The Superkarts will discover the Sachsenring

The CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship drivers will be treated to a rather exceptional final on 15 and 16 September 2007: they will compete on a circuit which has never seen 250 cc karts. Drivers and Superkarts will therefore be on an equal footing for this event on the German Sachsenring circuit. Although not many meetings can be held there (only four per year) it is nonetheless well known for hosting the German Motorcycle GP. The hilly 3.6 km long Sachsenring, which comprises a technical first part and a rapid second half, will bring to the fore the drivers’ ability to adapt to a new course and to set up their little racing vehicles accordingly.

Only one driver out of the 55 entries has a real advantage: the German Peter Elkmann knows the Sachsenring because he raced – and won – there two years ago in Formula 3. His sporting career is rather atypical: after having learnt the ropes in the traditional Karting categories (with a European ICC/125 cc vice-champion title at the end of the day), he had a taste of Superkart before stepping into the cockpit of a Formula 3 and proved to be brilliant straightaway: in 2005, he won the German series “F3 Recaro Cup” and in 2006, he competed in the very high-level “F3 Euroseries”, distinguishing himself with a win at Brands Hatch. Without a contract in F3 in 2007 through lack of a budget, he made a comeback in Superkart this summer and just missed the podium at Assen. The Sachsenring event, third and final stage of the European tour, will reveal the name of the 2007 Champion. With two wins and two second places under his belt, the Briton Gavin Bennett will enter the event as the firm favourite with the extra advantage of still disposing of a joker, unlike his main rival, Malcolm Crowe. In the final classification of the championship, only the five best results (out of six possible ones) are taken into account. His joker, Crowe used it at Magny-Cours when he spun. To be crowned champion, he will have to prevail in both races at the Sachsenring, with Bennett failing to be on the podium. In the absence of the Frenchman Damien Payart (who has withdrawn for personal reasons), the other candidates for a good result in Germany will be the Swedes Michaël Wärn and Stefan Malm, the German Martin Knauder and Britain’s John Riley (2005 European Champion), Mark Owens and Lee Harpham.

ENTRY LIST

2. John Riley (GB) Anderson-Rotax
4. Gavin Bennett (GB) Anderson-FPE
5. Stefan Malm (S) PVP-PVP
6. Michael Wärn (S) PVP-Yamaha
8. Peter Kruse (D) USP-Rotax
9. Antoine Lacoste (F) PVP-FPE
10. Paul Kennings (GB) Anderson-Rotax
11. Martin Knauder (D) PVP-Yamaha
14. Per-Olov Ogeborn (S) Scherman-Rotax
16. Phil Featherstone (GB) Raider-Rotax
17. Malcolm Crowe (GB) Anderson-FPE
19. Pierre Focque (F) PVP-FPE
20. Steve White (GB) PVP-Rotax
21. Ulli Sieker (D) USP-Yamaha
23. David Maxim (GB) PVP-FPE
25. Tomas Roosemark (S) Scherman-Yamaha
28. Joachim Breckwoldt (D) PVP-Yamaha
31. Poul V. Petersen (DK) PVP-PVP
33. Benjamin Mahé (F) PVP-PVP
38. Wilfried Meyer-Wolff (D) PVP-Yamaha
40. Morgan Valverde (F) PVP-FPE
42. Ib Petersen (DK) PVP-Rotax
43. Daniel Preiss (D) PVP-Rotax
44. Jürgen Reinke (D) PVP-BRC
45. Mirko Krause (D) PVP-FPE
46. Willi Pfeiffer (D) PVP-FPE
47. Thomas Marggraf (D) PVP-PVP
50. Carl Hulme (GB) Anderson-Rotax
52. Tommie Eliasson (S) PVP-FPE
54. Steve Briggs (GB) Raider-TM
55. Cary Bailey (GB) PVP-Yamaha
56. David Harvey (GB) Anderson-Rotax
58. Alain Rebus (F) PVP-FPE
59. Robin Nilsson (S) PVP-FPE
60. Thomas Urhofer (A) MS Kart-Rotax
61. Fred Ruden (D) Formula 1-Rotax
62. Stefan Frinken (D) Anderson-Yamaha
63. Peter Elkmann (D) PVP-Yamaha
65. Daniel Hentschel (D) PVP-Rotax
67. Dennis Scherman (S) Scherman-PVP
70. Marcel Gorissen (NL) APG-Rotax
72. Jörg Bernhard (D) PVP-PVP
74. Gregory Robert (GB) Anderson-Rotax
79. Mark Owens (GB) ADE-FPE
80. Bengt Albertsson (S) PVP-Rotax
82. Roland Bischoff (D) USP-Yamaha
84. Robert Chilcott (GB) Anderson-Rotax
87. Olaf Dau (D) PVP-BRC
94. Bob Hosier (GB) PVP-PVP
96. Paul Troalic (GB) PVP-SGM
97. Lee Harpham (GB) Anderson-Rotax
99. Adam Smith (GB) PVP-Rotax
101. Guido Kleinemeyer (D) PVP-Gas Gas
105. Manfred Schmidt (D) PVP-Gas Gas
107. Martin Reuck (D) PVP-Gas Gas