Drivers with links to Australia qualified pole in Juniors and moved into the lead of the championship in Seniors at the second round of the Rotax MAX Euro Trophy at Wackersdorf, Germany, on the weekend.
In his first appearance in the series, Kaiden Higgins (MLC Motorsport/Kosmic, racing under a UAE licence) set fastest time in Junior MAX qualifying. A bittersweet series of heats dropped him to 16th in the rankings, but Higgins recovered to take 8th in the final.
In Senior MAX, Sean Butcher (KR Sport/Kosmic, competing under the UK flag) qualified third and topped the standings at the end of the heats. Starting pole for the final, he dropped to fourth by the end, but only 1.6s off the win.
Armand Hamilton (Strawberry Racing/Tony Kart, racing under an Hungarian licence) finished the Senior MAX final in 16th place.
- scroll down for the official race report
- full results HERE
Highlights Video:
THE RMCET IS AT THE HALFWAY POINT IN WACKERSDORF
The second round of the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy, held from 7 to 9 June at Prokart Raceland in Wackersdorf, marks the halfway point of the 2024 championship.
6 categories, including E20 Senior and E20 Masters, along with the German Euro Cup (Mini MAX), only two drivers managed to replicate their performances from Genk: Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport) in DD2 Masters and Frenchman Nicolas Picot, who has won all the races so far, including the RMC Winter Cup, in DD2 Masters. There were surprises and outsiders in the other categories.
The Winners
German Euro Cup by Mini MAX: Albert Friend (Strawberry Racing)
Junior MAX: Casper Nissen (RS Competition)
Senior MAX: Matthew Higgins (Dan Holland Racing)
DD2: Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport)
DD2 Masters: Nicolas Picot
E20 Senior: Spencer Brougham (AKK Sportil)
E20 Masters: Hector Ramirez.
Standings
Jacob Ashcroft’s (Dan Holland Racing) bittersweet weekend did not cost him the championship lead; however, it allowed Danish driver Nissen to close in on him. The two are now separated by 8 points. In Senior MAX, British driver Sean Butcher (KR Sport) is the new leader, while Bol and Picot consolidate their positions in the DD2 classes. Brougham’s victory does not earn him the top spot in the E20 championship, which belongs to Raul Vargas (SLK Racing). Ramirez is 1st in E20 Masters.
German Euro Cup by Mini MAX – The ticket goes to Friend!
After winning in Campillos and struggling in Genk, Albert Friend returns to victory and secures a ticket for the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in Sarno. The Brit only missed the overall pole position on Friday, which went to teammate Tom Read. It seemed a battle between the two would last until Sunday, but that was not the case.
Read retired in one heat, distancing himself from the fight for victory, which then involved Michal Zajac (Dan Holland Racing), 2nd after the heats, and a solid Nikita Ljubimov (Bouvin Power). Although Ljubimov has not yet won, he has proven to be one of the most consistent drivers in the category.
In the Prefinal, Friend managed his race, with a solid Riley Murro (Sam Pollitt Racing) moving up to 2nd, followed by Zajac. On Sunday afternoon, these three secured the podium, not without surprises, as the 2nd and 3rd places were decided on the finish line.
- A. Friend
- R. Murro
- M. Zajac
Junior MAX – Nissen Wins and Impresses
The German weekend of Junior MAX brought surprises from Friday: on pole position was Kaiden Higgins (MLC Motorsport). The Australian, in his first RMCET race and debut at the Wackersdorf track, hit the target straight away. But he wasn’t the only surprise on Friday, as rookie Rayan Ghandour (KR Sport) took 3rd place overall, and the driver to beat up to that point, Jacob Ashcroft (Dan Holland Racing), struggled and finished 11th. For the Englishman, the weekend started uphill.
After the heats, the leader was Toms Strele (Dan Holland Racing), followed by Casper Nissen (RS Competition), who began laying the groundwork for his Sunday victory. The two swapped positions after the Prefinals.
In the Final, Nissen started first and pulled away. Behind him, some contacts mixed things up, distancing Strele and Lewis Goff (Sam Pollitt Racing) from the lead. Charlie Smith (Strawberry Racing) joined the fray but was penalised after the race for “track limits with advantage.” Thus, the podium consisted of Nissen, Strele, and Goff. Ashcroft salvaged a weekend that had been going poorly, finishing 4th; Ties van Wijk (Bouvin Power) recovered 10 positions to finish 5th.
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- C. Nissen
- T. Strele
- L. Goff
Senior MAX – Higgins Wins
The weekend was marked by uncertainty among the Senior drivers. Jayden Thien (Dan Holland Racing) secured pole position on Friday, beating the KR Sport’s duo of Thomas Bearman and Sean Butcher. Butcher, however, increased his pace between Friday afternoon and Saturday. By the end of the heats, he was the best placed.
Matthew Higgins (Dan Holland Racing) followed closely behind Butcher, making an impressive climb of 8 positions from qualifying. Elia Pappacena of MKC Motorsport from Italy also made it to the top.
The balance was maintained on Sunday morning; Butcher won Prefinal A, while in Prefinal B, it was a Dan Holland Racing one-two with Bishop ahead of Higgins. Expectations were high for the Final. A controversial start saw Butcher lose the lead to Higgins, who made no mistakes. A flawless race allowed him to clinch victory ahead of Pappacena and Bishop.
Butcher finished 4th, which was enough to take the championship lead from Vic Stevens (Bouvin Power), who appeared to struggle in Germany.
- M. Higgins
- E. Pappacena
- M. Bishop
DD2/DD2 Masters: Bol Clinches First Place with a Thrilling Finish, Picot Secures a Hat-Trick
Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport) and Nicolas Picot emerged as the most dominant drivers in the DD2 and DD2 Masters classes. Picot showcased perfection from Friday to Sunday, with his class victory never in doubt. Bol, however, faced the risk of losing everything in the Prefinal, where an overtake with yellow flags cost him 10 seconds and the pole position.
Maxim Shchurko took advantage of the situation, utilizing the pole position and appeared to be on course for victory until he made an error just one lap from the end of the Final. Bol seized the opportunity and claimed victory, solidifying his leadership in the championship.
DD2:
- Bol
- Shchurko
- X. De Ruwe
DD2 Masters
- N. Picot
- C. Capitaine
- F. Bock
E20 Senior/E20 Masters – Brougham Surprises Everyone
Spencer Brougham (AKK Sportil) secured victory in the opening round of the E20 Senior category, a class that certainly didn’t disappoint the audience. Despite the silence of the electric engines, there was plenty of excitement, with results remaining uncertain until the very end.
The first name on the leaderboard was Will Elswood, the British driver who claimed pole position on Friday. However, Elswood failed to secure any wins in the heats, where Raul Vargas (SLK Racing) emerged victorious in 2 out of 3 races. Elswood returned to victory on Sunday morning, winning the Prefinal. However, he was forced to retire during the Final. Brougham emerged as the winner, making the right move at the right time. Vargas finished 2nd, followed by the Canadian Dowler Griffin.
E20 Senior
- S. Brougham
- R. Vargas
- D. Griffin
E20 Masters
- H. Ramirez
The final rush of the championship will take place in Italy, between Franciacorta (5-7.07) and Lonato (29.08-1.09), where the champions and those qualifying for the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals in Sarno will be determined.
The Championship After Wackersdorf
Sean Butcher (KR Sport), one of the most competitive in Germany, has displaced Vic Stevens (Bouvin Power) from the top position. Butcher, who finished 4th at the finish line, leads the standings with 310 points; 14 more than Lewis Gilbert (Kraft Motorsport).
S. Butcher – 310
L. Gilbert – 296
M. Bishop – 289
Jacob Ashcroft’s (Dan Holland Racing) setback does not alter the standings; the Briton, just off the podium at ProKart Raceland, keeps the lead. Obviously, the rivals are getting closer: the winner in Germany, Casper Nissen (RS Competition), is only 8 points behind.
J. Ashcroft – 307
C. Nissen – 299
N. Janssen – 289
The two classes, DD2 and DD2 Masters, see the leaders Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport) and Nicolas Picot (Privateer) extending their lead in the standings. Bol leads by 16 points; Picot by 32 points.
E. Bol – 307
B. Szabo – 291
X. De Ruwe – 284
N. Picot – 330
M. Tankevicius – 298
I. Mukhin – 294
In E20 Senior the win is not enough for Spencer Brougham AKK Sportil), who’s 3rd overall behind Raul Vargas (SLK Academy) who was very consistent and Will Elswood (Kraft Motorsport) unlucky in the Final. Hector Ramirez is leading in Masters.
S. Brougham – 156
W. Elswood – 153
S. Brougham – 150
Full coverage of the Pre-Finals and Finals, below:
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