The Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy was again held at the Le Mans kart track at the world-famous 24-hour race venue.
EDGE Sporting Management kart racer Lewis Goff was hoping for a strong result in the senior category, which featured bumper grids and some of Europe’s most competitive drivers.
Practice went well as the team worked hard on tuning the kart to maximise speed and longevity across the busy weekend schedule. Lewis qualified an impressive P4 out of a 40+ kart entry — a performance made even more remarkable by the fact he ran the session without the benefit of a tow.
In the heats, Lewis was immediately on form. He finished 3rd in both Heat 1 and Heat 2 before going two better in the remaining three heats, taking the win in Heats 3, 4, and 5.
Heading into Sunday’s Super Heat, the team made the tactical decision to switch to their secondary engine to preserve their best unit for the Final. In a challenging race, Lewis brought the kart home in P6, which was enough to line up P5 overall for the Final.
The Final itself was a true Le Mans classic. In a race-long scrap that involved almost the entire top ten, the field was incredibly closely matched throughout. With just two laps to go, Lewis executed a fantastic move to grab 3rd position. Forced to defend heavily for the next half a lap, the two leaders were able to stretch a small gap, but Lewis dug in to hold his ground and cross the line in 3rd place.
It was a fantastic podium at one of the most prestigious events on the karting calendar, and a result that Lewis and the team could be very proud of. The RMCIT podium is no easy feat, and with drivers from all across Europe competing, this result marked a big highlight in the season so far.
Results: Q-P4 / H1 – 3rd, H2 – 3rd, H3 – P1, H4 – P1, H5-P1 / Superheat – P6 / Final – 3rd