Mixed weather conditions impacted the finals Sunday of round 3 of the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy, turning the finals into a real lottery.
The round 3 winners are: Zdenek Babicek (Mini MAX), Ties van Wijk (Junior MAX), Matthew Higgins (Senior MAX), Mauro Simoni (DD2), Nicolas Picot (DD2 Masters), Spencer Brougham (E20 Senior).
The morning situation in the Prefinals
The Prefinals winners are Albert Friend (Strawberry Racing) and Mark Loomets (Energy Corse) in Mini MAX. Ties van Wijk (Bouvin Power) and Cameron Nelson (Dan Holland Racing) in Junior MAX. Matthew Higgins (Dan Holland Racing) and Sean Butcher (KR Sport) win in Senior MAX. Lenn Nijs (Schepers Racing) in DD2 as Nicolas Picot (Privateer) wins in Masters. Spencer Brougham (Privateer) is first in E20 Senior.
E20 Senior - Brougham does the double
Winner in the first round and winner in the second: the Briton Spencer Brougham wins the second round of the season in a final full of surprises, as a bumper penalty drops Will Elswood to 5th place. The podium is completed by Balazs Totis and Friday’s poleman Raúl Vargas.
DD2 Masters - Picot excels on a slippery track
Just before the green lights, a very light rain dampens the track. This enhances the spectacle and the overtakes, making the race exciting. Nevertheless, it is always Nicolas Picot who secures his 4th victory out of 4 races - including the Winter Cup - ahead of Martynas Tankevicius (Lenktyniu Linija) and the Cypriot Igor Mukhin.
DD2 - Rain affects the final
The much-feared rain falls and forces the Race Director to interrupt the event at lap 6. All drivers were on dry tyres, which allowed them to fit wet tyres and return to the track. At the end of the race, Mauro Simoni wins, ahead of the Frenchman Paul Forquemin (DAEMS Racing) and Enzo Bol (SP Motorsport).
Mini MAX - Surprises rain down! Winner is Babicek
The duel between poleman Albert Friend (Strawberry) and Mark Loomets (Energy Corse) lasted only a few hundred meters. On a wet track, both lost the lead, benefiting Zdenek Babicek (TEPZ Racing) and Vince Vanderhallen (Bouvin Power). Loomets couldn't recover, while Friend climbed back to 2nd place, getting very close to the leader. The Briton couldn't launch an attack, so Babicek won, followed by Friend and Vanderhallen.
Junior MAX - Thrilling race, van Wijk wins
Scott Marsh (Strawberry Racing) takes advantage of pole position and pulls away. Behind him, the battle is fierce. The drying asphalt allows for multiple racing lines, making the race truly unpredictable. In the second half of the race, Ties van Wijk (Bouvin Power) and Jacob Ashcroft make the difference, relegating Marsh to 3rd. After 15 laps, the Dutch van Wijk wins, followed by Jacob Ashcroft (Dan Holland Racing), who recovers over 20 positions, and Iacopo Martinese (Kart Republic). However, Martinese receives a bumper penalty, and 3rd place goes to Boaz Maximov (Bouvin Power).
Senior MAX - Higgins prevails in the 5-way battle!
The slippery and colder track doesn't favour Thomas Bearman (KR Sport), who loses the lead to fellow Brits Matthew Higgins (Dan Holland Racing), Joseph Turney (Kart Republic), and Lewis Gilbert (Kraft Motorsport), as well as Jayden Thien (Dan Holland Racing). The four engage in a game of chess; it’s Higgins who checkmates, finishing 1st for the second time in a row ahead of Turney and Thien.
The Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy will return to the track for the final round of the championship at South Garda Karting in Lonato from August 29 to September 1.