Last Updated on 25 February, 2025 by FKC
A new 12th GoKart PRIX season started with a winter race in Järfälla. This year we were driving on snow & ice on slicks! The practice session showed that it’s going to be a long day 🙂. Karts were sliding all over the place, and all of the participants at least once had to get their karts out from the snow pits during the day. 13 participants were divided into 2 groups. Each group drove a Practice session and two Qualification Heat Races before taking a break. During the practice session John ended up outside the track, but unfortunately he woke up his old injury and couldn’t proceed racing.
In Heat 1 Igor took an early lead. Everybody tried to be cautious, because there were only 5 laps to race and nobody wanted to lose the heat due to a spin or snow pit. But then came the last corner of the 1st lap and Tommie with Joel H who were on P2 and P3 dropped down to the back. Actually that corner was the worst all day long. So many hopes were lost there… But Igor in the lead was very careful. Maybe even too careful, because Oscar P was catching up on him quite fast. But the finish flag dropped, and Oscar P was only a half second away from Igor.
Heat 2 started with Oscar P as leader. If he could just keep his pace he would have easily finished first. But then came the last corner… The Spaniard hit the brakes a little too hard and totally missed the corner sliding far away. Igor didn’t make the same mistake and passed it cleanly. Matias H was another and the last person who made it without a problem. He was fighting with Tommie, but Tommie, as well as another 3 drivers, couldn’t conquer that evil last corner. Mattias H just had to stay on Igor’s tail to finish 2nd. But no… Tommy could climb up on P2 after Mattias H’s mistake. Tommie had only the last corner between him and a finish line. Last corner won. Tommie lost his P2 to Oscar P. That way Igor won both heats and was a major candidate for a TQ.
After group 2 made their practice they started their Qualification Heat Race 1. Niclas was leading until he tested the last corner himself. Berke was right behind him and managed to take the lead. Mattias N used this situation in his favor becoming 2nd right ahead Niclas. These three were racing quite close to each other until the second to last lap, when Niclas overtook Mattias N and in the next corner (the last one) used Berke’s mistake and took the lead. Mattias N was right behind him until our favorite corner on the very last lap where he slid away and had to pull his gokart back to the track. Niclas finished first, then Berke, then Championship rookie Kęstutis and only then our reigning champion.
Start of Heat 2 was another Championship rookie’s Michaёl golden moment when he was leading the pack. Not for long though, since Berke without hesitation passed him on the straight and managed to make the next turn. Michaёl spun on the corner’s exit. Karts behind him had to react and that led to Niclas’s and Oskar M’s spin. Kęstutis was now 2nd until the moment when Mattias N took that place in a nice overtaking move. A lap later the Lithuanian became another victim of the last corner and let Niclas through. Berke didn’t make any mistake and finished this heat first, lapping some of his rivals on the way. With this result it was Igor who got 9th TQ in his career and received P1 as starting position in the Final.
Then was the big race! Two groups were racing together in a final and main event of the day. Despite Igor’s pole position Berke took the lead. Niclas was right on their tail. Some people behind them already started spinning. On lap 2 Igor went inside on the right-hander and took P1 from Berke. In a few laps Niclas got very close to Berke and they even went side-by-side until the left-hand corner that made Niclas spin. Igor was building some gap in the front until the moment when the same left-hand corner just became a little more slippery, and at a very slow speed Igor stuck on the curb. Majority of his competitors passed through. He then could gain some positions back due to others’ mistakes, but when he reached Tommie that was it. Even 2 overtakes attempts were not successful. Then came more mistakes and letting others back through. Meanwhile in the front Niclas was getting very close to Berke and even started making a mental press on him. The Turk, however, didn’t react to it and stayed cold as the weather that day right until the finish line. So Berke won his first Winter Cup! Congrats! Niclas finished 2nd. But the 3rd place went to a racer who wasn’t fast, but he didn’t make any mistakes and was very close to top 2 in the end – Mattias H!
Thanks to all the participants for this magic race as well as Järfälla Gokartbana staff! Race documentation is stored here. We invite you to our next race at Racehall Stockholm on the 9th of March!