Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. was determined to represent the Mexican flag and his Parolin Motorsport team in the opening round of the WSK Open Cup, but he was unsuccessful at the worst moment of the competition, even though the young kart driver had made up many places during the Qualifying sessions. In Italy, Jesse gained more experience and he knows that he will soon have other opportunities to showcase his skills, both in karting and in single-seaters.
After a long break of two months without any major international karting competition, Jesse Carrasquedo was delighted to return to the prestigious WSK Promotion for the Open Cup held at the South Garda Karting in Lonato, northern Italy. em>"I took advantage of the summer to continue my exploration of the Danish Formula 4 Championship, with the aim of preparing for my next season in cars," said Jesse. "I then met up with my Parolin Motorsport team for some testing in Lonato. The team had just returned from Sweden with a world title in KZ2 with Lorenzo Travisanutto, who coaches us throughout the year to help us progress. I was then eager to get back to racing..."
A gain of 17 places in the qualifying heats
From the start of the meeting, Jesse Carrasquedo used the Free Practice sessions to improve the set-up of his kart, but the Mexican was not satisfied with his lap times. But in the first Qualifying Heats, his motivation and determination allowed him to move up the hierarchy significantly. In the first heat race, he gained no less than eight places to finish 12th. He repeated this performance in the second heat and made further substantial gains in the third heat, which he finished in 14th position. The Parolin Motorsport driver finished 23rd out of a field of 44 drivers.
A good result was still possible in the Prefinal. Jesse made an excellent start and gained two places on the first lap. Unfortunately, the following laps were to create disorder in the field. The young Mexican's kart did not emerge unscathed from these intense battles. Hit from behind by another competitor, Jesse Carrasquedo had to retire with regrets, which deprived him of a place on the starting grid for the Final.
"It's a pity, because with hard work I had found an excellent pace. The Lonato circuit often produces demanding and difficult races, which was again the case in this first round of the WSK Open Cup. I am sure I emerged stronger, and I intend to prove it in my next race. I want to thank all the people who support me and who allow me to keep improving."