It all started out so well. With only 15 out of the usual 30 racers competing, it was a chance for Chris Demaras to jump up the standings. With some of the quicker drivers (like Ivano, Dawson and Daniel) destined for Group 1, Chris had his sights set on maximizing points in Group 2.
Demaras put his race kart on pole position for the Group 2 final, and was expecting a great result. Relaxed and ready!
But as soon as the green flag dropped, everyone at the track could hear the problem. Chris’ front left wheel was grinding on the spindle, and something was ready to break. The sound was amplified on every corner, but even on the straights, the kart would not run properly.
With a such a mechanical issue, Chris did everything he could to keep the pack behind him. Finally, the wheel snapped off the kart sending Demaras into a 180° spin, crashing into the wall.
Chris tried to make light of the situation, but after the cheering stopped, thoughts of what could have happened started to creep into his mind. There’s a long, high-speed straightaway just before Turn 5; if the wheel had broken off 10 m earlier, would he have been able to stop the kart, or would the wall have done it for him?
Without no time to dwell on his thoughts, Chris walked to the pits and jumped in the No. 18 kart to finish the race. Demaras was allowed to rejoin the race in 3rd place, next to his sparring partner, Igor.
Sadly, Demaras couldn’t catch the leaders, and was unable to convert his pole-position into victory. But he drove the wheels off it trying.