Kanato Le delivers his and Hitech GP’s first FRegional Oceania win

Photo: TGR NZ

Kanato Le delivered his and Hitech GP’s first Formula Regional Oceania win in the penultimate race of the season at Highlands Motorsport Park.

From reversed-grid pole, Le controlled the 18-lap race from the front and avoided being attacked after a safety car period.

A great launch meant he was far ahead of the battle for second on lap one. HMD Motorsports with TJ Speed team-mates Liam Sceats and James Wharton started second and third, and ran side-by-side through the first corner.

Wharton had the inside line into the bus stop chicane and got ahead, and just behind them MTEC Motorsport team-mates Louis Sharp and Ryan Wood clashed. Wood was sent off, then bounched high over the kerbs as he rejoined. M2 Competition’s points leader Ugo Ugochukwu had to take evasive action, but still gained a place on the opening lap.

Le had a 0.869-second gap heading into lap two, and behind Sharp were M2’s Freddie Slater, Wood, Ugochukwu and Hitech’s Jin Nakamura.

Wood attacked Slater after crossing the bridge on lap seven, and two laps later MTEC’s Yuanpu Cui went spinning off exiting the turn 14 hairpin and got beached, prompting the safety car to come out for five laps.

Four laps remained when racing resumed, and Le continued where he left off up front. Wood forced Slater into defending at the hairpin on lap 15, then a lap later was in defensive mode himself against Ugochukwu. Racing was neutralised once more on lap 17 as HMD’s Ricardo Baptista crashed out.

Behind the top eight at the finish was Kiwi Motorsport’s Yevan David, who had held off MTEC’s Zack Scoular.

The race results meant Sharp and Nakamura were eliminated from title contention, leaving Ugochukwu and Slater to contend for the crown in the season-ending New Zealand Grand Prix.

Race results (18 laps)