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Tough Conditions At Rotax Euro Challenge Round 3

press release

Another excellent weekend of racing for the season at the third round of the 2012 ROTAX MAX EURO CHALLENGE, making its first appearance in Sweden, was topped-off by some stormy weather just in time for Sunday’s finals, making the battle for the four titles even closer with only one round remaining.

The recently extended Asum Ring circuit near Kristianstad was put through its paces at the international event where 140 drivers from almost 30 nations were impressed by the challenging new layout and facilities of the venue.

Above: The Asum Ring in Sweden

SENIOR MAX once again displayed the amazing depth the class now holds in a field of 61 drivers for the summer edition. In the end, it was round 1 winner Sean Babington who proved too strong for his rivals in the wet to strengthen his championship hopes going into the last round in September. However, it was not all so easy for the British driver who began the weekend with a disappointing qualifying that left him starting the heats from the back of the grid.

After taking 4th in the last meeting at Wackersdorf, Bas de Laat claimed pole position Friday with a best lap of 52.409 ahead of Petr Bezel and James Singleton, who was quickest in the first group out. With two race wins from four in Saturday’s qualifying heats, De Laat started the pre-final on the front row alongside Andy King also taking one race win, as did series leader Edward Brand ranked 3rd and Aavo Talvar. Singleton lost his chances for P1 due to a miscalculation with the lead weight while Harrison Scott was outstanding to secure 3 heat wins, but a problem in the opening race dropped him back to grid 6. The first heat was claimed by Babington with an incredible effort to carve-up the field from the last row in the slippery conditions Saturday morning, in what was undoubtedly the most impressive performance of the day by none.

Above: Senior MAX take the start
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

By lap 3 of the pre-final, De Laat had been overtaken by Babington on a definite mission, followed by Scott with a clear 2nd. Brand then eventually won the dice with the Dutch driver for 3rd and Barthon joined in to relegate the pole-sitter to P5 by the flag. With several penalties handed out for cutting the track the order shuffled further downfield, but the line-up at the front remained unchanged. The heavens opened in time for the finals, so the Asum Ring provided another challenge from the contrasting hot days when the rubber built up during the week. Babington had the prime position for the advantage.

In the final, the Dan Holland Racing driver was fastest on track from P1 and got a good break as the fight for positions kept the chasing pack busy, so Babington was lapping back-markers by the closing stages. Ed Brand managed to pull a gap as well in 2nd, securing enough points to hold his lead over Scott in the series, who’d come under pressure from another of the DHR team to lose his podium chances to the slightly quicker Antoine Barthon. Also from the Alonso stable, Philip Morin stole 5th from Scott’s team-mate Andy King with just several corners to go; though the Strawberry Racing duo had a good start to the 18-lapper. Morin was the first of the Swedes to cross the finish line following an earlier battle in the wet with his 2011 junior opponent, World and European number 1, Ukyo Sasahara, who ended up 8th. Charlie Turner drove well for 7th ahead of the Japanese driver with De Laat a close 9th over Barrie Pullinger and repecharge winner Andreas Backman.

Above: Senior MAX winner, Sean Babbington (Alonso)
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

With Formula K’s Ed Brand just 4 points in front of Harrison Scott going into the deciding round in France, Sean Babington ranked 3rd overall with two victories now to Brand’s one, admits he’s feeling relatively confident for a shot at the title.

“This win was important for the championship so I’m really pleased with the result. After the problem in the qualifying Friday, I had to get a top 10 in the heats, which we did. We knew we could be fast in the wet after last weekend’s testing, but the team at DHR did a fantastic job to set the kart up for the changing conditions today and we’ve come away with the win in both finals. Thanks to Ogden for the engines, Race Data for helping our team drivers to be consistently fast and of course, my dad for being my mechanic. I also want to say thanks to my sponsors Freem and The Helmet Company for their support.”

1. Sean Babington (GBR) - Alonso/Dan Holland Racing
2. Edward Brand (GBR) - Formula K/Formula K Europe
3. Antoine Barthon (FRA) - Alonso/Dan Holland Racing

Above: Senior MAX podium
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

JUNIOR MAX turned into a showdown of the series leaders, but was a contrasting result from the clash at Wackersdorf. Round 1 winner Harry Webb finally outshone equally-placed second round winner Janneau Esmeijer in the rain in Sweden to collect another first place trophy on Sunday afternoon and gain a significant 9-point buffer for the championship.

15-year old Esmeijer dominated qualifying with a time of 53.265 and again as he did at round 2, won all three of his heats to start on pole for the pre-final. Thomas Preining was fastest in the initial group in the official timed practice to split the Dutch junior and Webb in the order. However, with two race wins and a 2nd place to Esmeijer in his last heat, Webb moved ahead of the Austrian who had one victory, to join his closest rival on the front row for the first of the finals. On the same points as Preining after the qualifiers, Esmeijer’s TKP team-mates, Sam Schippers and Lars Lamborelle ranked 4th and 5th.

Above: Juniors in action
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

With the class of 51 cut to 34 for the finals, there were a few spots of rain as the lights turned green. Before long, Webb had gained control of the race over Esmeijer, unable to fight back for his lead although his lap-times were good. Shuffling up to 3rd was another of the young Brits Ryan Anderton who passed Preining following an early incident, as did Lamborelle before the 11 laps had expired. The winner from Strawberry Racing admitted he was feeling pretty confident prior to the race Sunday that the team had the speed to beat Esmeijer and secure another round of the 2012 series.

At the start of the final Anderton had a problem to get going, but managed to rejoin the formation lap in time. Webb held P1 over Preining, Josh White from P9 and Esmeijer. In the difficult conditions, several of the potential front-runners came unstuck; including the tiny Lando Norris spinning off who made a lasting impression at round 2 for a podium finish and Lamborelle losing a chain on lap 7. Max Aitken was up to 5th after qualifying through the second chance race, replacing a struggling Preining, as Tom Meijer who’d been quickest in the morning warm-up posted the best lap of the race to work his way into P3. Out front, Webb stretched his lead over White to 8+ seconds while two of his Tonykart team-mates Guan Yu Zhou and Swedish lady driver Jessica Backman grabbed 4th and 5th by the chequered flag. Esmeijer was disappointed with the result to be 6th, later saying he didn’t find the best set-up for the wet. Behind him was Aitken, then 2011 Rotax International Open champ Kaan Onder, Anderton and Jack Bartholomew 10th running out of the same awning.

With his sights firmly set on the Junior Max title as the last round approaches, Harry Webb took a comfortable win to regain his championship lead. “We struggled initially, but made some changes and it all came good in the end. The track is very different really to anywhere else that I’ve raced; it’s nice with the rise and fall of the layout, and also the hairpins. The racing was really good this week and the competition quite even. I knew it was important that I had good results in the finals to be able to stay in the lead for the championship. Thank you to Strawberry Racing and my dad for supporting me.”

1. Harry Webb (GBR) - Tonykart/Strawberry Racing
2. Josh White (GBR) - Tonykart/RL Racing Dept Ltd
3. Tom Meijer (NED) - Formula K/Formula K Europe

Above: Junior MAX podium
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

ROTAX DD2 has been extremely close at each round this season, with some very experienced and skilled drivers matched-up in the 2-speed class. With the change to a new brand of chassis this edition, championship leader Mathias Detige consolidated his lead to be almost unbeatable in the battle for the gearbox title. His nearest opponent Miika Laiho was a late withdrawal from the final, while the challenging conditions Sunday took its toll on round 2 winner Xen de Ruwe.

Taking 3 from 3 pole positions in the series for 2012, Xen de Ruwe was once more the one setting the pace in Friday’s qualifying. The Belgian driver was one-tenth clear of first round winner Miika Laiho with last year’s vice champion Mathias Detige third quickest. In the DD2 Masters category, multiple world and European title holder Christophe Adams set the best lap of the class to be 10th overall in the order for a row 5 start in the three heat races to follow Saturday. Also from Belgium, but racing for France, the oldest driver at the event actually celebrated his 47th birthday over the weekend.

Above: Rotax DD2 winners enjoy a victory parade
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

Pre-final pole went to Detige with two victories in the heats to line-up alongside De Ruwe who the honours from his fellow-countryman in one of the races. Laiho was the best of the next to rank 3rd and be joined on row 2 by Pat Pearce. The highest placed Master following the racing Saturday was former Iberian champ Tiago Ribeiro on P14 with one top 10 finish. Making the decision to run on his new set of MOJO D3 tyres for the first final proved to be the smart option for Pearce, who was clearly fastest and passed Laiho for 2nd place, before moving in on Detige by the half-way mark then taking the lead with just 4 laps to go. Swiss driver Kevin Ludi kept De Ruwe at bay in a close battle for 4th at end of the 14-lapper.

With the track declared “wet”, the DD2 final began with some controversy when Laiho recognized an error with the tyre mounting, as was the case for Babington in the Senior Max qualifying two days before, so the young driver from Finland retired from the event only minutes from the start. The championship points are calculated on three of the four pre-finals and finals from the four-round series, so Laiho still has a realistic chance of taking the title at Salbris this September. Once underway, the dicing for the lead saw Detige succeed in relegating Pearce to 2nd after he covered well until lap 3. In the meantime, a fabulous race for minor places turned on the action for the spectators; Ludi showed his skills in the rain to climb to 2nd ahead of Pearce and De Ruwe, who was soon overtaken by Lucas Orrock fresh from his 3rd in Germany. Disaster struck however on lap 12, when Ludi lost a rear wheel and was left helplessly watching from the infield.

Leading Master Florent Lambert was quickest in 5th, but collided with De Ruwe on the next lap and the Winter Cup champ dropped to P8 where he stayed thereafter, while Lambert took class honours in the Masters. As Detige approached the finish line, further back Haralds Garkaklis gave the Latvian fans something to cheer about, negotiating his way past Pearce for 3rd.

Above: DD2 Masters winner Florent Lambert
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

21-year old Mathias Detige was a deserving winner at Kristianstad with a gap to Lucas Orrock of over 9 seconds and a strong lead of 25 points in the championship with all races included. “I have to thank the MS Kart factory for giving me a great kart, also my team Bouvin Power for their support and my two mechanics this week. It all went very well for me – in the dry and in the wet, the chassis worked – so it was a perfect weekend! Thanks also to my father and sponsors too.”

1. Mathias Detige (BEL) - MS Kart/Bouvin Power
2. Lucas Orrock (GBR) - Kosmic/Paul Carr Racing
3. Haralds Garkaklis (LAT) - Gillard/DFK

DD2 Masters
1. Florent Lambert (GBR) - Tonykart/Tatum Racing
2. Christophe Adams (FRA) - Sodikart /Sodikart NL
3. Tamsin Germain (GBR) - Gillard/DG Racing

Above: DD2 Masters podium
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

All results and series points from the ROTAX MAX EURO CHALLENGE can be found at www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com

RGMMC events are broadcast on Sky Sports plus videos on RGMMC Media page and Facebook. Entries are now open for the deciding round of the championship to be held at the Sologne Karting Circuit at Salbris, France September 11th – 16th.

Above: Podium Prowlers
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

Above: The start straight at Asum Ring
pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media

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	Tough Conditions At Rotax Euro Challenge Round 3 Tweet press release Another excellent weekend of racing for the season at the third round of the 2012 ROTAX MAX EURO CHALLENGE, making its first appearance in Sweden, was topped-off by some stormy weather just in time for Sunday’s finals, making the battle for the four titles even closer with only one round remaining. The recently extended Asum Ring circuit near Kristianstad was put through its paces at the international event where 140 drivers from almost 30 nations were impressed by the challenging new layout and facilities of the venue. Above: The Asum Ring in Sweden SENIOR MAX once again displayed the amazing depth the class now holds in a field of 61 drivers for the summer edition. In the end, it was round 1 winner Sean Babington who proved too strong for his rivals in the wet to strengthen his championship hopes going into the last round in September. However, it was not all so easy for the British driver who began the weekend with a disappointing qualifying that left him starting the heats from the back of the grid. After taking 4th in the last meeting at Wackersdorf, Bas de Laat claimed pole position Friday with a best lap of 52.409 ahead of Petr Bezel and James Singleton, who was quickest in the first group out. With two race wins from four in Saturday’s qualifying heats, De Laat started the pre-final on the front row alongside Andy King also taking one race win, as did series leader Edward Brand ranked 3rd and Aavo Talvar. Singleton lost his chances for P1 due to a miscalculation with the lead weight while Harrison Scott was outstanding to secure 3 heat wins, but a problem in the opening race dropped him back to grid 6. The first heat was claimed by Babington with an incredible effort to carve-up the field from the last row in the slippery conditions Saturday morning, in what was undoubtedly the most impressive performance of the day by none. Above: Senior MAX take the start pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media By lap 3 of the pre-final, De Laat had been overtaken by Babington on a definite mission, followed by Scott with a clear 2nd. Brand then eventually won the dice with the Dutch driver for 3rd and Barthon joined in to relegate the pole-sitter to P5 by the flag. With several penalties handed out for cutting the track the order shuffled further downfield, but the line-up at the front remained unchanged. The heavens opened in time for the finals, so the Asum Ring provided another challenge from the contrasting hot days when the rubber built up during the week. Babington had the prime position for the advantage. In the final, the Dan Holland Racing driver was fastest on track from P1 and got a good break as the fight for positions kept the chasing pack busy, so Babington was lapping back-markers by the closing stages. Ed Brand managed to pull a gap as well in 2nd, securing enough points to hold his lead over Scott in the series, who’d come under pressure from another of the DHR team to lose his podium chances to the slightly quicker Antoine Barthon. Also from the Alonso stable, Philip Morin stole 5th from Scott’s team-mate Andy King with just several corners to go; though the Strawberry Racing duo had a good start to the 18-lapper. Morin was the first of the Swedes to cross the finish line following an earlier battle in the wet with his 2011 junior opponent, World and European number 1, Ukyo Sasahara, who ended up 8th. Charlie Turner drove well for 7th ahead of the Japanese driver with De Laat a close 9th over Barrie Pullinger and repecharge winner Andreas Backman. Above: Senior MAX winner, Sean Babbington (Alonso) pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media With Formula K’s Ed Brand just 4 points in front of Harrison Scott going into the deciding round in France, Sean Babington ranked 3rd overall with two victories now to Brand’s one, admits he’s feeling relatively confident for a shot at the title. “This win was important for the championship so I’m really pleased with the result. After the problem in the qualifying Friday, I had to get a top 10 in the heats, which we did. We knew we could be fast in the wet after last weekend’s testing, but the team at DHR did a fantastic job to set the kart up for the changing conditions today and we’ve come away with the win in both finals. Thanks to Ogden for the engines, Race Data for helping our team drivers to be consistently fast and of course, my dad for being my mechanic. I also want to say thanks to my sponsors Freem and The Helmet Company for their support.” 1. Sean Babington (GBR) - Alonso/Dan Holland Racing 2. Edward Brand (GBR) - Formula K/Formula K Europe 3. Antoine Barthon (FRA) - Alonso/Dan Holland Racing Above: Senior MAX podium pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media JUNIOR MAX turned into a showdown of the series leaders, but was a contrasting result from the clash at Wackersdorf. Round 1 winner Harry Webb finally outshone equally-placed second round winner Janneau Esmeijer in the rain in Sweden to collect another first place trophy on Sunday afternoon and gain a significant 9-point buffer for the championship. 15-year old Esmeijer dominated qualifying with a time of 53.265 and again as he did at round 2, won all three of his heats to start on pole for the pre-final. Thomas Preining was fastest in the initial group in the official timed practice to split the Dutch junior and Webb in the order. However, with two race wins and a 2nd place to Esmeijer in his last heat, Webb moved ahead of the Austrian who had one victory, to join his closest rival on the front row for the first of the finals. On the same points as Preining after the qualifiers, Esmeijer’s TKP team-mates, Sam Schippers and Lars Lamborelle ranked 4th and 5th. Above: Juniors in action pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media With the class of 51 cut to 34 for the finals, there were a few spots of rain as the lights turned green. Before long, Webb had gained control of the race over Esmeijer, unable to fight back for his lead although his lap-times were good. Shuffling up to 3rd was another of the young Brits Ryan Anderton who passed Preining following an early incident, as did Lamborelle before the 11 laps had expired. The winner from Strawberry Racing admitted he was feeling pretty confident prior to the race Sunday that the team had the speed to beat Esmeijer and secure another round of the 2012 series. At the start of the final Anderton had a problem to get going, but managed to rejoin the formation lap in time. Webb held P1 over Preining, Josh White from P9 and Esmeijer. In the difficult conditions, several of the potential front-runners came unstuck; including the tiny Lando Norris spinning off who made a lasting impression at round 2 for a podium finish and Lamborelle losing a chain on lap 7. Max Aitken was up to 5th after qualifying through the second chance race, replacing a struggling Preining, as Tom Meijer who’d been quickest in the morning warm-up posted the best lap of the race to work his way into P3. Out front, Webb stretched his lead over White to 8+ seconds while two of his Tonykart team-mates Guan Yu Zhou and Swedish lady driver Jessica Backman grabbed 4th and 5th by the chequered flag. Esmeijer was disappointed with the result to be 6th, later saying he didn’t find the best set-up for the wet. Behind him was Aitken, then 2011 Rotax International Open champ Kaan Onder, Anderton and Jack Bartholomew 10th running out of the same awning. With his sights firmly set on the Junior Max title as the last round approaches, Harry Webb took a comfortable win to regain his championship lead. “We struggled initially, but made some changes and it all came good in the end. The track is very different really to anywhere else that I’ve raced; it’s nice with the rise and fall of the layout, and also the hairpins. The racing was really good this week and the competition quite even. I knew it was important that I had good results in the finals to be able to stay in the lead for the championship. Thank you to Strawberry Racing and my dad for supporting me.” 1. Harry Webb (GBR) - Tonykart/Strawberry Racing 2. Josh White (GBR) - Tonykart/RL Racing Dept Ltd 3. Tom Meijer (NED) - Formula K/Formula K Europe Above: Junior MAX podium pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media ROTAX DD2 has been extremely close at each round this season, with some very experienced and skilled drivers matched-up in the 2-speed class. With the change to a new brand of chassis this edition, championship leader Mathias Detige consolidated his lead to be almost unbeatable in the battle for the gearbox title. His nearest opponent Miika Laiho was a late withdrawal from the final, while the challenging conditions Sunday took its toll on round 2 winner Xen de Ruwe. Taking 3 from 3 pole positions in the series for 2012, Xen de Ruwe was once more the one setting the pace in Friday’s qualifying. The Belgian driver was one-tenth clear of first round winner Miika Laiho with last year’s vice champion Mathias Detige third quickest. In the DD2 Masters category, multiple world and European title holder Christophe Adams set the best lap of the class to be 10th overall in the order for a row 5 start in the three heat races to follow Saturday. Also from Belgium, but racing for France, the oldest driver at the event actually celebrated his 47th birthday over the weekend. Above: Rotax DD2 winners enjoy a victory parade pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media Pre-final pole went to Detige with two victories in the heats to line-up alongside De Ruwe who the honours from his fellow-countryman in one of the races. Laiho was the best of the next to rank 3rd and be joined on row 2 by Pat Pearce. The highest placed Master following the racing Saturday was former Iberian champ Tiago Ribeiro on P14 with one top 10 finish. Making the decision to run on his new set of MOJO D3 tyres for the first final proved to be the smart option for Pearce, who was clearly fastest and passed Laiho for 2nd place, before moving in on Detige by the half-way mark then taking the lead with just 4 laps to go. Swiss driver Kevin Ludi kept De Ruwe at bay in a close battle for 4th at end of the 14-lapper. With the track declared “wet”, the DD2 final began with some controversy when Laiho recognized an error with the tyre mounting, as was the case for Babington in the Senior Max qualifying two days before, so the young driver from Finland retired from the event only minutes from the start. The championship points are calculated on three of the four pre-finals and finals from the four-round series, so Laiho still has a realistic chance of taking the title at Salbris this September. Once underway, the dicing for the lead saw Detige succeed in relegating Pearce to 2nd after he covered well until lap 3. In the meantime, a fabulous race for minor places turned on the action for the spectators; Ludi showed his skills in the rain to climb to 2nd ahead of Pearce and De Ruwe, who was soon overtaken by Lucas Orrock fresh from his 3rd in Germany. Disaster struck however on lap 12, when Ludi lost a rear wheel and was left helplessly watching from the infield. Leading Master Florent Lambert was quickest in 5th, but collided with De Ruwe on the next lap and the Winter Cup champ dropped to P8 where he stayed thereafter, while Lambert took class honours in the Masters. As Detige approached the finish line, further back Haralds Garkaklis gave the Latvian fans something to cheer about, negotiating his way past Pearce for 3rd. Above: DD2 Masters winner Florent Lambert pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media 21-year old Mathias Detige was a deserving winner at Kristianstad with a gap to Lucas Orrock of over 9 seconds and a strong lead of 25 points in the championship with all races included. “I have to thank the MS Kart factory for giving me a great kart, also my team Bouvin Power for their support and my two mechanics this week. It all went very well for me – in the dry and in the wet, the chassis worked – so it was a perfect weekend! Thanks also to my father and sponsors too.” 1. Mathias Detige (BEL) - MS Kart/Bouvin Power 2. Lucas Orrock (GBR) - Kosmic/Paul Carr Racing 3. Haralds Garkaklis (LAT) - Gillard/DFK DD2 Masters 1. Florent Lambert (GBR) - Tonykart/Tatum Racing 2. Christophe Adams (FRA) - Sodikart /Sodikart NL 3. Tamsin Germain (GBR) - Gillard/DG Racing Above: DD2 Masters podium pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media All results and series points from the ROTAX MAX EURO CHALLENGE can be found at www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com RGMMC events are broadcast on Sky Sports plus videos on RGMMC Media page and Facebook. Entries are now open for the deciding round of the championship to be held at the Sologne Karting Circuit at Salbris, France September 11th – 16th. Above: Podium Prowlers pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media Above: The start straight at Asum Ring pic - Bas Kaligis / RGMMC Media Home
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