European Rotax DD2 champ concludes Mach1 testing in preparation of the Rotax Grand Finals
After test runs on home soil in Mariembourg and Genk, Bouvin Power/TeamDF took their Mach1 DD2 chassis for a final test to the Kartodromo Algarve, near Portimao, Portugal, the track hosting this year’s Rotax Grand Finals.
Mathias, backed by Sandhills General Trading and DF Aviation, entered the German built Mach 1 Kart, in the Portuguese “Korridas Mojo Cup” as the team felt the best preparation was racing the Mach 1 on the Grand Finals’ track itself.
Several other DD2 frontrunners joined in the event with Swiss driver Kevin Ludi, Canada’s Nicolas Latifi and Bosnia’s Sandro Lukovic also showing up in a Mach 1 Kart. Lucas Orrock, Haralds Garkaklis and Martins Lapins elected to race their usual chassis in the event.
Zuera’s International Open winner, Belgiums’s Xen De Ruwe as well as Brit Shaun Slavin tested earlier in the week, but did not participate in the race.
During free practice, on Friday morning, the track was dry but in the afternoon the rain settled in and from that moment on the rain would only occasionally stop for the remaining 2 days of the event.
It took Mathias and his mechanic Kobe some time to find the right set-ups and to learn the track in difficult and continuously changing conditions, from wet, to very wet, to extreme wet!
But by Sunday morning, the Bouvin Power/TeamDF crew was all smiles because Mathias set the fastest time in the rainy Free Practice session. He went on to claim Pole in a wet Qualifying Session, but was later demoted to last because the team had forgotten to remove tape from the radiator, which is an infringement of the Rotax Regulations.
So Mathias had to start last in the single Qualification race. But he managed to move up from P21 to P11 in an 8 lap race.
In the Pre-Final Mathias moved up from P11 to P8, still in wet conditions, but he felt his pace wasn’t good enough.
The sky started to clear out above the Algarve hills in late afternoon and the track dried quickly, prompting all drivers to change to dry set-ups for the 15 lap Final.
In the Final, Latvia’s Haralds Garkaklis, who had dominated the Qualification Heat and Pre-Final in his Gillard, was in a class of his own together with local driver Tiago Ribeiro, racing an Intrepid chassis. Garkaklis deservedly won whilst Ribeiro was delighted to finish second and so claiming a participation ticket to the Grand Finals.
Mathias had a very good start in the Final and quickly moved up to P4. He had a race-long dice with Portuguese driver Frederico Duarte. After holding on to P3 for a long time, Mathias couldn’t do anything when Duarte blasted by on the long straight in the last lap. But Mathias didn’t want to settle for 4th and chased down Duarte to retake P3 in a spectacular move in the penultimate corner.
So it was another podium for Mathias, and finishing first of the Mach 1 Karts will have boosted his morale for the Grand Finals at the end of the month.
