Kart-Club Kerpen is a special track, a track with a lot of history. Home of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, 80% full speed, cutting corners being the normal. Yet we could not find the pace nor manage to get a decent result – and on top concluded with a DNF.
During training on Thursday we did show great pace, but had to repair the kart after another driver – not participating in GK4 and with a Rotax Mini Max – went straight into our back under yellow flag conditions. It was only the first of many struggles during the weekend.
The warmup did confirm the pace we found over the few days training we had in Kerpen. And we managed to keep that pace in the qualifying clinching a well deserved P5. But it proved to be difficult.
Yet in heat 1 Lukas managed to get up to P3 during the first laps of the race. Due to a heavy crash of another driver the slow procedure was in place for about 3 laps. We knew that finding back the pace afterwards would be difficult and another contender took over P3 after the restart and during the last 2 laps. We finished in P4.
Talking to Lukas we analyzed what happened after the slow procedure was lifted and we taught him the tricks of the game to get going faster. But no one could imagine that exactly this trick would result in failing to start during heat 2 as he personally decided to try it out and failed. Gone was our P4 position and the catch up game could begin. P18 in the end.
Frustrations took the upper hand as he got stuck behind another driver in the finals who agressively defended and tried to push of Lukas at least 3 times. It resulted in Lukas trying to find pace, taking more and more kerb and ultimately being launched on the kerb at the fast lefthander at the podium. A heavy crash was what followed with the medical team being called in. DNF in the finals, chest pain and a bend kart as a result… But 3 days later he was ok again and ready to go.
Results
Warmup: P4
Qualifying: P5
Heat 1: P4
Heat 2: P18
Finals: DNF
We’re in search for some luck for the next one and a new chassis. But we’ll manage that, and we ain’t done yet! We’ll keep working with Lukas to get back to the front. Thanks to our team CRG Belgium and our sponsors for the support, even when it hits hard: Joris Buyse, LAMAC Machinery and FiftyFive.