Kimmy-Racing

After my appearance in the Formula BMW Qualification in Valencia, I was contacted by several teams which invited me for testing. I choose to test with the German Team Mücke Motorsport and the Swiss Team Daltec Racing.

Lausitz

Budapest

Over the last two months I’ve done in total 7 test days as listed below;

   Sept 16                Team Mücke Motorsport            EuroSpeedway, Lausitz
   Sept 22                Team Daltec Racing                     Bresse
   Sept 24                Team Mücke Motorsport            EuroSpeedway, Lausitz
   Oct 05                  Team Mücke Motorsport            Hockenheimring
   Nov 2-3               Team Mücke Motorsport            Hungaroring, Budapest
   Nov 19                Team Daltec Racing                      Hockenheimring

Hockenheim

Overall, I am very satisfied with my driving progress and I feel that I am already on a good way for next season. Both teams are much pleased with my performance and have expressed their wishes to have me as a driver for Formula BMW Europe 2010.

Here two excellent high resolution photos taken in Budapest by Aki Rask (www.akifoto.net):

Photo: Aki Rask

And, in Budapest I met Marcus Ericsson and Timmy Hansen for the first time. Really cool guys.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kimmy

I keep fit when I am not racing:

The Team

Varm-up before the match...

I have been selected for The Formula BMW Scholarship Qualification!

Beginning August I participated in a Formula BMW License Course in Valencia, Spain. From these license courses, BMW Motorsport thereafter select the most talented drivers for a 2nd round; The Scholarship Qualification. And I have been selected!

This means I am going back to Valencia soon again for some really exciting driving. I am truly looking forward to it!

Adios, Kimmy.

Prize Ceremony, Bern, CH.

August 8-9, 2009.

"Youngster Kimmy Larsson crushes all competition and wins the 2009 Bridgestone Cup Karting Championship with an outstanding point scores.

After 5 race weekends and a total of 11 races Kimmy stands clear as the new Bridgestone Cup Champion 2009 in the category 125 Challenge. Being the youngest driver in the field, Kimmy secured 215 points out of a maximum of 225 and wins the championship with 43 points ahead of the second placed driver.
The kart tracks in South Milano (I), Mirecourt (F), Pavia (I), Levier (F) and Chiavenna (I) were the venues for this Championship. Regardless of track and weather conditions (from sunny and hot to cold and rainy) Kimmy proved to be the overall most outstanding driver".

The final round of the Bridgestone Cup took place in Chiavenna with sunny and very hot weather. Coming to Italy as the championship leader I was up for the task of securing the title. I made a solid race performance over the two days and was never at threat.

In summary:
   Qualifying:           1st
   Race 1:                  1st
   Race 2:                  2nd
   Sprint Final:        1st
   Grand Final:       2nd

Ciao, Kimmy.

August 4-5, 2009.

During two very hot and sunny days I participated in the Formula BMW license course in Valencia. With 16 drivers split into two groups we had an intensive program during these two days with plenty of driving mixed with theory lessons. We practiced everything from driving line, braking and shifting (using the “blip”) to safety car procedures and race starts.

This was a very well organized course with truly professional instructors and mechanics. I really learned a lot and it was such a great experience.

Many thanks to all involved down in Valencia!

Adios, Kimmy.

July 18-19, 2009.

After qualifying in second place on Saturday we felt optimistic for the races on Sunday. However, Sunday turned out to be one of those days when things just went wrong. With the mixed weather conditions (dry & wet) we struggled to get the tires to work properly. During the first race in damp weather conditions I quickly overheated and destroyed my wet tires and thereafter the grip was gone. Before the final race I was down in position 6.

In the final I made a good start and after a few corners I was fighting in 3rd place when a “kamikaze” pilot decided to take me out of the race (not a nice manoeuvre). As a result, I lost the chain. Although I managed to put it back on and continue to run (two laps behind), my race was in effect over.

Due to this wreckless driver I lost many valuable championship points which makes me both sad and angry. Shit happens!!

In summary:
   Qualifying:           2nd
   Race 1:                  6th
   Race 2:                  6th
   Final:                    9th

Cheers, Kimmy.

July 16, 2009.

My first drive with a Formula Car!

Last week I had the great opportunity to make a test drive in a Formula BMW racing car.

At the circuit of Bresse ( www.circuitdebresse.fr) I put my hands on the steering wheel for the first time. Before going out on the race track, I made a few circles on the parking lot just to become familiar with the gear shifting and all the foot-pedals.

Formula BMW cars are equipped with a 140 bhp four cylinder engine and a 6 gear sequential gear box. The car has a top-speed of approx. 230 kph and accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in less than 4 seconds. (Much more powerful than my gradma’s old Audi which is the only car with manual gear shift I have ever tried before - under her supervision on some dirt roads in Sweden… Thanks Mommo!).

I am most grateful to Mr. von Grüningen for this fantastic experience, and also, many thanks to all the nice people from his Daltec team (www.daltecracing.com)!

I need to do this soon again…...

Bye, Kimmy.

July 4-5, 2009.

Qualifying on Saturday was wet. But not as wet as we thought. We misjudged the track conditions and came to qualifying with the wrong set-up. Finished in P5.

The next day the sun was back and the track was dry. The organizers had put us in the 125cc class together with the faster KF2 category. Mixing categories is never ideal. This mixed starting grid made the starts a bit of a lottery. In the first race I was able to avoid the "mess" in the first corner and drove home in 1st place.

In the second race, I became a victim of the backgrid KF2 pilots which again crashed left, right and centre, totally blocking the track in front of me. By going off-track I could avoid the crash but as a result I got a "banana shaped" steering column. Still, managed to fight back to 5th place.

The final race went well. No incidents in the start, and after a strong run I won the race with a comfortable margin. A great feeling to be back at the top of the podium!

In summary:
   Qualifying:           5th
   Race 1:                  1st
   Race 2:                  5th
   Final:                    1st

Just after the final, it just poured down with rain!

Next race is in Levier again and this time it is the 4th round of the Swiss Championship.

Ciao Kimmy.

June 20-21, 2009.

The third round of the Swiss Championship took place in Mirecourt, France. Last time here, Bridgestone Cup in May, I had a great weekend; won both qualifiying and all three races.

This weekend proved to be more difficult. Qualifying on Saturday went well though, and I came 2nd. A good starting position for the first race on Sunday.

The start in the first race was a bit chaotic and I lost several positions in the first corner. With a good pace I managed to reclaim a few positions. After being unfairly blocked (driver got a warning afterwards) for several laps, I finally overtook him on the last lap in the chicane. However, in the next corner he came on the inside, touched my rear wheel and made me spin off the track. Could finish the race - but down in 6th place.

Second race was even worse. Already on the first lap I got hit hard from behind by a driver with failing brakes and was pushed out on the grass. In effect, this race was over for me. I made it to the finish line, but in last place.

In the final race I was fast, and despite a bad starting postion I made it into 4th place, only a few centimeters from clinching a podium place.

In summary:
   Qualifying:           2nd
   Race 1:                  6th
   Race 2:                  8th
   Final:                    4th

Luck was not really on my side this weekend, but at least I showed good pace . This makes me feel confident for the next race; the 4th round of the Bridgestone Cup in Levier (F), July 4-5.

Au revoir, Kimmy.

June 6-7, 2009.

The 3rd round of the Bridgestone Cup took place in Pavia (I). The weekend was warm and sunny, with very strong winds on Saturday. Some of the unsecured team-tent’s went flying.

The whole race weekend was a bit of a struggle for me. We never really managed to find a good set-up to bring out the ultimate performance of the kart. Nevertheless, I was firmly in second position until the very last lap of the final race. This is when the engine sprocket decided it had had enough:

My sprocket (in the middle) with no teeth left...

In summary:
   Qualifying:           2nd
   Race 1:                  2nd
   Race 2:                  2nd
   Final:                    Did Not Finish

June 20-21 we will be in Mirecourt, France (the track with the superb waffles!), for the 3rd round of the Swiss Championship.

Cheers, Kimmy.

June 1, 2009.

Photo: Franco Citino

The 2nd round of the Swiss Championship was held in Wohlen and this is the only race event within the Championship that actually takes place in Switzerland. As often happens in Wohlen, the field is here tightly packed together with really small differences seen in the lap times. For example, in qualifying the difference between P1 and P8 was less than 0.2 sec, and in the first race the 6 fastest drivers (their best laps) were all within 0.1 sec!

I was not fully satisfied with my qualifying performance; ended up in 7th place. After the first race I was up in 5th position, and after two races I had moved up to 3rd. With a very short start/finish line followed by quite a tight first corner, the race start here is often a bit of a lottery. This time I had no luck, really. Starting in the final on the inside (P3) I aimed at taking the corner clean on the inside over the curbs. However, during braking I got pushed from behind and this resulted in three of us ending up in the sand pit off the track. All of us managed to get our karts back on the track, but had no realistic chance to catch up with the rest of the field. I finished 10th!

In summary:
   Qualifying:           7th
   Race 1:                  5th
   Race 2:                  3rd
   Final:                    10th

May 9-10, 2009.

HAT TRICK!

Mirecourt was the venue for the 2nd round of the Bridgestone Cup. This was my 3rd kart race of the season and also my 3rd win. In all three race events I secured pole position, set the fastest laps and won all individual races. This completes my "Double (Quadruple) Hat Trick"!

(From Wikepedia: A hat trick in motor racing is deemed as three successive race wins or when a driver secures pole position, sets the fastest lap and wins the race. Hat Trick!).

In summary:
   Qualifying:          1st
   Race 1:                 1st            (fastest lap)
   Race 2:                1st             (fastest lap)
   Final:                    1st             (fastest lap)

May 10, 2009.
Bridgestone Cup, Round 2, Mirecourt (F)

Then, on our way home, we got a flat tire on the trailer. Nothing you wish for on your way home on a Sunday evening after a race weekend. But it was truly heart-warming to experience all the "kart-people" that really made an effort to help us. Many thanks to:
The Tony-Kart guys that were the first to find us stranded. Unfortunately we don't know their names, but they were kind to stop and help us to notify the road assistance (in French which we don't speak at all).
Chief Jürg who, when he saw us, braked so hard that Mike almost flew out the window(!).
Franco Citino who passed us on the motorway, made a u-turn at the nearest exit and came back to help us speak with the French-speaking man from the Assistance.
The Miccoli's that Kimmy saw passing us, and even with their trailer , they did the same as Franco; a u-turn at the nearest exit. When they came back the second time they saw that the road assistance was with us so they continued.

Franco trying to teach us some French!

My trailer is still at the garage in France. Hope to get my kart home soon!

Au revoir, Kimmy.

April 25-26, 2009.

Circuito Internazionale di Ottobiano, South Milano (I)
Photo: Franco Citino

After only a few days back in Hinwil we returned to the race track at Ottobiano, South Milano for the first round of the Swiss Championship. With the last weekend's results fresh in mind, I was really looking forward to racing here again.

I felt confident and at ease, but didn't really expect to walk away with all the wins again - but I did!!

Strangely enough, the weather conditions were also a copy of the previous weekend; sunny skies on qualifying day (Saturday) and a wet track with a constant rain on race day (Sunday). In the qualifying I took pole position with a close to 0.3 sec gap. Also; I won race 1, race 2 and the final.

In summary:
   Qualifying:          1st
   Race 1:                 1st            (fastest lap)
   Race 2:                1st             (fastest lap)
   Final:                    1st             (fastest lap)

April 26, 2009.
Swiss Championship, Round 1, South Milano (I)

In two weeks is the next round of the Bridgestone Cup in Mirecourt (F), May 9-10.

Ciao, Kimmy.

April 18-19, 2009.

New Season, New Team - and - A Great Start!

Last weekend I had my very first race; the first round of the Bridgestone Cup. I drove in the 125 Challenge category and, for the first time, with my new chassis and with my new team: Swiss Hutless/Beo- Karting.

Saturday was qualifying day with sunny and warm weather, and hence, a good grip level on the track. My performance was really good and I took pole position with a gap of more than 0.4 sec. A great start that made me feel confident for the race day on Sunday.

During the night the rain started and Sunday turned out to be all wet. Obviously very different racing conditions compared to the day before. However - I really love driving when it is slippery. I set the fastest lap in all three races and also finished them all with a comfortable gap to the runner-up.

In summary:
   Qualifying:          1st
   Race 1:                 1st            (fastest lap)
   Race 2:                1st             (fastest lap)
   Final:                    1st             (fastest lap)

I am very satiesfied, couldn't be better.

Many thanks to Chief Jürg and the whole Team for such a fantastic race weekend!

The happy Beo-Karting Team

Next weekend we will go back to South Milano for the 1st round of the Swiss Championship. I am sure this will be a new challenge.

Until next time, Kimmy.

Reflections from the Ice Cup, Livigno, Italy, January 24-25, 2009.

As the defending Ice Cup Champion from 2008, I felt really motivated to go racing in Livigno again at the 2009 event. With more than 80 pilots signed up, a great spectacle is almost guaranteed. The beautiful Alp scenery around Livigno, and the sometimes rough weather conditions, also bring a somewhat special atmosphere around this weekend event.

After two days of driving, including 4 qualifying rounds, the 12 best drivers goes to the A final, whereas the drivers ending up in position 13-24 competes in the B final.

After a solid running on day one (being in the top 10), topped by an even stronger performance on day two (being consistently among the very fastest drivers) I made it comfortable into the A final in position 5.

Since my performance on Sunday was good, I had the feeling I should have a realistic chance to challenge for winning again. From the four qualifying session I've calculated some lap time statistics. Looking at a average lap time from everyones best and second best rounds the following ranking comes out:

The race start went fairly smooth without any real incidents, although in the first two corners the racing got extremely close. I kept my position and could easily follow to guys in front of me, now only waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Then what must not happen happens; On the third lap, my engine starts to misfire and then after a few more corners the engine dies. Game over and I have to retire from the race. What a frustrating ending!

Now, given this unfortunate ending, in hindsight, the last minute kart swapping that happened on the starting grid raises a few questions.

Supposedly, all 12 kart should be very similar in performance to give all drives a fair chance to participate in the race on equal terms. The idea is that the drivers should be given a kart randomly, and in fact as the karts came in after the B final the individual karts grid position was defined.

However, what actually took place on the starting grid was the following;
The driver in position 1 claims the kart standing in position 5 (my grid position). A representative from the kart supplying company (BRM Racing) then takes my kart and rolls it into grid pos. 1. The kart previously in pos. 1 goes back to parc ferme and another kart is brought back in for me.

- Why was this driver alone allowed choosing a specific kart?
- Why was my kart replaced with another one not part of the pre-selected batch of 12?

The karts had no numbers on them (to make it more difficult to identify them) but this specific one was the only one having a sticker placed on the front number plate.

It could all just be coincidences, but it makes me wonder….

Nevertheless, compliments to the organizers from Ticino Kart Club and Karting Club 2001 for arranging yet another great event!

Ciao Ciao, Kimmy.