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Famous in Florida
24th March 2015
Final Round of the Florida Winter Tour - 21 & 22/3/2015
Jonny kept a cool head in the Florida heat to win the Cold Stone FWT Championships at his first attempt. This 5 round series, regarded as one of America’s top competitions, is included on the international calendar. Winning the Mini Rok title has made Jonny a recognised name in American karting. It’s also something of a coup for the Benik team, run by ex pats Ben Cruttenden and Nick Mitchell.
Jonny arrived at the Ocala circuit for round 5 trailing the hot favourite Nicholas d’Orlando by 7 points knowing that there was everything still to play for. His initial practice sessions didn’t go particularly well, but several changes to the motor and chassis set up brought about a rapid improvement. However at least ten other drivers were also circulating rapidly at this stage and Jonny knew that he’d have a fight on his hands.
During Saturday morning’s Timed Qualifying Session he set a long series of fastest laps and looked to be heading for pole position with the added bonus of 5 extra points. On the very last lap, though, Reece Gold reaped the benefit of a tow and snatched this prize away from him.
From the three Heats Jonny claimed a couple of 2nd places followed by 4th spot. D’Orlando fared slightly better and extended his championship lead by 3 further points. “In my last race the kart was sliding around quite a bit and we knew that more grip would be required for Sunday’s racing,” said Jonny.
It was important for Jonny to establish the upper hand in Sunday morning’s Pre-Final. This turned out to be a thrilling race as six drivers all finished within a few yards of each other. Fortunately for Jonny he was able to hold onto 1st place with d’Orlando down in 5th position. The pendulum had swung dramatically in his favour and he now lay 24 points ahead in the championship table.
From pole position in the Grand Final Jonny took an immediate lead but he soon had d’Orlando and Matthew Latifi pushing hard behind him. These three had moved almost 100 yards clear of the chasing pack by half distance. The arithmetic had already been done and Jonny knew that 3rd place would be good enough for the title provided that Nicholas didn’t finish 1st.
“Getting involved in a three kart battle towards the end can be a bit risky,” Jonny explained afterwards. “When Matthew passed me down the straight a few laps from the end I decided to use him as an ally rather than fighting back. At that point I started to drive defensively so that Matthew could build a lead of 20 yards or more. When Nicholas came past me with just over a lap remaining it was too late for him to make up lost ground.”
“To say that we were all ecstatic at the end would be an understatement,” said his dad, Justin. “He remained calm throughout a very stressful weekend and thoroughly deserved to win the title. I was especially pleased at the way he thought everything through in the last few laps because that’s often how championships are won.”
Jonny’s prize for winning the title is a ticket to compete in the world championships for Mini-Rok reputed to be worth $8,000. The championships will take place at Lonato Italy from October 14th to 17th.
“I would never have thought of entering the Florida Winter Tour had it not been for Benik,” said Jonny. “It’s a fantastic team to be with and I’m very grateful for the opportunity they gave me.”
1st race - 19 February 2012
JONNY's KARTING HERITAGE!
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