Linus Hensen impresses at KZ2 debut, Erik Müller just narrowly misses the finals.
Past weekend Mach1 Motorsport and cooperation partner Kartschmie.de started with a driver duo at the DMSB Shifter Kart Cup in Kerpen. As part of the German Kart Championship, more than 40 drivers in the top-class KZ2 category went on the road and fought thrilling duels. Linus Hensen celebrated his debut in the premier class of karting and immediately set an exclamation point with impressive performances.
Mach1 Motorsport is setting the course for 2022. Together with Kartschmie.de around Frank Hansen, the traditional German manufacturer is competing in the DMSB Shifter Kart Cup this season. “We see the cooperation with Frank Hansen and his team Kartschmie.de as a meaningful symbiosis. Frank has a lot of experience, especially in the Rotax categories and in coaching young talents, so we decided to take this joint step,” said head of Mach1, Martin Hetschel confidently.
The fruits of the partnership were reaped directly last weekend. In alternating weather conditions, the traditional Erftlandring was about the first points of the still young season – and with success.
Linus Hensen moved to the KZ2 category as the reigning senior champion of the Rotax MAX Challenge Germany and made a tailor-made debut. In qualifying, he missed pole position as second in their group by a hair’s breadth and was thus in fourth place in the overall ranking. After a heat failure and sixth place in the second heat, Linus placed 19th in the intermediate ranking.
In the first race, the rookie once again made people stand up and take notice. The German driver skillfully put himself in the spotlight and moved into the top ten in ninth place. However, a setback in the final: Linus was unfortunately denied the chance to catch up again with an early exit.
In position 14 in qualifying, Erik Müller completed the fast Mach1 Motorsport duo at the beginning of the event. In the heats, however, the Mach1 driver had to struggle with a lot of bad luck and missed the entry into the final races.
“A challenging start into the new season. The conditions were not exactly easy. All the more remarkable was the idea of Linus. At his first race event in the shifter kart, he made a name for himself directly among the top drivers and thus ensured plenty of joy in the team tent. The speed for front placings was definitely there, and we have to build on that at the next race,” Martin Hetschel summed up the season opener in the evening.
For Mach1 Motorsport and Kartschmie.de it continues at the next round of the DKM in Genk. From June 10th to 12th, the highest German kart racing series then makes a guest appearance at the Home of Champions in Belgium.