FIA Motorsport Games 2019: Russia wins, Formula 4 silver for Germany 05.11.2019: - Positive results after the first motorsport world games - Niklas Krütten (Trier) wins silver medal in Formula 4 - Strong performances of the German team partly unrewarded

- Positive results after the first motorsport world games

- Niklas Krütten (Trier) wins silver medal in Formula 4

- Strong performances of the German team partly unrewarded



After the conclusion of the first FIA Motorsport Games Russia has been chosen as the most successful team: The drivers of the Russian Motorsport Federation won one gold and two bronze medals in the six competitions and placed their team ahead of the teams from Italy and Australia (one gold and one bronze each).



The German national team, which did not send athletes to the start in all disciplines, set some exclamation marks in the competitions and also brought home a medal: Niklas Krütten (Trier) took second place in the Formula 4 main race behind the Italian Andrea Rosso.



Even though the competitions all took place on wet tracks, this did not dampen the mood: "The international comparison with motor sportsmen from all over the world is a trend-setting idea of the FIA", says DMSB board member Gebhard Sanne, who accompanied the German delegation as team boss.



"From the impressive opening in Rome to the medal ceremony as the crowning finale on Sunday, there was an atmosphere similar to that at the Olympic Games. I believe that all participants perceived and enjoyed this flair. We consider the competition to be a real enrichment and look forward to the continuation, in which a German team will certainly be at the start again".



It was above all the young German athletes who delivered a remarkable performance at the competition in Italy. Niklas Krütten steadily improved during the competition and followed the fourth place in qualifying with the third position in the qualification race. In the main race he finally improved to second place and after 14 laps he crossed the finish line behind the Italian representative.



Also in the Kart Slalom competition the German participants were strong, but finally retired early: Janina Burkard and Florian Benedikt Vietze were in second place after the end of the two introductory rounds, outdoing the following Belgian duo by just 0.043 seconds. In the round of 16, the German team defeated Slovakia, but in the quarter-finals it was finally over: Here, Burkard and Vietze lost to the Portuguese representatives 0.731 seconds behind and were unable to intervene in the action of the top four. In the final account, they were finally ranked fifth.



Luca Engstler, a real youngster for the German team, also competed in the touring car competition. The young Wiggensbacher already showed his strength in the Hyundai i30 N TCR in the first qualifying and took the best practice time, which was also not undercut in Q2. But after that the weekend was anything but round.



Engine problems prevented Engstler from taking pole position, and in both races the otherwise successful TCR pilot did not see the chequered flag. Also in the GT competition the German team showed a respectable performance. Steffen Görig and Alfred Renauer competed in the Porsche 911 GT3 R of Team Herberth Motorsport and showed their fighting spirit: The team won the first race, although Steffen Görig was turned around by a competitor.




 Under difficult conditions they made up place after place and finally won the race. The second race was less successful for the Germans, who ended up in ninth place. But the actual main race was still to come, and here, too, the German Porsche in fourth place was in a promising position. But a touch by the Audi of the Belgian team forced Renauer into a spin and made him drop back hopelessly: 16th place was the final score.



Also in the Digital Cup Germany was at the start with a successful athlete: Mikail Hizal was able to hold his ground in the competition and clinched a dominant victory in the semi-final A, in the final he started the race from pole. But the fight on the digital circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya didn't turn around for him despite a lead in the meantime: A spin cost him his chances to win and left him hopelessly behind, so that in the end only sixth place remained for him.



Even though the strong performance wasn't rewarded in every case, participants and team management were in agreement at the end: The German team at the first FIA Motorsport Games duly represented the motorsport drivers from the motherland of automobile construction.



 And at the next participation - also there was agreement - with a little more racing luck an even better place would be with a little more luck.





Pro Motion GmbH • Michael Kramp- photo FIA