SOLID ROUND 3 FOR UGOCHUKWU IN DUBAI
A warm, sunny weekend in Dubai saw Round 3 of the Formula Regional Middle East Championship unfold, with 31 drivers racing hard to take every additional point at their disposal, to climb up the championship’s rankings.
Mumbai Falcon’s Ugo Ugochukwu entered the weekend motivated as always, ready to launch for the two qualifying sessions, essential in order to start the weekend off with the right foot. The American was able to take home the sixth fastest time in the first qualifying session, earning a third row start for the first race of the weekend.
The performance in the second qualifying session was unfortunately sub-optimal, making it slightly harder for Ugo to fight for a win in Race 3.
Right off the gates in Race 1, the young McLaren Junior driver sat in P6, right in the middle of a hard-charging trio, pushing to access the Top 5. With the assertiveness and determination that distinguish him from the pack, Ugo brilliantly defended his native position and despite losing it temporarily to India’s Bohra, he managed to bounce back with a brilliant overtake. A P6 finish in the first race marked a solid start to the weekend, and set the pace for the upcoming race in the afternoon.
With a reverse-grid P5 start in Race 2, the New Yorker got right back into action, with Camara right on his tail, taking any chance at an overtake. A beautifully handled battle for the American, who finally came out of Race 2 with a position gained and a P4 finish.
With a P17 start for Race 3, the chase was on for Ugochukwu, who took on the very hard mission to make it back to the points from the middle of the grid. Being as intrepid and motivated as he’s known to be, he took on the mission head first, making his way up to P13 only five minutes into the race. The second half of the race was as eventful as it could be: with Britain’s Noah Lisle also putting in his best efforts to reach the Top 10, a brilliant battle came alive making of the third round of the Championship one of the most entertaining.
The last few laps saw Arvid Lindlblad and Jesse Quarasquedo terminating their race prematurely on the side of the road, which caused a safety car to come out and lead the race until the end. A brilliant performance in Race 3 for a patient, but still hard-charging Ugochukwu, earned him a P9 finish in the last race of the weekend.
Another solid weekend for the future Formula Regional European Championship driver, who will be back racing at the Yas Marina Circuit next week. Keep following this young talent’s journey, and re-live the emotions of the third round by visiting the championship’s YouTube Channel.
