It’s impossible to list overtaking in the Junior Rotax final. La Conca itself perfectly to a fight at all times in the mono-brand championship. One fact sums up how the suspense lasted until the end: the two drivers who fought for the title at the start of the last lap finished 5th and 8th!
Indeed, after many attacks, the Austrian Julian Wagner took the lead and was isolated from the chasing pack in the company of Britain’s Jack Barlow. At the halfway point, the group had lost the British driver Jack Aitken, who won the pre-final and a was longstanding leader early in the race. By making contact, Aitken also took out his unfortunate compatriot Ashley Hand.
As the laps went on, the pressure mounted between Wagner and Barlow. On the penultimate lap, protecting his place, he unwittingly allowed the chasing pack to catch up. Everyone was then in the battle in the last corners of the race. While the two leaders were completely shut out, the Estonian Martin Rump made the right choices, to pass his last opponent in the final corner.
With five drivers grouped in just over a tenth at the checkered flag, Rump took a photo finish victory in front of two Dutch drivers, Van Moorsel and Joel Affolter who landed the most unexpected podium, followed the Australian Pierce Lehane and the unfortunate Brit Barlow. But what about the Austrian Wagner, only eighth behind American Nick Neri and Croatian Kodric Martin. Not to mention Aitken who was left to finish 16th, with Hand retired.
Bravo for the show!
A final turn of events occurred when the victor was disqualified, for having used a type of stiffener that wasn’t authorized by the regulations. Holland successfully completed the double with Jordi Van Moorsel and Joel Affolter, with the Australian Lehane on the third step of the podium.
Info Kartcom with Kartlink / © Photo BRP/Rotax