11 November 2015 |
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Tuesday the 10th saw the first practice sessions take place for 2015 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. The opening session (final engine break-in) was not timed, but all the other sessions were.
Australia's Drivers:
Results:
Photos:
Above: Team Australia, Day 2 video - "non-qualifying practice". Our 13 Aussies took to the Portimao circuit for the first time this week, with 3 practice sessions to fine tune their kart setups. Mixed results spread across the Australian team, but the atmosphere was good and morale was high!
Above: Team Australia, Day 1 video - "kart raffle & preparation"
Above: Rotax's official 'Day 2' video
Above: Rotax's official 'Day 1' video
RMCGF official press release Day 2 report
Portimão, Portugal – Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Welcome to the first practice day of the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals!
Competitors and mechanics pushed their karts to pit lane this morning to participate in three of five total 15-minute practice sessions. Drivers took the opportunity to become familiar with the track, the chassis, engine and their competitors. Together with their tuners, drivers worked to improve their chassis set-up for Wednesday’s qualifying round.
Pilots typically take advantage of practice No. 1 to break-in their new Rotax engines. If the motors are not warmed up slowly the engines may not run at the best performance during the remainder of the week.
Transponders were provided to all drivers at the end of the first non-qualifying practice and will be mandatory as of practice No. 2 - the beginning of the on-track action.
Above: Pierce Lehane #206 leads this group in Senior MAX practice
pic - Rotax
Above: Fuel station impound
pic - Rotax
Junior MAX
Practice No. 2 saw the Junior MAX field fight for the top of the time charts. Some of last year’s top names returned to the field, including the Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska. However, it was the Fin Roope Ropanen who posted the fastest time with a 1.02.526, less than one-tenth faster than Hungarian Zsombor Kovacs, who posted a 1.02.592.
Practice No. 3 saw Austrian Nicolas Schoell with the fastest lap time – a 1.02.657 – just eighthundredths ahead of Harrison Thomas from the UK.
pic - Rotax
Above: Zane Morse
pic - Coopers Photography
125 MAX
The 125 MAX field proved to be very competitive. Rinus Van Kalmthout from the Netherlands took the top spot during practice No. 2 with a 1.01.114, seven-thousandths faster than the Italian Alex Alex.
This time around, the Italian Alex Alex posted the best lap time, with a 1.00.673, four-tenths faster than American Lucas Selliken.
Above: Nick Andrews
pic - Coopers Photography
125 MAX DD2 Masters
Practice No. 2 saw Robert Schluenssen from Denmark run the fastest time with a 59.972, just two-thousandths faster than Brazilian Leonardo Nienkotter.
Tomokazu Kawase of Japan posted the fastest lap time, a 59.779, in practice No. 3, with Antti Ollikainen of Finland trailing with the second fastest lap time, of a 59.862.
Above: Adam Hunter
pic - Coopers Photography
Above: Jason Hryniuk
pic - Coopers Photography
125 MAX DD2
Familiar and fast names were in the DD2 class, hinting this category will feature some of the best and most competitive racing. The famous names include Rubens Barrichello, Ferenc Kancsar, Max Hofer, Jason Pringle, Luke Varley and Andrea Backman.
Practice No. 2 saw Austrian Max Hofer storm to the top of the time sheets with a fastest time of 59.550. The DD2 field proved to be very competitive as Hofer was just over six-hundredths faster than Hungarian, Ferenc Kancsar.
The tables turned in practice No. 3, and Kancsar ran the fastest lap time, posting a 59.304.
Above: Jason Pringle #342 on the tail of some DD2 rivals
pic - Rotax
pic - Rotax
What a great way to start out the Grand Finals: 72 racers per class posting competitive times within hundredths of a second of each other!
Stay tuned for our upcoming daily reports, which bring the intense action of the RMCGF to you!
The Rotax MAX Challenge (RMC) is a professional kart racing series established, owned and organized by BRP and its Rotax kart engine distributors. Approved by and in compliance with CIK / FIA, the RMC is a "one-make-engine" formula: only Rotax kart engines that are checked and sealed (for equal performance) will be used. The success in the competition is mainly up to the skills of the driver.
Above: Cody Gillis
pic - Coopers Photography
Above: Rotax's Helmut Vogslam (left) and Darrell Smith
pic - Rotax