Kumar out to close gap on Alves in Easy Cup Rookie battle

By Akeem Greene

Currently sitting third on the Easy Cup Rookie championship standings with 45 points, 33 points off leader Naresh Alves, Luis Kumar has his focus pierced on reducing that lead at the end of the second round of the Georgetown Grand Prix, which gets underway at GT Motorsports on Saturday from 16:00h.

Kumar made his first entrance to full blown competitive karting at the first round in May, and certainly looked more than a rookie. His battles with second place contender Ackeem Thomas, who has 48 points, brought life to the sizable crowd in attendance.

He is now thirsty for more action and doesn’t just want a spot on the podium, he wants the top spot.

“[Naresh] Alves is now the main competition since he is leading. I [will] be looking to finish ahead of him so he won’t have a huge points difference coming down to the end of the season. I know he’s the defending champion, but that’s due to the other drivers afraid to engage him with wheel to wheel battle. However, I’m not afraid to trade paint with him,” he confidently told News Room Sport Friday.

Changes have been made to his four-stroke machine, which has made him optimistic about his prospects.

“I’m like one second off the race pace, but I figured [it] was due to the brakes, however, this time around I changed to a new chassis and everything seems to be working…it is just a matter of putting down a good pace race day.”

Despite the threat of rain, Kumar, who spent most of his years watching the sport he most adores through the lens of his cameras, he is no way deterred about how conditions may be a test of his skills.

“If it rains the key will be to find the best grip off the conventional race line and I think [once] you got that figured out, if it’s dry, well then it just a matter of me being consistent.”

He added, “I had practice for the rain; before I have watched most karters and most of them just know the conventional race line, but if it rains that line won’t work for you it would be interesting to see how I and the other karters would find grip in the wet.”

Given his obvious enthusiasm, it should make for some pulsating action even if the weather is not pristine for motorsport. Kumar is grateful for the support of MSR Diesel Works/Total Lubricants and AR Jiwanram Printery.