The 1.315m long track of the Arena E in Mülsen welcomed almost 100 drivers to the fourth event of the German Kart Championship. The racing weekend highlighted the 30-year-partnership of the DKM and Point-Racing. Owner Peter Bürger and his race service are inherent parts of the DKM and he was honored to hand over the trophies to the best drivers on Sunday.
On the track, the drivers fought for important points in the fight for the title. An early decision could only have been made in the DSKM, but leading driver Jorrit Pex (SP Motorsport) did not experience good races and thereby postponed the decision until the finale in Wackersdorf. The victories went to Maxim Rehm (DKM), Tom Kalender (DJKM), Matteo Spirgel (DSKM) as well as Jannik Julius-Bernhart and Christiaan de Kleijn (both DSKC).
Shortly before the finale in Wackersdorf, series coordinator Stefan Wagner is excited about the title decisions: “We’ve seen some great races this weekend, but also some actions that do not comply with the values of our Championship. Hard racing is a part of motorsports, but if things get further than that, we have to appeal to the drivers and teams to come to their senses and not lose focus. Everyone is here to spend a nice weekend and have fun.”
DKM: Double victory lets Maxim Rehm dream of the title
There was high tension in the races of the German Kart Championship this time. This already showed during the heats on Saturday. The championship was led by Austrian Kiano Blum (TB Racing Team) in the evening – he achieved his second pole position of the season and won a heat.
After the start into the first final race on Sunday, Sandro Holzem (Dörr Motorsport) led the field and already drove off from Blum after a few meters. Blum came closer and closer again during the further course of the race though, but then there was a collision between the two. Blum had to drop out of the race and Holzem fell back to the field of pursuers. New leading driver was Lenny Ried (Lanari Racing Team), followed by Maxim Rehm (Rehm Racing). The latter used his chance towards the middle of the race and won in front of Ried and Emma Felbermayr (TB Racing Team). There was another collision in the fight for the top five between Juliano Holzem (Dörr Motorsport) and Luca Griggs (Falcon Racing Team). Vice Champion Griggs had to drop out of the race. Holzem came in fifth behind Kevin Lantinga (Falcon Racing Team).
During the second final race, Rehm had it easy. From the start, he drove away from his pursuers and took a big step towards winning the Championship due to his double victory. “I’m very happy to have been able to repeat my double victory from last year. Today, I didn’t repeat yesterday’s mistakes and thereby gained important points in the fight for the title”, the young German summed up. Behind him, Felbemayr celebrated her second place on the podium this weekend and also drove the fastest lap time. Blum and Griggs came in third and fourth, Juliano Holzem completed the top five again.
Championship ranking DKM after 8 of 10 races:
1. Maxim Rehm (212 points)
2. Kiano Blum (168 points)
3. Kevin Lantinga (138 points)
4. Lenny Ried (127 points)
5. Lars van Vark (120 points)
DJKM: Double victory by Tom Kalender keeps Championship exciting
Phil Colin Strenge (Rehm Racing) caused a surprise by gaining pole position at the juniors. During the heats, he had to surrender his place to Tom Kalender (TB Racing Team) though. The TB-driver took the lead on the interim list of rankings on Saturday evening due to his respective second places. The final races were narrow as usual: In the first race, there were three drivers who temporarily led the field: Simon Rechenmacher (TB Racing Team), Jens Treur (Falcon Racing Team) and Kalender. During the last few laps, Kalender drove off and won. Behind him, things did not quiet down though. The field of pursuers was completely mixed again right before the end of the race. In the end, Tobias Feeser (Rehm Racing) came in second in front of Treur, Rodrigo Seabra (Lanari Racing Team) and Tobias Bille Clausen (Shamick Europe).
The second final race was well worth seeing as well. This time, the trio Kalender, Seabra and Treur dominated the events at the front. The three drivers changed their positions numerous times during the 15 laps and postponed the final decision until the finish line. In the end, Kalender celebrated a double victory in front of Seabra and Treur and thereby re-entered the fight for the title. “The second race was really tough. All three of us were on the same level and it was important to stay concentrated. It’s a great feeling to have won twice. Now we’re on to the finale and everything is still possible”, said Kalender contently in his winner’s interview. The cup ranks were completed by Feeser and Luca Schwab (TB Racing Team).
Championship ranking DJKM after 8 of 10 races:
1. Jens Treur (210 points)
2. Tom Kalender (187 points)
3. Tobias Bille Clausen (160 points)
4. Simon Rechenmacher (133 points)
5. Maxens Verbrugge (105 points)
DSKM: Guest driver Matteo Spirgel celebrates double success
Guest driver Matteo Spirgel (CPB Sport) dominated the races of the DSKC in Ampfing. He took a step up in Mülsen and was also unstoppable in the German Shifterkart Championship. He drove the best time at qualifying, but temporarily lost his top position to his team mate Thomas Imbourg (CPB Sport) during the course of the heats.
Imbourg won the start into the first final race as well, but four drivers kept very close and didn’t make things easy for him. After five laps there was a change – Spirgel and Stan Pex (SP Motorsport) drove past the Frenchman. Things did not quiet down though. Spirgel drove off a bit and profited from the duels behind him. The decision came shortly before the finish line: Pex came in second in front of his team mate Arvid Lindblad from Great Britain. Imbourg and Kris Haanen (SP Motorsport) followed on the remaining places. The races were mixed for the Championship favorites: Jorrit Pex (SP Motorsport) came in ninth; Daniel Stell (Dörr Motorsport) and David Trefilov (SRP Racing Team) had to deal with a falling out.
Kick-off winner Spirgel left no doubt in the second final race. With a perfect start, he drove away from the field and achieved a well-deserved double victory. “These were no easy races. Due to the long straights, it’s not easy to be the leading driver on the track. I didn’t expect to win both races – that makes it all the better”, said a content Matteo Spirgel in his interview. Behind the winner from France, Haanen led the field of pursuers and re-entered the fight for the title by coming in second. Right before the finale, he came a lot closer to the overall leader Jorrit Pex and can still get dangerous for him in Wackersdorf. Coen Doorn (SP Motorsport) fought his way forward from 10th starting position to third place. Trefilov showed an even more impressive catching-up race: From the back of the field, he raced to fourth place. Stan Pex followed on fifth place.
Championship ranking DSKM after 8 of 10 races:
1. Jorrit Pex (190 points)
2. Kris Haanen (156 points)
3. David Trefilov (131 points)
4. Daniel Stell (127 points)
5. Guust Specken (115 points)
DSKC: Jannik Julius-Bernhart and Christiaan de Kleijn share victories
With almost 40 drivers, the DMSB Shifterkart Cup (DSKC) was fully manned again and delivered kart racing well worth seeing on both racing days. There were already two favorites after qualifying: Jannik Julius-Bernhart (SRP Racing Team) and Christiaan de Kleijn (CRG Holland). While Julius-Bernhart achieved the pole position, Dutchman de Kleijn won both heats and was the leader on Saturday evening.
The duo continued their duel in the first final race as well. They changed positions at the front and the decision only came shortly before the end of the race. Julius-Bernhart fended off an attack by de Kleijn and celebrated his first victory. “This was a very close race. I feel very good and am excited for the second race”, rejoiced the winner. Behind the two, Dominik Reuters (AP-Racing) came in third. Fourth and fifth places went to André Matisic (Solgat Motorsport) and Flynt Schuring (CPB Sport).
Everyone who thought the first final race’s excitement could not be topped, was proven wrong during the second. After an initial slow-phase, Julius-Bernhart defended his position. Matisic joined the fight for the victory this time too though. The 2013 DKM-Champion took first place shortly before the race half-time and seemed to be on his way to victory. In the final spurt, de Kleijn took the lead two laps before the end though and won the race. “I’ve gained a lot of points here and am very excited for the finale in Wackersdorf. The Championship is very close. Wackersdorf is a great track and everything is possible”, the CRG-driver said competitively. Matisic was his first pursuer and came in second. Team mates Julias-Bernhart and Jesse Kirkby fought for third place. During the last lap there was a collision though, which pushed the kick-off winner back to eighth place. Kirkby had to deal with a complete falling out. Thereby, the CPB Sport-trio Corentin Rousseau, Schuring and Celian Gallasin came in third to fifth.
Championship ranking DSKC after 8 of 10 races:
1. Ben Dörr (145 points)
2. Christiaan de Kleijn (132 points)
3. Karl Lukaschewsky (105 points)
4. Jannik Julius-Bernhart (90 points)
5. Tim Gerhards (89 points)
The big finale of the German Kart Championship and its four grade series DKM, DJKM, DSKM and DSKC is going to take place from September 23rd – 25th at the Prokart Raceland Wackersdorf. It’s going to be an extremely thrilling finale because four titles are still up for grabs. Additionally, the E-Kart Race is going to take place within the framework for the first time. Drivers get the chance to try an electric kart for the first time in this race. Everyone older than 12 can participate. All information regarding the race can be accessed at https://www.dmsw-gmbh.de/de/e-kart-race.
Alle information regarding the DKM-weekend in Mülsen can be viewed here: https://www.dmsb-sport.de/Int_DMSB_Kartrennen_Muelsen_DKM_12876/
Info DMSB-DKM / Photos © Nina Megger – Björn Niemann