Mariembourg opens second half of RMC Euro Trophy season
This coming weekend, the almost six-week wait for participants in the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy will finally come to an end. In Mariembourg, Belgium, the Austrian engine manufacturer's top-class racing series will kick off the second half of the season with the third race of the year. More than 150 competitors are registered on the entry list for the event. It’s no doubt that the racing action is expected to be thrilling on the 1,366-meter circuit in view of the progressing championship.
After the RMC Euro Trophy looks back on exciting events in the fight for the international Rotax crown; its opening round in Genk, Belgium, and round two in Val d'Argenton, France, the next challenge now awaits. The track of Karting des Fagnes is located 160km west of the famous racetrack of Spa Francorchamps and is the ideal venue for the RMCET to continue the contest. Since the end of the 1980s, the location has been the regular choice of many renowned championships. With its demanding layout, it will keep the high-level competition intense. The program in Mariembourg extends once again to include five Rotax classes at the third event. In addition to the Junior- and Senior MAX categories plus the DD2 and DD2 Masters, the youngest drivers will return for their second round of the 2023 European series in the Mini MAX class.
In the Mini MAX classification, Jacob Ashcroft (Dan Holland Racing) enters the events in Belgium as the favorite. The Brit celebrated a flawless performance at the season opener in Genk, taking an impressive victory ahead of Albert Friend (Strawberry Racing) and Cole Denholm (Dan Holland Racing). Meanwhile, Mateja Radenkovic (Bouvin Power) currently holds the reins in the Junior MAX*, leading the overall points ahead of Timo Jungling (Dan Holland Racing) [* provisional result]. In Senior MAX, it’s the UK pair of Mark Kimber (Strawberry Racing) and Sean Butcher (KR Sport) who have had a tough battle for the championship lead so far. Both have celebrated a winning weekend - Kimber currently leads the standings by a razor-thin margin over Butcher and teammate Kai Rillaerts (Strawberry Racing).
In the DD2 MAX field as well, nothing has been decided for the title. Dutchman Martijn van Leeuwen (Schepers Racing) was able to slightly extend his championship lead after a top performance in Val d'Argenton. However, Pole David Aulejtner (Wyrzykowski Motorsport) is currently close behind in second place and still has every chance, as does Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport) ranked third overall. The combined results to date in the DD2 MAX Masters are just as exciting. Martynas Tankevicius (Lenktyniu Linija) from Lithuania leads by two points ahead of Germany’s Denis Thum (Kraft Motorsport). Meanwhile, fellow countryman Michael Becker, in third place, is not yet out of the running either among the two-speed gearbox veterans.
The second half of the RMC Euro Trophy season commences with free practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the qualifying sessions are when it starts to get even more serious, followed by the heats, where the hunt for the top positions will begin. Only the best-placed drivers will line up for the races on Sunday. All the track action can be followed both via live timing and the live stream at www.rotaxmaxchallenge-eurotrophy.com. In addition, the Rotax Global App (free download from the App Store or Google Play) makes it easy to access all the media and info. Furthermore, the hashtag #rotaxmaxeurotrophy can be used on the social media channels to see all the latest news from the week-end.