Munich. The 2023 Northern Talent Cup season is in full swing and this weekend marks the third of seven race weekends. After the opening weekend in Assen in the Netherlands together with the Superbike World Championship and the second round together with the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Sachsenring from 02nd to 04th June in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
The pre-season test for the young drivers of the Northern Talent Cup took place at the end of March this year on the 3.667-kilometre circuit. Now the Northern Talent Cup is returning to the Magdeburg Börde as part of the IDM. The competitive field is led by Lennox Phommara. The driver from Team Phommara has already collected 79 points with two victories and another podium place.
But Rocco Caspar Sessler is hot on the heels of the Swiss. After the fastest German so far this season celebrated his first victory in the Northern Talent Cup at the Sachsenring and was only just beaten in the second race and finished second, he now has 75 points to his credit. “My goal is to take as many points as possible from Oschersleben,” says the 14-year-old.
The MCA Racing Team driver explains further: “I have a good feeling on the track thanks to the opening practice session. I was able to increase my pace there in the dry and in the wet. I’ve already dealt with the track intensively and am prepared for the race weekend.” Sessler is convinced that the course of the Motorsport Arena suits his driving style. “So I’m expecting a lot from the two races in Oschersleben.”
With 53 points, Martin Vincze (VM Racing Team) is already a little behind third place in the overall standings. But experience has shown that the fast Hungarians can always be expected. Behind him with 51 points is Sessler’s MCA Racing teammate Julius Ahrenkiel-Frellsen from Denmark, who, like Sessler, is contesting his second season in the Northern Talent Cup. The rookie Antoine Nativi (CTM 83 Junior Team) from France surprised in the first two rounds with consistently good results and a total of 43 points.
The second young German driver, Anakin Zelenak, had to deal with a technical problem at the Sachsenring, which then prevented him from starting the second race due to an injury. The 14-year-old is all the more motivated to increase the eight points he has collected so far this weekend. “I’m fit again,” explains the JRP Academy Team pilot. “We try to learn a lot in Oschersleben. As on every race weekend, I hope that I can stay with the leading group,” adds Zelenak, who is currently 17th in the overall standings.
The second race weekend as part of the young drivers of the Northern Talent Cup on Friday at 9:10 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. two 30-minute free practice sessions, followed by the equally long first qualifying on Friday at 4:35 p.m. and the second qualifying on Saturday morning from 11:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. As was the case last time at the Sachsenring, interested parties can also follow both races live in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben at idm.de/live. The first run starts on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., while the second race starts on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.