Mark Kimber delivered the ‘drive of a champion’ during a red hot Junior Rotax Winter Cup Final in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday, 14th February – but a debatable 10 second penalty robbed the 14-year-old of a dream victory on his debut with the Strawberry Racing team.
Kimber, from Solihull in the West Midlands, starred to take the chequered flag in the headline race of the weekend, sparking huge celebrations in the Briton’s camp. However, a 10 second track limits penalty, triggered after a tangle involving team-mate Axel Charpentier, proved costly.
Quick from the outset at the wheel of his ‘works’ Tony Kart during free practice, where he was fastest in his group, and similarly strong in qualifying, Kimber finished second in the Pre-Final just 0.020 seconds shy of the win and set the fastest lap of 58.585 seconds (87.74 km/h) along the way.
Setting the scene for a major push for glory in the all-important Final on Sunday afternoon, Kimber worked his way into a position to challenge Charpentier for the lead on the last lap. During a tense wheel-to-wheel battle into the final chicane, though, the Briton was edged off the track.
Able to keep his momentum, Kimber managed to rejoin the track and take the chequered flag but, post-race, officials applied a 10 second penalty after declaring the West Midlands schoolboy ‘gained an unfair advantage’.
“Even though I had a bad start in the Final, I came back through to second place”, reflected the Veloce Sports managed youngster, “At the last corner on the final lap, I tried to go around the outside but got forced off the track and then I was given a penalty so we lost the win. It was really disappointing as we were quick from practice all the way through the weekend and deserved it.
“Overall, though, it was a really good first race in Europe with Strawberry and our pace was strong. Quali was tough, with strong winds, and although I was a little unlucky to catch the pack halfway through my best lap, I still managed sixth which put me at the sharp end in the Heats. They didn’t go as planned but I was happy to come through from eighth to second in the Pre-Final.”
Charpentier was also penalised for his part in the incident in the Final and the revised results placed Kimber a frustrating 16th with his team- mate one spot further back. While the outcome was a bitter pill to swallow, Kimber more than confirmed his potential as a very real 2016 title threat.
His manager, Veloce Sports founder Rupert Svendsen-Cook, was understandably elated with the level of performance displayed by his young protégé on his maiden outing with the legendary multiple title winning Strawberry outfit.
“Mark has been working very hard over the winter and with a new team in Strawberry he looked better than ever this weekend”, said Svendsen-Cook, “It was a very impressive performance, right from the start he was never out of the top three on pace and he deserved the win without a doubt. It wasn’t to be this weekend, but it makes the season ahead look incredibly promising.”
Next up for Kimber will be the start of the British Super 1 Karting season which gets underway over the weekend 19th/20th March at Rowrah in Cumbria. Two weeks later, his dovetailed Euromax challenge will commence at Genk in Belgium on 2nd/3rd April.
