GENK - After a challenging day, Flavio Caira returned to the podium on Saturday during the second round of the GK4 Kart Series. The 14-year-old driver from Hennuyères captured an impressive second place in the final of the IAME X30 Juniors class at the Genk circuit, after securing pole position earlier in the day.
 

"I am happy, but today was difficult. Only the final went well", said Flavio about his races. The young Belgian started the weekend strongly, setting the fastest time in qualifying. "I wasn't surprised because I have a lot of pole positions and I'm always good in qualifying. I always concentrate well for qualifying. When I go on the grid I start behind the group, prepare my best lap and then often finish in P1."
 

Despite the excellent starting position, the first race didn't go as Flavio had hoped. The VDK Racing driver took the lead but was unable to hold it. "The start of the first race was good. I was leading for three laps, but then I lost grip and other riders passed me. I finished in P5. It was a shame because I started from pole", he explained.
 

Flavio showed better form in the second race. He approached it with determination. "In the second race, I thought 'now I have to win.' I started, passed and came out of the first corner in third place", he said. "I drove a good race. I closed the door at the end and defended my position. I lost a place in the last corner, but I also overtook an opponent. I finished in P3."
 

The final ultimately brought him the best result of the day. Starting from fourth on the grid, he immediately capitalized on an incident in the first corner. "There was a crash and I came out third", he described the start.

What followed was a thrilling race in which the top three quickly built a lead. "The race was clean because the first, second and I had a small lead over the rest. I drove my best time, passed the first and finished second. At the start/finish, there was only seven hundredths of a second between me and number one; it was really close. After the finish, I was happy."
 

This result fits with Flavio's strong season so far. "Things are going well this year. I was also on the podium in Mariembourg", he said. The next challenge for the young Belgian will be the second round of the IAME Series Benelux at Ostricourt. "I know this track from my time in the minis. I didn't race much there as a junior. I like it because it's technical and I love technical tracks."
 

Flavio is optimistic about his chances at Ostricourt. "For the Benelux, I usually expect a podium finish if I qualify well and race well."
 

While Flavio made his way up the field in Genk, his brother Livio unfortunately had to sit out the race. "He crashed in the last GK4 race in Mariembourg and injured his wrist. He was back on the kart last Saturday, but yesterday he fell off his bike. That was really bad luck." Fortunately, Flavio kept the family honor high with his excellent result in Genk. This bodes well for the Benelux Series!
 

Flavio would like to thank his team VDK Racing, his mechanic Mathieu Delbouf, his parents, his brother Livio, the organization and his kart tuner. Flavio Caira is supported in his racing activities by Paddock Distribution, Ben, Tercam, Madrase and Kart Republic.