29/05-2021
Race Report: "Pinseløbet” 2021
The GP - NHR Racing Team competed in the KZ2 class in the traditional non-championship event “Pinseløbet” at the Rødby International Karting Circuit. The event would prove to be learning experience for both the team and our driver Nicklas Rasmussen, but progress was being made throughout the event.
Friday Practice Day:
The weather forecast for the weekend showed a high chance of mixed conditions throughout the weekend. The Friday practice session were hit with several heavy rain showers, but also had periods of overcast but dry conditions. Although these conditions were not optimal, it that allowed the team to test out different setup options for both dry and wet weather conditions.
Saturday – Qualifying:
The team had made some setup changes to the kart before the qualifying session. The team chose to prioritize getting a clear track and send Nicklas Rasmussen out on the track early in the session to set lap times. The setup changes made a positive impact and Nicklas was able to qualify in 11th place out of the 13 drivers in the KZ2 class.
Saturday – Heat Race 1:
A heavy rainstorm hit the track before the start of the heat, and it was still raining when the drivers gridded up. Nicklas got a great start and moved up to 7th place. Nicklas would hold on to that position until a driver ahead of him spun right in front of him. Nicklas had to take immediate action to avoid a collision but the only way to do that was to go off the track and onto the grass. The kart came to a stop a long way off the track and that forced a retirement from the heat.
Saturday – Heat Race 2:
The rain had stopped before the heat, but the track was damp and still required the wet tires. However, some confusion on the warmup lap let to two aborted starts and eventually a red flag to allow race-control to sort out the problems. Once the race eventually got started Nicklas once again got a good start, but it soon became clear that there was too much pressure in the tires, and they overheated on the drying track. However, Nicklas was still able to hold on to finish the race in 9th place.
Sunday – Heat Race 3:
On Sunday, the rain had vanished. The team took a risk with the setup to try and gain some places in what was the final heat race of the event. Nicklas struggled early in the race and lost some ground, however late in the race the pace improved but not enough to catch the drivers ahead. Nicklas would finish the race in 11th place.
Sunday – Pre-Finale:
The result of the pre-finale would set the grid for the all-important finale. Due to the retirement in the first heat race, Nicklas had to start the race from 13th place. This time the team had tried a more aggressive setup. Compared to the earlier heat race this would be a complete reversal where Nicklas had a much stronger opening part of the race where he made up several places. However, he lost the pace late in the race and would only finish in 12th place.
Sunday – Finale:
A lot of lessons had been learned from the previous races and a compromise was found with the setup to hopefully keep the pace throughout the race. Nicklas, starting from 12th place got of to a great start and moved up three places into 9th place. However midway, two drivers with overall better pace got past and Nicklas dropped it 11th place. The setup changes that had been made worked out well and the pace was alright throughout the whole duration of the race. The later part of the race was thrilling with some great racing for position, but Nicklas was able to keep up the speed and finished in a hard-fought 10th place.
Nicklas Rasmussen - KZ2 Race Driver:
Overall, we had a solid event. We knew that this event would be a learning experience for us, but we made the best of the situation and I think we can be proud of that. While our pace still needs some improvement, it has now become clear for us where and how we can make those improvements. That is exciting and with our continued hard work and dedication I am sure that we will make some good progress during this season. I would also like to thank GP-Racing Denmark for the fantastic support that they gave us through the weekend.
Watch the action:
We have added pictures from the event in our photo gallery that can be seen by going to our - 2021 Racing Season gallery.
"Copyright Photo: Dennis B., Karting i Billeder / www.photo-d.com"
