Niklas Krütten once again amongst the fastest at WSK Super Masters in La Conca
The third round of the WSK Super Master Series took place at the World Circuit La Conca based near Muro Leccese (Italy) last weekend. The young German Niklas Krütten impressed with competitive lap times and strong overtaking moves on probably the most challenging track in the WSK calendar. Despite a DNF due to a technical failure in the pre-race, the Rookie showed immense fighting spirit and underlined his ambitious development in the Senior Kart.
213 drivers from a total of 35 nations were keen to proof their talent and driving skills against the best of the best from the world. The 14-year-old based in Trier was also looking forward to the race, since a conciliatory result should stop the long string of bad luck from recent races. After a good start in the practice sessions, Niklas was on course for one of the top positions in his final quick lap. However, he was forced to avoid a slower driver in the middle sector, losing a total of 0,4 seconds – exactly the time that was missing to Pole Position in the end. This meant for the time being P12 in his qualification group and a start from row 6 into the pre-races.
With the endless wrangling for positions, the first race saw with P16 a disappointing result. The Rookie was forced to retire early on in the second race, when a broken accelerator cable and a grinding chain wheel stopped him on this track, that is known to be hard on the equipment. A jump over the curb in the legendary chicane at La Conca caused the damage. Niklas was once again able to show his potential with 8th place after great overtakings in the last race on Saturday.
Unfortunately, the string of bad luck was to continue for Niklas. He started optimistically from row 7 into the pre-final race, but on lap 2 another competitor drove into the back of him. The German lost some positions, but was able to fight back and make up some ground. But due to the impact, the bracket for the rear crash protection was damaged and fell off on one side in due course of the race, forcing Niklas to stop the kart.
“I had great hopes for this weekend”, said Niklas on Sunday. “With the Speed I had, we should have deserved to get a good result. Despite the weekend not going to plan, I still take a lot of positives from it. I was the youngest Rookie in class, racing on the most demanding track with over 20-year-old works drivers, and was able to keep up with them. This fills me with confidence.”
The fourth and last round of the WSK Super Masters will take place on the International Circuit Napoli in Sarno (Italy) in two weeks’ time. There was no break for Niklas as he headed straight to further tests at Sarno.