Philippine karting prodigy William John Riley Go of Cebu set another benchmark for the country after becoming the first Filipino to finish in the podium in the WSK Euro Series. Go, who is now competing in Europe, finished third in the first round of the 2022 season at the Circuito South Garda Karting in Lonato, Lombardia Italy on July 15.
Go finished the 17-rap race in 13:40.977, 2.734 off the race leader Jan Przyrowski and posted a best time of 47.868. Starting the final race at P7, Go overtook Rene Lammers, Forza Racing teammate Lewis Wherrel, Martin Molnar and Luviwe Sambudla to take the second spot behind Przyrowski, just 0.400 behind in Lap 1.
Lammers fought back in Lap 3, taking P2 and were neck-and-neck until Lap5, with both of them on,y 0.600 from the leader. However, Lammers started to build the gap from Lap 6, getting ahead by as much as a second in Lap 12. The leaders maintained the 1-2-3 position until the final lap, with Luviwe overtaking Martin in the final lap to secure P4.
“As the first Filipino to bag a podium in the WSK series, it is indeed a great joy for me to bring pride to the Philippines. It motivates me to improve further in my future races,” Go said in his Facebook account.
Based on the driver’s analysis posted on the event’s official website, Go registered his best time of 47.888 in the 10th lap, when reached 96KPH, his best.
Go’s feat comes just a month after also becoming the first Filipino to earn points in the CIK FIA Karting European Championships just last June 11. In May, the Cebuano also finished second in his debut in the prestigious FIA Karting Academy Trophy, where he is the only Filipino in the grid.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the people who continously supports me. To my WV family, my team (Forza racing), my engine provider (GFR engines), my mechanic (Lazzaro Ferri), my coach (Davide Foree), my companinon (Marthny Miano) and Infinity Sports Management,” he said. “I could not have gone this far without your relentless effort and support, pushing me towards my goals. To the Almighty Father and Mama Mary, I owe this all to you.”
Go now has 30 points for sixth place out of 66 racers. Przyrowski leads the standings with 88 and is followed by Martin (47), Lammers (43), Lview (41) and Lewis (37).
