Published on Tuesday, September 3, 2024

RMCET 2024 Champions crowned at South Garda Karting in Lonato

Gunskirchen, Austria – The spotlight at South Garda Karting shines on the 2024 champions of the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy, which concluded its final round last weekend. Adding even more flair to the competition was the night racing action, during which most of the heats and the final phase on Saturday took place. We also crowned the 2024 champions, the winners of the invitation tickets to the 25th-anniversary edition of the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals, set to take place from October 19 to 26 at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli.

Albert Friend (Mini MAX), Casper Nissen (Junior MAX), Matthew Higgins (Senior MAX), Enzo Bol (DD2), Nicolas Picot (DD2 Masters), Spencer Brougham (E20), and Hector Ramirez (E20 Masters) are the 2024 champions, with Picot repeating his success from 2023.

Mini MAX - Friend completes the mission
Albert Friend (Strawberry Racing) was undoubtedly one of the frontrunners for this title. Not only because he arrived in Lonato as the championship leader, but also due to the outstanding form he displayed throughout 2024. Winner in the Winter Cup, the German Cup, and now the 2024 RMCET champion; Friend has thus capped off an almost perfect RCMET season.

The weekend, however, started with Oliver Spencer (KR Sport) taking pole position on Thursday. Spencer, 2nd in the championship and winner of the ticket since Friend had already secured his in Wackersdorf, finished 2 heats in 2nd place and one in 10th, which caused him to slip to 7th after the heats. Friend, on the other hand, moved up from 5th in qualifying to finish the heats as the leader, followed by Nikita Ljubimov (Bouvin Power) and Maxim Becker (C4 Racing). Becker had the biggest smile, having climbed from 13th to 3rd place.

Friend and Ljubimov confirmed their victories in Saturday’s Prefinals, while a bumper penalty dropped Becker to 12th place in Prefinal A. At night, Friend “shone” once again, winning the Final and the title ahead of teammate Tom Read, who skillfully gained 2 positions, and Ljubimov.

Round 2
1. Albert Friend
2. Tom Read
3. Nikita Ljubimov

Championship
1. Albert Friend - 327
2. Oliver Spencer - 290
3. Zdenek Babicek - 288

Junior MAX - Nissen is the new champion
This category undoubtedly provided the most surprises in 2024. What began under the "sign" of Jacob Ashcroft (Dan Holland Racing) turned out to be a championship with a different story. Emerging as the new champion is Casper Nissen (RS Competition), who secured the title and ticket (the first of three awarded in the category) with a 4th-place finish in Lonato.

Things initially looked promising for Ashcroft, who set the pole position on Thursday ahead of Mathias Kjellerup (RS Competition) and teammate Toms Strele. Scott Marsh (Strawberry Racing) only managed 12th in qualifying but staged an impressive comeback during the heats. Marsh moved up to 3rd place, behind Ashcroft and Ties van Wijk (Bouvin Power). Van Wijk won Prefinal B, while Cameron Nelson (Dan Holland Racing) took victory in Prefinal A.

The win in the Prefinal earned Van Wijk pole position, but he couldn't keep up with his rivals in the Final. Marsh, with a 6-position comeback, took the win ahead of Charlie Smith (Strawberry Racing) and Nelson. Nissen’s 4th-place finish secured him the championship title.

Round 4
1. Scott Marsh
2. Charlie Smith
3. Cameron Nelson

Championship
1. Casper Nissen - 601
2. Ties van Wijk - 584
3. Jacob Ashcroft - 578

Senior MAX - Higgins takes race and title
Matthew Higgins is the man of the moment in Senior MAX. The British driver from Dan Holland Racing didn't start his weekend in the best way, qualifying 11th. Pole position went to Austin Lee (Strawberry Racing), followed by his teammate Tino Sidler. Title contender Sean Butcher (KR Sport) struggled, qualifying 18th.

The long series of heats worked in Higgins' favour, as he climbed 10 positions to take the lead, followed by his teammate Jayden Thien and home hero Elia Pappacena (MKC Motorsport), who won a heat and was consistently in the top 3. Higgins and Thien continued their strong performance in the two Prefinals, winning them both.

However, on the track, it was Kraft Motorsport’s Lewis Gilbert who triumphed under the night sky, winning by a wide margin over Higgins and Butcher, who managed an impressive 11-position come-back. But after the race, there was a twist: a technical non-compliance disqualified Gilbert, elevating Higgins and Butcher to 1st and 2nd, and bringing Thursday's poleman Lee onto the podium in 3rd place.

Round 4
1. Matthew Higgins
2. Sean Butcher
3. Austin Lee

Championship
1. Matthew Higgins - 605
2. Sean Butcher - 586
3. Macauley Bishop - 574

DD2/Masters - Xen De Ruwe surprises everyone, Picot crowns a perfect season
It seemed like another weekend dominated by Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport), who secured the lead in both qualifying and the heats on Thursday and Friday. However, Saturday belonged to Xen De Ruwe (AKK Sportstil), who swept the victories, winning both the Prefinal and the Final. Bol's 2nd place finish was enough to secure the championship title. French driver Kylian Guerin finished 3rd.

In the Masters category, reigning champion Nicolas Picot proved unbeatable, winning both the race—his fourth consecutive victory—and the title, marking his second championship in a row. Igor Mukhin and Christophe Capitaine finished 2nd and 3rd in both the race and the overall standings.

DD2 - Round 4
1. Xen De Ruwe
2. Enzo Bol
3. Kylian Guerin

DD2 - Championship
1. Enzo Bol - 588
2. Xen De Ruwe - 563
3. Bende Szabo - 556

DD2 Masters - Round 4
1. Nicolas Picot
2. Igor Mukhin
3. Christophe Capitaine

DD2 Masters - Championship
1. Nicolas Picot - 660
2. Igor Mukhin - 600
3. Christophe Capitaine - 575

E20 Senior/Masters - Brougham doubles up: race and title!
Spencer Brougham achieved a double victory in E20 Senior, winning both the race, ahead of Spain's Raul Vargas and Switzerland's Phillip Loacker, and securing the championship title along with the ticket. In the Masters category, championship outsider Gilberto Loacker won the race, while the ticket went to Hector Ramirez.

E20 Senior - Round 3
1. Spencer Brougham
2. Raul Vargas
3. Phillip Loacker

E20 Senior - Championship
1. Spencer Brougham - 474
2. Raul Vargas - 462
3. Will Elswood - 457

E20 Masters - Round 3
1. Gilberto Loacker
2. Hector Ramirez

E20 Masters - Championship
1. Hector Ramirez - 321
2. Gilberto Loacker – 165

The RMC Grand Finals Tickets were awarded to the following drivers:

Junior MAX:
Casper Nissen #222 | Cameron Nelson #241 | Jacob Ashcroft #212

Senior MAX:
Matthew Higgins #375 | Sean Butcher #356 | Macauley Bishop #368

MAX DD2:
Enzo Bol #421 | Xen De Ruwe #404

MAX DD2 Masters:
Nicolas Picot #517

Mini MAX:
Oliver Spencer #142

E20 Senior:
RMCGF Senior MAX ticket (combustion): Spencer Brougham #702
RMCGF MAX DD2 ticket (combustion): Raul Vargas #717
RMCGF E20 Senior ticket: Will Elswood #719
RMCGF E20 Senior ticket new entry: Phillip Loacker #777

E20 Masters:
RMCGF E20 Masters ticket: Hector Ramirez #801