MANILA, Philippines - Iñigo Anton wrapped up his sophomore year in karting with a third place finish overall behind Korean Jarred Kim and Aidan Quek of Singapore in the 2016 Asian Karting Open Championship at the Kartodromo de Cologne Circuit in Macau.
Anton of Castrol-Yokohama tallied 77 points in the four-leg annual event sanctioned by CIK-FIA to place third overall in a record field of 37 karters in the Mini-Rok division,
Kim took the plum with a total of 95 points while Quek scored 84 points to finish second.
Anton, aboard his Kart Plaza-Kilton prepared racing kart, qualified 10th in the pre-final event and moved up to seventh at the start of the race.
But three karters collided as they raced towards the first corner hitting Anton in the process and sending him crashing into the tire wall. The race was stopped to get Anton and the three other karters out of the danger zone.
The crash forced Anton to start from 34th position near the back of the field for the final race but he fought his way back, passing a total of 19 karters in the 15 lap race.
“Inigo drove so well and looked like he really enjoyed the final heat. He just kept passing so many people,” said multiple Philippine champion and father Carlos Anton said after the race.