After 40 starts at Newcastle Motorsports Park in the Kart Racers of America (KRA) series, Bellefontaine student Jerome Wickham has taken home his first win in the Cadet class.
Wickham has been a strong competitor all season, posting four pole positions and seven top-five finishes in the first 12 races.
On Sunday, starting from third on the grid, he moved into second by lap 5 and bided his time, carefully sizing up the leader on the 0.8-mile track.
Knowing he had the advantage in three corners but limited opportunities to pass, Jerome made his decisive move in the final, high-speed turn at 57 mph.
With a well-timed push from the third-place kart, he slipped past the leader on the outside and crossed the finish line just 0.2 seconds ahead.
The top three karts recorded fastest laps separated by only 0.01 seconds.
Jerome now prepares for the biggest challenge of his young racing career: the CKNA Grand National race on September 28 at his home track in Indiana.
The event is the largest 4-stroke kart race in the world, with over 600 entries expected.
Recently, News Director April King caught up with Wickham for a quick interview:
