De Vries Tours Europe

Nyck De Vries’ European tour continues and his talent emerges in each circuit where he races. Indeed, over the last few weeks, this young Dutch driver has won the second round of the German Championship, where he has reached the top of the overall ranking, and has left his mark on the European Championship by conquering two podiums!

The international KF3 category where De Vries races is not particularly developed in the Netherlands, so Nyck has decided to face his opponents in the European Championship in other countries, in different championships. “My team and I have decided to participate in all the races of the German Championship, on the fringe of major international events. The level is very high and there are pilots who rank among the best in the KF3 category. This is an excellent training ground and it offers new opportunities to win races”. The Championship made its debut at Kerpen, in mid-April, on the same circuit where Michaël Schumacher started his karting career in the early 1980s! On that weekend, Nyck won a heat but was forced to withdraw in the other two. Forced to start from 29th position, he put in a noteworthy performance in the two finals and climbed first to 16th and then to 6th position with the second best time in the race.

On 24 and 25 May, Nyck went to Wackersdorf for the second round. This time, the Dutch pilot really showed his driving talent: pole position, victory in all his three qualifying heats and then victory in the two finals. At the wheel of his Zanardi-XTR, De Vries remains unbeaten and has reached the top of the Championship. In addition to his increasingly accurate and effective driving, the 13-year pilot manages his races better and better. “Of course performance is important”, Nyck added “but if you want to win in karting, there are important elements to be taken into account, like strategy, o overtaking or kart technique”. At this level, his team increasingly appreciates the commitment of this pilot. “Nyck has learned to feel the performance of his chassis and engine” his technical entourage confirmed. “It is important to go in the right direction when you need to make adjustments”.

Nyck did not have much time to celebrate his victory in Germany, because he left for France only one week later. “It was important to come to Varennes sur Allier, because this is the circuit that will host the European Championship in September. It remains the main objective for the season” Nyck stressed.

Once again, his performance was up to expectations. After the second best time during timed practice, he soon found himself fighting against the future French Champion, Brandon Maisano. “In race 1, Maisano managed to take a little bit of advantage from the start, while I was trying to leave the pack behind me. Then I posted the best lap and I was reaching him at the end of the race, but it was a bit risky to try to attack, therefore I kept my second position”. At the end, the time gap was only seven hundredths on the finishing line.

At Varennes, Nyck was indeed in a difficult situation, divided between his willingness to win and his desire not to disrupt the final of the French Championship. In race 2, he found himself in the trail of Maisano and De Ridder, in full fight for the title. It was a nice opportunity to take action, by Nyck De Vries wisely preferred to secure another podium. “I am very satisfied with the weekend’s results. Moreover, we had a race in dry weather on Saturday and one in the rain on Sunday. This allowed me to know the track in every condition and to gather precious technical information with a view to the European Championship”. Confident of his talent, Nyck has also his head on his shoulders…

DJKM (KF3) – ROUND 2
WACKERSDORF (GERMANY)
RACE 1: WINNER
RACE 2: WINNER

FRENCH KF3 CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 4 – VARENNES (FRANCE)
RACE 1: 2rd PLACE
RACE 2: 3rd PLACE