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| November 23, 2007 |
| Driver News: Mathias Gallepe - SKUSA SuperNationals Report |
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 | Energy Factory driver Mathias Gallepe
(Photo: KSP.fr) |
Invited to take part by Energy, Mathias Gallepe raced on the temporary track at Las Vegas in the Super Pro 125KZ2 class from 14 to 18 November 2007. With American drivers and a strong European delegation to contend with, Mathias greatly enjoyed every minute of the experience of karting “USA-style”, albeit with muted success. It was also an opportunity for him to discover the United States.
It has to be said that there’s a great deal to see away from the track at Las Vegas. With its huge hotels and casinos without number open around the clock, the gaming capital of the world always comes as a great shock to Europeans stepping out into the hot dry heat of the western American desert. Since kart drivers are not usually retiring types, Mathias and his pals took full advantage of the American “entertainment” on offer.
In proposing that Mathias make the trip, the boss of Energy, Michele Panigada, made one person very happy. A number of world champions took part, including Marco Ardigo, Jonathan Thonon, Davide Forè, Alessandro Piccini and Alessandro Manetti, along with big names such as Jérémy Iglésias, Bas Lammers and Rick Dreezen. The best known of the American entrants is Gary Carlton, a familiar figure in European competitions. 47 drivers involved in Super Pro, with a total of more than 380 drivers in 10 different categories; $20000 of prizes in Super Pro, $10000 of which for the winner – a mouthwatering prospect. The track, located in the car park of the Sam Boyd Stadium, measuring 1400m and providing a fast racing surface, attracted a large public.
Although he was given 5 practice sessions, his team quickly realized that in the very dry climate the regulation fuel and oil wouldn’t make it easy to adjust the carburation. He was also discovering the circuit and MG tyres, which are harder than Vega white or European Dunlop tyres. «There were all sorts of things happening and I couldn’t help losing time ... he admitted. Mathias, slightly bemused by the 30 minutes of timed laps, alternated fast laps with tuning laps to record the 19thfastest time of the 45 drivers on the track.
Number 14f therefore started in the 5throw for the qualifying rounds. During the heats it was a real battle from the 1stbend, as if the whole race depended on it. Mathias made it through the 1st round before colliding with a driver with transmission failure. He got a better result in the 2nd heat, in which he finished 8th despite a handicap of between 7 and 8 tenths over the best drivers. Bérézina in round 3 : “I was sandwiched on the1st bend ..... Result: a bent track rod and steering column ...”. Mathias found himself in the repechage.
Notwithstanding, he drove the perfect race and took the lead on the 1stlap, controlling Piccini’s ascent and finishing a full length ahead of the four-times world champion. Starting the unique final in 29th place, Mathias failed to complete a single lap: “Dreezen had broken down on the starting grid and raises his hand, but the race was already under way... ... The place was full of smoke, you couldn’t see a thing ..... Rick was injured in a collision, Piccini twisted his kart chassis and suffered a broken disc and I had a bent steering and couldn’t move ...”. So it was Marco Ardigo first, ahead of Gary Carlton and Jérémy Iglésias
However, no hint of bitterness in the case of Mathias, who’s back home absolutely delighted with his expedition to the States.
He has just set up his new on-line internet site, where you will can see all his latest results and photos of his racing season - http://www.mathiasgallepe.com |
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