Niklas Krütten within Top-10 at German Kart Championship
For the up and coming motorsport driver Niklas Krütten, there have been many international events on the racing calendar this year. Last weekend, the racer based in Trier took part in the German Kart Championship (DKM) at Genk in Belgium, which formed part of a preparation for the final round of the CIK-FIA European Championship, which will take place at the same track in two weeks time. Following a disappointing qualifying, the 13-year-old fought his way back into the final to come back in the Top-10 in a strong international field, holding the unofficial title of best German racer of the weekend.
A high-end starting field of 64 drivers from a total of 18 nations entered the third round of the DKM at the International Karting Circuit in Genk (Belgium) last weekend. After promising lap-times, Niklas started into the competition from a 35th place in qualifying. The young driver was unable to match the lap-times of the front runners due to problems with the carburetor, which cost him top-speed on the long straights.
Therefore, Niklas started from P18 in the three pre-races and crossed the finishing line in 12th, 14th and 31st position (following a starting accident). The 13-year-old remained far behind his expectations and goals with P34 in the total rankings and was not able to qualify directly for the final races.
As a result, Niklas started from P6 into the „Last Chance Heat“ on Sunday morning, in which six drivers from 29 to 64 were in a position to enter the final. The young gun took his opportunity confidently and won the all-important race at the chequered flag. In the first final he continued his impressive charge through the field. Until the end of the race, he had made up a total of 15 positions and finished in P14. He continued to improve by four positions in the second final race and finished in P10, having raced on old and used tyres. He was the best karter from a total of 23 starters from Germany at the same time.
„It was a tough fight this weekend“, said Niklas. „I managed my speed and after the reserved start on Saturday, we managed to deliver a good performance in the end. I feel well-prepared for the European Championship round here in two weeks.“