Thrilling races and new winners in the DKM in Ampfing

Excellent conditions for round two of the German Kart Championship. More than 190 competitors start in Ampfing. Half and half: New and old winners in the six classes.

More than 190 drivers made the journey to Ampfing for round two of this year’s DKM. The many spectators at the track enjoyed thrilling karting and some close battles in excellent weather and glorious sunshine. There were several shifts in the balance of power across the six classes. While Milan Rossi (DMKM), Lars Ramaer (X30 Junior) and Maximilian Schleimer (DKSC) repeated their success from Mülsen, there were new winners in the remaining three classes. Poland’s David Liwinski triumphed in the DKM class, Moritz Groneck was the victorious youngster in the DJKM category, and ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Elia Weiss won the X30 Senior class.

DKM: David Liwinski takes commanding final victory
When qualifying drew to a close, it looked as though very little had changed in the German Kart Championship. Estonian Markus Kajak (Maranello SRP Factroy Team) secured his second pole position in a row. However, the first changes at the top came during the heats – team-mate David Trefilov led the class. Victory in the Super Heat on Sunday morning then saw David Liwinski (Dörr Motorsport) lay the foundation for his subsequent success. The Pole made a perfect start in the final and maintained a safe advantage over the chasing pack for all 23 laps of the race. “I am very happy with the win. The team did a great job and the motor seemed to have the proverbial wings. We had super speed up to the middle of the race, before it got a bit closer towards the finish. However, I still managed to win” said the happy winner in an interview. There was a late change in the battle for second place shortly before the finish. Trefilov pulled off a last-minute manoeuvre to overtake Kajak. Brothers Stan and Jorrit Pex (SP Motorsport) completed the top five.

DKM class standings after 2 of 6 rounds:
1. Stan Pex (158 points)
2. David Liwinski (128 points)
3. Guust Specken (124 points)
4. Markus Kajak (118 points)
5. Christiaan de Kleijn (109 points)

DJKM: Moritz Groneck wins the final
The winner in Mülsen, Amin Kara Osman (SIM-ON), had everything under control right up to the final in the German Junior Kart Championship (DJKM). Together with his team-mate and reigning champion Luke Kornder, he came into the final as the leader. He then defended his position with a good start, while Moritz Groneck (CRG Holland) closed in from behind. Having started third on the grid, the CRG driver battled his way into the lead and went on to celebrate his maiden DJKM victory: “It was a tiring weekend. Things did not go so well at first in the heats. In the final, I then took the opportunity to fit new tyres and go for the win.” Behind Moritz, the SIM-ON duo battled it out for the remaining positions on the podium. Kornder ultimately took second place, ahead of Kara Osman. Oliver Städtler (CV Performance Group) and Kilian Josseron (Gold Kart Racing Team) rounded out the top five.

DJKM class standings after 2 of 6 rounds:
1. Amin Kara Osman (172 points)
2. Luke Kornder (154 points)
3. Moritz Groneck (149 points)
4. Philip Helmchen (122 points)
5. Oliver Städtler (121 points)

DMKM: Narrow victory for Milan Rossi
The young drivers in the German Mini Kart Championship (DMKM) once again produced many battles for position and overtaking manoeuvres at the 1,063-metre Schweppermannring. Milan Rossi (Lanari Racing Team) from Saarland seamlessly followed on where he left off at the opening round in Mülsen and started the final from pole position. The next 14 laps saw the lead change hands on several occasions. Four drivers held the lead over the course of the race: Carlos Nees (Nees Racing), Devin Titz (CRG Holland), Gustav Christensen (CRG Holland) and Rossi. The race was only decided on the final lap, when Rossi dived through a small gap to claim his second win in two races. He was followed home by Titz, ahead of Christensen, William Sterup Nielsen (CRG Deutschland) and Nees. “The final was super exciting. The slow phase and short suspension meant the field stayed very close together. There was a chance at the end, and I took it,” said Rossi, summing up events.

DMKM class standings after 2 of 6 races:
1. Milan Rossi (184 points)
2. Carlos Nees (153 points)
3. Davin Titz (113 points)
4. Gustav Christensen (113 points)
5. Damian Luca Zeller (105 points)

DSKC: Maximilian Schleimer repeats his Mülsen success
The DMSB Shift Kart Cup featured a full field of 43 drivers, led after qualifying by Claudia Henning. She just managed to get her nose ahead of the opposition, and retained her place among the leading group during the heats. However, the new pole-sitter for the final was Dion van Werven from the Netherlands. Starting beside him in second place was Maximilian Schleimer (Maranello SRP Factory Team). The driver from the Rhineland-Palatinate got away fastest, took the lead, and then gave the opposition no opportunity to attack before taking the chequered flag. “It is unbelievable. Having had a few issues yesterday, we changed the set-up for today and dominated the final. That is a nice feeling, and I hope it continues this way,” said a very happy winner. Van Werven did turn up the heat towards the end of the race, but was never really in a position to launch a serious attack. Simon Rechenmacher (TB Racing Team) battled through from eighth on the grid to take third place. Lukas Reiböck (BirelART Racing KSW) was fourth, ahead of Claudia Henning. Victory in the Masters class for over 35s went to Nathalie Kreitz (VDB Kart Racing). 

DSKC class standings after 2 of 6 races:
1. Maximilian Schleimer (176 points)
2. Dion van Werven (151 points)
3. Siep Kuypers (129 points)
4. Lukas Reiböck (112 points)
5. Claudia Henning (111 points)

DSKC Masters standings after 2 of 6 races:
1. Nathalie Kreitz (191 points)
2. Lars Ossenbeck (166 points)
3. Christian Breiter (108 points)
4. Markus Rausch (100 points)
5. Chris Vandebroek (90 points)

X30 Junior: Lars Ramaer strikes again
Saturday was all about Marius Bonconseil (Ebert Motorsport). Pole position gave him a perfect start to the second race weekend of IAME Series Germany, and he defended his lead during the heats. However, Lars Ramaer (SIM-ON) hit back on the Sunday. The Kosmic Kart driver won the Super Heat and refused to be moved from the front of the field in the deciding final. The early stages saw a leading trio break clear, before Ramaer benefitted from a battle between his two pursuers and managed to open a small gap. He defended this through to the finish, and was delighted with his second victory in a row: “I had a perfect start and was able to defend my position, thanks to my good kart. The lead was shrinking a bit in the closing laps, but I managed to hold onto the lead and am grateful to my team for the super job they did.” Bonconseil closed to within half a second of Ramaer, but never really threatened to deny him the win. Elias Tittus (DUTT MOTORSPORT by FENSTER.COM) finished third to take the final spot on the podium, ahead of Adrian Lorenz (CV Performance Group) and Lukas Roos (SIM-ON).

X30 Junior class standings after 2 of 6 races:
1. Lars Ramaer (181 points)
2. Marius Bonconseil (178 points)
3. Elias Tittus (127 points)
4. Lukas Roos (124 points)
5. Adria Lorenz (110 points)

X30 Senior: Two rookies battle it out
ADAC Stiftung Sport driver Phil Colin Strenge (Ebert Motorsport) qualified first in the strong field of 45 drivers. The strength in depth among the X30 Seniors was clear for all to see, right through to the final. Many drivers justifiably had their sights set on victory. The best-placed of these after the Super Heat was Nando Weixelbaumer (Valier Motorsport). However, there was to be a set-back before the start of the race. A breach of the rules in the pre-grid area meant the Austrian had to start from the pit lane and was no longer able to get involved at the front of the field. Instead, it was rookies Elia Weiss (SIM-ON) and Strenge who were embroiled in a fierce battle for the win. It was Weiss who eventually crossed the finish line first, just 0.094 seconds ahead of Strenge. The ADAC Stiftung Sport duo were followed home by Daniel Guinchard (SFR Motorsport), Jason Bralic (SIM-ON) and Niklas Hirsch (SIM-ON) in the remaining trophy positions. This was Weiss’ first victory in the X30 Seniors, and he was understandably happy in the winner’s interview: “The start was not perfect, but I soon closed the gap to the front two and then battled my way into the lead. On the whole, it was a great finale to a weekend of highs and lows.”

X30 Senior class standings after 2 of 6 races:
1. Jason Bralic (120 points)
2. Elia Weiss (117 points)
3. Daniel Guinchard (112 points)
4. Phil Colin Strenge (94 points)
5. Daniel Brozovic (94 points)

The third race weekend of the German Kart Championship takes place next month, when the season reaches the halfway point at Prokart Raceland Wackersdorf from 15th to 16th June.