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With Luca only joining buggy racing in 2009 and after being unable to take part in all of the Hesse Cup dates in 2010 due to conflicting schedules, we wanted to make sure we competed in all eight races in 2011. Our aim was to make the top 10 in the amateur ranking and we hoped with a bit of luck to even make it into the top five.
We got our hands on the 2011 XRAY XB808 after the Toy Fair in Nuremburg. Bertram Kessler had brought Luca onboard the SMI team as a team driver. Between the Hesse Cup rounds we also took part in the two German Championship races. This was a great opportunity for Luca to gain experience and for the car to demonstrate its extreme stability. The bearing problems from 2010 were a thing of the past. With Lucaâ™s performance closing in on that of his team mate Simon Eser, both were able to work together on getting a good set-up. A win for Simon put him fourth in the expert classification.
This yearâ™s buggy season kicked off with a Hesse Cup race on synthetic turf in Kirchhain. Both Luca Bethke in the amateur classification and Simon Eser in the expert classification quickly regained their form of the previous year, but each only managed third place in their respective classes. The amateursâ™ final was pretty much dominated by Benny Queisser (also driving XRAY/Orcan) who took the top spot.
The second race of the season was the international warm-up in Bischofsheim and, with around 200 drivers taking to the rostrum, the level was very high. We found a good set-up early on in the race, which meant both drivers were able to place well. Luca kept moving up through the qualifiers on Sunday, while Simonâ™s 14th place after the qualifiers put him straight in the semi-final. From there he moved into the final and took 13th overall.
The third round of the Hesse Cup was hosted by RCR Peterberg, where our performance streak continued with Luca taking a convincing win in the amateur classification. Unfortunately, damage to Simonâ™s connecting rod meant he was unable to convert his winning speed from the qualifying round into an overall victory.
The next race saw us in Rodgau. The set-up we had worked on for the warm-up turned out to be optimal for this track. Both Luca and Simon set the pace in their respective categories, but fate was not on our side. The engines of both drivers stalled in the final as a result of testing fuel with a different mixture. Luca was still able to make it into second place but Simonâ™s engine cut out with just a few metres to go to the finish line and after having a lead of almost a full lap he lost more than a lap in total putting him into fourth in the final ranking.
Unfortunately, the race in Linsengericht had to be stopped during the lunch break after it started to rain heavily. The final positions were based on the ranking after the qualifiers, which meant Simon finally got to celebrate his first victory after being the fastest qualifier for the third time in succession. In contrast, over the season Luca had performed better in the finals and thus lost out on a top placing this time.
The next Hesse Cup race in Fulda, however, gave Luca the opportunity to show his mettle once again in the amateur category, where he virtually dominated the final and stormed to victory with a one-lap lead over the winner of the expert classification.
The next round took place on home turf at our local track in Bischofsheim. Our high expectations werenâ™t fulfilled in the end, though. Minor problems meant Luca didnâ™t make it through to the final and, despite once again being fastest in the qualifiers, Simon was unfortunately pipped at the post by his club colleagues Maxi Cordts and Gehard Frank.
This race was followed by a summer break, which meant the German Championships and the European A Championships in Sand am Main were on the agenda. Simon got hold of a place in the EC at very short notice and took part with relatively little preparation. Nevertheless, his driving kept improving as the event progressed and he managed to bump up twice. Simon gave a great performance among a field of 180 very professional drivers from across Europe and took 94th position.
The first of the two German Championships races was held in Schwedt an der Oder. Our car was on top form and Simon just missed qualifying directly for the semi-final by 0.1 seconds. Luca drove very smoothly and consistently on Sunday, managing to bump up three times. In the quarter finals, however, Simon lost both his concentration and a place in the semis.
The second race took pace in Welden in Bavaria, which has a unique track thanks to its concrete-like surface and â leap of faithâ™ jump. Unfortunately, our lack of experience on this track meant we couldnâ™t fine-tune our set-up or find the right line until very late into the race. Consequently, our placing wasnâ™t quite what we had hoped for.
The penultimate race of the Hesse Cup season was back in Fulda where Luca managed to repeat his mid-season win. After taking the lead mid-way through the race in bad weather, Simon had to concede defeat to Gerhard Frank, putting him â“ as so often recently â“ one place behind in second.
The season final took us to a great track in Obermörlen and with the Indian summer weather the starting grid was full to bursting. Luca settled into a good rhythm right from the start and Simon found a set-up that let him drive very confidently and fast after testing several configurations in the set-up of Team XRAYâ™s new addition, Reno Savoya.
Simon won the semis and went into the final in pole, but by the end of the race was trailing Maxi Cordts by just 2 seconds after a tough battle that saw both drivers secure a one-lap lead over third place. Luca once again was top of the amateur leader board and drove to victory in the final. After dropping back at the start, he managed to lap virtually the entire field and finished almost an entire lap ahead of second place.
This excellent performance secured Luca not only the top spot in the amateur classification but also the youth classification and the overall title of winner of the Hesse Cup.
Congratulations!
This triple win was also celebrated by Simon back in 2009 driving SMI XRAY with Orcan engines.
Many thanks to everyone in the Kessler family for their fantastic support and a very constructive and friendly relationship. Thanks too to A. Kobler for providing the top quality Silkion oils. And thank you to Gerhardt for giving us some good advice on what tyres to use.
Thanks from Simon for the support from Savöx-Servos, whose products worked all year without any problems whatsoever and saved huge amounts of energy whilst demonstrating fast movement times and precision.
Last, but certainly not least, thanks of course to Christoph Bethke who not only made it possible for Luca to celebrate this victory, but also made sure Simon was always well looked after and was always on hand to help with anything whether it was model car-related or not. None of this would have been possible without him.
Many thanks! We have had a lot of fun throughout the entire season.
We are now looking forward to next year, Luca and Simon will both be driving in the expert classification.
Thanks again to everyone involved in buggy racing â“ weâ™ve enjoyed it immensely. |
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