CIK: Malaysia Kart GP round three preview

Ng Wai Leong and Eric Yong to battle it out in Round Three of the KBS-Ford Malaysia Kart Prix Round three of the KBS-Ford Malaysia Kart Prix will be a testing platform for national kart champion Ng Wai Leong who will be looking to extend his lead in the overall championship.

Ng is currently equal on 10 points with top contender Eric Yong after two rounds. He won the first event in March while Yong who was enroute to a strong second place blew his engine. Yong however, won the second event in May with Ng being absent to compete in the Asia Formula 2000 Race in Pasir Gudang.

"The championship is still wide open and it's anyone's race," said 25-year-old Ng who described the Sepang International Karting Circuit as a high-speed arena which will be both demanding on machine and drivers. "Sepang is all about power..What a driver really needs to do well is for the engine to be extremely reliable."

The high speed design of the circuit will mean that most of the drivers will be revving their engines between the 14,000 and 16,000 rpm levels which places a lot of strain on the machine. "Continuous revving at these levels bring about higher risk of having the engine cease on you."

Also to look out for in the race will be the Taiwanese kart champion Chou Jei. The 14-year-old's list of accomplishments make him one of the favourites for a podium finish.

"He may be 14 years old, but these are the kind of drivers you can never underestimate," said Ng. "You never know what they're capable of doing." Yong meanwhile, is just hoping to have a reliable kart to enable him to finish in the points.

"Sepang is a difficult circuit because it is very taxing on the kart. If you want power than you tend to sacrifice reliability of the engine. If you want to be guaranteed reliability, than you have a slower kart. There's just no in between."

One of the important things to remember this weekend according to Yong is for a karter to pace himself to the final. "There is no point winning the heats and going extremely fast and having the kart give up on you in the final."

Tyre selection will also be critical in finding the correct set-up for Sepang, which he described as a difficult and fast circuit. Promoted by City Karting and organised by Kelab Kart Selangor, the event is jointly sponsored by the Youth and Sports Ministry with Ford Malaysia.