ROTAX MAX Euro Challenge – Roland Geidel
The ROTAX MAX Grand Finals consists of 216 drivers from over 50 countries. The majority of the drivers qualify through their own national championship races to be able to compete here in Al Ain. However, there are a few other ways to qualify. One such way is to finish in the top three in the ROTAX MAX Euro Challenge.
The Euro Challenge has been in existence for 5 years and is run by the experienced Roland Geidel. Roland was approached by BPR-Rotax a few years ago to run a series that would give the ROTAX racer very professional championship to race in. By all accounts the series has been very successful and the four-race series is considered one of the most prestigious championships in karting.
Guy Sheffield
Guy Sheffield was the manager of the Daytona Sandown Park in the UK when he was approached to be the manager of the Al Ain Kart Raceway. At that point in time the facility amounted to little more than a track surface and a few huts. Over the past year, Guy has overseen almost every aspect of the new construction. He says he is generally pleased with the way things have turned out but still has more plans for improvement. “Come back next year,” he said, “and all this dirt will be grass!” He then emphasized, “Plus, we’ll have nice furnishing’s in the main building.” That’s quite a statement seeing as how the building already has nice appointments built in.
Guy is perhaps one of the best people to fill the position he’s in. He’s determined, organized and experienced. Plus, he started racing karts at age 14 so he knows what racers expect in a racing facility.
Tiffany Chittenden
Tiffany Chittenden, or “Tiff” to her friends, has been racing for 12 years. She started in “Formula 6” as a junior and won the British Championship in her rookie year. Most of her career has been spent in karts. But, she did do a season of Formula Renault last year. This year she raced mostly in the UK but also managed to do three of the Euro Challenge races.
Tiff spends a lot of her time working out to stay in shape and is dedicated to making a career in motorsports. When asked if the current trend of hiring female drivers has been a help to her career, she said the whole “Danica-mania” craze hasn’t been a benefit. “People think that just because I’m a woman that it’s easy to find sponsors. Well, it’s not. Right now I don’t know if I will be able to race next year or not. But, I’m going to give it all I can.” With her determination and obvious talent, we’re very confident we’ll see her in racing for as long as she wants to be.
Curtis Cooksey
Curtis Cooksey is attending his second ROTAX MAX Grand Finals as a member of the team from the United States. Back home in Las Vegas, Nevada, Curtis owns and runs Acceleration Karting, the USA’s top ranked ROTAX and CRG dealership. Curtis has been running very well this week in the DD2 class, bar a few mechanical troubles, and is looking strong to be in the finals.
When asked to compare this experience with last year in Portugal, Curtis said, “Overall I think I drove better in Portugal. Perhaps that’s because the rain suited my driving style. But, I’d have to say I’m enjoying the weather this year a lot better.”