FIA CIK KART Magazine 2018 No. 4 Ampfing / Germany by Publications

NO.

FIA KART SPORT AND KART CULTURE.

KART GRAND PRIX GERMANY AMPFING 14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 JUNE 2018

EXPERT OPINIONS

RACE PREVIEWS

DRIVER INTERVIEWS

EVENT POSTER

AND MUCH MORE

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KART MAGAZINE 2018 // EDITORIAL

ROUND 3 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN LET`S GO RACING! After countless years away, it’s a great pleasure to see this year some of the wellknown circuits of the past return to the CIK-FIA karting calendar. Its absolutely no easy task for a race track to host a CIK-FIA event and I want to deeply thank the well experienced Club of Waldkraiburg for all their efforts leading to the event. Hosted in the beautiful area of Bavaria, famous in Germany for its food and hospitality, it sets the perfect ground for the third round of the FIA Karting European OK / Junior Championship. After an unpredictable season so far the championship is anyone’s for the taking. I look extremely forward to the event and the exciting racing the technical, fast paced race track Ampfing will surely provide us with. May the best driver win!

JAMES GEIDEL PRESIDENT OF RGMMC

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // INTRODUCTION

DEAR LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, DEAR MOTORSPORT FANS, there is reason to be happy in Ampfing: The Schweppermannring is back on the international stage. On behalf of the German Automobile Club ADAC of South Bavaria I bid you a very warm welcome to the third run of the European Kart Championship in the Zimmermann kart sport centre of Ampfing. On the 1,060 meter long traditional route there are perfect conditions not only for the elite of the European kart scene. The varied and challenging course also provides a unique surrounding area and atmosphere for the spectators. I want to express my honest thanks to the responsible staff of the motor club of Waldkraiburg for their considerable efforts. This is an achievement that cannot be valued and appreciated enough, because such a high-performance major event would simply not be practicable without these people. We take great pride in working with these women and men. They are essential to motorsport. I am sure that the race weekend will be an unforgettable event for all of us. I wish all the racing drivers a sporting and fair, but mainly accident-free competition and the fans exciting and spectacular races.

FRITZ SCHADECK DIRECTOR FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS, ADAC SĂ&#x153;DBAYERN E.V.

TABLE OF CONTENT EDITORIAL

JAMES GEIDEL

INTRODUCTION

BY FRITZ SCHADECK

AMPFING FLASHBACK

FIA RACING AT AMPFING

LEADING AT HALFTIME

GOOD OR BAD?

RACE GALLERY

GREAT BRITAIN / PFI

RACE PREVIEW

GERMANY

INTERVIEW

THOMAS BAUMÜLLER

INTERVIEW

GLENN KEYAERT

EVENTPOSTER

PEDRO HILDBRANDT

DRIVER INTERVIEWS

DILANO VAN T‘ HOFF // HANNES JANKER

INTERVIEW

MARCO PAROLIN

TIMETABLE

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

ENTRY LIST

JUNIOR

INFORMATION

ON TRACK INTRANET & LIVE TIMING

CONCEPT / DESIGN RGMMC AND WEINBLUM + STAHL 7

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // AMPFING FLASHBACK

FIA RACING AT AMPFING 2006 - Jules Bianchi wins last race of the season Last visit here was in 2006, an event that staged the European Championship both for the ICA and Formula A classes, which obviously brought the heavy hitters of the sport along. The late Jules Bianchi was the one picking up the win in race one of the Formula A class on the Maranello chassis, but the Frenchman wouldn’t be able to beat Marco Ardigo (Tony Kart) and Riki Christodoulou (FA Kart) to the title. Race two was won by Michael Christensen who has since gone on to become a sports car legend.

2002 - David Hemkeymer begins journey to becoming Germany’s next European Champion With Sebastian Vettel becoming just the third German to pick up a European Championship two years earlier (following in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher and Michael Ammermuller) it was the turn of Hemkeymer. Ampfing would be the first of three rounds for the Formula A, Super ICC and ICC classes. David would have stiff competition in the shape of Jerome D’ambrosio (ex Formula 1 driver), Bas Lammers and Kamui Kobayashi.

More interesting names to be on track that day were Jean Eric Vergne, Valtteri Bottas, Jon Lancaster and Alexander Sims among others. Still in the karting paddock today include Jeremy Iglesias of Formula K (this year’s winner at Salbris), Simo Puhakka of Tony Kart, Jamie Croxford of Forza Racing, Davide Forè of BirelART and Bas Lammers of KSW BirelART.

However, this would turn out to be David’s worst finish with a DNF in race one and 14th in race two, pedalling the Mach 1 chassis. The race winners would be Christopher Wasserman (AUT) on the CRG and the female racer Cyndie Allemann from Switzerland also racing a CRG!

2003 - Claudio Mack wins on home soil One of the major talking points leaving Ampfing in 2003 was a home victory for Claudio Mack who took the win in the Junior class in race two. It was a disappointing start to the weekend for Claudio who qualified in 19th place on the Jolly Kart chassis (one of just five drivers racing that weekend). A fantastic drive in race one saw Claudio come through the field to finish 5th with Italy’s Daniel Mancinelli taking the win further up the road. In race two the German would take a memorable victory ahead of Andy and Josef Kral.

2001 - Italians dominate proceedings at Ampfing In 2001, Ampfing welcomed drivers from eight different nations to compete in one of two events taking place that weekend, which would act as the first rounds of the championship (the other taking place at Angerville) before the close of the season at Braga in Portugal later that year. The Italians would dominate both the entry list and subsequently the results with 39 of the 73 entries making the trip over from Italy. T Salvatore Gatto took the win in the final, who would go on to have a brief spell in single seaters 2005 - 2008 before making a return to Karting. Giovanni Sacco took 2nd place, but had a disastrous run in Braga later

that year and rounding out the podium was Michele Fanetti who would go on to finish 10th in the championship.

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // AMPFING FLASHBACK

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // LEADING AT HALFTIME

LEADING AT HALFTIME. GOOD OR BAD? 2017 - A dramatic turn of events in the OK category In OK Junior, Harry Thompson was making an immediate impact and had picked up a podium at Alonso to put himself in the lead. It was an improvement on his 4th at round one and the consistency was making him look like an early favorite. But to win FIA championships you must win races and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Jonny Edgar would do beating Harry by 14 points. In OK, it was David Vidales leading the championship with two 3rd place finishes. However, from there his attempts to win the title were shot after the Spaniard scored just seven points during the course of the final three rounds, which would leave him 10th overall by the end of the season! Clement Novalak, Theo Pourchaire and Pedro Hiltbrand also failed to stay inside the top five with Sami Taoufik, Pavel Bulanstev and Lorenzo Travisanutto, all finishing strongly to fill the championship podium!

PHOTO BY: JOAN CODINA // JCODINA@FOTOFORMULAK.COM 10

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // LEADING AT HALFTIME

A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND HOW IT TURNED OUT FOR THE DRIVERS LEADING AT THE HALFWAY STAGE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

2016 - Consistency is key! In OK Junior at the halfway stage, it was Noah Watt who was leading the way despite a difficult second round at Adria. His win at Zuera was enough to keep him in the lead ahead of Isac Blomqvist and Caio Collet. But as the season entered its second half, Victor Martins had seemingly adopted a ‘nothing to lose approach’ and took wins at both Portimao and Genk, which would leave him just three points off the title in 3rd. Further, Watt was clearly struggling to cope with the consistency of Kenneally and a bad result at Genk lost him the title to the Brit by just two points. Karol Basz started his season tremendously with a win at Zuera and a 4th at Adria ahead of Logan Sargeant and Tom Joyner. But the man they all had to be concerned about was Pedro Hiltbrand. Podiums at Portimao and Genk took him to the title by ten points ahead of Joyner and Basz, who’s consistency fell away towards the end of the season with a mechanical issue in the final at Genk. 2015 - Devastation for Roosens Leaving PFI, Kenny Roosens led the Junior championship despite a lackluster second round which saw him salvage nine points in the final. It was his maximum score of 35 points at Portimao which still left him six points ahead of Novalak. However, disaster then struck on more than one occasion in Sweden with a series of technical problems, leaving Kenny out of the final and with zero points. That lost him the title which was picked up by Lundgaard with Mortano 2nd and Roosens still 3rd proving how effective a maximum score can be! A win and a 2nd place on home soil were

good enough to keep Ben Hanley in the lead of the KF class heading into the final round. Despite Tom Joyner mirroring those results his qualifying heats weren’t as good. But neither of the two would be the stars of the show at the final round with Marcus Armstrong taking the win in the final. Verschoor was 2nd leaving the standings exactly the same as they were at the end of round two. 2014 - Qualifying Heats points prove crucial Heading into round three at Kristianstad, Enaam Ahmed had the lead of the Junior championship with Logan Sargeant in chase. But Ahmed would drive a perfect season and the pressure of leading the European Championship never appeared to bother him, with a win on home soil at PFI confirming him as champion.

he won at round two. With Ticktum scoring no points at round one his win had him now matched with Norris who had similar problems at Ortona. Van Leeuwen’s result would also put him on 25 points, making it a three way tie for the title! With Nicklas Nielsen taking the victory at the opening round he would be leading the KF heading to Italy but Christian Sorensen and Max Verstappen both provided a huge threat behind. Verstappen had qualified on the front row for the final with Nielsen in 5th. Verstappen needed to win and hope Nielsen would finish 4th so the stage was set for a thriller but any chances of a title showdown were ruined when Nielsen was run off the road on lap one putting him out of the race handing the title to Verstappen.

In KF we had two drivers tied for the lead of the championship in Nicklas Nielsen and Lando Norris. However, that would be where Norris’ quest for the title stopped for various reasons and Callum Illot was filling his place. At rounds three and four he scored the exact same points across the finals as Nielsen, but this was a championship won in the qualifying heats with Illot first in the intermediate classification at both rounds helping him to win the title. 2013 - Drama at Ortona! Leaving the opening round, the KF Junior class was being led by Lando Norris after winning at Alcaniz. Matteo Raspatelli and Martijn van Leeuwen were his nearest challengers but it would be Daniel Ticktum that would give him the biggest scare after

PHOTO BY: JOAN CODINA // JCODINA@FOTOFORMULAK.COM

PHOTO BY: JOËL GABORIAUD // GABORIAUD.JG@GMAIL.COM

PHOTO BY: EDUARD CARTAÑÁ // EDUARDSLOT@GMAIL.COM

PHOTO BY: MARIO PERRUCCA // MARIO@MARIOPERRU

UCCA.IT

PHOTO BY: EDUARD CARTAÑÁ // EDUARDSLOT@GMAIL.COM

PHOTO BY: JOËL GABORIAUD // GABORIAUD.JG@GMAIL.COM13

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // RACE PREVIEW GERMANY

LOCATION 75KM E. OF MÜNCHEN GPS: 48°14´45.4´´ N / 12°26´36.1´´ E

RACE PREVIEW GERMANY European OK and OK-Junior: major meeting at Ampfing The third of the four Competitions of the CIK-FIA European Championship and the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship will be particularly important for the conquest of the titles. At the circuit of Ampfing (DEU) the hierarchy may take a major turn before the conclusion of the European campaign in early August in France. The German Kart Grand Prix will therefore take on a circuit of 1063m with a sinuous layout that will require different qualities to the first two Competitions of the season, at Sarno (ITA) and PFI (GBR). Ampfing makes its return to the international calendar after twelve years of absence: in 2006, the European FA Championship victories went to Jules Bianchi and Michael Christensen at the Schweppermannring, while Marco Ardigo won the title. So far no Driver has made their mark on the 2018 CIK-FIA European Championships. In OK as well as OK-Junior, the situation is very open with many possible winners at each race. At the same time, many favourites have had a difficult start to the season and are determined to get back on their feet. The confrontation is often fierce between the rookies and the more experienced Drivers. On the other hand, two types of strategy compete according to the positions and ambitions of each: consistency in the Championship to aim for a title, or a coup d‘éclat to win a Final. The significant number of entries in each Competition guarantees both a high standard and high quality racing. Well accustomed to the specifics of the Ampfing circuit, the participants in the DKM German Championship and the national Drivers will benefit from a theoretical advantage.

OK: Hiltbrand on an rising curve 2016 World Champion Pedro Hiltbrand (ESP) has returned to peak performance after a less successful year in 2017. Determined and solid in battle, he leads the provisional classification of the CIK-FIA European Championship thanks to his 2nd place in Italy and 3rd place in England. His closest opponent is the very fast Hannes Janker (DEU), winner at PFI. In 3rd place, Roman Stanek (CZE) didn‘t repeat his Italian feat in England. David Vidales Ajenjo (ESP) and Juho Valtanen (FIN) are in the top five with great consistency. Mattia Michelotto (ITA) could take over from his team-mate Lorenzo Travisanutto (ITA) who is now in a bad situation. We must expect a reaction from Harry Thompson (GBR), still capable of very good performance. Hugo Sasse (DEU), Marius Zug (DEU) and Luca Maisch (DEU) will have a great card to play on a track they know well. OK-Junior: Mini’ at the controls Much like Stanek in OK, Paul Aron (EST) did not confirm his performance level of Sarno in England. Dilano Van T‘Hoff (NLD) won at PFI after a penalty for Victor Bernier (FRA), two drivers in the ascendancy of the CIK-FIA European Junior Championship. However Gabriele Mini’ (ITA) leads ahead of Aron thanks to a constant presence in the top three, while Kai Askey (GBR) remains in a good position. Although Kirill Smal (RUS) looks unlikely to within the title, Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA) and Dino Beganovic (SWE) remain in the race, while Thomas Ten Brinke (NLD) was a revelation in Britain.

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // RACE PREVIEW GERMANY

THE TRACK

Kartshop Ampfing Notzen 11 84539 Ampfing Germany

Located not far from Munich in the heart of the beautiful region of Bavaria, Germany, the track of Kartbahnen Ampfing is welcoming its first FIA international event in over a decade. Owned and run by the Waldkraiburg Motor Club, the track is well known in the country for hosting over the years many racing events including the German Karting Championship. With only one real straight line for the whole lap, the layout of the circuit is very technical and demanding for the drivers and mechanics. Definitely a fresh and exciting venue for the third round of the FIA European Karting Championship OK / Junior.

Tel.: 01636 626747 www.kartshop-ampfing.de info@kartshop-ampfing.de

Track Length: 1.063 meters Track Width: 10 meters

THOMAS BAUMÃ&#x153;LLER TEAM ENTRANT TB

PHOTO BY: MARIO PERRUCCA // MARIO@MARIOPERRUCCA.IT 14 16

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // INTERVIEW THOMAS BAUMÜLLER

INTERVIEW THOMAS BAUMÜLLER TEAM ENTRANT TB

After an unlucky start in Sarno, Hannes Janker had the perfect weekend at PF International. What made the difference between those two rounds? Luck! On both weekends we were quite strong but at the first round we just missed the luck in the final, which we had at PFI. Coming to PFI, how confident were you about your potential level of performance on this track? PFI is a track which we don’t know very well. We knew that our package can be strong on every track, we just needed to adapt quickly and find out the right setup changes to make for the layout of PFI. Next stop is Ampfing, Germany. What is your view on this track compared to Sarno and PF International? Ampfing is a very short and tight track, so the racing there will be more tricky compared to the tracks we’ve visited so far. Ampfing has its special secret, which will make a difference if you know. What do you think of the competition in the FIA Karting European Championship? The level is quite high, the highest anywhere I’d say. The driving standards are hard but very fair. It’s good seeing that and certainly makes for very good racing. What advice would you give to Hannes Janker for the second part of the season? He just needs to keep doing what he’s done so far, and working hard like he did in the first half. Always focus on giving it his best!

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // INTERVIEW GLENN KEYAERT

INTERVIEW GLENN KEYAERT

GLENN KEYAERT TEAM ENTRANT CRG

TEAM ENTRANT CRG

With podiums in two rounds, your driver Pedro Hiltbrand is leading the Senior championship. You must be a happy team manager. – Obviously being on top is the best place to be during a championship and it’s good for the confidence of Pedro and the team. Nevertheless we are aware that we have to work hard together with TM and Franco Drudi to improve our equipment and to stay on top. Do those results reflect the level of performance you expected? – Pure performance we haven’t been the strongest but we have been very consistent in the first 2 rounds and Pedro has been delivering during the finals managing to take home the maximum result possibile and that what’s count during a multi-round championship. Comparing the first two rounds, which one was the most satisfying? – For sure the Sarno round has been very satisfying because we were struggling during the 2 preparation races of the WSK and improved a lot for the CIK with Pedro being among the very fastest on track from Saturday onwards. The team together with TM made a huge step forward during that weekend which will be important for the rest of the championship. In which areas is there room for improvement for the rest of the championship? – Like any other team we are constantly working to improve on all areas and our TM factory back up helps up a lot to achieve our goals set for this season. If you don’t improve you go backwards. With two rounds to go, has the mindset changed now that you are leading the competition? – The aim is still to try and maximize our points score during the weekend like it has always been. At the moment we are not thinking about the championship and just try to focus on doing the best job possible on track with Pedro and all the other drivers of the team. Next stop is Ampfing, Germany. What is your view on this track compared to Sarno and PF International ? – Ampfing is a very old school track, very tight and narrow. Conditions are very different to the ones we have seen in Sarno and PFI. We are looking forward to continue the fight!!

PHOTO BY: CRG PRESS OFFICE / KARTCRG.COM 19

PEDRO HILDBRANDT 20

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // EVENT POSTER

Photographer: JOAN CODINA (codina@fotoformulak.com)

Location: PF INTERNATIONAL

Race Class: OK

Date: 20.05.2018

Event: CIK-FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP / ROUND 1

Team: CRG 21

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // DRIVER INTERVIEWS

DRIVER INTERVIEWS

„

Yes I was hoping for a top 10 after Sarno but now I’m definitely going for a top three!

“ DILANO VAN T‘ HOFF FORZA RACING

– It felt great to win at PFI. I didn‘t have the best race in Sarno as I got taken out twice and didn’t make the final by one place so this was definitely a good comeback.

– Yes, I definitely think it’s possible to win this championship. I’m 3rd in the standings now and the gap to the front is not big, so if I can have some luck I believe I can win.

– I don’t actually know either of the tracks. I will go to Ampfing next weekend for the first time. I’ve only seen a picture of the track so far and to me it really looked like a tactical track. I haven’t seen anything of Essay yet but I’ve heard a lot of good words from other drivers who have been there, so I’m definitely excited.

How did it feel to win at PF coming off the back of Sarno?

What do you think was the difference between rounds one and two? – The two tracks are really different; Sarno has a really long straight and really fast corners, while PFI is more of a technical track with slow speed corners. In Sarno you need an engine that can produce a good top speed in the straight while in PFI you need one with good acceleration when getting out of the slow corners.

Do you see yourself as a title contender now?

How have you found the challenge of racing in the FIA European Karting Championship? – It’s really competitive. Every driver on the grid is really good. All the way to the back there are really good and fast drivers; the speed difference is really small. I think it‘s the most difficult field I’ve experienced so far.

What are your thoughts on the Ampfing and Essay circuits?

Have your championship expectations now changed? – Yes I was hoping for a top 10 after Sarno but now I’m definitely going for a top three!

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // DRIVER INTERVIEWS

„

I don’t feel pressured; I feel proud of the opportunity which motivates me more.

“

HANNES JANKER KART REPUBLIC

How does it feel to be back racing in Germany with the CIK-FIA? – It feels great to be back in Germany. It’s my first race since 5 years in Germany, and my first CIK race in Germany as well. I hope for many German visitors out there.

I imagine winning at PFI was special, but what would it mean to you to win here?

– I know Ampfing quite well, but in the end I did more laps on Italian tracks. It will still be a small advantage because back in junior times I have done many races there, and the track has some secrets which I hope to use to my advantage.

What are you expecting the racing to be like this weekend? How will it compare to Sarno and PFI?

– It meant a lot to me, because PFI is one of the most difficult and special tracks in the world. I didn’t expect that we can win there. In the end we had such a good speed there, that still makes me proud.

– Ampfing is a short track, so I expect that all drivers will be close. There will be many wildcard drivers, and for sure some of them will be as fast as the top drivers, so we might have some surprise challengers.

What is your experience and knowledge of the Ampfing circuit? Being a home race, do you think you have an advantage?

There hasn‘t been a German champion in the Senior class for 12 years, how do you rate your chances to put an end to that wait?

– I have the material to win, so I just need to use it. In the end you always need the luck on your side. For sure we try to win it, but 2018 has already been amazing now, so if not, it’s not the end of the world.

Former German European Champions include both Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. What would it mean to join them? – It would be nice to join them of course. At the end of the day however I just want to give something back to all the people who gave me the chance to race this year, especially the whole Dörr Family who made all that possible. It’s a pleasure for me to be here.

PH OTO BY :

ALEX VER

/ TH E R AC

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EBOX // A LEX@TH ER ACEBO

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KART MAGAZINE 2018 // INTERVIEW MARCO PAROLIN

INTERVIEW MARCO PAROLIN TEAM ENTRANT PAROLIN

With podiums in two rounds, your driver Gabriele Mini is leading the Junior championship. You must be a happy team manager. – I am pleased to see where we currently stand, but nothing has been achieved yet and the worst thing to do would be lowering the guard. The OKJ class is extremely competitive and to be on top we have to strive for excellence and keep working hard. Do those results reflect the level of performance you expected? – I am aware of the potential of our package, and I am also aware that there is still room for improvement. I knew we could be competitive, but since we are a quite young team in this class I didn‘t fix any specific target in term of results, except improving race by race and do our best. Comparing the first two rounds, which one was the most satisfying? – Each of them has its own positive sides: in Sarno, the weekend didn‘t start perfectly, but we managed to get the way through and the second place in the final was an amazing result, considering that we were starting from the 10th spot. In PFI, I was satisfied about how we adapted immediately to a track we haven‘t been visiting for a long time - and totally new for Minì - and managed to collect another podium and heavy points for the championship. In which areas is there room for improvement for the rest of the championship? – It‘s a mix of things: people, product and processes are what we are working on. Our two drivers are both rookies, and every race we see that they are getting more familiar with the environment and the new class. In addition to this there‘s an ongoing development on the product that we carry on race by race and also the processes inside the team are getting more streamlined. Halfway through the season, do you want to consider yourselves as title contenders? – At the moment we are up there, so there‘s no reason to hide. Maybe we are not the favorite ones, but we have to give it a try. How would you describe the track of Ampfing compared to Sarno and PF International? – All the tracks you mentioned have their own challenges. Although it‘s much shorter than the other two, Ampfing is a technical track with several changes of direction and does not leave lot of time to „rest“ for the drivers. It will be a tough one!

KART MAGAZINE 2018 // TIMETABLE

TIMETABLE 16 JUNE / SATURDAY Hour

Pre-Grid Closing

Class

Group

Laps

09:30 – 09:45