Niklas Krütten experiences rain chaos at WSK Masters in Adria
Following an outstanding start to the season two weeks ago, all hopes for another good result for Niklas Krütten at the WSK Masters were left out in the rain. The heaven opened up above the first race of the WSK Super Master Series all weekend. The Rookie in the Senior Kart affronted the difficult conditions and fought fearlessly. In the end, a time penalty hindered him from entering the final race. But the many laps in wet and constantly changing conditions in the new class made for a good and positive experience for the young driver from Trier.
243 experienced drivers from 37 nations met up at the season opener of the WSK Super Masters at the Adria International Raceway in North Italy last weekend. Niklas Krütten, who started in the OK Class with 50 other participants, approached step-by-step to the ever-changing track conditions in his new Senior Kart. With P29 he qualified in the middle of the pack, but felt more comfortable with the new-found Set-up as the driving continued.
Chaotic conditions ruled most of the time during the pre-races. Due to the spray, the drivers took to the track by guessing as the view was next to nothing. Light touches when overtaking were leading to spins, stops and many time penalties. Niklas Krütten suffered the same and fell down to 43rd overall after a spin and a time penalty, following the pre-races.
The difficult conditions continued also on Sunday and the 14-year-old put all his strength and good spirits in the pre-final race, in which he finished in 16th place. Because of poor visibility, he was involved in a starting scramble and was given a 10-second-penalty after the race due to the damaged front bumper. This hindered the young Trier-racer from entering the final race.
„It really is pure luck whether you survive a race with no incidents in these conditions“, said Niklas on Sunday evening. „You cannot avoid being hit by someone or hitting someone because you can hardly see anything. The overall results are properly mixed-up on a weekend like this. Of course, I hoped for more. But in the end I have gained important experiences in the new class, driving in the wet und now I feel much stronger for any wet races to come.“
The next and third race for Niklas Krütten in this still young season will take place in Italy once again: The Winter Cup on the South Garda Circuit in Lonato will be held from 15th until 19th February 2017.