Today’s the day when the rubber hit the road, literally, at the Ghibli Raceway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for the 2009 Rotax MAX Grand Finals. After months of preparation, this morning 216 drivers from 59 countries finally got on the track for two officially untimed practice sessions each. To avoid congestion on the track, each race category, Junior MAX, Senior MAX and DD2 are split into two groups. These groups are for the odd and even numbered karts.
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Most of the talk around the hotel and on the shuttle buses this morning was of the activities at the welcoming party last night. As expected, the Mojo Tyre Changing Competition was a big hit. After several heats of five contestants each, the competitors with the five fastest times qualified for the tyre changing finals to be held during the closing ceremony this Saturday night. The fastest time of the evening was set by the defending Mojo Tyre Changing World Champion Wes Boswell from the United States. Wes laid down a time just over 38 seconds to claim the top spot going in the finals.
The first item on the schedule today was the driver’s briefing. The briefing was held along the pits on the front straight and serves as official instructions to the drivers and crews regarding how they are to handle themselves while competing at the Grand Finals.
Although today’s sessions are officially untimed, one would be hard pressed to find a kart that wasn’t on a stopwatch. Never the less, the times set today mean nothing towards official qualifying which will take place tomorrow.
The first practice session for odd-numbered Junior MAX drivers broke the silence as the sound of 36 MAX motors filled the air at Ghibli Raceway. As with any racing event with drivers of this caliber, there was no loafing around as the young drivers were up to speed right away. Their skill was also evident in the fact that there were very few off-track excursions or wheel-banging incidents.
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Along the South side of the track, the organizers have set up massive grandstands for the crowds in attendance. Past history has shown that viewing areas like these become quite full on the race days. However, even on the first practice day this year, the stands were filling up quite nicely.
After both Junior MAX sessions, the Senior MAX drivers took to the track in their CRG chassis. Like the junior drivers before them, there were very few incidents as people kept their noses clean and got down to the job of learning the track and feeling out a brand new kart that had never been run before.
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Rounding out the day’s first sessions were both DD2 practices. With their two-speed gearboxes and extra power, the DD2 karts really do look spectacular as they power slide out of the tight corners.
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Of all the unknowns yet to be played out this week, one thing that is certain is we will not have a repeat champion as all the winners from La Conca are not here to defend their titles. This is not unexpected since in the ten year history of the Grand Finals, only one driver has ever been able to win in back-to-back years. That was when South African Wesleigh Orr won at Lanzarote (Canary Islands) and Lankawi (Malaysia) back in 2005.
Don’t forget to click on the “Race TV” link on the event page, or go to www.kartworld.tv for videos and more information.
PIT BITS
| Troy Castaneda (United States) DD2 competitor Troy Castaneda is in his fifth year of racing and making his first appearance at the Grand Finals. The 20-year-old is a resident of Sacramento, California in the United States and, like so many young drivers, says his ultimate goal would be to drive in Formula One.Although this is his first Grand Finals, it is not the first time Troy has raced outside the USA. Last year he was able to put together sponsorship to race formula cars in Italy at the famed Vallelunga circuit. Troy says his favorite track is Oklahoma Motorsports Complex in Norman, Oklahoma (USA). He says that is his favorite track because the very nature of that track, an equal mixture of fast and slow sections, demands a smooth, fluid driving style to be quick. |  |
| Christophe Adams (Belgium) Karting is often thought of as a sport for younger drivers. However, one of the great aspects of the Rotax MAX Challenge is it’s designed for drivers of almost all ages. For this reason, Rotax has developed a Masters division for drivers with a few more years of experience under their belt. One such Masters driver is Belgium’s Christophe Adams who, at age 44, has proven that you don’t need to be a teenager to be quick.The Brussels’ resident has been racing for 14 years and his accomplishments include winning the Masters championship at the 2007 Rotax Grand Finals in Al Ain and the 2006 French championship in Laval, France. Christophe is competing this year in his third Grand Final and says his goal in racing is to always be competing for the victory. |  |
| Ralph Odendaal (South Africa) Durban, South Africa’s Ralph Odendaal has been racing for 10 years and is competing in his fifth Rotax MAX Grand Final. He will be racing at Ghibli in the Rotax DD2 class. Ralph has been a consistent frontrunner in the past and looks to capitalize on his experience to continue South Africa’s winning ways at the Grand Finals.The 22-year-old says his ultimate goal is to become world champion and with a resume that includes winning this year’s Rotax Euro Challenge DD2 championship, he certainly has the talent to make that happen. The Odendaals are a true representation of the family atmosphere in karting and it’s always a pleasure to see his mom, dad and sisters making the trip the Grand Finals to support Ralph in his bid for a Rotax world championship. |  |
| Edward Brand (The Netherlands) 15-year-old Rotax Junior competitor Edward Brand from Dagnall, Berkhamsted has been competing in kart racing for seven years and is in Sharm El Sheikh racing for Team The Netherlands. Danny says his best moment in racing so far was winning this year’s British Championship and has set his eyes on competing in the Le Mans 24 Hour race some day. Of all the tracks he’s raced at in the last seven years, he rates Salbris in France and Rowrah in England as his top favorites. While away from racing he enjoys gaming, keeping a healthy lifestyle and keeping in touch with friends. |  |
| Josh Webster (United Kingdom) The United Kingdom is one of the teams that have consistently produced drivers that run up front. This year their Junior MAX squad includes 15-year-old Josh Webster. Although he has only been in karting for three years, Josh is already an accomplished champion having won this year’s Junior MAX championship in the Rotax MAX Euro Challenge Series.The Stowmarket, UK resident currently lists Zuera in Spain as his favorite track and his ultimate goal is to someday be Formula One World Champion. While this is a lofty goal by any standard, he certainly has proven he has the talent to get there. |  |