Dutch Double For Kraihamer in Rotax DD2

press release

Intrepid Force Rotax driver Dominik Kraihamer has wrapped up round 3 of the Chrono Rotax Max Dutch Championship in Belgium in the DD2 class, making it his second Dutch victory this season. The 18-year old won the opening round of the Dutch Rotax Max Challenge series at Spa-Franchorchamps back in March in his first ever race in the 2-speed gearbox kart and has now sealed yet another win over the weekend.

As with the first race in Belgium this year, the Dutch racing provides some excellent training in the lead-up to the European Rotax Championship because of the high level of the competition, with many of the drivers also contesting the international series. This weekend was the perfect opportunity for IFR to complete their testing program at the Karting Genk circuit, which will host the final round of the Euro Challenge later this month.

For Kraihamer, it was a brilliant result for his 2008 campaign where he is currently running 3rd in the European Rotax series and hopeful for a podium at the deciding round. If this is the case, he has the chance to represent Austria for the third time at the Rotax Grand Finals in Italy this November, for a shot at the World Rotax DD2 title.

Taking pole position in qualifying, the IFR driver was dominant throughout the racing over the weekend in Genk with two wins and then a 4th place in the wet Sunday. The overall points for the day saw him outshine the newly crowned Dutch champion and other more experienced DD2 drivers who are familiar with the track.

“Generally the weekend was quite positive and I really enjoyed racing in Genk. It was good to be back in the kart, having driven only one day in the last two months since the Euro Challenge in the Czech Republic. I have been spending more time testing and racing the GT3 car this year [with s-berg Racing] so being able to do some testing in Genk for the last Euro round has been great.”

“We worked constantly on the chassis set-up in the wet and the dry conditions, playing with tyre pressures and so-on. At least now I believe we are more prepared for the Euro. When I think that some of these guys are driving perhaps every week, it’s a good result to win here. I still really enjoy racing the kart and try to stay focused to make every session count. Starting on pole here was also a good experience for me to learn about what to expect when it comes to defending my position. I’m feeling confident that I can win as well when we come back to the Euro Challenge.”

The Austrian team also had three of their Senior Max drivers racing in Belgium, taking advantage of the extra track time for Euro entry Josh Hart of New Zealand and the additional race experience for the younger team members Laura Kraihamer and Niki Laa. Having recently been resurfaced, the 1360m Horensbergdam circuit is known for being technically challenging and with mixed weather conditions, provided an interesting event.

IFR Team manager Ernst Penninger said he was pleased with the outcome from the three-day race testing. “Dominik is driving well and it was a good weekend for him. It was also good with Josh; we made progress and he showed his potential for the Euro. However, it was somewhat difficult from the beginning with our two young drivers as we struggled initially with set-up. For Laura and Niki, it’s still adding to their racecraft experience. Overall, it will help us to develop for future racing and we achieved some positive testing.”

Photos and news updates can be found on the team’s website at – www.racetogetthere.com or www.intrepidforcerotax.com (operated by VPD)

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