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| September 18, 2012 |
| Driver News: Impressive Debut in Junior Class for Floridian Driver Olivier Bellanger |
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After a fairly quiet summer away from racing action, Florida based K1 RaceGear driver Olivier Bellanger made the move to the junior class and stepped on the podium in his first race driving a full size chassis.
Glad to be back at his home track at the Ocala Gran Prix facility for the initial race of the Fall Series, Bellanger was excited to race onboard his new OGP prepped Tony Kart. With a packed field of top competitors from all over Florida, the young rookie was determined to fight with the top contenders and as so demonstrated his speed by taking P4 in qualifying. Perplexed, his dad (and mechanic) was pleasantly surprised: “I knew Olivier was pretty fast from the first time he drove the full size kart, but I was certainly not expecting him to qualify inside the top 5 here today, especially with such a talented field of experienced drivers. This is only his third weekend practicing in junior and he is already fighting at the top, so I am very happy for him”.
Starting the pre-final on the outside, Olivier lost one position at the start and quickly the top seven drivers pulled away from the pack, racing bumper-to-bumper and exchanging positions at every turn. Olivier would end-up at the tail of that group crossing the finish line in 7th after experiencing some tough love from his friends and racing buddies.
With now an inside row position, the youngster was anxious to start the final and race forward. With battles taking place throughout the 20 driver field, spectators had plenty to cheer for. Again the top 8 drivers pulled away in a tight formation but by mid race this pack broke off after major contact exiting the “tree turn”. Bellanger who was in 5th by then, managed to drive through the pile-up and came out off the showcase turn in P2, a good 8 kart length behind the leader Austin Garrison. Focused on closing the gap, Olivier was consistently lapping within 1 tenth of OGP teammate and Team USA pilot Oliver Askew who was charging forward coming all the way from voluntarily starting last. Around lap 18 Askew passed Olivier and the two had their sight on Garrison. Askew would eventually pass Garrison to take the win and it was a drag race to the checkered flag for Garrison and Bellanger who would cross the line in that order.
“I am so happy” expressed Olivier, “this was so much fun, I love it. I knew I had the speed to qualify well but to get on the podium in my first junior race is definitively a memory I will cherish. It was certainly tough, these guys don’t give any presents and they don’t hesitate “rubbing” bumpers and side pods, the forcefulness is up a notch from MiniMax but I love it. I was determined to show my friends that I could race with them from my beginning in the junior ranks. I really want to thank everyone at OGP for their incredible help and especially tuner Cody Johnson who advised us to make a few changes to the set-up before the final and it paid off greatly. My kart was awesome to drive and super fast. I also want to thank my sponsor K1 RaceGear, my parents and all our friends and relatives who are pitching in to help me race, I could not do this without their support.”
Bellanger continued his successful debut in junior Rotax last weekend when he participated in the FKCS charity race benefiting Victory Junction. Both Tag Junior and Rotax Junior classes were combined for the event and Olivier was the fastest Rotax junior in qualifying, taking P4 overall in the pre-final behind 3 Bridgestone tires mounted tag karts. Unfortunately the final was a struggle as the field raced under heavy rain, Olivier’s kart was not properly set for rain and he was fighting for grip the whole race, ending up in tenth. The lively youngster was disappointed but very hopeful as this was a very good testing opportunity.
For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Olivier at Olivier.bellanger@live.com |
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