Press Release
Singapore, 29 November 2010 – Competing against 22 of the best karters from around the region, James Pull delivered an aggressive performance in the Yahama SL Invitational Challenge 2010 over the weekend. During the final, the 11-year-old Singapore-based cadet karter met with an unfortunate incident as he attempted to avoid a collision. Having to rejoin the race dead last, Pull fought furiously as he overtook 10 drivers on a crowded track.
The Yamaha SL Invitational Challenge is a one-off race where all competitors use the same Yamaha engine and Birel chassis issued by ballot by the race organisers. Recently concluding the 2010 Yamaha SL Cup Malaysia Series in overall second place, Pull adapted to the kart set-up quickly and was on the pace during testing on Thursday and Friday.
Warm-up on Saturday morning was promising as Pull was fourth fastest of the 23-strong field. However, during qualifying, problems with the engine plagued Pull and he only managed to qualify in ninth place.
A mistake in Heat 1 caused Pull to lose five places, but he regained three to finish 11th. Torrential rain postponed Heat 2 to Sunday morning, but continuing problems with the engine saw Pull finish ninth in this heat. Combined heats results put Pull 11th on the grid for the pre-final.
His team worked feverishly to get the engine competitive in time for the pre-final where he put in a much better performance, finishing in seventh. Pull’s fastest lap time in the pre-final would have put him third in qualifying.
The final started very well as Pull had a great start and was challenging for the lead. In the second lap however, he was forced off the track onto the grass in an attempt to avoid a three-kart pile-up ahead. Coming to a halt on the grass after a spin, Pull had to wait for the rest of the field to drive past before he could rejoin the race in last place (23rd). He then determinedly chased through the field and caught up 10 places to finish in 13th place.
“These things happen, especially in racing. Being able to deal with the unpredictability of racing is a requirement for any driver. It was unlucky that there were some issues with my engine. We fixed these in time, but then I ran into a pile-up on the track in the final and had no choice but to swerve off the track,” said Pull.
He continued, “I had to wait for what seemed ages after being forced off and by the time I could get back into the race, I was dead last. All I had on my mind then was to just catch and overtake as many drivers as I could. Such experiences will hopefully make me stronger, but I also hope it will not happen too often!”
The next and last race of the season for Pull is the fifth and final round of the Asian Karting Open Championship from 10 – 12 December 2010 in Macau.
This year, Pull has competed in the full season of Yamaha SL Cup and Asian Karting Open Championship as well as made guest appearances at Rotax Max Challenge (RMC) Malaysia Championship and the inaugural Singapore National Karting Championship.
He also headed to Italy at the end of summer for as part of his development programme and gained tremendous exposure through participation at a World Series Karting (WSK) Master Series race.
For more information, kindly visit www.james-pull.com.