Pretoria kart racing rookie, Logan Billau sensationally won on his maiden International under-10 Mini Rok outing at the Rok Winter Cup in Italy over the weekend. Competing against under-13 drivers from across the globe, Billau overcame treacherous practice conditions and tricky heats to star in the Lonato finale.
“What a brilliant weekend, but it wasn’t easy!” nine-year-old Centurion Logan admitted. “It was raining when we arrived at the challenging South Garda track on Thursday and it did not stop until the racing started! So we worked hard to learn the track, which was good because I qualified fifth of the 45 karts in my first dry session on Saturday morning.
“Then the brakes failed on my kart in the opening heat and I hurt my foot trying to stop it. Worse than that, I only ended up 15th in the heat, so we had lots of work to do. I rested my foot, but it was wet again in heat 2 and I finished ninth and then seventh in sunny conditions on Sunday morning. That put me 19th overall on the Winter Cup Final grid.”
Logan was however undeterred. Starting 19th, he delivered a brilliant start and was up to eighth after the opening lap. Billau then settled down for a few laps, before jumping to seventh and the under-10 lead on lap 5. He then made up another second to the group ahead, leaving it to the final lap to snatch under-10 victory with a podium third overall.
“I am incredibly thankful and humbled by this result,” Logan concluded. “I must thank my Italian KGT Motorsport team and my coach Nick Taylor for helping me excel first time out at South Garda, one of the technically most challenging tracks in Italy. And thanks so much to my folks, I am so proud to have delivered that result!”
Issued on behalf of Logan Billau
What | : | Under-10 Mini Rok Winter Cup |
Where | : | South Garda Kart Track, Lonato, Italy |
When | : | 21-24 February 2024 |
Community | : | International |