![]() In the aftermath of the first round feature final race, Adde Motorsport submitted a protest to the race results, and after Championship stewards reviewed the data. It was found that kart 7's power unit, that had forced them to retire after 10 laps, had failed before Voric's joker lap incidents. The decision thus went in their favor, and the team was awarded 5th place, knocking Modin Motorsport, Grabko Grand Prix, and Haraldsson Autosport all down a position. It meant one less Championship point for the 3 affected teams and 3 more points for Adde. The decision was not protested by the affected teams, as upon review of the data all teams agreed it was conclusive. So it was a focused Grabko Grand Prix that entered the paddock for this week's testing session. ![]() In the first test session after the inaugural round of the Open GP Championship all focus was on finding pace on the track. The team went about this in its typical tried and true way, methodical and professional. Data from the last race was analyzed and driver and engineer input was made in the pre-session meetings. With ideas traded on all sides and several areas for improvement identified, the team entered the pit area with definitive action point for evaluation and execution. The first session was thus all about gathering data on different sections of track, and how the new homolgamated chassis responded to different load levels, all in an effort to adjust Dan's driving style to the new racing machines. As such it was not a session in which the team were looking for outright pace, but instead trying to gather data to enable a proper qualifying simulation in the second session. It was an extremely productive exercise, with several of the team's assumptions being confirmed while others were able to be excluded. Even though it was a purely data gathering session, Grabko is a racing driver after all, and couldn't help but push for a quick lap against the team's wishes on a couple of passes. So in the end he did manage a 37.270 quick lap, but the goal was to come in under 37s during the proper qualifying session. On the weekend, during their own testing session, Haraldsson Autosport had managed a 36.208, Jörgen showing his class with a blistering time. While it was achieved without the Series' enforced minimum weight of 90kg, it illusatrated just how far the Gokartcentralen technical engineers have come in only a week's time, working tirelessly to achieve the performance and reliability that they have come to be known for. With this as a backdrop, the team's goal was to come down to 36.9s lap times during their own qualifying simulations. As the team chooses not to run "unweighted," this was the calculated delta time to compete for a top 3 qualifying time for the next round of the championship. This goal was also achieved, and more. Dan delivered an extremely focused and consistent session in the allocated kart 14, setting a best time of 36.839 and lapping in the 37.0xx range almost the entire session. Now with extremely valuable data on the karts under proper load in the bag it was an upbeat team that left the facility after the testing sessions. Dan addressed the gathered media afterwards, "Yeah, I feel pretty good about today. Track conditions and minimum weight considerations being equal, I think we achieved an exceptional amount today as a team. On our first pass, we were able to narrow it down to 3 different strategies we thought were most likely to get us where we needed to be. Third time was a charm for us today! Not least that I was able to produce a time in the end, but the hardest thing about being a racing driver is developing the ability to adjust your driving style. Especially when it comes to karting, that's really what separates the men from the boys. We came in today really focused on achieving something and we can be happy with what we've been able to do and come away with. It bodes well for the next round of the Championship, and we believe we can do a lot this year!"
So another successful week of testing here at Grabko Grand Prix! Stay tuned for more, support #GrassRootsRacing, support Grabko Grand Prix! Patreon Webshop Make sure not to miss out, subscribe and follow us on all your favourite social media! Look for Grabko Grand Prix on: Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |