Day 4 – Team France in the thick of things

Wednesday was especially important for the 2018 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Not only for the last Free Practice session in the early morning, but especially for the long-awaited Timed Practice, quickly followed by the first Qualifying Heat.

Unlike the previous days when some very short showers sometimes moistened the Brazilian track, rain did not disrupt the progress on Wednesday.

In Mini Max, Evan Giltaire and Augustin Bernier can be satisfied with their performances. Starting on the first row after his 2nd fastest time, Evan was about to win his heat, when a slight mistake benefited his opponent just three corners from the flag. A little disturbed at the start of the race when he started 3rd, Augustin recovered to ensure 5th place. 12th on the grid, Léo Poncel lost several positions initially, then returned to 13th by the finish line. As for Theophile Nael, demoted to 28th place in Qualifying for having crossed the white line, he gained 11 places in his heat.

In Junior Max, Dylan Leger fought hard to gain four places and finish 9th in his heat, after his disappointment in Qualifying (5th in the slowest group and 25th overall). Behind him, Marcus Amand and Esteban Masson settled for 13th and 16th place. In the 10th place, Marcus admitted to having made a mistake, while Esteban paid a high price for his modest Qualifying, which did not reflect his Free Practice performance. As for Cesar Gazeau, he gained seven places, but mostly achieved the fastest lap in his heat. A small consolation after his time penalty, like that of Nael, which pushed him from 13th to 36th position.

In Senior Max, Bastien Borget appears as the best French representative: 24th in Qualifying and 9th in his heat (+3) with a very interesting level of performance. Without Rotax Master in this world finals, although he runs in this category in France, Rudy Champion must fight with motivation against young people. He was only 64th in Qualifying but completed an energetic climb from 32nd to 19th (+13) in his heat. As for Paul Fourquemin, he frequently found himself in very lively packs. 46th in Qualifying, he was hoping to recover, but could do no better than 25th in the A against B heat.

In Rotax DD2, Paolo Besancenez (16th fastest, 8th in his heat) and Nicolas Picot (18th fastest, 6th in his heat) led the group. Initially, Besancenez was delayed on the outside line which did not go well. The two members of Team France have ideas to improve their performance for Thursday.

The best recovery of the day in Team France is to the credit of Franck Lavergne. Unleashed after being relegated to 61st in Qualifying, he went from 31st to 17th in his very first heat.

The race is still long, some French drivers are not yet in places that their talent deserves, while there is a real chance of podium in Mini. To be continued…

Info Kartcom with Kartlink / © Photos KSP