The first Competition of the 2014 CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship takes place at Assen from 1st to 3rd August, at the traditional meeting of the "Gamma Racing Day."
The first Competition of the 2014 CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship takes place at Assen from 1st to 3rd August, at the traditional meeting of the "Gamma Racing Day." This legendary and popular event, always attracts a large audience, with a show this year including Red Bull F1 with the expected presence of Jean-Eric Vergne. This season, the championship is run over only two events, Assen (Netherlands) and Val de Vienne (France). The number of entries is nearly 50, with 12 nations represented, which is a very good season. The British, French and Netherlands delegations, the biggest, all have the same number of Drivers.
The favourites are to found among Drivers used to European confrontations. Uncertainty remains about the readiness of each of them, who have had more or less time in national races. The rise of the new generation of engines from VM expands the possibilities who might appear at the top. We should see exceptional Drivers among those on DEA against those on the new VM, a fight mediated by the factory PVPs.
Among the frontrunners, three Drivers have won titles: the British Driver Gavin Bennett (2007 - 2009 and 2010), the French Emmanuel Vinuales (2011 and 2013) and the German Peter Elkmann (2008). Elkmann is already very sharp, he performed well in Germany (German Series) and France where he is the provisional championship leader. The spearhead of the MSKart / VM karts will be under the expanded awning of Karting Team Paradise. Bennett (Anderson / DEA) has prepared at home, he always displays unfailing motivation and has won with the new cylindered DEA on its inaugural release, but he was beaten in mid-July by Carl Hulme for the British title in Division 1. Vinuales (Anderson / DEA) will be fast but his lack of running this year means he will go straight into the Assen race. Luckily he likes the circuit. Two other competitors could also be seen as favourites. The Czech Adam Kout is the benchmark driver at MSkart and took 3rd place last year, retaining his DEA. He is on the best form with 6 victories in the German series and he has a nice card to play in the 2014 CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship. The Dane Henrik Lilja, the driver for Poul V. Petersen (PVP), often manages to join the candidates for the podium and seems ready.
To these five recognized contenders, we must add several more candidates. Notably, Arjan Kievitsboch, the Dutch KZ driver has always shone on his rare appearances in Superkart and returns this season as part of the Karting Paradise team. His compatriot Marcel Maasmann (Anderson / FPE) will receive the full attention of the Redspeed team in the absence of the 2012 Champion Lee Harpham.
Other probable outsiders are Liam Morley (Anderson / DEA), who in his first season last year gradually played spoilsport. The young Andreas Jost is very incisive, he was the revelation of the early season with his new VM engine. Daniel Hentschel (Anderson / DEA) is likely to regain the necessary consistency. We can see the progress of the French Drivers Cyril Vayssié and Alexandre Sebastia. The first has joined MSKart / VM team and will be able to show his speed. The second, the 2013 Champion of France, will run on a DEA engine for the first time.
See also the entry of Cor Oser, the famously eclectic Dutch Driver who is embarking on a new discipline. A Driver in Formula Ford and F3 in the 80s, he stayed in single-seaters until the ex-Formula 3000 before going into Sports Prototypes and GT.
