“Outrageous” Harry Webb wins one-sided Euro Max Challenge finale, as Strawberry Racing takes unprecedented 1,2,3,4 finish at Salbris.
Warwick Ringham, Strawberry Racing’s normally taciturn Team Manager summed up his satisfaction after watching Harry Webb complete an incredible demolition job on his title rivals: “He’s just outrageous, isn’t he?! All weekend he was two tenths faster than anyone else and was just up the road.”
Indeed, the 17-year old Norfolk ace was in a different class throughout the event; from timed qualifying to taking the main final’s chequered flag, it seemed no one could match him.
Although for Ringham it was simply the gratification of seeing a hugely talented driver make the most of the set-up on his Tony Kart EVK chassis with Cream-prepared Rotax engine, this was a fairytale ending for others, including Strawberry owner Paul Spencer: “It’s what dreams are made of,” he said after seeing his star miss the opening round of the championship only to enter the fray in the second and completely dominant it from there on.
To emphasis his mastery of the Senior Max class, Webb completed the main final nearly four seconds clear of his team-mates, Josh Price, Lars Lamborelle and Guan Yu Zhou in 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively. Jessica Backman was blisteringly quick in race trim, as she overcame a troubled qualifying experience. Starting from p16 on the grid, the Swede scrapped her way to 9th at the finish. The British-based Chinese driver, Zhou, was also all-smiles after sealing the vice-Champion’s title and fulfilling Ferrari’s belief in him prior to his graduation to cars next season.
Andreas Backman was another Strawberry pilot sporting a broad grin after finishing his weekend as he started it - on top in DD2. Having flown to pole position in qualifying, Andreas had a far tougher time of it in the heats and pre-final but delivered when it mattered most, with victory in the main final and 3rd position overall in the championship giving him a ticket to the Grand Finals. n contrast, his team-mate Sean Babington had looked set for glory after winning the pre-final but was forced into retirement with a broken gear box ultimately dropping him down to 4th in the championship.
There were also mixed emotions among the team’s Junior line-up. Dean McDonald and Max Timmermans were both title protagonists ahead of the trip to France but faced stern opposition from several quarters.
After quali’ and the heats, Max was firmly in the hunt and took P2 for the pre-final, with Dean close by in 5th and Jack McCarthy also in touch on the grid’s fourth row. A scrappy encounter concluded with McDonald 5th, McCarthy 7th and Timmermans well down the order, in 22nd.
Sadly, Max’s title challenge ended with a DNF following an accident. As the Belgian looked on, Dean improved to 4th whilst Jack held his 7th place on the finishing line. With the series’ points added up, Dean had taken a fine 3rd overall in his debut international season with Max 4th and Jack 8th.
“Generally, it was a really, really good weekend,” reflected Ringham. “Obviously, what happened to Sean’s engine wasn’t ideal but that’s racing. Andreas’ win in the wet at Genk the week before gave him confidence and he got the job done. Dean, Max and Jack all drove well throughout the championship and it was a shame we just couldn’t quite pull off the result we wanted. Still, they’re young and learned a massive amount and should be even better and more experienced next season.”
He added: “Jessica set the fastest lap in her three heats and had she had a bit of better luck, I think she could have finished in the top five. Harry has earned a shot at the KF World Cup for his fantastic result and I think Guan Yu, Lars and Josh should all be well pleased with themselves. They’re a couple of years younger than Harry but showed great promise. The Rotax Grand Finals (28/29 November at Kartódromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero Chiva in Valencia, Spain) will be very exciting.”
