No. 006
JULY 2016
O R U E EE X R A H T T O R CE A R ZUERA 2016
Pro’s Interview
// Ernst Penninger Driver’s Column
// Rinus van Kalmthout Chief Scrutineer’s Interview // Paul Klaassen
HOW THEY MAKE IT // MOJO Report
// Championship Standings
THE PADDOCK MAGAZINE IS THE WAY TO STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE RGMMC’S RACE PADDOCKS. ANY TEAM OR DRIVER WITH NEWS IS MORE THAN WELCOME TO SEND IT TO US TO PUBLISH. Every RGMMC organised event will have another issue, sharing information and news about drivers as well as teams and much more. Known for being different, RGMMC is moving away from the traditional race booklet, creating a magazine that supplies more information about the sport and news about the teams as well as drivers. We will be creating an informative, entertaining magazine over the next 12 months, giving our readers, an insight into the karting industry and paddock gossip. Together with our new IPTV media partner TELEMUNDI, we will be also supplying online video content such as interviews and news stories about the actual event. Digital versions of the ROTAX event issues are available for download at: WWW.ROTAXMAXEUROCHALLENGE.COM
If your team or driver has any news to share, please send it to us at info@rgmmc.com, so we consider to publish it in the following issue.
For placing adverts in our magazine contact us via e-mail at info@rgmmc.com.
S T N
E T N
CO ABOUT US
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RGMMC NEWS
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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE PADDOCK: ERNST PENNINGER
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ABOUT ZARAGOZA
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COLUMN RINUS VAN KALMTHOUT
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RACE PREVIEW
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HOW THEY MAKE IT: MOJO REPORT
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CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
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TELEMUNDI
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Design and visual concept by Weinblum + Stahl www.weinblum-stahl.com
INTRODUCING THE ORGANIZERS The RGMMC Group is a well established motorsport management company, with its interests in event organization and promotion, consultancy, manufacturing of chemicals as well as technology innovation. Established over 20 years ago, we have created a strong competent reputation in the motorsport world. Being involved in Karting, Rally Cross, Touring Car, GT Series, Formula racing and Motocross, is what differentiates the RGMMC Group to its competitors. At the RGMMC Group we have a simple driving philosophy which was embedded in the company from the first day. Our philosophy Attention to Detail and Innovation still today remains to be the heart of the company. We function in a high speed industry – keeping up with the times is an absolute must in order to push the market further. We look forward to our 2016 series, with plenty of new innovations being released on the market place as well as our newly formed company branding and ideals.
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ROLAND GEIDEL
JAMES GEIDEL
With a wealth of experience spanning some 40 years in sales, marketing and sponsorship, Roland is able to combine his passion for motorsport with a pragmatic business approach, which led to the creation of RGMMC as one of the most respected event management companies to exist in the world of karting.
From driver to Formula and GT racing engineer, James has gone on to become a race team manager and owner, developing a deep practical experience and understanding of the sport. Now he is concentrating his effort on the continuous development of RGMMC, where his skills in motorsport business and management are being fully implemented.
GET TO KNOW THE RGMMC TEAM PAUL KLAASSEN – RGMMC OFFICIAL CHIEF SCRUTINEER I first got involved in karting in 1961 as a hobby driver at the age of seven. I got my first competition licence in 1964 and progressed into gearbox international racing. Just before 1989, I decided to stop racing and began my career as a scrutineer in national level before moving forward into International level. Engine building was always a hobby of mine and a local scrutineer suggested I would be good at it. Scrutineering is about maintaining a level playing field. Nine out of ten times, penalties are caused by a genuine mistake from a mechanic. Few might understand we are the police men, the stewards are the judges and they make the final decision based on our findings and the regulations set. Over the years the rules have got tighter and tighter, due to the fact of the forever growing amount of grey areas. Unfortunately, whether a team has made a genuine mistake or a deliberate manipulation, a penalty must be given to maintain fairness. Watch the full interview at www.telemundi.com
ROTAX INTERNATIONAL OPEN 2016 This year’s Rotax International Open will be held at Adria raceway, situated close to the famous Italian city of Venice. The event will take place the 5th to the 9th of October and offer some great prizes, including last chance places to the 2016 Rotax grand finals in Sarno, a lottery to the 2017 Rotax Max Euro Challenge and tickets to the Rotax Winter Cup 2017. Entries open the 5th of September at www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com
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’ INTERVIEW WITH ERNST PENNINGER Team Manager VPDR
rnst Penninger is a well known team manager from Austria. Having lead the VPDR team to many victories over the years, we decided to get 5 minutes of his time and find out more. How did you get involved in the world of motorsports? I entered motorsport at the age of 3, following my father to the race track of the Salzburgring, as he was technical chief scrutineer at the former Moto GP. Racing myself I began at the age of 12 with karts.
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You have worked with countless drivers over the years. What in your opinion makes a great driver? At first, it is important to understand the aims of the driver to be able to establish a development process. Following up, each skill has to be developed or fine-tuned. To be a professional driver today, you of course need to be skilled on track driving, but more so technically and mediaskilled as well. Dedication and the non-stop wanting to progress makes a so called „great driver“ in my opinion.
How do you go about training and developing a driver? No driver is the same as the other. I have observed this over some years now. Each one has different strengths, weaknesses and skills. Important is that each one is developed and prepared individually, based on his needs. I always make sure we have a positive environment between the drivers in the team, so that they can benefit from one another. It makes each one stronger and better, and also raises the quality of the team. The karting industry is going through alot of changes and difficulties. What is your opinion on the matter and how would you improve it? Karting today is made too complicated and too technical. Budgets are exploding because of too many series and technical changes which mainly lead to high investments for teams and drivers. I think that the events today are too long and that there are too many test opportunities given which requires higher investments‎also in tyres, engines and consumables. Aside from that, hospitality and wage costs of the teams or drivers raise. I don‘t think that the industry can do much about that. More federations and series organisers need to work out innovative rules and events to allow more competitors to take part in the racing again.
Karting is a very under-marketed sport. What are your thoughts and opinions? In my opinion there is big interest from the public in karting. Many people do rentals or hobby karting. They hardly ever know when events of high level karting are taking place nearby. I think most series organisers fail to inform the public about the fact that a race is happening. They only focus on the drivers taking part, but forget the public closeby. Today news about karting is mainly transmitted within the karting media. It should be more wide-spread. Let’s take for example the WEC. Years ago it was recognised only because of Le Mans. At the time the ACO only spread their news on various sports cars platforms, but failed to spread it outside. TV coverage was hardly happening and recognised; although every race was filmed by tv crews. After a while they realised that there were various tv channels which would cover it, but were afraid or harmed due to high costs. So the ACO delivered the material free of charge. The stations started to broadcast and all of a sudden races today are broadcasted live and the series attracts more and more spectators. I am sure there are similar ways in karting possible, as most races are full of action and once people are in touch with it, they have an interest.
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ABOUT ZARAGOZA Zaragoza is a warm and inviting city strategically located between Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Toulouse. It’s the fifth biggest city in Spain with around 700.000 inhabitants, and fourth when it comes to economy. In people’s haste to see other cities, this gem is often passed without so much as a second look. The city welcomes visitors with its rich culture, shopping, eating, and sightseeing. It’s more than 2.000 years of history makes the city one of the greatest historical and artistic legacies in Spain. It is situated in Aragon, one of the previous kingdoms of Spain. Zaragoza is known worldwide as the home to the magnificent Roman Catholic Basilica – Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar, heir to a tradition which is over 2.000 years old, and a destination for Christian pilgrims of all denominations.
Eat Some of the best known regional specialities are: Bacalao al Ajoarriero, cod-fish with garlic and eggs, Huevos al Salmorejo, eggs with cold tomato cream, Longanizas y Chorizos, highly appreciated kinds of sausages, Ternasco Asado, roasted young lamb, Pollo al Chilindrón, chicken in a sauce of cured ham, tomatoes, onions and paprika, Cordero a la Pastora, lamb Shepherd‘s style, Lomo de Cerdo a la Zaragozana, cutlet, Migas a la Aragonesa, a dish made of crumbs scrambled with an egg and chorizo.
While here, enjoy the city!
IDEAL PREPARATION May has been a very intense month, with races in Genk and two consecutive weekends in Castelletto. A month with an astonishing ending as well, since on the eve of a celebrational 100th Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in America I was happy to announce that I will step up to racing cars through the Mazda Road to Indy. This program includes four stages that guide young drivers all the way up to the Indycar Series, which besides Formula 1 is the pinnacle of international motor racing. This was mostly made possible by karting in the Rotax Max series, which has proved to be an ideal preparation for single-seater racing. The second round of the Rotax Max Euro Challenge in Castelletto was a two-faced weekend for me. During the races my speed wasn’t good and I had to settle for 7th in the final. Halfway through the season I am now third in the standings. The first races in the Super IAME X30 Euro Series a week later, in Castelletto again, were a big surprise. A fantastic fast engine with 175 cc and 43 hp. I was very impressed by the power of the Super X30. It immediately went very well, I qualified on pole position and won all three heats on Saturday. The pre-final on Sunday unfortunately was disappointing since I finished fourth. In the final I managed to win two positions and so I was second on the Super X30’s debut. This round of the Rotax Max EURO Challenge in Zuera I will do my utmost best. I am really looking forward to it!
Best regards, Rinus VK www.Followrvk.com
ROTAX MAX EURO CHALLENGE AHEAD OF HALFTIME Halftime in the 2016 ROTAX MAX Euro Challenge: The Circuito Internacional de Zuera, situated in northern Spain right between the cities of Barcelona and Madrid, will host the third round of Europe’s unique ROTAX racing series. From July 18th to 24th the summer race will mark the halftime of the season not only promising a hot competition on the tarmac but off the track, too.
he 1.700 metres long circuit features a quite untypical characteristic for karting: Highspeed is the keyword which describes the fastest and longest course of this years’ calendar best. Slipstreaming is the passport to fame in Zuera: Besides speed, the drivers of the three wellstocked categories of junior, senior and DD2 have to show very tactical skills if they want to succeed in the end. In the junior class everyone is chasing Axel Charpentier (Strawberry Racing). The Frenchman won three out of four races and leads the table. Dutchman Glenn van Berlo (Hugo Motorsport) follows in second place. After numerous podium positions he could be ready to take his virgin victory
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at last. Having gained his first season triumph already, Mark Kimber (Strawberry Racing) is another youngster who is aiming for the top. During the race in Italy the Brit celebrated his magic moment which boosted him into a favourite role for the upcoming competition. When it comes to the senior category, Nicolas Schoell (Strawberry Racing) is the man to be beaten. The driver from Austria, who is only racing his first season in the seniors, almost gained the maximum points thus far. Only a second place in the prefinal at Castelletto troubles his walkover insignificantly. Anyhow Schoell’s lead is quite comfortable which puts his teammate Gary Donnelly (Strawberry Racing) from Ireland and the reigning vice
Date: Distance: Gearing: Junior Laptime: Orientation:
14 – 17 July 1.700 metres 13/71 65.074 sec
Start
clockwise
champion Rinus van Kalmthout (Daems Racing) from the Netherlands on the spot if they want to keep up their title chances in any way. Lukasz Bartoszuk (CRG S.P.A.) is the driving force in the DD2 category. By his double success in Italy the Pole conquered the top of the championship table. Yet there are only two points separating him from his direct chaser Kevin Ludi (Spirit Racing). The Swiss, who had won the opening round in Belgium, was less lucky in Italy and wants to change tack in Spain. Zuera could be a watershed for Ferenc Kancsar as well. Despite a good speed the reigning champion from Hungary only looks back on few highlights till now. Currently in third place, he really has to turn the tide if he wants to defend the European crown in the end. As for the special classification of the DD2 Masters, Martin Pierce (Uniq Racing Team) is in control. He won every single race of the season and is even classified on a remarkable
eighth place in the overall ranking of he DD2 grid. Yet it’s not over till the fat lady sings and so Irishman Richard Faulkner (Coles Racing) and Poland’s Slawomir Muranski (Wyrzykowski Motorsport) should have a backlash up their sleeves. The halftime race will be an exciting show and might lead to the first decisions in the championship. So it’s a nonmiss event, everybody is invited to join: RGMMC offers a full range with live streaming, live timing and social media coverage. More information regarding reports, photos, results and live TV stream are available on the official websites www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com or www.telemundi.com. To the media: Text and photos are of charge for editorial use. If you need more information or further photos please have a look at our website www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com or contact us at info@rgmmc.com.
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Y E
TH T W I O H KE A M
MOJO REPORT MOJO TYRES – EQUAL AND CONSISTENT QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR Gunskirchen, Austria, 17 June 2016 – After two years of development, the first batch of production tyres rolled out into the market in 2005 under the brand name ‘MOJO’ which is a registered trademark of BRP. It was in 2003 when BRP-Rotax announced the cooperation with Reifenwerk Heidenau from Dresden, Germany, to develop and produce a range of tyres with very demanding requirements. It should be the perfect tyre for the national and international Rotax MAX Challenge (RMC) racing series. Heidenau was the appropriate partner to fulfill the demand. A consistent grip level and equal performance on track whilst maintaining an acceptable wear rate over a certain number of laps, were the key requirements for the manufacture of the perfect racing tyre. These characteristics match the concept of the RMC which stands for equality, “We pride ourselves on safety and equal performance, and that MOJO tyres educate the drivers in the best way possible if they then wish to progress into a career in motorsports”, says Helmut Voglsam, head of Rotax kart business. Together with Heidenau, BRP-Rotax developed a productand a quality assurance process to stick to their promise. The raw material for the running base is delivered by a defined supplier with a material analyzes report. In every batch, Heidenau takes a sample to be analyzed in the in-house laboratory to confirm the analyze report of the supplier.
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The manufacturing process has been standardized to ensure a consistent quality. Constant production according to the demand of the market (forecasting system of the network) is one of Heidenau’s main strengths. •
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Each MOJO tyre is stored for at least 30 days for curing. During this time 90% of the aging process is completed. All MOJO tyre models are manufactured to the DIN EN ISO 9001 standard since the very beginning. As of 2011, MOJO tyres are CIK homologated and therefore free of Poly Cyclic Aromatics (PCA). Each tyre has its unique serial number in random order (barcode). The barcode on the tyre, in combination with the Rotax Event Management System (EVA), enables an easy control of the tyres during RMC races. The company provides three types of CIK homologated MOJO tyres for dry conditions (D1, D2, D3) and one CIK homologated tyre for wet conditions – the W2 for gearbox and non-gearbox classes. A regular testing program is in place to continually evaluate the tyres for consistency and performance.
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HOW A MOJO TYRE IS PRODUCED At the supplier After a computerized weighing process the different compound components (polymers, carbon black, special oils without PCA oils, resins, sulphur and 15 other additives) are sent into an internal mixer. In this batch pre-stage production, the compound goes directly into the second internal mixer where the compound is finished in 450 kg batches. Three different test samples are taken from each batch and are directly sent to the in-house laboratory. This 450 kg palletized tread compound is sent to Heidenau. The compounding process is controlled digitally to ensure the same quality any time. At Heidenau The batches (450 kg each) from the compound supplier will go to Heidenau’s Triplex extruder. The compound will be transformed into an endless stripe with the exact shape of the running base. This machine is able to process 2.500 kg/hour (three different quality tests per batch). The running base of each specific compound will receive its permanent colored marking line to be able to identify the type of running base throughout the various stages of the production process.
VULCANISATION The next step is the production of steel bead rings. The calandar machine, the so called “THE MONSTER” is 12 m long, 7 m high and has a weight of 53 tons. This machine coats the cord material on both sides with a special carcass-rubber compound (700 m/hour). Heidenau uses several semi-automatic coiling machines and is able to produce 18 tyres/hour/machine. There are used laser beams for the exact positioning of the single layers. Barcodes on each tyre make them identifiable. Internally, after this stage of production, these tyres are called „cigars“ because of their shape and the way they are wrapped. They are sent to the vulcanization line where up to 20 moulds of different tyre models can be handled. Each tyre vulcanization cycle needs more than 15 minutes of vulcanization at approx. 15 bar, with a temperature above 150°C and a 13 minutes cool down cycle. After cooling down each single tyre is visually inspected during the quality control process. After printing the MOJO logo on each tyre, it passes a shrinking tunnel to receive its nylon protection wrapping. Afterwards each tyre barcode is scanned before packing. Each MOJO tyre is stored for at least 30 days for curing. During this time 90% of the aging process is completed. It is a crucial factor is how tyres are stored. It takes 27.18 minutes to produce 1 MOJO tyre.
CALANDAR MACHINE – „THE MONSTER“
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ABOUT HEIDENAU About Reifenwerk Heidenau Reifenwerk Heidenau, founded in 1946, started its production with molded rubber products near Dresden, Germany. It was in 1952 when the company began to produce car and industrial tyres. Some years later, in 1959 Heidenau concentrated its production on twowheeler tyres under the brand name Pneumant until 1993. Nowadays Heidenau offers a range of 550 tyre designs for most applications. The flexible production processes allows to meet very specific needs, work out individual solutions and to manufacture even small lots if needed. About BRP-Rotax BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, the subsidiary of BRP in Gunskirchen is a leader in the development and production of innovative premium powertrains for BRP products such as Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am all-terrain, side-by-side vehicles and Spyder roadsters as well for motorcycles, karts, ultra-light and light aircraft. In the last 50 years, the company has developed more than 350 engine models for recreational vehicles and produced over 7 million engines.
STORAGE
About BRP BRP (TSX:DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles, Can-Am Spyder roadsters, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of over CA $3.8 billion from over 100 countries, the company employs approximately 7.900 people worldwide. For product information: Alexandra Reisinger Marketing & Communications Rotax Kart Engines Tel. +43.7246.601.698 alexandra.reisinger@brp.com Video – How a MOJO tyre is produced
SCANNING
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CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS ROTAX EURO Challenge 2016 // Class Junior
Pos.
No.
Genk
Castelletto
Zuera
Salbris
28 Mar – 3 April
9 –15 May
18 – 24 July
22 – 28 August
Points
Name
Nat.
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
total
1
88
Alex Charpentier
GBR
34
55
34
52
-
-
-
-
175
2
49
Glenn Van Berlo
NLD
33
52
32
50
-
-
-
-
167
3
7
Mark Kimber
GBR
23
48
33
55
-
-
-
-
159
ROTAX EURO Challenge 2016 // Class Senior
Pos.
Genk
Castelletto
Zuera
Salbris
28 Mar – 3 April
9 –15 May
18 – 24 July
22 – 28 August
Points
No.
Name
Nat.
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
total
1
216
Nicolas Schoell
AUT
34
55
33
55
-
-
-
-
177
2
266
Gary Donnelly
IRL
33
52
31
42
-
-
-
-
158
3
202
Rinus van Kalmthout
NLD
18
50
27
46
-
-
-
-
141
ROTAX EURO Challenge 2016 // Class DD2
Pos.
20
Genk
Castelletto
Zuera
Salbris
28 Mar – 3 April
9 –15 May
18 – 24 July
22 – 28 August
Points
No.
Name
Nat.
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
PRE
FIN
total
1
644
Lukasz Bartoszuk
POL
29
52
34
55
-
-
-
-
170
2
609
Kevin Ludi
CHF
34
55
27
52
-
-
-
-
168
3
601
Ferenc Kancsar
HUN
28
48
32
44
-
-
-
-
152
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U M
E L E
T
I D N PINT IN THE PADDOCK Watch at www.telemundi.com
At the last Rotax EURO race in Italy, Telemundi decided to do something different. We chose four team managers, gave them a beer and openly discussed the sport of karting. Having close to 10’000 hits in two days, we decided to do Episode 2 the following week which was equally as popular. At every RGMMC organised event, Telemundi Media will grab 4 to 6 individuals, open some beers and talk about
the sport we are all so passionately about. Every Sunday lunch time of an RGMMC event the show will be streamed, and uploaded to the Telemundi TV channel for all fans to be able to re-watch. Stay tuned for even more in depth conversations and controversy. Next episodes will include race officials, promoters, parents and mechanics.
UPCOMING RELEASE DATES: 3rd Episode – 17 July | 4th Episode – 24 July
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WINNING EMOTIONS RACING KART
KAROL BASZ - 2015 CIK-FIA WORLD KF CHAMPION
KOSMIC KART by OTK KART GROUP
KOSMICKART.COM
A D VA N C E M E N T
IN
MOTORSPORT
RGMMC Limited An der Halde 3, 9495 Triesen Liechtenstein