Muelsen. The Arena E in Muelsen welcomed the German Kart Championship last weekend for the first of five events. Drivers from all over the world delivered thrilling duels - in the end there were six different winners in six races. In the supporting program, the Mini 60 Series by Chrono Karting celebrated its premiere and crowned its first winner with Lenn Abbas.

After a long winter break, the starting signal for the 2023 season was given for the highest German karting series in Muelsen. The three categories DJKM, DSKM, and DSKC experienced a brilliant start. The 1,315-meter Arena E in Muelsen provided a perfect backdrop. For the first time, the MSG Eberswald e.V. in the ADAC acted as the organizer and ensured with its team that everything ran smoothly.

A new face at the top in each final race

With almost 30 participants each, the two shifter-kart categories were highly competitive and once again underlined their international status. The program was rounded off by the juniors of the DJKM and the Mini 60 Series of promoter Chrono Karting. Apart from a small rain shower on Sunday, bright sunshine provided best conditions and attracted numerous spectators to the track. The races were very balanced - there was no double victory in any final race. The winners on Sunday were Lenn Abbas (Mini 60), David Gorcica, Phil Colin Strenge (both DJKM), Juliano Holzem, Dominik Reuters (both DSKC) as well as Daniel Vasile and David Trefilov (both DSKM).

Kick-off without German Kart Championship (DKM)

The DKM category of the German Kart Championship was, unfortunately, missing at the season opener in Mülsen. A lack of participant interest in the OK class has forced those responsible to suspend this. Nevertheless, the category is to be carried out in the further course of the year - for this purpose, a "rescue package" was put together. At the events in Genk (Belgium), Wackersdorf and Kerpen the DKM will be announced, and the German Champion will be crowned. The enrollment will be reduced by 40%, additionally, one of the six final races can be used as a strike result.

Mini 60 Series by Chrono Karting: Lenn Abbas drives to the victory with a catch-up race

The Dutch promoter Chrono Karting organizes the Mini 60 Series for the first time in three races - the kick-off took place in Muelsen. On Saturday Emilio Bernd (TB Racing Team) had the events firmly under control and was leading the classification. But in the pre-final, the front row experienced a setback. Bernd rolled out shortly before the start and second-placed Lenn Abbas had to chase after starting problems. This opened the way to the victory for Milan Rossi (Lanari Racing Team).

Meanwhile, unlucky Abbas fought his way back up to fifth position and thus laid the foundation for his triumph in the final. At the start, Rossi and the Dane Marc Alexander Reistrup took turns at the front. Abbas made up ground midway through the race and celebrated his first Mini 60 Series by Chrono Karting victory. Afterwards, he was quite excited about his catch-up: "I am very happy to have won. The races were a lot of fun, a big thanks to my team for the support." Behind the chasing Rossi and Reistrup, Armin Kara Osman (Sim-ON Racing) and Aron Weeda still drove into the cup ranks. The Mini 60 continues at the next race in Genk, Belgium.

DJKM: Photo finish for the juniors

With nine participants, the field of juniors was rather weak - nevertheless, there was no lack of gripping racing action. Cemil Bayyati (Lanari Racing Team) led the classification after qualifying and the heats. In both races, the drivers then changed the top positions several times and delayed the decisions until the end. In the first race, David Gorcica (FORZA RACING z.s.) from the Czech Republic came out on top and was delighted with his success: "This is my first podium this year, so I'm really happy about the result. But the victory wasn't easy, Cemil put on a lot of pressure. But I was able to fend off his attacks". The two KR drivers Bayyati (Lanari Racing Team) and Marc Gerstenkorn (TB Racing Team) completed the podium.

Only one hundredth of a second separated the first two in the second heat. Phil Colin Strenge (ADAC Württemberg e.V.) took the win just before the end ahead of Gerstenkorn. Bayyati followed a little distance behind in third. For Strenge, it was his first success in the highest German junior class, and he was in a correspondingly good mood in the interview later: "At the beginning of the race, I first had problems with my engine, but as the race progressed, I was able to fix them and then fought fully for the win. It's super to start the season with such a success."

Championship standings DJKM after 2 of 10 runs:
1st Cemil Bayyati (60 points).
2nd Marc Gerstenkorn (56 points)
3rd David Gorcia (51 points)
4th Magnus Schindler (32 points)
5th Alex Brunner Gostner (31 points)

DSKC: Juliano Holzem and Dominik Reuters triumphant

Local hero Niels Tröger (Maranello SRP Factory Team) took the top spot in the DMSB Shifter Kart Cup during the heats and led the field into the first final as polesitter. Before the start, however, things got hectic - light rain caused some excitement, but in the end all 31 participants started with slick tires. From the start, Juliano Holzem (CPB Sport) moved into the lead and won. "It was not an easy race, towards the middle rain started again and my chaser came closer. But in the end I defended my lead," summed up the winner. The top five were completed by Tom Adams (Maranello SRP Factory Team), Linus Hensen (Mach1 Motorsport - Kartschmie.de), Thomas Rackl (Maranello SRP Factory Team) and Siep Kuypers (Paauwer Kart Racing).

Seven drivers fought for the victory and the cup ranks in the second final. In the process, they changed positions every lap. At the finish, Dominik Reuters (AP-Racing) was allowed to cheer about his success. "That was an intense race with many overtaking maneuvers. Towards the end I lost a bit of pace, which made it exciting for me again." Second place this time went to Niels Tröger followed by Holzem, Adams and Kuypers. Dropping out of the top five due to a front fairing penalty was Jeroen Bos (SP Motorsport) from the Netherlands.

Championship standings DSKC after 2 of 10 rounds:
1st Juliano Holzem (58 points)
2nd Niels Tröger (44 points)
3rd Tom Adams (40 points)
4th Dominik Reuters (36 points)
5th Linus Hensen (31 points)

DSKM: International top field delivers top-class racing

The who's who of shifter kart racing competed in the premier DSKM class. On Saturday, Daniel Stell (Dörr Motorsport) was in his element and defended his lead from qualifying through the heats. In the first final, he continued to fight for victory, but got caught out and slipped into the chasing pack. Daniel Vasile (Birel Art Racing KSW) crossed the finish line first after 19 laps of racing, ahead of Stan Pex (SP Motorsport), Tim Gerhards (CPB Sport), Jorrit Pex (SP Motorsport) and David Trefilov (Maranello SRP Factory Team). "I am very happy for me and the team. The race was nice and it's good to win for the opener," said the Romanian afterwards.

Trefilov showed a strong race in the second final: from the fifth starting position he fought his way to the top and won. "I tried to make up as many positions as possible on the first lap. That was a super weekend and a good start to the season," the Berliner was in good spirits after the podium ceremony. Behind him, Lukas Schächer (Haak Motorsport) took advantage of four new tires to move up to second. Vasile finished third ahead of his teammate Robert Kindervater (Birel Art Racing KSW) and Stan Pex.

DSKM championship standings after 2 of 10 rounds:
1st Daniel Vasile (50 points)
2nd Stan Pex (43 points)
3rd David Trefilov (41 points)
4th Jorrit Pex (36 points)
5th Lukas Schächer (32 points)

The next DKM event will take place from May 26-28 in Genk, Belgium. There, all four predicates of the German Kart Championship will be represented again. In addition, the Mini 60 Series by Chrono Karting will round off the program. If you want to watch the races from Muelsen again, you can find them at www.kart-dm.de.