Dubai
South African karting racer Fabienne Lanz was part of the five-driver race team that took overall victory at round 4 of the Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship. The 24-hour event was the final round of the championship, the victory confirming Batelco Team as the 2012 Champions for the third successive year.
The team which also included Alban Varutti (France), Ramez Azzam (UAE), Mohammed Mattar (Bahrain) and Edward Jones (UAE) finished ahead of their nearest rivals, the Dubai Falcons, to clinch the prestigious crown.
Incidentally, the Batelco Team again had to ‘rest’ Fabienne because of the weight issue which had also led her to being rested at the last round of the SWS Championship in Dubai, as reported by XPRESS. It may be recalled that the new weight rule, introduced at the Kartdrome by the Dubai Autodrome authorities increased the weight of a driver including race kit to 80kgs. That meant Fabienne’s kart weighed three times her weight with just over 20kg of “dead” weight slumped onto one spot of the kart.
Nevertheless, Fabienne was proud of the team’s performance. “What an amazing feeling. We won the race and the championship for the 3rd time in a row for the team, an amazing achievement.
“I am very grateful and proud to be a part of the Batelco Team. They have compassion, are professional and the love of the sport and the people involved is more than anyone could ask for. The team plans to race endurance races in various countries, but dates and venues has not been confirmed yet,” she told XPRESS.
The Batelco Team gained valuable experience in 2012 competing in races across the globe. The team won the SWS 24hr kart race in France in April this year and then went onto take 3rd overall in Charlotte, USA where Fabienne posted the fastest lap time of the race.
The final round of the championship was contested by teams from across the world with a South African Team making its debut in the final round of the series. The Team SA Octangle comprised of six young South African karters managed by Peter Lanz, Fabienne’s father.
The Batelco Team started the race from pole position and led the 24-hour race from start to finish. Varying conditions, including rain, ensured constant challenges for all the teams contesting the grueling event. The champions crossed the line three laps clear of the nearest challenger.
