Friend, Strele, Hunter, Locmelis and Picot first after Heats in Spain!

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 broadcasted live on TV through Live Streaming on Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy Facebook page, on the RMCET website, on Motorsport.com and on YouTube.

Live streaming will be avaiable at this link.

Info RMC Winter Cup Press Office / Photo © Hellophoto