Beitske Visser is used to being part of the group of the fastest in KZ 125cc, and this time too she set the best absolute time of the meeting on the Castelletto karting circuit, a performance that could have won her a podium place, and maybe even another victory at the WSK Master Series! But an engine problem on Saturday made her situation a lot more complicated in Final 1. Then, the Dutch girl was pushed at the start of Race 2 and had to content herself with a 5th place in KZ1.

It is never easy to race in the elite category (KZ1), but Beitske Visser proved once again that she has the talent and the means to rival with World and European Champions of the specialty. At the WSK Master Series, which she won in 2010 in KZ2, her weekend started with the 5th best performance in time qualifying, just 12 hundredths away from the pole position. "In free practice we did not improve as much as we had hoped. So I was very satisfied with this excellent lap time. Unfortunately I had an engine problem during the first heat, which determines the starting order of the second. I had to start from 20th. It was frustrating, because this time I was driving in the same tenth as the leaders' times" Beitske commented.
But she did not give up and in Final 1 she brilliantly climbed from 17th to 8th, that is 6th in KZ1. "And again, I was involved in an incident and lost touch with the leaders".

On Sunday, her performances in the first heat were not fully satisfactory. Beitske was concerned, but also determined to find better adjustments for her Praga Intrepid-TM. That's what she did in the second heat, when she went up to 5th. Her competitiveness was even more evident in Final 2. The best lap time in Final 1 was set at 47"136 and the pole position at 47"049, and the Dutch driver achieved a fantastic 47"046. "Together with the team, we worked in the right direction both on the chassis and the engine, and I finished by driving about 2 tenths/lap faster than all my opponents. Unfortunately I lost a lot of positions after a small collision at the start. I made a good recovery, but was unable to do better than 7th (5th in KZ1). But I am still convinced I could have fought for victory. A pity".
Her opportunity for revenge could come already on 15-16-17 April in Portimao (Portugal), at next round of the WSK Euro Series.

Second Stop at Castelletto

Karting poses a different challenge at each single race. All drivers, teams and engine tune-up specialists have their reference points on the tracks they know, but what holds true one day may change the next. Although both the Trofeo Andrea Margutti and this second round of the WSK Master Series took place on the Italian circuit of Castelletto di Branduzzo after a week's interval, Beitske Visser and her team had to work hard to find the best adjustments each time. "We already had Vega tyres at the Trofeo Margutti and Dunlop at the WSK. They have different features, so we drove about a second faster at the WSK. This is why we had to adjust our set-up. Engine carburetion also varies based on the different conditions. It is interesting to always try and find the best compromise!"