Bernadzik wins ABC finale as Iivonen’s gamble falters

Team Associated’s Alex Bernadzik has won the season finale of the Asian Buggy Championships in Indonesia, his safe fuel strategy paying dividends in the 1-hour Nitro final as main rival Pekko Iivonen gambled on going one less stop, that high risk approach eventually ending the Finn’s quest for his first win of the championship.  His first international race win, it would see Bernadzik pocket US$1,000 for his efforts.  On securing the overall TQ at West Side Raceway on Saturday, Bernadzik declared he would ‘play it pretty safe’ in terms of refuelling in the final, a decision that was to be key to the Australian claiming his first ever international race win.  From the front Bernadzik established a lead over Iivonen as they quickly pulled clear of the field with the first notable moment being the retirement of third pace qualifier Hyunkyu Jung at the 18-minute mark.  Having won eBuggy earlier in the day the young Korean talent’s chance of a double was thwarted by drivetrain failure.  While the differing pit strategies had still to play out, holding the lead on track, a mistake as the race entered the final 20-minutes saw Bernadzik on his roof and needing to be marshalled as Iivonen went through for the lead.  The Mayako driver’s fuel gamble however was about to take this bonus opportunity of the leader’s mistake right back away from him.  Coming in for his penultimate stop, he would run out of fuel rolling to a halt at the start of the pit lane.  While JQ, who was positioned the other end of pit lane, got him quickly back up & running, Bernadzik was back in front and now with a 13-second lead.  With Iivonen making his final stop and still on the lead lap despite his rear left tyre starting to come unglued, Bernadzik had the opportunity to play it even more save with a splash & dash with two minutes to go.  As Bernadzik began his final lap, Iivonen’s gamble to run long would again get him as he ran out of fuel, this time before the loop, and losing a lap but rejoining to cross the finish line he still secured second spot.  Behind Infinity’s Jason Nugroho would complete the podium a further lap down, the Indonesian championship regular delighted to claim his first podium ahead of the championship newly crowned overall champion Jayden Edmunds in fourth.

Reacting to his 3rd but 1st ABC win outside of Australia, having win his home Brisbane round twice, Bernadzik said, ‘It’s good to get a win because I have had a bit of back luck over the last year so just to have everything fall into place is really nice.’  The 24-year-old continued, ‘It was a pretty clean race.  I got caught up with traffic a couple of times and then had one mistake on my own but besides that I didn’t need a marshal so I’m pretty happy with myself.’  Again setting the fastest lap, having done so in all 5 qualifying rounds, on his decision to go safe on fuel, he said it was ‘the only option when it is this hot’, adding, ‘there is so much heat soak in the car, the fuel is just evaporating while your racing.’  On tyres, his Hotrace Sahara’s starting to lock slick down the centre after the hour, he said, ‘you could definitely notice off line but if you stayed on line they were fine.  I noticed the last time I came out of pit lane I got in the loose stuff and it was an ice skating ring but online it was fine.  For the Hotrace Sahara to still have some thread after an hour on this track is pretty impressive.’  On his extra safety fuel stop he said, ‘I was driving pretty smooth towards the end but I am glad Dad called it’, Team Bernadzik one of the few teams not using headsets to communicate in the race.

‘Going risky was probably our only way to beat Alex who was going strong’, was Iivonen’s thoughts on his strategy.  He continued, ‘he was maybe a smidge faster but we were a bit faster in the pit stops but ran out of fuel just before we got to pit lane.  We also tried to risk it to the end, it didn’t really matter for the positions anymore, still I tried it and it didn’t pay out, I think engine had probably gone a bit rich.’  On his flailing rear tyre, he said, ‘it probably ripped off from the rim because the additive makes the tyre a bit softer and maybe that’s why it came off.’  His second ABC outing of 2026, also finishing P2 in Mayalsia earlier this year to young American star Phi-Long Nguyen, with that first win still eluding him, Iivonen concluded, ‘we went high risk but it didn’t pay off, for sure we’ll be back next year to try again to get it.’

Summing up his first podium of the championship, the feeling all the sweater when it is at your home track, Nugroho said, ‘I’m very happy and satisfied’.  Running through his race he said, ‘I think it was really smooth for me.  I tried my best not to crash and while the track was very dusty I think it was one of my cleanest runs.’  The man responsibly for some of the best trackside coffee to be served at an RC race, his coffee shop one of the food vendors at West Side Raceway for the event, he would change tyres for the final following other drivers in running the go to tyre this weekend.  Starting the event with Proline’s Slide Lock, he said in the warm-up they had no traction so having tried Hotrace’s Sahara in the A-Main practice session he opted to switch before the start.  On fuel stops he said, ‘we went pretty conservative even though my engine can do 9 (minutes) but I didn’t want to run out of fuel.’

While crowned the overall champion of the fourth season of the Asian Buggy Championships, Edmunds summed up today’s race performance as, ‘not great.’  The Sparko driver, who last weekend in Malaysia became the FEMCA Asia Champion, explained, ‘I had a really bad start and I was right down at the back and about half a lap down on the leaders.’  The 20-year-old continued, ‘then obviously trying to get back through the field you lose time compared to running at the front.  I tried my best throughout the rest of the race but I couldn’t really tell where Jason (Nugroho) was but I think the gap sort of stayed the same.  The whole main I think he drove pretty well.’  On his car he said, ‘it was pretty much the same as the rest of the weekend.  Just a little bit of a struggle with the pace and steering.  We just lacked a lot in nitro and not as much in electric which is something to look and see why we tried a few things and it all just felt the same, which is a bit confusing.’  After the high of last weekend, the Australian said, ‘you can’t win them all but obviously it has been good to race with these guys.  They are top class and it’s the closest I have ever been, even if it was only in EP, it still shows I can do it and I just need to put it all together.’