Poulter's 'Czech' mate
27.07.2008
Poulter
2008 ROTAX DD2 Euro Champion |
Leeroy Poulter is the 2008 Rotax Max Euro DD2 kart champion.
He clinched the title by taking a superb win today at
round three of the series held at the short but tricky
circuit in Sosnova, Czech Republic.
Driving the Ferodo backed Birel he was fifth fastest
in qualifying after a few experiments with chassis set-up,
but he wasn't too worried and was runner-up in each of
his three qualifying heats on Saturday.
He started the pre-final in third place and a sensible
drive saw him finish as runner-up and secure a front row
starting position for the all important final.
Driving the Ferodo backed Birel he won a hard fought
final after taking the lead from Denis Thum on lap 5 and
then resisting a strong challenge from the German for
the remainder of the 17 lap race. "I had a half second
gap on him at the end, but it was a tough race and he
tried hard to get back into the lead after I passed him,"
said an elated Poulter.
It has been a remarkable season for the 27-year old Poulter
who won the Bridgestone Production Car championship for
Nissan in 2006.
With The Kart Shoppe's Neil Curtis acting as team manager,
he won the opening two rounds in France and Germany and
wrapped up the championship at Sosnova with a round (Belgium)
to spare. Last year he also dominated the series, winning
the first three rounds, but missed out on the title when
he was unable to contest the final round due to a clashing
South African commitment.
"This time there's no-one close enough to overhaul
my lead," he said as the reality of the result sunk
in.
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