The team took to SIM Raceway (Sonoma Raceway) for the final rounds of the COTA Championships with its flag bearers, Michael and David Ilavia looking to put a stamp on the three event series.
A tight championship battle was set to ensue in the DD2 category, which meant that Michael Ilavia had to be perfect at the event on both days to have a chance to take the championship and subsequent ticket to the World Finals. Jumping on the track for the first time on Thursday Ilavia had a successful day acclimating to the circuit and getting the material ready for Friday’s final test day. After a Thursday night debrief, direction was set and Ilavia arrived on Friday setting the mark immediately aboard his COMPKART package. After a day of minimal tuning, the team found a solid fit with its setup and laid down a mark nearly three tenths clear of the nearest challenger. On Saturday, Ilavia did what he needed to by clocking the fastest time in qualifying backed up with some great racing to take the pre-final and finals victories.

With the championship alive, Ilavia had to repeat his performance on Sunday – no easy task. From the start of Sunday the team made a couple changes to better the already proven package and successfully, the changes put Ilavia in an entirely new time bracket with pole position again and the pre-final victory. With the stage set for a ‘winner take all’ final, Ilavia took charge from the beginning until the fight began for not only the final win, but the championship title. As it had been for nearly the entire series the racing action was tight and multiple passes alongside with some aggressive driving took place as only one could expect with meaningful outcomes on the line. Toward the later stages of the race heading to the famous tic-tac-toe section, contact was made between Ilavia and the challenger, very similar to the entire season and event. Ilavia gained the lead and soon relinquished it a mere one and half laps later. With the race looking to be over, Ilavia made a proper move for the championship at the last corner, to the surprise and roar of the crowd, Ilavia made the pass not only stick, but did so without as much of smudge on the side pod. Ilavia crossed the line victorious with a masterful weekend, which quickly was overshadowed. Following the post-race results, Ilavia would come under scrutiny from his challengers protest, which was ultimately was upheld putting the Texan back to second place and forcing him to relinquish a deserved Championship.

Junior driver, David Ilavia came into his final rounds of the COTA series with the chance to take a top five position in the Championship alongside looking for a top level result. Much like his brother, David had a successful Thursday and Friday working to familiarize himself with the track and the material provided for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday were solid qualifying outings with a 4th and 3rd place effort in each session, which were quickly backed up with top five finishes in both pre finals, exactly what Ilavia needed for the championship. Saturday’s final provided some excitement with Ilavia battling in the top five for the entire event before crossing the line in sixth place. On Sunday Ilavia charged on two occasions to lead the final looking like a contender to stand on the podium, yet a mid-race scrap forced Ilavia back in the order and crossed back to a fifth place finish ending his championship in solid fashion as he now turns the focus to the remainder of the 2015 season.
“The COTA series provided a high level of quality racing and for our Race Department to compete for the first time with our new COMPKART chassis line was really motivating. What we showed in DD2 is undeniable as well as the pace we showed with our material in the Rotax Jr. field during the entire series. We provided the only splash of color aside from the mundane and ‘Thanks’ to all our team members who took part in the series and assisted us in achieving a very solid series.”

About J3 Competition:
J3 Competition Inc. through its COMPKART ™ brand will provide a full line of high-quality chassis and products designed and engineered for the Karting industry. J3 Competition is among the most successful Karting brands and companies internationally. J3 Competition will aim to deliver the COMPKART ™ chassis line to the North American market as well as customers globally in 2015 and beyond with unprecedented performance and service. With its content, B2B, and B2C websites presently under construction, please visit http://www.j3competition.com along with all its social media outlets to stay up to date on the latest releases and happenings regarding the COMPKART brand.