Another Rotax Title for IFR
press release
It was another successful title conquest at the Hahn circuit near Frankfurt in Germany for the ever-so-close final round of the German-Austrian Rotax Max Challenge over the weekend, when IFR’s four driver line-up played hard against some fierce competition to come away with their sixth championship victory in 2010. With three drivers on the podium also including two top 4 series results; it was an excellent team effort.
Above: The Intrepid Force Rotax drivers
Ferenc Kancsár won the Senior Max title to outshine former IFR team mate Maxi Gunkel, now racing for satellite team VPD Germany, making this three title wins for the 15-year old in less than a month in his first season out of juniors. Having already secured his personal invitation from BRP-Powertrain to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Italy this November by winning the Central European Zone Karting Trophy last month, Kancsár was extremely happy to add another champion’s trophy to his notable collection. As one of the young guns at the Euro Challenge, he hopes for a World top 3 to end his successful year.
IFR’s Niki Laa was the runner-up at the deciding round 7 of the series, just missing out on a 2010 championship podium by the narrowest of margins to finish 4th overall. The Austrian displayed one of his most impressive drives in the pre-final to come from 13th to 3rd and set the fastest lap of the race. He led the cut-throat final early in the 15-lapper, overcoming a rival attack, but was unable to regain his lead in the closing stages to claim the chance to once again represent his country in Italy. In his previous World title event at La Conca in 2008, Laa ended up ranking just outside the first 10 drivers.
Above: Stefan Locsmandi
In Junior Max, Stefan Locsmandi threw down the gauntlet and tarnished the newly crowned RMC champ’s glory, when he also clocked the best lap of the pre-final then outdrove the #501 driver in the closing part of the final to take a well-deserving win on the day. The dual to the flag was a nail-biter, as the many fans who turned up for the season finale watched as Locsmandi diced with tiny Dutchman Larry ten Voorde for the race honours – right to the chequered flag. This resulted in the Vienna driver finishing a credible 4th in the series in one of his last races before moving up to seniors.
With the introduction of Rotax Mini Max to the RMC this year and contested also for the first time at Hahn, Felix Kotyk smashed any history of track records prior to the event during Sunday’s pre-final in the Mini Cup. This begin what was to be IFR’s very own hat-trick at the fast 1257 metre German circuit, where they set the three best race laps from the first three finals on Sunday . The youngest of the Salzburg-based team members kept the momentum following his row 4 start in the last race to be running in P5 after the first two corners, only to lose out from an unavoidable collision which saw him drop down the 17-kart field. In any case, to set a better lap than 2010 series champ Gino Wetzels was nothing short of an inspiring way for Kotyk to conclude the national championship.
Above: Felix Kotyk
This coming weekend, the coveted German Goldpokal takes place at the Liedolsheim circuit, where Stefan Locsmandi is hoping to claim the sort-after title that IFR won with Maxi Gunkel last year.
For all RMC race results and championship points – www.motorsport-events.se or follow the link at www.rotaxmaxchallenge.de