Vinuales Claims European Superkart Title After Suspenseful Final
from CIK/FIA
The 2011 edition of the CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship ended in a grand finale at Assen in front of a several tens of thousands of spectators and thanks to a Hitchcock-like suspense for the designation of the Champion.
Prior to this final Dutch round, after Magny-Cours (FRA) and Most (CZE), there were still three Drivers who could claim the European crown: France’s Emmanuel Vinualès (right), Britain’s Gavin Bennett and, lying in ambush, the German Daniel Hentschel.
The first two did not give a chance to the latter and the Assen event came down to a long and breath-taking Franco-British trial of strength.
Right from practice, their duel held spellbound the whole public until the end of the second race, which both Drivers started strictly on equal points!
Emmanuel Vinuales constantly proved quicker and achieved the fastest lap time in practice... ahead of his rival. But as he has already landed three European titles Bennett is almost an old hand in Superkart and so remained a threat for the young Frenchman (26 years old).
Bennett covered the first laps of Race 1 in the lead, but a faster Vinualès took control on the fourth lap. He won Race 1, ahead of Bennett, but because the least good result of the season is not counted, Bennett made a great recovery in the Championship thanks to his second place, so much so that there was a perfect draw and both he and Vinuales had 86 points just before the last race. The public were therefore in for a thrilling final.
Above: A huge crowd was on hand at Assen
pic - CIK/FIA
As if it was necessary to increase the pressure further, a shower fell on the TT-Circuit of Assen just before the start of Race 2, although there was no need to replace the slicks by grooved tyres.
Unlike Vinuales, Bennett took a good start but this initial advantage nonetheless proved insufficient for Bennett, unable to hold the Frenchman in check. Even though he had to make two attempts, Vinualès overtook Bennett before mid-race and flew away to a victory which meant he had clinched the title. The 26 year-old European Champion is one of the youngest ones in the discipline.
While the Vinualès-Bennett duel monopolised everyone’s attention, one must note the third places of German Peter Elkmann (Race 1) and John Riley (Race 2), as well as the good performance of the 2011 “rookies”, the Dane Henrik Lilja (5th in Race 1 and 4th in Race 2) and the Frenchman Laurent Marchandise who was poorly rewarded for his undeniable faculties of adaptation and speed by his equipment.
Above: The French champion with the sinister black kart
pic - CIK/FIA
Above: Podium celebrations
pic - CIK/FIA
Race 1
| Rnk | Driver | Chassis / Engine | Gap | Best lap |
| 1 | Vinuales, Emmanuel | Anderson / DEA | 01:38.0 | |
| 2 | Bennett, Gavin | Anderson / DEA | 3.241 | 01:38.3 |
| 3 | Elkmann, Peter | MS Kart / DEA | 5.774 | 01:38.5 |
| 4 | Hentschel, Daniel | Anderson / DEA | 5.888 | 01:38.6 |
| 5 | Lilja, Henrik | PVP / PVP | 10.267 | 01:39.0 |
| 6 | Marchandise, Laurent | Anderson / FPE | 13.232 | 01:38.8 |
| 7 | Maasmann, Marcel | Anderson / FPE | 14.462 | 01:38.8 |
| 8 | Riley, John | Anderson / FPE | 15.163 | 01:39.0 |
| 9 | Crowe, Malcolm | Anderson / DEA | 16.218 | 01:39.3 |
| 10 | Hulme, Carl | Anderson / FPE | 16.798 | 01:39.6 |
| 11 | Lehtinen, Vesa | Anderson / FPE | 25.71 | 01:40.3 |
| 12 | Chilcott, Robert | Anderson / FPE | 28.399 | 01:40.4 |
| 13 | Gjertsen, Erik Martin | PVP / PVP | 29.13 | 01:40.4 |
| 14 | Harvey, David | Anderson / FPE | 31.761 | 01:40.4 |
| 15 | Kennings, Paul | Anderson / FPE | 43.566 | 01:41.6 |
| 16 | Reinke, Jürgen | Anderson / DEA | 46.318 | 01:41.1 |
| 17 | Parkes, Gary | Anderson / FPE | 51.582 | 01:41.9 |
| 18 | Kinsey, Carl | Anderson / FPE | 51.972 | 01:41.8 |
| 19 | Laine, Marko | MS Kart / VM | 55.796 | 01:42.0 |
| 20 | Busby, Kevin | Anderson / FPE | 55.81 | 01:42.2 |
| 21 | Craven, Charles | Anderson / FPE | 57.17 | 01:41.9 |
| 22 | Bernhard, Jörg | PVP / PVP | 58.713 | 01:43.0 |
| 23 | Dejemyr, Kalle | Anderson / FPE | 01:01.8 | 01:42.6 |
| 24 | Verhaar, Mark | MS Kart / VM | 01:02.9 | 01:42.7 |
| 25 | Robert, Gregory | Anderson / Rotax | 01:15.7 | 01:44.1 |
| 26 | Louvet, Jean-Bernard | PVP / FPE | 01:22.3 | 01:44.7 |
| 27 | Tiben, Henri | APG / FPE | 01:27.9 | 01:45.5 |
| 28 | Nilsson, Robin | Anderson / Yamaha | 01:32.7 | 01:45.1 |
| 29 | Fred, Juha | Anderson / FPE | 01:46.0 | 01:46.6 |
| 30 | Urhofer, Thomas | MS Kart / FPE | 1 Lap | 01:46.4 |
| 31 | Groenewold, Erik | MS Kart / TM | 1 Lap | 01:47.2 |
| 32 | Sieker, Ulli | USP / Yamaha | 1 Lap | 01:46.9 |
| 33 | Zoutman, Fokko | MS Kart / TM | 1 Lap | 01:49.6 |
| 34 | Needham, Christopher | Anderson / FPE | 4 Laps | 01:39.4 |
| 35 | Kout, Adam | MS Kart / VM | 4 Laps | 01:40.0 |
| 36 | Focque, Pierre | PVP / FPE | 4 Laps | 01:44.0 |
| 37 | Kaldijk, Esdert | Anderson / FPE | 4 Laps | 01:48.1 |
| 38 | Speelman, Priscilla | MS Kart / VM | 8 Laps | 01:41.4 |
| 39 | de Ruit, Romano | MS Kart / VM | 8 Laps | 01:41.6 |
| 40 | Gorissen, Marcel | APG / Rotax | 11 Laps |
Race 2
| Rnk | Driver | Chassis / Engine | Gap | Best lap |
| 1 | Vinuales, Emmanuel | Anderson / DEA | 01:38.1 | |
| 2 | Bennett, Gavin | Anderson / DEA | 1.726 | 01:38.3 |
| 3 | Riley, John | Anderson / FPE | 10.898 | 01:38.6 |
| 4 | Lilja, Henrik | PVP / PVP | 16.012 | 01:39.1 |
| 5 | Hulme, Carl | Anderson / FPE | 18.382 | 01:39.6 |
| 6 | Crowe, Malcolm | Anderson / DEA | 19.911 | 01:39.9 |
| 7 | Hentschel, Daniel | Anderson / DEA | 21.142 | 01:39.2 |
| 8 | Needham, Christopher | Anderson / FPE | 24.662 | 01:39.8 |
| 9 | Lehtinen, Vesa | Anderson / FPE | 25.024 | 01:40.2 |
| 10 | Chilcott, Robert | Anderson / FPE | 25.074 | 01:39.9 |
| 11 | Kout, Adam | MS Kart / VM | 27.261 | 01:40.4 |
| 12 | Kennings, Paul | Anderson / FPE | 36.492 | 01:41.4 |
| 13 | de Ruit, Romano | MS Kart / VM | 44.314 | 01:41.8 |
| 14 | Speelman, Priscilla | MS Kart / VM | 44.831 | 01:42.1 |
| 15 | Craven, Charles | Anderson / FPE | 47.568 | 01:41.7 |
| 16 | Reinke, Jürgen | Anderson / DEA | 47.698 | 01:41.5 |
| 17 | Harvey, David | Anderson / FPE | 48.981 | 01:41.6 |
| 18 | Laine, Marko | MS Kart / VM | 52.973 | 01:42.6 |
| 19 | Dejemyr, Kalle | Anderson / FPE | 01:02.0 | 01:42.5 |
| 20 | Focque, Pierre | PVP / FPE | 01:11.9 | 01:43.9 |
| 21 | Urhofer, Thomas | MS Kart / FPE | 01:18.6 | 01:44.9 |
| 22 | Robert, Gregory | Anderson / Rotax | 01:23.9 | 01:42.8 |
| 23 | Bernhard, Jörg | PVP / PVP | 01:24.0 | 01:44.1 |
| 24 | Gjertsen, Erik Martin | PVP / PVP | 01:33.7 | 01:39.9 |
| 25 | Nilsson, Robin | Anderson / Yamaha | 01:34.7 | 01:45.8 |
| 26 | Louvet, Jean-Bernard | PVP / FPE | 01:35.5 | 01:45.6 |
| 27 | Fred, Juha | Anderson / FPE | 01:36.9 | 01:45.8 |
| 28 | Gorissen, Marcel | APG / Rotax | 01:38.7 | 01:46.0 |
| 29 | Tiben, Henri | APG / FPE | 1 Lap | 01:46.7 |
| 30 | Sieker, Ulli | USP / Yamaha | 1 Lap | 01:47.8 |
| 31 | Zoutman, Fokko | MS Kart / TM | 1 Lap | 01:51.3 |
| 32 | Maasmann, Marcel | Anderson / FPE | 3 Laps | 01:38.7 |
| 33 | Parkes, Gary | Anderson / FPE | 4 Laps | 01:41.8 |
| 34 | Verhaar, Mark | MS Kart / VM | 5 Laps | 01:48.7 |
| 35 | Kaldijk, Esdert | Anderson / FPE | 7 Laps | 01:52.1 |
| 36 | Busby, Kevin | Anderson / FPE | 9 Laps | 01:45.2 |
| 37 | Elkmann, Peter | MS Kart / DEA | 9 Laps | 01:46.0 |
| 38 | Kinsey, Carl | Anderson / FPE | 9 Laps | 01:46.1 |
| 39 | Marchandise, Laurent | Anderson / FPE | 11 Laps | |
| Groenewold, Erik | MS Kart / TM | DNS |
Championship Points & Placings
| Rnk | Driver | FRA1 |
FRA2 |
CZE1 |
CZE2 |
NLD1 |
NLD2 |
Points |
| 1 | Vinuales, Emmanuel | 20 |
25 |
16 |
-11 |
25 |
25 |
111 |
| 2 | Bennett, Gavin | 25 |
-2 |
25 |
16 |
20 |
20 |
106 |
| 3 | Hentschel, Daniel | 16 |
20 |
10 |
20 |
13 |
-9 |
79 |
| 4 | Maasmann, Marcel | 0 |
7 |
20 |
13 |
9 |
0 |
49 |
| 5 | Lilja, Henrik | 13 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
11 |
13 |
49 |
| 6 | Marchandise, Laurent | 11 |
16 |
11 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
48 |
| 7 | Hulme, Carl | 0 |
9 |
13 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
44 |
| 8 | Elkmann, Peter | E |
0 |
0 |
25 |
16 |
0 |
41 |
| 9 | Kout, Adam | 9 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
40 |
| 10 | Crowe, Malcolm | 0 |
11 |
9 |
0 |
7 |
10 |
37 |
| 11 | Lehtinen, Vesa | 7 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
30 |
| 12 | Kennings, Paul | 4 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
-1 |
4 |
26 |
| 13 | Riley, John | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
16 |
24 |
| 14 | Vayssie, Cyril | 10 |
13 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
23 |
| 15 | Reinke, Jürgen | 0 |
0 |
5 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
| 16 | Harvey, David | 1 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
13 |
| 17 | Speelman, Priscilla | 5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
| 18 | Chilcott, Robert | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
4 |
6 |
10 |
| 19 | Kleinemeyer, Guido | 6 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
9 |
| 20 | Gjertsen, Erik Martin | 0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
| 21 | Needham, Christopher | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
8 |
8 |
| 22 | Lacoste, Antoine | 8 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
8 |
| 23 | Parkes, Gary | 3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
| 24 | Laine, Marko | 0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| 25 | Ahlgren, Tony | 0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
- |
- |
4 |
| 26 | de Ruit, Romano | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
3 |
3 |
| 27 | Busby, Kevin | 2 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| 28 | Krause, Mirko | - |
- |
0 |
2 |
- |
- |
2 |
| 29 | Focque, Pierre | 0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 30 | Craven, Charles | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| 31 | Malm, Stefan | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 32 | Marggraf, Thomas | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
| 33 | Sebastia, Alexandre | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 34 | Louvet, Jean-Bernard | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 35 | Urhofer, Thomas | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 36 | Kinsey, Carl | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 37 | Petersen, Poul V. | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 38 | Bjerge, Ingvar | - |
- |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
| 39 | Bernhard, Jörg | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 40 | Dejemyr, Kalle | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 41 | Sieker, Ulli | - |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 42 | Gerber, Philippe | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 43 | Robert, Gregory | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 44 | Demuys, Ludovic | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 45 | Verhaar, Mark | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 46 | Nilsson, Robin | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 47 | Gorissen, Marcel | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 48 | Fred, Juha | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 49 | Tiben, Henri | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 50 | Bruellmann, Walter | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 51 | Legros, Frederic | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 52 | Hjalmarsson, Mikael | - |
- |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
0 |
| 53 | Zoutman, Fokko | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 54 | Ranoarimanana, Kevin | 0 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
| 55 | Groenewold, Erik | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 56 | Kaldijk, Esdert | - |
- |
- |
- |
0 |
0 |
0 |
