Freddy (centre) is sandwiched between fellow Malaysians Ong Chee Mang (left) and Lee Wai Cong during the crash in the final of the DD2 veteran race.
KUCHING: An accident in the rolling lap of the DD2 Veterans final cost Freddy Lawan a podium finish in the second round of the KRS-KKS Asia Max Challenge at the Sepang Kart Circuit last Sunday.
Starting in 24th position on the starting grid, the international go-kart racer from Sarawak quickly roared to the front to lead the Veterans category and at 500m, he was about to give chase to racers in the Seniors category when the accident occurred.
“It all happened in a split second. There was an accident at the front and the racers in front of me applied their brakes. I was knocked from the back by a Singaporean racer and another racer was also caught in the collision. The three of us were then out of the race,” Freddy said in an interview on Wednesday.
“It was an unlucky day for me and I believe I could have finished on the podium if there was no accident,” he continued.
He was satisfied with the performance of his machine, saying that the engine “was superb” and he had clocked the fastest times during two practices on Saturday.
The Veterans race was eventually won by another Singaporean Chua Peng Chew.
It was a coincidence that the same Singaporean “knocked” Freddy out in Heat 1.
In Heat 2, he was leading after seven laps before the engine overheated.
On the accident, Freddy said he was quite used to it as he had been involved in several accidents before this and said: “This sort of thing can happen during races and is unavoidable.”
Meanwhile, Freddy is now at the Sepang International Circuit preparing for his races in the Touring Car Series in Asia (TCSA) this weekend.
He will be racing against competitors from Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia in Round 1 today and Round 2 tomorrow.
Apart from that, Freddy will be competing in the Malaysian Championship Series on Sunday.
“I am better prepared for the TCSA this time as I have more experience. At the last TCSA race on March 29, I finished in the top 25 and as a rookie racer, I am quite happy with that result. Hopefully everything will go on fine for me this weekend,” he said.
“During Round 1, I was in the middle of the pack of 48 racers when I got hit on the bumper from behind. That impact forced me out of the race.
In Round 2, I was among the top 15 at the front when my car spinned due to spoiled suspension and the engine stalled. After the restart, I gave chase and ended up in the top 25,” he recalled.