Category Archives: Race Drivers

Mach1 Motorsport: Five cups and overall lead at the ADAC Kart Masters

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Die erfolgreichsten Mach1 Kart PilotenDuring the second run of the ADAC Kart Masters, Mach1 Motorsport was once again able to impress and is developing into one of the strongest and most successful teams of the championship. On Sunday evening, as many as four of the 14 drivers had landed in the trophy ranks and Lucas Speck is now leading the KF2 overall list of rankings.

A big challenge awaited team leader Martin Hetschel in Ampfing. Placing 14 drivers in five classes kept the team manifoldly busy and definitely successful. “After our success in Oschersleben we received a great reception. Now we have added Cedric Piro and Chris Dahlmann to our KF3 team and are hoping for good results there as well”, explained Martin Hetschel.

Lucas Speck was the most successful driver in the KF2. After reaching 3rd place in Oschersleben, he was once again able to drive in the front field and finished his races on the excellent 2nd and 3rd positions. This put the Rhinelander at the top of the overall ranking, making him a serious candidate for winning the title. His team mate Manuel Valier was very fast as well. The race counted as a home match, being only 60km away from his hometown. After winning a Heat, theMunichresident secured a starting position in the front row. During the race he had to go one down though and came in 5th. He then experienced a serious setback during the second race, being involved in an accident at the start, which led to him having to hurry after the group of 28 drivers. After 18 laps he still managed to come in 13th and was able to gain important championship points. The third driver was Lisa-Christin Brunner. She was continuously involved in quarrels though and was not able to drive freely, only coming in 21st and 24th.

The Swabians put three drivers in the KF3 as well. Next to permanent driver Johannes Gumbrecht, Chris Dahlmann and Cedric Piro drove their first race in a Mach1 Kart.Saarlandcitizen Piro had a really good start and drove the fastest lap of his group during qualifying straightaway. A defective part during a technical follow-up inspection threw him back to the end of the field, on 49th place, though. Luckily, Piro was not impressed by this. During the Heats, he fought his way up to 16th position and managed to leap into the top ten during the first race, coming in 9th. He had to deal with another setback during the second final then. After a quarrel during the first lap, he once again had to fight his way from the back of the field. However, his backlog was so big that despite constantly driving fast laps, he was not able to get past 21st position. Chris Dahlmann was on the same level as Piro as well. The youngster will compete in the U18 championship with Mach1 and used this race as preparation. After coming in 20th during the rainy Heats, he managed to fight his way up to 11th position during the first race under dry conditions. The second race unfortunately ended prematurely due to a collision that was not his fault. The racing weekend was less successful for Gumbrecht: due to two mediocre Heats he missed qualifying for the finals.

At the IAME X30 juniors, Mach1 Motorsport placed Axel Ausländer, Loris Prattes and Sebastian Schwendt in the races. The fastest driver turned out to be Schwendt: after reaching 3rd position during qualifying, he fought for a top five placement during the first race. A small driving error led to him falling back on 9th place though. He then experienced a huge setback during the second race. Due to an accident at the start of the race, he fell back on the 21st position. Loris Prattes bailed the team out, coming in 13th. During the first race he had been on 22nd position. Axel Ausländer has to shrug off his guest performance in Ampfing. He fell short of his own expectations during both races.

Alexander Heil was a save candidate for a place on the podium once again. Ranking 4th during qualifying secured him a good starting position, which he was able to bring home during the first race. The second one ended before it started though. Alex had to make a pit stop due to a technical issue. The mechanics were able to repair the damage quickly but once back on the track, he lagged three laps behind his competitors and lost all chances to a good end result. His team mates Lukas Korsch, Baldur Bahn and Jan Jesse drove in midfield during the races and fought for positions from ten to 20.

Toni Greif started as a soloist at the shifter karts again. Having started in a Mach1 Kart for the first time in Oschersleben, he was very comfortable in it quickly and always drove to gain more points. In the end he managed to increase his performance even more and earned a trophy, coming in 4th and 7th.

Team leader Martin Hetschel was very content on Sunday, even though not all the drivers had been able to show their potential. “This weekend has once again been a hardness test for our material, which we passed with flying colors. We were competitive when it was hot, cold and wet, which underlines the extraordinarily good balance of the Mach1 kart again. Unfortunately, in the end only Lucas had countable results in both races. Manuel was on the same level as his team mate, but the accident during the first race threw him back considerably. Our juniors have managed to impress me as well; Chris and Cedric were immediately competitive with the new material – without test kilometers. We were also able to show that we can deal with the competition in the X30 classes. Unexpected occurrences got in the way of better results though.”

The team’s next race will already take place next weekend. At the DMV Kart championship in Wackersdorf, the team will prepare for the upcoming race of the German Championship.

ADAC Kart Masters Ampfing (12.-13.05.2012)
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New Mach1 T-Shirt

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The new Mach1 T-Shirts are available. There are following sizes: Ladies XS, S, M and men S, M, L, XL.
The shirts have a 6-color print Mach1 logo on front and a 4-color print Mach1 kart on the back. Order directly at Mach1, your next Mach1 dealer or online at http://kart24.de/de/-/pc/361/

Mach1 Motorsport on the course of victory in Kerpen

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John Norris with Mach1 Kart at DKM KerpenMach1 Motorsport experienced a perfect start on the Erftlandring in Kerpen. At the opening of the German Kart Championship, they belonged to the fastest teams and in the end were only hindered due to strange incidents.

After the successful weekend in Oschersleben, Mach1 Motorsport travelled to Erftland to participate in the first of five races of the German Kart Championship only a week later. The highest ranking championship is experiencing a significant upturn, counting 49 participants from Germany and its adjacent countries. John Norris from Ireland as well as Lucas Speck and Lisa-Christin Brunner started for Mach1 Kart.

Lisa-Christin Brunner with Mach1 Kart at DKM KerpenIt was a weekend to forget for the only lady of the team though. Still weakened from the severe accident in Oschersleben, Lisa was not able to show her usual performance throughout the weekend. Hindered through collisions during the Heats, she decided for reasons concerning her health not to start in the repechage. Team leader Martin Hetschel tried to cheer his fosterling up in the evening anyway: “It hasn’t been an easy weekend for Lisa-Christin. She has shown a great learning improvement and is considerably increasing her performance. I wish her a quick recovery and an ounce of luck regarding the next races.”

In the meantime, her teammates John Norris and Lucas Speck were energetically fighting in the top field for places on the podium. Irishman Norris was among the fastest in all sessions and finished his Heats on first and fourth position respectively, which would have landed him on a top starting position in the first race. But a subsequent penalty of ten seconds made him lose 19 positions, resulting in the 14th starting place for the first race on Sunday. Due to a great performance, he managed to fight his way to the third position during the 23 laps of the ranked race and thus emphasized the abilities of his Mach1 Kart. During the finals he provided the best show of the weekend. Right after starting, John got in the lead but lost it again a few meters later due to colliding with an opponent and fell back to the rearmost midfield. Giving up was not an option for last year’s fifth winner though. Due to excellent maneuvers he left his top-class opponents behind and came in as the incredible third. A few minutes later this was followed by disillusionment once again though. Race-Control deemed one of John’s maneuvers unfair and penalized him with ten additional seconds again. This landed him on the 14th overall position and cost him the table leading. Martin Hetschel was very agitated after this decision: “We’ve watched the video sequences a couple of times and to us, this was a normal racing accident. Both drivers were fighting for the leading position and neither of them was willing to back down. In the end we can only accept the decision though and will give it our all again next time.”

Lucas Speck with Mach1 Kart at DKM KerpenEverything did not go according to plan for Lucas Speck either. After coming in third and eighth in the Heats, the Rhinelander landed 7th starting position in the finals. Still, after a good start he had to involuntarily park his kart out of bounds during the second lap due to a damaged firing coil. During the second finale, he then managed to fight his way all the way from the back of the field to the outstanding 11th position. Therefore Lucas was able to gain six more Championship points and is now ranking 15th. “Lucas has proven his capability again and again. If it hadn’t been for the malfunction during the first race, places on the podium would have been very well possible for him”, complimented Martin Hetschel his driver.

In three weeks the team will travel to Bavarian Ampfing to attend the second race of the ADAC Kart Masters.

Mach1-Kart successfully places a large contingent of drivers in Oschersleben

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Mach1 Motorsport at the ADAC Kartmasters in Oschersleben

Mach1 Motorsport at the ADAC Kartmasters in Oschersleben

The success of the last couple of years is noticeable. At the opening of the ADAC Kart Masters at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, as many as ten drivers started for the Mach1 Motorsport team and were able to impress. With Lucas Speck, the manufacturer from Brackenheim currently ranks second in the overall standings.

A difficult task awaited the team’s juniors. Axel Ausländer started in the fully occupied class IAME X30 juniors and experienced slight starting problems in the beginning. Achieving position 28 during qualifying, the youngster fell short of his own expectations. Things went much better during the first race though. Axel fought his way through the field and just barely missed out on the points, coming in 16th. He then had really bad luck during the finals: after a skirmish in midfield, he only came in 27th.

The second youngster to enter a race in the KF3 class and face the strong competition was Johannes Gumbrecht. 50 junior drivers had travelled to the Magdeburger Boerde and were able to impress due to high levels of performance. Only reaching 41st position, everything did not yet go according to plan for Gumbrecht during qualifying. He knew how to skillfully increase his performance during the Heats and races though. Due to exciting overtaking maneuvers he was able to leave more experienced opponents behind and finished the races on 21st and 23rd positions respectively.

In the IAME X30 class, team leader Martin Hetschel let four drivers enter the races. Fastest man of the weekend was Alexander Heil. After having been successful at the WAKC during the past few years, he dared to rise and was able to keep up with the frontrunners during both races. In the end he achieved positions 10 and 4, ranking him 7th in the overall standings. His teammates Jan Jesse, Lukas Korsch and Baldur Bahn showed great performances as well. Just like Heil, the trio was able to handle the new Mach1 FIA9 chassis very well and also gained championship points.

Manuel Valier, Lucas Speck and Lisa-Christin Brunner started in the KF2 class with a bang. During qualifying, Valier and Speck were only a few hundredth of a second away from pole position. Coming in 2nd and 3rd, they secured perfect starting positions for the Heats. These did not go by without problems though. Both of them lost important places and were only able to start the first final race from the 6th and 13th positions respectively. While Speck managed to skillfully fight his way to the front again and secured the overall 2nd position due to an 8th and a 3rd place, Valier had it worse. Collisions that were not his fault threw the fastMunichresident back considerably. Lisa-Christin Brunner provided a moment of shock when she had a sensational accident during the finals. The racing-physician thankfully gave her the all clear after a short check-up though and in the evening, Lisa was already excited for the next racing weekend.

Toni Greif started as a soloist at the shifter karts and felt very comfortable during his first race in the team. During free training he still had some difficulties with the adjustment of Chassis and engine, but managed to gain more and more trust during the weekend and continuously increased his performance. During the finals he temporarily seemed to finish in the top five and came in 9th and 10th in the end.

It was a load off team leader Martin Hetschel’s mind on Sunday evening: “This weekend has been a huge challenge for us. In addition to supporting so many drivers, it has also been the first hardness test of our new Chassis. We were able to master all of the challenges and I am very content. The performance of the FIA9 model was impressive and our drivers very competitive.”

The team’s next race will already take place next weekend. At the Erftlandring in Kerpen, the German Kart Championship will start the 2012 season and Mach1 Motorsport will be attending with a strong team once again.

ADAC Kartmasters Oschersleben
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Mach1 Kart satisfies at the RMKC

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Mach1 Motorsport in LiedolsheimMach1 Motorsport can look back on an extremely successful racing weekend. At the opening of the season of the Rhein Main Kart Cup, the team stood on the winners’ podium in a total of three classes and presented a great performance of their drivers.

In KF2, factory driver John Norris arranged for international glamour. The Irishman was the fastest driver on the track throughout the entire weekend and won a clear stage victory. “We were aware of the fact that John does not have a lot of competition this time. Nonetheless, he wanted to pay tribute to the clubsport through his commitment as well as advice and actively support his teammates in the lower classes,” explained team leader Martin Hetschel. In addition to Norris, newcomer Lisa Christin Brunner participated in a Mach1 Kart for the first time and did really well right away. After two very mixed starts she managed to fight her way to the front again respectively and finally came in on second position right behind her teammate.

Three IAME X30 juniors used the race as a training unit for the ADAC Kart Masters opening in two weeks. Everything did not go according to plan though. Sebastian Schwendt had to deal with carburetor problems and was therefore not able to tie in with his great performance at the Oscherslebener Winter Cup. The team managed to get a grip on the problem for the finals though and Sebastian closed the gap on the top group. Due to the fastest lap of the race, he came in third in the day’s ranking. The second driver, Axel Ausländer, achieved starting position six during qualifying and managed to defend this position during the first race. He was not so lucky in the finals though: during a skirmish he lost his frontal covering and with it his chances of a good overall result. Phillipp Heim on the other hand trod new ground and showed a remarkable performance during his first X30 junior race. After a breakdown in the first heat, he demonstrated strong nerves during the second and came in sixth.

Johannes Gumbrecht also celebrated a debut. In Liedolsheim, the youngster participated in his first KF3 race and continuously increased his performance throughout the course of the weekend. In the end he managed to stand on the winners’ podium on the third position.

On Sunday evening Martin Hetschel gave a positive summary of the weekend: “All in all, we are very content. We didn’t have any problems with the new chassis and managed to satisfy even with increasing grip. Additionally, we’re receiving a lot of positive feedback from outsiders regarding our new Mach1 FIA9 kart and the modified design, which of course prods us to become even better.”

Many pictures coud be found on our Facebook pages.

The team’s next race will be at the ADAC Kart Masters opening on April 14th and 15th at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

Mach1 Kart is chassis partner of the Rotax Grand Finals

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Mach1 Kart and the Rotax Grand Finals 2012 Great delight for Mach1 Kart. The German chassis manufacturer is providing the chassis in DD2 category for the Rotax World Final 2012 in Portugal and herewith takes a big step into the international market.
For years, the Rotax Grand Finals stands for the biggest karting event of the year and brings together the best pilots from all around the world. Rotax, the engine manufacturer from Austria committed to equal opportunities and therefore equipping the pilots with brand new standard karts. The Rotax Max DD2 category will be equipped in 2012 by a German manufacturer. Mach1 Kart was selected as supplier and will deliver nearly 80 brand-new chassis to Portugal. Mach1 Motorsports team principal Martin Hetschel appreciates the commitment and feels significantly increased brand attention: ”We are very proud to provide this prestigious Rotax race as a partner. We have put a lot of force in the development in recent years and must now reap the rewards. The Grand Finals will be accompanied by world media and thereby increase significantly our product appearance on the international market. ”
The Grand Finals takes place for the first time at Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve (PORTIMAO / PORTUGAL) from November, 28th to December, 1st.

press release: Fast-Media - Björn Niemann

Be part of the U18 world karting championship with Mach1

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CIK/FIA U18 WKCIncluding races in Portugal,France and Bahrain, the CIK-FIA U18 world championship promises suspenseful karting in 2012 once again. Mach1-Motorsport will be starting as well and is extending attractive offers to interested drivers.

Since its debut in 2010, the U18 world championship has been growing steadily and, next to the KF1 kart world championship, now belongs to the highest ratings in kart racing. The concept has not changed though. Once again, the participants are allowed to request their brand of choice from a chassispool of 18 manufacturers. In contrast, the engines and tires are uniform and will be allotted before every race.

Mach1-Kart has been part of the U18 world championship from the very first minute and has always been able to compete with the other strong international teams. Last year, they won second place at the finale in Italian Sarno and ended the year on the overall positions 12, 17 and 21. The Swabian manufactory has set even higher goals for this season. They were already able to achieve remarkable results at the Lonato Winter Cup  with their new model FIA9 2012 and are now ready for the start of the season in Braga, Portugal (July  6th-8th). “The U18 world championship has assured us during the last two years. There is an incredible power density due to the allotment of the uniform engines and tires. We have definitely been able to satisfy with our chassis and to present ourselves well on the international market”, says team leader Martin Hetschel during a conversation.

Interested drivers can still enter the world championship until March, 30th or until 102 entries have been reached. Mach1-Kart is extending an attractive overall offer and is looking forward to test requests. “The drivers have the possibility of buying or renting the chassis and will furthermore be supported by a first-class technical service on location.”

In addition to the first race of the season in Portugal, the world championship will also take place in Angerville (France) and the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is planned that the CIK will cover the transport costs and air ticket for each pilot to the final race inBahrain.

Overview of dates:
July 6th-8th-Braga(Portugal)
August 24th-26th – Angerville (France)
November 8th – November 10th –Bahrain(Kingdom of Bahrain)

Mach1 FIA9-2012Specs of Mach1 FIA9 2012:
tubing:  ø30mm
wheel base: 1048mm
Sniper Adjuster on front axle
front and rear torsion bars
stub axle with bolts ø25mm
HRP EvoX braking system
rims DWT VLV 132/212
Tillett T12 seat
KG FP7/CIK17 bodywork

New look lights up Mach1 Motorsport

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John Norris with Mach1 Kart at the Winter Cup Lonato

John Norris (KF2) Mach1 Motorsport

The start of the German Chassis manufacturer’s Mach1-kart could not have gone better. At the 17th Winter Cup on the South Garda Circuit in Lonato (I), the team proved their international strength and secured an impressive ninth overall-rank in the KF2.

When the Mach1-Motorsport team took the trip to the race inItaly, they were very excited. After numerous training kilometers with the new FIA9 A03 Chassis, this was the first chance to test their new development in a direct comparison and after the first free trainings the spirits were high already in the Swabians’ camp: “We’re thrilled”, says team leader Martin Hetschel confidently.

Irish John Norris was the fastest man of the weekend. After his great overall victory at the Graf Berghe von Trips Memorial at the end of last year, he was able to tie in with that great performance and came in as the excellent 16th of his group during qualifying. He knew how to benefit his position during the Heats as well and secured the direct qualification to the finals due to a solid performance and three top ten placements. At the pre-finale, he thus started from the 21st position and, due to fast lap times, fought his way to the great 10th place. The finale did not start as well though. After a moderate start he lost important positions, but knew how to use the long 25 laps to his advantage and reached the finish line on the impressive 9th position. His comment after the race was thus suitably euphoric: “It’s been an unbelievable weekend for us. The final races went very well and I’m happy with the final result. A big thank you to the team and Blanken Tuning for the outstanding engines.”

Lucas Speck at the Lonato Winter Cup with Mach1 Kart

Lucas Speck (KF2) Mach1 Motorsport

Lucas Speck was the second driver to start in the class KF2. The Rhinelander did not manage to drive an optimal lap during qualifying and therefore had a difficult starting position concerning the total of five Heats. During these runs, he managed to show his untiring will to fight and was able to gain numerous places during each race, which landed him on rank 49 on Saturday evening and secured him the chance to qualify for the finals via the repechage. Despite a great performance, he could not surpass rank 15. Even though he could not participate in the finale, Lucas was content with his first race on the traditional track: “It’s been my first time here in Lonato and I’ve felt comfortable immediately. I ended up being the best German KF2-driver and with these newly gained experiences am now able to confidently start the season in this new Chassis.”

Manuel Valier at the Lonato Winter Cup with Mach1 Kart

Manuel Valier (KF2) Mach1 Motorsport

Manuel Valier (KF2) and Irish Odrhan Henry (KF3) both had their premieres in the Mach1-Motorsport team. It was a weekend of ups and downs for both of them though. Valier had to cope with a lot of electrical problems during free trainings and was therefore only able to drive a few laps, which ultimately showed during qualifying and the Heats. Starting from the end of the field respectively, the likable driver from Munich had a hard time fighting his way forward and in the end barely missed entering the repechage, coming in 70th.

Odrhan Henry at the Lonato Winter Cup with Mach1 Kart

Odrhan Henry (KF3) Mach1 Motorsport

Meanwhile, 13-year-old Odrhan Henry from Ireland entered completely new territory. Starting in such a top-class, international race for the first time allowed him to gain numerous experiences, which he is now hoping to apply in a positive way when guest starting at the German Junior Kart Championship.

On Sunday, team leader Martin Hetschel was happy with the performance of the new Mach1-Chassis and can hardly wait for the season to start: “We’ve worked hard during the last three years and can now reap the benefits. Our Chassis is on a high international level and was able to satisfyingly perform on diverse track conditions throughout the weekend. Until the season starts, we will now complete some more tests, and will enter the first race perfectly prepared.”

Winter Cup Lonato (16.-19.02.2012)
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Successful Home Exhibition for Mach1

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Mach1 home exhibition 2012

Mach1 home exhibition 2012

Nearly 500 visitors from all around Europe found their way to the Hetschel company’s open house party in Brackenheim. Especially on Saturday the visiters crowded around the exhibits and parking space was nearly exhausted. The numerous customers were especially interested in our new Mach1 FIA9 2012 chassis as well as our big range of hobby and leisure chassis. Many customers picked up their preorderd chassis on this occasion.

Further highlights were the technical workshops, helt for around 150 interested karters. Mach1′s staff members gave lectures on chassis setup and engine maintenance. Heinz Franzen (Alfano Germany) informed about the new and innovative data loggers from Alfano.

The big sale and second-hand shop was well-attended, too. Driver’s suits, bodywork, engines, tyres and chassis were attracting the customers. All of this items can be viewed in our web-shop as well.

A special gimmick ended as bestseller: The “Mach1 – powered by karting”  energy drink. Due to the big request, we set-up a micro store:

Hausmesse 2012
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