Driver overcomes problems, advances to the final on his debut in the OK category, and sees accident take away chance of top-5 in the main competition of the year

One of the Brazilian talents in international karting, Miguel Costa competed for the first time in the OK division of the World Karting Championship, held last weekend at the Franciacorta kart track in Italy. After achieving good results in the qualifying heats, the Parolin team driver climbed up the pack in the final, but an incident took him out of the race.

After a time trial in which he was hampered by another competitor’s spin and had one lap less to qualify, Miguel showed his strength in the qualifying heats, with a fourth place as his best result after starting from 13th place, as well as two top-10 finishes. This performance guaranteed him a place in Sunday’s finals.

After earning his place in the final with a 16th place in the pre-final, the Brazilian quickly climbed the pack in the decisive race, leaving the last row to join the top 15 within ten laps. The race was interrupted by a red flag after an accident between the leaders, and after the restart Miguel was hit by another competitor, abandoning the race as he battled for a place in the top-5.

“It was a shame not to get another top-10 finish in the World Championship, which even had a real chance of making the top five. I quickly climbed up the pack in the final and, after the red flag, I had a good pace to try and finish at least at the front. Unfortunately, I got hit by another competitor, crashed and abandoned. It’s part of the sport and I’ll keep my head up for the last races of the year,” said Miguel, who finished the championship in 20th place out of the 111 OK drivers entered.

Miguel Costa’s next challenge in European karting will be the conclusion of the WSK Euro Series, scheduled for November 5 at the Sarno kart track in Italy. Then, in the same month, the driver will race in the WSK Final Cup, in Lonato, on the 19th, and in Franciacorta, on the 26th.