Kiwi karting international Daniel Bray has finished second in the premium class at a major kart race meeting in Mexico over the weekend.
Driving for Mexico’s GP Karts importer GP/VCI’s works team, the Aucklander was one of six guest drivers at the big Grand Prix International meeting at Guadalajara and ended up splitting eventual winner Paolo De Conto from Italy and third placed Jonathan Thonon from Belgium in an all-action Final.
“I got a good start,” Bray said from Mexico last night,” but got trapped in the middle of two karts going into turn one. I got pushed around, and was seventh on the way out.
“However my kart came on strong on lap three and I was able to pass two of the top Mexican drivers and then one of the other internationals, Simo (Puhakka), to get to third. I then had to pull in De Conto and Thonon who were a good three seconds ahead of me. I caught them in five-to six laps and passed Thonon for second.
“Three laps later I got up the inside of De Conto and we ran side by side for two corners but he got back in front.
“We had a hard race for the next six to seven laps, but I couldn’t quite get past him.”
Earlier in the week Bray won the first heat, had a big lead in the second until his karts’ throttle jammed open and he was forced to stop, then worked his way from P22 on the grid to fifth in the third heat race.
That meant he started the Final from P5 on the grid and on his way to second place set the fastest race lap.
Bray now returns home to prepare for the local season but looks set to return to Mexico for further drives with the VCI/GP team during the year.
