Third Overall for Bishop After Triple Cape ROK Podium
Tate Bishop finished third overall following a triple-podium at the MSA-sanctioned ROK Cup National's opening championship round at the Killarney Kart Track on March 11-12.
Bishop, who missed most of Friday's practice due to personal school commitments, could get in some practice time late in the afternoon. Qualifying on Saturday could not go better after the AngriRacing Kart Academy driving instructor put his KZ2 Kosmic Kart on pole.
The opening heat saw the perfect start for the Grade 10 pupil and an early race lead. He admittedly pushed too hard during the race, which ultimately cost him the victory. He explains, "I had the perfect start from pole and lead the opening few laps before my pace dropped off. The telemetry showed I was braking too late in some corners which ultimately compromised my exit speed which then allowed the others to catch and pass me." Bishop went on to finish third.
Heat 2 would see an improved result despite starting from fourth on the grid, with the Western Cape driver again contesting for the win. When the chequered flag dropped, however, Bishop finished in second. The final heat would see another closely-contested race with a three-way battle for the lead. Despite starting from second, Bishop dropped off the lead in the initial stages of the race, with the 2022 CompCare Polo Cup driver making up some ground towards the end before the laps ran out, leaving Bishop to finish as runner up again. After the overall results were tallied, Bishop claimed the third overall finish.
"I have to be realistic," stated Bishop. "Last week's regional saw us trying to run in a new motor, and Friday, I missed a few crucial practice sessions. So, bearing that in mind I think we showed some good pace and can't be too disappointed in the result. I will debrief with Kohen (Bam) and we'll see where we can improve ahead of the next race meeting. Thank you to AngriRacing and the team for the hard work they've put in today. We really have a fantastic bunch of lads working at the AngriRacing Kart Academy and William Marshall's performance today in Mini ROK is testament to that. Well done to him."
Round 2 of the MSA ROK Cup National Championship will be held at the Vereeniging Kart Circuit on May 21, 2022.