The Kappelen Trophy was the opening race of the season for us. Unexpectedly, both the entries for Junior and Senior X30 were all put in one class. There was just one other driver under 15 years of age besides Martin, hence the decision. Still Marti managed to register a respectable debut against a very strong field.
Even Moto2 race winner Dominique Aegerter was on the grid!
In qualifying Martin managed the 10th best time, just behind the Swiss Moto2 star, but there was a lot to be frustrated about. The tire pressure of the rear tires was completely wrong, it was way too high for the condition and the kart was sliding too much.
The first race was rather uneventful – Martin started 10th and finished 10th, there was again too much tire pressure and he was sliding all over the place.
In the 2nd race he made a good start, but he was part of a 5 kart pile up in the first corner. As a result he lost a lap and his steering arm was bend. All he could do was finish the race in 18th.
For the final Martin had to start from the back and the team made a gamble to put him on a dry weather setup. It was raining before the start and the bet was that the rain would stop, and the track would dry up. It didn’t happen and he finished only 16th unable to show his wet weather skills.
Still, this was an amazing learning opportunity. Marti made his debut against much older and experienced competitors, but despite his lack of experience in only his first race in a Senior kart(having never raced even a Junior!) he was just 0.4 sec from pole-position!
That’s a rather encouraging result that gives us lots of hope for the future and demonstrates his vast potential!
