Egozi climbs four spots in final lap of Mini ROK
Not one, but two avoided wrecks kept the Floridian in it until the end.
In the race of the weekend, Koene USA's James Egozi led much of the middle half of the 22-lap Mini ROK Final, before losing the lead with six to go, and somehow making it through two wrecks just to get back to the front with a half lap left to take the win in the 41-kart field.
Most of the first twenty laps saw an impressive 7-8 kart train, following Egozi around the nine-turn circuit. With six to go, Egozi had fallen to fourth and entered the straightaway in the middle of a 3-wide race, with Jeremy Fletcher on his outside right and Alex Powell on his inside left. Things got tight for the Tony Kart driver as Powell flew over his nose like a Super Speedway wreck, collecting Fletcher. Somehow Egozi had made it through despite heavy rubber marks across his bow.
Fletcher was now out entirely after a superb weekend where he led early in the final, but the race wore on out front. Carson Morgan, Kai Sorensen, Brent Crews, and Nikita Johnson had now taken over the top four spots, with Egozi in fifth as things settled for a bit.
As most cadet final laps go, everyone went for the spot in front of them, creating chaos that allowed Egozi to pass three karts in turn four, setting him up on the outside of turn five. The karts of Morgan and Crews got together underneath Egozi as they entered the corner, almost collecting him in the process, but able to drive through clean and now in the lead with three corners to go.
Probably unaware of what completely happened through turns 3-5, Egozi emerged from the smoke as the leader when the checkers flew. Johnson and Sorensen trailed closely, but well out of distance of making a pass.
Paul Bocuse, who was struggling to even make laps to start the week with mechanical gremlins, came home fourth. Diego LaRoque ended the weekend fifth.
