In the European KZ1 Championship in Germany, Davide Forč was on his way to the podium in the final. But he was victim of a collision that damaged one of his back tyres. He continued his effort anyway and finished fifth, with an excellent result for his team, CRG-Maxter. Two weeks after the WSK round at Genk, Davide Forč was very pleased to be again with the CRG team and at the top of world karting. Unlike in previous years, the European Championship was held in one single weekend, thereby giving an even greater importance to the event. The Wackersdorf track -north of Münich (Germany) - was often difficult for the Italian driver, who was forced to slow down his progression too many times.
"The race started all right, with fifth best time in timed practice, so I started from the second line in qualifiers", said the five-time World Champion. "But in the second heat a driver touched me and I went into a tailspin, so I lost about 20 places. I finished 13th in the pre-final starting grid, which was a serious handicap on this very narrow track, where overtaking is difficult".
There were several collisions in the middle of the pack, but Davide fought hard and started his ascent. And it was as fruitful as expected. "A back tyre was damaged and I lost grip, lap after lap. I hoped I could reach the top 10, but I contented myself with the 11th place in the pre-final". In the final, Davide Forč made an excellent start and completed the first lap in ninth place. "We had to recover a tyre from the set used in the qualifiers, but luckily the adjustments chosen were perfect for these conditions". The CRG driver overtook one, two, three, and then four rivals! With about ten laps still to go, Davide felt that the podium was within reach.
"There was a grouping behind my team mate Jonathan Thonon, who was third. Then I passed Marco Ardigo to reach the fourth place, but he hit my back spoiler in a bend because he was following me too close. It began to rub against the tyre. Then, the engine could not deliver its full power anymore and the chassis grip was no longer ideal. Ardigo overtook me again. I kept fighting to keep my fifth place until the end. With Jonathan, we could have been 3rd and 4th, but it was a very positive result for CRG and Maxter anyway".
"In Germany, I could exploit once again the full potential of my excellent equipment and I would like to thank the CRGMaxter team, Mansell, my mechanic, my partners who support me and Patrick Savard, our engine mechanic. With the tests organised for this summer and next round of the WSK at Salbris, on my favourite track, I am sure we will be able to fight for victory in the World Cup for KZ1 in Italy, in early September" |
