Pune: A shunt when in line for a possible podium spot, ended Ruhaan Alva’s debut race in the junior category of the Easykart Italia Championship here on Sunday.
Having moved up to the junior category after finishing second runner-up in the Cadet class last season, the first round of the 2018 championship was an acid test for the 11-year old schoolboy from Bengaluru who is supported by Play Factory and Birel Art, the leading Italian kart manufacturer.
Ruhaan had his first taste of driving in the snow with Europe in the grip of a cold wave. Snow, rain and sub-zero temperatures, besides longer races, tested his driving skills and stamina.
“It was a novel experience for me to be driving in the snow. Also, the conditions kept changing from snow to wet to dry or the other way around. So, it was quite confusing as my racing lines also kept changing. There was some fog too and it was quite tough,” said Ruhaan who showed rare determination and pluck to stay on pace with the front-runners.
The race weekend saw Ruhaan qualifying fifth for the pre-Final where he finished eighth. He was fourth quickest in the warm-up session preceding the 20-lap Final that he started in sixth position.
Ruhaan was off to a good start and quickly made three places to move to third by the seventh lap and looked good to hold the position. However, he got entangled in an incident and was bumped off the track which ended his race.
The Easykart Italia Championship comprises of seven rounds and the next round is on April 7-8.
