The ME-SHIFTER F1 and Ken ALLEMANN show high performance at the KZ2 DUNLON Spring-Cup in Biesheim (F)…
From 7th to 9th March 2008, the DUNLOP Spring Cup, perfectly organized by Rolf Carigiet´s Team, took place in Biesheim (F) The Mechatron-Kart Team also was present in Biesheim, to equip the kart of the KZ2 vice European Champion Ken Allemann (BIREL/MAXTER – Spirit Karting AG) with the electronic shifting system ME-SHIFTER F1.
After the ME-SHIFTER F1 has been proven for the first time in an official race at the Mundialito Canario November 2007, with the result that two ME-SHIFTER F1 drivers placed in the Top 10 of the prestigious KZ1 Final (participants of the final were Jonathan Thonon, Arnaud Kozlinski, Alessandro Piccini, Roberto Toninelli, Omar Martin and Ruben Curbelo for example), the ME-SHIFTER F1 was used for a further time in an official race to show all its potentials and advantages wich it brings to the driver an the shifting kart category generally.
During the whole racing weekend, the MECHATRON-KART Team of Eric DENNER and Paul GROSS had the honor to attend the very talented and charismatic Swiss driver and KZ2 vice European Champion Ken Allemann. After the ME-SHIFTER F1 System was installed to his BIREL CRX-SE MOTORSPORT Chassis with a MAXTER MXO, tuned by Tec’Sav, Ken took his first driving impressions with the electronic shifting system of MECHATRON-KART and completed some sessions of 15 to 20 laps. The laptimes with the ME-SHIFTER F1 already decreased some hundereths of seconds at the same conditions as the times with the shifting lever, and this although the fact, that Ken never trained with the shifting system before.
His comments to the ME-SHIFTER F1 were completely positive: More security, more comfort, driving is more precise, the constance is improved and the driving makes a lot more fun with the shifting paddles on the steering wheel.
On the next morning, the hecticness increased in the paddock and it were only 2 training sessions left to make last changes on chassis and engine before the qualifying started.
Because of an engine problem which appeared in the last laps of the second training sessions, the whole Spirit-Karting AG Team worked at
the Kart to change the piston and optimize carburation, to make it possible that Ken may participate in the qualifying.
Due to the competence and racing experience oft he Spirit Karting AG Team (official swiss BIREL Importer) Ken was able to participate in the qualifying and make some laps to get in result the third place with a time of 128/1000 sec after the Pole position.
In the Heat, Ken had a good start and was able to defend his third place. In the second lap, he overtook Heinz Fröhlich (CRG/MAXTER) and after this Tobias BOREL (BIREL/MAXTER) to get on the first position of the driver´s field, which he held for the last 16 laps to win the heat finally with an advance of 1,5 sec tot he 2nd driver Fröhlich. Antonio Pellegrino got the third place, Ken´s sister Cindy Allemann placed 6th. The pre-finals brought the same result: Ken dominated the 19 laps of the race, and there was no question at any time that Ken will see the checkered flag first.
In the final and after an unbelievable dragster start, Ken expanded his advance to the other drivers in every lap. But in the half time of the race, the battery got empty and therefore, Ken was not able to hold his constance on the spike of the drivers field, so he was not able to stop the nearing concurrence. Anyhow, Ken took all his talent, fighting spirit and experience to defend his position every lap and placed finally on the 5th position.
After the race there was some frustration in the Spirit-Karting AG and the MECHATRON-KART Team, because they were only short of celebrating the first victory due tot he talent of Ken Allemann, his team and the
material with the ME-SHIFTER F1..
The partner of Paul GROSS and CEO of MECHATRON KART, Eric DENNER, told us after the race: „We thought that we pulled out all the stops for the race, to give Ken the possibility to exploit his talent with our ME-SHIFTER F1, and the results of the qualifying and pre-final showed again the whole potential of performance and reliability of our system and made us very confident to the result of the final. Unfortunately we made a mistakte before the final because we did not control the charge condition of the battery which Ken used during the 2 days. We used the same battery for the final too, and this was a wrong decision. We should have recharged the battery over night or simply exchange it by a new one. If we exchanged it, Ken won the race. It is really annoying to loose a race because of such a bagatelle, but it is important to put oneself into question and avoid such a mistake in the future.“
Ken ALLEMANN also gave his comments to us after the race: „It was a wonderful and unbelievable experience for me during the whole weekend. Eric and his engineer-partner Paul proved to me, that the
karting-sport moved a big step forward. Not only for the professional drivers like us, but also for all the hobby drivers all over the world. By this ME-SHIFTER F1 shifting system, the driving feelings and precision increased a lot. The safety and comfort of the driver are increased, too. I used the system for two racing days and I am very statisfied of its performance and its capacity. Very fast, very precisious, very compact and perfectly customized for chassis and engine. My aim was it, to get a first impression of the functionality, handling and ability of competition use and it met all my expectations. There will be no doubt that I will use the ME-SHIFTER F1 at the European KZ1 championship.“
After this racing-weekend, the SPIRIT KARTING AG and Ken Allemann confirmed their wish to work very close to the MECHATRON-KART company to prepare perfectly to the coming KZ1 european and world championship.
MK Press–BDC
10.3.2008 ©
http://www.mechatron-kart.com/
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