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Rotax Max Challenge Race 2, Wohlen, May 12, 2008.
Back to my "home track" in Wohlen for the 2nd round in the Rotax Championship. I was ready to race! After two laps in time qualifying I had to retire with a flat tire... This meant I had to start the first race from the last grid position. Considering the bad starting position I made a good 1st race and finished in 6th place. My second race I started in P6. I fought my way up and won. Final race not much to say; started in P4 and finished in P4. In summary:
Qualifying: 12th
Race 1: 6th
Race 2: 1st
Final: 4th
Next championship round is in Autoreille (F), June 15, 2008.
Bye, Kimmy.
Italia Rotax GP, Lonato, April 27, 2008.
On Friday midday we left Hinwil for Lonato. After a five hour drive we arrived at this great kart racing track located just south of Lake Garda. On Sunday I was going to participate in the Italian Rotax Championship as a guest driver.
The weather was good all weekend, sunny and around 20-25° C. We spent all Saturday trying to find a good set-up of the kart, without being very successful. My lap times were not that great. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed driving; this is a great track,well worth the long drive from Hinwil!
On Sunday (race day) my pace was considerably better, and I felt pretty competitive in the morning practice. Due to time constraints the organizers had to change the race format; instead of having the usual three races we only made two races. After qualifying as P4, I also finished in fourth place in Finale Uno. In Finale Due I made a good start and won two positions after the first corner. I did a strong race and kept second place all the way to the finish line. After a mediocre Saturday, the Sunday race results were pretty good. In summary:
Qualifying: 4th
Finale 1 (14 laps): 4th
Finale 2 (19 laps): 2nd
On the podium in final 2.
Next race is Rotax Challenge Championship 2, Wohlen, May 12, 2008.
Hejdå, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 1, Biesheim (F), April 6, 2008.
This was the first out of six championship races, and for me this was not such a great start. We had engine problems the whole weekend and unfortunately we couldn't find a solution in time. Biesheim, with its long straight and very few corners, is mainly about engine performance. A top-notch engine is required to be in the front. I was clearly lacking engine power, and had no real chance to compete. Very frustrating! The only little bit of luck I had was a slight rain shower just before the second race. While the track still was wet (and hence engine power less critical) I was able to win a few positions. However, the sun soon came back again and the track dried up much too quickly. In summary:
Qualifying: 9th
Race 1: 5th
Race 2: 4th
Final: 9th
Next Championship race will be in Wohlen on May 12th. I am ready to strike back!
Bye, Kimmy.
Grand Prix Schweiz , Wohlen, March 24, 2008.
On Easter Monday more than 100 pilots gathered to compete in various categories.The weather in the morning was quite cold (-5 Deg C), but sunny. Qualifying went well and I took pole position with a good margin. First race just before the lunch break also went smooth. I made a really good start (again the Juniors drove together with the Masters and the Clubdrivers) and was second out of the first corner. Finished 3rd overall and first of the Juniors. By the way, this year I have changed my no from 99 to 63.
After lunch, just before my second race, the snowfall began. We decided to stay on the slick tires though, which turned out to be the right choice. A few drivers opted for rain tires but they were clearly slower at this stage. I had a really bad start and lost several positions. Still, finished 4th overall, 2nd among the Juniors. Later during the day, the snowfall became quite heavy, and for the final there were no doubts about which tires to choose. Rain tires and rain set-up of the chassis was the only way to go. We didn't get the perfect set-up for the wet track and I had too little grip on the reart ires which made the final drive extra challenging. The final race was shortened to 20 laps instead of the usual 26, due to the weather conditions. Finished 1st of the Juniors and 4th overall. In summary:
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 2nd
Final: 1st
It was really snowing!
Next race is Rotax Challenge 1, Biesheim (F), April 6, 2008.
Ciao, Kimmy.
Frühlings-Cup, Biesheim (F) March 09, 2008.
The traditional Spring-Cup in Biesheim was, at least for me, not much of an excitement this year. First of all, only 4 Juniors had signed-up for this race weekend, and therefore we had to join forces with the Club and Masters drivers to make up the starting grid. Mixing different categories is never ideal. Nevertheless, I managed to do a decent qualifying time, ending-up on P4 overall. From there on, the rest is mainly to be forgotten.
In the first race following the qualifying, I was involved in a fairly heavy crash halfway trough the race. I could finish the race but had to settle for P12. Second race was even worse and ended, for me, in the first corner already when I got hit from behind and had to retire with a deformed rear axle.
Most disappointing though, was to experience that one Junior Team/Driver did not respect the regulations and spirit of the sport. This pilot drove with what appeared to be way too much engine power to possibly be conformal with the technical regulations.This was all too obvious from looking at his straight line speed! I can only hope that the race organizers pay more attention in the futurea and take the needed measures to ensure that everyone is competing fair.
Next race is Schweiz Grand Prix, Wohlen, March 24, 2008.
Until then, Kimmy.
Ice Cup Livigno (I), January 26-27, 2008.
Last weekend, the Ice Kart Cup in Livigno took place. This was the 3rd consecutive year this “cool” race event was held on the frozen lake at an altitude of 1800 m in the Italian Alps. More than 70 pilots had signed up for the challenge of go-kart racing on this icy and snowy track where the changing weather conditions contributed to the challenge.
This is Winter!
Kart racing on ice is obviously very different to “normal” karting on a dry surface. Plenty of drifting and sliding around the corners are needed here to keep up the pace. Even though this was only my second time driving on ice, I got the grip quite quickly and found the pace.
Ice Racing! Here I am in Kart 8.
The organizer supplied the karts, all equipped with special studded ice racing tires. Four qualifying sessions made up the ranking, and thereafter the 12 best went on to the Grande Finale. I qualified to the final as no. 4, which gave me a good starting position for the race.
In the final I made a good start, and already in the first tight corner I was able to win two positions. After the next corner I took the lead. One lap later there was a comfortable gap to second place. Thereafter, no one could really challenge me, and I won the race more than 8 seconds ahead of the second driver.
What a great feeling!
The Winner 2008.
More information, and plenty of images can be found on www.karting.ch and www.ice-cup.it.
Check also the cooooooooooooooooool movie from Manu!http://www.myvideo.de/watch/3321805
My next race will be in Biesheim, France, March 9, 2008.
Ciao, Kimmy, "The Iceman".
2007 Season Summary
My Rotax Championship was severly compromised this year by numerous problems, ranging from bad luck, tire puncture and engine failures to disqualification. Nevertheless, I believe I have demonstrated my talent and increasing driving skills looking at e.g. my qualifying performance:
Out of 11 races I took 5 pole positions, 2 second places, 2 third and 2 fourth positions.
Next season I'm back.
See you then, Kimmy.
Winter Kart Cup, Wohlen, Nov 3, 2007.
As in 2006, my last race for the season was the Winter Cup in Wohlen. And as in 2006, I was theWinner. A good way to finish off the season. This was also the first time for all of us to try out the new 2008 spec. Mojo D2 tires. Softer than the D1's. I put my new D2 tires on for qualifying (w/o having made a single lap on these new rubber's) but was right away on a good pace, taking pole position. After also winning the first race I was in a good position for the second race. However, in the first corner I was pushed out in the sand and had to get out of my kart and pull it back on the track. A lot of time lost, and I was all of a sudden last and half a lap behind the others. I eventually managed to catch up with the back off the field and also overtook quite a few of them before the 19 laps were over. For the final starting grid I had two Junior's ahead of me. I made a strong race and managed to overtake both of them before the chequered flag.
We
We ARE happy :-)
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 5th
Final: 1st
See you all in 2008, Kimmy.
Swiss 2 Stunden Rennen, Biesheim, Oct 21, 2007.
Teaming up with Patrick Wolf, we made a solid two hour endurance race. After 215 laps we finished first of the Juniors and in 4th place among the Rotax Teams.
Driver and transponder swap. Great Fun!
Cheers, Kimmy
Swiss Kart Challenge Race 4, Wohlen, Sept 29, 2007.
Driving together with the Seniors, Masters and Club drivers in one big field sometimes makes the racing extra challenging. In this large field I managed to qualify in 3rd place overall. I was by far the quickest Junior (2nd junior in12th place, 0.7 sec behind me). However, racing within a field of Seniors is tricky since they have more engine power, making overtaking very difficult. After the first two races I was in second place of the Juniors. In the final race a Club driver (it was not the guy in the photo below) crashed into me from behind, and I had to retire with a broken exhaust.
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 2nd
Final: out
Bye, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 6, Levier, Sept 16, 2007.
After the very bad experiences from the previous race, I eventually decided to come to Levier and do my best at the final race weekend. Again, I was the quickest in qualifying, and I also won the first race. In the second race I had som engine problems (dirty carburator) and had to settle for 5th place. In the final race I finished in 3rd place.
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 5th
Final: 3rd
Ciao, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 5, Biesheim August 19, 2007.
This weekend ended up in big frustration and disappointment! It started off fairly well though, with me being in 3rd place, after qualifying and the first two races. In the final, towards the end of the race, I was driving in 3rd place when one driver completely "lost his head" and deliberately crashed into me to take me out of the race. This after been given very clear visual instructions from his mechanics. So, for me, no results from the final.
This complete lack of sportmanship took even lower marks after the race with fingerpointing and even a physical attack on my father. A very unpleasant experience to say the least! After this assualt, we decided to pack our stuff and leave the area immediately. This resulted in me being disqualified from the whole race event due to "leaving Parc Ferme too early". So, instead of earning approx. 100 championships points I was punished with -74 points. Hence, my whole season was ruined just like that.
Qualifying: 4th
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 4th
Final: out
Good night, Kimmy.
Swiss Championship KF3, Chiavenna (I), August 12, 2007.
Last weekend I made a "guest appearance" in the Swiss Championship and drove, for the very first time, in the KF3 class. This was quite an interesting experience. Compared to the Rotax Junior class (which I’m normally racing) KF3 have got more powerful engines and run with much softer tires.
After waiting several hours for my kart to be rebuilt and meet the KF3 specs. (engine, cooler, electrical system, tires, bumper etc), I could finally enter the track on Friday afternoon to run in the new engine. On Saturday we started to work on the set-up but managed only a few test runs before this brand new engine "blew up"! The cylinder head had broken in two pieces leaving the engine without any cooling water. After some serious repair efforts late Saturday evening we still had hopes of participating in the race the next day. However, the next morning when we tried to start the engine the repaired piece immediately broke apart.
I though this was game-over. But, after asking around among some of the other teams we found another engine. A lot of stress, but we managed to mount it before the qualifying.
Initially, I struggled to get the grips with the new equipment, and with very little time to practice I could not be really competitive in the time qualifying. However, as the day went on things improved and in the final race my pace was not far from the front runners. A bit of fine-tuning and I will definitely be there.
All in all this was a good weekend; good racing, sunny skies, cold waterfall, swimming and great food.
Ciao, Kimmy.
Summer Holiday in Sweden, July 2007.
During my three weeks in Sweden I couldn't stay completely without some kart racing... So together with family and friends we organized a fun race at the Örebro Motorstadion. Örebro is the town where Ronnie Peterson (the great Swedish F1 driver, www.ronniepeterson.se) was born and started his racing career.
Me, with Lars and Mats, on the podium.
Back to swimming and fishing!
Hejdå, Kimmy.
De Gschnällscht Hiwiler, July 7, 2007.
Even without my kart I can be fairly quick. At the "Gschnällscht Hiwiler" I came on 3rd place in the 80m sprint.
Pascal, Remo and me on the podium.
Enjoy your summer holidays! I will for sure! Tomorrow morning I'm off to Sweden for three weeks.
Take care, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 4, Biesheim July 1, 2007.
This was my first race weekend with my new Top-Kart chassis. I am satisfied with how the chassis handles but it responds differently compared to my old one, so I need to drive it more in order to get to know it better. We did a lot of testing on Saturday and found a good set-up for the race. In the final I had startposition 2 and after a disastrous start I came out of the first curve as 9th! I had 28 rounds to correct this mistake and drove like a maniac. I managed to finish second which I am happy with.
Qualifying: 3rd
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 3rd
Final: 2nd
In the overall Championship I'm currently in 2nd place.
Here I am, a few minutes before the qualifying, trying to find some shade from the burning sun!
Now we have a few weeks which we can use to do some fine-tuning.
The next race will also be in Biesheim, August 19.
Ciao, Kimmy.
My Visit to Norisring and DTM, June 23-24, 2007.
Together with my father and his colleague, Jörn, I went to the DTM race at Norisring last weekend. Many thanks to Jörn for the tickets!
It was great fun to see Mika Häkkinen, Matthias Ekström and all the other DTM drivers in action. DTM race cars are really fast, almost as fast as Formula One cars and the sound of the Audi’s on the long straights were very loud!
Bruno Spengler won at Norisring.
Matthias Ekström came in 3rd place.
DTM was not the only category to watch, there were also Formula BMW, Formula 3, Seat Leon, Porsche Carrera and VW Polo. I found the Formula BMW being the most interesting of all. That’s what I would like to drive myself in a few years time!
Here is a Formula BMW race car on display.
Formula BMW cars in preparation before the race.
Seat Leon Supercopa was really cool racing!
Another highlight of the weekend was meeting with Dr. Mario Theissen. He was very nice and invited us to theFormula BMW hospitality lounge for lunch, and also gave us free access to the lounge for the whole weekend. That was really cool!
By the way, we walked a lot during the weekend; my legs still hurt, but it was sure worth every step!
This coming weekend I’m racing again. The Rotax Championship continues with race 4 in Biesheim, France. Hopefully, I will then have a first go with my new Top-Kart chassis.
Bye for now, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 3, Wohlen, 16 June, 2007.
In contrast to the previous race weekend in Wohlen, this time the weather was really nice and sunny. The race day started off well, and I was only 0.03 sec from taking the pole position in the qualifying. After two races I was still in 2nd place, and very confident of making a strong final race.
However, my final race was ruined already in the first corner. Starting on the outside, I got completely blocked by two pilots crashing heavily on the inside of me. I eventually managed to get going again but only after the whole field had passed me. Even though I pushed really hard to catch up, the front runners were already too far ahead. I had to settle for P8.
Here’s a quote from the “Rennbericht” (www.karting.ch); „Kimmy Larsson ist und bleibt ein harter Samurai, mit blutüberströmtem Gesicht, beim Startunfall hat ersich die Nase blutig geschlagen, erreicht er das Ziel.“ (English translation: Kimmy Larsson is and remains a tough Samurai, who, with blood covered face, after having had his nose hurt in the crash, reaches the finish line).
Starting grid for the final, a few seconds before the first corner crash...
Qualifying: 2nd
Race 1: 3rd
Race 2: 2nd
Final: 8th
This coming weekend I’m not racing, but I am off to Norisring to watch the DTM race. Should be fun too.
Ciao, Kimmy.
TaG Open, Wohlen, May 28, 2007.
This race Sunday was all wet with a constant light rain falling the whole day. The initial chassis rain set-up from the morning practice felt okay, and was kept for the rest of the day. I set the second best time in qualifying, also ended up on 2nd place in the final race after having had a close fight with Frizzi in all three races. Here an excerpt from the "Rennbericht" from www.karting.ch: "Nach dem letzten SM-Lauf in Levier mussten Frizzi und Larsson Ihre Motoren zur Kontrolle den Kommissären abgeben. Absolut keine Beanstandungen war das Urteil des strengen Rotax Kommissär. Eine absolut erstklassige Fahrdemonstration zeigte die Beiden, und fahren dem Feld jeweils mit grossem Vorsprung davon". English translation: "After the last race in Levier, both Frizzi and Larsson had to give in their motors to be checked. Absolutely ok, was the verdict. Here both of them showed a first class performance and left the rest of the field far behind them".
Next race is Rotax Max Challenge 3 in Wohlen on June 16th. I can hardly wait to get going again.
CU, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge, Race 2, Levier (F), May 13, 2007.
The 2nd Rotax Challenge race took place in Levier, France. Sunday was mainly sunny with very strong winds. We were 14 pilots fighting in the Junior category.
Qualifying went really well, and I mangaged to set the best time. Starting from pole position, I held the lead in the first race from start to finish. In the 2nd race I came in on 4th place after having had some problems with the engine. Before the final we took the carburator apart and found a lot of dirt inside!
First corner in the final race was a bit chaotic (not unusual really), and I lost 4 places. My pace was good though, and I managed to win back three positions and finished as third.
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 4th
Final: 3rd
The complete story and pictures you can find on www.karting.ch. Here, an excerpt from the "Rennbericht". "In den Vorläufen wechselten sich die vier Favoriten Frizzi/Aeschlimann/Larsson/Schwab mehrmals ab. Für den Final bezogen die beiden letzt genannte die Geraden Startplätze. In der ersten Kurve das übliche Getümmel. Larsson, Schwab und auch Zeller drehten sich gegenseitig und verloren wertvolle Zeit Ihre Fahrzeuge wieder in Schwung zu bringen. Kimmy Larsson gelang die Aufholjagd am Besten und erreichte den dritten Rang".
Next race is the "Touch and Go" in Wohlen, May 28, 2007.
Until next time, Kimmy.
Swiss Kart Challenge Race 1, Wohlen, April 21, 2007.
Felix had managed to repair my motor and this time it all went well! As they wrote in the "Rennbericht": During the whole day, Kimmy "The Iceman" Larsson, totally dominated".
Qualifying: 1st
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 1st
Final: 1st
Next race is the Rotax Challenge 2, Levier (F), May 13, 2007.
Schöne Frühlingsferien, Kimmy.
Rotax Max Challenge Race 1, Wohlen, April 9, 2007.
The first race in the Rotax Challenge took place on a very nice and sunny Easter Monday. We were in total 106 drivers that competed in the different categories.
I qualified as 3rd. In the first race I took the lead and also finished 1st. In the second race I started first and managed to keep the others behind me all the way to the finish. Pole position in the final! In the final my motor just died in the second lap... and that was it for this time.
Qualifying: 3rd
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 1st
Final: DNF
Next race is the Swiss Kart Challenge in Wohlen, April 21, 2007.
CU, Kimmy.
Frühlings Kart Cup, Biesheim, France, March 24-25, 2007.
The season has started, and this with the "Spring Cup" in France. I was a little nervous at first but it all went ok. I qualified as 4th and came in with a flat tire. The first race went well and I finished 1st. The 2nd race started quite good but at the end I was overtaken by two drivers. In the final I started as 2nd. In the first curve it was a bit chaotic and I lost five places so suddenly I was 7th! I drove quite well and managed to overtake four drivers and reached the finish line as 3rd. Podium!
Podium!
Qualifying: 4th, with a flat tire (!)
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 3rd
Final: 3rd
The next race will be the Rotax Max Challenge 1, Wohlen, April 9, 2007.
Until then, Kimmy.
Ice Cup Livigno, January 27-28, 2007. Ice Cool!
It was really cold, down to -26°C!! It got warmer during the day when the sun decided to warm us. It was a lot of fun driving on the ice!! We were over 70 drivers and I ended up somewhere in the middle. This I will for sure do again!
Cheers, Kimmy.
Ice Cup 2007, Livigno, Italy.
This coming weekend is the Ice Cup in Livigno. I have never been there but it sounds interesting; driving on a frozen lake, at 1800m over sea level, in the Italian Alps! I will go there and let you know how it was.
Kimmy.
