The curtain came down today on Round 2 of the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy at the Prokart Raceland Wackersdorf after a Finals day packed with overtakes, recoveries and late twists across all five categories.
At the end of an intense weekend of racing, the winners were Joshua Cooke (Mini MAX), Zdenek Babicek (Junior MAX), Jeremy Reuvers (Senior MAX), Jakub Bezel (DD2) and Nicolas Picot (DD2 Masters).
Mini MAX saw Joshua Cooke (KR Sport) complete the job in style, securing a second consecutive after his success in Cremona. The British driver, therefore, adds the German Euro Cup title to the Italian Euro Cup won earlier this season. Second place went to Mik Klinkers (Bouvin Power), who leaves Wackersdorf with the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals ticket allocated for this event, as Cooke had already secured his qualification in Cremona. Completing the podium was Sebastian Bearman (Sam Pollitt Racing), who recovered three positions during the race to finish third.
In Junior MAX, Zdenek Babicek (Dan Holland Racing) converted his dominant weekend into victory, repeating in the Final the success already achieved in the Prefinal earlier in the day. The Czech driver shared the podium with Friday pole sitter Martin Soltys (KRK Racing) and Lucien Smith (KR Sport).
One of the drives of the race came from Luca Holmes-Balac (Strawberry Racing), who climbed from 20th on the grid to fifth at the flag. Even more impressive was the comeback from Erin Unludogan (Dan Holland Racing), who gained 23 positions over the 14 laps of the Final to finish eighth.
The Senior MAX Final delivered the most dramatic race of the day. After dominating much of the weekend, Jeremy Reuvers (Karting Club Campillos) quickly lost the lead to Tereza Babickova (Dan Holland Racing) in the opening stages. The Czech driver controlled the pace for several laps before Reuvers’ attack ultimately opened the door for a hard-charging Lewis Gilbert (Kraft Motorsport), who crossed the finish line first.
However, the outcome changed after the race, as a bumper penalty dropped Gilbert down the order and handed victory to Reuvers. Babickova was promoted to second, while championship leader Tom Langlois (Sodikart) completed the podium. Reuvers and Langlois now leave Wackersdorf tied at the top of the standings.
In DD2/DD2 Masters, reigning champion Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport) delivered a controlled performance from pole position to dominate the Final and move back into the championship lead. The surprise of the race was Edgars Vilcans (GKart53), who secured second overall, while Nicolas Picot (Privateer) once again emerged victorious in DD2 Masters, continuing his unbeaten run in the category.
The next stop for the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy will be the historic Karting Genk: The Home of Champions, which will host Round 3 during the weekend of June 28.