Just a few days after the ADAC Kart Masters, MAD Performance returned to the Erftlandring in Kerpen last weekend. At the fourth of five rounds of the German Kart Championship, the team entered two drivers in the OK-N category. Warm summer temperatures, plenty of sunshine and a high level of grip created demanding conditions on the 1.107-kilometre traditional circuit. This time, GT4 driver Thomas Rackl supported the young drivers as their coach.
Charlotte Tille delivered the team’s strongest final result in OK-N. After finishing 21st in qualifying, she worked her way steadily forward over the course of the weekend. Charlotte finished the two heats in 19th and 17th place before making another clear step forward to 13th in the Super Heat. This put her 15th on the grid for the final. There, the MAD Performance driver continued her charge through the field. Charlotte gained another five positions and crossed the finish line in tenth place. Following several strong performances in recent weeks, she once again confirmed her positive development.
It was a special weekend for Conor McPolin, as it marked his first race on the demanding Erftlandring. The weekend therefore began on a difficult note with 27th place in qualifying and 27th in the opening heat. However, the OK-N driver became increasingly familiar with the circuit and showed a clear improvement with 16th place in the second heat.
That trend continued on Sunday. After finishing 20th in the Super Heat, Conor started the final from 25th and produced his strongest performance of the weekend. With a focused charge through the field, he gained ten positions and finished the race in 15th place. In doing so, he not only gained valuable experience on his Kerpen debut, but also underlined the progress he has made over the course of the season.
The drivers were supported in Kerpen by Thomas Rackl, who brought his experience from both karting and car racing to his role as coach and worked closely with the young drivers throughout the weekend.
Max Hesse drew a positive conclusion after the weekend: “We saw good development from both of our drivers in Kerpen. Charlotte worked her way forward throughout the entire weekend and achieved a strong result with tenth place. I was also particularly pleased with Conor’s performance. It was his first race here, and to move from 25th to 15th in the final shows how quickly he adapted to the circuit. A big thank you also goes to Thomas, who did an excellent job coaching the drivers throughout the weekend.”
MAD Performance therefore leaves the fourth DKM round with a top-ten result and further important steps forward in its development. The season finale of the German Kart Championship will take place at ProKart Raceland Wackersdorf. There, the team aims to confirm the progress shown in Kerpen and finish the season with a strong performance.
