Askew podiums at Formula Masters in second-ever open-wheel race

Karting star Oliver Askew scored a double-podium finish in the Formula Masters China Series finale last weekend (Oct. 16-18) in Shanghai; just his second-ever ride in a single-seater.

The 2015 BNL Senior Max champion made his debut in the previous round at Zuhai, where he overcame a lack of pre-event testing to finish seventh in the third race, and made an early mark in Shanghai by qualifying second for race one behind his teammate Alessio Picariello. He backed that up by qualifying fourth for the following race.

Once the green flag flew in race one, Askew engaged in a fight with the eventual 2015 series champion, Martin Rump. Rump gained the upper hand, but Askew later pulled 3.0s ahead of fourth-placed Nick Rowe to earn his first podium of the weekend by placing in third.

Race two was equally hard-fought, with Askew quickly galloping from his fourth to second. He again had to contend with Rowe, but was able to open another gap to pick up his second podium of the day, this time in a runner-up finish behind teammate, Picariello. He capped his weekend off with a fifth in the final race.

"None of this would have come together if it weren't for both Ingo Matter from Absolute Racing and Mike Perry from RDM; I'm really grateful to them for the opportunity," said the 18-year-old. "I'd also like to thank the Formula Masters China Series for providing me with the perfect platform for my single-seater racing debut. I enjoyed working with their staff and competing against the other drivers there."

From China, Askew returns home to the States in contention to win the MAXSpeed Entertainment US Open karting championship, and also aims to further his odds at capturing the SKUSA Pro Tour title. Next weekend he will compete in the US Open championship finale at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where he could be crowned as a domestic karting champion for the fifth time in his career.