RACE-Report

Heat 1: 00:07:29 / Heat 2: 01:46:24 / Final 1: 03:37:04

Heat 1: 00:07:49 / Heat 2: 01:47:29 / Final 2: 03:36:55

• Starting

  A sunny day with temperatures reaching 32°C. It was already 22°C at 9:00 a.m. Today we just had to register, draw lots for the engine and carburetor, and get the kart ready for practice. Everything is running smoothly, and we’ve established a basic setup since we’ve never driven on this track before. I walked the track and checked the braking, apex, and throttle points. The condition of the asphalt is also important. Based on this, we adjusted the gear ratio, tire pressure, and, most importantly, the basic setup. I’m so excited to see how the kart perfoms.

  Tomorrow, the engine has to be broken in for 10 minutes first, and then I’ll have 4 stints to determine the setup for the race. But I’m very confident, since I really like the track layout and I quickly feel comfortable on new tracks. The track goes uphill right at the start and then downhill again later. It has a 27-meter elevation difference from the lowest to the highest point. That’s why the track is called “Circuit 27.” I’m really looking forward to the start and the races.

• Practice

  Today was an extraordinary day. Although it was sunny and 24°C, there was always a light breeze. At 2 p.m., a strong gust of wind blew in, which turned into a small tornado. Next to us and in front of us, the entire tent was lifted into the air. My Fahter was working on the kart, and my Mother was next to him. I was already safe in the paddock. When parts of the tent fell on us, they took shelter behind a truck. Within seconds, the campsite was a field of destruction.

  Practice was canceled immediately, and we couldn’t collect our belongings until 4:30 p.m. Luckily, everything remained unharmed.

  However, this meant we could only complete two practice sessions, as we had to run in the engine during the first stint. Since the lap times aren’t good yet, we were able to continue working on the setup. We have a plan for tomorrow and will see if our analysis was correct.

• Race 1

  After our practice session was cut short due to the tornado, we were only able to complete two practice runs. We started race day with an early, sunny 22 °C. New tents were set up and we were relocated until the early hours of the morning. Many videos in the media showed just how violently and quickly this tornado unfolded, lifting all the tents into the air.

  The Warm-Up didn’t go quite as planned and ended with me in P13. The pressure settings were completely off. I simply didn’t have enough grip, and the engine wasn’t pulling as well as the others.

  Although the grip was better in Qualifying and we used a lower gear ratio, I couldn’t get past 107 km/h, while the others were at 111 km/h. We then contacted the engine tuner, who also saw the performance issue. He adjusted the carburetor, but over the entire race, we were up to 3 km/h slower than the field.

  In the First Heat, I managed to make up 6 places, but I was disqualified because I pushed another rider out in Turn 6.

  Same thing in the Second Heat. I moved up from P18 to P16 but was disqualified again for the same mistake in Turn 17.

  In the Final, I got off to another great start and quickly moved up to 6th place from 24th. I then dropped back to 12th due to engine power issues, but was disqualified again. I was 200 grams underweight. What a race day. I had to go to the steward three times and was disqualified three times. By that point, the steward really felt sorry for me. A day to forget.

  1. Warm-Up: P13

  2. Qualifying: P18

  3. Heat 1: P12 (disqualified))

  4. Heat 2: P17 (disqualified)

  5. Final: P12 (Start P24, (disqualified)

• Race 2

  The second and final day of racing began early in the morning with plenty of sunshine and a temperature of 20°C, which climbed to 31°C during the day. However, there’s always a slight cool breeze, which makes the heat much more comfortable.

  I already noticed during practice that the new engine runs much better. I was able to reach a top speed of 111.1 km/h, whereas yesterday I didn’t get past 107.2 km/h.

  In the Warm-Up I was able to keep up much better, with the new chossen engine. Even though we didn’t change anything in the setup. Aside from the transmisson , we tried something else that wasn’t quite good. That’s just motorsport, and engine power is what counts too.

  In Qualifying , evrything work out great, and I finished in a solid sixth place.

  In the First Heat, everything went very well. Although I didn’t get a good start this time because I was pushed wide, I dropped back to P9. Then I was able to make up ground to P7 and finish the race in P6 on the final lap.

  In the Second Heat, I started from P6 again after qualifying, but had problems with engine power. I dropped further back every lap and finished the race in P17. The throttle cable couldn’t reach the carburetor end stop because it had come slightly loose. So full throttle wasn’t possible. It was a technical error. I’ll check this more carefully with the mechanic in the future so this doesn’t happen again.

  In the Final, I started from P8 and once again got off to a great start. I briefly moved up to P3. But then I pushed too hard in Turn 4, and they forced me off the track into the grass in Turn 5. I dropped back to P7. After a great passing move through the chicane at turns 9, 10, and 11, I overshot for the first time in turn 17 and dropped back to P11. In the end, I was able to gain two places on the final lap and finished in P9.

  1. Warm-Up: P13

  2. Qualifying: P6

  3. Heat 1: P6 (Start P6)

  4. Heat 2: P17 (Start P6, technical issue)

  5. Final: P9 (Start P8)