The first timed session of the 2015 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals started in perfect weather on the Portimao track. Three Americans settled in to the lead early in the session, Mathias Ramirez-Barrero, Michael Michoff and Anthony Gangi. Then the Brazilian Caio Collet was fighting for pole with the Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska, but the Briton Axel Charpentier took control ahead of the Japanese driver Hibiki Taira and the Spaniard Oscar Palomo on the third lap. But the Swiss driver Julien Apotheloz finished as the leader with 1’02”369 – 3/100 ahead of the Briton Dean MacDonald, with Charpentier 3rd, Taira 4th and Collet 5th. The Frenchman David Beaumann was 21st by 0.656”.
The Briton Jack McCarthy took 1st place in the second session ahead of his Austrian teammate Nicolas Schoell before the French driver Florian Venturi went ahead of the Finn Roope Ropanen and the New Zealander Dylan Drysdale. Venturi was improving, but the Briton Scott Symons was the first to go under 1’02 ”. Ropanen took control with 1’01”912 and had more to come. Symons was 2nd, Venturi 3rd, Harrison Thomas 4th and McCarthy 5th. Until then 18th, Jules Bollier posted the 6th time on his last lap.
The second session was found to be significantly faster than the first, giving Ropanen pole and containing the top nine. Apotheloz was 10th, MacDonald 13th, Charpentier 17th and Collet 21st. Bad luck for Beaumann, in 54th position.
Info Kartcom / © Photos KSP