A show of strength: Becoming Swiss Champion for a second year in a row

4 October

At the weekend, I won my second consecutive Swiss Karting Championship! It has not been a straightforward or easy season, so it feels so good to come home with the title.

This season I learned how to be resilient no matter what was thrown at me. In the first Swiss Championship race, we had a disqualification which meant I lost out on points, and in the fourth race an engine failure meant I didn’t finish the final.

However, I managed to win all the heats and the final at the second round and then in the third event, at Mirecourt, I secured my first ever Grand Slam – winning qualifying, the heats, and the final. That was an amazing feeling and showed we had excellent speed!

Going into the final round in Wohlen, I knew I had a good lead in the points and it felt so good to win the final to retain my title as Swiss Champion in the OKJ category. 

This year was tough on numerous levels.

On the first day of the Swiss Championship season, my strongest competitor, Elia Epifanio, sadly passed away due to a sudden illness. I think this season would have been so different and harder with him here. He was a great person, everybody liked him and I learned so much from him.

He was a bit like me, we were born on the same day, only he was one year older. I feel lucky I could put the things I learned from him last year into practice this season.

For me, the biggest difference between 2022 and this year for me was my mental strength. I learned how to stay calmer in my head and make smart decisions on the track. My experience competing in the Swiss Championship has helped me to be stronger and winning feels so good.  

I am off celebrating and looking forward to competing in the World Championships this weekend at Franciacorta. I have big goals and I’m excited to try and achieve them.