My Race Analysis – OK-N Senior for HEAT 1 – Vitterbo – Champion of the Future Academy Program – Round 3.

Champions of the Future Academy Program – Round 3
Leopard Circuit, Viterbo (Italy)
Qualifying Heat 1 – 12 Laps

After reviewing the TV broadcast alongside the official timing sheets, I think this race was much stronger than the final result suggests. The official data confirms the starting grid, lap chart, lap times and finishing order, which makes it possible to understand what really happened rather than relying only on what is visible on television.

One thing became clear very quickly: my race was largely decided during the opening lap.

The Start

Starting from P4, my objective was simple: stay with the leading three and immediately put pressure on them.

Instead, the opening corners became the defining moment of my race.

While Michal Zajac (#221) made a perfect start from pole position and immediately controlled the race, Kacper Rajpold (#256) gained ground, Veer Chopra (#258) positioned himself well, and Bruno Blanco (#264) recovered quickly after initially losing places. The official lap chart clearly reflects these early changes.

For me, the priority was avoiding unnecessary contact.

I chose a relatively cautious approach through the opening sequence.

It was probably the safest decision, but in OK-N racing every compromise through the first few corners costs momentum.

By the end of the first lap I had dropped from P4 to P6, and from that point the race became significantly more difficult.

Lap One – Where My Race Changed

Looking back, I believe the first lap represented almost everything.

I didn’t lose positions because I lacked pace.

I lost them because I lost momentum.

Once the field settled, passing equally competitive drivers became extremely difficult.

The first lap didn’t just cost me positions—it changed the entire strategy of my race.

Settling Into The Leading Group

From Lap 2 onwards, the race became remarkably stable.

The leading group consisted of:

• Michal Zajac
• Veer Chopra
• Bruno Blanco
• Angelina Simons
• Kacper Rajpold
• Elias Lehmann
• myself

The official lap chart shows that I spent almost the entire race directly behind Elias Lehmann, never dropping significantly behind him.

That tells me something important.

I wasn’t struggling.

I had the pace to stay with the group.

I simply couldn’t convert that pace into an overtaking opportunity.

The Leaders

Michal Zajac drove a nearly flawless race.

Once he established the lead, he never gave anyone a realistic chance to attack.

Bruno Blanco was probably the fastest driver over a single lap, setting the fastest lap of the race in 53.898, but his opening lap forced him into recovery mode instead of allowing him to fight for victory.

Veer Chopra combined an excellent start with outstanding consistency, while Angelina Simons impressed with extremely clean race management and very consistent lap times.

My Pace

This is actually one of the most encouraging aspects of the race.

My fastest lap was 54.083, only 0.184 seconds slower than Zajac’s best lap, and faster than several drivers who finished ahead of me.

Even more encouraging is the consistency.

From Lap 4 onwards my lap times were:

• 54.402
• 54.346
• 54.280
• 54.197
• 54.083
• 54.186
• 54.310
• 54.212
• 54.190

Those laps show that once the tyres reached their working window, I was able to maintain a very consistent pace throughout the race.

I wasn’t losing time because of inconsistency.

I was losing time because I couldn’t move forward.

Why I Couldn’t Pass

Looking back at both the broadcast and my onboard footage, I think the biggest lesson is that I drove a race focused on speed rather than position.

I stayed on the conventional racing line because it was the quickest way around the circuit.

The problem is that the quickest line isn’t always the best line for overtaking.

Elias Lehmann defended intelligently.

I stayed close, but I rarely exited the critical corners close enough to fully exploit the slipstream and launch an attack.

Instead of building overtakes one or two corners in advance, I found myself following.

That is probably the biggest area where I can improve.

The Final Laps

One positive aspect is that I never dropped away from the leading group.

Even during the final laps, when tyre degradation often begins to affect performance, I remained competitive.

The kart stayed consistent.

The pace remained consistent.

Physically, I felt capable of maintaining the rhythm until the finish.

That gives me confidence that the overall package was working well.

My Biggest Positive

If there is one thing I take away from this race, it is consistency.

Once everything settled after the opening lap, I produced very stable lap times and stayed within reach of the drivers ahead.

That tells me the speed is there.

My Biggest Lesson

The race wasn’t lost because I wasn’t fast enough.

It was lost because I gave away too much during the opening lap and then struggled to transform my pace into overtaking opportunities.

At this level, everyone is fast.

The difference comes from:

• protecting track position during the first lap;
• preparing overtakes several corners in advance;
• sacrificing the perfect racing line when necessary to gain a better exit.

Those are the details that separate a Top 5 finish from a Top 10 finish.

My Overall Assessment

Although I officially finished 7th, I don’t believe this was the performance of a seventh-place driver.

I believe I demonstrated Top-5 pace throughout the race.

The result was largely determined by two factors:

• losing critical positions during the opening lap;
• spending the remainder of the race trapped behind equally matched competitors.

Overall, I leave this race encouraged.

The pace was there.

The consistency was there.

The technical driving was there.

My next step is not necessarily becoming faster—it is becoming more effective at turning that speed into track position during the first lap and developing more decisive racecraft when fighting in traffic.