Preview: Rotax Winter Cup
| press release | 7 February 2014 |
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It might be summer in Australia, but in Europe it's winter, and this weekend will see the running of the 2014 Rotax Winter Cup at Campillos, Spain. Over 140 drivers have entered, including Aussie champion Pierce Lehane who once again lines up with the Dan Holland Racing team aboard FA Karts in Senior MAX. Lehane will then compete in the Euro MAX Challenge championship.
press release
Gentlemen, start your engines! From 10th to 16th February 2014, the traditional ROTAX Winter Cup is ready to kick off the year's first trial of strength. For the fifth time this prestigious karting event will welcome the international ROTAX scene on the Spanish karting track of Campillos near Malaga.
The 1.588 metres long circuit with its long straight and some spectacular up- and downhill passages is a challenging track with most professional infrastructure. Moreover southern Spain normally guarantees best climatic conditions which are expected with about 16°C at this time of the year.
Since its debut in 2010 the Winter Cup has proved to be the perfect preparation for the upcoming ROTAX racing season. Organised by RGMMC Establishment – the host of the popular ROTAX Euro Challenge for eleven years now – the event guarantees most experienced standards and professional processes in every way. Reinforced by the unbroken, increasing demand for ROTAX racing products, the Winter Cup edition 2014 enjoys a record-breaking popularity! To quantify the incredible run on the Winter Cup, one only needs to have a look at the list of subscriptions. About 140 drivers entered the race in the three categories of junior, senior and DD2 plus the special classification for the DD2 Masters.
"The feedback from the Winter Cup has been really encouraging, it’s taken a few years to get this event we developed back in 2010 off the ground but we are now experiencing an increase in drivers of nearly 45% from last year. It’s an ideal venue and opportunity for drivers and teams to prepare for the Euro Challenge series. It also affords new drivers to the international arena an insight on how RGMMC operates and what they can expect in the Euro, equally giving us the time as organisers to guide them through their first races outside their national events. That rewards our persistent efforts and confirms our passionate work. Yet we are far away from resting on our laurels. We keep on improving our services on a wide range, starting with some new features already at Campillos", quotes Roland Geidel, RGMMC CEO.
In the first place a whole new timing system, now directly run by RGMMC Timing, will make its debut in Spain. The so-called X2-technology comes form MYLAPS and marks the state-of-the-art on the market. Even used in the highest categories of motorsports, X2 is the most advanced data platform, working more reliable and more efficient than any comparable standard. The main new feature is the 2-way communication that enables to send data and status info from and to the racer. When a track has multiple loops, the options of receiving and sending information become endless. "X2 will allow us to offer even more services – not only for the drivers but for mechanics and spectators as well. The opportunities are countless and we are really thrilled to exploit them", says James Geidel, RGMMC head for the course of events.
Not only X2 will be introduced at Campillos. The race control system will be upgraded to 30 cameras now, all being equipped with high definition. That will improve the aim of fairest sportsmanship for all participants throughout the Winter Cup and the Euro Challenge season. When talking about cameras one cannot avoid mentioning RGMMC TV. After its brilliant debut in 2013 the in-house Television Production company will bring the action right home to everyone in the world wide web again. A new TV producer was charged with the intention of bringing the events even more into a show. Last but not least the official website has finally been re-launched: An all new look, more information and enlarged content is what makes www.rotaxmaxchallenge.com a regular must for all ROTAX fans and drivers all around the world.
Global interest and internationality complies with the subscriptions of the Winter Cup, too. One does not only find plenty of new drivers, but over 25 nations coming from all over the world: France, UK, Russia, Belarus, Australia, Morocco, Oman, USA or Japan are only a few countries, which turns the Winter Cup into a small world championship with the highest level of competition. For the first time ever one even welcomes a driver from Israel.
Traditionally the junior category will see a lot of talents climbing up to the senior class. But it welcomes a lot of newcomers too. Especially drivers who remain in junior category will have half the battle. Belgium's Max Timmermanns (Dan Holland Racing) or Juri Vips (Strawberry Racing) from Estonia are only two experienced drivers who belong to the circle of favourites.
In DD2 Belgium's Xen de Ruwe is back. After a dramatic season ending 2013, when he had to withdraw from the final round at Salbris and by this lost all chances for the European crown, he returns fully motivated. Racing for the ART Grand Prix team De Ruwe has one goal: Winning the Winter Cup for the third time in a row! But this will be a heavy task: His hardest opponent could be Sean Babington, designated DD2 vice champion of the Euro Challenge 2013, who newly joined the Ateam of Strawberry Racing. Yet Sodikart's Anthony Abbasse from France or Spain's local hero Oriol Dalmau Caballero (Tonykart), third of the Grand Finals in New Orleans, are two more candidates who surely want to join the battle for victory.
With over 50 entries the senior category promises the greatest show. Besides numerous former juniors the general focus is set on the reigning European junior champion Guan Yu Zhou (Strawberry Racing) who will debut in the highly competitive class. Here the man from the UK has to prove that he is ready to take the next step successfully. This will not be an easy task for the youngster whose rivals will give him a hard time. Edward Brand (Intrepid Driver Program), Pierce Lehane (Dan Holland Racing) or Oliver Myers (Coles Racing) are just a few examples of experienced and successful seniors who belong to the top favourites for the Winter Cup win.
Summing up the fifth edition of the ROTAX Winter Cup promises to become a spectacular event and a thrilling season opener, which will be the foretaste for the eleventh season of the ROTAX Euro Challenge 2014. So stay tuned on www.rotaxmaxchallenge.com or follow the event live on www.rgmmcmedia.com.
