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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EVENT - GREAT RACING AND GREAT ATMOSPHERE

Benk- Austria - August 3, 2005 - Sportimage.net -The third round of the 2005 ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE returned to the A1 Speedworld circuit at Pachfurth, Austria last weekend. Situated on the borders of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, it is the largest karting complex in the country which also includes a jet ski park for some additional fun when the racing is finished. As temperatures soured into the low 40s from Thursday, the competitors endured the heat with only slight relief coming in on Sunday with a gusty breeze. The racing was very competitive, never failing to provide some of the best seen yet in the series along with a few surprises.

Luuk Glansdorp from the Netherlands would take the honours at the A1 circuit in the ROTAX Senior Max class, with what could be described as an outstanding drive to the top of the podium. Throughout the entire meeting, the 2004 Dutch ROTAX Junior title winner and his TKP Energy Team (Holland) worked endlessly for the best chance to take prize. Starting from the front row in both the Sunday finals, Luuk was successfully challenged for the lead by the former Senior Max World Champion Cristiano Morgado and said he was somewhat surprised he was able to catch him that quickly. He managed to gain back first place to pull away more than a 3 second lead, with what he believes was a smart decision to bed in his new Mojo tyres in morning warm-up then save them for the final. Apart from being most thankful to those who helped make it possible for him achieve this win (Antinov, Stichting Chart, TKP, Energy, Supertune and Bas Kaligas), Luuk said this is such a relief to get these results in what is a great event with lots of strong drivers. "I have watched Allemann and Oman over the last year and thought a lot about how good they really are. The Euro Challenge is far better than just racing my national series and Energy Italy has adapted my kart to work better with the 12kg of lead I must carry for the Max category."

Going into this round, British driver Tristram Oman had a secure lead of 34 points having won the first two meetings in France and England. He was on a mission to wrap up the championship this weekend but after damaging his kart in Friday practice later resulting in a mechanical flag in the final laps of a heat race, Oman may have thought his chances had been lost. Although struggling with some under steer in the pre-final, he finished a credible 6th from a mid-field grid and in the last race claimed 2nd place having to dice with Martin Pierce early in the session. The most surprising result would have to go to the Latvian pilot Toms Bobrovskis, stealing a 2nd and 3rd consecutively in the finals after a best previous finish of 16th in the 2005 Euro Challenge to date. Toms said after he was completed covered in Champagne by all his supporters on the podium, that he was very happy with the result. "I spent last week testing in Belgium and this week in Austria, along with competing in ICA in Finland this year, which has all helped. In 2003 I entered the ROTAX Junior Max European one-off final, then competed in three rounds of this series as a senior in 2004 to end up 7th overall. Even though it is 2,500kms to travel from home, the Euro Challenge has the best atmosphere where everyone is friendly with some very good drivers to race against."

Cristiano Morgado followed up his 3rd in the pre-final with a 4th position in the final, pursued by 2004 ROTAX Junior Max World Champion Benjamin Salvatore, looking to better his 6th place on the points table this round. Ben George form Australia rounded out the top 6 with Martin Pierce and Frederic Johais unlucky with their efforts just behind. Tiago Ribero who is sitting 3rd on the points table, Dominik Kraihamer and Ken Allemann who was on the podium at the previous round, were very competitive until the closing stages when they had some bad luck to be down the finishing order in the last race.

Following Wesleigh Orr´s win at the ROTAX Grand Finals last January, he was setting an incredible pace as fastest qualifier and posted the quickest laptime of the weekend in his first heat with 44.168. "When you are the World Champ it is easy to feel comfortable. After round one in Salbris I thought I was doing okay but after the next round I noticed everybody else was getting better. I went home and worked on my mental fitness and did lots of testing." Unbeatable in all three qualifying heats, the South African then failed to contest both pre-final and final races which were the ones he needed to gain any points. Tristram Oman will now be practically impossible to beat for the Championship lead, but with the current standings being so close, the final round next September is going to be a nail-biter to the chequered flag.
There was nothing Ben Cooper could do wrong in claiming his second series round in the ROTAX Junior Max category. The HRS Motorsport team driver from England is now in strong contention for the championship with only one round remaining and as the polesitter and winner in all five races over the weekend, his competitors have their work cut out. Racing for the first time in Europe, Japanese youngster Kinji Sano attempted to hassle Cooper in the early stages of the final and was joined by South African Arnold Neveling within several laps. "My main aim was to get a good start and a gap from the others but it did not happen that way when the two drivers in 2nd and 3rd managed to hang on. I knew I had to do well after missing the 1st meeting in Salbris and at this round here last year I had won every race except the final. I thought to myself when I won today, that I have finally done it." Ben will now prepare for the next round and said also that his team hopes to get to the newly updated track in Belgium for some testing before the last round in September. He sees the Red Bull Young Driver Search prize of a test drive in Formula BMW as an excellent opportunity to provide a great chance to advance his motor sport career. Cooper mentioned how important it has been for him to have the support of his family together with a professional team preparing his CRG/ROTAX kart package and really enjoys the whole experience of the Euro Challenge. "It is always fun and we have time after the racing to get to know other people from all around the world."

Although Neveling moved up into 2nd and could not wear the leader down, he did set the fastest time for the juniors in the final with a 44.594. Sano maintained his 3rd place comfortably ahead of local driver Daniel Schnellnegger. He was able to pass Jack Hawksworth in the battle, who had to settle for 4th this weekend having made the podium behind team mate Ben Cooper at the last round on home territory in the UK. It had been a brilliant result for Konstantinos Kotis from Greece in the pre-final to start the decider off the front row, but was out 2 laps from the start. It goes to show how one round can change everything when the competition is so close. The highest point-scorers so far were all absent from the front runners in the final, with series leader Christian Van Balen working hard to make it into the top ten after starting at the back of the full grid for all the heats. Stephane Richielmi was out early in the pre-final and together with Riccardo Auteri and Mats Van den Brand, all finished with a disappointing weekend. This class is also shaping-up to go down to the wire in the last round of the Euro Challenge for 2005 and with the winners qualifying to go to the ROTAX MOJO MAX GRAND FINALS in November plus be in the running to win the Red Bull test drive in Portugal, it will definitely be one to watch.

The ROTAX RM1 class included a few new faces for the third round and contesting both Senior Max and the RM1, Cristiano Morgado was again the man to beat. In a recent interview, this rather talented driver from South Africa spoke about his ability to extend his Formula Ford testing program by continuing to drive the RM1 kart. So far, Morgado has received maximum points throughout the Euro Challenge in this category having won both pre-final and final in the first two rounds of the series. This weekend was not going to be so easy, as he suffered from a right rear puncture half way through the final after starting on pole and lost around four seconds per lap. Showing his determination to finish nevertheless, Cristiano still managed to steer the kart to come in 13th place and take home 40 points. Depending on how the next round turns out, the rules allow that drivers can drop their worst pre-final and final result from 2005 for the championship tally.

The fastest qualifier from the 2nd round in England was Austrian Bern Herndelhofer, who took the lead from Morgado to claim the first place trophy, ahead of Tiago Martins from Portugal and James Tumulty of Ireland who would naturally be feeling the heat under those conditions. The A1 Speedworld sponsored driver Herndelhofer was happy to move away from Morgado, able to see he had some problems to contend with. "Morgado, Martins, Tumulty and Kirkos were very fast and I knew I had to push to the end. At the last meeting I had the spark plug lead come lose so I lost some time in the final."
Greek pilot Miltos Kirkos was a late entry following the withdrawal of another competitor coming from his country, who was unable to drive. It was his first time driving the RM1 and the 18 year old astounded some of the other drivers and spectators setting the 2nd fastest lap in timed practice and then finishing with two 2nd and a 3rd in the qualifying heats. Some changes in the finals saw him take 4th at the end of the day but considering he has only been driving for just over 12 months, he was pretty pleased with the result. Miltos says he will consider now going to Belgium for the last round of the series and no doubt be entering either Senior Max or the DD2 class in the 2006 Euro Challenge. Another Portugese driver from the Korridas team Rui Vieira also drove his first RM1 meeting for the year in the championship and took 5th place in both finals Sunday. Niclas Lindberg from Sweden was absent at this event, but was 2nd in the points so far after the initial rounds.

Where to for the decider?
The final round of the ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE will take place at the Horensbergdam Circuit at Genk, Belgium September 16 - 18. It has just undergone extensive improvements and always been a popular track for CIK-FIA championships and other events.

Results
ROTAX Max Junior
1 - Ben Cooper Great Britain CRG / HRS Motorsport
2 - Arnold Neveling South Africa PCR / PCR
3 - Kinji Sano Japan Maranello / Trenta Quattro

ROTAX Max senior
1 - Luuk Glansdorp Holland Energy Kinetic / TKP Holland
2 - Tristram Oman Great Britain CRG / HRS Motorsport
3 - Toms Bobrovskis Latvia Gillard / GM Racing

ROTAX RM1
1 - Bernd Herndelhofer Austria A1 Speedworld
2 - Tiago Martins Portugal Korridas
3 - Tumulty James Ireland Hochhauser

2005 race schedule
ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE
March 25-27: Salbris (France) www.sologne-karting.com
May 26-29: PF-International, Brandon (U.K.) www.tvkc-pfi.co.uk
July 29-31: A1 Speedworld-Pachfurth (Austria) www.a1speedworld.com
September 16-18: Genk (Belgium) www.kartinggenk.be

Driver Interview Riccardo Auteri

Riccardo Auteri was sitting on equal points for 2nd in the ROTAX Junior Max class going into the Third round of the ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE in Austria. He drives a Zanardi Kart and is supported by AMD/Trust and his dad Marino.

How long have you been racing karts?
I've been racing karts since I was 6 years old.

What class did you begin in and do you race any other series today?
I started in 1998 in the 50cc baby kart then after 2 years I did 60cc mini kart and finally in 2002, I moved to Rotax Juniors. Today I race this class in the Italian Championship and in the Euro Challenge.

Why did you choose to race the Rotax Junior Max class?
I had chosen the Rotax Junior Max because I think that the engine is very powerful and it doesn't have any problems. In my opinion, this class is the future of karting because it has got a lot of advantages over the others like 100cc.

What do you enjoy most about competing in the Euro Challenge?
The thing that I enjoy most about the Euro Challenge is the fair and competitive racing between good, honest drivers.

How has this type of international competition helped you develop as a driver?
I think that this type of international competition helps me a lot to grow as a driver and to increase my karting experience.

Your brothers also race karts, which classes do they compete in?
My older brother that is 16 used to race with me last year in Junior Max but now he races the Max (Senior). My younger brother is 12 and he has raced since he was 10 in the Mini Max Italian Challenge.

Do you have any future goals in karting?
I hope to win the Euro and World Championship.

Where do you plan to go in karting beyond Junior Max?
After Junior Max I will probably race another class like Max and then if there is going to be an opportunity, I would like to race in a formula.

How will you approach the final rounds of the series in the Euro Challenge, having achieved a place in the top 3 on the points table?
I will do the best I can and hope to win the championship.

-end-

Hi-res photos are free of commercial rights for the press only
Photo credit: ksp.fr/Jenni
www.sportimage.net/media/PodiumJunior_1.JPG
www.sportimage.net/media/LuukGlansdorp_2.JPG
www.sportimage.net/media/BenCooper_1.JPG
www.sportimage.net/media/Auteri2.JPG
Promoter and organizer:
Roland Geidel (RGMMC)
Calle Joan Miro 3 - 3A
07014, Palma de Mallorca
Baleares, Spain
Phone: +34 971 285391 - Fax: +34 971 283882
info@rgmmc.com
Press release
Sportimage communications
Jenni
www.sportimage.net
press@sportimage.net
Phone: 00 1 514 909 4964

	Karting : Euro Challenge GREAT RACING AND GREAT ATMOSPHERE
	Notizia del 04/08/2005, ore 14:02
	Fonte: Ufficio Stampa Sportimage Communications
	ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EVENT - GREAT RACING AND GREAT ATMOSPHERE Benk- Austria - August 3, 2005 - Sportimage.net -The third round of the 2005 ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE returned to the A1 Speedworld circuit at Pachfurth, Austria last weekend. Situated on the borders of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, it is the largest karting complex in the country which also includes a jet ski park for some additional fun when the racing is finished. As temperatures soured into the low 40s from Thursday, the competitors endured the heat with only slight relief coming in on Sunday with a gusty breeze. The racing was very competitive, never failing to provide some of the best seen yet in the series along with a few surprises. Luuk Glansdorp from the Netherlands would take the honours at the A1 circuit in the ROTAX Senior Max class, with what could be described as an outstanding drive to the top of the podium. Throughout the entire meeting, the 2004 Dutch ROTAX Junior title winner and his TKP Energy Team (Holland) worked endlessly for the best chance to take prize. Starting from the front row in both the Sunday finals, Luuk was successfully challenged for the lead by the former Senior Max World Champion Cristiano Morgado and said he was somewhat surprised he was able to catch him that quickly. He managed to gain back first place to pull away more than a 3 second lead, with what he believes was a smart decision to bed in his new Mojo tyres in morning warm-up then save them for the final. Apart from being most thankful to those who helped make it possible for him achieve this win (Antinov, Stichting Chart, TKP, Energy, Supertune and Bas Kaligas), Luuk said this is such a relief to get these results in what is a great event with lots of strong drivers. "I have watched Allemann and Oman over the last year and thought a lot about how good they really are. The Euro Challenge is far better than just racing my national series and Energy Italy has adapted my kart to work better with the 12kg of lead I must carry for the Max category." Going into this round, British driver Tristram Oman had a secure lead of 34 points having won the first two meetings in France and England. He was on a mission to wrap up the championship this weekend but after damaging his kart in Friday practice later resulting in a mechanical flag in the final laps of a heat race, Oman may have thought his chances had been lost. Although struggling with some under steer in the pre-final, he finished a credible 6th from a mid-field grid and in the last race claimed 2nd place having to dice with Martin Pierce early in the session. The most surprising result would have to go to the Latvian pilot Toms Bobrovskis, stealing a 2nd and 3rd consecutively in the finals after a best previous finish of 16th in the 2005 Euro Challenge to date. Toms said after he was completed covered in Champagne by all his supporters on the podium, that he was very happy with the result. "I spent last week testing in Belgium and this week in Austria, along with competing in ICA in Finland this year, which has all helped. In 2003 I entered the ROTAX Junior Max European one-off final, then competed in three rounds of this series as a senior in 2004 to end up 7th overall. Even though it is 2,500kms to travel from home, the Euro Challenge has the best atmosphere where everyone is friendly with some very good drivers to race against." Cristiano Morgado followed up his 3rd in the pre-final with a 4th position in the final, pursued by 2004 ROTAX Junior Max World Champion Benjamin Salvatore, looking to better his 6th place on the points table this round. Ben George form Australia rounded out the top 6 with Martin Pierce and Frederic Johais unlucky with their efforts just behind. Tiago Ribero who is sitting 3rd on the points table, Dominik Kraihamer and Ken Allemann who was on the podium at the previous round, were very competitive until the closing stages when they had some bad luck to be down the finishing order in the last race. Following Wesleigh Orr´s win at the ROTAX Grand Finals last January, he was setting an incredible pace as fastest qualifier and posted the quickest laptime of the weekend in his first heat with 44.168. "When you are the World Champ it is easy to feel comfortable. After round one in Salbris I thought I was doing okay but after the next round I noticed everybody else was getting better. I went home and worked on my mental fitness and did lots of testing." Unbeatable in all three qualifying heats, the South African then failed to contest both pre-final and final races which were the ones he needed to gain any points. Tristram Oman will now be practically impossible to beat for the Championship lead, but with the current standings being so close, the final round next September is going to be a nail-biter to the chequered flag. There was nothing Ben Cooper could do wrong in claiming his second series round in the ROTAX Junior Max category. The HRS Motorsport team driver from England is now in strong contention for the championship with only one round remaining and as the polesitter and winner in all five races over the weekend, his competitors have their work cut out. Racing for the first time in Europe, Japanese youngster Kinji Sano attempted to hassle Cooper in the early stages of the final and was joined by South African Arnold Neveling within several laps. "My main aim was to get a good start and a gap from the others but it did not happen that way when the two drivers in 2nd and 3rd managed to hang on. I knew I had to do well after missing the 1st meeting in Salbris and at this round here last year I had won every race except the final. I thought to myself when I won today, that I have finally done it." Ben will now prepare for the next round and said also that his team hopes to get to the newly updated track in Belgium for some testing before the last round in September. He sees the Red Bull Young Driver Search prize of a test drive in Formula BMW as an excellent opportunity to provide a great chance to advance his motor sport career. Cooper mentioned how important it has been for him to have the support of his family together with a professional team preparing his CRG/ROTAX kart package and really enjoys the whole experience of the Euro Challenge. "It is always fun and we have time after the racing to get to know other people from all around the world." Although Neveling moved up into 2nd and could not wear the leader down, he did set the fastest time for the juniors in the final with a 44.594. Sano maintained his 3rd place comfortably ahead of local driver Daniel Schnellnegger. He was able to pass Jack Hawksworth in the battle, who had to settle for 4th this weekend having made the podium behind team mate Ben Cooper at the last round on home territory in the UK. It had been a brilliant result for Konstantinos Kotis from Greece in the pre-final to start the decider off the front row, but was out 2 laps from the start. It goes to show how one round can change everything when the competition is so close. The highest point-scorers so far were all absent from the front runners in the final, with series leader Christian Van Balen working hard to make it into the top ten after starting at the back of the full grid for all the heats. Stephane Richielmi was out early in the pre-final and together with Riccardo Auteri and Mats Van den Brand, all finished with a disappointing weekend. This class is also shaping-up to go down to the wire in the last round of the Euro Challenge for 2005 and with the winners qualifying to go to the ROTAX MOJO MAX GRAND FINALS in November plus be in the running to win the Red Bull test drive in Portugal, it will definitely be one to watch. The ROTAX RM1 class included a few new faces for the third round and contesting both Senior Max and the RM1, Cristiano Morgado was again the man to beat. In a recent interview, this rather talented driver from South Africa spoke about his ability to extend his Formula Ford testing program by continuing to drive the RM1 kart. So far, Morgado has received maximum points throughout the Euro Challenge in this category having won both pre-final and final in the first two rounds of the series. This weekend was not going to be so easy, as he suffered from a right rear puncture half way through the final after starting on pole and lost around four seconds per lap. Showing his determination to finish nevertheless, Cristiano still managed to steer the kart to come in 13th place and take home 40 points. Depending on how the next round turns out, the rules allow that drivers can drop their worst pre-final and final result from 2005 for the championship tally. The fastest qualifier from the 2nd round in England was Austrian Bern Herndelhofer, who took the lead from Morgado to claim the first place trophy, ahead of Tiago Martins from Portugal and James Tumulty of Ireland who would naturally be feeling the heat under those conditions. The A1 Speedworld sponsored driver Herndelhofer was happy to move away from Morgado, able to see he had some problems to contend with. "Morgado, Martins, Tumulty and Kirkos were very fast and I knew I had to push to the end. At the last meeting I had the spark plug lead come lose so I lost some time in the final." Greek pilot Miltos Kirkos was a late entry following the withdrawal of another competitor coming from his country, who was unable to drive. It was his first time driving the RM1 and the 18 year old astounded some of the other drivers and spectators setting the 2nd fastest lap in timed practice and then finishing with two 2nd and a 3rd in the qualifying heats. Some changes in the finals saw him take 4th at the end of the day but considering he has only been driving for just over 12 months, he was pretty pleased with the result. Miltos says he will consider now going to Belgium for the last round of the series and no doubt be entering either Senior Max or the DD2 class in the 2006 Euro Challenge. Another Portugese driver from the Korridas team Rui Vieira also drove his first RM1 meeting for the year in the championship and took 5th place in both finals Sunday. Niclas Lindberg from Sweden was absent at this event, but was 2nd in the points so far after the initial rounds. Where to for the decider? The final round of the ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE will take place at the Horensbergdam Circuit at Genk, Belgium September 16 - 18. It has just undergone extensive improvements and always been a popular track for CIK-FIA championships and other events. Results ROTAX Max Junior 1 - Ben Cooper Great Britain CRG / HRS Motorsport 2 - Arnold Neveling South Africa PCR / PCR 3 - Kinji Sano Japan Maranello / Trenta Quattro ROTAX Max senior 1 - Luuk Glansdorp Holland Energy Kinetic / TKP Holland 2 - Tristram Oman Great Britain CRG / HRS Motorsport 3 - Toms Bobrovskis Latvia Gillard / GM Racing ROTAX RM1 1 - Bernd Herndelhofer Austria A1 Speedworld 2 - Tiago Martins Portugal Korridas 3 - Tumulty James Ireland Hochhauser 2005 race schedule ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE March 25-27: Salbris (France) www.sologne-karting.com May 26-29: PF-International, Brandon (U.K.) www.tvkc-pfi.co.uk July 29-31: A1 Speedworld-Pachfurth (Austria) www.a1speedworld.com September 16-18: Genk (Belgium) www.kartinggenk.be Driver Interview Riccardo Auteri Riccardo Auteri was sitting on equal points for 2nd in the ROTAX Junior Max class going into the Third round of the ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE in Austria. He drives a Zanardi Kart and is supported by AMD/Trust and his dad Marino. How long have you been racing karts? I've been racing karts since I was 6 years old. What class did you begin in and do you race any other series today? I started in 1998 in the 50cc baby kart then after 2 years I did 60cc mini kart and finally in 2002, I moved to Rotax Juniors. Today I race this class in the Italian Championship and in the Euro Challenge. Why did you choose to race the Rotax Junior Max class? I had chosen the Rotax Junior Max because I think that the engine is very powerful and it doesn't have any problems. In my opinion, this class is the future of karting because it has got a lot of advantages over the others like 100cc. What do you enjoy most about competing in the Euro Challenge? The thing that I enjoy most about the Euro Challenge is the fair and competitive racing between good, honest drivers. How has this type of international competition helped you develop as a driver? I think that this type of international competition helps me a lot to grow as a driver and to increase my karting experience. Your brothers also race karts, which classes do they compete in? My older brother that is 16 used to race with me last year in Junior Max but now he races the Max (Senior). My younger brother is 12 and he has raced since he was 10 in the Mini Max Italian Challenge. Do you have any future goals in karting? I hope to win the Euro and World Championship. Where do you plan to go in karting beyond Junior Max? After Junior Max I will probably race another class like Max and then if there is going to be an opportunity, I would like to race in a formula. How will you approach the final rounds of the series in the Euro Challenge, having achieved a place in the top 3 on the points table? I will do the best I can and hope to win the championship. -end- Hi-res photos are free of commercial rights for the press only Photo credit: ksp.fr/Jenni www.sportimage.net/media/PodiumJunior_1.JPG www.sportimage.net/media/LuukGlansdorp_2.JPG www.sportimage.net/media/BenCooper_1.JPG www.sportimage.net/media/Auteri2.JPG Promoter and organizer: Roland Geidel (RGMMC) Calle Joan Miro 3 - 3A 07014, Palma de Mallorca Baleares, Spain Phone: +34 971 285391 - Fax: +34 971 283882 info@rgmmc.com Press release Sportimage communications Jenni www.sportimage.net press@sportimage.net Phone: 00 1 514 909 4964