Full grid at the season opener in Belgium. Weather conditions provided variety on Sunday. Danilo Albanese leads the DKM standings after the first race weekend.
After a six-month winter break, the German Kart Championship (DKM) kicked off the new season with 179 drivers and travelled to Mariembourg in Belgium for the first time. The 1,352 metre-long Karting des Fagnes International Circuit provided a perfect backdrop for the season opener and saw some highly exciting races - the weather was not entirely uninvolved in this. On Sunday morning, rain mixed up the classifications. However, it was dry again for the finals and in the evening, Danilo Albanese (DKM), Erik Poulsen (DJKM), Matej Preuss (DSKC), Devin Titz (DJKM), Tom Wickop (X30 Junior) and Lars Ramaer (X30 Senior) were able to lift the winner's trophy into the air.
DKM: Danilo Albanese wins season opener
An international field of drivers from twelve nations lined up at the start of the German Kart Championship, including reigning champion Markus Kajak (Formula K SRP Factory Team). However, the Estonian has already moved into the role of the pursuer in qualifying. Danilo Albanese (KR Motorsport) took the 32five pole position award and also held on to the lead in the subsequent heats.
A wet track brought new excitement to the Super Heat on Sunday. Albanese lost his top position and only finished fourth. Victory went to Emilien Denner (Formula K SRP Factory Team) from France. On a dry track, Albanese quickly levelled the standings in the final. He was first right from the start and controlled his position right to the finish. "We had a consistently good weekend and were able to set the pace from qualifying onwards. It was only on the damp track in the Super Heat that we lost out a bit," summarised the championship leader. Behind the Italian, Kajak was followed by Dion Van Werven (CPB Sport), Jean Luyet and David Trefilov (Formula K SRP Factory Team).
DKM championship standings:
1st Danilo Albanese (101 points)
2nd David Trefilov (82 points)
3. Emilien Denner (68 points)
4th Markus Kajak (65 points)
5th Christiaan De Kleijn (56 points)
DJKM: Dominant performance by Erik Poulsen
He came, saw and won: There was no way around Erik Poulsen (Poulsen Motorsport) this weekend. The Swede was the fastest OK Junior driver from practice onwards and did not allow himself to be displaced from first place until the chequered flag fell in the final. After this successful start, he was visibly satisfied in the winner's interview: ‘My strategy for the final was to break away from the field immediately after the start and then drive the race without any pressure. That worked really well and was a successful end to the weekend.’
Behind the front-runner, the youngsters fought close battles for the remaining positions in the final. At times, a quartet was closely bunched together in the battle for the top five and changed places several times. Marc Alexander Reistrup (CRG Holland) led the chasing pack when crossing the line and finished second. Reigning Mini champion Milan Rossi (DAP Lanari Racing Team) followed in third ahead of Benjamin Poulsen (Poulsen Motorsport) and Martina Rumlenova (MVM Racing Team).
DJKM championship standings:
1st Erik Poulsen (101 points)
2nd Marc Alexander Reistrup (88 points)
3. Milan Rossi (70 points)
4th Martina Rumlenova (58 points)
5th Benjamin Poulsen (56 points)
DSKC: Final triumph for Matej Preuss
There was plenty of variety in the DMSB Shifter Kart Cup. Jayden Thien was fastest in qualifying in the 50-strong field. Thien lost his top position in the heats in a direct exchange of blows and lined up behind local hero Lenn Nijs (DAP TB Racing Team).
In the wetter conditions on Sunday, Matej Preuss (Formula K SRP Factory Team) from the Czech Republic felt comfortable and won the Super Heat straight away. He took this momentum into the final and went on to win the opening race. "The weekend was a big challenge for me. I've never been on this track before and it was my first start in the DSKC. The victory is a big surprise for me, now of course I hope that it continues like this," summarised the DSKC newcomer. Light drizzle repeatedly challenged the drivers' driving skills over the course of the 18 laps of the race. Polesitter Thien finished in second place ahead of Lauritz Sachse (Henza Racing Team), Emanuel Mai (Mach1 Motorsport) and Jeffrey Fiske.
DSKC championship standings:
1st Jayden Thien (91 points)
2nd Matej Preuss (88 points)
3rd Lenn Nijs (69 points)
4th Lauritz Sachse (68 points)
5th Emanuel Mai (60 points)
DMKM: Clear final victory for Devin Titz
Devin Titz (CRG Holland) left his mark on qualifying with a clear best time and continued this dominance in the heats on Saturday. He won both heats by a clear margin and went into Sunday's final as the front-runner. Things got exciting in the Super Heat. While the Minis were already at the pre-start, it started to rain. Race director Horst Seidl postponed the start, and most of the youngsters switched to rain tyres. Titz did not get off to a good start this time and was pushed backwards due to a spin - he ultimately finished eighth. The winner was Henri Möhring (7L-Performance), who had the best speed on the wet track and thus secured second place on the grid for the final.
From pole position, however, Titz had things firmly under control again in the final and went on to win. "My weekend was very good. Only the Super Heat caused a bit of excitement, but things went well again in the final, and I'm very happy with the result," beamed the young racer at the finish. Jan Ruudi Algre (Formula K SRP Factory Team) also broke away from the main field in second place and finished on the podium. The fight for third place was really close - several youngsters were very close together and sometimes rode side by side through the bends. The final decisions were only made at the finish line. Joans Pundys (Paske Racing), Jonas Hubacek and Möhring completed the cup ranks.
DMKM championship standings:
1st Devin Titz (101 points)
2nd Henri Möhring (65 points)
3rd Jan Ruudi Algre (54 points)
4th Noel Mannsperger (50 points)
5th Leon Walczak (46 points)
X30 Junior: Tom Wickop wins Junior final
Ben Götz (Ebert Motorsport) made the best start to the new season. He was fastest around the 1,352 metre circuit in qualifying and was also among the front runners in the heats. Emilio Bernd (EB-Sportpromotion) was another driver at the front in the evening. The driver from Türkheim had the best result from the heats with a win and second place. Rain then caused a lot of action at the pre-start for the Super Heat on Sunday. The crew changed the tyres from slicks to rain tyres before the start. Bink van Scheijndel (Falcon Racing Team) had the best set-up. The Dutchman fought his way forwards from fifth on the grid to take pole position for the final.
The final was characterised by numerous duels, including one between Bernd and Noah Nölken (DUTT Motorsport by Fenster.com) - both collided in the battle for a podium place. While Bernd retired completely, Nölken finished a distant 19th. Tom Wickop (VM Energy Corse Germany) took advantage of this phase to pull away in first place and cross the finish line as the jubilant winner. ‘I had a good feeling all weekend and knew that we had the chance to be among the front runners. I started the final with confidence and am delighted to be standing on the top step of the podium as the winner,’ said Wickop after the podium ceremony. Aron Weeda (Henza Racing Team) made a good comeback and took second place ahead of Super Heat winner van Scheijndel, Lias Ebersdobler (Haupt Racing Team) and rookie Carlos Nees (Nees Racing).
Championship standings X30 Junior:
1st Tom Wickop (87 points)
2nd Lias Erbersdobler (74 points)
3rd Ben Götz (73 points)
4th Aron Weeda (60 points)
5th Yves Ris (58 points)
X30 Senior: Rookie Lars Ramaer wins in dramatic final
45 X30 Seniors competed in Mariembourg and witnessed a rookie in good form. Reigning X30 Junior vice-champion Lars Ramaer (Haupt Racing Team) won qualifying and then both heats. In the Super Heats on Sunday morning on a wet track, two other riders came out on top. Dutch drivers Quinten Van Leeuwen (Henza Racing Team) and Kevin Lantinga (RMW Motorsport) both took victory, but Ramaer continued to defend his lead in the overall standings.
The big showdown came in the final. After a poor start, Ramaer dropped back into the chasing pack. In the battle for victory, other riders exchanged blows at the start. Towards the middle of the race, the top ten got really close together, and there was a battle for positions that was well worth seeing, with up to four karts racing side by side on the bends at times. There was no real let-up until the chequered flag fell. Dutchman Sem van der Heijden (Haupt Racing Team) was the first to see it. However, a five-second penalty for pushing subsequently dropped him back to tenth place. The new winner was Ramaer, who fought his way back to the front in a strong second half of the race and was happy about his success afterwards: ‘I had a turbulent start and was only eleventh at times. But as the race progressed, I got back to the front and now hold the winner's trophy in my hand.’ Kevin Lantinga, Lukas Horcicka, last year's X30 Junior champion Marius Bonconseil (Ebert Motorsport) and Daniel Brozovic (VM Energy Corse Germany) followed in the other top five.
Championship standings X30 Senior:
1st Lars Ramaer (points)
2nd Kevin Lantinga (points)
3rd Quinten Van Leeuwen (points)
4th Daniel Brozovic (points)
5th Aaron Garcia Lopez (points)
In six weeks (31 May - 1 June), the German Kart Championship continues. Then the next races will take place in the Arena E in Mülsen, Saxony.