Kevin Lacroix ICA debut notes

St-Eustache, May 21. - On his very first outing in Quebec this year, in a category he had never raced yet, young Kevin Lacroix from Saint-Eustache finished second in the ICA class as the Quebec strong regional championship was getting underway at the Château Richer facility, a twisty track nearby Quebec city. Eligible in the ICA class with a special permission because he is only 14, Kevin was joining a group of experimented drivers with a brand new machine he had not tested.

A new CRG kart
Kevin took to the track a new CRG machine with a Maxster engine for the Saturday morning practice session. Château Richer is a narrow and twisty track where passing can become easily hazardous. " I never tested the machine before, said Kevin, and even if CRG is my usual supplier, you have to get familiar with such a vehicle and make your own adjustments. But I felt at ease from the start and PSL Racing gave me a strong machine. Finally my qualifying time was a mere 0,15 sec from pole position."

Starting on the first row in the pre-final, Kevin held second place for the whole distance and got on the podium again. In the final, the story was the same as he could not pass for first place and held his ground to yet another second place. "On this track, continued Lacroix, passing can be very delicate since the track is so narrow and you're always working hard. In this class, drivers are experienced and hard to pass. One slight error and you loose three or four positions. I could not try overtaking for first place unless I took a big chance of winding up in the grass. So, I decided wisely to stay in second and collect the points on my first outing. I 'm pretty satisfied and anxious to meet again with those guys."

Two more podiums Kevin Lacroix, now under contract for three years with major international sponsorship, finished on the podium for the 44th time in just 53 races. " I think he is becoming a mature driver, argued team manager and father Sylvain Lacroix. Sure, he is just 14 but he is dicing with very good racers. Even better, when he realized it was too tricky to fight for the lead, he settled for second and walked away with big points. He knows the season has four more races and he's got time to win, if he has to win."

Next meet at home: Pointe du Lac Two weeks from now, Kevin will head for Pointe du Lac, considered to be his home track and home for his team PSL Racing, one of the best crew in America. Near Trois-Rivières, this track is considered to be very technical. "Since I started karting (8 years ago), this track is the most difficult I have ever raced. But this is home for my team and this is the place where I lapped for thousand of hours. So, I'm excited to have another chance against the older ICA guys on my home turf. Anything can happen but I'll be comfortable."

A busy schedule
Full-time driver for PSL racing team, Kevin Lacroix is entered in the 2003 international championship " Stars of Tomorrow ", the Coupe du Québec series and will head for Europe in the Italian Karting championship. He is currently under contract with Delphi International, Raybestos, Tenneco, Pennzoil, Auto Parts Plus, Uni-Select national network and Lacroix Auto Parts. His web site can we reached at www.kevinlacroix.com where more pictures are available.

-lrt-