After securing 2nd place in the British Super 1 Championship last Sunday, Paul Carr Racing’s Ed Brand has earned a place at the biggest meeting of his career so far – the Rotax World Finals. The event will be held at what is widely regarded as the world’s best karting track - La Conca in Puglia, Southern Italy.
Located in the heel of the boot of the peninsular, La Conca is a far cry from the Three Sisters circuit where Ed put in a great performance to finish the domestic season as vice-champion.
In his first race, Ed came 2nd before taking 8th and 6th place finishes to secure 5th on the grid for the crucial final.
“At this point I was 4th in the Championship and it was very close between me and the other drivers. I was helped a little bit by the fact that Bill Cowley and Ross Dougan had both had pretty tough days and were down in the mid-field, but that still left me with five drivers around me who could’ve done well.”
As the thirty-strong field arrowed into the first corner, Ed benfited from being on the inside line and moved into 4th place as the pack streamed into the ‘Valley' section of the track. Two laps later, he was 3rd.
“It took me another four of five laps to get past Matthew Mason into 2nd and once I’d got there, Joseph Reilly was too far ahead.”
Fending off the fired-up Mason, Ed held onto the chequered flag and was delighted to take 2nd on the road and in the Championship.
He said, “It wasn’t overly exciting. Joseph (Reilly) got the gap and didn’t make a mistake. Matt (Mason) put me under a bit of pressure and I was thinking, ‘where’s the chequered?’”
He added, “To finish 2nd in my first year in Junior Max is fantastic. I came into the season as one of – if not the - youngest driver(s) and we’ve had a terrific year. We’ve taken wins and podiums and had you asked at the beginning of the season if I’d be happy to finish the year in 2nd – I’d have taken your arm off!”
Ed is now preparing for the World Final event – to be held on 22/23 November – and says, “I’ve only raced at this level once before and did quite well (he finished 9th on his European debut at Genk, Belgium in September) but it will be hard at La Conca, as every driver will want to win so badly. Still, I’ve got the pace, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
To learn more about Ed and his career, visit his website www.edbrandracing.net |
