"Translated with Google translate"

From Laval to Brazil via Kristianstad!

Marcus Amand won the Rotax Grand Final Mini Max in Portugal in 2017. To qualify for the 2018 edition in Brazil, this time as a Junior, he just had to win the Rotax Max France Challenge. The 12-year-old Franco-Finn has managed to do so on the Laval-Beausoleil circuit just before heading to Sweden, where the CIK / FIA Junior World Championship will take place this weekend!

In the National category of 12/16 years, 34 drivers had made the trip to Laval for the last big national event of the calendar. Monopolized this year by his apprenticeship at the international level in Junior OK, Marcus has moved away from the French scene which has earned a flattering reputation since its beginnings in 2013. Before arriving in the capital of Mayenne, he had for example already won twice the Rotax Max France Challenge, in 2014 in Mini Kart and last year in Cadet. It is with happiness that he has found the atmosphere of his PB Kart team and his faithful coach-mechanic Bertrand Péchon.

From free practice, Marcus shows that he has acclimatized well to National type equipment. He knows the KR chassis by heart, but the Rotax 125 Junior engine is quite different from his Parilla in the OK Junior category. "I found the Rotax accelerated faster, the Parilla is softer in recovery but more powerful at high speeds," said Marcus. "As for the Bridgestone tires of the National, they are harder than the Vega OK Junior. "

Marcus signs the 3rd time in the timed practice. "We came across a bad set of tires in free practice, which led us to a less than ideal set of settings. Fortunately we raised the bar afterwards. "The four qualifying heats give him the pole position for the final ... not without a few stormy passes between young hopefuls excited by the prospect of a trip to Brazil! The future winner wins the first and third rounds but in the second, a few jostles take him to 5th place at the start of the race. He manages to come back 3rd under the flag. The fourth round is not easy either but with a 4th place, Marcus ensures the essential.

"It was important to qualify on the rope side of the first row to reduce the risks at the first stop of the final," said Marcus. "I led from start to finish, except when César Gazeau doubled me in the end ... I felt then that I had to go back immediately because he was faster at this precise moment and he did not let him go off. On the end, it is Guilhem Crespin who gets closer to 3 tenths but things remain there. Marcus will discover Brazil and the Circuito Internacional Paladino de Conde-Paraíba from November 24th to December 1st. With the hope of winning a second Grand Final of rank! "There was a lot of uncertainty about having to qualify on one race, but we could not prepare ourselves by our usual standards for lack of time. But Marcus was very good! Bertrand Pechon rejoiced. Let's not forget the role played by the engine manufacturer Fabrice Minet (MSR) in this success.

Marcus and his international team KR Motorsports are now fully focused on the CIK / FIA Junior World Championship taking place this weekend from 21 to 23 September in Kristianstad, Sweden! Certainly, it will be the biggest challenge ever faced by Marcus who, remember, is part of this year "Rookies". The event will be streamed on http://www.cikfia.tv/

Kristianstad schedule: http://www.cikfia.com/fileadmin/content/Camps/Regulations/2018/Kristianstad/Timetable_Kristianstad_2018_DRAFT_04.pdf

Marcus Amand bio express:

Franco-Finnish, born on February 5, 2006 in Oulu (Finland), lives in Ste-Même (near St-Jean d'Angély, Charente Maritime), studies at Le Mans, 5th year student at FFSA Academy, trilingual French, Finnish , English.
2013: Mini Kart category, 3rd Rotax Max France Challenge.
2014: Category Mini Kart, Regional Champion of the Center, winner of the 24 Minutes of Le Mans, winner of the Rotax Max France Challenge.
2015: Category Mini Kart, French Champion (pole position), Winner of the Coupe de France, Winner of the 24 Minutes of Le Mans (pole position), Winner of the Trophy Kart mag (pole position), Regional Champion of the Center (3 races, 3 wins, 3 pole positions). Beginnings in the Minime class at the end of 2015, 8th in the French championship, 3rd in the Stars of Karting series (1 victory).
2016: 2nd Dubai O-Plate Mini Max category. Category Minime, Regional Champion of the Center (3 races, 3 wins, 3 pole positions), Champion of the Stars of Karting series, Vice-champion of the National Series Karting, 2nd of the Final of the Challenge Rotax France (pole position). Member of the 10/15 detection and training program of the FFSA (youngest driver of the 2016 class).
2017: 8th / 59 at the Andrea Margutti Trophy category 60 Mini (Lonato, Italy). Category Cadet, 3rd in the French championship, Champion of the Stars of Karting series (3 races, 3 wins including the Kart mag Trophy, 2 pole positions), Winner & pole position at the Rotax Max France Challenge, Champion of the National Series Karting ( 3 races, 3 wins, 3 pole positions, qualified for the Rotax Grand Final), winner of the Rotax Grand Final Mini Max category (Portimao, Portugal).
2018: OK Junior (International), 6th WSK Open Cup, CIK FIA European Championship, best result: 11th at Essay / Aunay-les-Bois. National category: winner of the Rotax Max France Challenge.

Marcus bilingual french / english blog: http://www.marcus-amand.com