Morgado-without doubt an all time great

LA Lucia’s Cristiano Morgado did not quite know what to do with himself after clinching his fourth overall and third consecutive DD2 master’s title in the Rotax Max Finals Karting World Championship, the world’s most competitive karting series.

He fought back tears, then admitted he lost his marbles and screamed in delight as he crossed the finish line at the NOLA Motorsports Park race track in New Orleans.

Morgado is now the first driver in karting history to win four titles and the first person in the history of the event to win three times in a row. Only Ben Cooper of the UK has managed to win three Grand Final Rotax titles in the 14-year running of the event.

“It’s just amazing and I’m truly blessed and grateful for the win,” said a modest Morgado. “Nobody realises the pressure that’s on you. To beat some of the world’s champs is hard but to beat them all is harder.”

Morgado recalls the last three laps being incredibly close. “I could hear the engines of the Canadian and Aussie drivers behind me battling it out for second spot before challenging for first. It started to drizzle near the end so the tyres lost a bit of grip and my lap times were down by a few tenths of a second,” he said.

Eventually though, the world champ brought it home. Not even Canada’s Campbell Scott, who has now ended second for two years in a row, and shares a birthday with Morgado, could overtake him.

This was also the second major success for Morgado in the USA after winning this year’s Florida Winter Tour (FWT) title. Not only was it the 34-year-old’s first FWT but he also become the first South African to win the tour.

Morgado, who now takes a well earned break, thanked his dad, Rui, for his unfailing support. “He has been my backbone throughout my career. When I got to the pits after my victory lap, he was overjoyed and it was great to have him there,” he said.