World number 1s Eastwood and Webb on top in Belgium
Reigning Rotax Grand Finals champion Charlie Eastwood won a nail-biting Senior Max final after his Strawberry Racing team-mate and fellow world number one, Harry Webb had triumphed in the pre-final. Connor Hall took a brace of 2nd place finishes in the Junior finals, with Chinas Guan Yu Zhou also on the pre-final podium.
The 2013 Rotax Max Euro Challenge kicked off in earnest at the impressive Genk circuit in Belgium (30-31 March), and once again Sheffields Strawberry Racing was at the forefront of the action.
Strong performances in timed qualifying and the heats saw Connor claim p2 on the grid for the pre-final. Guan Yu qualified on the 6th row of the grid, ahead of fellow Strawberry drivers Thomas Issa (14th), Max Aitken (20th) Juri Vips (25th) and Darren Keane (28th).
Despite a ten kart crash at the start, Connor survived unscathed, as did the hard-charging Guan Yu. Also able to make good progress as the race developed, was Darren - who ultimately finished in 11thplace. Hall eventually settled for 2nd with Zhou also banking valuable points for 3rd.
Another pile-up shortly after the start of the final caught Connor out and he lost ground to the pole-sitter, Lando Norris. This prompted a gritty fightback from the Winter Cup champion which yielded a deserved runner-up spot at the chequered flag.
Guan Yu was reduced to the role of spectator by the starting crash, with Keane unable to improve on his earlier 11th and taking 12th. Aitken, Issa and Vips were all victims of misfortune and will be hoping for better luck at the next round.
Strawberrys senior stars faced a stern challenge from a mammoth grid of over 80 competitors. Ten heats were required to whittle the field down to 34 drivers and it was the 2012 Euro and World champion Harry Webb who spearheaded the teams attack after taking 2nd place on the grid. Charlie Eastwood sat directly behind him (on p4) with newcomer Kyle Fowlie 16th on the grid.
An initial three way fight for the pre-final victory, turned into a scrap between ten drivers but it was eventually Harry who claimed victory, with Charlie 3rd. Sadly, Kyle was ledft to rue what might have been following a DNF.
If the pre-final had been exciting, the main final ramped matters up even further. Eastwood and Webb again played their part in a thrilling contest which reached fever pitch on the last lap. A coming together saw Webb forced onto the grass and out of the reckoning for a podium, but Eastwood had saved his best until the very last lap. The Irishman seized his chance in the penultimate corner. Almost inevitably, contact was made with the defending race leader, but it was Charlie who sprinted to the line with his nose ahead. I got a chance for overtaking and simply had to chance it, he told the waiting media afterwards. Kyle delivered a storming drive to take a stunning 5th, with Harry recovering to 8th and taking sufficient points to put him 2nd in the championship table, with Charlie enjoying the early lead.
Andreas Backman had looked set for another competitive showing in the burgeoning class DD2, with a top ten finish wholly possible after he finished 13th in the pre-final, but a radiator leak put-paid to his chances and he was forced onto the sidelines four laps from home.
