Learning an unfamiliar track and fighting through an infection were just some of the things Ryan Sy had to contend with during Round 3 of the 2024 Inf1nity IAME Series Asia. But despite everything thrown at him, he went on to bag 6th in the Finals at the new Elite Speedway Plus karting circuit in Malaysia.
Pitted against 16 other international karters in the Junior Category, Ryan had to find his footing around the unfamiliar 997 meter track. He initially thought that, since the venue was so new, everyone will be on equal footing. However, it quickly became evident that this was not the case as a number of karters has already had some experience on this circuit. Still, the 14-year-old blitzed through Official Practice and was only half a second off the fastest karter on track by the end of the first day.
Driving for Formula E Racing Management, the Filipino karter then closed the gap even further during Time Trial and had the 5th best time, now reducing his deficit to just 0.201 secs. It was just unfortunate that Ryan wasn’t able to capitalize on his strong starting position during Heat 1. He struggled for pace in the wet and dropped back to P8 early in the race To make matters worse, he was hit heavily on lap 7 that sent him tumbling down the order to finish in 15th.
With a new set of slicks and a renewed confidence, Ryan was looking for redemption in Heat 2. He lost several places at the start, but quickly regained lost ground. Then, as he was attempting an overtake for a Top 3 spot, Ryan made an error and lost control under braking. He would rejoin in P12, and with 9 laps to go, fought his way back up the standings. A brave last minute move on the final lap was all Ryan needed to jump from P9 to finish in 5th.
Regrettably, the young Filipino karter suffered an injury just as he was starting to feel confident around Elite Speedway Plus. The bumpy track caused trauma on his back, which affected his performance on Sunday. It was just lucky that the field was more spread out during the Super Heat as karters had to manage tire wear. Starting from P8, he was up to P6 by lap 3 and got as high as P4. Ryan eventually crossed the finish line in 5th place after enduring the pain for 18 long laps.
Determined to close the weekend on a high note, Ryan had to fight through the agonizing pain in the Finals. It was so excruciating that he could not focus 100% in the race, which caused him to loose several positions at the start. He eventually fought back to P7, but had to give it his all just to maintain position. Broken and bruised, Ryan was relieved to see the chequered flag after 20 long laps and was later promoted to 6th place after post-race penalties were handed out.
Ryan Sy: “Overall the weekend was pretty good. I was on pace with the Top 3 and executed some clean overtakes. Although I had to deal with bruises on Sunday, I was still able to fight and finish 6th in the Final against a star studded grid. However, I still need to learn how to adapt to a new track faster and drive in the wet to improve my performance.”
Ryan Sy is supported by Formula E Racing Management in collaboration with PCRC, Motul Philippine Distributor – Infiniteserv Int’l, BELL, Domuschola International School, Max888, and Wraptech.
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