Kato executes perfect 1-hour main to win ABC Indonesia

Infinity driver Kouki Kato executed a perfect race to win the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia, the Japanese driver winning the fourth round in Jakarta from the Sworkz of newly crowned overall Champion Christian Wolhuter.  Lining up on pole position for the 1-hour final at West Side Raceway ahead of team-mate Naoto Matsukura and Wolhuter, Kato quickly gapped the field and grew that advantage over the rest of the 15 car grid as his rivals made errors and later hit problems.  While Kato ran his own race out front, the focus turned to the battle for 2nd between Wolhunter, Matsukura and Jason Nugroho.  Unfortunately leading local challenger Nugroho and Matsukura, who had just set the fastest lap of the race, would both suffer the same faith within 5-laps of one another as they needed lengthy pit stops to fixed rear suspension links on their cars.  With Kato winning by over a lap from Wolhuter, it would be the Team Associated of track owner Adrian Wicaksono who completed the podium, a just reward for both his driving in the final and his efforts in staging the Asian Buggy Championships first race in Indonesia.  Finishing on the same lap as Wicaksono having held the final podium position for a time, Mayako’s Joseph Quagraine finished fourth.

‘For me it was a perfect final because I could make a consistent race with no mistake so I am very happy’, was Kato’s reaction to winning on his Asian Buggy Championship debut.  The only issue for the 18-year-old would be his body shell not sitting correctly, something he said was caused by it braking as a result of how it had been cut out.  But the raised body didn’t bother him as he said he was ‘only thinking’ about his driving adding also that he had no issue with maintaining that focus for the 1-hour.  Changing to a heavier diff oils in his IFB8 given the duration of the final and the local hot temperatures, he described his car in final as was best it was all weekend and he could ‘make fast pace’.  Set to try to defend his Japanese 1:8 Offroad National title next month, he said today’s win was perfect preparation for that race with the host track having a similar surface.

Very pleased with his effort in Jakarta, Wolhuter summed up 2nd place with, ‘It was awesome racing against everyone and huge congrats to the other podium finishers.  The car was very good but I think our tyres wore out maybe half way through the race and this made keeping consistent very difficult’.  Enjoying his battle with Matsukura he continued, ‘Naoto pushing me was insane trying to keep on line, I was trying to keep my own lines as well but he was faster than me.  At the end of the day though unlucky for him he broke and I got the better end of the stick but it was a great race’.  On his strategy for the final, the Australian said, ‘We put in a new engine just in case so we weren’t too sure of the fuel mileage so the first two pit stops we came in around only 7, 7 30 (minutes), something like that so after those two stops dad had a look at the fuel tank and noticed we could go a lot longer’.  On his overall title success in the Asian Buggy Championships, this being the first year points were awarded over the four race with the best three to count, he said doing the championship has hugely benefited his driving.  ‘It 100% has benefited me, different tracks, going from oiled tracks to slippery tracks to very rough tracks, it has been a massive experience’.  He also agreed racing against drivers such as 6-time World Champion Matsukura has also brought on his racing.  Not just taking the Nitro Buggy title, Wolhuter completed the season double by also claiming the eBuggy title with the win in Indonesia.

Asked to sum up his race Wicaksono said, ‘I just drove consistent and somehow the guys in front of me had problems so I got third’.  Asked how it felt to get a Top 3 finish he replied, ‘To be able to be on the podium at your own track at such a big event is such a nice feeling, I’m happy.’  With his pit crew pulling off some very impressive stops and launching the car down pit lane at a velocity that looked quicker than the top speed of the buggies down the main straight, he acknowledged their work saying, ‘they have been doing really well, they have been with me since I started RC, they always did an amazing job so thanks to them also.’   Asked if he had any troubles during the race he said, ‘No, no trouble, I had like three bobbles but that was it.  I did have a flame out coming in on the second pit stop and that was because the track was dusty and I pushed more so that’s why the fuel didn’t make it.’  After all the hard work of successfully putting on the country’s biggest international buggy race since it hosted the World Championships in 2006, the friendliness of Indonesian’s really standing out, asked if he plans to do it again his response was, ‘Scotty (Ernst) asked me two days ago the same question and I said ‘Scotty please don’t ask me this weekend, lets finish this one and then we speak’ but yes if everyone is happy to come here why not.’

Summing up his race JQ said, ‘I had a good start, I think for me I had good pace in the beginning and I figured if I just keep going like this I will be on the podium cause people are going to flame out and have issues.  I was very close to being right because Naoto had an issue, I was battling with Jason and he flamed out or had an issue also and then I was in third but I knew Adrian was catching me and then we battled for maybe one stint.’  He continued, ‘I knew he was faster than me, I had to get out in front of him, we were pitting at different times, and he just beat me coming out of pit lane, then I knew I was probably going to be fourth and that’s how it ended.’  He added, ‘But you know on the other hand he was my host, he invited me here, so it is good I didn’t beat him as that would have been rude.’  Asked how his pit stops went in the final, the Finn replied, ‘I was worried about that because I didn’t have a pit guy here but luckily we managed to find a guy who speaks English and another guy with a fuel gun.  We practiced three stops, I rolled the car in and they did their thing, and then we went through how we were going to communicate and do the pit stops, and it was really good actually, really on point, no issues at all.  The only problems were my own mistakes, I had a couple of bad laps, other than that it was surprisingly good as I haven’t been racing and this track is very difficult, so I’m happy.’