Spanish Championship: Andy Ratel runner-up in the IAME X30 Senior category
The 2024 Spanish Karting Championship took place over four events, with the final held at Chiva near Valencia. Andy Ratel, the driving force behind the most competitive event on the Iberian peninsula, was aiming for gold in the X30 Senior category, before finally taking silver in a meeting that saw him once again battle at the front and climb onto the podium.
In karting, each new event is a constant challenge, and Andy Ratel can testify to that. ‘This year, we raced at Campillos in the south of Spain, at Zuera near Zaragoza, and at Alcaniz to the west of Barcelona, which has three circuits with characteristics different from Valencia. This required a lot of work to fine-tune the equipment, as I wasn't particularly satisfied with the first free practice sessions. But with the Pantano Racing Team, we stepped up a gear and I finished Friday with the 2nd fastest time in my group. On Saturday, the weather changed and we had to deal with the rain. The warm-up wasn't enough to prepare for qualifying, which I finished in 6th position overall for the two groups.’
The track remained wet but changed over the two heats, which enabled the driver from Cluses to move up to 3rd on the grid for Race 1 on Sunday, which saw the return of dry trajectories and slick tyres. ‘The battle was fierce over the 18 laps. I was fast with a time just 5 thousandths off the best lap and I fought right to the end to finish 2nd. Unfortunately, it was my most dangerous rival in the Championship who finished just ahead of me.’
The Haut-Savoyard knew that he would have to give it his all in Race 2 to try and snatch the title from his Spanish rival. ‘Although I was really competitive in Race 1 on new tyres, I found myself in more difficulty with worn tyres. I gave it my all and managed to salvage 4th place, but unfortunately, I'm still behind the Championship leader. Nothing was easy during this meeting.’
With 4 podium finishes, including 2 victories in 4 events, the results remain very positive for the French hopeful, who adds to his already impressive list of achievements with the title of runner-up in Spain.