Bengaluru boy Kush Maini finished second at the World Series Karting Gold Cup, held at the Adria International race track in Italy.
The 14-year old Maini, who bagged his second podium of the year, did not have a bright start. Maini was handed a 30-second penalty in one of the heats, when his front bumper was dislodged. The penalty pushed him to 19th overall, making a tough task ahead.
In the pre-final though, Maini started seventh and finished runner-up. This helped him start third in the final and after overtaking Sargent Logan, who was one of his key competitors this year, he gave a stiff fight to race leader Christian Lundgaard of Sweden.
Eventually Maini had to settle for second position, in a time of 13:29.859 seconds.
When asked about his performance, Maini said, “I knew I was quick all weekend. The team did a fantastic job with the set-up. The penalty was slightly disappointing as incidents like that occur in racing. However we all have to live with these new rules.”
“The second place isn’t a true reflection of my pace and I’m slightly disappointed with the outcome. I know my first win of the year is not very far away.”