Live: Southern Open Championship 2023 - Stage 3

The Southern Open Championship 2023, an eagerly anticipated event in the world of go-kart racing, reached its third stage on July 30, 2023. For this race, the organizers have made significant changes.

1. What changes have been made in Stage 3 of the Southern Open Championship 2023 go-kart race?

In this stage of the race, drivers will once again tackle the reverse layout, but with an entirely new track layout. For this layout, drivers need to pay particular attention to turn 4, hairpin turn 6, and double-apex turn 9, which are critical areas that require focused attention.

In this race, many drivers were unable to participate due to various reasons. It is hoped that the drivers present at the racetrack will contribute to making this race a spectacular and memorable event.

List of drivers participating in the SOC 2023 race - Stage 3:

2. Live coverage of the go-kart races in Stage 3

8:00

Due to heavy rain on the 28th and 29th of July, the preparation process for the event by the organizers and technical teams was delayed for some time. Drivers participating in the F8 Endurance category will be guided by the organizers to select their cars and affix their race numbers upon arrival.

While waiting for the drivers to arrive for the Driver Briefing with the Race Director, the organizers take the opportunity to set up the areas to be as precise as possible.

9:00

Some drivers arrive late and are forced to skip the practice session to keep up with the race schedule. After the practice session for go-kart drivers, it's time for the opening ceremony and Driver Briefing. In this stage of the race, the organizers have introduced some new regulations to ensure the safety of drivers and participants throughout the race.

After the briefing, drivers participating in the Sprint F7 category begin the Qualifying round. This can be considered the first official race session on the new layout, where the pressure is high, and the "heat" of the racetrack is always at its peak.

It seems that the new layout cannot hinder the drivers. Especially David Nguyen Parker, who continues to demonstrate his talent.

At the end of the Qualifying session, David Nguyen Parker is the driver who secured the first place in this session. An interesting point in this race session is driver Jules Meyer, who finished second in the Qualifying session. On lap 5 at turns 5 and 6, driver Jules Meyer took advantage of a gap from driver Tsai Yi Chen and surprisingly overtook him. In the following sessions, Jules Meyer may be one of the most noteworthy drivers.

10:00

After the Qualifying session comes the Final Race of the Endurance F8 category. This is one of the most important races of the day. Each racing team must have a firm grasp of the track to ensure the best possible race laps.

Similar to the previous 2 races, go-kart teams will start in a Le Mans style. With this starting style, all drivers must pay attention when the driver runs past the car and has sat on the seat before their teammate is allowed to start the ignition. Any team violating this rule will receive penalties from the Race Director.

It seems that this reverse layout is posing challenges for the drivers; almost all drivers lose a few laps before they can accurately adjust their entry points into corners. In this race, two new teams have appeared: Team DDK and Team MD. Fortunately for them, the weather for this race is not too harsh, helping them easily adapt and quickly catch up with the pace of the race.

In conclusion, the winning team in the Endurance Race category is Team DT consisting of drivers Susan Tran, Vinh Phuc Truong, and Thinh DNK, and this is also the only team with a female member. The first driver to start was Susan Tran, who created a significant gap from driver Tsai Yi Chen behind. Because this is an endurance race, Susan still maintained a distance and tried to make as few mistakes as possible when entering and exiting corners to optimize time. When drivers Vinh Phuc Truong and Thinh DNK took over, the gap between Susan and the remaining opponents increased. They almost only focused on their own race and constantly lapped the opponents on the track.

It can be seen that Team DT is still one of the teams maintaining a formidable form since the second race. Although the young member Nguyen Hai Dang is absent - a very promising young talent, Team DT still demonstrates how great their skills, endurance, and understanding of the track are.

Congratulations to Team DT for excellently securing the leading position and winning the first championship cup of Stage 3 - SOC 2023.

The end of the Final round of the Endurance Race is also the lunch break. Drivers rest in the tents. During this time, the technical team seizes the opportunity to have lunch and prepare for the final 3 races of the Sprint Cup F7 category.

1:30

It's time for the drivers to enter the track and start Heat 1. In Heat 1, drivers will start from Parcferme in a Rolling Start style. Drivers will run in formation for the first lap, and when they reach the finish line, drivers can freely control their cars.

There seems to be a slight hiccup for driver Tim Dupire at the start. Tim's car is unable to start and needs assistance from the technical team. Fortunately, after about 2 minutes, Tim's car is able to restart.

After the Rolling Start lap, right from the first lap, driver Nguyen Thanh Hung encountered car problems and couldn't fix them in time for this session. Hopefully, in the following sessions, Nguyen Thanh Hung will return to the track.

In the first 3 laps, driver Tsai Yi Chen demonstrated his extensive racing experience, not inferior to other drivers. His teammate, driver Chen Wei Chih, also kept close behind in the early laps. But on lap 7, driver Chen Wei Chih surpassed driver Tsai Yi Chen and took the lead. The duo of Chen Wei Chih and Tsai Yi Chen closely competed, with just a small mistake allowing one to overtake the other.

In conclusion, the winner is driver Chen Wei Chih. Following him is his teammate, driver Tsai Yi Chen, with a gap of only 0.299s. In third place is driver David Nguyen Parker.

2:00

At the end of Heat 1, drivers move their cars to the weighing area, then return to the tent to rest, repair their cars, and prepare for the Pre-final session. During this time, the organizers allow drivers to register for the Time Attack 4 event on the track.

The Time Attack 4 event is organized to find the top 3 drivers with the best records to participate in the Southern Open Championship 2023 - Stage 4.

During this time, drivers in the F7 race category will rest, and the technical team will take the opportunity to repair the cars for the next session on the track.

2:30

The Race Director has prepared for the Pre-final session. The Pre-final session is one of the most important races that determines the starting position, a factor contributing to the Final session's performance.

In this race session, driver Nguyen Thanh Hung still did not continue the race due to car problems. This time, right from the early laps, driver Chen Wei Chih, who finished first in Heat 1, encountered car problems and was forced to stop in this race to receive support and repair from the technical team.

Not surprisingly, driver Jules Meyer took full advantage of the current opportunity and became the leading driver in the Pre-final session. It seems that in favorable weather conditions, drivers have shown their skills and prowess on the track. Although Jules Meyer started in 4th position, he quickly rose to the front as soon as he found a gap from drivers Chen Wei Chih and Tsai Yi Chen. From lap 5, Jules Meyer maintained a good position, a safe distance ahead of driver David Nguyen Parker.

3:00

At the end of the Pre-final session, drivers will have a long time to repair, adjust, and prepare for the Final race. During this time, the organizers will fill in a Time Attack lap and the Final lap of the Time Attack to find out the top drivers who will enter the upcoming Endurance Race.

3:30

Unlike previous sessions, in the Final session, drivers will compete with each other for 15 laps. In addition, the starting method will change from a Rolling Start from Parcferme to a Grid Start on the track.

Drivers will push their cars onto the track to line up with their positions based on the Pre-final round results. In this race stage, drivers in the Pro and Rookie car systems will compete together. Results will still be separately counted for the 2 car systems.

The Final race session is extremely tense with a series of impressive maneuvers from the drivers. Despite starting in the first position, driver Jules Meyer was quickly overtaken by driver Tsai Yi Chen, who took the lead of the race.

By lap 6, the positions remained largely unchanged, with Tsai Yi Chen maintaining a safe distance from Jules Meyer. Following him were drivers David Nguyen Parker and Phan Hong Son. Driver David Nguyen Parker almost did not create a gap for driver Phan Hong Son to overtake. Following closely behind was driver Chen Wei Chih, who rose from the last position. By lap 10, driver Chen Wei Chih surprisingly overtook both David Nguyen Parker and Phan Hong Son right at the first corner.

By lap 11, driver Chen Wei Chih unexpectedly took the lead, while driver Tsai Yi Chen was overtaken by Jules Meyer at turn 3. As predicted, driver Chen Wei Chih continued his impressive performance with precise cornering and always maintained a good distance ahead of Jules Meyer.

In conclusion, driver Chen Wei Chih is the one who won the championship cup in the Sprint Cup - F7 - Pro category. In the Rookie category, Tim Dupire continues to show his top form, making the cup in this Stage 3 well-deserved. An interesting fact is that Tim Dupire is the only driver to win the championship title continuously for 3 times.

Once again, congratulations to Chen Wei Chih and Tim Dupire for winning the championship cups in this race stage. Congratulations to Team DT for winning the championship cup in the Endurance Race category.

Thank you to the drivers: Jules Meyer, David Nguyen Parker, Tsai Yi Chen, Phan Hong Son, Susan Tran, Hoang Quoc Thinh, Nguyen Thanh Hung, Team Nyny, Team Sobek DNK, Team DDK, and Team 007 for contributing to the audience's extremely tense and spectacular performances.

See you at the next race stage - Southern Open Championship 2023.