No Luck For Visser In Val Vibrata
press release
At the third meeting of the WSK Master Series in Val Vibrata (Italy), Beitske Visser's performances were a lot like the weather : nice but changing!
Both on Saturday and Sunday, the qualifying sessions raised the Dutch girl's hopes. Unfortunately, KZ1 final races left her with a bitter taste in her mouth, especially the second one, when rain made its appearance on the Adriatic coast.
A good lap in time qualifying, just 0.09 seconds short of the pole position : this is how Beitske Visser started the meeting, as she explained : "In Val Vibrata, gaps were tiny between the candidates to victory. It was very encouraging for me to be in the same tenth as my main competitors".
During the first heat, she gained one place and ended 5th. "We decided to change several parameters for the second heat, but it was not the best choice from a technical viewpoint. Despite all this, I was pretty optimistic about Saturday's final race. I made a good start and moved up from 7th to 5th. Unfortunately a driver thought he could overtake three or four drivers at a time on a bend and I could not avoid the collision!" Though she restarted at the tail of the pack, Beitske staged a nice recovery to 9th at the wheel of her Intrepid-TM. "That incident was a pity, because I think I could have fought to remain in the top 5".
Sunday was the exact copy of this frustrating day. "On the first heat I felt I was competitive, and I thought I could still try and improve my times by fine-tuning my chassis and engine adjustments. But this time, it began to rain soon before the final. We had to hurriedly change our slick tyres to mount wet tyres. And then, I was pushed again after making another good start and had to retire soon afterwards". Decidedly the WSK Master Series does not seem to very lucky for Beitske this season!
5th in the Championship
With World and European Champions on the start line, the WSK Master Series is harder fought than ever this season. After three of the five meetings in 2011, Beitske Visser occupies a 5th place in the provisional standings. "The first two drivers have built a solid advantage, but I am going to do everything I can to make it to the final podium. After my success in KZ2 in 2010, concluding in the top 3 in KZ1 - the elite category of 125cc gearbox karts - would be a good result".
Heading Towards Europe
Beitske Visser has already raced at several events this season and will be again on a track on 21 and 22 May, in Ostricourt, northern France. The Dutch girl will be at the second round of the BNL series and will continue her preparation for the European Championship. This announces itself as one of the most important races in 2011. "There will be no room for mistakes, because this year the event will be held on a single weekend. Only the final race will count! Although there are several favourites in the KZ1 category, I will go to Germany determined to win. I am looking forward to being there". Next appointment will be on the difficult Wackersdorf circuit, from 10 to 12 June.