Two 100% British podiums

Are British drivers becoming again the absolute masters of Superkart, like in the 1980’s and 1990’s? Be that as it may, in the “Rizla Racing Day” organised at Assen (NL), they made a clean sweep of the top four places in Race 1 in the order Gavin Bennett, Malcolm Crowe, John Riley and Mark Owens, and then monopolised the podium of Race 2 with the aforementioned Crowe and Bennett joined by Lee Harpham. However, if they had not been unlucky in the last lap, the Swede Michael Wärn (in Race 1) and the German Peter Elkmann (in Race 2) could have invited themselves in the top three.

With full grandstands, a circuit appreciated by all the drivers, a summery weather and 60 karts on the starting grid, all the ingredients were gathered to make a success of this second event of the European Superkart Championship. As if they were galvanised by this very popular event, the drivers broke the records in practice and offered two very exciting races in which there were overtaking manoeuvres galore (up to three lead changes per lap!), and the winners emerged only in the last few yards. It was a great show.

The British stranglehold in the races did not really come as a surprise. In practice, Malcolm Crowe had already laid his cards on the table when he set a lap time one second quicker than the fastest practice time achieved in 2006!

Race 1 saw a three-some come out of the field: Crowe, Bennett and Wärn pulled away lap after lap and raced in such a compact group that it was hard to tip the finishing order. However, Wärn’s hopes collapsed at the beginning of the final lap when he was forced to finish at idle because of a water leakage further to the loss of a cylinder-head pin. Bennett crossed the finishing line as the winner, ahead of Crowe and, further back, John Riley, Mark Owens and Damien Payart in tight formation.

In Race 2, Crowe and Lee Harpham took a flying start but were quickly caught up by Peter Elkmann, who started 12th, and Bennett, who was only 11th at the end of the first lap further to an average start. Elkmann managed to take the lead but that did not mean that the Britons loosened their grip. Crowe took back the advantage in the penultimate lap and held it to the flag, with the help of the carburation problems which affected the German in the last lap and made him fall back to fourth place.

In the championship, Bennett got the best deal and has a good points lead, as well as the advantage of entering the final event, to be held in Germany at the Sachsenring (on 14-16 September), without yet having played his joker, unlike all his pursuers, namely Crowe, Payart and Wärn.

Results

Race 1 : 1. Gavin Bennett (GB) Anderson-FPE; 2. Malcolm Crowe (GB) Anderson-FPE, +1’’049; 3. John Riley (GB) Anderson-Rotax, +4’’005; 4. Mark Owens (GB) ADE-FPE, +5’’467; 5. Damien Payart (F) PVP-FPE, + 5’’835; 6. Thomas Johansson (S) Anderson-FPE, +8’’141; 7. Paul Kennings (GB) Anderson-Rotax, +12’’983; 8. Olaf Dau (D) PVP-BRC, +22’’749; 9. Antoine Lacoste (F) PVP-FPE, +23’’044; 10. Per-Olov Ogeborn (S) Scherman-Rotax, +25’’975; 11. Poul V. Petersen (DK) PVP-PVP, +26’’580; 12. Morgan Valverde (F) PVP-FPE, +26’’942; 13. Michael Wärn (S) PVP-Yahama, +26’’986; 14. Tomas Roosemark (S) Scherman-Yamaha, +28’’051; 15. Robert Chilcott (GB) Anderson-Rotax, +28’’885; 16. Cyril Vayssie (F) PVP-FPE, +34’’233; 17. Phil Featherstone (GB) Raider-Rotax, +34’’702; 18. Bengt Albertsson (S) PVP-Rotax, +35’’169; 19. Steve White (GB) PVP-Rotax, +38’’092; 20. Alain Rebus (F) PVP-FPE, +39’’167;…

Fastest lap : M. Wärn, 1’39’’308 (165 km/h)

Race 2 : 1. Malcolm Crowe (GB) Anderson-FPE; 2. Gavin Bennett (GB) Anderson-FPE (GB), +0’’468; 3. Lee Harpham (GB) Anderson-Rotax, +0’’896; 4. Peter Elkmann (D) PVP-Yamaha, +1’’872; 5. Michael Wärn (S) PVP-Yamaha, +5’’494; 6. Damien Payart (F) PVP-FPE, +8’’076; 7. Mark Owens (GB) ADE-FPE, +15’’538; 8. Paul Kennings (GB) Anderson-Rotax, +18’’478; 9. Benjamin Mahé (F) PVP-FPE, +18’’690; 10. Thomas Johansson (S) Anderson-FPE, +20’’345; 11. Morgan Valverde (F) PVP-FPE, +27’’018; 12. Steve White (GB) PVP-Rotax, +33’’171; 13. Olaf Dau (D) PVP-BRC, +34’’478; 14. Bengt Albertsson (S) PVP-Rotax, +34’’973; 15. Robin Nilsson (S) PVP-FPE, 37’’165; 16. Phil Featherstone (GB) Raider-Rotax, +37’’533; 17. Antoine Lacoste (F) PVP-FPE, +38’’145; 18. Tomas Roosemark (S) Scherman-Yamaha, +38’’489; 19. Pierre Focque (F) PVP-FPE, +39’’144; 20. Poul V. Petersen (DK) PVP-PVP, +39’’812;…

Fastest lap/Tour le plus rapide: L. Harpham, 1’39’’559 (164.7 km/h)

Championship (after 4 races out of 6) : 1. Gavin Bennett (GB) 90 points; 2. Malcolm Crowe (GB) 54; 3. Damien Payart (F) 46; 4. Michael Wärn (S) 34; 5. Paul Kennings (GB) 33; 6. Poul V. Petersen (DK) 27; 7. Lee Harpham (GB) 26; 8. Mark Owens (GB) 22; 9. Antoine Lacoste (F) 20; 10. John Riley (GB) & Jürgen Reinke (D) 16;…