An enthralling opening battle for victory in Heat 1 Group 1 for the Karting Mini category came down to a side-by-side blast as Team Portugal eventually got the better of Team USA as the chequered flag waved.
USA’s Joshua Bergman led for almost the entire contest but Portuguese talent Xavier Lázaro pressured his rival throughout, before lining up a quite brilliant move at the start of the final lap. Bergman responded, getting the drag down the final straight, but Lázaro held on by an astonishing 0.035s. Team Morocco’s Nahyi El Gahoudi completed the podium.
The opening heat for the second group looked to be heading the way of Team Spain as Nuvola Morales Mendez led the opening exchanges, before he was eventually shuffled down to third. It was Team Estonia’s Bennet Korjus powering through to take the win ahead of Team Australia’s Jay Kostecki.
The heats continue for Karting Sprint Jr, Karting Sprint Sr and Karting Mini, before the afternoon is concluded with the four-hour Karting Endurance contest that will determine the medals for that particular category.
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