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Disappointment at Le Mans

 

 

 

The final round of the European Championship was run at Le Mans on the weekend of 23^rd to 25^th of October 2010. Fifty four Superkarts took part in this event. Gavin Bennett from England went to this event as clear favorite, although he still remained under threat from Damian Pyart of France.

 

Friday Practice went well for Team EMG Motorsport. Whilst there were several problems with the Brakes, the rest of the package appeared to work well. The Times achieved were competitive, despite the fact that the Team were using old tyres.

 

Saturday morning Free Practice went well, with Erik reporting that the Kart was running very well. At 1330 hrs Erick set off on the 1^st Qualifying Session. The Track was wet, with the arrival of rain threatening. On his 2^nd flying lap, the big end on the rear cylinder failed, and the session was terminated. At the end of proceedings it left him at the back of a 54 strong grid. With the second Qualifying Session following one and a half hours later, it was impossible to get the motor stripped and rebuild for that session. Consequently, Erik was at the rear of the grid for both Races on the Sunday.

 

The first Kart Race on Sunday  was second on the Bill. Erik made a energetic start, and cut his way through the field. He made his way up to 13^th. On lap 9, with four drivers just in front of him, the gear change pawl malfunctioned, thus forcing him out of the Race.

 

This was fixed for the second Race, and again Erik had to start the Race from the back of the Grid. From the first lap, a misfire curtailed his pace, and although he made progress through the field, his lap times were poor. He failed to match the performance in the first Race, and had to drive a slow Kart to the end of the race.

 

Both Races were won by Gavin Bennett, although Damien Pyart did push him hard in both Races. With these results, it ensured that Gavin Bennett has retained his title, and again is the European Champion.

 

At the end of the event, Erik reflected ‘ This has been a very disappointing weekend for us. Although we had good pace with the package, component failures ensured that we were unable to deliver.’

10.08.2010

Race 1 from Assen.

On Board

06.04.10

Progress at Silverstone                                                                

Team EMG Motorsport had their first outing of the 2010 Season at Silverstone over the Easter weekend. This was the first round of the European Championship. There was much trepidation, as rumours were rife that some of the other Factory Teams had made big steps forward over the winter period.

All the Teams had the opportunity to avail of free practice on the Thursday and Friday prior to the commencement of the event. Erik had several outings during this period, and most of the time was spend on motor and chassis set-up. It was difficult to gauge performance, as there was no live timing for these runs.

Saturday morning saw all the competitors take to the circuit for the first Qualifying Session. Pole position was swapped a number of times between the usual favorites. Erik initially did a number of sighting laps on Wet Tyres. He then pitted and waited for a lengthy period before electing to fit slick tyres. With 8 minutes remaining, Erik launched a bit for a quick time. On his first lap he registered 5^th quickest lap. On the next lap and with only seconds remaining, the Norwegian posted a time which elevated him to Pole Position for the first session. A delighted Erik commented ‘ I am so pleased to have posted the quickest time for this Session. I knew we had made progress during the off-season, but I was not expecting this. We still have a lot to understand in relation to the chassis set-up.

The early part of the second Qualifying was set-out by Erik. This however did not last long. After 4 laps, Trevor Robeats beat Erik’s Time. A few laps later, Gavin Bennett reduced the time by a further 1.6 seconds. Consequently, Erik was forced to take to the Track. On his first flying lap he registered the fasted time of the session. A lap later he pitted, but was disappointed to learn that his time had again been reduced by a number of Drivers. Another attempt was made to steal pole, but this was not to be, and he slipped to a disappointing 13^th place.

Race one on Sunday morning made for an exciting spectacle. The Track was damp, and the big decision was Tyre selection. Erik elected to fit ‘Wet Tyres. Some of the front runners fitted Slick tyres. In less than a lap it was obvious that those competitors on Slicks had made the wrong decision. By the end of the first lap, Erik had forced his way from 13^th to 3^rd position behind Tony Algren, from Sweden and Trevor Roberts. By lap 3, Erik had moved into 2^nd, and began to apply the pressure to Roberts. On Lap 4, Erik made his way into 1^st. Trevor Roberts was denied the opportunity to respond, as his motor expired on the following lap. Erik began to move away from the Swedish driver, and things were under control for the middle section of the Race. Lurking in the background however was the ex-European Champion in the form of Damien Payart. Damien stalked Erik, and with just two laps to go, Damien took the lead, and remained in that position until the end of the Race.  Erik ran out the first Race in second position. ‘ For sure I am so delighted with this result. I appreciate there were mitigating circumstances in the form of Tyre selection. I picked the correct tyres, and now I have a good result. This is my first podium in this class, and I am happy’

 

Race two did not present the same difficulty for tyre selection, and it was slicks for everyone. After the first lap Erik moved from 13^th to 12^th. By lap 3 he had made his way up to 10^th. On lap 7 Erik became aware that there was a problem with the Temp. of the engine. This was rising to dangerous levels. With one lap to go, and with 5 Points available, Erik decided to take on the challenge of the last lap. Good fortune however refused to shine, and with ¾ of a lap to complete, the motor expired. The race win was taken by a very fast Trevor Roberts. He was followed home by Gavin Bennett, with Malcom Crow seizing the last position on the podium.

On commenting after the Race, Erik said ‘ The reality is that in the dry with my chassis set-up, I did not have the pace of the first 6 drivers. It is disappointing to have come so close to getting good points in the second race, and yet fail in the end. If I could have finished the last lap, I would now be second in the Championship. As it stands I am now 3^rd.’

The second venue of the championship is at Assen in Holland. This event is in August. The Team plan to compete in some of the other events in Europe over the coming months. This may include the UK Cup Meeting at Bishopscourt in Northern Ireland.

 

Best Regards

 

EMG Motorsport

Erik Gjertsen

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