Beitske Visser on the Front Row !

A place on the first row in one of the most coveted European karting Championships of the season: this is the new excellent result obtained by Beitske Visser. This young Dutch girl continues to be a revelation at international level, at each single meeting she attends.

The media, teams and observers keep a close eye on Beitske Visser’s progress (Intrepid/TM by Tec-Sav) and are increasingly interested in her performance. Her burst of speed, coupled with personality and determination, cannot but command respect, even admiration. “I have set some objectives for myself and I am really determined to achieve them” Beitske explained. “That is why I am totally focussed on the race as soon as I reach the circuit“.

True, in karting, just like in car racing, you have to show a high level of commitment to succeed and make progress. At only 15, this Dutch driver has already learned that lesson and she is now trying to stack all the odds in her favour. Physical training, technical meeting with her team, execution of the best possible adjustments: she leaves nothing to chance in the KZ2 category (125cc gearbox engines), where she has to face a bunch of much more experienced drivers. “Climbing on the second step of the podium at the end of March, in Lonato, at the WSK Euro Series round… that was really awesome. So I arrived at the European Championship highly motivated”.

Beitske had just three races to get ready before this important European event, held on 10 and 11 April, but that did not prevent her from setting the best time in free practice. With its series of fast, hairpin bends and its long straight stretches, the international circuit of Naples, in Sarno, was highly selective. Despite the subtleties of this long track, she completed an excellent official qualifying session and set the second best time. Her performance closely resembled that of her pole position at the Andrea Margutti trophy, three weeks earlier.

“Knowing that I would start from the first row in the qualifying heats, with so many drivers (75), well … that was great. But I also knew that I’d have more pressure on me. Then I found myself in front of the lights, with no reference point ahead of me! But it was a good feeling”. Beitske concluded a clean qualifying session (with a victory in one heat), despite the high number of drivers (all male) going after her. Unfortunately, rain began to fall just before the final phase and her podium dreams slipped away.

“I like driving in the rain, but it got really difficult in Sarno because grip conditions changed too fast. I felt at ease at the beginning of race 1, but the track dried and my adjustments were no longer suitable. In race 2, we changed our rain tyres with the slick ones, by the track grip was not the same as in the morning. The chassis was more difficult to drive, so I focussed on maintaining my place”.

But Beitske Visser had the satisfaction to collect her first points, thanks to her 11th and 13th place in the following races. “I have a good pace going and I have gathered more experience” the promising Dutch driver concluded.