Change of Luck Sees Riener 3rd At U18 World Champs
press release
The third and final round of the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Championship at Val d’Argenton in France on the first weekend in October marked a change in luck for Intrepid Force Rotax team driver Stefan Riener, when the Austrian turned it all around for an excellent 3rd place on the winners’ podium.
Above: Austrian IFR Stefan Riener
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CIK / KSP
In each round of the one-make KF4 engine series, the 15-year old has been amongst the front-runners, but suffered from some unlucky incidents that saw his chances of finishing inside the first three slip away. However, the deciding round in France proved to be an exception for the Intrepid driver, who was amongst the youngest to compete in the new World title concept event.
He qualified 11th overall which gave Riener a grid 7 start for each of the heat races to follow. With three top 5 results, he lost 2nd place in the 4th heat Sunday when the Parolin engine seized with just 3 corners remaining to the chequered flag. This left the #21 kart ranked 14th for the pre-final start grid. Not completely happy with the race package in the first of the pre-finals, Riener was eventually 9th across the line and hoping to better in the reverse grid second pre-final. Unfortunately, the starter failed which left him naturally devastated and left behind while the race got underway.
Beginning from P20 for the actual final, Riener was into 11th soon after the start, managing to avoid a couple of accidents ahead of him. The running gear was working sweet, as he set the 4th best lap of the 24 in total and the relatively new tyres gave him an obvious advantage over his competitors. He passed the anticipated first ever U18 World Champion [Jake Dennis] in 8th on his way up the order, who later admitted he was unable to match the pace so let Riener go through. Gaining positions consistently, the IFR driver took a very well-deserved 3rd place. For his efforts, Riener accepted a prize cheque of €500 together with a free two-day Formula test with the Le Mans Autosport Academy at Le Mans, which takes place early in November.
Above: Riener on the podium at the final round
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CIK / KSP
“I honestly didn’t expect to finish 3rd and thought it may be possible to make the top 7 if I wasn’t unlucky,” Riener explained. “The chassis was nearly perfect and I was able to gain more places when some drivers crashed in front of me, so I got through then began to overtake some more people in the next laps. I was very happy to make the podium because I didn’t think I could be 3rd at the start. Thanks must go to my mechanic Martin and my father for his support. Overall, the championship was good, but I believe they need to improve the quality of the engines to reduce the difference between them.”
Martin Reuvers, technician to the recently crowned World and European number 1 in shifters [Bas Lammers], assisted Riener, saying “I’m proud of Stefan’s results and was happy that he finished 3rd at such an international level after the bad luck he’s had up until now. The racing has been good and the best drivers up there in the end at this round. Apart from the obvious variation in engines, it’s been a very good experience for young drivers like Stefan.” IFR supported the junior driver as the entrant in the 2010 championship, together with the necessary testing and logistics needed during the season.
More news and updates from IFR can be found on the team’s official homepage - www.intrepidforcerotax.com and also at www.racetogetthere.com
