Marc Flood Takes the 2005 Title
Montreal (Canada) March 21, 2005-- Sportimage -- His objective was to
clinch the 2005 Winter Tour karting title and that's exactly what he
achieved. Town of Mount-Royal, Quebec's Marc Flood fulfilled his dream
this past weekend in Jacksonville, Florida when he claimed a fantastic
victory in the second final to capture the title in the Expert 125cc
category ahead of the experienced Logan Gomez. For Flood, it is now time
to move up to the Pro 125cc class.
However, things started on a frightening note during Saturday's
qualifying session when Flood lost control of his kart at 150 km/h after
a tire went flat. Flood was unhurt and his machine was not damaged but
the young racer needed a few laps after the incident to get back into
full racing speed. Despite this, Flood finished third in the first final
held in the afternoon.
"It was the kind of incident no driver wants to experience," Flood
said. "I could have injured myself and it took me a few laps to set
competitive lap times again and to return to the front of the pack. The
title was within my reach and it was vital for me to quickly regain
confidence."
Flood's attitude showed remarkable mental preparation and impressive
determination. After the first final, Flood and Logan Gomez were just a
few points apart on the points' table but Gomez had just captured pole
position for the Sunday final and had the upper hand--
Flood qualified fourth on Sunday morning and needed to finish ahead of
Gomez in the pre-final and the final to capture the title. Team PSL
Karting -- the organization that provides technical assistance to Marc
Flood this season -- has vast experience of this very unique and
specialized karting track and gave Flood valuable help. Gomez took the
lead of the race but Flood powered in front of him when Gomez suffered
from an engine failure. "It was essential to drive carefully because
high temperatures and humidity are very hard on the engines. I did not
push too hard, kept the pressure on Gomez and it worked out to
perfection!" the new champion declared before climbing on the podium.
Focus on one series
Originally, Marc Flood's team planned to compete in both the Pro and
Expert categories. However, the team changed their plans in Jacksonville
because a rule restricted the number of engines to be used. The situation
allowed Marc Flood to remain fully focussed on the Pro series. Flood -
the new series' champion - will graduate to the Stars of Karting series
that kicks off at the end of May in the U.S.
HSBC Bank, Imavision.com, Link International, RSB Records, OPSIA
Information Technologies, St.Clair Entertainment and the Groupe Option
Mediation, Cordeau/Clement & Associates (Attorneys at Law) are all
sponsors of Marc Flood's racing team "MF Racing".
-www.marcfloodracing.com
