2013-12-09 09:17:19.2
Eddie fought his way from dead last and a lap behind to finish 6th in class in the second round of the Man of Steel Winter Series. After suffering an engine failure at the start of the race, Eddie had his work cut out to get a decent result.
Eddie lined up 7th on the grid (4th in class) and, as at round 1, made a cracking start to get to 4th into turn 1. Going for third into the first hairpin, however, his race almost came to a premature end, as his engine cut out and he pulled over to the side of the track. Eddie explained:
“I felt something was wrong as soon as the lights went green. There was a huge pop from the engine and it was coughing and spluttering around the first corner. Going into turn two, the thing just died completely. It was a real shame.”
Although he managed to get the engine restarted, he lost a lap and then trailed around slowly for a lap while the engine was still misfiring. The problem seemed to cure itself and Eddie started his charge through the field.
“I spent my first lap waving the leaders through and struggling to keep the thing going. I was about to pull into the pits when it suddenly kicked into life going up the hill coming on to the main straight. I then just got my head down and drove like a mad man, knowing I had nothing to lose.”
Eddie made great progress, carving his way through the field and battling in the leading group of karts. He managed to break into the top 10 but unfortunately his aggressive approach didn’t sit to well with the stewards and he was awarded a black flag for contact.
“Like I said I knew I didn’t have anything to lose so I just went for it. I realised from the last round that both curbing and contact seem more accepted in this series and I had disadvantaged myself by being too much of a pussy last time out. I promised myself that I would drive more aggressively and I did.”
However, Eddie had no problem admitting that his penalty was justified.
“Absolutely! I don’t dispute the penalty at all. I mean I made contact with a few karts and I was driving like a tosser because I had to. I have no problem with it whatsoever and I openly apologise to the guys that I made contact with.”
Despite this setback, Eddie continued to make progress through the field and finished 10th overall for the second race running and an impressive 6th in class, setting fastest lap of the race in the process.
Eddie, as always, was pragmatic about the incidents during the race.
”Obviously I’m disappointed about the engine cutting out at the start because, on paper, I think I could well have won the race. I mean I was well on the pace of the leaders and I’m sure without that I would have been right up there. But I’ve been in this business long enough to respect that these things happen from time to time. It’s just unfortunate but it’s no big deal.”
Eddie has, however, said that he feels much more confident going into the last two rounds.
“I feel I’ve got the measure of these things now. I’m also more familiar with the other guys, which is also a good thing because I know what to expect. I think providing I can stay out of trouble and my kart can hold together, we could have an interesting last two races.”
Eddie will be in action again in two weeks for the first pre-season test with IMSD Racing. His next Man of Steel event is in a month’s time.
