Rotax International Open to Make History in Italy
| press release | 13 October 2015 |
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From October 19th to 25th the international karting elite will come together in Italy for the long awaited ROTAX MAX International Open. Not only will the 100 competitors from over 25 nations fight for the prestigious win, but for the last tickets for the ROTAX MAX Grand Finals in Portugal.
The three classes Juniors, Seniors and DD2 are fully booked and will stage their races on the challenging Adria Karting Raceway. It will be an adventurous ride for all the drivers as the track in Italy only opened in November 2014. 1.300 meters long and with an interesting mix of tight corners and long straights, the Adria Karting Raceway will surely make for an exiting ROTAX MAX International Open. The event near Venice will be organised by RGMMC Establishment, which is the driving force behind Europe's most popular ROTAX MAX Euro Challenge. Not only the team around RGMMC CEO Roland Geidel will make its debut on the Adria Raceway but so will most of the drivers. The circuit is virgin soil for most participants, which promises some really balanced and maybe surprising outcome.
Above: Adria Karting Raceway
pic - Cunaphoto / FMP
As for the favourites in the Junior class numerous of this years' Euro Challenge top drivers entered the event. The list is led by the Brit Scott Symons (KR Sport) who finished third in the 2015 championship. His hardest opponents might be the UK youngsters Johnathan Hoggard (KR Sport), Tom Gamble (Strawberry Racing) and Frenchman Adam Eteki (SG Drivers). All of them already convinced during the Euro season which each of the trio ended among the top ten. That applies to Axel Charpentier (Strawberry Racing). The Frenchman with British licence belonged to the main title candidates in the Euro Challenge, failing the big win after a dramatic finale at Genk (BEL). On the Adria Raceway he aims to repair his loss.
When it comes to the Seniors Rinus van Kalmthout (DAEMS Racing) is the man to be beaten. The Dutchman crowned himself vice champion in the Euro Challenge and only missed the triumph closely. In Italy he will not be satisfied with the runner-up role, heading for the victory this time. Yet his opponents are strong: Denmark's Martin Mortensen (RS Competition), Belgium's Glenn van Parijs (Bouvin Power) or Russia's Denis Mavlanov are only a few top drivers who certainly are able to make their way onto the podium. At last another name has to be considered: Jack McCarthy (Strawberry Racing). The UK driver recently took the European crown in the junior class and will give his debut in the hard-fought senior category. So let's see if the talented Tony Kart driver is ready to take the next step successfully again.
In the eminent class of the DD2 experienced Euro drivers such as Switzerland's Kevin Ludi (Spirit Racing), Austria's Constantin Schoell (BirelART/KMS), Frenchman Nicolas Picot (Sodikart) or Oliver Myers (Coles Racing) from the UK form the circle of favourites. But they have to watch out for Andreas Backman. The man from Sweden gives his comeback in European ROTAX racing and will surely be able to tie in with his great performance in 2014, when he missed the podium of the ROTAX International Open closely.
In the end one should not underestimate the DD2 Masters drivers: Although they are racing in their own intern classification they can take the battle with the DD2 rivals. Especially European vice champion Kawase Tomokazu (UNIQ Racing Team) from Japan and the British lady driver Tamsin Germain (DG Racing) are in perfect shape. And there is another name, being good for a surprise: Robert Schlunssen is back in active karting. After a successful career as a driver, the today's team head of RS Competition, returns behind the wheel and aims to prove his skills again.
While it is difficult to predict who will take the win, fans can be assured that the event in Italy will once again be a real nail biter. All the competitors fight for the seven remaining tickets for the ROTAX MAX Grand Finals – three in each of the three categories and one in the DD2 Masters-class as well. Furthermore, all drivers take part in a lottery for free starting grids in the 2016 ROTAX MAX Winter Cup and a complete season in the 2016 ROTAX MAX Euro Challenge.
Everybody is invited to join the race action, as live TV coverage will start on Friday and continue throughout the weekend. So stay tuned on the official website www.rotaxmaxeurochallenge.com or www.rgmmcmedia.com, where you get all information regarding reports, photos, results and live TV stream.
