Perseverance, talent and the ability to overcome adversity were once again demonstrated by the Guatemalan pilot Santiago de Leon. With barely 11 yearsthe young runner completed an outstanding performance this weekend on the second date of the Italian Karting Championshipdisputed on the circuit of The Concain Leccese Wall, Italywhere he managed to finish within the Top 20 of one of the most demanding competitions in Europe.
Beyond the result, the race marked the closing of an important stage in the career of “Santiwho officially said goodbye to the team Baby Race to undertake new challenges within the italian karting and continue its growth internationally.
He Italian Karting Championship It is considered one of the main training platforms for young talents. Pilots have emerged from its tracks who later reached the most important categories of the sport. world motorsportincluding the Formula 1. Therefore, competing on this stage represents a valuable opportunity for the Guatemalan to continue perfecting his technique and accumulating experience against the best drivers of his generation.
The date celebrated on The Conca brought together more than 50 competitors coming from different countries, raising the level of demand from the first sessions.
During the classification, Santiago de Leon He showed good pace, but the intense battle on the track played tricks on him. On the second lap he received contact that momentarily took him off the track, causing dirt and rubber debris to enter the system. go kart.
The incident affected the operation of the carburetor and caused failures in the enginewhich conditioned much of his performance for the rest of the weekend. Even so, the national driver managed to complete the session and place himself in the 23rd position in the ranking.
Far from giving up, Santiago and his team worked hard to find solutions. During the second day he improved his records despite the fact that the mechanical problems persisted. Finally, the engineers opted to replace the carburetor before the prefinalwhere the Guatemalan once again demonstrated his potential by being only one four tenths of a second from the leaders.
The reward came in the final race. Starting from the position 25Santiago starred in a solid comeback which allowed him to gain several positions to cross the finish line in the box 19confirming once again their ability to compete and overcome difficulties.
With this performance an important chapter concludes together with Baby Racebut a new stage full of opportunities also opens for the young Guatemalan driver, who continues to build his path in the international motorsport.
Now, Santiago de Leon He is already focusing his preparation on the next date of the Italian Karting Championshipscheduled from June 26 to 28 in it Naples International Circuitin Salernowhere he will seek to continue accumulating experience and getting closer to his big dreams about the european asphalt.