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Ryan Sy pleased with IAME performance despite losing out on Sepang podium

Whilst running 3rd and with only 3 laps to go, Ryan Sy was en route to his first Inf1nity IAME Series Asia podium. But unfortunately, though no fault of his own, he was bumped off track and ultimately crossed the finish line 7th at the Sepang International Karting Circuit.

The Filipino driver has been making good progress in the series since his debut 2 months ago. 4th place at Bira Circuit and fighting through an injury to take 6th at Elite Speedway Plus, it was clear that he was one of the front-runners in the Juniors Category. He further affirmed this in Malaysia after topping the time sheets in Official Practice before setting the 3rd fastest lap in the Time Trials and was only 0.067 secs off pole.

But it was no easy feat. The 13-year-old commented that track conditions kept changing, making it tricky to get setup right. He also ran a different OTK chassis, which the team worked tirelessly during Testing to suit Ryan’s driving.

Starting from the 2nd row, he pushed hard in Heat 1 to keep up with Zarief Rayqal from Malaysia and Thai karter Krittach Jirayupa who were the fastest drivers of the weekend. But in doing so, he made uncanny errors that caused him to fall behind and finish in 5th. Ryan found himself under attack in Heat 2 and had to defend for over half the race distance. Making his #179 kart as wide as possible, Ryan managed to hold position and made it to the finish line in 5th.

As a result of overdriving in the Heats, Ryan was left with worn down tires for the Super Heat. Not ideal especially when there’s 21 karters on an ultra-competitive grid. This made him an easy target, which forced Ryan to go into damage limitation mode for the entirety of the 18-lap race. Despite the lack of grip, the lone driver from the Philippines used his skill and experience to just hang on and take the chequered flag in a hard-earned 7th.

Ryan gave it everything he’s got in the Finals in hopes of ending the weekend on a high. From P5 on the grid, he got the hole shot at the start and moved himself up to P3 on the opening lap. He was then locked in a tight battle for P3 for the rest of the race. With only 3 laps to go, Jirayupa stuck it into the inside and left Ryan with no room at the exit. The trip through the greenery dropped the Filipino out of a potential podium spot to finish in 7th.

Ryan Sy: “All in all it was one of my best races this year. Fighting in the Top 5 was very fun but also kind of stressful. At these levels everything you do has to be perfect because everyone is also at the very limit of the track, grip, engine tuning, etc. I learned a lot and a big thank you to CW Motorsports, Calvin Wong, Hayden Haikal, Uncle Red, and Uncle Nono for giving me a competitive setup to use in the race.”

Ryan Sy is supported by PCRC, Motul Philippine Distributor – Infiniteserv Int’l, BELL, Domuschola International School, Max888, and Wraptech.

For more info and updates, Like the Ryan Sy Racing page on Facebook and follow @ryan_sy_racing on Instagram.

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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
View All Posts
Time Attack Manila