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2008 FIA-CIK European Championships
Round 2 Lausitzring (DE)
Event ReportEuropean
Superkart Championship at Lausitzring – The Races. As expected by the German
organisers of the DTM, the huge grandstands of the Lausitzring were invaded by
80,000 spectators. While most of them were mainly there to watch another duel
between Audi and Mercedes (won by Paul Di Resta’s Class C Mercedes), many
stayed until the end of the meeting to follow the track performance of the
Superkarts. A thin rain
increased further the drivers’ tension before Race 1. The few rain drops that
fell within 5 minutes of the start even led some competitors to opt for grooved
tyres. The 2007 European Champion, Gavin Bennett (Anderson-FPE), was one of
them, and the first lap he completed in the lead seemed to prove him
right. However, the Briton quickly had to realise that he had not made the right
choice, so he went back to the pits to change to slick tyres. He thus fell back
to the bottom of the tables. On his home ground, the German Peter Elkmann (MS
Kart-Yamaha) rapidly took over and was an isolated leader in the first
laps. Half way through the race, the Frenchman Benjamin Mahé (PVP-FPE), who
went off line at the beginning of the race (as many other competitors because
the track was so slippery), caught up with the German and even passed him thanks
to a superb overtaking manoeuvre on the outside. Elkmann nonetheless almost
immediately retaliated, forced the pace and went on to win by over two seconds.
The main surprise of the event was the third place of the Czech Michal Bartak
(MS Kart-VM), very comfortable in these tricky track conditions. The Frenchman
Damien Payart (PVP-FPE) finished fourth, ahead of his compatriot Alexandre
Sébastia (EMA-FPE) who, although he started twentieth, was second on the
fifth lap! The cadet of the category, Lee Morgan, came in sixth... and
first of the decimated English contingent after the retirements of the
poleman Lee Harpham (clutch), Malcolm Crowe (collision), Mark Owens (broken
water hose), John Riley (spin) and Carl Hulme (deliberate retirement). At the start of
Race 2 there was the biggest pile-up ever seen in Superkart. Harpham started in
the lead and missed a gear: he got hit and in turn crashed into other
competitors. As a result, several karts in distress formed a veritable barrier
over the whole width of the track in front of the field. Over twenty karts
therefore ended up trapped and hit one other, sometimes in big crashes. Race
direction had no other choice but to display the red flag. Harpham took
again the lead at the restart and easily pulled away. His engine however
betrayed him halfway through the race, which enabled Elkmann to win again, ahead
of Owens (ADE-DEA) and Mahé, the latter now finding himself alone in the
lead of the Championship. At Assen (Netherlands) on 3 August 2008, the title
will be decided between France’s Mahé and Payart and Germany’s Elkmann. The results
are available on www.cikfi a.com (www.cikfia.com/News2008/Lausitz.htm).
For
Media Information Purposes - No Regulatory Value For
further information on the CIK-FIA, please consult our Internet site : www.cikfi
a.com Race 1nk No. Driver Nat. Equipment 1 9 P.Elkmann, D MS Kart/Yamaha/ 1:24.663 15 Laps - 15 2 30 B.Mahe, F PVP/FPE/ 1:26.460 3 31 M.Bartak, CZ MS Kart/VM/ 1:26.181 4 5 D.Payart, F PVP/FPE/ 1:25.089 5 78 A.Sebastia, F EMA/FPE/ 1:26.633 6 97 L.Morgan, GB Anderson/Rotax/ 1:26.336 7 79 P.Kruse, D Anderson/DEA/ 1:27.063 8 96 C.Vayssie, F PVP/FPE/ 1:26.844 9 16 S.Malm, S PVP/PVP/ 1:27.556 10 32 L.Vaszily, CZ MS Kart/VM/ 1:30.569
Race 2Rnk No. Driver Nat. Equipment 1 9 P.Elkmann, D MS Kart/Yamaha/ 1:24.110 15 Laps 2 12 M.Owens, GB ADE/DEA/ 1:24.164 3 30 B.Mahe, F PVP/FPE/ 1:24.256 4 1 G.Bennett, GB Anderson/FPE/ 1:26.095 5 5 D.Payart, F PVP/FPE/ 1:25.172 6 6 J.Riley, GB Anderson/Rotax/ 1:25.699 7 50 C.Hulme, GB Anderson/FPE/ 1:25.197 8 79 P.Kruse, D Anderson/DEA/ 1:30.661 9 13 A.Lacoste, F Anderson/FPE/ 1:26.338 10 32 L.Vaszily, CZ MS Kart/VM/ 1:26.977
QualifyingHarpham fastest in Qualifying at Lausitzring 26 year old British driver Lee Harpham (Anderson-Rotax) will start tomorrow on pole position in each of the two races of the second event of the CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship on the Lausitzring circuit (Germany), host of a round of the DTM series for which in excess of 80,000 spectators will be present tomorrow.
Leading a number of German drivers, Peter Elkmann (MS Kart-Yamaha) set the second fastest time only 0.135 of a second slower than Lee Harpham. Malcolm Crowe (Anderson-FPE) posted the third fastest time. A downpour of rain during the afternoon had potentially compromised the second qualifying session with the adverse track conditions, but the progressive return of the sunshine had given drivers hope to achieve quicker speeds. At the end of the session most drivers had not even matched their times set in the morning session. The most notable exception was Benjamin Mahé (PVP-FPE), co-leader of the Championship standings, who was a revelation in transforming his thirteenth place of the morning with a good fourth place. Fifth was Mark Owens (ADE-DEA) who had equally been one of those rare cases of a driver improving his time from the morning session when he was eight. The first ten drivers were all timed within one second of each other which sets the stage for two competitive races. Behind the first five drivers are Carl Hulme (Anderson-FPE), John Riley (Anderson-Rotax), Damien Payart (PVP-FPE) and the defending Champion, Gavin Bennett (Anderson-FPE). The surprise of these sessions has been the emergence
of the Norwegian Martin Erik Gjertsen (PVP-PVP), a good tenth on his first
appearance in the Division One Superkart twin cylinder class (he has moved up
following the demise of the Division Two single cylinder motor class). Friday Untimed QualifyingLAUSITZRING, FREE PRACTICE. The Superkarts have made a strong impression on their first outing this Friday in free practice on the Lausitzring Eurospeedway circuit where the CIK-FIA European Championship is being held as part of the prestigious DTM series. With a time of 1.25:70 (146 kms per hour), British driver Mark Owens (ADE-DEA) has established a first time of reference, which has enabled other classes to gain an idea of just what Superkarts are capable of: of all the supporting classes (Porsche Carrera Cup, Seat Leon Supercopa, ADAC VW Polo Cup), the Superkarts are the fastest this weekend. Only the DTM cars themselves will be quicker with their fastest lap timed at 1.19:67. For the 59 drivers present, the free practice session has in effect been a first reconnaissance or familiarisation of the circuit, for this is the first time that this 3.4 kms configuration of the Eurospeedway has been used by the karts. This first outing has already produced evidence of features which Superkart drivers do not normally encounter. The amount of rubber laid down by the ultra soft tyres used by the DTM and Porsche cars has given the circuit unusual characteristics. The blackened surface and volume of rubber is more reminiscent of short circuit kart racing rather than Superkarts on a long circuit. In terms of performance, the set up of the chassis is going to prove crucial. Mark Owens (ADE-DEA) has provided confirming evidence of the potential of the new DEA motor following its racing debut at the first round of the European Championship at Nogaro in France. Having encountered mechanical problems in France, British drivers Malcolm Crowe (Anderson-FPE), Gavin Bennett (Anderson-FPE) and Lee Harpham (Anderson-Rotax) have been reassured by their respective classification of second, third and fourth in the first practice session. Fifth, Peter Elkmann (MS Kart-Yamaha) has confirmed his expected status as the fastest of the German drivers. Joint Championship leaders after the first event at Nogaro, Frenchmen Benjamin Mahé (PVP-FPE) and Damien Payart (PVP-FPE) were classified no higher than 7th and 15th place respectively, but will undoubtely improve on those performances in the first qualifying session tomorrow. To secure good performances tomorrow will certainly be absolutely vital in order to secure a starting place as close to the front of the starting grid as possible bearing in mind that the first corner at the Lausitzring track has the reputation of being difficult and delicate to drive. The 59 Superkarts will begin the battle to post their best time in two qualifying sessions tomorrow Saturday, then the two races will be contested on Sunday at 9.10 and 16.45. All the results will be published live on www.cikfia.com or www.cikfia.com/News2008/Lausitz.htm . Pre Race ReleaseLausitzring
(D) 16-18/05/2008
SUPERKARTS
AS SUPPORT RACES OF THE DTM
On
16-18 May, as well as following the fights between the over-engined Audis and
Mercedes driven by competitors of the calibre of Mattias Ekström, Tom
Kristensen or Ralf Schumacher, the tens of thousands of spectators of the DTM
will discover the uncommon spectacle of the 250 cc karts. The second event
of the CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship will indeed have the privilege of
performing within the framework of the prestigious German series on the
Lausitzring circuit. Whereas Superkarts have already had the opportunity of
racing on this circuit in the past, they have never used the 3,478 m long
DTM variant of the course. All the participants will therefore be on an equal
footing and no one will have better knowledge of the track, unlike the French at
the first event in Nogaro. Many drivers
will again attend this exceptional meeting, and as often in the European
Championship there will be a full starting grid with 60 karts, i.e. the maximum
authorised by the regulations. A new record is also established in the European
Superkart Championship, which enjoys unfailing success: the participating
drivers will represent no fewer than eleven nationalities as Finland is added to
the other nations already present in previous events (Great Britain, Germany,
France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway,
Switzerland and Austria). Having
outclassed the other competitors in “their” event held at the beginning of
April, France’s Damien Payart and Benjamin Mahé will get to the Lausitzring
as joint leaders in the Championship as they each won a race at Nogaro. The
Briton Lee Harpham
(Anderson-Rotax) was the only one who managed to vie with the French on their
home ground and he even lead Race 2 before suffering a puncture. It is
clear that Harpham is determined to take his revenge in Germany, as are his
compatriots the reigning Champion and Vice-Champion Gavin Bennett (Anderson-FPE)
and Malcolm Crowe (Anderson-FPE), who were both overwhelmed with mechanical
problems at Nogaro. Because they used new equipment for the first time there,
the German Peter Elkmann (MS Kart-Yamaha) and the Englishman Mark Owens (ADE-DEA)
were unable to participate in the fight for victory in France; however, they
showed such great potential that they will have to be reckoned with at the
Lausitzring, more especially as they have been able to take advantage of the
last few weeks to polish their set ups. Other candidates for top positions and
even for wins will be Britain’s Trevor Roberts (Anderson-PVP) and John Riley
(Anderson-Rotax) as well as the Frenchman Mane Vignjévic (PVP-PVP). After
a reconnaissance of the circuit scheduled for free practice on the Friday, the
60 Superkarts will launch attacks on the fastest lap time in the two qualifying
practice sessions on Saturday, the two races taking place on Sunday (9h10 and
16h45). All the results will be published live on www.cikfia.com (www.cikfia.com/News2008/Lausitz.htm).
Championnat d’Europe CIK-FIA de
Superkart - Lausitzring (D) 16-18/05/2008
LES
SUPERKARTS EN OUVERTURE D’UNE ÉPREUVE DU DTM
En
plus de suivre les évolutions des Audi et Mercédès survitaminées et pilotées
par des pilotes du calibre de Matias Ekström, Tom Kristensen ou Ralf
Schumacher, les dizaines de milliers de spectateurs du DTM découvriront ces
16-18 mai le spectacle peu commun des karts 250. La seconde épreuve du
Championnat d’Europe CIK-FIA de Superkart aura en effet le privilège de se
produire dans le cadre de la prestigieuse série allemande sur le circuit du
Lausitzring. Si les Superkarts ont déjà eu l’opportunité de courir sur ce
circuit dans le passé, aucun d’eux n’a jamais utilisé la variante DTM du
tracé longue de 3 478 mètres. Tous les participants seront donc à
égalité et aucun ne pourra faire valoir, comme ce fut le cas pour les Français
lors de la première épreuve à Nogaro, faire valoir une meilleure connaissance
de la piste. Pour
ce rendez-vous exceptionnel, les pilotes se sont encore mobilisés et comme
souvent en Championnat d’Europe, la grille de départ sera forte de 60 karts,
soit le maximum autorisé par le règlement. Un nouveau record est également établi
dans le cadre de ce Championnat d’Europe de Superkart au succès continu :
pas moins de onze nationalités seront représentées parmi les pilotes
participants, la Finlande venant s’ajouter aux autres nations déjà présentes
lors des éditions précédentes (Grande-Bretagne, Allemagne, France, Suède,
Tchéquie, Danemark, Pays-Bas, Norvège, Suisse et Autriche). Dominateurs de « leur »
épreuve courue début avril, les Français Damien Payart et Benjamin Mahé
arriveront au Lausitzring en leaders ex-æquo au Championnat, chacun d’eux
ayant remporté une victoire à Nogaro. Le
Britannique Lee Harpham (Anderson-Rotax) avait été le seul à rivaliser avec
les Français sur leurs terres et il menait même la Course 2 avant de
subir les affres d’une crevaison. Autant dire qu’Harpham entend bien prendre
sa revanche en Allemagne, de même que ses compatriotes Gavin Bennett (Anderson-FPE)
et Malcolm Crowe (Anderson-FPE), les Champion et Vice-Champion en titre, accablés
de problèmes mécaniques à Nogaro. Pour y avoir étrenné du nouveau matériel,
l’Allemand Peter Elkmann (MS Kart-Yamaha) et l’Anglais Mark Owens (ADE-DEA)
n’ont pu se mêler à la victoire en France, mais ils y ont fait preuve d’un
tel potentiel qu’il faudra compter avec eux au Lausitzring, d’autant
qu’ils ont pu mettre à profit les dernières semaines pour peaufiner leurs réglages.
D’autres candidats aux accessits, voire à la victoire, seront les
Britanniques Trevor Roberts (Anderson-PVP) et John Riley (Anderson-Rotax) et le
Français Mane Vignjévic (PVP-PVP). Après
une reconnaissance du circuit prévue en essais libres le vendredi, les 60
Superkarts s’élanceront à l’assaut du meilleur chrono lors de deux séances
d’essais qualificatifs le samedi, alors que les deux courses se disputeront le
dimanche (9h10 et 16h45). Tous les résultats seront publiés en direct sur
www.cikfia.com (www.cikfia.com/News2008/Lausitz.htm). Liste des
engages / Entry List 1
Bennett, Gavin (GB)
Anderson
FPE 2
Crowe, Malcolm (GB)
Anderson
FPE 4
Kennings, Paul (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 5
Payart, Damien (F)
PVP
FPE 6
Riley, John (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 7
Harpham, Lee (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 9
Elkmann, Peter (D)
MS Kart
Yamaha 10
Featherstone, Phil (GB)
Raider
Rotax 11
Reinke, Jürgen (D)
PVP
BRC 12
Owens, Mark (GB)
ADE
DEA 13
Lacoste, Antoine (F)
Anderson
FPE 14
Harvey, David (GB)
Anderson
FPE 15
Ogeborn, Per-Olov (S)
Scherman
Rotax 16
Malm, Stefan (S)
PVP
PVP 17
Focque, Pierre (F)
PVP
FPE 20
Roosemark, Tomas (S)
Scherman
Yamaha 21
Sieker, Ulli (D)
USP
Yamaha 22
Bischoff, Roland (D)
USP
Yamaha 23
Maxim, David (GB)
PVP
FPE 25
White, Steve (GB)
PVP
Rotax 26
Roberts, Trevor (GB)
Anderson
PVP 27
Vignjevic, Mane (F)
PVP
PVP 30
Mahé, Benjamin (F)
PVP
FPE 31
Bartak, Michal (CZ)
MS Kart
VM 32
Vaszily, Lumir (CZ)
MS Kart
VM 38
Meyer-Wolff, Wilfried (D)
PVP
Yamaha 39
Breckwoldt, Kristin (D)
PVP
Yamaha 42
Preiss, Daniel (D)
PVP
Rotax 43
Petersen, Ib
PVP
Rotax 46
Pfeiffer, Willi (D)
PVP
Yamaha 47
Marggraf, Thomas (D)
PVP
PVP 48
Bruellmann, Walter (CH)
Anderson
FPE 50
Hulme, Carl (GB)
Anderson
FPE 51
Maasmann, Marcel (NL)
MS Kart
VM 52
Hjalmarsson, Mikael
PVP
PVP 57
Gorissen, Raymond (NL)
APG
Rotax 59
Nilsson, Robin (S)
PVP
FPE 60
Urhofer, Thomas (A)
MS Kart
Rotax 62
Frinken, Dr. Stefan (D)
PVP
Yamaha 64
Hentschel, Daniel (D)
PVP
FPE 69
Busby, Kevin (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 70
Gorissen, Marcel (NL)
APG
Rotax 72
Bernhard, Jörg (D)
PVP
PVP 74
Robert, Gregory (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 75
Gjertsen, Erik M. (N)
PVP
PVP 78
Sébastia, Alexandre (F)
EMA
FPE 79
Kruse, Peter (D)
Anderson
DEA 80
Albertsson, Bengt (S)
Anderson
Rotax 81
Lehmann, Markus (D)
PVP
Yamaha 83
Bolk, John (NL)
APG
PVP 84
Chilcott, Robert (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 85
Parkes, Gary (GB)
PVP
Rotax 87
Dau, Olaf (D)
PVP
BRC 88
Gillani, Hanif (GB)
PVP
PVP 89
Léon, Marc (F)
PVP
FPE 93
Lehtinen, Vesa (FIN)
Anderson
Rotax 94
Hosier, Bob (GB)
PVP
PVP 96
Vayssie, Cyril (F)
PVP
FPE 97
Morgan, Lee (GB)
Anderson
Rotax 99
Smith, Adam (GB)
Anderson
Rotax
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