For Immediate Release
JAMES PULL ACHIEVES BEST EUROPEAN RACE FINISH AT ITALIAN CSAI KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP
Singapore, 6 July 2011 – With an increased focus on training and development in Europe this year, James Pull completed only his fourth Italian race with much success at Round 3 of the Italian CSAI Karting Championship held at Viterbo International Circuit, located 93 kilometres north of Rome. With good results in the heats, the 11-year-old Singapore-based karter qualified outright for the final races and finished 13th overall out of 44 drivers in the 60cc Mini category.
“I’m delighted with the results at this race. It was tough as usual, with a huge grid and different track conditions from that in Asia. Getting to race with some of the best karters in Europe was awesome but also a great challenge. I gained a lot of experience this time and I hope to continue improving my performance, both in Europe and in Asia,” said Pull.
Two days of pre-race testing went well for Pull before he qualified 20th out of 44 drivers. Split into three groups for the heats, Pull started Heat 1 in 13th and moved up to ninth by lap three when a thunderstorm came and the session had to be red-flagged. Starting Heat 2 in the wet in 14th, Pull’s tactics were to play it relatively safely and to complete the session without spinning out and he finished 15th.
Ranking overall 13th after both heats, Pull found himself on the seventh row of the starting grid for Race 1. Qualifying straight for the race, Pull was not required to go through the second chance heats where only six of the last 16 will make it to the grid for Race 1.
During the 10-lap Race 1, Pull maintained 12th position for half of the race until he encountered problems with grip and dropped to 14th and then to 18th in the last three laps. Starting the 12-lap Race 2 in 19th, Pull worked his way through the field to 13th by the end of lap three and up another place by lap nine. However, he lost a place on the last lap and eventually finished 13th.
Pull has been making tremendous progress at his European races and this is his best showing to date. Pull’s next stint in Europe will be a four-week long one starting in early August with two races in Italy and one in the United Kingdom. Prior to that, he will be racing at Round 4 of the Rotax Asia Zone Challenge and Rotax Malaysia Challenge in Pekan at the end of July, where he is currently leading in both championships.
Driving for Dash Racing in Asia, Pull is also driving for 2005 CIK-FIA Karting World Champion Oliver Oakes’ team in Italy. His first European appearance of the year was at Round 1 of the Italian CSAI Karting Championship in Naples in April.
2010 was Pull’s first time competing in the full season of the Yamaha SL Cup Malaysia and the Asian Karting Open Championship. Eventually finishing second overall in both series, Pull gained tremendous racing experience and he even led both Championships at certain points of the season. In 2009 he won the KKS AAM Malaysian Karting Championship (Formula C).
For more information, visit www.james-pull.com. High-resolution photos are available upon request. For other enquiries, contact jamespullmedia@gmail.com.
