Saturday was a bustling day at the Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Cup held at the Campillos circuit in Spain, with 17 heats placed under the heavy rain. The heavy rain changed a lot of things compared to the Qualifying Practices.
Mini MAX - Friend, the star of the day
Albert Friend of Strawberry (Tony Kart) continues to assert himself as the one to beat in Mini MAX. Albert secured one victory and a 4th place finish in today's heats. Tom Read, also from Strawberry, clinched victory in the second heat but settled for 4th overall. Oliver Spencer (DHR - LN) claimed the 2nd position, climbing three spots from qualifying. Zdenek Babicek (Tepz - MS) took the 3rd spot.
Junior MAX - Strele outpaces Ashcroft!
Toms Strele of DHR (LN) will start from pole position in Pre-final A. The Latvian driver outshone the previous favorite for the top spot, teammate Jacob Ashcroft, who finished 2nd. The margin between the two is just one point; Ashcroft finished 3rd in his last heat, where Italian driver Lorenzo Giaquinto of MKC (Tony Kart) secured victory after a remarkable climb from 12th in Qualifying to 3rd after the Heats.
Impressive comebacks were also made by Charlie Smith (Strawberry - Tony Kart), moving from 16th to 4th, and Martin Lichner (Kraft Motorsport - Tony Kart), rising from 24th in qualifying to 6th. Cameron Nelson (DHR - LN) dropped to 14th place overall due to retiring in the last heat, which was a significant setback for him.
Senior MAX - Hunter, it’s a Clean Sweep!
Kai Hunter (Hunter Motorsport - LN) achieved a flawless streak with 5 wins out of 5. The British driver, 2nd after qualifying, found the right grip on the slippery track. Likewise, Oliver Hodgson (J3 Competition - Compkart) made an impressive climb from 18th to 2nd, earning him pole position for Pre-final B. It was a tough day for Thomas Bearman of KR Sport - Kosmic, who started on pole yesterday but dropped to 15th due to a retirement.
DD2/ DD2 Masters - Locmelis and Picot lead the way
Patriks Locmelis (Biedriba MRG - Birel ART) maintains his lead in DD2, while Nicolas Picot (Privateer - Tony Kart) defeated Martynas Tankevicius (Privateer - Birel ART) in the battle for DD2 Masters leadership.
Tomorrow, the first trophies of the year will be awarded. The Pre-finals and Finals will be broadcast live on TV through Live Streaming.