a brace of hard-fought triumphs and a runner-up spot in three closely-contested heat races to earn himself pole position for the pre-final.
I got off to a good start to assume the lead, but then Sean Babington overtook me three laps into the race, recounted the 16-year-old. I was able to stay with him until Ash Hand also came past me for second. Ash and I battled for a while, which allowed Sean to edge away, and when it became obvious that he was out-of-reach without taking some sizeable risks, I began to think about tactics.
Second on the grid is not where you want to start at Zuera due to it being on the outside line, and although I went into the last lap ahead of Hand, I let him past me so I would begin the grand final third instead. We were more than happy with that, and in any case, the pre-final is not where the trophies are handed out...
A masterstroke of intelligent thinking in the midst of the heat of battle, Singleton still took the flag barely a second adrift of the race-winnerand his strategy would pay dividends in the all-important grand final later in the day.
I got a good start andas I had predictedI was able to pass Hand off the line, he went on. I followed Babington round initially, but then halfway into the race, the pack behind began to catch us. I knew I had to make my move or risk being swallowed up by them, and just as they were about to latch onto my tail, I dived down the inside of Sean into a fast right-hander; it was a bit of an opportunistic pass, but I knew the timing was right.
That pushed him off the racing line where there was no grip, and with dirt on his tyres, he fell back into the clutches of the guys behind. Since my kart was working so well, I then focussed on pushing really hard and I nailed three consecutive qualifying-style laps to build up a gap. When the others began fighting amongst themselves towards the end, I knew they wouldnt catch me as long as I didnt make any mistakes so I was able to ease off a little and just preserve my advantage.
Breaking his pursuers spirits with his devastating turn-of-speed and leaving them to struggle over the scraps in his wake, the MSA Academy member admitted that he was over-the-moon to claim what he justifiably described as one of the finest and most prestigious victories of his increasingly impressive careerespecially given that Babington has been the undisputed Senior Rotax benchmark in both Britain and Europe throughout 2012. Most crucially of all, it means his World Finals dream is still very much alive.
That has been our ambition all season, if Im truthful, Singleton confessed of the event that will take place at Portimo in Portugal over the first weekend in December. Its such a high-profile meeting, and its the one that every Rotax driver wants to be a part of. We finished third in it in 2011 in Junior Rotax, and it would be amazing to beat that in Seniors. Weve had a fantastic first year in the class, and a good result in the World Finals, well, that would just top it off nicely.
James is seeking sponsors to help support his burgeoning career; if you are interested in backing him, please contact his father Mark on 07795 297350 or at: gwyneddforklifts@ukf.net
