3rd Matscho Karatscho 2024 at SIP Scootershop
27 July 2024 was a damn hot day. The sun was beating down mercilessly on our own track almost without interruption, everything was bone dry and the scooters kicked up a huge cloud of dust. The sight was reminiscent of a rally through the African steppe when the riders took to the circuit for free practice at 10:00 Clock on the dot. The 3. MATSCHO KARATSCHOthe now legendary scooter cross race, organised by SIP Scootershop in Landsberg am Lech, had begun. And once again, the day was to offer everything that riders and fans had expected.
International field of drivers
Race director Jesco and his team had once again done an excellent job in the run-up to the event. The track was perfectly prepared, the barriers were up, the straw bales were in place and the water hole was getting deeper and deeper. One by one, the spectators arrived and we were even able to welcome a fan from Israel who had flown in especially for the Matscho Karatscho. Respect!
The riders themselves came from Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The record holder, however, was Henri Mouries from Mormoiron in the south of France, who had travelled almost 1,000 kilometres: "I've been riding BMX since I was a child, and from 1987 to 1995 we organised Vespa Cross races in the south of France. When I heard about the event at SIP Scootershop, I just had to take part. For me, it's not about placing, but about having fun. I've known Alex and Ralf for ages and they're practically part of my family." The German participants travelled from Bremen, NRW, Rhineland-Palatinate and Lake Constance, among other places, to put their scooters to the ultimate test at Matscho Karatscho.
Vespa GTS with KTM Engine
However, there were no initial problems with the bikes, but the timekeeping system was acting up, but was able to be adjusted in time for qualifying. To the cheers of the crowd and the expert moderation of DAZN reporter Harry Birk and race director Jesco, things finally got serious. On his very first qualifying lap, a certain Stefan Göllner set a time of 55.471 seconds in Class 3 that would not be beaten again throughout the day. Bam! That was a statement. His converted Vespa GTS with KTM Engine remained unrivalled, but not unbeatable, as the rest of the race was to show. Mario Eisenblätter and Paul Brötz took the other places in this class. Sebastian Krüger and Max Neumaier on their Simsons were particularly eye-catching, and also did remarkably well in the overall classification.
In Class 2, Dennis Franceschini from South Tyrol just missed the magic mark with a time of 1:00.267. They were followed by Johannes Köhl and Thomas Haas. Local hero Max Heigl from Landsberg took the lead in Class 1, ahead of Joe Dierkes and Aron Munter.
Retirements and surprises
As expected, Stefan Göllner dominated Class 3, but behind him there was a fierce battle for the other places. The drivers struggled not only with their opponents, but also with the adverse conditions on the track. The dust, mixed with the water from the ditch, led to some drivers throwing away their dirty Visors to avoid temporary blindness. After two intense runs, the superior overall winner was crowned, while Andreas Baur and Paul Brötz secured the other podium places.
Dennis Franceschini showed a very appealing performance in class 2 and won the first race. In the second race, however, his technique threw a spanner in the works and he dropped out completely after five laps. The beneficiary was Johannes Köhl, who snatched victory. This success was also enough to win the overall standings ahead of Thomas Haas and, somewhat surprisingly, Christian "Trenki" Trenkwalder from Nagel Engine in Garmisch-Partenkirchen: "A great track for my Vespa PK 125, with which I did better than I feared. It had been standing for 30 years, I just cleaned the Carburettor and off I went on the track! I didn't think I would reach the best-of-all-runs. A great event that should be repeated." Our Sarde Luigi was the only participant for SIP at the start, but his Handlebar didn't take the strain, so he was only on the track for a total of two laps. Too bad, but great!
A stuntman on a Vespa
Things were far more dramatic in Class 1, where all eyes were on Max Heigl, who had a home game. And he set off like the proverbial fire engine, leaving the field behind him - until his first crossing of the water ditch. After that, however, his Vespa was flooded. After just three laps, he had to give up the race in disappointment and leave the track.
Now it was the turn of young Joe Dierkes from Neuwied at the Nürburgring. He mastered the jumps with the ease of a young deer, raced through the steep bend and even took the ditch with a spectacular wheelie - a real show stopper! But luck was not on his side: he lost control of his Vespa Cosa and was overtaken by Aron Munter. But Joe didn't give up, fought his way back and overtook his rival in the final metres to cross the finish line with a lead of three seconds. In the second race, he did not perform any more stunts and drove to a flawless victory. He left Aron Munter and Moritz Hein behind him in the overall standings. "The day went quite well," said Joe modestly, "we had a few difficulties at the beginning, but then it actually worked out. It was a great weekend!"
In the final "Best of All" race, seven riders competed once again, and Thomas Haas was looking forward to it: "I optimised the scooter a bit compared to last year, but I also had a bit of luck due to the other riders dropping out. It was another cool day and I would be delighted if the event were to take place again." Unsurprisingly, Stefan Göllner also secured victory in this race, closely followed by Johannes Pemsl and Johannes Köhl. He thus crowned an already impressive day with another triumph and cemented his position as the dominant rider of the event.
A favourite is brought down
But in the final endurance race, his Vespa GTS also had to experience what a total failure feels like. In the team with Andy Bode, he was in front, but after a technical breakdown, the team of Wolfgang Altmann and Johannes Pemsl overtook him. Although Göllner/Bode got the car back on the road, their rivals managed to cross the finish line in time. Great jubilation! The Buschkönig/Buschkönig team finished in third place.
There was exuberant joy at the award ceremony, and it wasn't just the riders who felt the strain of the day. Race director Jesco was very pleased with the outcome: "Everything went extremely well. We had exciting races right to the end and only positive feedback from the riders. Our team worked really well together. Most importantly: apart from a slight rib contusion, there were no injuries." Around 1,000 spectators attended the spectacle, and all the food from the Grill and the oven was eaten early. Fortunately, there was plenty of barley juice, so that riders, fans and organisers were able to celebrate well into the night.
Ralf Jodl, CEO of SIP Scootershop and organiser, should have the last word: "The third Matscho Karatscho also offered a great show, exciting racing and the best entertainment for all spectators. For us, however, the focus is on the community of scooter fans and the collegial interaction with each other. It has been shown time and again that Vespas connect people across national borders."
Thank you!
Our thanks go to the people from the catering, the paramedics, the timekeepers, the guys and girls at the taps and cash desk, the staff in the flagship store, DJ Jan, the photographers, the film crew and of course the fantastic team from SIP Scootershop: Andrea, Sabine, Steffi B., Otto, Charly, Mascha, Frank, Nico G., Martin S., Adrian, Mehdi, Luigi, Laura, Jochen, Christian S. and Jonas. And of course we would also like to thank Jürgen Posch from Posch Performance, who left us a load of Rubber on the tarmac. Super burnout ;)
Click here for the results and times of the 3rd Matscho Karatscho.
Video: 3. Matscho Karatscho 2024 at SIP Scootershop
Picture gallery: 3rd Matscho Karatscho 2024 at SIP Scootershop
